Bentall Centre BX1 Food Court

The food court.  You know, a collection of food stalls that are located in malls where one would usually find: a Chinese combo spot, chain-burger joint, Japanese teppanyaki, KFC, Tim Horton's and the sort...  Well, thankfully, this has been gradually evolving as tastes have changed and people are generally looking for more interesting eats.  The Bentall Centre food court features 5 different stalls that offer more than the usual and they are definitely not some big corporate chain.  I was invited recently to try them all.

One of the most recognizable names is Zab Bite Thai Express.  Yes, it is run by the same people as the Michelin-Recommended spot on Fraser Street.  We were able to try some of Northerneastern Thai cuisine including their fabulous Pad See Ew.  This had plenty of wok hei with smokiness and caramelization.  Crystal noodles were full of elasticity and weren't overly clumpy.  We also tried the Tofu Green Curry.  Fragrant, sweet and briny, the mild green curry had a velvety viscosity.  I found the rice dry enough to accept the curry while retaining a chewiness.  The fried tofu was crispy and held up to the moisture of the curry.

Right next door, we found the almost viral Four-Bite Burger operated by the same people behind Bovine Rice Bowls.  These little sliders featured a smash patty that was crispy with a beautiful maillard.  Finely slivered onions were grilled into the smash patty adding sweetness and texture.  These were delicious with the addition of processed cheese and burger sauce.  Buns were soft too with good structure.  We got to try the Chicken Strips too and they were pretty typical, but were fried until crunchy with moist breast meat inside.  This was served with crispy curly fries and honey mustard.

Over at Little Seoul, we were got some pictures of their bento boxes.  We sampled a few of their wares including Beef Bulgogi, Spicy Pork, Mandu and Tteokbokki.  The pictures do not completely represent what we tried, but this is what you would get if you order a set.  I thought the tteokbokki were fantastic.  Texturally, they had a nice chew, but gave way to softness.  Mandu were great too with a thin skin that was crispy and coated with a gochujang sauce.  Inside, the filling was moist and tender.  We had the beef and pork in a bibimbap format and they ate really well.  The meats were tender and full-flavoured.

Also run by the same people (who operate the Frying Pan), we have Tori.  It features everything from Tori Paitan Ramen to Chicken Karaage.  We got to try Pork Katsu and Chicken Karaage.  I thought the karaage was juicy with a crispy batter on the outside.  It was mildly-seasoned and probably needed the side of mayo.  As for the pork katsu, it was rather lean meat, but was still moist and juicy.  Batter was lightly crispy.

The last food stall at the other end of the food court is Indish (which has a food truck too).  They feature a pan-Indian menu including the 2 things we tried.  I really enjoyed the Vegan Channa Kebab Kathi Roll.  Loved the flaky and crispy paratha and the crunchy vibrant slaw.  The vegan channa had a crispy exterior and a semi-dense tender interior.  It was nicely spiced with earthy notes.  Humungous in size, the Samosa was flaky and crispy with a tender and spiced potato filling.  On top, there was an earthy and spicy chickpea masala along with kachumber slaw, mint and tamarind chutney.  To say this was a flavour explosion would be an understatement.  Really great for anybody, but great for vegetarians too, much like the Kathi roll.

Running until November 13th, they will be running a Lunch Club Series where guests can pick up their lunch from one of the five food stalls and join a themed-activity based on the day.  On Tuesdays, there is casual drop-in Mahjong in a format that is welcoming to all experience levels.  Love the addition of all these activities to engage customers at the BX1 Food Court.  However, for me, it is all about the food.  It is much more interesting than the usual stuff we find in most food courts.  Definitely satisfying and something that fits into the tastes of the ever refining appetites of Vancouver foodies.  I might just have to find a way to come back when I'm on holidays because it is only open weekdays during lunch hours.

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

The Good:

- Quality food

- Lots of choice amongst the 5 vendors

- Portions are enough for most people

The Bad:

- Only open weekdays for lunch (but makes sense because on the weekends, no one would be in the offices

OiSo (Popup Tasting Menu at Stackhouse Steak Sandwiches)

Sometimes, what you see is not what it seems.  That is true for many things such as Save-On-Foods being rather expensive (irony in the name).  Anyways, from the outside, Stackhouse looks like a sandwich shop (which is it).  However, for those who don't know, owner Eric Lee is a French-trained chef who has worked at Le Crocodile.  That would explain his delicious beef tartare sandwich!  Damso is another establishment that he worked at, so his experience and range are extensive.  So it wouldn't be as surprising at first glance that he as cooked up a Korean fusion tasting menu.  The surprising part is that it is being served at Stackhouse on Abbott after it is closed.  We were invited to give this a go.

Our first course was the Acorn Jelly in a kimchi dashi.  Tender and slippery, the acorn jelly still had a bite left.  Dashi was refreshing and balanced with tanginess, sweetness, spiciness and aromatics from the sesame oil.  Naturally, the kimich gave out fermented vibes with just a slight funk.  There was crunch from the cucumber and radish.  Roasted sesame seeds added another layer of nuttiness.

Next course featured a Taco with pulled pork.  I found the pulled pork to be moist with a natural meaty texture.  There was definite sweetness with noticeable smokiness.  We found some crunch with the pork cracklings on top.  Some tanginess and a bit lighter crunch came in the form of pickled onions.  One of the more interesting ingredients was the sesame leaf which was earthy and herbaceous.

Onto a fairly straight-forward dish, we had the Beef Tartare.  There was quail's egg in the mix and hence, offered up some silkiness.  In general, this tartare was buttery smooth with only mild seasoning.  The natural beef flavour came though, but I would've liked to see more aggressiveness with the tartare components.  We did find Asian pear and garlic shoots that provided clean sweetness as well as sharpness.  Loved the fife bread on the side.

No Korean-themed tasting menu would be complete without Kimchi right?  This came with a question mark though as it was a re-imagined dish with butter-roasted kimchi.  It was crunchy with freshness that was tangy, sweet and spicy.  We found a smooth and silky Hollandaise that acted like a kewpie mayo.  The addition of roasted brussels sprouts made for another layer of crunch.  We found some shaved pork bushi on top that subbed in for bonito flakes.

With a large piece of local uni on top, the Ramyeun sat in a dwenjang cream.  The noodles were supremely al dente with a wonderful chew that had nice elasticity.  Although the sauce was creamy, it wasn't overly heavy where it had the classic fermented soybean finish. There was a certain brightness that was only aided by the clean sweet taste of the fresh uni.  Some crunch was evident from the diced water chestnuts.

Sporting a large bowl of burdock rice with aster and bellflower root, we found the Land & Sea.  We all know what was land, but the sea part of the dish was scallop, clam and squid dressed in a sweet glaze.  In addition to nori sheets, we also found gamtae gim (green lattice seaweed).  Much like the clam bibimbap at a pocha, we used the seaweed to combine the rice and seafood to create a delicious bite.

There was actually excess rice from the previous dish, but it was perfect to go with the Kalbee.  Sporting a large piece of 24-hour braised shortrib with rice cake, carrots and potato.  Meat was fatty and fall-apart tender.  Lots of natural meatiness with sweetness from the root veggies.  Again, combined with the rice, it was a comforting and hearty dish.

Finally, we arrived at our last course, which was the Snowman.  This shaved ice was flavoured with yuzu and complimented by pieces of dalgona.  This was definitely sweet, but had balancing citrus.  Crunchy bits of dalgona provided a caramelized crunch.  Overall, this was a delicious meal with Korean and French influences (a taco too) which reflects Chef Eric Lee's training and experience.  Tentatively, this tasting menu will be priced at $85.00 and it is a fantastic meal at a reasonable price.  Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming pop-up dinners on their Instagram page!

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

The Good:
- Nice blend of Korean flavours with French dishes
- Things were prepared properly
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Tartare could've been seasoned more aggressively

 

 

Mama Katsu

From Legoland, we made our way to Disneyland and that is where our dining out stopped.  We spent most of our time eating at the park and also grabbed some fast food from Raising Canes and In-N-Out.  But I was able to squeeze a few meals in from Mama Katsu, which was on our way back to our hotel.  It was across the street on Harbor Drive and we walked by the place a few times a day. 

The first time we stopped by to pick up some food, we got the Original Kimbap.  Not only did I get it the first time, I got it again on the second visit!  Well first off, it was quite good where there was more filling than rice.  Definitely fulfilling and great for taking it into Disneyland.  Acts as a great snack or even a meal.  I thought the components were well-prepared (textures how they should be) and there was enough flavor to eat without any condiments.

So of course I got the Pork Katsu and it was a large portion of 2 cutlets, 2 fried gyoza, rice, slaw and katsu sauce.  Fried until uniformly crispy, the pork katsu was also tender and not dry.  Naturally, it paired well with the tangy and sweet katsu sauce.  I only wished there was more of it.  Dumplings were pretty typical, but did feature a thin wrapper and a fairly juicy filling.

Picked up a second dish for good measure in the Chicken Yakitori.  This came with rice, tempura prawns, gyoza and slaw.  Since they used chicken thigh meat, it turned out to be jucy and quite flavorful.  There was a light char on them which added some smokiness.  There was enough sauce to flavor each skewer, but probably not enough for all the rice.  I suggest you ask for a bit more.  Prawn tempura were only okay since the batter was a bit thick.

On another visit, I went for the Fish Katsu and it was also a pretty large portion.  Each piece was crunchy while featuring flaky and moist fish.  This came with tartar sauce, slaw, rice, fried gyoza and ebi tempura.  As a whole, this was quite a bit of food and definitely was enough for me.  I found this one to be considerably more greasy than the pork katsu.

For good measure, I decided I needed to get some Spam Musubi as well. This would serve me well in the moment and also be a great snack for later.  This was solid as the layer of chewy rice was actually modest in size.  Therefore, the seared Spam had much more effect.  Overall, the food at Mama Katsu was solid and served in large portions.  Great for a quick meal to take back to your hotel after a day at Disneyland.

The Good:

- Big portions

- Solid eats

- Well-priced

The Bad:

- There maybe a wait at times

- Can be greasy

Kosoo (AYCE Korean BBQ)

It never fails.  When we asked my son what he wanted to eat for his birthday, his reply was like every other birthday: "Korean BBQ".  That would be a great choice as it is never a bad idea to go for Korean BBQ.  Well, unless you needed to go somewhere after and not smell like grilled meat...  Anyways, this time, we ended up at Kosoo in Coquitlam.  They have added AYCE to the menu and there are several tiers starting from $29.99.  We went for AYCE C (for $48.99) since it had different cuts of short rib, as well as scallops and shrimp.

I was happy to see that they offered nearly the same Banchan as their a la carte menu.  We found pickled daikon, sprouts, stewed potatoes, kimchi, corn salad, quail's eggs and fried fish cake (in addition to the usual garlic, peppers and bean paste).  Only thing missing from prior visits was the anchovies and dried shredded squid.  Mind you, it could just be rotating daily items as well.  All were good and of course, refillable.  We also got a spring mix salad too.

We ordered the sides that came with the AYCE in the form of Fried Mandoo (Yangneom, Soy Garlic & Original), Japchae and Kimchi Pancake.  We thought the dumplings were good with a crispy thin exterior with juicy and tender meat inside.  The japchae was decent with a nice chewy texture while mildly-seasoned.  There was some fish cake mixed into it.  The kimchi pancake was fine, but was a bit doughy and thin.

One of the more surprising dishes we had was the Cheese Fries.  Those fries were pretty crispy and totally covered in cheese.  They were tasty on their own and if we weren't so full, we would've ordered more of them.  Included in the meal was both the Cold Noodles and Spicy Cold Noodles.  Sure, these were missing the egg and possibly meat, but whatever, we had enough food already.  Otherwise, they were solid with chewy bouncy noodles.

Of course we have to talk about why we were here in the first place...  The meat!  For our first order, we loaded up on Shrimp, Beef Short Rib, Beef Tongue, Beef Rib Finger, Chicken, Marinated Beef Short Rib, Marinated Beef Rib Finger, LA Galbi, Scallops and Mushroom.  We felt the meat quality was not any different than a la carte.  Nicely marbled, the short rib was tender while the marinated galbi was equally good.  Even the notoriously chewy beef tongue was nicely textured.  Although the scallops were thinly sliced, they were great and came with plenty of butter.

Round 2 of meat consisted of Pork Belly, Pork Jowl, Marinated Pork Shoulder and Marinated Chicken.  We added more scallops and mushroom for good measure.  Nothing amiss with these meats either with the pork belly being at its fatty best.  Pork jowl came in large slices and were buttery and bouncy.  We weren't shy about getting more scallops too.  However, to ensure they sear up nicely, we could only cook a few at a time, otherwise, the moisture leaking out of each scallop made it boil in its own juices.  Other than that, the AYCE at Kosoo was solid, well-priced and featured quality ingredients.  I will be back!

The Good:

- Pretty good quality meats for AYCE

- Although hurried, service was solid

- Lots of tiers of AYCE for everyone

The Bad:

- Some cold spots on the grill, so have to move meats around to ensure searing

- Scallops have too much moisture and are hard to sear

Ssal Korean Cuisine

For the longest time, West Van was pretty limited when it came to Asian cuisine.  There was a smattering of places (including ones that have since closed), but you'd have to head into Downtown Vancouver to get your fix.  Slowly but surely, we've seen things change but one would never confuse West Van with Richmond.  However, I was in the area and ended up checking out a highly-rated Korean spot called Ssal.

We got a Cucumber Salad to start but naturally, we had some Banchan as well.  This included bean sprouts, kimchi and fish cake.  Nothing out-of-the ordinary here but the kimchi was quite good with a noted spice and tang.  As for the cucumbers, they were fresh and crunchy with the nuttiness of sesame and the tanginess from the dressing.  There was also some spice too.

Not trying to be defaultish, but we did get the Japchae as well.  This was a manageable portion that was prepared properly.  The noodles were chewy and slippery (not clumpy) yet at the same time, not too greasy.  It was loaded with ingredients such as beef, spinach, carrots, peppers, mushrooms and onions.  Texturally, things were what they were supposed to be and the seasoning was balanced not being overly sweet.

Then we got into the really good stuff with a small order of the Soy Garlic Chicken.  For a small order, this was plenty generous.  It consisted of 5 big chunks of leg meat that was fried until crispy.  Inside, the meat was juicy and gelatinous.  The soy garlic was impactful with a sweet saltiness and the aromatics of garlic.  The glaze could've been a touch thicker as it didn't adhere to the chicken as much as I would've liked.

Bubbling hot on arrival, the Doenjang Jjigae with seafood was fully-loaded.  We found a mix of shellfish, veggies and mushroom in a mildly-spicy broth.  There was some depth and background sweetness.  The seafood was cooked well, not being chewy or dry.  I really enjoyed the buttery soft tofu but the broth could use a bit more spice.  But they could be appealing to the typical customer.

In addition to the great dishes we had so far, the Beef Short Ribs was on point.  If you refer to the picture above, you can see that each piece was mostly meat without too much fat nor gristle.  Marinated just enough, the short ribs were tender, but still maintained a natural meatiness.  Due to the marinade, there was a savoury sweetness with the aromatics of sesame oil.

We had one more item in the Spicy Pork Dol-Sot-Bab.  This was pretty good with quite a bit of meat dressed in a spicy gochujang sauce.  When mixed with the rest of the components and allowing the rice to crisp up on the sides of the dolset, this was full of different textures.  However, I do prefer the original bibimbap more due to its simplicity.  Also, it could be a bit spicier. Overall, the food at Ssal was pretty good and well-portioned.  People are friendly there too.

The Good:

- Above average eats

- Well-portioned

- Nice people

The Bad:

- People are nice, but service can be a bit slow

Kong Sarang Tofu & BBQ

Here we were back in the Bay Area to visit family.  As such, we always make time to go for food.  We ended up staying in Newark (in the East Bay and not in NJ) and stayed close to our hotel when it came to eats.  We met up with my cousins (and their kids) at Kong Sarang Tofu & BBQ.  This bustling Korean restaurant is well known for their generous portions and wide array of Banchan.

With eleven different types of Banchan, there was a little of everything for everyone.  We found bean sprouts, fish cake strips, stewed beef, kimchi, broccoli, potato salad, nokdu-muk, eggplant, potato, cucumbers and seaweed.  Really loved the stewed eggplant as it was flavorful and a bit spicy.  Texturally, the mung bean jelly (nokdu-muk) was slippery and had a nice mouth-feel.  Everything else was quite good and we got seconds!

Normally, you'd find the Seafood Pancake served on a cast iron plate, but this was sitting on a plain ol' plate.  But don't let that fool you though.  This pancake was legit.  You will notice how crispy the outside looks.  It certainly was uniformly crispy.  It was also not too thick, hence the inside was not doughy or dense.  Rather, it was quite fluffy with a good balance of onion and seafood.

We got 16 pieces of Fried Chicken Wings in soy & garlic.  As you can clearly see in the picture, there was too much sauce and hence, the wings were a bit soggy and not as crispy as we would've liked.  Furthermore, the wings were not dry per se, but not juicy either.  Therefore, they had a denser texture.  Flavourwise, they did taste good with a balanced sweetness to saltiness ratio.

We ended up with one of their combos and for our choice of soup, we had the Seafood Soft Tofu Soup.  This thing was loaded with seafood and soft tofu.  So much so, there was barely any broth.  As advertised, the tofu was silky and delicate while the broth itself was a bit spicy and plenty briny.  Lots of depth here where we wished there was more broth!

As part of the combo, we were able to select a main dish as well.  For that, we went for the Galbi.  This was a generous portion where each slice was rather meaty with only minimal fat.  Meat was tenderized enough so that it was buttery and tender while maintaining that unmistakable short rib chew.  Flavor was also good with a salty sweetness that also resulted in caramelization.  This came with a bowl of rice too.

We added one last dish in the Japchae.  Unlike most versions where the beef is mixed into the noodles, this one featured the meat on top.  So really, it was Japchae with beef bulgogi.  It was good though with the noodles being chewy and not overly greasy.  Sweetness was in check while the meat was tender.  Overall, the eats at Kong Sarang were mostly good where the selection of Banchan was great.

The Good:

- Lots of tasty Banchan

- Large portions

- Well-priced

The Bad:

- Wings were too saucy and a bit dry

Tanlu Grill

Cook-at-your-table Asian BBQ - we all seen it in one form or another in the Lower Mainland.  From the classic Korean BBQ to Japanese Yakiniku spots, there is no shortage of grilling your dinner restaurants.  However, most, if not all of these places feature propane-fuelled BBQ setups.  Nothing wrong with that, but on a recent visit to a charcoal grill in Richmond, I noticed that the intense head from the coals added more charring, caramelization and smokiness.  With that, I was excited to try out Tanlu Grill located in Central at Garden City also in Richmond.

Before we even ordered, we were presented with a selection of Banchan.  It included kimchi, fish cake, stewed potato, celery and pickled daikon.  We also found a green salad as well as romaine for wrapping the grilled meat.  The one item that was a bit different was the potatoes as it featured whole baby potatoes that were soft and coated with a sweet glaze.  They brought the flaming coals to our table and as you can see, it was ready for some grilling.  We appreciated that the exhaust was adjustable and really did a great job in preventing smoke from getting everywhere.

We ordered some meats to cook on the BBQ and the best of the bunch was the Royal Marinated Galbi.  Due to the intense heat from the coals, we had to keep a close eye on the meat as the sugars started to burn.  Once we got into a rhythm, the was completely caramelized and had an intense smokiness that created a flavour bomb of umami, meatiness and a sweet savouriness.  Moreover, the meat was super tender, yet still retained that classic short rib chew.

Going for another cut of beef, we chose the Sea Salt Marinated Beef Rib Fingers.  For those who don't know, this is the meat found in between the ribs.  Hence, they were rather fatty and are also meaty in texture.  When cooked on the charcoal grill, these seared up nicely due to the fat and hence, there was some smoky char.  There was enough marinade for the rib finger meat to stand on its own.  However, we had Tanlu House Dipping Trifecta at the table.  Also, we had bean paste, garlic and peppers to compliment the lettuce wrap.

One of the best values on the menu is the Pork Platter consisting of pork jowl, marinated pork shoulder, pork belly and pork sausage for $50.00.  The large slices of pork jowl were fatty and crisped up on the grill.  Despite not being marinated, the pork jowl was meaty and aromatic from the fat.  Pork belly was fatty, but rendered well on the grill and was delicious when wrapped in the romaine with the bean paste.  Due to the sugar content of the marinade, the pork shoulder had intense caramelization and smokiness.  It was also super tender and juicy.  As for the sausages, they had a nice snap while the meat was firm with a nice rebound texture.  They were sweet and full of umami.

We got some non-BBQ dishes to compliment our meal.  Served cold, the Beef Shank marinated in chili oil had a noted spiciness.  There was no shortage of thick slices of tender beef shank.  Normally, we would find thinner slices, but due to the robust nature of the chilis, the meat was able to stand up to the spice.  With slices of crunchy cucumber added to the mix, we had both texture and a refreshing bite to balance out the chilis.

Bubbling hot, the Dolset Bulgogi Bibimbap was plenty saucy.  As such, it didn't develop a socarrat (rice crust) despite the scorching hot stone bowl.  Despite that, the amount of sauce did not degrade the texture of the rice.  It was still chewy and was a good textural foil to the buttery soft beef.  With the sauce reducing in the hot bowl, it became intensely sweet with some balancing savouriness.  

When the plate of Japchae first arrived at our table, we were a little concerned with the excess moisture on the plate.  It may have been due to the ample mushrooms and spinach.  However, after a bit of time, most of the moisture was absorbed by the potato starch noodles and the dish wasn't any worse off.  The noodles were still al dente with a gelatinous chew while completely seasoned with an impactful sweetness.  Loved the crunch from the big pieces of woodear mushroom and the butteriness of the mushrooms.  Spinach was not overdone being still vibrant with an appealing colour.

At the end of our meal, we were presented with Marshmallows on skewers.  Yep, we were able to toast our marshmallows over the hot coals.  This was such a treat as it created a smoky and crispy crust that gave way to a melty and silky sweet centre.  Overall, we enjoyed out meal at Tanlu.  It cannot be overstated that the charcoal grill makes all the difference in the world.  The heat is more intense and it helps add depth through smokiness and caramelization.  Pro tip - do not over order on the meat as it is quite filling.  You can always order more as you go.

*Partial credit for this meal*

The Good:
- Charcoal makes a big difference in terms of smokiness and caramelization
- Good quality meats
- Excellent exhaust

The Bad:
- A bit too much moisture in the rice and noodle dishes