Big Way Hot Pot (New West)

Okay, I'm sure most of you have visited Big Way Hot Pot (or something similar) by now.  Unless you have been living under a rock, you would know that there has been an explosion of "build-your-own hot pot" restaurants in the Lower Mainland (and also other parts of North America).  You grab a bowl, pick your ingredients, get it weighed and pick a broth (or dry mix).  Food is brought to you when it has been cooked and when you are done eating, you can grab a to-go container.  Oh, and there is complimentary ice cream as well (with differing quality).  So I've been to the original Big Way location on Kingsway when it first opened.  Now I've made many visits to the large New West spot recently. 

As mentioned, this location at New West Station is large and spacious.  Situated in a former pub, it is a unique-looking dining room for hot pot (especially the crescent booth seating).  There is also much more space for the refrigerated display cases.  However, there is a bottleneck at the entrance and the start of the serve-yourself line.  You will find an tablet where you can put you name on a wait list.  Better yet, just do it online before you arrive.

After you grab your ingredients (you can save money, if you ease up on the meatballs, tofu and anything that has shells), you walk up to the till and have it weighed.  Pick your broth and take a number, it will be delivered to you shortly.  One of the more popular broth options is the Collagen Bone Broth.  This one is best for people who don't want anything too flavourful nor spicy.  It does have some meatiness and it is on the milder side.  I personally wouldn't pick this one though.

For me, the one to get is the Tomato Broth.  It isn't as concentrated as some of the competitors, but it does have the classic tangy sweetness.  It does taste like tomatoes and is properly seasoned in my opinion.  I find that this works well with meats as it is robust enough.  Furthermore, I like this broth with any noodles that will absorb a lot of moisture (such as dried noodles or instant noodles).  It takes on all of that flavour.  You can also have this in spicy and that is even more tasty.

So on the topic of spicy, there is the Signature Ma La Tang.  I've had this a few times and dependent on the time of day, it can be remarkably spicier or milder (you can also chose the spice level).  I think as the day goes on, the broth gets more concentrated?  Not sure, but there is some inconsistency.  When it is spicy, there is a real kick that lingers.  Underneath that spice, there is definitely some saltiness and sweetness.  I think this broth goes well with any of the sliced meats.  

Beyond the tomato broth, I also really enjoy their Miso Broth.  It is one of the more impactful soups where the saltiness does come through.  This goes really well with anything, but in particular tofu products.  It helps flavour them in a way that enhances the natural taste.  Noodles benefit from this broth as it adds the necessary seasoning.  Veggies do really well with this as well where it brings out the natural sweetness.

Finally, the most flavourful broth in my opinion is the Tom Yum Broth (with coconut).  It is super fragrant with a big hit of lemongrass as well as the galangal.  The coconut comes through with aromatics and the tanginess makes things super appetizing.  If you can imagine, this works well with both meat and seafood, but I find it compliments seafood the best.  The brininess pairs well with the Thai components of the broth.  Noodles do well too.

Of course, when you are done, complimentary Soft-Serve Ice Cream comes your way.  Depending on the day, you might find a vanilla, matcha or black sesame.  The picture here is the matcha.  This is not my favourite as it is quite gritty.  Tastes okay though, not too bitter.  The vanilla is the best in my opinion.  Now you won't confuse this with good soft serve such as Dairy Queen, but it is no extra charge.  So, is Big Way still the king of the hill after all of the copy cats have arrived?  I would say it is still one of the best and holds its own.  Other spots such as Datang may have more concentrated broths and at Jojo, lobster broth.  I do like this New West location as it has a parkade (paid though) and it is has lots of tables (and a view of the Fraser River).  

The Good:
- Spacious location
- Convenient, has parking and right at the Skytrain station
- Reliable eats

The Bad:
- Entrance is a bottleneck
- No validated parking

 

Captain's Oven Pizza

I'm sure you've noticed that where there is a Skytrain station, there will be development.  It makes sense though because building condos and the sort is a good way to increase density near transportation hubs.  Ultimately, services will inevitably be part of the deal as all these residents need things like grocery stores, medical offices, pet stores, insurance agencies, hair salons and restaurants.

The last one is of particular interest to me since many of these are tucked away within the residential complexes and mainly serve the local residents.  However, many of these places don't solely exist because they have a captive audience.  Rather, they are worth visiting, even if you do not live nearby.  Captain's Oven Pizza would be an example of this as I was rather impressed with their wares.  We started things off with a Caprese Salad which was good.  The tomatoes were pretty ripe (which you can clearly see in the picture) where the texture was possibly a bit soft, but I enjoyed the natural tomato sweetness.  Large slices of fresh mozzarella completed things.

Onto the pizzas, we went ahead and did half and half versions so we could try more flavours.  For the first, we had the Superb Soppresata and Pesto Chicken.  Nice leoparding on the crust which meant we had crispiness and smokiness.  Nice nutty flavour as well to go with the properly-seasoned dough.  I liked the spicy zestiness of the soppresata while the chicken pesto was bright with lots of tender chicken.  It was good to see the chicken being moist despite being double-cooked.

So you would think that the Meat Lover's pizza would've been my favourite, but in reality, it wasn't.  Nothing particularly wrong with it since it had a good mixture of meats, yet I felt the other flavours were more interesting.  This was true with the Oceanside as it combined prawns and bay scallops with capers, red onion, grape tomatoes and arugula.  So we got the sweet brininess that was complimented by the tangy sweetness of the capers and freshness of the tomatoes.  Nothing overwhelmed the seafood and let it stand on its own.

Although the half and half veggie pizza was nothing much to look at, I assure you that they tasted great.  For one half, we had the Chef's Special and the other was the Truffle Mushroom.  In reality, these were rather similar having an Alfredo base and mushrooms, truffle oil and arugula.  However, the Chef's Special added pesto, pine nuts and sundried tomatoes.  That afforded some herbaceous notes and nuttiness with the tang of the tomatoes.  

One pizza caught out eye on the menu and we decided to get the whole thing rather than doing half and half.  Consisting of jumbo prawns, crab, bay scallops and smoked salmon, the Fisherman's Catch was super seafoody and briny.  The natural sweetness really came out and was tempered by the salty smokiness of the salmon.  We had aromatics provided by the garlic oil.  One byproduct of having so many things on top, the crust became softer.  But that didn't bother me since the flavours were appealing.

One look at the Chocolate Pizza and you might conclude that it was a default dessert due to the use of the same pizza crust.  However, it turned out be much better than expected.  The crust was crispy as per usual, but the chocolate sauce they used was delicious and not crazy sweet.  The fresh ripe strawberries slices provided that fresh fruitiness.  As for their Tiramisu, it was unique as the mascarpone cream was super light and airy.  It was also purposefully sweet.  It was a bit light on the coffee flavour though.  Overall, the pizzas at Captain's Oven are delicious and feature well-charred pizza dough.  I wouldn't mind getting some takeout from this location from time-to-time.

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

The Good:

- Fresh well-seasoned pizza dough

- Brick oven cooks things fast with nutty charring

- Lots of choice for the pizza toppings

The Bad:

- Free parking is limited, otherwise you need to pay park

Dragon Bowl New West

As mentioned in my Instagram post, dining out these days is an expensive proposition.  It seems like we have to get a second mortgage to afford groceries.  However, there are still some good value spots available including the newly-opened New West location of Dragon Bowl.  They offer up customizable bowls that can be had with rice or noodles and a choice of protein.  You can also choose a sauce as well as 3 complimentary side items.

To get a sense of the menu, we tried all the proteins including the Beef with spicy dragon sauce on brown rice with cucumber, shredded potato and cabbage.  We thought the firm brown rice was a good match with the tender beef because it was robust enough.  The spicy dragon sauce did have a kick, but wasn't anything too overbearing.  Loved the vibrant sides where the cabbage was crunchy, yet cooked through while the cucumber was not mushy.

Next up was the Lamb with black bean sauce on rice noodles with wood ear mushrooms, spicy cabbage and bean curd.  Similar in texture to the beef but naturally with the wonderful gaminess of lamb, this bowl ate appreciably different due to the rice noodles.  It was less robust than the brown rice and those noodles were slippery and light.  Furthermore the black bean sauce was more mild and had a gentle fermented saltiness.

To get a taste of all the proteins, we doubled-up with our last bow with both Pork & Chicken with dragon sauce, steamed egg noodles, cucumber and woodear mushrooms.  Although the rice noodles and brown rice were solid, the egg noodles would be my pick for the best carb.  They were al dente and soaked up all of the dragon sauce beautifully.  Flavours were fairly mild without any saltiness nor greasiness.  Truly comforting with home-cooked vibes.  The braised egg was quite flavourful with slight herbal notes.

Last bowl was the Jumbo Shrimp with curry sauce atop white rice with woodear mushrooms, Napa cabbage and shredded potato.  Of course the white rice was a good match for the mild and slightly sweet curry.  The shrimp were perfectly cooked exhibiting a meaty snap.  I found this to be the most impactful sauce as the others were quite mild, including the spicy dragon.  As you can see in the picture, the egg was completely penetrated by the braising liquid.

They also offer up a selection of bubble teas and slushes, so of course we got some to try too.  The one on the left is Honey Black Tea with grass jelly while the other is a Passionfruit Slush with coconut jelly.  Since I love fruity things, the passionfruit was my preference.  It was a touch icy, but lightly sweet (I chose 30% sugar) and a refreshing compliment to the savoury bowls.  Overall, we enjoyed the bowls as they were fulfilling and reasonably-priced.  Definitely felt comforting with a home-cooking feel.  Would definitely get these again.

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

The Good:

- Well-portioned

- Reasonably-priced

- Felt healthy

The Bad:

- Parking can be a little difficult in the area

Desi Turka

Most people would say that the best Indian food can be found in Surrey, in particular, along the Scott Road corridor.  I generally agree with this sentiment because I've had my fair share of solid Indian food on Scott Road.  It also helps that I work nearby and everyone keeps giving me suggestions as to their favourite restaurant.  However, if you look hard enough, there are equally good Indian spots littered all over the Lower Mainland.  It isn't much different than the proliferation of great Chinese restaurants.  One place I visited recently was with Jacqueline in Desi Turka in New West.

We started off with the Chicken Momos with mint and tamarind chutneys on the side.  These Indo-Tibetan dumplings were quite good and compared well to the ones I had at Katmandu Restaurant on Scott Road.  The dumpling wrapper was medium-thick with a nice delicate chew to them.  Inside, the chicken was moist and tender while nicely spiced.  I like dipping them into the tamarind chutney since I love sweet tanginess.

Arriving on a sizzling cast iron plate with an intoxicating aroma, the Tandoori Chicken was on point.  As you can see, there was plenty of exterior charring, which meant there was a smokiness to the dish.  The chicken itself was quite moist inside and the marinade did penetrate the meat.  The final touch was a light drizzle of butter sauce that added some added layer of flavour and texture to the already flavourful chicken.

Now we couldn't just have Tandoori Chicken with butter sauce without having the actual Butter Chicken itself right?  The Butter Chicken featured big chunks of breast meat, which were tender and moist.  In actuality, the chicken in butter chicken is tandoori chicken, so this dish and the previous are directly related.  I really enjoyed the butter sauce here as it was rich and creamy with just enough tomato tanginess.  We could definitely taste the spices.

Of course to go with the butter chicken, we had to get some carbs in the form of Pulao Rice, Garlic Naan and Butter Roti.  Rice was nicely prepared where it was nutty and chewy.  We loved the naan as it was blistered and crispy in parts while stiff soft and chewy in others.  Good amount of butter and garlic brushed on top.  As for the roti, it was crispy and nutty with even leoparding.  It was glistening with butter, just how we like it!

Going for a different protein, we decided to try the Bombay Fish Curry.  It was loaded with flaky and soft pieces of fish.  As for the curry, it was thick with a good amount of spice and spices.  We asked for hot and it did have a lingering heat even well after we finished eating it.  Could definitely taste the ginger and the sweetness of the onions.  Naturally, there was also the classic Indian flavours of cumin, coriander and cloves.

Lastly, we had to get a vegetarian dish into the meal and we did just that with the Palak Paneer.  The creamy spinach gravy was earthy from the cumin and cardamom while nutty and slightly sweet.  There was a plethora of squishy and delicate paneer nestled within.  Overall, we quite enjoyed our meal at Desi Turka and I would definitely say that it gives the Indian restaurants along Scott Road a run for their money.  Good option in New West.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Good spice level (we requested hot and it was indeed that)
- On point proteins

The Bad:
- Place is a bit small, so would fill up quickly

Co Chau

There is no shortage of Vietnamese restaurants in the GVRD and in fact, in most major cities.  However, it always seems to be the greatest hits of Southern Vietnamese cuisine featuring the same ol' dishes.  Nothing wrong with that really as it does the job for usually a reasonable price.  However, Co Chau out in New West goes a bit off the usual and offers up tasty Vietnamese that is interesting.  They also have the usual stuff too.

Hands down, the best thing we ate was the Deep Fried Chicken Wings with tamarind.  If you take a close look at the picture, these were some really big drumettes and mid-wings.  As a result, this really helped keep the meat moist and juicy.  The fact that they fried it just enough didn't hurt either.  However, the star of the dish was the sticky, sweet and tangy tamarind glaze.  The wings were intensely delicious with a bit of spice.  Skin was decently rendered as well.  These can be spoken in the same breath as some of the best wings in town.

I know it may not be a big thing with most people, but their Veggie Spring Rolls were properly constructed with rice paper rather than a wheat wrapper.  The texture was completely different being lightly crunchy with a slight chew rather than the shattering crunch of a wheat wrapper.  Inside, we found a combination of vibrant veggies as well as wood ear and aromatic taro.  This was so good, I didn't even want to try the pork version.

On the other hand, the Bun Bo Hue was one of the weaker items that we tried. There wasn't anything particularly wrong with it, yet it was one note with only the dominant flavour being the chilis that added some heat.  It was missing the usual fermented flavours of shrimp paste (did they use any or not enough?).  I did, however, get some lemongrass, that did make it aromatic.  Yet, once again, the chilis were most apparent.

Back to super yummy, the Banh Cuon was money.  As you can clearly see, the sheets of rice noodle were super thin and translucent.  Furthermore, there was plenty of elasticity that provided chewing enjoyment and great mouth feel.  Topped with fried shallots (could've used more), the whole thing was aromatic.  Sometimes the Vietnamese ham is sliced an served on the side, but this one featured it sitting in a fish sauce-based dip.  Perfect for saucing the rice noodle rolls.

Our last dish was also tasty in the Bun Cha Hanoi featuring charred pork sitting in a nuoc cham-style sauce.  Oh wow, this was a flavour explosion in my mouth.  The trick is to combine everything with the herbs and lettuce and then dip into the sauce for extra effect.  Therefore, you get the crunch of the lettuce, softness of the rice noodles, flavour from the herbs and sweet caramelization from the pork all in one bite!  Delicious!  This pretty much sums up the food at Co Chau, it is absolutely delicious and not just some ordinary Pho joint.  I recommend that you give it a try, there are many more dishes on the menu that I didn't get to!

The Good:
- Some unique dishes you won't find at a regular Pho joint
- Impactful flavours
- With inflation these days, the prices here are reasonable

The Bad:
- Service is friendly, but can be sparse
- Parking can be tricky in this area

Pho Chan

Ever since I can remember, I've loved going for Phở.   I also remember that it was a lot cheaper too.  But with everything, there are higher material costs, higher minimum wage and just plan inflation due to those factors and of course the cost of fuel.  So I completely understand the rising prices of restaurant food.  However, there are still a few places that are still on the less expensive end of the spectrum.  Take Pho Chan in New West for instance, their prices are still very reasonable being between $10.00 - $15.00 rather than the over $15.00 at most places.  Also, I really love the name of the place (hint: my last name...).

So I gathered up the fam and made my way out to McBride for some noodles.  Before that, we had a few appies including the Crispy Pork Spring Rolls.  If you notice in the picture, these were legit employing a rice paper wrapper.  Many places default to wheat wrappers and that is mostly due to convenience.  These were extremely crunchy and that made the difference in texture.  Inside, the filling consisted of tender pork, onions, carrot, vermicelli and wood ear mushrooms.

We also got the Prawn Salad Rolls, which were decent in size and wrapped tightly.  The rice wrapper was nicely hydrated, but still chewy and not wet.  Inside, there was a good deal of prawns that had been halved.  They had a good natural aroma and were meaty with a snap.  The iceberg lettuce was fresh and crispy while the addition of pickled carrot added more crunch.  The ample amount of peanut sauce on the side had just enough hoisin for sweetness.

For myself, I didn't actually go for Phở.  Instead, I had the Dry Egg Noodle with Seafood.  Reminiscent of the dry noodles at Phnom Penh, these were topped with fried cuttlefish balls and fish along with prawns, squid and imitation crab stick.  The egg noodles were perfectly al dente and dressed in a sweet soy.  I found the fried items a bit greasy though.  The ample amount of ingredients made this actually filling.

Viv went for the Rare Beef and Brisket Phở.  This was a fair portion for a large costing $12.50.  I believe this has to be one of the least expensive bowls of Phở in town (especially since it is decent).  I found the broth to be clean and on the lighter side.  Definitely could taste the sweetness and some background meatiness, but I would've liked a bit more punch.  Noodles were cooked perfectly and the meats were tender (and fairly ample).

My daughter ordered the Phở Ga and it was topped with some fried shallots.  As such, it was rather aromatic which compliment the sweet broth nicely.  Again, it was clean and on the lighter side.  Definitely not salty by any means.  Since the chicken was free range, it was a touch chewy (but to be expected). Once again, the noodles were al dente and not clumpy.  This was a small size and it was $12.00.

My son predictably went for his standby being the Grilled Lemongrass Chicken & Pork Chop on Rice (with a fried egg).  This was a huge portion for $13.50.  Also, it was very good with tender chicken and pork that was well-marinated.  There was caramelization and only a slight char.  Funny how there was more meat than rice on the plate.  So I guess you get the point here - the prices are reasonable and they don't skimp with the portion size.  Pho Chan is a good neighbourhood spot that won't break the bank.

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Fair portions
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Broth could be more impactful

 

The Spud Shack

So I've been back to the Spud Shack on many occasions but never felt the need to blog about it again, but this time, I finally thought why not?  I mean, this is one of my favourite spots for house-cut fries with a variety of dips as well as their poutines.  Other than La Belle Patate, this is the place to get your hands on poutine in the GVRD.  They do have other things on the menu too and I will cover that in this post.  For those who don't drive, this is also quite convenient since it is located in the New West skytrain station.

Now the thing here is to get the Fries and really why would they be called the Spud Shack otherwise?  This time around, the fries were solid as usual being fluffy and light inside while crispy on the outside.  The dips we had were Roasted Garlic Mayo, Smoked Onion Mayo and Pamesan Mayo.  For me, I enjoyed the smoked onion mayo the most as it was sweet, aromatic and lightly smoky.  The roasted garlic was solid as it had strong garlic notes.  However, the parm mayo was quite salty due to the plethora of cheese.  Good for those who love parm!

Now their other prominent menu item is Poutine and lots of them.  We got The Original as well as Le Montreal (smoked meat, pickles and mustard).  As you can see, they use legit cheese curds and they were still intact being squeaky.  The gravy was salty enough to make an impact while also having a nice viscosity.  I personally love the smoked meat poutine as they don't skimp on the meat and pickles.  Add in the mustard and the whole thing wasn't too heavy.

They also have some burgers on the menu including the Effin' Good Burger with prime rib patty, smoked onion mayo, BBQ sauce, bacon, tomato jam, lettuce, pickle and Monterey jack cheese.  I've had this burger many times and it ranges from being juicy to a touch dry.  However, it is always nicely charred and fulfilling.  The chopped bacon adds smoky saltiness while the tomato jam adds sweet tanginess.  Overall a solid burger.

The other burger is the J.W. Wimpy Burger with 2 hand pressed beef & pork patties, double aged white cheddar slices, grilled onions and special Tuesday burger sauce.  Yes, this had Popeye's vibe written all over it (not the fried chicken chain, the cartoon) and I would gladly pay you on a Tuesday for a burger today!  This was good where the patties were juicy due to the addition of pork.  That white cheddar really came through as it was substantial.  This was packed with flavour.

Lastly, we had the 1 piece Cod & Chips with a side of tartar sauce.  So yes, the colour of the batter was rather dark.  That really wasn't the issue as it was crunchy and tasted fine.  Yet, it was on the greasier side.  The fish was perfect though, flaky and moist.  They really didn't skimp on the fries and the tartar was not only good with the fish (I recommend that you dip your fries into it as well).   So yah, the food at The Spud Shack is pretty straightforward and I personally enjoy it.  I actually crave the fries and wish I made it out more often.  Great place to grab a quick bite before a movie at the Landmark Theatres.

The Good:
- Solid fries with dips
- Burgers are good too
- Many varieties of poutine

The Bad:
- Limited seating