Bamboo World Kitchen (Granville Street)

It goes without saying that eating healthier is a good plan when one normally dines on an abnormal amount of rich foods.  So with that in mind, I did not hesitate to accept an invite to try the newly opened Bamboo World Kitchen in South Granville.  Not only do they want the customer to be served healthier options, they are committed to be as sustainable as possible with local organic ingredients and Oceanwise seafood.  Furthermore, their packaging is plant-based and even their countertops are made from recycled chopsticks.  Now that is commendable, but honestly, we need to see if the food can pass the taste test too right?

So getting right to it, we sampled their Dim Sum items first including Bamboo Gyoza, Prawn Dumpling and Bean Curd Rolls.  So I gotta tell you, these were pretty legit.  The gyoza was vegetarian with a combination of cabbage, carrots and shiitake which was tender and moist.  I found the wrapper to be thin and al dente in texture.  There was enough flavour on its own due to the white pepper, five spice and black truffle oil, however, the side of citrus soy helped brighten up the flavour profile.  So if you are wondering how the prawn dumplings turned out, I'm glad to report that they were really good.  The dumpling skin was medium thickness but tender with a slight chewiness.  Inside, the buttery shrimp did that sweet snap thing with the unmistakable hint of sesame oil and white pepper.  There was a chili lime sauce that predictably added tang and spice, but I much preferred dipping it into the Royal Bamboo Sauce that came with the bean curd rolls (think of it as a hot sauce with tang and sweetness).  About those bean curd rolls, they decided to make them semi-crispy rather than the traditional soft version we find at Chinese restaurants.  I thought it was a good decision as it was less messy to eat and it had an airy crispy texture encasing bamboo shoots, carrots, wood ear and mung bean vermicelli.

Off to their main part of the menu where any of their creations could be had in a wrap or a bowl.  We decided to give their Bangkok Bowl a try that consisted of organic tofu (+$2.00) marinated rice noodle, tomato, cucumber, pickled carrot, romaine lettuce, cilantro, scallions, coconut curry sauce and royal bamboo sauce.  I thought that the ingredients were fresh and appealing while the sauces combined to offer up all of the flavours including spice, tang, sweet, savoury and even a touch of bitterness.  The noodles were soft due to being marinated and I personally would've preferred a chewier version.  However, Jacqueline's parents tried the bowls too and they liked the texture of the noodles.  So each to their own.

To get a sense of what things would be like in a wrap, we had the Bombay in a flour tortilla (also can opt for a sundried tomato or spinach tortilla as well).  This wrap contained organic local chicken (+$4.00), bamboo brown rice, red onion, cucumber, marinated chickpea, mango chutney, grape tomato, spinach and cilantro with a curry yogurt sauce.  Of course this ate very differently than a bowl where I was able to get almost every ingredient in one bite.  Therefore, I got the meatiness of the tender chicken, crunch from the greens and firmness of the chickpeas.  In terms of flavour, the curry yogurt was tangy with unmistakable Indian spices.  This was tempered by the sweetness of the chutney.  In my opinion, the wrap would be my choice.

Too add even more greens to our order, we also had the Bamboo Forest (which is more of a salad) with Oceanwise shrimp (+3.00), mixed greens, marinated rice noodles, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, edamame, mint, basil, cilantro, scallions, cashews, black sesame seeds, radish, sweet chili sauce and citrus soy vinagrette.  I really loved this bowl as the shrimp was perfectly prepared and once again, the ingredients were fresh and vibrant.  Lots of crunch from the veggies and a soft nuttiness from the cashews.  The combination of sauces added tang, saltiness and a minor touch of spice.

I feel that their Smoothies were their most stealthily awesome item on the menu.  We ended up trying the Raspberry (raspberries, banana, dates, vanilla extract and almond milk) and Blueberry Maple (blueberries, maple syrup, banana, dates, vanilla extract and almond milk).  These could also be had with soy milk if desired.  We finished these aggressively as they were smooth, fruity and smooth with just enough sweetness.  A really nice compliment to our mains and dim sum without feeling heavy or overfilling.

We saved a bit of room for dessert and had the Vegan Coconut Panna Cotta topped with cherry compote and toasted coconut.  Being a vegan version, there was no gelatin in this and hence it was more akin to yogurt in texture.  It tasted great with a mild sweetness complimented by the semi-sweet compote.  Texture and aroma was provided by the toasted coconut.  So you know what?  I guess it sounds clichéd to say this, but we really did feel good after eating this meal.  Nothing was heavy, yet still satisfying and full-of-flavour.  Bamboo World is a good option for those who need to grab lunch everyday but want to avoid the usual fast foods.  Looks like people agree with this sentiment as they are opening up their second location on Broadway close to VGH shortly.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Fresh local sustainable ingredients and plant-based packaging
- Flavours from around the world
- Reasonable pricing considering the quality of ingredients

The Bad:
- For me, the rice noodles could've been chewier, but then again, other people liked it  

Ubuntu Canteen

Typically, when I see a whole roast chicken on any restaurant menu, it inevitably elicits comparisons with Costco chicken.  Okay, put away the pitchforks.  I know Costco cannot be placed in the same stratosphere as the swanky Elisa Steakhouse.  From decor to service, they are completely 2 different animals.  Let's not even get into Homer Street Cafe as I've gone over this before in that post.  So here we go again with newly opened Ubuntu Canteen on Fraser as they offer up their version of whole roast chicken.  I recently went to check that out as well as most of their other offerings on the menu.

Since they don't take resos, we had to wait for a table in the small dining room (used to be Bows X Arrows).  After that, we were hangry and proceeded to order nearly the whole menu beginning with a dozen Oysters.  These were sweet and briny served with a mignonette, lemon and horseradish.  We also asked for Tabasco as well.  They were shucked well except for 2 of them that had shell fragments.  From there, we moved onto the fantastic Burrata with salsa macha, gem lettuce and toasted bread.  Although the burrata was a bit on the firmer side, the fabulous salsa macha added a nutty rich spiciness that brought the flavours alive.  When spread onto the crusty bread, there was a good combination of textures.

Onto 2 vegetable forward offerings the Roasted Turnips were really good.  Firm with a crunch while retaining aggressively roasted tops, the turnips were delicious on their own.  A bit earthy, the turnips went well with the nutty and peppery Romesco sauce.  The rest of the dish featured Walla Walla onions and arugula.  Next, we had the Young Asparagus with kohlrabi, orange segments, honey labneh and dukkah.  Normally, asparagus is all about the texture (when prepared properly and this one was good with an appealing crunch), so I really enjoyed the honey labneh underneath as it provided a creamy sweet tang.  The thinly sliced kohlrabi was crunchy and bright, but just a bit too salty.  An extra burst of fresh sweetness was provided by the perfectly segmented orange.  To literally top it all off, the dukka provided a nutty crunch.

From here, we moved onto some pasta including the Tagliatelle with lardo, pickled onions, lovage, bread crumbs and pecorino.  This was really good featuring firmly al dente tagliatelle that was lovingly caressed by the silky lardo.  As rich as this was, the pickled onions provided a nice acidity to cut through the literal fat.  The brightness of lovage all helped in this regard.  Adding a textural contrast the crunch from the bread crumbs helped deviate from soft-on-soft.  The only thing that could've been better was the temperature as the pasta was luke-warm.  The other pasta was the Cavatelli with leek, sugar snap peas and black pepper.  Simple, bright and tangy with a background sweetness and pepperiness, the lack of meat didn't take away from the dish.  We found the cavatelli to be perfectly chewy and a good match for the sauce.

Our first meat dish was the Pork Loin with rhubarb chutney and collard greens.  It featured 2 large slices which were fatty and tender.  One was thicker than the other which meant it was also more moist as well.  I felt the pork was seasoned well enough to stand on its own, but the tangy and sweet rhubarb did pair well with the loin.  Alas, we made it to the Whole Rotisserie Chicken with French lentils and Mizuna Caesar salad.  The thing was massive where one half of the breast was big enough to feed one person.  Skin was fairly well-rendered and the meat was moist (even the white meat).  I thought the chicken could be more seasoned (or even brined), but the flavourful lentils did make up for that.  However, for $1.00 more, the whole chicken at Elisa is better in my opinion and costing less is the one from Homer Street Cafe (different types of restaurant, I know).  I won't compare to Costco, because we can't group restaurants with a grocery store, but overall, I thought the chicken wasn't the star of the show here.  The rest of the eats were pretty solid and thoughtfully created.  Nice use of the small space as well.

The Good:
- Fresh tasting and well-executed
- Bright, airy and casual vibe
- Nice people

The Bad:
- A bit pricey for what you get
- Chicken is good, but for the same price, other places do it better

Agrius (Dinner)

Okay, how many times have I repeated a restaurant while on the same vacay?  If you answered none, I think someone has been reading this blog with a fine-tooth comb.  Generally, I like to try as many individual restaurants as possible since we never know when we will be returning to a certain destination.  However, this time around, I had to revisit Agrius to try their dinner service for 2 reasons.  First, the brunch was good, so I was impressed to begin with.  Second, they are more known for their dinner, so to be fair, I just had to come back!

To start the meal, we went for the small size of their Charcuterie served with pickles and fresh bread from their bakery, Fol Epi.  From left to right, we had Coppa, Red Wine Salami, Fiocco and Ardéche.  Solid board of meats with fatty coppa and mild red wine salami.  The fiocco was packed with flavour that was gamy and mildly salty.  These all went well with the pickled green beans, daikon and intensely sweet and tangy celery.  Bread was crusty and nutty served with butter and fleur de sel.  Next, the Pork Skin Croquettes were small, but were amazing texturally with a thin crispy exterior.  Inside, the tender potatoes and fattiness of the pork skin created a rich full-bodied filling.  Underneath, the creamy aromatic aioli merely made the dish even more decadent.

We were advised to try the Salt Baked Celeriac and it turned out to be a good veggie dish.  Thickly sliced and cooked just right, the celeriac was tender to the teeth, but still had a firm starchiness to it.  It was full-flavoured due to the salt, but it was far from being salty though.  Underneath, we found jullienned leeks tossed in a fermented leek vinaigrette.  The whole dish was sprinkled with crunchy hazelnuts.  I felt the vinaigrette was necessary to brighten and liven up the dish.  Beyond the crunch from the hazelnuts, there was a toasted nutty addition to the flavour profile.   Another veggie forward item was the Brown Butter Rutabaga topped with duck prosciutto, raddichio and flavoured with herring bagna cauda.  One bite and there was layer upon layer of tastes including briny saltiness, nuttiness, more saltiness from the duck and finally some sweet bitterness from the raddichio.  Similar to the celeriac, the rutabaga road the fine line between soft and firm.

Partly because I love them and I also want the kids to try them, I ordered the Veal Sweetbreads with mushrooms, lemon and puff pastry.  This was very good with buttery tender sweetbreads which were bathed in an earthy mix of mushrooms including morels with plenty of lemon.  Hence, the dish looked rather heavy (buttery), but ate much lighter due to the ample acidity.  Lots of flavour going on and although there wasn't any contrasting textures, it ate well nonetheless.  Yes, the kids tried the sweetbreads and were a bit indifferent, yet they weren't opposed to eating it again.  Now they really loved the Braised Short Ribs with whipped potato, Swiss chard and red wine reduction.  The short rib couldn't have been braised any better as it took on all of the flavours of the liquid (that penetrated throughout).  It was tender and meaty with the unmistakable richness of short rib.  Underneath, the buttery potatoes helped soak up any remaining sauce.

My favourite dish was the Salmon Wrapped in Cabbage as it was executed flawlessly.  Look at it, the cook on it couldn't be any better.  The fish was rare, buttery and super soft.  Naturally sweet, yet also seasoned enough, the salmon was delicious on its own.  Thinly wrapped in Napa cabbage, the salmon was uniformly textured as the exterior was not exposed.  If this wasn't tasty enough, a buttery bearnaise complimented the delicate fish.  Something familiar in the sauerkraut pancake was an interesting compliment as it tied in the cabbage theme, but with some tang.  To up that quotient, there was more pickled cabbage underneath.  Another delicious offering was the Fried Chicken with fermented lettuce relish and house-made ranch underneath.  Tender and juicy, the chicken thigh was adequately seasoned, but the buckwheat batter was nutty and full-flavoured.  To cool it all down, the yogurt-based ranch sported plenty of dill.  I found the lettuce relish rather interesting in texture (a bit wet), but appealingly tangy.  So this visit combined with our initial brunch confirmed that Agrius is indeed one of the best places to eat in Victoria.  Maybe we need to make a visit to Fol Epi too...

The Good:
- On point proteins
- Unique flavours
- Good use of root veggies

The Bad:
- Portions are modest, so ordering lots can add up

Agrius (Brunch Menu)

"What???  You don't have Agrius on your list of eats for Victoria???", Mijune scolded in disbelief.  Fine, she had me there.  How on earth did I not have En Route's 4th rated restaurant in the country?   I guess I was so focused on family friendly joints that I totally forgot that my kids do enjoy fine or near-fine dining (it's just that my pocket book takes a big hit!).  So not only did I planned to eat there for brunch once we got off the ferry (well, after we drove there of course), we also made resos for dinner later in the week (post will be up in a few days).  Maybe now Mijune would get off my back now...  

So we decided to get some of the more interesting dishes including the Baked Eggs with Swiss chard, tomato jam, braised lamb, nostrala, potatoes and French country bread.  At first, Viv was concerned that it would be too gamy (I personally enjoy that btw), but it turned out to be quite mild and balanced.  The eggs were perfectly silky and runny while the lamb was tender.  I enjoyed the tang as well as the cheesiness of the dish where all was sopped up with the hearty toasted bread.  For the other dish we shared, Viv was not too keen on ordering the Sauerkraut Pancakes because she doesn't really care for fermented cabbage.  However, we were pleasantly surprised that the house-made sauerkraut was not overpowering.  In fact, it was actually quite mild where it added the flavour of sauerkraut without overpowering the dish.  The pancakes themselves were fluffy and light with minor crunch from the cabbage.  On top, the sweet dijon was quite powerful adding a noticeable mustard finish.

For my son, he went for something more conventional with the Classic Benny with thick back bacon, poached eggs and Hollandaise atop French country bread.  As rich as the Hollandaise appeared, it was silky and completely brightened up by the ample amount of acidity.  The perfectly poached eggs were delicate and runny.  He found the bacon to be fantastically buttery and flavourful, but with the unappealing fattiness, it was pretty heavy.  Crunchy and firm, the French bread held up well to the wet ingredients.  My daughter decided on the Fried Egg Sandwich with cheddar, back bacon, tomato jam, lettuce and aioli on a brioche bun.  Soft and completely encasing the ingredients, the bun was airy and light.  Inside, the thinly sliced back bacon provided the necessary punch to go with the runny egg and tangy house-made tomato jam.  In general, the brunch was pleasant with a few surprises.  We enjoyed it, however, we were more looking forward to dinner in a few days.

The Good:
- Some unique dishes
- Impactful flavours
- Good service

The Bad:
- Bacon could've been rendered a bit more