Denji Sushi

After dropping off some of our Trophy cupcakes at Girl Smiley's house in Cloverdale, we were ready for a late dinner.  But where?  Yah, the area is not exactly the hotbed of culinary greatness, but hey, there must be some decent eats as the place is a growing community.  Oh and yah, we weren't looking for a chain restaurant nor fast food either.  Therefore, we settled on the nearby Denji Sushi, since Viv had just tried it a few weeks ago while she was visiting their house.

We started with the Assorted Tempura which arrived neatly plated as a fairly large portion.  Consisting of 4 ebi, sweet potato, yam, golden squash and green bean, it was interesting to see no carrot.  No matter, the tempura was prepared masterfully with a thin batter than was lightly crunchy and easy on the grease.  We thought the slices of potato and yam were ideal in size which ensured that they were cooked through while still retaining texture.  As for the ebi, they were still buttery and meaty after the deep fry.  I didn't like the green beans as they were old and stringy.  Next up was the Assorted Sashimi that was neatly arranged with sockeye salmon, albacore tuna, flounder, hokkigai, hotate, tako and tai.  I thought the tuna was pretty good as there was a noted sweetness.  The flounder was a surprise (as it is not often served) where it was firm and fresh-tasting.

For our sushi rolls, we got the Futomaki and Spicy Salmon Roll (as well as 2 tamago for my son...  yes, he is beginning to eat sushi...).  We found the rice appealingly chewy with a mild flavour.  The futomaki contained freshwater eel rather than the commonly found imitation crab in the GVRD.  We weren't fans of the spicy salmon as it was overprocessed having a slurry consistency.  It did taste good though.  For the kiddies, they shared a Chicken Teri-Don which was pretty large in portion size.  The rice was a bit soft, yet not too wet.  On top, there was a large piece of deboned chicken leg that was succulent and well-seasoned.  Unfortunately, the skin was rather fatty and unappealing.  In the end, Denji served its purpose and was fairly good with all things considered.

The Good:
- Generally carefully prepared food
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- On the pricier side
- Smallish sushi and sashimi  

Umami Sushi

With a 2+ hour break in between games during our hockey tourney at Great Pacific Forum, going home did not seem like a good idea.  With the high gas prices and waste of time driving, I figured I might as well drop off my gear at work nearby and let it air out.  In the meantime, I would go in search of eats.  Well, any gas savings blew up in smoke when I decided to venture all the way out to Cloverdale for some sushi.  Yes, I do travel for food...

I was warmly greeted by the staff and made myself comfortable in the clean and nicely appointed dining room.  I started off with the Appetizer Tempura which was served hot and crunchy.  The batter was fairly light and easy on the grease.  Buttery with a light snap, the ebi were prepared nicely.  As for the veggies, I thought the yam and sweet potato were sliced a tad too thin where the batter-to-ingredient ratio was too equal.  Next, the Chirashi Don was attractively constructed as well as sporting an impressive assortment of vibrant-looking sashimi.  It consisted of Tuna, Hamachi, Tako, Tamago, Sockeye Salmon, Ebi and Tai.  I enjoyed all the neatly cut pieces except for the tamago as it was a bit crumbly in texture.  All of this sat atop chewy sushi rice which was well-seasoned with a purposeful amount of rice wine vinegar.

Lastly, I got one of their specialty rolls being the Red Dragon.  It was a spicy tuna roll topped with avocado, unagi and tobiko finished with unagi sauce.  I thought this was carefully constructed with a minimal amount of rice.  The spicy tuna was quite mild, but texturally on point.  The unagi was buttery with just the right amount of sauce. On another visit, I was intrigued by the Stinky Roll (due to the name).  It was comprised of a tuna roll with fried garlic chips, yam strings, tempura bits and baby scallops finished off by a combination of sauces.  This looked much larger than the sum of its parts, but was decent nonetheless. Once again, the small amount of rice was chewy and surprisingly good.  The garlic chips could've been fried longer as they were chewy rather than crunchy.

I also got the Tonkatsu Don that was served in a small casserole dish.  The pork cutlet itself was not exactly dry, but it wasn't succulent either.  I liked the crispy breading though.  Similar to the chiraishi don, the rice was chewy and toothsome.  However, it was doused in teriyaki sauce which didn't really go with the tonkatsu.  Also, the addition of sprouts and onions made the rice a bit wet. Despite the strange Tonkatsu Don, the rest of the items were solid. Definitely more-than-acceptable for Cloverdale and ultimately decent in general.

The Good:
- Carefully prepared sushi and sashimi
- Nice people

The Bad:
- It may upset those looking for authenticity (I didn't mind it)
- Not expensive, but not cheap either

Dashiwa Sushi

*Restaurant is closed*

Here we go with another random sushi food adventure...  I was cruising along 64th Ave in Surrey one day with Klutz and Tavers in search of eats.  We kept driving and driving and driving to no avail.  Huh?  Are there any restaurants around here???  Yup, there were as many restaurants along 64th as there are people doing the speed limit on highway 91.  When all was about lost, we noticed a cluster of businesses at 152nd.  Hey, a Greek restaurant and of course, a Japanese one too.  We opted for sushi over roast lamb...

To start things off, we got an order of the Ebi Tempura that was served on a familiar Corelle plate.  I've got the same one in blue!  Anyways, these were pretty good with a crispy and light batter that was easy on the grease.  Inside, the ebi was buttery and exhibited a mild snap.  Next, we had the Assorted Sashimi consisting of Tai, Hokkigai, Tako, Atlantic Salmon, Tuna and Sockeye Salmon.  As evidenced in the picture, the fish had a nice sheen that translated into an overall freshness (as much as flash frozen can get).  Textures were good including the buttery, yet firm salmon and the soft, but not mushy tuna.

Onto some maki sushi, we had the Dragon Roll comprised of essentially a dynamite roll (ebi tempura, imitation crab and cucumber) with torched unagi on top and drizzled with unagi sauce).  We found the roll to be neatly constructed where it stayed intact.  The sushi rice was firm and seasoned lightly with a touch of sweetness.  With a smoky char, the buttery unagi added both texture and flavour to the roll.  Next, we tried the Alaska Roll consisting of cooked ebi, avocado and cucumber with smoked salmon on top.  This was a pleasant enough roll, yet it was surprisingly small.  For me at least, this was not typical of an Alaska roll.

Our obligatory cooked dish of the meal was the Chicken Yakisoba.  It arrived steaming hot and somewhat saucy.  As a result, the noodles were more wet than toothsome.  Taste-wise, the dish was sweet with a touch of tartness.  The ample amount of veggies probably contributed to the moisture content of the dish.  Up until this point, it appeared that Klutz could eat more, so we got the Sushi Combo A (7 pcs of nigiri).  With 2 pieces of ebi and tuna along with 3 pieces of salmon, this was yet again a modest portion.  However, it is all about balance with Japanese food, not huge quantities.  With that in mind, the fish-to-rice ratio was fine. Similar in quality to the aforementioned sushi and sashimi, this was also good.

Then surprisingly, we were presented with a complimentary order of the Aburi Salmon Nigiri (was it my camera?).   Although the torched salmon was buttery while the rice was toothsome, the amount of sauce was rather unnecessary.  It only served to hide the natural flavours of the ingredients.  Then again, it was complimentary, so we weren't really all that bothered by it.  Well, how about that?  A random sushi restaurant turns out to be pretty decent.  I wonder what other places exist beyond 152nd...

The Good:
- Above-average eats
- Friendly people
- Quality over quantity (if that matters to you)

The Bad:
- For those who want quantity, best find the closest AYCE
- On the pricier side

Chopsticks on Pho

*Restaurant is closed*

Alright. We are pretty familiar with the typical Pho joint right? Usually pretty crappy looking exterior with an equally confusing interior. The decor could resemble a Greek, Italian or Indian restaurant, but it is unmistakably a Vietnamese restaurant. Hey, I ain't complaining. The food usually speaks for itself and the prices are easy on the wallet. However, there seems to be a trend towards "nice-looking" or even upscale Vietnamese dining. Take Broken Rice for instance. The place is designed from the ground up as a Vietnamese restaurant. Furthermore, the food is both refined and no longer "value-priced". With that in mind, I was curious about the latest entry into the "classy" Pho arena - Chopsticks on Pho out in Surrey.

Joining me was Mrs. Spray Bottle, who shared a Tasting Platter at the end of our meal. Yes, we didn't start with it because it took awhile to prepare, but I'll talk about it first anyways. It included skewers of BBQ Nem Pork, Satay Chicken, Grilled Garlic Prawns, Spring Roll and Salad Roll. Although the spring roll was good with a crispy exterior and moist filling, I was dismayed at the use of a wheat wrapper. The salad roll was really good with a nicely textured rice wrapper and fresh ingredients. The pork and chicken skewers were carefully prepared, hence they were moist and tender. I particularly loved the pork skewer as it was quite flavourful. The snappy prawns were more like shrimp and they could've done a better job at deveining them.

Mrs. Spray Bottle ended up with the Banh Mi which was ridiculously priced at $8.95. It was made with lemongrass chicken with the usual condiments including pickled daikon and carrots, cilantro, jalapeno and a house aioli (in place of the regular butter mayo). The sandwich was pretty good with a crusty baguette and crisp veggies, however, there could've been a more pronounced lemongrass hit. For myself, I had "The Works" Pho (aka Pho Dac Biet minus the tripe and tendon). I found the broth sweet and somewhat fragrant. It could've used more meat depth and savouriness. The noodles were al dente while the modest amount of meat was tender. In general, we enjoyed the food here, but there was one thing that kept bugging me - the prices. I realize the place is clean and modern while the food is neatly presented. Yet, that comes with a price, which is an average $3.00 premium over regular Vietnamese joints. We'll have to see if people are willing to shell out the extra money in the long run.

The Good:
- Clean and modern room
- Owner that cares about his business and customers
- Food is generally above average

The Bad:
- Prices are too high for this type of food

Elizabeth's Chalet

*Restaurant is closed*

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I suggested to Dee & Ann of Me Plus Food that we meet up at Elizabeth's Chalet for dinner. You see, we had been planning to find some interesting eats for a while now. A few places came to mind and finally we settled on Elizabeth's Chalet. Now, to be honest, I knew nothing of the place other than the fact that it seemed to have some good reviews. Of course, being out in Cloverdale made it an adventure in itself. Last time, I had a pretty decent experience at the Vault nearby. Now where the Vault is both eclectic and trendy, Elizabeth's Chalet is not. I arrived a little early and as I walked in, I was stunned for a few seconds. No, it wasn't a blast from an Imperial Storm Trooper; rather I suddenly felt a whole lot younger. When Dee and Ann arrived, the hostess immediately pointed them in my direction by default. Why? Let's just say I stood out like a dandelion on the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach.

Looking very much like it has been stuck in a time warp since 1980, Elizabeth's Chalet has a homey feel to it. From the pink tablecloths down to the Victorian floral print on the chairs, the place is classy in its own special way. I found that the service was quite good. In fact, the assistant waiter knew the proper etiquette, which is a whole lot better than some other places I've been to in Downtown. While Ann and Dee chose to go for the Early Bird, I went for a la carte. Reason? For variety of course! I started with the Warm Duck Salad. The salad was quite decent. The pan fried duck pieces were generally good with a definite soy taste. Some bits were a tad chewy probably because the duck fat had been fried until it was crispy/chewy. I found that the dressing (or the duck fat from the pan frying) made the salad a tad greasy.

Dee and Ann decided to go for the Early Bird for $22.00. Dee started with the Carrot Ginger Soup. He thought it was not nearly as good as what he had at the Cannery. It was decent though with a smooth texture while the flavors weren't too strong. Yet, he couldn't really tell it was carrot besides the color. Ann went for the other appetizer option - Caesar Salad. Yah, nothing much to get excited about really. It was your typical standard Caesar Salad. Pretty solid nonetheless.

For my main, I went for the Prime Rib special @ $13.95. A perfectly medium-rare prime rib resided on a plate complete with mashed potatoes, broccoli, carrots and Yorkshire pudding.
Most parts of the prime rib were tender with the rare portion being a tad chewy (which is pretty standard). The mash potatoes were very fluffy and buttery. I liked it. The veggies were still a bit firm which was nice. The au jus was understated with some meat flavour, it didn't overpower the natural flavour of the prime rib.

Continuing on the meat theme, Dee had the 6 oz Sirloin. Definitely a bit tougher cut of meat compared to the prime rib. It was cooked medium rare, but was tougher to chew. It was topped with a ton of good mushrooms. He liked the home fried potatoes were good, half-crispy house potatoes. The broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots still had a crunch to it. Dee suspected they were steamed. The cauliflower had a bit of sauce on it, but he couldn't taste it. It was kind of bland.

Ann ended up with the other choice for the early bird being the Red Snapper Four Seasons with mashed potatoes and fresh veggies. The premise of the sauce are the veggies representing the four seasons, consisting of tomatoes, olives, celery and onions. I got to sample the fish and I thought it was cooked quite nicely. The fish was still moist and flaky while cooked all-the-way through. I wasn't so sure about the sauce. I found that the fish got lost in the tartness. Rather than letting the fish shine (although snapper is mild-tasting), all I could taste was sauce. Mind you, that might've been the intention. As mentioned before, the veggies and mash potatoes were good.

For dessert, Ann had the Lemon Cake. I found the cake to be quite sweet with not much lemon flavour. It was actually quite dense despite its light appearance. Dee had a slice of the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. We both thought that the filling was quite good balancing sweetness with tartness. However, the crust was not flaky at all. It was dense and chewy. Overall, the food at Elizabeth's Chalet can be summed up as traditional. The place is the antithesis of modern and trend-setting. It is a place that represents yesteryear and doesn't apologize for it. We were not their target clientele; yet the food was decent. For the prices they charge, especially for the specials, it is a bargain. Portions were good, service was friendly and stares from the older patrons were priceless.

The Good:
- Honest-to-goodness service
- Solid traditional food
- Decent value

The Bad:
- Nothing modern here, if so, go down a few blocks to the Vault
- Food is solid, if not unspectacular