Combine Cafe & Bar

For those who are not in the know, Surrey Central has become (or already is) a bustling and modern community that is on an upward trajectory.  Sure, there are still remnants of the old Whalley that has yet to be redeveloped, but the place is attracting people and businesses alike.  So it wasn't surprising to see a beautiful restaurant in Combine Cafe & Bar open up shop along King George Hwy near Fraser Hwy.  It is actually right across from the King George Skytrain station and dishes up food that is both sustainable and locally-sourced.

Jackie and I were invited to try the place out and we were impressed with what they have done with the space as it is inviting with lots of natural light.  We started with the some drinks including the Wine Flight and also a mocktail in the Cosmo.  The appetizer menu is fairly simple and at first, we were not interested in ordering the Baked Focaccia.  Well, thank goodness they recommended it because the bread was super fluffy and soft with a slightly crispy exterior.  The addition of tomatoes and peppers on the top afforded some moisture and pops of sweet tanginess.  They finished it off with some herbed butter and that just helped amp up the aromatics and butteriness.

Next, we had the Oysters Rockefeller that were a bit different than the traditional version.  It still had a creamy butter sauce, but had far more melted cheese on it.  In a sense, that helped lock in the moisture of the oyster and they turned out to be juicy and soft.  Lots of natural brininess from the fresh oysters.  There could've been a bit more sauce, but otherwise, this was a serviceable version.

We ended up building-our-own Charcuterie Board with cured salmon, smoked duck, gouda, chili jam, toasted almonds and pickled vegetables.  They did a fine job in arranging the items on the board where it looked appetizing.  I particularly enjoyed the cured salmon as they were in large slices and the texture was buttery.  Nice sweetness accented by just a bit of saltiness.  The smoked duck was good too being tender with a quick sear from the torch.  Not a fan of the pickled vegetables as I would've preferred distinguishable pieces rather than a blitz through the food processor.  Almonds were fantastic with a sweet crunch.

Onto the mains, we had the Chilean Chicken with chorizo, white wine cream sauce, mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables.  I thought it was artfully plated with well-prepared components.  The root veggies were cooked through, yet still had a firmness to them.  They were intensely sweet from the caramelization.  The swaft of mashed potatoes was smooth and creamy.  Wished there was more of it though!  Chorizo was seared, hence it amplified the salty spice.  There was some smokiness too.  The chicken itself was a bit hit and miss.  The interior of the chicken leg was tender and moist, but the outer parts were a bit dry.

For the Oyster Cream Pasta, we added Teriyaki Salmon so that it would have some more protein.  We found the spaghetti to be perfectly al dente and bathed in a minimal amount of cream sauce.  I thought that was okay, but the promise of oyster sweet and brininess wasn't really there.  I mean, the pasta was solid and it did have enough seasoning, just needed more oysters or oyster liquour.   I would be fine paying more money for more oysters in the dish.  As for the salmon we added, it was not dry, but not moist either, somewhere in between.  The sauce was tasty though and the amount of it helped keep the salmon from being dry.

For dessert, we had the Ooops! Ice Cream which was more playful than anything else.  Consisting of vanilla bean ice cream with a waffle cone inverted on top, the dish also had berry compote, poached pear and cookie crumbs.  So was this something I would normally order?  Well no, but I enjoyed it all the same.  The ice cream was rich and creamy while the cone was crispy and aromatic.  The compote and pear added some bright fruitiness and the crumbs provided more texture.  In general, Combine Cafe & Bar is a stylish place where you can enjoy drinks with friends.  The food is quite serviceable but some further refinement is needed for them to be competitive with similar restaurants.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Wonderful space

- Serviceable eats

- On the right track

The Bad:

- Food needs further refinement

Brasserie Georges

With all the choices for dinner in Lyon, we decided to hit up a historical one in Brasserie Georges.  Operating since 1836, this expansive dinning hall has served some pretty famous people.  There are even plaques attached to the seats commemorating their visits.  Another reason we decided to dine here is that it is one of the few places with continuous service.  That means we could have an early dinner at 5:30pm.  Most places do not open until 7:00pm.

After being seated at one of the seemingly hundreds of tables, we set down to ordering.  We did so in French and our server seemed to understand us.  One of the first dishes to arrive was the Piperade with poached egg, basque-style sauce and Serrano ham.  This was like an eggs benedict of sorts except for the base being peppers and onions rather than a bread or other carb.  This was rather rich and filling due to the velvety sauce and soft-poached egg. 

Next, we had the Terrine of Pork & Chicken Liver with porto and a side salad.  This was a quite a big slice and it was more than enough for my son as he had this as a starter for the Menu Lyonnais.  As you can see in the picture, this was quite rustic with discernible chunks of meat and fat mixed in with the liver.  It was definitely meaty and aromatic while being sweet.  We could definitely taste the port wine, but it stayed mainly in the background.

One of the most delicious, yet inconspicuous dishes of our meal was the Rockfish Soup with a side of rouille and croutons.  This was so flavourful and concentrated with the aromatics of saffron.  It was naturally sweet with some background fennel notes. Almost a bouillabaisse except without the shellfish. Naturally, we found some creamy rouille on the side that we could spread onto the croutons and dip into the soup.  So much aroma and textures!

For my son's Menu Lyonnais main dish, he chose the Local Pork and Pistachio Sausage in a white wine sauce served with mashed potatoes.  This type of sausage is a Lyon specialty (as we also had at Muzette).  This was also under-the-radar tasty where the sausage was plump, full of meat texture and juicy with the nuttiness of pistachios.  The white wine sauce was lightly creamy and cooked down properly.  It went very well with the starchy, yet smooth potatoes on the side.

Next, we found more of the flavourful summer veggies of the piperade accompanying the roasted Tender Pork Breast with rosemary.  This piece of pork featured crispy skin that stood up to the jus.  It was aromatic and nutty.  Underneath, the pork was not overly fatty with plenty of tender meat.  Definitely got the woodsiness of the rosemary, but not strong enough to take over the natural sweetness and umaminess of the pork.

My daughter had the Grilled Fillet of Sea Bream with herb vinaigrette, roasted eggplant and tomato.  Texturally, this dish was pretty much uniform, but it wasn't a problem though.  The eggplant was tender but not mushy while the tomato added a bright acidity.  The sea bream was cooked perfectly being moist and flaky.  With an herbaceous tanginess, this made the dish more bright than it appeared.  The olive oil added even more butteriness to the fish.

For myself, I went for the Veal Calf’s Liver with wine vinegar and shallots.  This was a big piece of lightly floured liver that was cooked to a medium-rare.  Hence, it was still juicy and a bit gamy-tasting in the middle.  However, I'm all about that flavour, so it was great.  It ate fairly tender except some of the less cooked portions.  Keeping things from getting too heavy, the sauce was almost like a gastrique where it was acidic but had a touch of sweetness. 

Served on the side of my veal was some Cheese Penne that was a bit dry, but was okay after I mixed it with the cheese sauce.  I originally wanted some French Fries and I totally forgot to order them.  So I decided to use my rudimentary French (that I used to order in the first place) to add them to our list of dishes.  Our server nodded in understanding, so I guess I did okay?  Well, the fries were good, being hot and crispy.

Onto dessert, we had the Frozen Nougat with candied fruit and red fruit coulis and the Macaron with fresh raspberries.  Really enjoyed the frozen nougat as it was like a semifreddo where it was creamy but slightly firm.  The candied fruit added both texture and sweetness while the pistachio provided nuttiness and texture.  As for the giant macaron, the shell was pretty good with a crisp exterior that shattered into a soft and chewy centre.  Inside, the raspberries provided tartness to balance the sweetness.

One final dessert belonged to my son's Lyonnais Menu with the Crispy Chocolate and Praline Cake.  This was really chocolate mousse with crunchy and sweet pralines inside.  The mousse itself was creamy and rich with purposeful sweetness.  Loved the velvety dark chocolate ganache on the outside.  Overall, the meal at Brasserie Georges was solid and well-priced.  Sure, it wasn't the best food I've ever had, but it was consistent across the board.  That suited us just fine.

The Good:
- Lots of choice on the menu
- Consistent across the board
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Expansive dining room has its appeal, but for those looking for a quiet meal, this ain't it

Rocky Mountain Flatbread (Get Crafty Thursdays)

Boy I haven't been back to Rocky Mountain Flatbread since they had a location in Kits.  Yes, it really has been that long!  Hey, there is nothing wrong with RMF, but as I've said over and over again, with so many options in town (and out-of-town), I can only re-visit so many places!  I won't lie, it makes it easier for me to do so when they ask me to return, which is true in this case.  Along with Eileen, Roanna and Jackie, we were there for "Get Crafty Thursdays" where we could make our own pizza creations.  This included a choice of starter as well for $29.50 per person.

About those starters, there are 2 choices each of salads and soups.  We decided to try them all so we could report on them for you!  The 2 salads included Fresh Herb Salad and a Fig & Goat Cheese Salad.  I personally preferred the fig & goat cheese salad as it had more impact in terms of taste and texture.  The natural sweetness of the figs went well with the creamy gaminess of the goat cheese.  The herb salad was much more typical with some citrus to brighten things up.

For the soups, there was a choice between Tomato Basil and Potato Corn Chowder.  I really enjoyed the natural flavours of the tomato soup as it felt like I was eating a fresh ripe tomato except with it being more concentrated with a bright tanginess.  The basil really did come through and it was a nice compliment.  As for the chowder, it was not too thick, which made it easier to eat.  It was still rich and full of tender potatoes and the sweetness of the corn niblets.  I appreciated that this was not over-seasoned, so that the natural taste came through.

Onto the pizzas, we walked over to a table that already had our pizza dough ready for kneading and rolling.  That we did.  The dough was easy to work with and we had tips throughout the process.  We had the option of tomato sauce or pesto, but since we wanted it all, we chose half and half.  Onto the Toppings, we had many options including schinken speck, calabrese salami, pepperoni, salami, pesto chicken, fresh mozzarella, kale, peppers, mushrooms, sundried tomato, jalapeno, olives, artichoke and caramelized onions.  I loaded up my pizza with pesto chicken, artichoke, mushrooms and caramelized onion on the pesto side and sundried tomato, salsami, calabrese, olives and fresh mozzarella on the tomato side.

After we finished constructing our Pizzas, we handed it off to the kitchen where they placed them in a wood fire oven.  Not long after, our pizzas were done and served hot to our table.  The thin crust was uniformly crispy from edge to the middle.  However, there was still some chewy doughiness left so that it wasn't a cracker texture.  This was the case even with all of the toppings.  However, Jackie's pizza was much softer with a non-crispy centre due to the massive amount of toppings on her pizza.

In addition to the set meal, we ordered some more items to try so we could get a sense of the menu.  This included the Roasted Cauliflower Bites and the Garlic Prawns.  I enjoyed the firm texture of the fully-cooked through cauliflower florets.  When dipped into the side of vegan ranch, there was some creaminess to go with the seasoned cauliflower.  I personally would've liked to see more char, but that didn't make-or-break the dish.  At first, I was skeptical of the garlic prawns as they sat atop a slice of cucumber, but they turned out to be really good!  They were cooked beautifully retaining a meaty snap while aggressively seasoned.  That worked out well with the unseasoned cucumber.  The lemon dill sauce was tangy and herbaceous.

We tried 2 pastas as well in the Penne Bolognese and the Maple Bacon Penne.  Both featured al dente pasta and some garlic pizza bread.  I enjoyed the bacon penne the most as it was creamy, sweet and full of bacon goodness.  It reminded me of a carbonara but just sweeter.  As for the bolognese, it was plenty meaty and cheesy.  I wouldn't say it tasted like a classic bolognese though.  I thought it was more of a rich meat sauce that was good in its own way.  There was depth and the tomato-based sauce wasn't too acidic.

To make sure we got it all, we tried their classic Artisan Flatbread with fig, brie and prosciutto.  I felt this pizza had a better crust than the ones we had made.  This was probably due to the fact they know the exact quantity of ingredients to put on top of the pizza.  Furthermore, without an actual sauce, the crust was not subjected to excess moisture.  Hence, the crust was uniformly crispy with only the slightest chewiness.  The combination of flavours was familiar in the sweet fig jam, creamy brie and salty prosciutto.

For dessert. we shared the Double Chocolate Brownie and Apple Crumble.  The brownie was pretty solid with a rich, almost fudge-like consistency.  It wasn't overly sweet though and the chocolate really came through.  As for the crumble, it was full of tender apples that were tangy and sweet.  The crisp on top had good texture.  At the end of the meal, we liked the fact that we participated in making our pizzas.  Of course we didn't "make" the dough, but the construction and choice of toppings was a fun way to personalize our meal.   Price was reasonable with all things considered.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- A fun activity that isn't expensive

- Good pizza dough that is also prepared well in their oven

- Generally solid food all-around

The Bad:

- For this location, parking in the area is a bit challenging

District Noodle House

I recently visited District Noodle House located in the fast-growing River District for a quick lunch.  All I had was a Pho and came away satisfied.  I really wanted to try more dishes since their menu is fairly large.  However, I was short on time and really, how much can I eat when I only had one more person with me?  Well, my prayers were answered when I attended a menu tasting along with Jackie, Roanna, Eileen, Joyce and Diana.  Yep, with those capable eaters with me, I know we could put a dent into the menu!

So we began with some standard items in the Pork Spring Rolls and Grilled Pork Patty Salad Roll.  I thought the spring rolls were pretty textbook and then some.  Beyond the crispy wheat wrapper, the filling was good where the mix of pork and veggies was spot on and the texture was not too dense.  In fact, it was on the fluffier side despite the roll being jam-packed with filling.  As for the salad roll, it featured a big piece of sweet and charred pork patty.  What made this roll was the addition of mini fried spring roll inside.  It added a wonderful crunch.

Next, we had the Deep Fried Chicken Wings as well as the House Special Chicken Salad.  Tossed in garlic, black pepper, peppers and butter, these wings had plenty of aroma and flavour.  I found the wings to be crispy with enough seasoning for impact.  However, the toss with the components could've been more aggressive (as they tasted great on their own).  Texturally, the wings were juicy and tender.  As for the salad, it was appetizing with a nice tanginess and brininess.  Loved the crunch of the cabbage while the big pieces of shredded chicken were succulent.

We tried the Vietnamese Beef Carpaccio featuring lightly seared beef tenderloin topped with a house special sauce.  The sauce seemed to be a sweetened soy with elements of acidity and also some saltiness.  On top of the carpaccio was some cilantro, scallions, fried shallots, peanuts and pickled onions.  I found some pieces of the beef to be tender while larger and thicker slices to be have a bit more chew.  I did like the dressing as it was plenty savoury with acidity and a minor hint of spice.

Now here is where the meal got interesting as they are introducing a selection of new dishes including the Vietnamese Mango & Papaya Salad.  This was super delicious where the crunch from the green papaya provided texture while the dried banana blossoms added a "meatiness".  Nice tangy dressing that had sweetness and brininess.  On top of the salad were rice crisps topped with sesame & lime marinated shrimp, balsamic caviar and wasabi mayo.  These bites had a little of everything including crunch, creaminess, bounciness from the shrimp, tang from the balsamic and a bite from the wasabi mayo.

Another new dish was the Double Mustard Green Rolls consisting of shrimp, butter eggs and Vietnamese ham.  These looked like harmless rolls, but in reality, they were less straight-forward than they appeared.  Let's start with the mustard greens first.  They were blanched until tender, but not mushy.  There was the unmistakable slight bitterness such as mustard greens can be.  Inside, the combination of ingredients would've been enough for impact, but the side of mắm nêm added a pungent fermented shrimpiness.

Continuing on with the new, we tried the Vietnamese Pizza served on grilled rice paper and topped with shrimp, pork bits, butter corn and spicy mayo.  Loved the creativity by using multiple layers of hydrated rice paper that was crisped up by putting it on a hot grill.  The result was a firm crunch that was a bit smoky.  Having the spicy mayo on top provided a kick that was complimented well by the bursts of sweetness from the corn niblets.  Add in the meatiness of the shrimp and aromatics from the pork, we had an appetizing dish.

Those were the smaller new dishes, but they also had 2 larger mains in the Fried Banh Chung & Beef Short Ribs.  This was plated as a composed dish with a large braised short rib covered with a creamy peppercorn sauce.  Meaty and fork tender, the short rib was flavourful on its own but the sweet and savoury peppercorn sauce added the necessary moisture and saltiness.  I found the sauce a touch salty, but when eaten in moderation, it was tasty.  On the side, there was fried sticky rice that was super crunchy.  Some pieces were a bit too crunchy, but others were soft and glutinous.  Perfectly roasted honey glazed carrots completed the dish.

The other dish was the La Vong Sizzling Cod Fish Wrap & Roll.  It was impressively presented on a hot cast iron plate with dill and scallions.  Tender and flaky, the pieces of cod were marinated in fermented rice, turmeric and galangal.  Hence, the fish was not devoid of flavour.  However, the dominant item was the ample amount of dill.  This was served with ruby red lettuce and herbs as well as vermicelli and rice paper.  There was a choice of sauces including the mắm nêm and mắm tôm.  Lots of impact here including the pungent brininess of the mắm tôm.

Back to regular programming, we had a selection of sandwiches including Grilled Lemongrass Pork, Grilled Lemongrass Chicken and Cold Cut.  All 3 featured crusty and airy baguettes that stayed as such even though it sat there on the table as we took our photos.  My personal favourite was the cold cut or Bánh Mì đặc biệt since it was loaded with meat.  It had the usual ingredients such as pickled veggies, jalapenos, mayo, soy sauce, cucumbers and cilantro.  The other 2 contained plenty of moist charred meat as well as the same ingredients.  The chicken was predictably more tender.

Of course we had to get some soup noodles too in the form of Pho Satay and Pho Ga.  I thought that the base broth for the Pho Satay was quite meaty, yet light at the same time.  I didn't think it was particularly spicy, rather it was aromatic.  The noodles were not overdone and the meats were both plentiful and tender.  As for the Pho Ga, it consisted of chicken meat and chicken meatballs.  I found the meatballs to be fluffy and bouncy while the chicken was fairly tender.  The broth was clean and sweet.

Hitting all the usual dishes, we had the  Special Rice Platter and Special Vermicelli. Both included lemongrass chicken, pork chop and pork patty.  The vermicelli added a spring roll while the rice included a runny egg.  As usual, we found pickled daikon and carrots, lettuce, cucumber and tomato.   Fish sauce was served on the side.  Much like the meats in the bánh mì, they were well-marinated, properly charred and tender.

We had another rice dish in the Vietnamese Shaking Beef.  This featured cubes of beef that were wok-fried with onions and garlic.  This was plenty aromatic from the caramelization of the beef.  Furthermore, the beef was marinated enough so that it was tender with a balance of sweet and salty flavours.  Naturally, this went well with the side of chewy rice (in a good way).

We did a complete tasting by sampling a wide range of their Drinks including Lemongrass Kumquat Black Tea, Lychee Iced Tea, Passionfruit Iced Tea, Creamsicle Orange, Condensed Milk Cold Coffee, Strawberry Smoothie, Durian Smoothie, Avocado Smoothie and Jackfruit Smoothie.  My favourite was the Durian Smoothie hands down.  It was creamy and well-blended where the durian flavour came through without being overbearing.  It was lightly sweet and aromatic.  I also enjoyed the Lychee Iced Tea as it was not too sweet and really refreshing.  Overall, the food we had at District Noodle House was quite good with some of the new dishes being both interesting and showing the creativeness of the kitchen.  Great addition to the River District!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Good eats
- Well-portioned
- Some interesting creations

The Bad:
- Pho broth can be a bit more aggressive

- Prices are on the higher side, but then again, what is cheap these days?