The Handpulled Noodle

Sometimes, we just need to eat something closeby and convenient, even if it means sacrificing something awesome.  That doesn't mean we would merely grab a hot dog from a random food cart and call it a day (however, some hot dogs rule!).  Instead, we walked a few blocks to a quick-service spot called The Handpulled Noodle.  This would serve us well, since it was a fast meal just before watching a play nearby.

Ordering can be by 2 methods here - either by the self-service ordering screen or at the front counter.  However, they were so busy, there was really no one at the counter.  We ended up getting the Hot & Tangy Shrimp Wontons to start.  These looked plenty hot, but in reality, they were more tangy, sweet and a bit smoky.  Sure, there was spice, but it wasn't tongue-burning.  The wontons featured a semi-thick, yet delicate dumpling wrapper.  Inside, the shrimp filling had a nice rebound texture.

For our first noodle dish, we had the Herbal Beef Soup Noodles served with thick noodles.  We found the broth to be flavorful, yet lacking a bit of depth.  I didn't get a whole lot of meatiness to go with the mild spice.  As for the noodles, they were chewy in a good way and remained as such to the end.  The slices of beef shank were tender with a natural meatiness.

Of course we were going to get the Beijing Bolo (aka Zhajiang Mien) with the # 2 noodles (aka Biang Biang noodles).  This dish was all about the wide noodles with its robust and chewy texture.  I thought the meat sauce wasn't as savoury as I would've expected.  It was actually more sweet and almost nutty.  This wasn't spicy, so great for those who wanted something mild

Since we always struggle to get enough veggies when we were out-of-town, we got the Broccoli with garlic as a side.  This was fine as the broccoli was a little overdone, but definitely had lots of garlic.  Maybe a little lacking in the wok hei, but did the job nonetheless.  In fact, this meal did feed us and we were okay with it.  Nothing amazing and really, we don't think it was trying to be either.  They do need to have another ordering kiosk as the only one there doesn't do the job when there is a lineup.

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Fresh handmade noodles have a good texture

The Bad:

- Food is only okay

- Ordering Kiosk is overwhelmed when there is a lineup   

Yang's Dumplings

I'm not a fan of lineups when it comes to anything.  However, there are times that I give in and actually wait for however long it is to get the payoff.  So when Yang's Dumplings opened up in Richmond, I was tempted to wait in line.  So would it be worth it for some Sang Jeen Bao (Pan Fried Pork Buns)?  This popular chain is from Shanghai and are famous for the aforementioned dish.  Ultimately, I decided to wait and return when there was no lineup.  That I did and got seated right away and in fact, the food came shockingly fast as well.

Despite literally only taking minutes from when we ordered for the Yang's Dumplings (Pan Fried Pork Buns) to arrive, they were quite good.  We could see them making these to order and pan-frying them continuously.  Hence, the immediacy of the dish being ready.   Unlike many other versions, the bun portion was thin and almost resembled a regular dumpling except for a touch of fluffiness.  The bottom of the bun (it was really the top) was super crispy and nutty.  Inside, there was considerable amount of soup that was only a touch greasy.  It was sweet and meaty with a bit of xiaoshing wine aroma.  The meat was tender and bouncy.  Really enjoyed this, but wished these were served hotter.  Since they are continuously pan-frying these, maybe our dish was possibly sitting for a bit.

We also went for with their other featured bun in the Shrimp Dumplings.  Sure, both the previous dish and this one are described as dumplings on the menu, but in reality, these are still buns in my opinion.  But as mentioned, their version is more like dumplings than the usual pan fried buns.  For the shrimp dumpling, it consisted of 3 whole shrimp hidden inside the thin layer of bun.  I found the shrimp to have a good rebound texture while being sweet.  There was a little less soup than the pork bun (maybe just less fat), but it was still tasty and full of umami.  Even though I liked this dumpling, I thought the pork version was superior in terms of impact and texture.

For our larger dishes, I went for their Signature Duck Vermicelli Soup.  The best part of that was the broth as it was slightly gelatinous and full of natural duck flavour.  Although the broth was seasoned, it wasn't heavy, thus it let the duck essence do the heavy lifting.  Other than the slippery vermicelli noodles, we found blood, gizzards, slices of duck and tofu puffs on top.  I thought the duck was fairly tender while the skin was a bit flabby.  Gizzards were on point with a certain chewiness without actually being tough.  The small cubes of blood had some bounce and that usual iron-finish.  Overall a solid, if not very subtle-tasting bowl of noodles.

On the other hand, the Diced Beef Hot & Sour Potato Starch Noodle Soup was much more bold in flavour.  With that being said, it wasn't overly spicy though.  The broth didn't have a considerable amount of depth but didn't taste like water either.  It helped that the little nuggets of beef (and the braising liquid) added the necessary meatiness for the bowl of noodles.  As for the noodles themselves, they were at their slippery best while being semi-soft.

One under-the-radar dish was the Mini-Pork Wontons in chicken broth.  Lightly sweet and not overly salty, the chicken broth was quite good.  Those mini-wontons featured delicate wrappers that were a bit soft.  Inside, the pork filling was rather tasty and definitely tender with some bounciness.  Sure, this wasn't a dish that would blow people away, but it was comforting and familiar.

Just to ensure we got something veggies into the meal, we opted for the Seasonal Vegetables.  This was actually blanched yau chow with some soy sauce.  Pretty simple dish, but at least the yau choy was cooked just right having a crunch left in the stalks while being cooked through.  Overall, the meal at Yang's was quite good and those pan-fried pork dumplings were on point.  I would come for those specifically, while the other dishes were average, but competent.

The Good:

- Those pan-fried pork dumplings

- Okay pricing

- Efficient system, get your food quickly

The Bad:

- Other items were average

Chongqing Noodle

Needing to get a quick lunch before we headed out for the day, we made the short drive to Chongqing Noodle closeby to the nearly-deserted Newpark Mall.  For those who are unaware, Chongqing Noodles is a popular dish from, well, Chongqing in China.  For me at least, there aren't many places to get this dish in Vancouver, B.C., but it is nice to see there is a restaurant dedicated to it down here in the Bay Area.

Before we got to the noodles, we had a couple of cold dishes to whet our palats.  The first was the Spicy Cucumbers which were devoid of their skin.  That made for a muted crunch, yet at the same time, the marinade penetrated into each piece more effectively.  Hence, there was noted spice and some tanginess.  I would've liked a bit more salt though.

I was so delighted to see Spicy Beef Tripe on the menu and yep, that was a no-brainer to order it.  Consisting of thin slices, the honeycomb tripe was tender, yet still maintained a soft chewiness.  To me, this is the ideal texture for this type of tripe.  There was textural contrast from the crunchy celery and added aroma from the cilantro.  Unlike the cucumbers, this was more savory and spicy.

Here we are with the Chongqing Noodles.  The most distinguishing feature of these noodles is the inclusion of tender yellow peas.  For this version, they were served whole rather than being smashed.  We also found some the usual minced pork as well.  When combined with the chewy white noodles, this bowl had numbing spice and nuttiness.  Some creaminess was provided by the soft peas.

We also had another bowl of noodles in the Stewed Pig's Feet Soup Noodles.  Cooked until the skin was soft and gelatinous while the fat being rendered, the pig's feet also featured melt-in-my-mouth meat.  These were flavorful on their own, but the mildly spicy broth helped things along with some nuttiness to go with the heat.  Noodles were al dente and stood up to the broth.

Lastly, we went for the Vegetarian Buns.  These featured a fluffy bun that was fairly thin.  Hence, there was a wealth of tender, yet not mushy, greens in the middle.  They were seasoned just right to provide enough flavor for the entire bao.  Overall, the food at Chongqing Noodle was solid and reasonably-priced.  People were nice there and the portion sizes were generous too.

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Well-portioned

- Nice people

The Bad:

- Limited menu

Kitano Shokudo

So here we go with another restaurant in Canada's 100 Best Restaurant list in Kitano Shokudo.  From the outside, it wasn't very apparent what we were looking at.  Walking in, you would still be a bit confused with all the eclectic items from DJ equipment with records to a print of Monarch butterflies.  Formerly Otto Bistro, this small Japanese restaurant is run by Chef Hiroshi Kitano.  Sure, the menu features supremely high-quality sashimi that you can also get on top of rice in a chirashi don or maguro (bluefin) don, but there are some fusion dishes that are equally as good.  We stopped by for lunch to see what it was all about.

Starting with the 8-piece Sashimi, we were treated to 2 each of the Bluefin Akami, Ora King Salmon, Hotate and Shima Aji.  It might sound like an easy way of describing the sashimi as excellent, but it really was.  The quality of the fish was top-notch and served at the right temperature.  Cuts were precise and presented in the right size.   I particularly enjoyed the scallop as it was buttery soft and super sweet. 

As if you weren't eating enough bluefin these days (should stop because high-mercury levels), we had the Bluefin Futomaki.  This thing featured a thin layer of soy rice and equal amounts of akami and chutoro.  This thing was stuffed full of bluefin and well, need I really have to say it was delicious?  The picture itself tells the whole story.  Supremely sweet with the taste of the sea and also that classic soft texture with the chutoro being fatty and buttery.  Just a bit of real wasabi and a dab of soy was enough.

We tried 3 of their noodle dishes including the Duck Confit Mazemen.  It featured a massive duck leg that had the crispiest skin.  Nicely salted too.  I thought the duck meat was trending towards the drier side, but it was still quite good and not overly seasoned.  The al dente noodles were great and the combination of dashi and onsen egg made for a smoky, silky and aromatic flavour profile.  The wealth of green onion and red onions wasn't really my thing, but it did add brightness and some sharpness.

The most fusion dish of the bunch was the Mushroom "Pasta" as it combined sauteed mixed mushrooms, butter and chives with an egg yolk.  There was pecorino as well, but we opted for it to be on the side because it can be pretty overwhelming.  This was delicious with the earthiness of the mushrooms and silkiness of the butter.   Extra creaminess was thanks to the free-range egg yolk.  Al dente with a nice bite, the noodles were fully seasoned by the components.  After I added in the pecorino, there was a nutty saltiness which as brightened up by the ample chives.

Our last noodle was the Shoyu Ramen with chicken, clam and fish broth.  Really nice sweetness with certain silkiness from the slow and long cook of the chicken.  I noticed there was quite a bit of umaminess to the broth due to the combination of components.  Once again, the noodles were beautifully chewy and held up until the end.  We found a beautiful runny seasoned egg along with a few slices of medium-rare duck breast.

We ended off our meal with 2 scoops of Sorbet including Passionfruit and Strawberry.  These were really refreshing and quite creamy despite it being all ice.  Flavours were pretty natural-tasting and the sweetness was measured.  Great finish to a solid meal that featured high-quality ingredients that were honoured in their preparation.  Although I've had better in Vancouver, it is still a nice little spot in Montreal that offers delicious eats at a reasonable price.

The Good:

- High-quality and fresh ingredients

- Carefully-prepared

- Quaint

The Bad:

- Enjoyed it, but I've had better though

 

Ā Mā Chicken Rice

Ah yes, Hainanese Chicken aka Chicken Rice is a dish that is popular in most parts of Asia.  It originated, as the name implies, in the Hainan Province of China.  Through travel, it has spread across SE Asia and has morphed into different versions.  Yet, the basic premise is the same, poached chicken served with chicken oil rice and all the condiments (which are similar or different depending on the location).  It seems like a simple dish, but as you know, those are the type of things that you can easily mess up.  Our latest food adventures has brought us to Ā Mā Chicken Rice in Redmond.  This is a Cambodian restaurant and hence this is the version of chicken rice that we got to try (among other things).

So let's get right to it with the Chicken Rice accompanied by the aforementioned chicken oil rice, sweet chili sauce and what I like to call "crack sauce" made of fermented soybean, sugar and ginger.  Very reminiscent of Nong's Khao Man Gai in Portland (albeit the Thai version).  At the table, there was also the classic ginger & scallion condiment as well as chili crunch.  I found the chicken oil rice to be super delicious with enough seasoning and aromatics for impact.   The rice itself was not mushy while not being hard either.  The dark meat chicken was buttery and succulent while flavourful on its own.  Best thing to dip the chicken into was the crack sauce as it was a bit of everything with some spice.  However, the ginger & scallion condiment was a classic match too, especially since it was mostly ginger.

For those who wanted something a bit different, yet still technically qualify as chicken rice is the Crispy Chicken Rice.  So the rice for this was exactly like the previous dish, therefore it was an excellent base to start with.  On top, there was a considerable amount of deep-fried chicken breast.  As much as it was white meat, it was still tender and almost juicy.  On the outside, it was plenty crispy with a fairly thick coating.  To compliment the fried chicken, I thought the fermented soybean sauce to be the best match.  It really brought the chicken to life with sweet and savoury elements.

Another dish we had which was on point was the Phnom Penh Noodles.  If you have ever been to Phnom Penh in Vancouver, you will be very familiar with this dish.  It comes in both dry and soup form, where we tried both.  I personally love the Dry Phnom Penh Noodles myself as the flavors are more concentrated.  Consisting of rice noodles mixed with a sweetened soy sauce, the bowl was full of liver, ground pork, shrimp, green onions and fried shallots.

The soup version of the Phnom Penh Noodles sports the basically the same ingredients except instead of the soy mix, everything sat in a hot broth.  I felt the broth was clean, sweet, a bit meaty and slightly briny.  Noodles were still al dente despite sitting in the hot broth.  It soaked up some of the flavors and tasted good on its own.  However, I enjoyed using the chili crunch to amp things up a bit.

Other than the chicken rice, the other best dish of the meal was the Ā Mā Dried Noodles.  These had thinner and firmer egg noodles that were topped with ground pork and dried shrimp, dried mushrooms and a piece of that fried chicken.  This was so savory and full of umami.  Noodles had a nice elasticity and chew to them.  Overall, the food at Ā Mā Chicken Rice is delicious and well-prepared.  Portions are good and the prices are reasonable.  Great for a casual meal any day of the week.

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

The Good:

- Delicious

- Reasonable pricing

- Ample portions

The Bad:

- Super busy and a wait for a table is normal

- Tight seating

Ginger & Scallion

You might be wondering why a restaurant that specializes in Khao Soi goes by the name "Ginger & Scallion".  Well, it is run by the same people when it was Ginger & Scallion but they decided to pivot from doing Chicken Rice (hence the ginger and scallion name, which is a condiment associated with the dish) to Khao Soi.  They just wanted to do something different even though their Chicken Rice was wildly popular and the place was packed.  Jackie and I have tried their Chicken Rice before and although we are sad to see it go, we were super excited to try their Khao Soi.

Before we got to that, we tried their house made Thai Sausage.  This was really good as the texture was so natural and meaty.  As much as it was moist and juicy, it was not overly fatty.  Hence, the chew was consistent in terms of being tender with some firmness.  Flavor was good with hits of tanginess and rich fermented notes.   This was served with the typical raw cabbage, ginger, cilantro and chilis.

Onto the Khao Soi, we went for a few beef offerings including the Beef Tenderloin.  As you can see, the beef was prepared to a perfect rare.  I thought it was tender enough, but in comparison to the other 2 beef options we ordered, it wasn't fatty.  In addition to the rich and flavorful broth, we found green onions, cilantro, red onion, crispy shallots, pickled vegetables and crispy noodles (also chewy wide egg noodles hidden within).

On that note, the other beef options we had were the Miyazaki A5 Picanha and American Wagyu.  Although I found the Picanha to be the most buttery, it could've used just a touch more cooking so that the fats would be activated.  With more rendering, it would've been even more tender.  It was still delicious though with rich meatiness to go with the rich broth that was thick and aromatic.  Even though Khao Soi isn't supposed to be spicy, I would've liked just a touch more heat.  Mind you, there was some chili crunch on the side, so we could customize our broth anyways!

My favorite beef for the Khoi Soi was the American Wagyu Steak as it was less fatty than the Miyazaki A5.  Since it was medium-rare to rare, less fat meant that it didn't need to render as much.  Hence, it was super soft and succulent.  Nice meatiness from the fat and it was less heavy.  Since the broth was already so rich, the meat went better than the A5.

Our last 2 bowls consisted of Seared Duck and Oxtail.  Personally, I would've liked to see more rendered skin for the duck (or a breed that has less fat).  However, the duck was still beautifully cooked and tender.  As for the oxtail, we had 2 large pieces that had fall-off-the-bone meat that was gelatinous and buttery soft.  Once again, there was wealth of natural beef flavour.

To go with our Khao Soi, we had a Thai Iced Tea which was creamy and aromatic while being just sweet enough.  For dessert, we sampled a Passionfruit Pie from San Bartolo Bake Shop.  Tangy, sweet and refreshing, this helped level off all the yummy richness.  Overall, a solid experience and definitely filling despite not looking like a huge portion.  Plenty of meat and al dente noodles within that flavorful and aromatic broth.

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

The Good:

- Rich aromatic broth

- Excellent meat choices

- Filling, despite not looking like it

The Bad:

- Duck fat could've been rendered a bit more

Naniwa Okina なにわ 翁

Wanting to go for something light, we decided to hit up Naniwa Okina in Osaka.  This Michelin Bib Gourmand spot is small and cozy featuring handmade soba noodles.  It was a bit of a walk from the Kitahama Station, especially in the scorching heat (in July).  Glad their A/C held up for the time we were there.  People are super nice there and they have an English menu.  They will walk you though everything!

Viv went for the most flavourful of the options in the Zaru Soba with Herring.  There was a strong fishiness to the dipping broth, but it was all good as it was appealing and delicious.  The herring itself was firm but not dry.  Obviously, the noodles were the best part being chewy, a bit gooey, yet not clumpy.  Good resistance on them and rebound.  After dipping them into the hot broth, they loosened up and had a silkier texture.

For my daughter, she went for the Duck Soba, which, like the herring, was full of meaty pieces.  Unfortunately, we found the duck to be a bit chewy and dry despite sitting in the the dipping broth.  However, the broth itself had plenty of depth, much like the herring.  It was full of umami, being also sweet and equally savoury with some duckiness.  I felt this equally flavourful compared to the herring, but just not fishy.

My son ended up with the Beef Soba which was probably the best of the bunch since the meat was plentiful and tender (they use Japanese black beef).  The dipping broth itself was much like the others having depth-of-flavour that was more savoury than sweet, but not salty.  Of course we found the usual umaminess that was partially influenced by the natural beef flavour.  This was the most balanced of the three dipping sauces in my opinion.

For myself, I went for a seasonal item in the Cold Oyster Summer Soba.  Yes, this was completely different than the aforementioned dishes, but it was intentional.  Yah, I really didn't get full considering the portion size but it was really refreshing for a hot day.  Definitely had that briny and sea-tasting oyster thing going on while the jelly offered up some tanginess.  I thought the texture of the cold noodles were superior to the steamed ones.  Nice chew and bounce to them.  At the end of the meal, we were served some soba water (from cooking the noodles) to get one last taste of the fresh soba noodles.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Naniwa Okina.  The noodles were great and so was the service.  Prices are definitely on the higher side, so be prepared to pay.

The Good:
- Chewy fresh noodles
- Dipping noodles great for summer
- Staff are helpful

The Bad:
- A little pricey

Wonton Hut

*Restaurant is permanently closed*

After an average wonton experience at the ol' skool Swatow, we made our way to the Downtown location of Wonton Hut.  Sure, the name seems to indicate that "these are the wontons you're looking for".   Well apparently, they were indeed what I was looking for, but not for everyone else because this spot is now permanently closed.  However, I'm still going to do this post as their original Markham location still exists.  So that also means I have to head out to Markham next time I'm in town for my wonton fix!

So before we get to the wontons, we had to try some of their other offerings too right?  We went for the Braised Brisket Noodle Soup with round noodles.  This could be had as a lo mein as well.  We thought the soup was quite good with plenty of natural umaminess from the beef as well as the braising juices.  Hence there was also background licorice notes from the star anise.  The brisket (or beef finger meat in this case) was super tender and somewhat fatty.  Noodles were al dente.

The same couldn't be said about the Bun Rieu though.  Yes, I realize that this is not a Vietnamese restaurant, so I should go easy on them right?  Well, I'm going to do that here, but I'm not sure why they were offering this when it wasn't done right.  Okay, let's get to the positives first.  So the broth was their own take on things being more of a tomato broth with not enough brininess.  It was good in a vacuum though where there was tang and depth.  The biggest issue was the pork and crab meatballs.  They were more like just pork meatballs that were far too firm.  Okay bowl of noodles but not a Bun Rieu.

So everything was good in the world again when we had the Wonton Noodles.  I've had many a bowl in my lifetime and this could be described as legit.  The broth itself was a bit briny, nutty and full of umami.  This was quite concentrated, hence it also lightly flavoured the noodles.  About those noodles, they were firmly al dente with that desired chew and rebound.  This was achieve by the use of lye water.  As for the wontons, they were mainly shrimp and huge.  Sweet and briny, the shrimp had a juicy bounce texture.

Just because the wontons were so delicious as they came didn't mean further enhancement wasn't necessary.  For me, I love to douse them in a bit of Chili Oil Sauce.  The one provided at the table was pretty good with noted spiciness, nuttiness and smokiness.  It really did compliment the briny and sweetness of the wontons.  Since I don't live in TO, I'm not one to declare anything, but I would say these are very good wontons.  Spoiler alert, I did visit Congee Queen a few months later and no, they weren't as good (but still very acceptable).  So too bad this location is closed because one needs to travel to Markham for these wontons.  In that case, if you want to remain in the area, Congee Queen is a good substitute.

The Good:
- Legit Wontons
- Good noodles too
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Well, the menu is different than the Markham location, but I'd stick to the stuff they are good at