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

Stone & Flow Asian Bistro

You've heard me say and I'll say it again, we have a dizzying array of Chinese food in the GVRD...  But it is overwhelmingly Cantonese cuisine.  For those who not familiar, Chinese cuisine is usually grouped into "Eight Great Traditions" that consist of Sichuan, Shangdong, Cantonese, Jiangsu, Fujian, Zhejiang, Anhui and Hunan.  However, if you want to be specific, there are many more than that.  I mean, there are some obvious omissions such as X'ian, Shanghainese, Xinjiang, Macanese, Taiwanese and the list goes on forever.  This brings me to the latest food adventure at Stone & Flow Asian Bistro.  It specializes in another cuisine which is Guizhou.  Unfortunately, it gets grouped into Sichaun at times due to the use of spice and its proximity to Chongqing.  In addition to spice, Guizhou cuisine is synonymous with fermented sour flavours as well. 

Therefore, the first dish we tried was completely representative of these flavours in the House Special Pounded Chicken Feet.  This was prepared tableside with all of the ingredients starting in separate plates.  Everything was literally pounded in a wooden mortar by a wooden pestle.  This ensure all the flavours were activated (and juiced).  We got plenty of sour and spice while also plenty of sharpness, aromatics and herbaceousness.  The chicken feet were gelatinzed being a bit crunchy and plenty bouncy.  My only wish would to be more chicken feet in this dish.

Something that was neither spicy nor sour was the Crispy Tofu Balls with Shrimp.  Honestly, these didn't look that appetizing and it took me awhile to actually try one.  Turns out, they were actually delicious!  They were indeed crispy with a crumbly tofu interior.  On its own, the flavours were pretty mild, so I went ahead and dipped it into the sauces.  Naturally, I went for the hot one.

We also tried the Stone & Flow Spicy Noodles with Beef.  We had 2 slightly different versions of the dish with one of them having thicker rice noodles.  These had a passing similarity to Chongqing Noodles with spicy and savoury beef mixed into the rice noodles.  I found the one with thicker rice noodles to have a bit more liquid, hence it was slipperier and a bit more spicy.

All of the food up until this point was good, but in reality, we were waiting for the Hot Pot.  We chose the both the Signature Kalli Sour Soup as well as the Sichuan Mala Peppercorn Soup.  Definitely loved the fermented sourness of the Kalli Soup while the peppercorn soup was only mildly spicy.  I felt the beef went better with the sour soup while the dumplings and fish were better with the peppercorn soup.

On that note, let's talk about the beef we had.  We tried the AAA Prime Rib Beef Slice and also the Australian Wagyu Beef.  Meat quality was great as the prime rib slice was tender and a bit buttery.  However, the Wagyu was even more buttery and yes, it almost melted-in-my-mouth.  I thought the prices for the beef were reasonable, with the Wagyu being $28.99.

We had the Hand Made Shrimp Paste (Balls) and also the Hand Made Beef Meatballs.  These were both excellent.  The shrimp had the desired bounce texture where the meatballs themselves were not dense.  There was a butteriness to them too.  That was the same for the beef as they had an airiness to them.  Just like the shrimp balls, the beef was buttery and required very little chewing. 

The most surprising items were the Shrimp Blossom Dumplings and the Shrimp & Crab Blossom Dumplings.  Not only were they striking to look at, they were large and fully-stuffed.  When cooked through, the texture of the wrapper was spongy (in a good way).  It was as if they used fish paste to make them.  Rather, it was probably due to the egg.  Inside, the filling was bouncy and airy, just like the shrimp balls.

We got some veggies as well in the form of the Assorted Mushroom Platter, Pea Shoots and Crown Daisy.  Things were definitely fresh, as you can clearly see in the pictures.  Once again, prices were reasonable considering the portion size.  For the mushrooms, we had a selection including woodear, king, oyster and enoki.

To end our meal, we got a few of the Hand-Smashed Lemon Tea with green peppercorn.  That was quite the interesting flavour.  It was light and refreshing with only a bit of sweetness while the peppercorn added some bitterness and bite.  The dessert that you see was the Guizhou Ice Slush which was more pudding-like with some mochi textures.  It had a toasted wheat flavour that was aromatic and a bit yeasty.  This was not sweet at all.  In the end, our Guizhou meal was delicious and had some unique flavours, in particular, the fermented sourness.  Although it shares some similarities with Sichuan cuisine, it is different in a good way.  Worth checking out!

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

The Good:

- Unique flavours, in particular, the fermented sourness

- Love those dumplings

- Food quality is decently high

The Bad:

- Table turnover is somewhat slow, so there will be a lineup

Man Tung Cafe (Dinner Combo Menu)

Yes, this is not a repost of the last blog entry on Man Tung Cafe.  We have already established that they have a good selection of HK-style cafe dishes.  Prices are reasonable (generally under $20.00) and the portions are generous.  But similar to other restaurants of the same ilk, they also offer full-on Chinese multi-course meals.  Since they have Chinese BBQ as well, their Dinner Combos feature one of their BBQ dishes and a choice of either 2 or 3 dishes.  They range from $59.00 to $128.00.

We opted for the Man Tung Half Roast Duck Dinner Combo.  Hence, we started with the Roast Duck.  Nice colour on the skin with a lacquered finish while being crispy and fairly rendered.  There was an aromatic roasted flavour with both the skin and the meat.  Juicy and tender, the meat was also well-brined.  Overall, a solid BBQ Duck when compared to others in town.

The first of the 3 dishes we chose was the Chicken with black truffle sauce.  This was also quite good where the free-range chicken was moist with that classic firm meatiness.  In an appealing shade of yellow, the skin was gelatinized and was flavourful.  As you can see in the picture, the amount of truffle sauce was conservative and I didn't mind it as it was just enough.  The chicken itself was bordering on salty, but as such, it wasn't devoid of flavour.

We selected a veggie dish so we could feel a bit healthier.   It came in the form of Stir-Fried Scallops with Broccoli.  As you can see, they used the reformed scallops once again.  Personally, I'm not a fan of these as the texture is quite different than an actual scallop of that size.  However, since this combo was only $88.00, I shouldn't be complaining.  With all that being said, they were still cooked well with a nice wok sear and still being soft and bouncy.  Broccoli was on point too being cooked through but still crunchy.

The best dish of the bunch was the Satay Beef Claypot with vermicelli.  This one was loaded with tenderized slices of beef that still had natural meat texture.  The satay was briny and somewhat spicy.  Underneath, the chewy vermicelli was fairly loose and not clumpy.  Yet, they didn't achieve this by adding more oil.  Hence, it was easy to eat and took on the sauce evenly.

We ended up adding one more item to get a sense of their BBQ meats.  The Rice Plate that you see in the picture was topped with BBQ Pork, BBQ Duck, BBQ Goose and Free-Range Chicken.  With a balanced amount of fat, the BBQ Pork was juicy and tender.  The marinade mostly penetrated the meat with plenty of sweetness and slight smokiness from the bark.  Roast Goose was quite good since it was juicy and tender.  Skin was also nicely lacquered and crispy.  The chicken was very much the same one found in the truffle chicken, so the texture was gelatinous and meaty.  Lots of flavour from the saltiness.  Overall, this was a good meal with well-prepared food at a reasonable price.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Large portions
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Once again, I would like to see an option for real scallops as the reformed ones aren't the same

Man Tung Cafe (HK-Style Cafe Menu)

I've always wondered why we don't have more HK-style cafes in the GVRD.  I mean, we are Chinese food central right?  There are certainly enough places to grab Dim Sum and a good ol' Cantonese meal, but that doesn't translate to HK-style cafes.  That is why I am rather enthused when I learn of new spots to grab my Baked Pork Chop Rice and Mixed Grill Combos.  This has brought us to Man Tung Cafe in Richmond in the old Afuri Ramen location.

Although they also feature a Cantonese dinner menu complete with Chinese BBQ, this post will feature their HK-style cafe dishes.  As part of their Mix Grill Combos, we started with their Borscht.  For those unfamiliar, the borscht found at HK-style cafes are not like the traditional Russian variety.  It is more Western-style vegetable soup with possibly some beef.  No, there is no sour cream here.  For this one, it was quite good with plenty of tang and sweetness.  Lots of chunky carrots and potato too.

For our first Mix Grill Combo, we had the Pan-Seared Duck Leg with Sirloin Steak & Crispy Sausage.  This also came with rice, veggies and a choice of sauce (we had black pepper).  Lots of meat here on this sizzling cast iron plate.  Nothing particularly interesting about the wiener but that duck leg was money.  The skin was well-seared and crispy while the meat was gelatinous and juicy.  As for the steak, it was sufficiently tender and not overdone.

Our next Mix Grill Combo consisted of Smoked Duck Breast, Black Truffle Scallops and Herb Butter Baked Lobster Tail.  I found the smoked duck breast to be nicely brined, hence it was juicy and tender.  There was balanced smokiness as well.  Being the formed variety of scallops, they were uniformly-shaped.  Texture was soft and moist, yet was not exactly like a whole scallop (but the price would be much higher as a result).  I thought the sauce had just enough truffle without being too overpowering.  Lobster tail was bouncy and well-seasoned by the herb butter.

Last Mix Grill Combo featured Herb Butter Baked Lobster Tail, Black Truffle Crispy Chicken Roll and French-Style Baked Mussels.  Not much to say about the lobster tail as it was the same as the previous combo.  However, that Chicken Roll was really good.  The chicken meat was super juicy and cooked just right.  Once again, there was just enough truffle for effect.  It was indeed crispy on the outside.  The super large Kiwi mussels were topped with a cream sauce and bread crumbs.  Somewhat similar to clams casino, there was enough texture and seasoning to compliment the meaty mussels.  This came with spaghetti rather than rice (it would be your choice).

As mentioned, Baked Pork Chop Rice is one of the standards of any HK-style cafe.  I'm happy to report that this version was on point.  It sported a aromatic egg fried rice base that was beautifully chewy and nutty.  It was perfect for accepting the tangy sauce that was also balanced with sweetness.  The viscosity was just right as it coated the pork chops.  I found the pork to be tender while the panko coating was softened by the ample amount of sauce. 

Another HK-style cafe classic dish is the Baked Spaghetti Bolognese and yes, we had that too.  This was also very good with noodles that still had a bit of chew left despite being cooked through.  On top, there was a considerable amount of meat sauce that helped coat every strand of spaghetti.  The sauce was thick, rich and full-of-depth.  It was sweet from the onions and carrots while the meat was tender.

Finally, we ended off things with the Condensed Milk Rich Toast.  Hidden in between the 2 slices of toast, we found sweet condensed milk.  Bread was soft and fluffy, but the exterior was coated with egg and fried until crispy.  We found a dusting of cocoa powder on top.  Nice end to a solid HK-style cafe meal.  I was particularly impressed with the portion sizes and also the overall execution of the proteins.  Pricing is reasonable with the Baked Pork Chop Rice and Spaghetti Bolognese coming in at $18.88.  Mix Grill Combos can range from $20.98 and up.  I would imagine the lobster tail increasing the price significantly.

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

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Large portions
- Reasonable-pricing

The Bad:
- I'm personally not a fan of reformed scallops
- I know people don't like this complaint, but the parking lot is often full 

 

Tanlu Grill

Cook-at-your-table Asian BBQ - we all seen it in one form or another in the Lower Mainland.  From the classic Korean BBQ to Japanese Yakiniku spots, there is no shortage of grilling your dinner restaurants.  However, most, if not all of these places feature propane-fuelled BBQ setups.  Nothing wrong with that, but on a recent visit to a charcoal grill in Richmond, I noticed that the intense head from the coals added more charring, caramelization and smokiness.  With that, I was excited to try out Tanlu Grill located in Central at Garden City also in Richmond.

Before we even ordered, we were presented with a selection of Banchan.  It included kimchi, fish cake, stewed potato, celery and pickled daikon.  We also found a green salad as well as romaine for wrapping the grilled meat.  The one item that was a bit different was the potatoes as it featured whole baby potatoes that were soft and coated with a sweet glaze.  They brought the flaming coals to our table and as you can see, it was ready for some grilling.  We appreciated that the exhaust was adjustable and really did a great job in preventing smoke from getting everywhere.

We ordered some meats to cook on the BBQ and the best of the bunch was the Royal Marinated Galbi.  Due to the intense heat from the coals, we had to keep a close eye on the meat as the sugars started to burn.  Once we got into a rhythm, the was completely caramelized and had an intense smokiness that created a flavour bomb of umami, meatiness and a sweet savouriness.  Moreover, the meat was super tender, yet still retained that classic short rib chew.

Going for another cut of beef, we chose the Sea Salt Marinated Beef Rib Fingers.  For those who don't know, this is the meat found in between the ribs.  Hence, they were rather fatty and are also meaty in texture.  When cooked on the charcoal grill, these seared up nicely due to the fat and hence, there was some smoky char.  There was enough marinade for the rib finger meat to stand on its own.  However, we had Tanlu House Dipping Trifecta at the table.  Also, we had bean paste, garlic and peppers to compliment the lettuce wrap.

One of the best values on the menu is the Pork Platter consisting of pork jowl, marinated pork shoulder, pork belly and pork sausage for $50.00.  The large slices of pork jowl were fatty and crisped up on the grill.  Despite not being marinated, the pork jowl was meaty and aromatic from the fat.  Pork belly was fatty, but rendered well on the grill and was delicious when wrapped in the romaine with the bean paste.  Due to the sugar content of the marinade, the pork shoulder had intense caramelization and smokiness.  It was also super tender and juicy.  As for the sausages, they had a nice snap while the meat was firm with a nice rebound texture.  They were sweet and full of umami.

We got some non-BBQ dishes to compliment our meal.  Served cold, the Beef Shank marinated in chili oil had a noted spiciness.  There was no shortage of thick slices of tender beef shank.  Normally, we would find thinner slices, but due to the robust nature of the chilis, the meat was able to stand up to the spice.  With slices of crunchy cucumber added to the mix, we had both texture and a refreshing bite to balance out the chilis.

Bubbling hot, the Dolset Bulgogi Bibimbap was plenty saucy.  As such, it didn't develop a socarrat (rice crust) despite the scorching hot stone bowl.  Despite that, the amount of sauce did not degrade the texture of the rice.  It was still chewy and was a good textural foil to the buttery soft beef.  With the sauce reducing in the hot bowl, it became intensely sweet with some balancing savouriness.  

When the plate of Japchae first arrived at our table, we were a little concerned with the excess moisture on the plate.  It may have been due to the ample mushrooms and spinach.  However, after a bit of time, most of the moisture was absorbed by the potato starch noodles and the dish wasn't any worse off.  The noodles were still al dente with a gelatinous chew while completely seasoned with an impactful sweetness.  Loved the crunch from the big pieces of woodear mushroom and the butteriness of the mushrooms.  Spinach was not overdone being still vibrant with an appealing colour.

At the end of our meal, we were presented with Marshmallows on skewers.  Yep, we were able to toast our marshmallows over the hot coals.  This was such a treat as it created a smoky and crispy crust that gave way to a melty and silky sweet centre.  Overall, we enjoyed out meal at Tanlu.  It cannot be overstated that the charcoal grill makes all the difference in the world.  The heat is more intense and it helps add depth through smokiness and caramelization.  Pro tip - do not over order on the meat as it is quite filling.  You can always order more as you go.

*Partial credit for this meal*

The Good:
- Charcoal makes a big difference in terms of smokiness and caramelization
- Good quality meats
- Excellent exhaust

The Bad:
- A bit too much moisture in the rice and noodle dishes 

 

Phở Anh Vu

It seems like there are more and more Northern-style Vietnamese restaurants opening up in the GVRD recently.  It all started with Mr. Red, which has sadly closed its doors.  However, they could be reopening at another location.  Crab Hot Lau, Hanoi Old Quarter and Chen Vietnamese are some examples of more well-known Northern Vietnamese restaurants.  Now we have a massive chain from back East setting up shop in Richmond.  Phở Anh Vu occupies the former location of Dragon Group and is now one of the largest Vietnamese restaurants in town.  We made 2 separate visits to try a variety of dishes.

We began with their Cánh Gà Chiên Nước Mắm Với Xôi or Fish Sauce Fried Chicken Wings with sticky rice.  Really good wings with rendered skin and a firmly crispy exterior.  This was still the case even though it was coated with a considerable amount of caramelized fish sauce.  About that sauce, it was richly sweet with the unmistakable funky brininess of fish sauce.  There was also the aromatics of garlic as well.  Within the wing, the meat was juicy and flavourful.  Really enjoyed the sticky rice on the side as it was moist and not dry while not being wet.

For those who don't already know, Northern-style Phở Dặc Biệt is lighter tasting and less rich than its Sourthern counterpart.  Also, it generally isn't served with sprouts and the sort (although since we are used to it here, they offer it).  Rather, there is the traditional pickled garlic condiment you would normally find at your table.  As expected, the Pho was definitely cleaner and less flavourful than the others found in town.  I did find it a bit too fatty for my liking, but it did add plenty of natural beef essence.  Although a bit more pricey than usual, the large portion size was considerable with lots of al dente noodles and tender meats.  Was nice to see they offered saw leaf herb on the side.

There was one dish on the menu that caught our attention, which was the Bún Chả Hà Nội Chả Giò or Ha Noi Style Vermicelli Noodles w/ Grilled Pork & Spring Rolls.  The only other place we have found this dish locally was at Cô Châu in New West.  That is sadly now closed and we were delighted that Phở Anh Vu has it on their menu.  We thought this version was very close to the Cô Châu dish.  The pork was beautifully grilled exhibiting caramelized flavours as well as smokiness.  It was tender and juicy while the fish sauce was mildly sweet with the usual brininess.  It went really well with the vermicelli noodles on the side as well as the variety of herbs.  The spring rolls were made with rice paper, hence, the outside was crispy and shattered upon every bite.  I found the filling to be a bit dense, but tender with some sweetness and slight pepperiness.

On other visit, we had the grilled pork again, since it was so good.  However, we added the Nem Cua Bể Hải Phòng or Square Crab Spring Roll (only available on weekends).  Of course we were going to compare this with the gold standard in the GVRD, Crab Hot Lau!  I thought it was pretty close with a shattering crispy outer shell while the pork filling was looser than the regular spring roll.  It was just as tender and moist.  There was a decent amount of fluffy and briny crab, but they supplemented it with prawns.  The dish came with lettuce (to wrap the spring roll), herbs and a big bowl of Nước Chấm.

We also had the Bún Bò Huế and opted not to have the Dặc Biệt version.  That one would have more of everything including the pork knuckle.  Instead, this one only had beef, sausage and pork blood.  I really enjoyed the broth as it was flavourful with hits of lemongrass, brininess and measured spice.  One of the better ones I've had lately.  Noodles were plentiful and at their chewy slippery best.  The ample amount of thinly sliced beef was super tender.  Overall, we quite enjoyed our 2 visits to Phở Anh Vu.  The food was well-prepared and presented in large portions.  Prices are indeed on the higher side, but the portion sizes made up for it.  Would come back.

The Good:

- Large portions

- Unique dishes (Northern)

- Good flavours (remember the Phở is lighter in the North)

The Bad:

- Prices are on the higher side