The Turning Peel

Ever since I visited Apizza Scholls many moons ago, we have seen Portland's pizza game level up exponentially.  One of the newer spots is The Turning Peel, which was actually not as new as one might think.  Owner Candy Yiu started experimenting with sourdough during the pandemic in 2020.  Her sourdough eventually transitioned to pizza dough and it has the benefit of being not as flimsy as typical Neapolitan crusts.  After debating as to which pizza place we were going to hit on this trip, The Turning Peel seemed like our best bet.

Before we got to our pizzas, we went for the Beet n Mint.  This was a fairly simple salad with cubes of beets with orange segments on top and fresh mint.  Nothing out-of-the ordinary here but solid nonetheless.  The beets were juicy with a sweet earthiness while the orange provided an extra layer of citrusy sweet tang.  It was in a red wine vinaigrette with EVOO and pickled red onion. The mint added that bright herbaceousness.

Onto the pizzas, we tried their Pepperoni Jalapeno Hot Honey.  Look at that crust, isn't it a thing of beauty?  There has been a recent debate as to what makes a great Neapolitan-style pizza where charring and leoparding isn't necessarily a prerequisite.  However, for me, I'm all about the nutty smokiness from this type of preparation.  Add in the sturdiness of the sourdough crust and we have a uniformly crispy crust that is well-seasoned and appealingly chewy.  We can't forget about the toppings on this one and it was a flavor bomb with saltiness, pepperiness, tanginess, spice, sweetness and heat.  Every bite was a blast.  Highly-recommend this one.

We went for the other highlighted pizza in the Truffle Mushroom.  Beyond the outstanding and consistent crust, this had the classic earthy and woodsy notes that was not overwhelmed by any cream base.  Rather, they merely employed EVOO with portobello and bella mushrooms.  This was complimented by fresh cultured mozzarella and finished with more EVOO and aged parmesan (we got it on the side).  You could imagine all the nuttiness and aromatics going on here.

They also have a selection of crust dips and we went for the Ricotta, Honey & Fruit.  This was a nice change from the usual dips we find everywhere else as this was lighter, but just as flavorful with sweetness.  Really complimented the sourdough.  About that...  We were presented with a loaf of Sourdough as we paid the bill.  It was a thank you for dining at The Turning Peel.  Such nice people and such a great product.  We will be back!

The Good:

- Excellent blistered sourdough crust

- Impactful flavors

- Super nice people

The Bad:

- Even though we thought flavors were strong, maybe just a bit more pepperoni would've put that first pizza over the top

Ringside

The last time we were in Portland, I had to make some hard decisions as to where to eat and what to cut out from our schedule.  Unfortunately, Ringside didn't make the final schedule and we never got to try the steakhouse that has been around since 1944.  This time around, we made a reso to ensure we got to try the place out.  Besides, it has glowing reviews online and it is an institution right?  When we arrived, we knew this was special as a Ferrari and Porsche were pulling up to the valet line.  Not that nice cars matter to food right?

Apparently, THE thing to get here is the Onion Rings.  No joke.  Not only is it mentioned online, but our server encouraged us to order them.  So we did and this was only a "small" portion.  Normally, I'm not a fan of battered onion rings as I like the breaded version more.  But oh my, these were excellent!  The batter was so thin and super crispy, I was completely sold on these.  I'm not even that big a fan of onions in general!  This was served with a side of sauce that was tangy, sweet and creamy.

Originally, we considered ordering the prawn cocktail, but noticed they had a Dungeness Crab Cocktail too.  Well, it didn't take a lot of debate to get that instead!  What a great decision as this thing was chock full of fluffy and briny crab meat.  Lots of body and leg meat here.  There was no filler beneath it either!  This was served simply with some tangy cocktail sauce and a wedge of lemon.  Really enjoyed this!

Since we were here on a Monday night, I took advantage of their 3-course Prime Rib Special for only $57.00.  It included a salad of Mixed Greens with melon, prosciutto, mascarpone and lemon honey.  This was a pretty sweet salad due to the dressing but also the fruit and creamy mascarpone.  It felt like I was eating dessert instead of a salad.  However, the crispy prosciutto helped balance that to a degree.

So all of their steaks are served atop a sizzling cast iron plate, so the intoxicating smell of searing meat tickles your senses even before it hits the table.  We had a 8oz Tenderloin with a side of Lobster Mashed Potatoes.  Yes, the steak was only secondary here to the mash.  Look at it!  The entire thing was doused in a lobster bisque sauce and topped with claw meat.  That has to be the best lobster mash we've ever had.  So creamy, buttery and aromatic with big hits of briny lobster.  Oh, the steak was tender and nicely-seared too.

Just because it was on special, they didn't skimp on the Prime Rib.  It was a full 12oz portion and was around medium, so maybe a bit more cooked than I would've liked.  However, it ate really well being tender and well-seasoned.  It was served with Yorkshire pudding, freshly grated horseradish and demi-glace.  I added 3 prawns as well and it came with some lobster bisque sauce.  Prawns were excellent being bouncy and meaty.  Loved dipping it into the sauce.

As if this wasn't enough food already, we got some sides in the BBQ Heirloom Carrots and Sauteed Spinach.  Carrots were outstanding with a beautiful smokiness and blackened exterior.  They were also naturally sweet and not overcooked.  Same with the spinach as they only lightly touched heat and wilted.  Hence, they were tender but had somewhat of a crunch still.  They were simply sauteed with EVOO and lemon.

As part of my 3-course meal, I originally was to have the Creme Brulee, but I was given a choice to have the Salted Caramel Corn Ice Cream instead.  They didn't have to ask me twice!  This was tasty as the salt elevated the sweetness of the caramel and also the corn.  It was also hard and creamy.  We also tried the Salted Pecan Dark Chocolate Toffee.  This was a smaller dessert and it was welcomed as we were pretty stuff.  This was bitter and had rich sweetness from the toffee.  Overall, our meal at Ringside was excellent.  Food was well-prepared and delicious.  Service was also outstanding.  Definitely a must-try.

The Good:
- Well-prepared eats
- Large portions
- Outstanding service

The Bad:
- Asked for medium-rare for the prime rib and it was medium, possibly forgivable since the roast is already prepared and maybe that is the closest they could slice for me

Phuket Cafe

Ever since we had a great experience with Langbaan and it's delicious Thai tasting menu, we were rather curious with their more casual outfit in Phuket Cafe.  Situated in a train car-like dining space just outside of Langbaan, the menu is more typical Thai, Southern-inspired in this case, with plenty of share plates.  Reservations are recommended as the space is small and it is quite popular.

We ended up with a bunch of items including the Mon Tod.  This was essentially a bunch of aggressively-fried fingerling potatoes that were glazed with yellow curry.  They were further topped with chili, fried garlic and fried Thai Basil.  Despite being coated in creamy curry, the potatoes were crispy while creamy soft inside.   I thought the flavors could've been more intense but the textures were great.

Now if we were looking for a flavor bomb, the Miang Plaa Ta Deaw was it.  This featured deep-fried sole that was tossed in a Miang Kum sauce.  Much like the one we got at Langbaan, the combination of ginger, lemongrass, lime, dried shrimp, shallots, peanuts, palm sugar and fish sauce made for an explosion of everything that tickled our palates.  We wrapped the crispy fish with lettuce and betel leaves for extra freshness and crunch.  This was a pretty large dish and definitely needs to be shared.

Not far behind in terms in overall impact was the Crying Tiger.  This large piece of marinated Wagyu flank steak was beautifully-grilled to rare.  Normally, anything Wagyu that isn't cooked to at least medium-rare, it can be chewy due to the fat not being rendered.  It wasn't the case here though. It was super tender with a strong beefy taste.  Of course it wouldn't be a Crying Tiger without the sauce and it was so flavorful.  Lots of sweetness with tang and brininess.  Combined with the side of sticky rice, this was great.

Another excellent dish was the Goong Yang or grilled head-on prawns.  These were beautifully-charred where the prawns were smoky and the inherent brininess was concentrated.  Meat was moist with sweetness.   It all sat in a turmeric and peanut curry which was thick and tangy with some spice and earthiness.  The shell had been cooked so well that I was able to eat the prawn whole without deshelling.

Onto our next set of dishes we had the Pad See Ew with fried tofu.  The dish was subjected to a good deal of work hei which meant things were caramelized and smoky.  There was intense sweetness from the palm sugar and possibly a bit more saltiness was needed for balance.  Noodles were chewy and charred as with the firm tofu.  Veggies were still crunchy but we would've liked to see gai lan but maybe they couldn't source some good quality ones.

The Pad Thai was pretty good as well with chewy noodles and a sweet & tangy sauce.  Loved the small dried shrimp on top for texture and seafoodiness.  I would've liked a bit more sauce as the noodles were somewhat clumpy and dry.  Mind you, that is subjective as some people like the noodles drier and subjected to more wok hei and searing, which was the case here.  We found some crunchy pork rinds on the side for texture.

We had to add more veggies (Pad Pak) to our meal as we weren't getting much lately.  Same as the pad see ew, the veggie of choice was Shanghai Bak Choy.  But that didn't bother me as I happened to like the vegetable and also, it was prepared so well.  Cooked through, but still plenty crunchy, the bak choy was caramelized and a bit smoky.  The oyster sauce used in the stir fry was flavorful and there was plenty of garlic.

Onto dessert, we Sacuu Piek that consisted of tapioca pearls, lychee and strawberry jelly.  This was somewhat like a mango sago except without the pomelo.  The creamy coconut was sweet and tropical with the pops from the tapioca pearls.  Crunch came in the form of meringue and of course the fruit helped layer in some fruitiness.  Fairly straightforward but refreshing nonetheless.  Overall, the meal at Phuket Cafe was really good and had great wok hei.  Things were caramelized and smoky.  Flavors were impactful and delicious.  Totally a return visit candidate, much like Langbaan.

The Good:
- Things had wok hei
- Flavorful
- Generous portions

The Bad:
- Sitting outside is neat, but I can imagine it being a bit stuffy on a hot day

Hamono Sushi

While trying to decide on which Omakase we were going to try while in Portland, I briefly considered Nimblefish and Nodoguro, however after reading up on Reddit, we narrowed in on Hamono Sushi in Downtown Portland.  Besides the Omakase course, the one thing that makes Hamono unique is that they offer an AYCE menu once the Omakase has been served.  Yes, that is a strange concept, but something we were willing to try especially for their reasonable $110.00 price tag.  The place is pretty intimate with only 4 bar seats and around 7/8 tables.

We started with some small side dishes including a Potato Salad, Imitation Crab Salad and a Cucumber Salad.  As much as these were pretty simple and basic, I enjoyed them.  Potato salad was creamy and sweet with chunks of tender potato and shredded imitation crab.  The crab salad had a great bounce texture and the savoriness was tasty.  Cucumbers were crunchy, sweet and a bit tangy.  Appetizing.  As for the Miso Soup, it was mild and had a rich saltiness.  Loved the fresh snow crab hidden on the bottom.  It was fluffy and briny.

So our Omakase featured a large wooden board with 15 pieces of Nigiri and a fried shrimp head.  By looks alone, all of the fish had a nice sheen and things smelled right.  As much as the uni looked a bit dark in color (could be a male), it tasted fine.  My favorite bites from this was the A5 Wagyu, Bluefin Otoro, Hotate and King Salmon (with delicious chili crunch).  This was a nice plate of nigiri but they were a little overzealous with the scallions.  Maybe change it up with the condiments instead of using it 9 times.

Our last course before the AYCE portion of the meal was the Seafood Chawamushi.  This was very delicate and maybe a touch too watery.  However, it ate with a silky texture and mild dashi notes.  The prawn hidden underneath was still buttery with a meaty texture.  It was briny and sweet.  The piece of snow crab was fluffy, briny and also sweet.

Now that we were at the AYCE portion of the meal, we got some more Nigiri in the form of King Salmon and Hotate.  We asked that the salmon be served plain without the garlic crunch on top.  Turns out that it actually needed it as the salmon wasn't that flavorful on its own.  It was buttery soft though.  The hotate was large and soft with natural briny sweetness.  Just like I said before, it didn't need any of the green onions on top.

We got a few smaller bites in the Yellowtail Jalapeno and the Uni Toro Tartare.  Although not the most attractive thing, the hamachi was fresh, buttery and sweet.  Nice kick from the jalapeno.  As for the tartare, it featured buttery tuna belly that had a nice tinge of the sea along with pops of brininess from the ikura.  Once again, the color of the uni wasn't the best, but it did eat well adding a creamy sweetness.  It sat atop a fried tortilla chip that added crunch.

Even though I knew it would put me over the edge, I had to get one of their specialty rolls.  I went for the Bluefin Tuna Roll that had a tempura ebi in the middle with imitation crab and cucumber.  On top, there was bluefin akami, scallion, fried onion, eel and ponzu.  Yes, this was quite the hefty roll with warm sushi rice that was a touch soft but still had a chew.  I though this roll was good but was a bit too big.  Also, they overused scallions quite a bit here.

One of the best things we ate was their Grilled Beef Shortrib.  Unlike other AYCE spots, these were good quality (as in more meat than fat) being tender and meaty.  The marinade was great being sweet and savory while the char on them was on point.  Although the batter on the Tempura was a bit thick, it ate crispy and fairly light.  Things were cooked right including the buttery ebi, sweet potato and zucchini.  Surprisingly, there was a piece of snow crab leg (not imitation crab) in the mix.

There were a few options for dessert, but we were stuffed at this point, so we opted for the Mochi Ice Cream in the form of matcha, passionfruit and mango.  We particularly enjoyed the passionfruit as it was flavorful with a soft mochi exterior.  Overall, we rather enjoyed this meal.  However, we thought this would be better named "higher-end AYCE" rather than Omakase.  Sure, the nigiri portion was good quality and reasonably-priced for $110.00.  Yet, it didn't feel like most other Omakase meals we've had elsewhere (as in not in Portland).

The Good:
- Ingredients are high-quality
- Preparation is quite good
- Price is reasonable for what you get

The Bad:
- Not really Omakase, but rather high-end AYCE
- Overuse of scallions on almost everything

Kann

I've been trying to get reservations for Kann in Portland for quite some time.  For those who don't know, 2-time Top Chef finalist Gregory Gourdet is the owner and puts his Haitian roots into the cuisine.  By employing a live-flame, the food exhibits a rich and impactful smokiness normally not present at most restaurants.  We were fortunate to answer the phone when there was a last minute opening for a late dinner.

We began with their Plantain Brioche Buns with epis butter.  With a firmly crispy exterior, the buns were a bit denser than typical brioche.  However this sturdiness afforded a certain chewy fluffiness.  The plantains also imparted some natural sweetness.  Beyond this, the epis butter made this dish.  It was creamy with noted spice, rich herbaceousness and some sweetness.  Since the buns were firmer, it gave me all the reason to use up all of the delicious butter!

Next we had their stunning Summer Fruit Salad.   In addition to the blackberries and strawberries, we found heirloom tomatoes, pickled cantaloupe balls, cucumber, avocado and charred pineapple in a passionfruit vinaigrette.  This was so refreshing and full of natural sweetness.  That passionfruit vinaigrette was tangy and sweet but balanced so it didn't overshadow the components.   The charred pineapple was deliciously sweet and smoky.

Not looking like much, we were concerned at first with the dark exterior.  However, the Akra or taro fritters were really crispy and had a somewhat mochi-like filling which was dense and chewy (in a food way).  The flavours were nutty, sweet and somewhat earthy.  However, the remoulade was the key to the dish with its spicy creaminess. It also added the necessary moisture as the fritters (even though they were great on their own) were in need of a sauce. 

Hands-down, the best thing we had was the Head-on Prawns.  They infused so much smokiness and depth-of-flavour, that this was a flavour bomb.  Combined with the brininess of the prawns and sweetness of the pineapple along with the spicy sweetness of the African pepper sauce, there was a lot going on.  Things didn't end there as we also had pickled peaches and lime zest.  This helped provide acidity and freshness to the dish.

Onto the meat of the meal with the Ribeye that was prepared a beautiful medium-rare.  Loved the rub on the ribeye as well as the char.  Definitely had blackened vibes.  Lots of smokiness and rich flavors where the steak was delicious on its own.  Since it was cooked evenly and rested properly, the juices within the meat ensured that each bite was moist and tender.  Just in case we needed some tang and acidity, there was some blistered tomatoes as well as aromatics from the shallots and confit garlic.

We got some sides to accompany the steak with the Peanut Creamed Greens and Diri Ak Sos Pwa.  The mustard greens were tender but not mushy while being nutty and sweet.  Initially, I thought the peanuts would be too heavy for the greens, but they were perfectly soft and tender. As for the beans and rice, it was interesting to hear about the it being near and dear to Chef Gregory's heart, but it was just okay for me.  I did get some of the garlic and slight heat from the tender beans, but otherwise, it wasn't as mind-blowing as the other dishes (but comparing apples to oranges here though).

One other vegetable we had was the whole head of Cauliflower with jerk spices and sour coconut cream.  The cauliflower itself was cooked perfectly being tender with a crunch.  The jerk spices were low-rolling and kicked in at the end providing plenty of heat.  This was heightened due to the cauliflower being roasted.  On the bottom, we found the coconut cream, which cooled things down and provided tropical aromatics.

Onto dessert, we had 2 including the stunning Baked Haitian which was a nod to a Baked Alaska.  Evenly and beautifully torched on the outside, the meringue was fluffy and smoky.  I'm pretty sure you have seen the theme here as they embrace the live flame cooking!  Inside, we found some firm cake and that delicious charred pineapple.  It was a lot lighter than it appeared and it was quite refreshing with balanced sweetness.

Also refreshing and light, the Shaved Soursop Ice featured a blanc mange base.  It seemed so familiar because it has similarities to Cantonese almond pudding.  Hence it was aromatic from the almond and slightly creamy.  On top we found peaches and strawberries combined with the soursop to create a tangy and sweet compliment to the blanc mange.  Nice finish to an excellent meal.  Love their take on Haitian cuisine and highlighting the traditional cooking over a live flame.  Things were so smoky and full-of-depth.  Highly recommended.

The Good:
- Smoky from the live flame
- Well-seasoned food
- Things were prepared properly

The Bad:
- Loved the story, but the rice and beans were just okay

Hot Spot Buffet

As you already know by now, AYCE is a thing again.  In fact, they are coming up with different ways of doing things compared to the past.  Once upon a time, AYCE meant ordering off a checklist and waiting for staff to bring you the items or in most cases, the items did not arrive and/or you got the wrong items and also the incorrect amount.  Well, Hot Spot Buffet on Kingsway has solved that problem by offering most of the items available for Korean-style BBQ and hot pot as self-service (a la Bigway).  Hence, you can get exactly what you want and how much you want every time (keep in mind, if you waste food, it is $10.00 for every 100 grams).

So how much is this AYCE?  For the basic Korean BBQ, it is $24.99 for lunch & late night.  $35.99 for Korean BBQ and skewers for dinner and an extra $2.99 for hot pot.  We had both and it was a lot of food for 2 people.  Probably best to grab some friends and make it a group thing to try more items.  First and foremost, there is a Large Big Way-esque refrigerated display case with hot pot items on one side and BBQ items on the other.  Considering the reasonable pricing, the selection is quite good.

We got roughly everything in for our hot pots with Tender Beef, Basa, Chicken Thigh, Chicken Giblets, Cuttlefish, Beef Aorta, Crab Stick, Luncheon Meat, Quail's Egg and a variety of fish ball products.  As for non-meats, we had Tong Ho, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Wheat Gluten, Wood Ear, Corn, Konjac Noodle Bundles, Kelp, Wintermelon, Bean Curd Stick, Yam Noodles and Dried Instant Noodles.  There was more things available, but we didn't get them.  Nothing amiss with the items as things looked and ate fresh.  

On the bottom of the hot pot ingredients section, we found plates of meat including Lamb, Pork Shoulder, Pork Belly and Fatty Beef.  These cooked up quickly in our individual broths (Mala for me and Mushroom for Jackie).  I found my spicy broth to be mildly hot, but fairly flavourful.  The mushroom was better in our opinion since it was plenty mushroomy while well-seasoned so that it helped flavour the meats.

Onto the Korean BBQ portion of our meal, we got a selection from the display that included Thinly Sliced Beef (plain or marinated), Chicken Wings (different marinades), Chicken, Spicy Pork, Zucchini, Squash, Pork Shoulder (plain or marinated), Mushrooms, Marinated Shortribs and Shrimp.  The BBQ grill was relatively even and cooked things quickly on the high setting.  Need to pay attention as it could burn.  We thought the wings were great being well-marinated and juicy.  Shortribs were great too with a tender chew.  In fact, all the meats were quite good.

There was also a Self-Serve hot and cold food section near the front of the restaurant.  We helped ourselves to Shredded Potato Salad, Pork Ear & Cucumber, Edamame, Pickled Radish and Kimchi.  Across from it, we found some hot dishes in Fried Rice, Spicy Chicken, Sweet & Sour Pork and Shrimp & Fishballs.  Right next to that was a warming oven with Fried Glutinous Sesame Balls, Portuguese Tarts, Spring Rolls, Fried Chicken Skin and Chicken Wings.  Next to that, we had some Steamed Dumplings and Bao.  The food was okay but some of it was not hot enough, which diminished its appeal.  Wings were good though.  There was also some dessert and also a soda dispenser.  However, the diet cola ran out and was not refilled.

Of course there was a Sauce Bar with also some seasoning salts above.  Had all of the usual items to create your own custom dipping sauce for hot pot and Korean BBQ.  In addition to the pricing aforementioned pricing, there are also 2 more options including a Premium menu for $45.99 and a Tasting menu for $58.99.  As much as they add some really appealing items to each tier, the basic already includes so much.  I'd stick to that personally.  Overall, we felt the basic was a great value since it included essentially everything.  I do think that one should save their appetite for the hot pot and BBQ and skip the cooked food.  It was fine, but more of a filler than anything else.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Excellent value

- Meats and veggies were vibrant and fresh

- Lots of choice, even for basic

The Bad:

- Cooked food and sides were only okay and the hot food wasn't hot enough

- Soda machine needed attention