The Hard Bean Brunch Co. (Port Moody)

Back in January of this year, I was at Earl of Sandwich in Willoughby and noticed a new brunch spot a few stores down.  The Hard Bean Brunch Co. looked like a place I would definitely want to try sometime.  I filed that away in my mind for the next time I would be out in Langley.  Coincidentally, Nikita message me shortly after suggesting we meet up at Hard Bean for brunch.  I guess she read my mind!  However, the place is so popular, I wasn't able to get a reservation.  Then I turned my attention to the Port Moody location and we ended up going there instead.

We ended up with a wide range of dishes including the Nacho Breakfast with black beans, pickled onions, corn salsa, scrambled eggs, cheddar, jack + feta cheese, pomegranate seed and guacamole.  Beef was added for another $6.00.  This was a pretty large portion of nachos for one person to eat.  Frankly, this would probably be better to share for the table.  This was quite good where the nachos were crunchy and well topped with tender spiced beef.  They remained crunchy despite the amount of wet toppings.  There was some spice to this, but not overwhelmingly so.

Probably the most aesthetically-challenged dishes was the Chicken Pesto Quesadilla with pumpkin seed pesto, sundried tomato, marinated chicken, roasted red peppers, jack & feta cheese and hard ranch dip.  Not much you can do with a quesadilla as it is always flat with the ingredients hidden by the tortilla.  Despite its appearance, it was also quite good.  The pesto chicken was tender and had all of the bright flavours we expected.  Lots of melted cheese and the addition of sundried tomato and peppers provided some sweetness and tang.

For myself, I had the Hard Bean Burger with a house-made patty, lettuce, tomato, pickle, bacon, cheddar, burger sauce and fries.  I really enjoyed this burger as it reminded me of some of the better smash-burgers I've had in town.  The patty had a crispy exterior while still moist inside.  Fresh produce and melted cheddar help add even more moisture while the brioche bun held things together.  Fries were good too being crispy.

My son went for the Yorkshire Benny with bacon and smashed hashbrowns.  Rather than having an English muffin, the Yorkshire pudding was so much softer and eggy which made things not as heavy.  The medium poached eggs featured fully cooked egg whites while the yolk was still runny.  The hollandaise sauce was creamy while properly seasoned with just a touch of acidity.

As usual, Nikita and Bluebeard ordered the same dish in the Hard Bean Co. Hash with smashed browns, ham, onion, bloody mary sauce, red pepper, eggs, garlic toast, Brussels sprouts, grana padano cheese and green onion.  As much as this was satisfying in terms of the amount of well-prepared components, the overwhelming sour tomato taste of the bloody mary sauce made this dish completely one-note.  Hence, both of them had a hard time finishing it.  

My daughter went big with the Brunch Charcuterie Board with sliced hardboiled eggs, maple drizzle French toast sticks, marmalade, bacon rolls, blueberry maple sausage and seasonal fruit.  This was a bit interesting in terms of presentation, but ultimately, it was just a collection of breakfast things.  She enjoyed it though as the French Toast sticks were crunchy while soft on the inside.  Sausage was moist and tender with the sweetness of the blueberries and maple syrup.

The last plate at the table was the Barnyard Omelette with hard ham, free run eggs, corn, peppers, jack cheese, red onions, spinach and smashed browns.  This was essentially a fold-over omelette that featured fairly cooked eggs, so it wasn't exactly fluffy.  It wasn't rubbery either, so that was good.  Inside, the amount of filling was substantial enough for impact.   In the end, the food at Hard Bean was not bad.  I wouldn't say it was outstanding, but there were some highlights. 

The Good:

- Some interesting items

- Cool space, cool vibes

- Most items are good

The Bad:

- The hash was too sour

Mama Said Pizza Co.

Once upon a time, the pizza scene in Greater Vancouver consisted of Pizza Hut, Panago, Pizza 222, Domino's and a bunch of Greco-Italian restaurants.  How times have changed...   We now have many more options including different types of pizza including Neapolitan-style and Roman-style.  There are the most usual places such as Farina, Bufala, Via Tevere, Carano and many others.  Heck, we even have Pizza Garden dishing up gourmet thin-crust by the slice!  One place I haven't tried yet is Mama Said Pizza Co, that was once only a food truck but now has a B&M location.  We headed out to PoMo to check it out.

Just FYI, the place has limited parking in front, but there is a parking garage at the back.  We did that made the short walk to the restaurant.  We started with a Caesar Salad with house made croutons and a mix of romaine, frisee and arugula.  That in itself made this salad more interesting due to the textures and bitterness of the arugula.  Even the dressing was different where it was on the sweeter side, hence making it less sharp.

Onto the pizzas, we had to get the baseline - the Margherita.  It consisted of the usual ingredients including fresh basil leaves on top (after the baking process).  As you can see, the leoparding along the edges of the crust was pretty consistent.  As a result the crust was nutty and crunchy.  It was also properly salted.  I found the crust to be fairly even in texture up until the middle which was more tender.  This is optimal and they achieved that.  The tomato sauce was tangy with some sweetness.  This was a good Margherita pizza.

The Papa Roni was pretty similar except without the basil but add pepperoni, grana padano and fennel seed.  Again, the crust exhibited good leoparding including the bottom.  With the addition of a lot of pepperoni, covering almost every inch of the pizza, the pizza was more robust and a little spicy.  The oils from the pepperoni added aroma and body.  With some fennel seed, we also got background licorice notes.

Going another few steps forward, we had the Brooklyn which added pepperoni cups, bacon, sausage, mushroom, onion and grana padano.  With all of this meat, the pizza ate saltier, but in a good way.  The roni cups provided a totally different texture with a meaty chew.  Even though we had more toppings, the crust held up and didn't soften.  The fact that the onions weren't cooked too long meant there was some sharpness.

Our hands-down favourite pizza was The Mama with mozzarella, ricotta, prosciutto, pesto, arugula and grana padano on a honey sesame crust.  Oh where to start?  The crust was outstanding with nuttiness from the black and white sesame seeds while the honey helped balance off the saltiness of the prosciutto.  With some pesto, we got aromatics that were herbaceous, cheesy and nutty.  Arugula provided its usual pepperiness.  As you can see, we enjoyed the pizzas at Mama Said Pizza Co.  Good pies and killer tunes (mostly 80's), I'll be back.

The Good:
- Excellent thin crust that is consistent in texture
- Flavour combos are good especially The Mama
- Super awesome people there

The Bad:
- Place is small so it will fill up easily

 

Osteria Povera

If you've even had Italian eats out in Port Moody, I'm sure you've come across Rosa's.  That place had been around for 22 years and was a favourite of many including local celebs and sports stars.  I had visited the place a few times and to be honest, as much as it was solid with generous portions, it wasn't my favourite.  Well, doesn't really matter now as Rosa has retired and in its place is Osteria Povera.  It is by the same people that run Originals Mexican down the street.  Eileen and I ended up trying it out for her birthday.

If we had known that they were going to serve us some complimentary Focaccia with tomato puree, parmesan, calabrese and spianata, we wouldn't have ordered so many appies.  But whatever, more food means more fun!  Also, that tomato puree was money being mildly tangy with aromatic depth.  The focaccia was also good with a crispy exterior giving way to a fluffy centre.  This was a great appie in itself (for 2 people), but hold on, we got way more...

That would mean more cured meats, cheese and you guessed it, foccacia. This came in the form of the Affettati e Olive Fritto.  We found mortadella, cacciatore, spianata, capacollo, calabrese and olives pan-seared in olive oil.  As you can clearly see, they were shy with the amount of meat and olives (this was only $19.00!).  Loved the warm olives (I love olives in general) as it went well with the cheese and foccacia.  Suffice to say, we didn't finish this.

You would think this would be enough cured meats right?  Nope, we also had the Prosciutto, Rucola e Burrata.  Gotta say that they give you your money's worth of cured meats here.  Although it wasn't the most expensive prosciutto, there was a lot of it (yes, we didn't finish).  It rested on a bed of arugula and a small piece of creamy burrata sat in the middle.  This was finished off with olive olive and a bit of pepper and salt.

We had one more appie with the La Bomba con Pane e Polenta.  This was essentially an olive spread with hot peppers, olive oil and other veggies.  This was served over the same foccacia as well as seared slices of polenta.  As simple as this dish appeared, it happened to be one of my favourites.  I loved the spiciness combined with the tanginess, saltiness and aroma of the EVOO.  The seared polenta was quite nice with a smokiness as well as the unmistakable texture.

Over to the pastas, we started with the Tagliatelle Ragu with ground beef and short rib.  Continuing the theme of generous portions, this pasta was not exactly huge, but much larger than many other spots.  It featured tender ribbons of tagliatelle that were just marginally al dente.  No problem with that as the mouth feel was good.  There was a good amount of meaty ragu that had natural beef flavours as well as a balancing sweetness to go with the savouriness.

Next we had the Fileja al Pomodoro Picante that featured Calabria-style pasta with a spicy tomato sauce.  This was essentially an Arribiata sauce with plenty of spice and tang.  I thought that they nailed the balance of flavours here where the spice was at the forefront but did not overwhelm the tanginess of the sauce.  Furthermore, the amount of cheese on top helped bring things down a few notches.  The pasta itself was al dente and clung onto the sauce well.

Last pasta was the Gnocchi e Filetto alla Parmigiana sporting a large breaded beef tenderloin cutlet atop gnocchi with a tomato basil sauce.  That beef cutlet was huge and super tender with plenty of parm on top.  Hence it was salty, nutty with the tang from the tomato sauce coming through.  Underneath, the gnocchi were tender and fluffy.  I would've liked a bit more bite, but they were still good nonetheless.  Sauce paired well with it.

Not to be outdone, we also ordered La Pizza Margherita with roma tomatoes, cheese and fresh basil.  This was a more Roman-style pizza than the Neapolitan style we find at most places these days.  Hence, the crust was a bit thicker and slightly chewier.  It was still soft though and nicely seasoned.  There was a good amount of tangy sauce and cheese on top.  I especially loved the ripe tomatoes as they were delicious.  The fresh basil also added aromatics and herbaceousness.

For dessert, we had both the Frittelle di Carnavale and the Grappa Tiramisu.  Unfortunately, the donuts were hard and chewy.  Too bad really, as they looked good.  On the other hand, the tiramisu was good with rich and creamy mascarpone and properly-soaked lady fingers. Overall, we found the food quite good at Osteria Povera. Sure, some of my favourite Downtown Italian restaurants are better, but this is good for Port Moody.  They completely renovated the place, so it is more modern and clean.  Seating is a bit tight, but that is the limitations of the building.  I wouldn't mind coming back.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Generous portions
- On point service

The Bad:
- Donuts were not good
- Seating is tight

 

Dogs N Roses Food Truck

Before the expansion of street food (ie. food trucks and food carts) in the Lower Mainland, all we were allowed to experience was the good ol' hot dog.  Yep, my memories of Mr. Tube Steak are still fresh in my mind (albeit not overly excited about it).  That is also why we got Japadog since the owner wanted to do something different and all they were allowed at the time was a hot dog cart.  From there, we now have everything from Neapolitan Pizza to Spanish Tapas.  However, sometimes things come full circle as we can see with one of the newer trucks in Dog N Roses.  Yes, they do serve up hot dogs, but they feature house made sausages and truly interesting ingredients.  I was recently invited to try their wares while they were parked in front of Moody Ales in Port Moody.

We ended up trying all of their dogs including the Pork Smokie with kimchi mayo, green onions, black sesame spread, furikake sprinkles, fried onions and green apple pearls on an organic brioche bun.  I actually got to sample the smokie separate from the hot dog and it was meaty, juicy and not overly fatty.  There was a nice snap to the casing while the meat was well-seasoned.  When combined with the rest of the ingredients, there was naturally an Asian flavour to it with the slight spice from the kimchi mayo and nuttiness from the black sesame.  The pops of sweet tang from the pearls was actually a nice compliment.  Next, the Pork Kebab "burger" was served with artichoke sumac cheese, green onions, asian sesame coleslaw and yogurt pearls.  This being more of a meat patty rather than a sausage meant that the texture was more robust and less moist.  It wasn't dry though and I enjoyed the spices mixed in with the meat.  Lots of crunch and freshness from the coleslaw and once again, the "je ne sais quoi" from the yogurt pearls was welcomed.

My favourite was the Spicy Bolgogi Chorizo with sesame coleslaw, green onions, gochujang mayo, pineapple pearls and cilantro.  Once again, I got to try the sausage on its own and wow was it ever fantastic!  Beyond the firm snap of the casing, I got large chunks of tender and meat that was definitely spicy, but balanced.  There was enough fat for the sausage to be moist and juicy without being greasy.  The coleslaw brought the heat down with a tangy crunch as well as the sweet pearls.  Moving onto the Beef Weiner, we found it nestled in the same organic brioche bun with organic sauerkraut, dijon mustard and fried onions.  As simple as this one appeared, I thought the tender savoury beef weiner was accented nicely by the tangy sauerkraut.  Of course the mustard added another layer of tang and a bit of bite.  I wasn't sure if there was actually a whole lot of fried onions as most of it was raw on top which was good, but a bit overpowering.

Lastly, we sampled the Poutine with 5-spice gravy, cheese curds, fresh house made kimchi, furikake sprinkles, greens, friend onions and cilantro.  Once again, the Asian influence was front and centre here as the gravy had that unmistakable essence of 5 spice, in particular from the star anise.  There was a lot going on here and in some sense, a little less moisture would've been ideal.  However, the flavours were strong and the fries were crispy.  Well, for a "hot dog" food truck, there was more to it than a tube steak.  Rather, we found delicious house made sausages combined with interesting ingredients.  Good accompaniment with your beer.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Well made and textured house made sausages
- Not your typical toppings
- Focused menu

The Bad:
- A little on the pricier side (but sausages are house-made)

Rosa's Cucina Italiana

When it was suggested that we go dine at Rosa's out in Port Moody, I was rather indifferent.  You see, my last visit (which was a long time ago) didn't elicit any strong feelings for a return engagement.  Not that the food was terrible by any stretch of the imagination, it just wasn't memorable.  Sure, the walls are littered with celebrities and yes, it has got the strange location and "hidden gem" written all-over-it.  So why not, I can give the place another chance to prove why it is so popular where they often have a daily mini-Anton's lineup.

We kicked things off with a large Caesar Salad that definitely lived up to its namesake.  It sported fresh and crunchy romaine hearts that was moderately dressed.  We could definitely taste the ample garlic as well as the Parmesan cheese.  However, there wasn't enough anchovy and Worcestershire sauce for impact.  Furthermore, the salad ate rather greasy (as you can see from the glistening picture).  Another shared appie was the massive serving of 4 Meatballs.  I thought these were good, but not great.  The amount of bread in the mix created a mushy texture that wasn't meaty enough for our liking.  However, not all was lost as the tangy tomato sauce did have impact.

We ended up sharing some pastas including the Spaghetti & Italian Sausage.  Although the portion sizes at Rosa's doesn't compete with Anton's, it is still large in their own right.  On the top, we found 2 large uncut Italian sausages.  These were meaty and lightly spicy with the finish of fennel.  As for the pasta, it was al dente and well-portioned.  I thought the sauce was nicely zesty and tangy, yet the pool of water at the bottom of the plate lessened my enjoyment.  I made sure we got the Spaghetti Vongole as it is probably my favourite pasta.  This one featured a tonne of baby clams which ensured a certain brininess.  We chose garlic and oil sauce and it was definitely garlicky.  I thought it wasn't as greasy as it could've been which in turn made this one of the better pastas of the night in my opinion.

I wasn't a huge fan of the Homemade Gnocchi in cream sauce though.  It was awesome that the gnocchi was house-made, but it was rather dense and heavy.  With that being said, it wasn't terrible either, so let's not go to that extreme.  I guess the fact it was bathed in a rich and extremely creamy sauce (also cheesy) didn't help the dense gnocchi.  I think a tangy tomato sauce would've been a better match.  Our last pasta was the Spaghetti Carbonara which was actually quite good.  As with the other dishes, the pasta was al dente while enveloped in a creamy and cheesy egg sauce.  There was enough bacon for a salty richness.  Overall, the pastas were pretty much like the first time I had them - not bad, but not great either.  What was particularly unsettling was another customer was being extremely rude to our table for taking pictures, but instead of calming the situation down, the staff did nothing.  I understand that it creates a spectacle of sorts (and can be annoying to others), but no need to be rude about it (it was borderline harassment).  That literally and figuratively left a bad taste in our mouths.

The Good:
- Some pleasant dishes
- It's got that hidden gem personality to it

The Bad:
- Not really worth lining up
- Staff were not responsive to a rude and harassing customer

The Boathouse (Port Moody)

Usually, our standby eats after returning from vacay is either wonton noodles, congee or dim sum.  Sometimes we do all 3 in short order since we often head to places without Vancouver-quality Chinese eats.  However, this time was a reversed as we had just returned from Hong Kong.  On a side note, I believe the Chinese food in Vancouver can give Hong Kong a run for its money.  Now what did we do for our official meal back from the far East?  Brunch at The Boathouse.  Before the chain-restaurant haters come out with their knives, let me say that there is nothing wrong with being boring once-in-awhile (besides, my parents picked the place...).

Prior to our brunch things, we had the Seafood Appie Platter to start.  It consisted of Crab Dip, Crab Cakes, Calamari and Firecracker Shrimp.  I thought the crab dip was pretty solid with a uniform layer of melted cheese on top. There was enough fluffy crab to make an impact.  I wasn't too fond of the calamari though as the batter was dry and crumbly.  The squid itself was good though.  I found the crab cakes to be more like crab fritters with a hard exterior.  Inside, there was more filler than actual crab.  Nicely executed, the firecracker shrimp were buttery with a snap.  They were lightly spicy.

I decided to go for the Crab Cake Benny featuring a perfectly poached runny egg.  The Hollandaise was creamy and had a nice consistency while needing a bit more acidity.  As for the crab cake, it was not very good.  I felt it was fried far too long where it was too crunchy and the visuals weren't pleasing.  Much like the appie, there wasn't enough crab to qualify it as a crab cake.  Viv decided on the Smoked Salmon Hash which was a fairly large portion (albeit mostly hash browns).  With that being said, it was a pleasant dish with a decent amount of smoked salmon and another perfectly poached egg.

My son went for his standby being the Bacon Cheddar Burger with fries and it was one of the better choices.  It sported a thick and relatively moist beef patty with plenty of melted cheddar and crisp bacon on soft brioche.  The side of thick-cut fries were starch-coated, hence they were super crispy.  Also with the same fries, but not remotely as successful, the Chicken Bacon Cheedar Club was a dud.  From the overcooked, thin and rubbery chicken, to the hard-to-chew bread, this was not something that was easy to eat and not something that any of us wanted to eat.

For my daughter, she actually stuck to the kid's menu (shocking since she usually demands the adult menu) and selected the Grilled Salmon with a side of Caesar salad.  As you can clearly see, the fish was overdone and cooked at too high heat due to the proteins leaking out all over the place.  My dad decided on the Crab & Shrimp Omelette topped with a splash of Hollandaise. This was chock full of crab, shrimp and avocado, so it was definitely hearty, however, the egg itself was no longer fluffy since it was cooked at a fairly high heat.  Not bad, but not memorable either.

On another visit, I decided to give the Pacific Cod & Chips a go.  I though the fish itself was cooked nicely being flaky and moist.  However, the batter was not uniformly crispy and was rather greasy.  I wasn't a fan of the dill tartar (which I had to ask for) as it wasn't tangy enough.  Viv tired the Mussel Steamer Pot in Thai green curry.  Generally, when a non-Asian restaurant offers any "Thai" flavour, it is flavourless and not spicy enough.  However, the one here was surprisingly tasty with a nice kick.  The mussels were buttery and plump too.  Overall, the brunch items at The Boathouse are serviceable, but on the expensive side.  Naturally, the decor and view are major factors for this.  Based on previous visits, I've had better luck with the dinner service.

The Good:
- Nice view
- Beautiful high-ceiling building
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- Hit and miss food
- On the pricier side, but not unreasonable considering the intangibles

Matsuzushi

Generally, it is pretty easy to get a cheap Japanese meal in Vancity.  There are so many "value" spots that serve up big portions and oversized slices of sashimi, one could fill up for less than $10.00 each.  However, we all know this is not the optimum way to enjoy Japanese cuisine and in fact, it upsets many foodies.  For me, there is a time and place for this type of "Japanese food" and I won't be a food snob against it.  By the same token, I do enjoy the occasional authentic experience.  Now that is not as easy to find and even harder is a place that is reasonably-priced.

Well, there is such a place, but it resides in Port Moody.  Great for those in the tri-cities area, but a little out-of-the-way for those Downtown dwellers (I used to be one).  Suggested by Sharon, I visited the place with the $22.00 nigiri Omakase menu in mind.  $22.00?!?!?!  Yes, this is not typo. If you sit at the bar, you will be served piece-by-piece a la Maumi-style.  We sat at a table and received everything at once including mantis shrimp, hamachi, prawn, toro, salmon, ika, ebi, kanpachi, aji, abalone, oyster and negitoro cone. Without going into too much detail, the sushi rice was on point being chewy and mildly-seasoned.  Other than the mantis shrimp, all of the fish and seafood was sweet and appealingly textured including the buttery and bright hamachi.

For my daughter, she was content with an order of the Sockeye Salmon Sashimi.  With a few pieces on one side and a flower design on the other, this was no different than the one we had in our Omakase.  Hence, it was sweet and tender with a firm resistance when eaten.  Simple plate of food, but good due to the fish quality.  My son doesn't eat raw fish, but gladly downs Tamago Nigiri like a champ.  These were house made where it was soft and not dense (like the value premade versions found at non-authentic Japanese restaurants) while lightly sweet.  Combined with the chewy sushi rice, this was  good.

Of course he couldn't dine on tamago only, so we got him a Chicken Teriyaki Donburi.  Loved the simplicity of the dish as there wasn't senseless sprouts or other veggies.  Rather, it was plenty of tender chicken atop chewy rice.  The sauce was not overwhelmingly sweet nor salty where there just enough of it.  Only downside was the chicken skin as it was flabby and fatty.  This was the only thing we didn't like about our meal which means it was pretty solid.  Considering the reasonable pricing for the quality of food, this is a place where you can visit often without breaking the bank.

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing for the quality
- $22 Omakase!
- Friendly couple

The Bad:
- Slow everything because it is only them operating the place