The other noodle dish was the Singapore Laksa with tofu puffs, prawns, egg, fish cakes and fish balls. I asked for this to be medium and it did have a flavourful kick. I would've liked it to be even more briny, but it wasn't bland by any means where the coconut broth was rich and aromatic. There was plenty of vermicelli noodles as well as sprouts and the other listed ingredients. Good value at $12.95. In fact, most items were $12.95 while be well-portioned. Such a great value especially with increasing prices at most restaurants. I'll definitely be back.
The Good:
The corner of Kingsway and Salisbury in Burnaby is a deathtrap for restaurants. I can't even count the different establishments that has graced that corner, only to close down in favour of a new venture. It's not like there isn't any foot traffic, as it is across the street from Highgate. Furthermore, Nao Sushi and Anatoli's Gate are literally on the same block where they have survived for over a decade. Now, we find the Vancouver outpost of the Singaporean chain Eighteen Chefs taking over the spot, yet with a curious name. Due to bureaucratic red tape, they weren't able to secure the name Eighteen Chefs (as of yet) and decided to open under the old name of Queen's Cafe "Asian Cuisine by Eighteen Chefs" rather than not be in business while waiting for the approval.
We dropped by in the opening week to check it out along with Guy and Girl Smiley. One of the first dishes that caught our attention was the Salted Egg Yolk Fries. Sadly, it wasn't what we expected as they merely poured a very wet salted egg yolk sauce on top of generic soggy fries. Don't get me wrong, the sauce tasted great with the unmistakable saltiness from the creamy and luxurious salted egg yolk, but the amount of moisture killed the texture. This would've been much better if the fries were super crunchy and coated with dry salted egg yolk. One of the more surprising dishes was the Chicken Skewer with Truffle Curly Noodles. This was not an overly complex dish but the chicken was both plentiful and super juicy with a smoky char. They used a lot of rosemary which added a layer of earthiness. Although the noodles appeared to be of the instant variety, they were al dente and coated with enough black truffle paste that it was woodsy enough without being too much.
Onto 2 HK-style cafe type dishes, we had the Spaghetti Bolognese as well as the Baked Pork Chop Rice. By virtue of not being baked, the spaghetti was lacking in body and aroma. Even with the generous amount of meat sauce, the noodles ate plain and probably needed to be salted more when it was being boiled. I thought the sauce was decent with lots of tender nuggets of beef, but the flavour was somewhat one note and lacking in the usual combination of sweet, savoury, tangy and a hint of star anise like the usual Asian-version. The addition of arugula was a bit strange too. On the other hand, the pork chop rice was excellent. Underneath, the fried rice base was nutty and dry, which was the perfect compliment to the balanced tomato sauce topped with plenty of ooey gooey cheese. Best of all, the large panko-crusted pork chop was moist and tender with a crunchy coating.
Sporting the same pork cutlet, the Nasi Lemak consisting of the usual ingredients including rice, crispy anchovies, cucumber, peanuts, fried egg and sambal. Nothing particularly amiss with this other than us choosing the pork cutlet over the chicken. Oh and yes, there is a fried egg rather than a boiled egg. For me, I'm not a stickler for complete authenticity and this was still fine when everything was mixed together. Again, the pork cutlet was the star as it was large, crispy and completely tender. Served with roti, the Curry Chicken was fairly large in portion size. About that roti, it was more like baked puffed pastry rather than the usual doughier roti found in Malaysian cuisine. With that being said, it was texturally a delight and really was delicious when dipped into the creamy coconutty curry. It had a nice viscosity and had a touch of spice. The large chunks of bone-in leg were tender and not overdone.
We also gave the Hainanese Chicken a go and it was acceptable. However, there were a few glaring issues. First of all, we got the wing and very little else, so there was barely any meat to go with the rice. Second, it was if they used a butter knife to chopped the chicken as there were bone fragments everywhere. Taste-wise, it was pretty good and the chicken oil rice was nutty and chewy. Loved the chili sauce as it was legit spicy rather than just sweet. We waited forever for our Spring Chicken & Striploin Steak Platter. Turned out it was not worth it because the steak came out rare when we asked for medium-rare. They even argued with us! We know what medium-rare looks like! As for the chicken, it was fairly moist with rendered fried skin. Too bad it was completely bland. The side of signature heart-attack rice was nutty and chewy, but not as flavourful as we expected (even though it is cooked with rendered fat drippings). Overall, there were some highlights to go with some duds. They just opened, so it is fair to give them some time to work out all the kinks.
Normally, when one thinks of Chinese New Year dinner, a 10-course spread including soup, lobster or crab, fish, chicken, pork and beef come to mind. It represents many different things, in particular, prosperity and wealth. If one was to eat out for CNY, many restaurants offer such dinners. The usual suspects include Kirin, Red Star, Western Lake, Chef Tony and many more as the list is endless, especially in the GVRD. However, did you know that Kaya Malay Bistro offers up their own CNY 8-course dinner? Now you might think this sounds rather strange, but for the many ethnic Chinese in Malaysia, they celebrate CNY with similar dishes, but also ones that are unique. This is where Kaya comes in, giving the opportunity for us to experience a Chinese Malaysian CNY meal. I was invited recently, along with Jacqueline, to try it out.
We began with the Lotus Root Soup with chicken feet and peanuts. For us, this was a classic Chinese homemade soup that wasn't complex on the surface, but definitely good for the soul. It was lightly silky with the natural sweetness from the chicken feet coming through. Subtle aromatics all around where the salt content was restrained. Personally, I love lotus root and the ample slices were tender while retaining a sticky bite. Next up, we were presented with the Smoked Salmon Yu Sheng Salad consisting of julienned carrots, cucumber, daikon, scallions, red pepper, cilantro, marinated jellyfish, pickled ginger, wonton crisps and smoked salmon. The smoked salmon took the place of raw fish as Kaya isn't known for their sushi. To properly eat the salad, one must "Lo Hay" or mix the ingredients. That we did and yes, the textures were abundant as well as the combination of tangy, sweet, salty and the unmistakeable essence of cilantro.
My favourite dish was the Fish Head Hot Pot featuring local salmon. Normally, one would find cod or basa in this, but the salmon gave the hot pot more body. With that being said, the salmon was not heavy nor overcooked. It was flaky and moist with almost a cod-like texture. Loved the tang in the sauce really helped brighten up the flavours of the sauce. Hidden within, we found the usual fried tofu, napa cabbage and roasted pork. Presented as a smaller portion (since it was only Jacqueline and myself), the Kumquat Chicken was full-flavoured. Yes, the sauce was essentially a sweet n' sour, but there was a unique sweetness from the kumquat. I found the chicken to be tender with a uniformly cooked exterior batter. The addition of Mandarin orange segments added pops of natural sweetness.
To get some veggies into the meal, we were served a Malaysian dish in the Wok-Fried Green Beans and Eggplant with tomatoes and shrimp. I've had this dish several times before at Kaya and it was as solid as usual with crunchy, yet cooked-all-the-way-through, green beans and tender eggplant. The version here, compared to other Malay restaurants in town, tends to be sweeter with less spice. There was good wok hay which meant there was proper carmelization with no moisture leakage from the veggies. Another favourite of mine was the Braised Lamb Shank. No joke, this was one of the best executed lamb shanks I've had in a while (including fine dining restaurants). This was perfectly and uniformly tender with the classic gelatinous texture from the lamb. Flavours were impactful without being salty.
Of course the meal ended off the main dishes with a carb being the Seafood Golden Fried Rice. This was chock full of tender baby scallops and large crunchy shrimp. There was good wok heat where the rice was chewy and fragrant. There was enough seasoning so that the rice could stand on its own without the need for any condiments. To finish, we were served the Malaysian Nian Goa with sweet yam and taro. These were deep fried with a thin crispy exterior giving way to a sticky and moderately sweet nian goa. I found the yam and taro a bit firm, but the flavours really worked. Moreover, there was quite the textural contrast. So that's the Malaysian Chinese New Year dinner one can find at Kaya. I would say this is pretty unique and ultimately tasty as well. It costs $38.00 per person for a minimum table of 4 (dish sizes will be bigger than what we had).
Goodbye Mr. Chili, you were decent for the area, but alas high-prices and inconsistent food didn't help your cause. Kato Japanese used to occupy this space for what seemed like eternity. The newest spot closed roughly a year into its operation. Now we find yet another Asian cuisine in Green & Oak Malaysian. There has been some minor buzz on IG about the place because there really isn't any Malaysian in the vicinity. I ended up checking out the place with Diana, Emily, Karen, Jo, Irene and Steph on a Monday night.
We began the meal with a few standards being the Roti Canai and Satay (Chicken, Beef and Pork). Looking rather flat and small in portion size, the roti ate better than expected. It was lightly crispy on the outside while chewy on the inside. Just like it appeared, the roti was a touch dense and needed more separation of layers (like fluff it up after being cooked). The best part was the dip as it was creamy, spicy and coconutty. I wasn't a huge fan of the satays especially the beef as it was not charred enough and the meat was chewy. The pork was marginally better while the chicken was the best being moist. I felt all 3 were lacking in flavour. The accompanying peanut dip was too bland and creamy. I much prefer the coarsely chopped peanut dip with palm sugar.
Also hitting the table shortly after was the Fried Chicken Wings which were crispy with well-rendered skin. Normally, I don't prefer fried whole chicken wings, as they are bit awkward to eat, but these were juicy and natural-tasting. Even the wing tips were appealingly crispy (which I normally do not eat). With that being said, I would've liked more seasoning in the form of salt or even MSG (a la Phnom Penh style). The side of lemon pepper dip did help amp up the impact though.
Onto the mains, we ended up sharing the whole Hainanese Chicken with 4 bowls of chicken oil rice and soup. I found the chicken to be large, meaty and as expected, de-boned. The skin was nicely gelatinized while the meat was moist, including the breast. However, it was pretty bland on its own, ice cold and resembled Chinese "bak cheet gai" rather than Hainanese chicken. The side of grated ginger condiment was on point being completely made up of ginger and well-seasoned. Although the rice was attractive in colour, nutty and chewy, there was just too much grease. It ate heavy and was rather unappealing in that regard. This was a good poached chicken that could be a great Hainanese chicken if prepared in a more authentic manner.
So far, the food was pretty average, but the stir-fried dishes really stood out, starting with the Belachan Fried Rice. Although the picture doesn't show the actual portion size, it was enough. The rice was nutty and chewy benefiting from the hot wok. It was flavourful with caramelization and a touch of spice. Thick, creamy and coconutty, the Beef Rendang was decent. The sauce was impactful enough to flavour the accompanying white rice while not drowning it since it was the right viscosity. The pieces of brisket were sufficiently tender, but not incredibly so. This didn't really taste like an authentic rendang, as it was more like a coconut curry (lacking in aromatics).
Our last 2 dishes were also solid due to the fact they were stir-fried (seemed to be a trend). The Mee Goreng featured caramelized and slightly smoky flavours. The chewy noodles were on point while the grease level was low. It had a nice balance between sweet and savoury (since some versions can be too sweet). The same could be said about the Chow Kuay Teow as it was also slightly smoky and full-flavoured. The noodles were not too clumpy nor oily. Visually, much like the other stir-fried dishes, the caramelized colour was appealing. If it wasn't apparent already, the stir-fried dishes at Green & Oak are pretty good. However, the rest of the dishes are pretty mediocre or lacking in authenticity. There is definitely promise here, if they can further refine their food.
Usually, when one thinks of Burmese food and the Bay Area, the name Burma Superstar is always the obvious choice. Make no mistake, I really do want to visit the place and maybe one day I will. It just hasn't been convenient for us to do so. But back to my point, no one thinks of Mingala Restaurant located in Fremont (except those who live there...). It was somewhat of a random choice by my uncle when we all met up for dinner. Looking over the menu, it seemed more like a mish mash of Burmese, Thai and Malay dishes. 
As such, we got a little of everything to start including the Laphat Thoke (Burmese Tea Leaf Salad) consisting of tea leaves, fried lentils, peanuts, chili, tomatoes, cabbage, sesame seeds and dried shrimp. Okay, I'm not a tea leaf salad expert, but I found this one a bit bland and lacking in crunch. With that being said, it wasn't bad though. There was still some tea leaf essence to go with the brininess of the dried shrimp. Next, I sampled the Pork Rib Soup which was lightly seasoned, but was meaty due to the tender pork ribs and also Earthy due to the shiitake mushrooms.
Moving onto the Roti Pratha, I found it to be a little dense, but this type of roti tends to be that way. Maybe, they could've spun it looser or with more space between sections. It could've been crispier and less greasy as well. The side of curry sauce was mild, yet aromatic and successfully flavored the roti. One of my favourite dishes was the Belachan Ong Choy with dried shrimp paste, garlic and ginger. There was plenty of wok heat that lead to the caramelization of the ingredients. This meant the brininess of the shrimp paste was super impactful as well as the garlic and ginger. Furthermore, there was a smoky sweetness from the stir-fry.
For the kiddies and carb-lovers, we had the Pad Thai prepared with shrimp. This was average in my books due to the omission of pickled turnip and pressed tofu. I found the flavours to be one note with a slight tang and mostly sweetness. There was a lack of smokiness from intense wok heat and the aggressive tartness from tamarind. Textures were on point though with chewy noodles and crunchy sprouts and meaty shrimp. Looking rather dark, the Hokkien Noodles were doused in an alarming amount of dark soy. However, the dish ate a lot better than it appeared with muted sweetness and surprisingly mild saltiness. The dish was a bit wet where the noodles were soft though.
Our last 2 dishes were the Hainanese Chicken and Ying Yang Noodles. The chicken was a bit more firm that I would've liked, but it was still tender and succulent. It was mildly seasoned where the condiments did their thing. As for the noodles, they were saucy as expected with creamy egg sauce along with shrimp, squid, chicken and choy sum. Despite the mess of moisture, the noodles were still fine while the ingredients were properly prepared. In general, the meal as a whole was pleasant, yet could've used some tweaks here and there. Whatever the case, Mingala does the job as a neighbourhood restaurant.
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