New Mandarin

After so many visits to New Mandarin, it has seemed like an eternity since our last meal.  I believe the most recent one was with family right in front of their massive screen.  This time around, we were invited to enjoy a multi-course dinner that would feature a few new unique items.  For those who have yet to visit New Mandarin, it is located in the T&T complex on Kingsway near Nanaimo.  It has been around since 2019 and since then, has earned a Michelin-Recommended designation.

For this meal, we had some new dishes along with some classics.  Something I've had before and have always enjoyed is the Roasted Pork Belly & BBQ Pork.  The use of fatty pork really helped move things in the right direction even before they cooked the meat!  This was especially true with the BBQ pork as it was succulent, juicy and of course fatty.  Hence, it was tender and flavourful.  The outside bark was sweet and caramelized.  As for the roast pork, the crackling was crispy and not hard.  The meat and fat ratio was about 50-50, where it was juicy and buttery tender. 

We continued on with another classic item in the Peking Duck served in 3 courses.  As usual, the first course consisted of the Peking Duck with steamed crepes.  It was also accompanied by julienned scallions and hoisin.  Not sure if the shrimp chips were served with it or not, but I enjoyed eating them.  LOL.  Anyways, the duck skin was appealing in colour and also crispy.  The fat underneath the skin was fairly rendered (also using the right type of duck).  The meat was moist and the crepes were thin with an nice elasticity.

The second course from the Peking Duck was the Shredded Duck Soup.  The base consommé had depth and real flavour to it.  It was starch-thickened just enough so it was silky with the right viscosity.  There was plenty of duck along with dried fish maw, woodear, Jinhua ham, egg white and flowering chives.  Lots of textures and complimentary flavours from these ingredients including crunch, meatiness and silkiness.

The third course was another classic in the Duck Lettuce Wrap.  This came in a large portion packed with tender duck and crunchy veggies.  It sat atop fried vermicelli that added another level of crunchiness.  The dish was the beneficiary of a good wok toss with high heat.  The wok hei allowed for some smokiness and caramelization.  Nothing was overdone though, where the veggies were just cooked through.  Seasoning was on the milder side, but with hosin on the side, that wasn't a problem.  Loved the large pieces of iceberg lettuce, so we could successfully wrap everything.  Also enjoyed that the lettuce wasn't wet either.

Now for a brand new dish and what a dish that was!  We were served a couple servings of the Teriyaki Lobster.  Not sure why it went by that name because it was more like a Motoyaki Lobster or even a Chinese version of Lobster Thermidor.  These small lobsters were baked with a mayo cheese sauce on top that was like a motoyaki.  It as creamy and cheesy with a slight tanginess.  Lobster was cooked perfectly being moist and a bit bouncy.

Getting our veggies into the meal, we selected the Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with garlic.  We were warned that the pea shoots might be a little old, but it still turned out to be quite good.  Sure, there was a little more chew to them, but they were still tender.  The cook on them was just right being cooked through but not enough to make them mushy.  Hence, there was still a crunch to each leaf.  There was enough garlic and seasoning for impact while the dish wasn't too greasy.

We ended up with two fried rice dishes as we couldn't decide on one.  So we had both!  The first to arrive was the Fried Rice with Preserved Meat.  It was made with organic rice for an extra $10.00.  If you thought this rice was a gimmick, you would be mistakened.  The rice added a silky texture to the dish and was quite flavourful.  It also helped there was good wok hei and hence, a nuttier flavour and caramelization.  The cured meat added just enough saltiness as well as some chewy texture.

The next fried rice dish was the Fried Rice with Eel served in a casserole.  We also subbed organic rice into this dish.  This rice was a bit more moist with a tonne of eel in it.  This added not only a buttery texture, it provided a unique sweetness to the rice.  Once again, with the organic rice, there was a silkiness that seemed wet, but it really wasn't.  The rice was still chewy (in a good way).   I found this more like a hot pot rice than a fried rice (even though it wasn't cooked in the pot).

Onto dessert, we had some that are also featured on the Dim Sum menu.  These included the Osmanthus & Lychee Jelly and the Sweet Coconut Pudding Piggies.  I'm biased when it comes to these desserts and the Osmanthus jelly was right up my alley.  First of all, the jelly was not sweet at all.  Second, the texture was pretty firm, which worked for me as I could pick it up without it falling apart.  Nice sweetness from the lychee and wolfberries.  As for the piggies, they were firm versions of aromatic coconut pudding.  Not too sweet either.

One of the cutest desserts is their Chocolate Pudding Puppy Dog.  Personally, I think this was better to look at than to actually be eaten.  The pudding was a bit gummy.  It did taste okay though.  But everything was all good when the Baked Tapioca Pudding arrived.  Featuring a crunchy sugary crust (same found on a pineapple bun), the pudding itself was custardy and purposefully sweet.  There was also some lotus paste in the centre to add some more sweetness.  One of my favourite desserts from any type of cuisine!  This was a fine end to a solid meal at New Mandarin.  I find the food also well-portioned here and I can't help but notice the ever-improving service.  I based this off my previous 3 visits that were not comped.

 

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

 

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Well-portioned

- Improving service

 

The Bad:

- Dining room is still a bit cramped

 

Moltaqa Moroccan

Trying to hit up the last few restaurants on the Michelin guide for Vancouver, it has brought me to Moltaqa Moroccan.  This has actually been on my radar for quite some time even before it became Michelin-recommended.  However, it is the same thing over and over again - too many places to eat at and so little time.  We made it a point to go there since we actually do like Moroccan cuisine, in particular a lamb or chicken tagine.

So before those tagines, we had went for their Moroccan Hummus and bread.  This was an extremely smooth and creamy hummus with the strong nuttiness of sesame seeds that were on top.  I got a bit of the garlic, yet was wanting more lemon.  Even the squeeze of the lemon wedge wasn't enough.  Maybe I like things more acidic, so the hummus overall was very good.  The side of Moroccan bread was fantastic.  A bit crispy on the outside and plenty fluffy inside, it was perfect for mopping up the hummus.

Our next small plate was the Duck Pastilla.  Oh my, this was absolutely mind-blowingly delicious.  Beyond the flaky and crispy phyllo casing, the ample amount of duck inside was moist and well-spiced.  There was definitely the sweetness of the onions while the powdered sugar made this almost a quasi-dessert.  But it all worked well with the combination of savoury and sweet.  Loved the almonds too as it added texture and nuttiness.

Continuing with the same protein, we had the Flambe Duck with cherie sauce.  The flambe was served tableside and that was pretty cool.  However, this dish was not only for show, it was also super delicious.  The skin of the duck breast was blackened with Moroccan spices and hence had rich fall flavours cinammon and cloves.  The duck itself was moist and tender while complimented perfectly by the sweet and tart sauce.  The side of roasted root vegetables were prepared nicely.

Finally, here we are with the tagines!  The first was the Lemon & Olive Halal Chicken Tagine with saffron.  This was truly an aromatic dish with the saffron coming through.  The chicken itself was super tender and moist with the salty brininess of the olives and the tangy lemon being quite evident with each bite.  There was also the earthiness of the turmeric as well.  With olives and thinly sliced lemon at our disposal, we could make each bite even more flavourful.  We had rice as our side dish for this tagine.

For me it was all about the Tagine of Lamb with saffron prunes and almond.  This was delicious where the lamb fell off the bone and was at its fatty best.  The meat had the gelatinous fattiness that I was looking for.  Due to the lamb being more robust than the chicken, the saffron was much more muted, but still present.  There was a certain sweetness to go with the rich Moroccan spices.  I had the side of cous cous with chickpeas with this.

We had a few cocktails to go with our meal in the Moroccan Cherie Sour and La Bel Aicha (we were also served some olives at the outset of the meal).  I found the sour to be quite nice and appetizing with the classic fall flavours of Moroccan spice paired with bourbon and white cherries.  A bit of sweetness to go with that tang.  As for the other cocktail, it was floral and refreshing with some ginger notes.  Overall, we quite enjoyed our meal at Moltaqa.  The portions were generous and the flavours were exotic.  Considering its Yaletown location and the deliciousness of the food, the prices were fair too.  Will come back.

The Good:
- Impactful exotic spices
- Generous portions
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Maybe a few repetitive spices, but I didn't mind

Gary's Restaurant

Gary's Restaurant has been on my radar for a little while and it was also on my "to dine at" list.  I did suggest to some friends that this was an option for our dinners, but there were no takers.  However, Jo messaged me out-of-the-blue to meet up for eats and suggested Gary's!  Well, what a nice coincidence!  I mean, it is also great to meet up with Jo as I haven't seen her in quite some time, but it was also even better that we got to hit up a place I wanted to go to!

This cozy little spot on 12th at Granville has great lighting due to the large windows in front.  We looked over the menu and decided to order a la carte rather than the tasting.  As much as the tasting seemed appealing, we wanted to choose our preferred dishes.  It all began with the Rye Rolls with an herb butter.  I found the rolls to be fairly fluffy with some chew to them.   The salt on top really added a flavourful crunch.  Loved the butter as it was whipped until airy.

Onto the actual plates, we had the Kanpachi Crudo with strawberries, sumac vinaigrette and shoyu.  As for the slices of kanpachi, they were fresh-tasting and looked the part too.  There was the usual natural sweetness and the essence of the sea.  I'm usually not keen on fruit and fish, but the strawberries were sweet and didn't clash.  I found the sumac vinaigrette a bit earthy and maybe lacking in enough acidity to really make an impact.  The restrained use of the soy ensured that the fish maintained its starring role.

Next, we had the Raw Beef with king james blue, chicory and house-made potato chips.  First and foremost, the diced beef was buttery and didn't require much chewing.  It was visually-appealing and tasted fresh.  With intermittent pops of nutty saltiness, the stilton also added body and creaminess to the tartare.  There was some crunch from the chicories but overall, the whole mixture was pretty soft.  Seasoning was mild with a good balance of salty, sweet and tang.  Loved the potato chips as they were thin and crispy.

For the larger plates, we had the Ling Cod with Argentinian prawns and cherry tomatoes in a Calabrian chili butter sauce.  As evidenced in the picture, the cod filet was beautifully seared with crispy portions.  Inside, the fish was moist and flaky with some butteriness.  It was also well-seasoned and tasted great on its own.  However, that silky sauce had a spicy nuttiness to it and was well-suited for the fish.  It was not too strong, but also had impact at the same time.  Those prawns were perfectly cooked with a delicate meatiness that was aromatic.

The most filling dish was the Pork Collar with parsley sauce, grilled onion and Swiss chard.  Fatty with its classic rebound meatiness, the pork collar was nicely brined.  It was had an inherently full-flavoured taste to it while not being salty.  The meat was tender, but maintained a bite.  I found the parsley sauce to be creamy and bright.  The veggies were cooked perfectly where they were wilted, but still had lots of texture left.

For dessert, we had the Paris-Brest with lemon verbena cream, strawberry and chantilly.  Texturally, the choux pastry was crispy on the outside and fairly light on the inside.  I found the chantilly to be a bit melty, but it was still light and creamy.  The lemon cream was mildly-flavoured while the strawberry was sweet.  Overall, it was a pleasant meal at Gary's with properly-prepared proteins and focused flavours.  I would be open to a return visit one day!

The Good:
- Properly-prepared proteins
- Nice flavours
- Great service

The Bad:
- Seating is a bit tight for tables of 2

 

Ask For Luigi

There are just some restaurants I haven't revisited for quite some time and one of them is the popular Ask for Luigi.  Yes, it has been 10 years since I've dined on their Michelin-recommended food.  Not sure why it has taken me so long to return, but Jess made a reservation for us to grab some lunch.  I'm glad she did so because I probably would've been running off to try the latest and greatest, but forgetting places that have been around and continue to be awesome.

As if I needed anymore Burrata especially since I had it the night before at Bar Corso.  Hey Jess wanted it and honestly, I wasn't complaining.  Absolutely love burrata!  This one here came with tomatoes, strawberry vinaigrette & pistachio.  I thought the heirloom tomatoes were fresh and sweet.  Nice firmness on them while still being ripe.  This came with a whole burrata that we cut open to reveal the creamy insides.  I thought the vinaigrette was balanced and provided both sweetness and acidity.  The one thing I would've liked was a few flakes of fleur de sel to elevate the flavours.

We ended up with the Mussels with nduja sausage, fennel & pomodoro because they were out of the cauliflower.  No problem as these mussels were so on point.  They were plump and buttery with everyone of them opened.  It sat it a tangy pomodoro amped by the addition of nduja.  This added depth and a meatiness that wasn't overbearing.  There was some spice but generally it was mild with the aromatics of the fennel coming through.  That grilled bread on the side was both necessary and utterly awesome.

On another visit with Roanna, we went for the other appies I didn't have last time including the elusive Fried Cauliflower.  Last time, we didn't get to try it because they were sold out.  I remember from the first time I visited Ask for Luigi that they were very good.  Turns out my memory was right as the cauliflower was cooked-through but still firm.  It was drizzled with aioli and topped with a considerable amount of parm.  Sneakily, the star of the dish was the fried chickpeas as they provided complimentary texture.

We weren't really into ordering a salad this time around, so we went big with Luigi's Meatballs sitting in a fresh tomato sauce.  These benefited immensely from the sultanas and pine nuts as it broke up the meat texture with plump sweetness and a sweet nuttiness.  As for the meat, it was a bit firmer than I remembered, but I haven't had these in awhile so am not sure.  Now that didn't impact the eating enjoyment we had as the meat was moist and lacking in filler.  That tomato sauce was perfect being only lightly tangy with natural sweetness.  Very bright flavours.

We had the pasta of the day being the Duck Ragu in a light pomodoro.  This was absolute money with mildly tangy tomato sauce that was complimented by the richness of the duck ragu.  There was plenty of tender morsels of meat that had the gaminess of duck that was also well-seasoned by the stewing with the herbs and tomato paste.  Again, the tanginess of the pomodoro provided a certain brightness to break up the heaviness of the ragu.  The gamelli pasta was perfectly al dente and held onto the ragu beautifully.

The other pasta we had was the Bigoli Nero with frutti di mare and uni butter.  Oh this was so rich and buttery.  It exhibited further luxury with the creaminess of the sweet uni mixed into that butter.  There was definite brininess to the dish but also the seasoning was on point where everything was properly salted including the pasta.  Seafood was perfect too with delicate prawns that had a snap and buttery mussels.  The pasta itself was firmly al dente.

Much like the visit with Jess, Roanna and I went for the pasta of the day which was Vongole Tagliolini in a white wine butter sauce with chili flakes and anchovy breadcrumbs.  This featured all the best things about fresh pasta.  Texturally, it was al dente with a certain dry firmness, unlike dry pasta, which can be gummy or too wet.  As a result, the dish ate a bit dry and possibly could've used just a touch more butter.  The clams were plump and buttery while offering up their usual briny sweetness.  Loved the anchovy breadcrumbs on top as it provided both crunch and saltiness.

Trying to hit the rest of the pastas, we had the Rigatoni alla Bolognese.  This was very good with firm noodles bathed in a creamy bolognese that was not short on tender nuggets of meat.  The rigatoni was the perfect vessel here since it held onto the sauce and kept things moist and flavourful.  It was ever-so-mild with a rich meatiness.  About that meat, it was slow-cooked to the point it was buttery and airy.

Our last pasta was the most surprising as it did not contain any meat.  The Radiatore Verde & Mushroom Trifolati was my favourite on this second visit with Roanna.  Even more effective than the rigatoni, the radiatore held onto the olive oil and garlic beautifully where there was bursts of aromatics.  The plethora of mushrooms added woodsiness as well as moisture and the usual squishiness.

For dessert, I went for my favourite in the Olive Oil Cake with candied orange and whipped ricotta.  This cake is the must order here.  It was soaked in syrup being moist and aromatic.  The whipped ricotta was super light and creamy.  The citrus really came through in a subtle floral manner.  As you can see, the food at Ask for Luigi is as solid as it has ever been.  It certainly continues to be a destination for great pasta.  I will not take another 10 years to be back!

The Good:
- On point pastas
- Prominent flavours
- That banana bread (only available during brunch)

The Bad:
- Super tight in there with limited table space
- Not the best area at night

 

Zab Bite - Thai E-Sarn Cuisine

When I was dining at Bravo, I noticed Zab Bite across the street.  Honestly, I had some idea what the place was, but wasn't all that familiar.  I got to try the place out for brunch (that they no longer offer) where we tried a selection of their existing menu items as well as a few new ones.  Zab Bite focuses on E-Sarn cuisine which is native to the Northeastern part of Thailand, where most of the people are Laotian.  They are well known for their spicy and sour flavour profiles.

We had a bunch of items arrive at our table at the same time, but I'll talk about the Assorted Appetizers first.  The Veggie Spring Rolls were crunchy and the cabbage inside still had a bite.  Equally crunchy, the Shrimp Wrap featured a meaty and briny shrimp inside.  In the middle of the platter, we found Pork Jerky that was plenty pungent with the saltines of fish sauce.  They were chewy and meaty.  On the side, the Crispy Pork Toast featured not-overly-greasy toast.  On the top, there were slices of pork jerky that I found a bit chewy.  Nice aromatics from the sesame though.

Onto two more small plates, we had the E-Sarn Pork Roll. Similar to Vietnamese Chả Lụa, this was sliced and deep-fried.  The result was a crispy exterior giving way to a chewy and meaty interior.  This was served with a side of sriracha hot sauce.  One of my favourite items of the meal was the Jaew Chicken featuring a marinated and grilled boneless chicken thighs topped with toasted rice flour.  This chicken was so juicy and flavourful with a nice char on the outside.  The side of dipping sauce added spice, sweetness and acidity.

One of their newest dishes is the Thai Chicken Rice which is also known as Khao Man Gai (a variation of Hainanese Chicken).  The poached chicken thigh was fairly juicy and tender.  It was mildly fragrant and was accompanied by a spicy soy bean sauce.  Think along the lines of Nong's Khao Man Gai in Portland.  This sauce here was less gingery and sweet, but definitely more spicy.  It was good in its own way.  The rice firm and chewy (in a good way) while nicely seasoned.

We also had a soup that was a bit different than the usual Tom Yum and Tom Kha (which they do have on the menu too).  It was the Tom Zab that was a spicy-sour clear soup with mushroom, rice powder and dried-chili.  The flavour profile in this is representative of Northeastern Thai.  It was clean-tasting with notable tang and spice.  There was fragrance in the form of lemongrass, galangal and cilantro.  We added pork to the soup where it gave it more body.

Another popular Northern Thai and Laotian dish is Khao Soi.  We went for this with chicken in this case and it sat in a Thai coconut curry with egg noodles topped with crispy fried noodle, fresh shallots and lime wedge.  This was a pretty good version with aromatics and fragrance emanating from the coconutty and slightly spicy broth.  The noodles were al dente while the chicken drumsticks were tender and took on the flavour of the curry.  

My favourite dish of the meal was the Pad See Ew with stewed beef.  This was somewhat reminiscent of the one at Sen Pad Thai with its mung bean glass noodles.  There was good wok hei (a very hot wok with lots of BTUs) that added smokiness and caramelization to the dish.  The noodles were appealingly chewy and completely seasoned by the soy and the braising liquid for the tender nuggets of beef.   The gai lan were cooked enough but still crunchy.

To go with our meal, we had a few classic bevvies including the Fresh Young Coconut and Thai Milk Tea.  Beyond drinking the sweet coconut water, the coconut flesh was at its tender delicious best.  As for the milk tea, it was creamy and flavourful without being excessively sweet.  Onto dessert, we had the Mango Sticky Rice with a pandan-infused sticky rice.  It was topped off with a kanom dok jok or Thai lotus flower cookie.  This was a pretty solid version of the dessert with sticky rice that was aromatic topped with fresh sweet mango and coconut milk.  Overall, the food at Zab Bite was pretty good.  I particularly enjoyed the Tom Zab, Pad See Ew and Khao Soi.  They aren't open for brunch anymore, but you can still get these dishes for dinner!

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

The Good:
- Generally solid eats
- Fairly reasonable-pricing
- Some Northern dishes that are different

The Bad:
- When the weather is warm, the A/C isn't sufficient