Mokran

Here we are with another Chinese Korean restaurant, Mokran in Langley (specifically Walnut Grove).  Just like the name suggests, the food is mainly Korean with Chinese influences.  Dishes such as Jajangmyeon, Tangsuyuk and Jjamppong are some common menu items that we find at these places.  When we arrived, the restaurant was super busy with a lineup for lunch.  Looking at the portion sizes, we could see why.  Combined with reasonable prices, they have 2 of the things needed for the trifecta of the perfect restaurant.  The last is factor is the actual food quality and taste.  Of course we did ordered a good selection to find out!

The first item we had was the Haemul Nurung Ji Tang served in a massive bowl.  This starch-thickened seafood hot pot was mild-tasting, but not lacking in flavour.  It had some depth, pepperiness and savouriness.  In addition, there was some base smokiness from the original stir-fry with the ingredients (before the broth was added and thickened).  The best part was the side of scorched rice that was super crispy and light.  Combined with the thick broth, these rice patties were super delicious.

The next dish to hit the table was huge plate of Tangsuyuk (Sweet & Sour Pork).  Each piece was fairly large, moist and tender.  Even the thinner slices of meat were not hard nor dry.  The batter was medium-thick and appealingly crunchy.  I liked how the starch batter was not gummy, such as other versions I've had.  As much as the batter does absorb quite a bit of oil, this didn't eat particularly greasy.  As for the sauce, it was on the tangier side, but that is my preference anyways.

Something along the same lines but very different was the Cream Saeu.  This was essentially battered and fried prawns in a creamy mayo sauce.  Even though the batter looked the same, this one uses corn starch while the Tangsuyuk uses potato starch.  Hence this one was a touch harder.  The shrimp itself was meaty with briny sweetness.  It sat on a bed of shrimp chips which began to absorb the tangy and sweet sauce.  Due to the heaviness of the mayo, this ate more robust too.

The most impressive-looking plate of the bunch was the Yangjangpi featuring stir fried onions and zucchini surrounded by julienned carrots, cucumber and beef shank, squid, shrimp and marinated jellyfish.  We also found some mung bean noodles on top.  When mixed together, this was quite the variety of textures and flavours.  There was some pretty smoky wok hei with the onion which added plenty of umami..  Loved the chewiness of the noodles too.

Even though the Fried Rice seemed like a boring choice off the menu, we picked it so we could experience more wok hei.  Although it is hard to tell from the picture, the rice was indeed subjected to high wok heat.  Hence, the rice was nutty and smoky.  Furthermore, each grain of rice was discernible without being clumpy.  The texture was on point with a chewiness and certain dryness.  Hidden inside, we found buttery shrimp and fluffy egg.  On the side, there was some black bean sauce and cabbage salad.

On the topic of black bean sauce, we did order the Jajangmyeon as well.  This is such a staple for these types of restaurants and this version didn't disappoint.  First of all, there was a wealth of chewy noodles covered with a thick and rich sauce.  It was lightly sweet from the onions and had only a mild saltiness from the black beans.  Plenty of umaminess though where it completely flavoured the noodles.  We kept eating this and it didn't seem like we put a dent into it.

Our other noodle option was the Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup.  Once again, there was no shortage of chewy noodles within the spicy broth.  Yes, it was noticeably spice with sweet and briny notes.  The seafood was mainly squid and shrimp which were cooked properly.  Overall, we really enjoyed the food at Mokran.  It was flavourful and things were prepared the way it should be.  Good wok hei with anything that was stir-fried.  However, the biggest draw is the portion sizes.  They are absolutely huge.  You will totally get your money's worth here.

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

The Good:
- Huge, and I mean HUGE portions
- Delicious
- Well-priced for what you get

The Bad:
- Super busy, be prepared to wait
- Seating can be tight depending where you sit

Pelicana Chicken (Robson)

It goes without say that there are a bleep-load of KFC joints all over the Lower Mainland.  I'm not talking about Kentucky Fried Chicken either, rather, I'm referring to Korean Fried Chicken.  Once upon a time, it was merely a menu item at some Korean restaurants and we had late night spots such at Ajuker.  Now, we have several chains in town and a spattering of independent shops to compliment the restaurants that already serve KFC.  I have yet to try Pelicana Chicken and luck would have it, we were invited to try them out, specifically the Robson location.

So Pelicana ups the ante somewhat as they not only serve KFC, but also some classic items too.  Case in point, they have a variety of Kimbap.  We chose to try the Beef and Tuna Mayo.  These were crammed full of ingredients with just enough rice surrounding it.  The beef was tender, meaty and slightly spicy.  Veggies were tender with a bit of crunch from the spinach and pickled radish.  I really loved the tuna mayo as it was creamy, fishy (in a good way) and also a bit spicy.

For our selection of KFC, we had 3 small orders of Spicy Yang Nyum, Original and Soy Chicken.  These large dark meat nuggets were super juicy (literally juice and fat running out of it) and tender.  On the outside, the thin batter was crispy, even after being tossed in sauce.  I loved the spicy yang nyum as it was sweet with a nice kick.  Original was pretty typical with only a light brine on the chicken.  The soy was good too with enough saltiness balanced by some sweetness.

If some of the components of this Bibimbap look familiar, then you would be right.  Smartly using the some of the veggies and the beef for both this dish and the kimbap, they are able use these for more than one item.  This bibimbap was definitely rustic looking, but it ate really well with lots of toppings.  The veggies were well-prepared while the kimchi radish provided some spicy crunch.  We had some gochujang on the side where we mixed it into the rice.  Satisfying.

Staying with rice bowls, we also tried the Spicy Chicken Rice Bowl.  This not only included a chewy rice base, there was a bit of fried noodle and salad on top too.  The spicy chicken did live up to its namesake with a rice red pepper spiciness that had a touch of tanginess and sweetness. I felt the white onions were necessary for texture and taste, but it could've been cooked through just a bit more as it was rather sharp tasting.  Otherwise, this was a very flavourful dish.

Our last rice bowl happened to be the Pork Katsu Curry also with fried egg noodle and salad in addition to the rice.  The cutlet itself was tender while somewhere in between dry and moist.  The breading was crispy while not being particularly greasy-tasting. With the curry on the side, it allowed us to keep the breading crispy until we poured it on top.  I found the flavour to be strong enough that I could taste the curry spices.  It was nicely balanced and not as sweet as the Japanese version.

I know, I know, the Tornado Potato is quite the novelty item that can be found at the Night Market or PNE, but I really like it!  This one was crispy, well-seasoned and we enjoyed picking it off the skewer!  We ended our meal with the Bungeopang stuffed with custard and also sweet red bean paste.  Nicely browned and crispy on the outside, it yielded warm and sweet insides.  Nice treat for adults and kids alike.  Overall, the food at Pelicana is solid and reasonably-priced.  Great for takeout!

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

The Good:
- Juicy and flavourful KFC
- Solid rice bowls
- Biiiig Kimbap

The Bad:
- Not the best place to eat in, limited seating

  

Stone Korean BBQ

Sometimes it is hard to differentiate between many of the Korean BBQ spots in town.  Naturally, some are better than others in terms of meat quality, banchan selection and overall value.  However, what if I told you there is a new Korean BBQ out near Lougheed Mall (right next to Price Smart) that employs large stone slabs as their BBQ surface?  Yes, do we really need another Korean restaurant on North Road?  Well yes, especially when it is a new modern space and unique.

We ended up ordering the Signature Pork Combo for $42.00 per person (minimum 2 orders).  This included a nice selection of Banchan, Jjigae and Corn Cheese.  For the Banchan, we found potato salad, spinach, slaw, kimchi daikon, spicy octopus and chwinamul.  Really liked the selection, especially a few less seen dishes. We also found romaine so we could wrap our pork belly as well as some pickled Napa cabbage that served the same purpose.

 

For our combo, we were served a good amount of meaty and fairly lean pieces of pork belly.  There was enough fat for flavour and texture though.  As you can see, things were cooked on a big stone slab.  The middle was hottest while the sides were only warm.  This was enough to keep the corn cheese (with an egg yolk) melty, the soup hot and the kimchi warm.  As you can see, the pork belly seared up nicely.  Really enjoyed the pork, especially dipped into the jalapeno condiment. 

 

About that Bean Paste Soup, it was included with the combo and it came bubbling hot.  Nice fermented saltiness to it without going overboard.  Some soft veggies in there, adding some sweetness.  We added the Seafood Pancake for good measure and it was seared up super crunchy.  It was nutty and aromatic with a soft, but not mushy centre.  There was a decent amount of well-cooked seafood with only a balanced amount of green onion.  This was pretty good and I would order it again.

 

We were served a bonus dish that was the Korean version of Beef Tataki.  These medium-thin slices of beef were tender with the slightest of chew.  It sat in a sauce that was soy-based but had sweetness and aromatics.  Lastly, we added the Jjapaghetti (yes, the instant noodles) at the end finished off on the stone grill.  Unfortunately, these noodles were overdone and stuck to the stone slab.  There was also too much moisture and prevented them from caramelizing properly.   Other than the Jjapaghetti, everything else was really good and well-portioned.  Combine that with a modern dining space with plenty of staff, Stone Korean BBQ should be one of the better options along North Road for Korean BBQ.

The Good:

- Modern and spacious

- Good value

- Delicious

The Bad:

- Jjapaghetti add-on needs to be improved upon

Sura Korean Royal Cuisine

If you can believe it, I have not been back to the Downtown location of Sura since 2013!  For whatever reason, I have totally forgotten about the Sura Lunch Set Menu.  Back in 2013, it was only $20.00 for 12 small dishes along with 3 different banchan.  If you can imagine, that was a fantastic value, especially since it was tasty (and located in Downtown).  Fast forward to the present and they still have the lunch set, but it is $25.00 for the same amount of dishes and banchan.  So yes, it has gone up in price, but not by much (considering inflation).  Still a great deal in my books!  Jackie and I stopped by to try this out.

We were started off with the Daily Congee that seemed to have some minced beef in it.  Unlike the Chinese version, this was silkier and more cooked down.  It was thick, sweet and full of umami.  We had a selection of Banchan including a Mashed Potato Salad, Fried Fish Cake Strips and Kimchi.  We really enjoyed the potato salad as it was creamy and light with the natural flavour coming through with some sweetness.  The fried strips of fish cake were chewy in a good way while dressed in a sticky sweet glaze.  The kimchi was a touch on the tangier side with some spiciness.

Things started to arrive fast and furious, quickly filling up our table.  I decided to go for the Green Salad first as it seemed like the obvious choice amongst all the hot dishes.  It was nothing out-of-the-ordinary, but had fresh mesclun greens dressed in a tangy dressing.  Next, we had the Soy Bean Paste Soup that was somewhat bubbling in the cast iron bowl.  It was not bad with umaminess and some sweetness.  It was filled with various veggies.

A few smaller items arrived at the table and didn't look like a lot of food.  That is true, especially in comparison to the 2013 portions, but in reality, that was probably too much food.  Also, costs are high and I understand the need to give just enough food.  With that being said, I wished there was more of the Mung Bean Jelly because it was so good.  Slippery and soft textured, the jelly was lightly seasoned.  The Spicy Squid Salad was also fantastic with a good sweet spiciness with crunchy veggies.  However, it was pretty low on the squid content.

Onto some more robust dishes, we had the Herb Pork Belly aka Bossam.  This featured 4 slices of tender and fatty pork belly that had a nice aroma in itself.  But of course, it was even better after the addition of the spicy radish and wrapped in the pickled daikon.  Lots of crunch to contrast the soft belly.  The Kimchi Pancake was pretty tasty too with a certain sweet tangy spice.  It was fairly soft and airy with only the slightest of crispiness on the surface.

Some of the more filling plates included the Deep Fried Fish with sweet & sour sauce.  Sure it was basa, but it turned out flaky and moist with a crispy tempura batter encasing it.  The sauce was a nice balance of sweet & sour which went well with the fish.  As for the Sweet & Sour Pork, it was more sweet than sour, but still tasted good.  The pieces of pork were lean, hence being more on the drier side, yet they were still tender.  Some crunch was provided by the woodear, carrot and cucumber.

So the last 2 dishes were a bit bigger in the Japchae and the Spicy Sliced Pork.  Both were pretty solid with the japchae having a nice balance of sweet and savoury as well as some nuttiness.  The sliced pork was slightly spicy while completely seasoned.  The meat was soft and tender.  Naturally, this also went well with the rice.  In the end, we were stuffed and had a few pieces of food we couldn't finish.  Yes, the portions are smaller than in 2013, but there is ultimately enough food for 2 people.  For $25.00pp, it is a freaking steal, especially given its Downtown location on Robson.  Go check it out if you are in the area!

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

The Good:
- Amazing value
- Food is also good
- Lots of variety

The Bad:
- Sure, the portion size has shrunk, but you still get enough food
- Your table might now be big enough

Kosoo Cardero

The last time we were here at Kosoo Cardero, it was only myself and Jackie.  Now, there isn't anything inherently wrong with that since there are many dishes 2 people can share here.  However, we were sampling some pretty large items and yah, it was hard to finish, let alone actually having the appetite to try them all.  This time around, we had more people, which meant the food could be spread out a bit more.  Hey, the portions here are quite generous!  We also had a few new dishes too.

We began with the Fresh Seaweed Kimbap that was overstuffed with radish, egg, spinach and carrot.  I thought this was pretty solid with plenty of filling with only a thin layer of rice around it.  The rice itself had an appealing chewy consistency.  I also enjoyed the aromatics from the roasted sesame seeds.  In the background, you will notice the Banchan including bean sprouts, fish cake strips and kimchi.  The kimchi was rather tangy with some sweetness and spice.

We tried one of their new dishes in the Prime Rib which was plated with the bone.  The meat itself was sliced into medium thick pieces that were against the grain.  Most of the meat was prepared to medium and was buttery tender.  This was served with an egg yolk which we dipped the meat into.  It added a silkiness to each bite, which was already savoury and full of umami due to the soy glaze.  We also found a refreshing scallion salad on the side.

Continuing with new items, we had the Cream Sauce Gnocchi with potato, perilla, bacon and jalapeno pickle.  Other than the addition of perilla, this would pass as a non-Korean dish anywhere else.  As such, there was a a mild herbaceousness to the dish that was dominated more by the salty and smoky bacon.  The gnocchi were medium-firm with a minor pillowiness.  With the addition of pickled jalapeno, there was so needed acidity and spice.

With another dish that we've never had before, we tried the Manila Clams Pasta.  At first glance, this looked at home on an Italian restaurant menu, but alas, this had a fusion component of Korean sake.  This in itself added a brightness that had some sweetness.  That complimented the brininess of the clams beautifully.  We also found the more conventional components such as garlic, olive oil and crushed red pepper flakes.  The linguine itself was nicely al dente.

Onto another noodle dish, we had the Truffle Japechae.  We've already had this before and it is an interesting take on the classic dish.  It featured the same potato starch noodles as the traditional dish, but is dressed in a rich black truffle sauce that is definitely earthy, but not overwhelming.  There was the usual sweetness and soy elements.  On the sides, we found beef dduk galbi (shortrib patties) that were meaty, sweet and nutty.

Staying with the truffle theme, we had the Truffle Cream Tteok-Bokki.  This was an enormous amount of cream sauce that was rich, nutty and of course earthy.  This went so well with a bowl of white rice as it soaked up all of the creaminess.  As you can see in the picture, there was no shortage of fish cake sheets to go with the rice cakes.  Both were chewy (in a good way) and provided plenty of texture to go with the cream sauce.

We moved to some bigger plates (as if the others weren't big enough already).  The Cheese Dakgalibi was served in the classic UFO cast iron plate with the chicken in the middle and surrounded by melting cheese and corn.  This was delicious (a little sweet, a little savoury and a touch of spice) and although we didn't finish off the remainder with rice (basically stir fry with the scraps in the middle), we did eat with a bowl of rice.  This was the best way to do it and also to enjoy the corn cheese while we were at it.

Another interpretation of an existing dish was the Beef Sukiyaki presented atop a butane burner.  I think the pan they used was a paella pan because I have the same one!  LOL.  Anyways, this had all of the usual components including thinly-sliced beef, various veggies and mushroom in the sukiyaki broth.  It cooked slowly at our table and our served tended to it at the start and at the finish.  The result was some tender slices of beef that had taken on the sweet saltiness of the broth while the veggies did the same, but even more so.

 

The meatiest dish of the meal was the Galbi Jjim featuring large braised short ribs with onion and plenty of melted cheese.  As mentioned earlier, Kosoo has some really large dishes that are best shared.  This is one of them and even with several people, we couldn't finish it.  The fall-off-the-bone meat was super tender and moist with rich flavours.  The sweetness of the onions really came through.  As you can see, the food at Kosoo Cardero is perfect for sharing since many items come in big portions.  So bring your friends and family because not only is the food unique and delicious, it can be a great value when shared.

 

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

 

The Good:

- Large portions

- Interesting mix of dishes from classic Korean to outright North American

- Good eats

 

The Bad:

- Food can be rather heavy, so even sharing, you may not finish (not really a bad thing right?)

  

Kosoo Korean BBQ

Here we are again at Kosoo Korean BBQ out in the heart of Coquitlam.  We had a great experience last time with their excellent meats and the unique selection of Banchan.  As you might be familiar, Kosoo belongs to the bigger group of restaurants that included Kosoo Cardero as well as Kosoo Chicken & BBQ.  We've been to all of them and they each offer something a bit different than the other.  This time around, we were doing the BBQ for sure, but there were a few more dishes we've never had before.

But to start, we had 2 versions of their Pancake including the Chive and Kimchi Pancakes.  The interesting thing about their pancakes is that they are relatively thin.  Hence, they were super crispy (without being too crunchy), while the interior of the pancake was not overly soggy nor doughy.  Overall greasiness was modest, especially since it was not served in a cast iron pan.  I personally enjoyed the kimchi version more due to the spice and tang.  The chive pancake had a balanced amount of green onion.

Onto the Banchan, it consisted of Kimchi, Stewed Potatoes, Bean Sprouts, Tofu Skin, Quail Egg, Fried Zucchini and Pickled Daikon.  These were a bit more standard compared to our last visit where we had the anchovy and shredded squid.  However, the quail eggs were nicely marinated where the sweet and salty flavours were impactful.  I wasn't a fan of the zucchini since the batter was a bit stiff since it was served cold.  For our choice of soup (that was included with Combo B), we had the Soft Tofu Soup.  It was served bubbling hot and had some spice and plenty of depth.  The soft tofu was silky and the bits of beef were tender.

One new item we had was the Raw Marinated Crabs & Prawns served with tobiko and egg yolk with rice.  It took me awhile to get into this Korean raw crab craze but now that I am, it really is truly delicious.  The meat was silky with sweet and briny elements.  We squeezed the meat onto the rice and deshelled the prawns.  Mixed with the egg yolk, tobiko and sauce on the side, the rice was flavourful with plenty of umami and silkiness.  Really delicious and if you haven't tried raw marinated crab, this is an accessible way to do so.

So onto another newish dish, at least at this location - the Clam Bibimbap.  I've had this at their Pocha spot in Chinatown (which is now closed) and it was fantastic.  Well, this version was exactly that loaded with whole buttery and plump clams.  They were dressed in a spicy sauce that also had some sweetness.  There was an equal amount of chewy rice that we could sandwich with the clams in the supplied nori.

Fresh off a recent experience with the Spicy Cold Noodles with raw fish at another Korean restaurant, we were excited to try Kosoo's version.  I would say that this one was pretty solid.  The sweetness of the pear came through while helping balance the spiciness of the sauce.  With a bite and sweet chewiness, the raw fish added another texture to the already al dente naengmyeon noodles.  The broth was also cold enough so that it was the right temperature.

We can't forget about the Korean BBQ right?  Well, we went for the Combo B for 2 that included Pork Belly, Marinated Beef Rib Finger and Marinated LA Galbi.  As mentioned above, the pancake and soup were also included.  Considering this was technically for 2 people, there was plenty of meat.  The 3 huge slabs of pork belly had a good ratio of meat to fat while the beef rib finger was fatty and tender.  Our favourite was the short rib as it was well-marinated allowing for caramelization from the BBQ.  The meat was tender with the classic short rib chewiness.

Our last item was the Rose Chicken Galbi Platter served on a butane burner.  This allowed for the cheese to melt (so we have corn cheese!) and start to crisp up on the sides and bottom.  The trick here was to not mix the chicken and rice cakes with anything else.  It was to be eaten with the corn cheese and rice separately.  Overall, the food at Kosoo Korean BBQ is solid and served in generous portions.  Love the spacious dining space and their selection of banchan.  One of my go-to spots for Korean BBQ.

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

The Good:
- Large portions
- Delicious eats
- Spacious dining room

The Bad:
- Grill seemed to be hotter on one side
- The Rose Chicken Galbi was a bit unstable on the portable burner