Chef Tian's

Originally, the plan was to hit up Max Wonton House for some Chinese comfort eats.  Seeing how they only take cash, I had to make a quick pit stop at the bank.  This brought me to the Central at Garden City shopping complex.  After snagging a parking spot, I looked over and thought that maybe we should just head over to Chef Tian's instead.  I've always wanted to check out their gigantic salty donut as well as their other signature dishes.  Situated in the former location of Z & Y Shanghai, Chef Tian features Hunan cuisine (which is rarely found in the GVRD).

Of course we were here for more than the salty donut, and hence, we began with an interesting dish I've never had before - Stir Fried Egg with Vinegar.  Honestly, we were both interested and a bit apprehensive at the same time.  Turns out that it was a great decision to give it a go because the eggs were super fluffy and silky.  Also, the most important part was that the dark vinegar was definitely there but not so much that the dish was sour.  It was nicely balanced in terms of sweetness and savouriness with only a hint of vinegar.  The addition of chili peppers gave the dish a slight kick.

For some people, they might be laughing at me for ordering the Sweet & Sour Pork.  Yes, we were at a Hunan restaurant, so maybe I shouldn't order it right?  Well, they do have their own version of it and I'm pretty sure they adapted this one for the masses.  However, it was unique in its own way though.  The pork came in strips and was coated with a lighter starch batter that was crispy and airy.  As for the sauce, it was pretty red, but had a nice viscosity where the balance of sweet and sour was quite nice.  The pork itself wasn't too fatty and was tender.

Arriving on a huge dish, the Spicy Diced Chicken was one of the best we've ever had.  Not only was there a good portion of crispy nuggets of chicken, we found crispy rice as well.  That was a textural delight that was crunchy and airy that took on all of the appealingly spicy saltiness of the dish.  As for the chicken, beyond the crispy exterior, the meat was actually juicy and completely seasoned.  The brine on them was on point while the outer seasoning was salty, spicy and slightly smoky.

Probably our 2nd favourite dish was the Feiteng Fish featuring slices of grouper in a spicy oil broth.  This was similar to the Szechuan spicy boiled fish, but without any broth (just oil).  This was a huge portion of delicate and flaky slices of fish.  They were buttery soft and naturally sweet.  The spicy properties of the oil from the dried peppers and the Szechuan peppercorns were soaked up by the fish and it was a impactful without being completely overwhelming.  Underneath, there was bean sprouts, Taiwanese cauliflower and seaweed.

Even our one vegetable dish was outstanding.  The Baby Napa Cabbage with Vermicelli and Garlic was super tasty.  Each leaf was perfectly steamed being completely soft, but not mushy.  The delicate texture had a great mouth feel and the abundance of garlic and chilies on top permeated through.  However, the best part of the dish was the mung bean noodles.  They had soaked up all of the flavourful goodness and the natural sweetness of the cabbage.  In addition, they were on point texturally having a slight chewiness.

We ended up getting one noodle dish in the Braised Beef Noodle Soup.  This didn't look like anything special, but believe me, it was good!  There was an overload of al dente noodles sitting a clean and flavourful broth that had concentrated meatiness as well as hits of star anise.  In fact, there was so much noodle, I think we needed more soup!  The cubes of beef finger meat was super tender with only a marginal amount of fat.

 

Finally, the dish I was waiting for - the gigantic Salty Donut!  Served hanging from a hook (so that it stays crunchy), it was cut table side.  This has to be one of the best versions I've had.  Beyond the crunchiness of the outside, the inside was fluffy and appealingly chewy with a nice elasticity.  It was also well-salted where I could just eat this without anything to dip it into.  So yes, I came to Chef Tian's for this donut, but discovered that their other dishes are just as appealing and well-portioned.  I will definitely come back, not just for the donut!

 

The Good:

- Excellent salty donut

- Other dishes are delicious too

- Well-portioned

- Good service

 

The Bad:

- Menu isn't the most descriptive, confusing for people who do not know the dishes

- Finding parking is not easy 

The Fishman

After my initial visit to The Fishman back in 2022, I really wanted to go back.  For a place that almost exclusively features fresh (mostly live) seafood, the prices are surprisingly reasonable.  Couple that with expert execution and just outright deliciousness, you can see why they are always busy.  This time around, I am incorporating 2 recent visits into one blog post.  I got to sample a few more items this time and you know what?  I love The Fishman even more so now!

On my first return visit, we started with the Jumbo Prawns.  These could be had in 2 different preparations - Sichuan or Salted Egg Yolk.   We chose the former and they were fantastic.  When they said jumbo, they weren't lying.  These giant prawns were deep fried perfectly where the shell was crispy and edible while the meat had a firm snap.  They were naturally sweet and a bit briny but the Sichaun peppercorns added numbing spice.  There was some earthiness to the dish from the use of cumin.

Next we had the Wok Fry Clams with Black Bean Sauce that also came in a pretty large portion.  Although there were a few unopened clams, most were opened and cooked well.  We didn't notice much sand either.  The clams were buttery with an appealing chewiness.  There was plenty of sauce, so we could spoon it out with the shells.  I thought the viscosity was on point.  As for flavour, there was enough fermented saltiness and garlic.  However, a bit more spice would've made it perfect.

For our larger dish, we selected from the fresh sheet and had the Live Boston Lobster with black truffle cream sauce and yee mein.   This was indeed a generous portion as there was plenty of yee mein.  It was perfectly cooked as it wasn't overly soft (despite it naturally being on the softer side).  The black truffle sauce was earthy and creamy but I wasn't sure it necessarily went with the lobster.  I felt it was delicious on its own, but ultimately overshadowed the sweet lobster meat.

To get some balance in our meal, we got the Stir-Fried Crown Daisy with red fermented tofu and Thai chili.  This was absolutely delicious as it made me go for seconds, thirds and fourths.  You see, I'm normally not a fan of crown daisy due to its pungency.  However, the liberal use of Nam Yu (red fermented tofu) helped balance the natural taste of the vegetable.  It was also cooked properly where it was completely wilted but still had crunch in the stalks.

Normally, the Sea Scallops come in an order of 4, but they only had 3 left.  Well, we weren't going to let that small detail from ordering it!  Turns out that it was a great move since they were so good.  Each scallop was large and super sweet.  They were buttery and had the contrasting chewy mantle surrounding it.   As expected, there was vermicelli underneath to soak up the natural juices.  On top, we found plenty of garlic and scallion that offered up aromatics and pungency.  Some sweet seafood soy helped flavour the dish.

On the next visit, we went for something similar to the scallops and went for the fresh sheet again with the Irish Razor Clams.  These were steamed in the same manner as the sea scallops.  Hence, the flavour profile had the sweet saltiness of the seafood sauce, the brightness of the green onion and pungency of the garlic.  I felt the sweetness of the razor clams to be equal to the scallops but maybe with more brininess.  Vermicelli was al dente and super delicious.  Clams were buttery with some bite.

We went big with the Spicy Fish Hot Pot with the ling cod option.  This was a massive bowl of food as it took up like one quarter of our table.  It was filled to the brim with tender and buttery slices of ling cod.  The fish was supremely fresh, sweet and had a taste of the sea.  It was sitting in a fairly spicy broth, but it was balanced as we could still taste the fish.  There was some Sichuan peppercorns in there for some numbing effect. We found some glass noodles, sprouts and tofu as well.

We also got a lobster for this meal as well with the Salted Egg Yolk Whole Lobster with sliced rice cakes.  Although the lobster was fried perfectly with a crispy starch exterior and bouncy and sweet meat, the salted egg yolk was a bit too dry and crumbly.  Don't get me wrong, it was still delicious with the nutty salted egg taste.  In fact, there was many discernible pieces of salted egg yolk.  However, it wasn't a sauce per se and didn't season everything equally.  This was due to the fact they used hard salted egg yolks.  Normally, this dish employs soft, almost watery salted egg yolks to create a sauce.

Going away from seafood, we went for some BBQ Skewers in chicken hearts, pork intestine and chicken knees.  I thought these were well-prepared too.  The chicken hearts were still juicy despite the charring on the outside.  They were well-seasoned with some spice, saltiness and earthiness.  Same could be said about the chicken knees as they had a nice crunch while still being moist.  The intestines were a bit more dry, but still had a moist interior to contrast the slight crispiness of the exterior.  I didn't find them particularly gamy as the seasoning did help mask it.  So these 2 revisits to The Fishman only helped validate what I already knew - they dish up fresh seafood in a delicious manner.  Considering the portion sizes and the quality of the seafood, I find the prices reasonable.  If you haven't checked them out, I recommend that you do!

The Good:

- Fresh seafood

- Delicious

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- That parking lot is woefully insufficient

- Super busy at peak times, make sure you have a reservation

- Salted egg yolk should use liquid yolks not hard yolks

Bag O' Crab

I haven't done a seafood boil in quite some time.  In fact, it was about a year ago at Pier 88 in Lynnwood.  This time around, I was in the Seattle area once again and we made our way out to Kent for Bag o' Crab.  Not sure why we didn't go to Shoreline, as it was closer to where we were staying.  Oh well!  So, this place is much smaller in size than Pier 88 but upon looking at the menu, the pricing seems rather reasonable.  We ended getting a few combos in addition to some sides.

To start off we had the Cajun Fries as well as the Cajun Wings.  Crispy with plenty of seasoning on the outside, the fries were salty and spicy.  Inside, the potato was a bit on the firmer side, but still plenty of natural texture.  As for the wings, they were pretty large and fried until crunchy on the outside.  The skin was somewhat rendered, partially affected by the batter.  As for the meat, it was super juicy and tender.  Wings were well seasoned with some spice.

We ended up with 2 combos but before that, we had an a la carte plate of 1lb of Crawfish, Mussels and Clams each.  For this plate, we added sides of corn, potatoes and sausages.  The choice of sauce for the seafood was garlic butter and hence was non-spicy.  Naturally, the crawfish was a lot of work for just a bit of tail meat.  It wasn't particularly muddy-tasting, so that was a bonus.  The clams and mussels were fresh and all open.  They were cooked properly being buttery.

Onto Combo #3 with a whole Dungeness Crab accompanied by 1lb of shrimp, corn, potatoes and sausage.  As you can probably tell, this was in a completely different sauce than the first plate.  We chose Atomic Sauce (which is a combination of garlic butter, Cajun and lemon pepper) in medium.  This was plenty spicy for us and offered up layers of spice, garlickiness and aromatics.  The crab was fresh with bouncy meat while the shrimp had a snap texture.

We also had Combo #3 with 1lb of King Crab Legs that came with the same items as with the Dungeness Crab.  Really enjoyed the King Crab Legs as they were large and full of fluffy briny and sweet meat.  We had this in Louisiana Flavor in medium.  This was spicy enough with the smokiness and garlickiness.  Loved that the corn wasn't overdone as they were plump, while the potatoes were soft and creamy inside.  Slices of sausages were tender with some rebound.  Overall, the seafood boil at Bag O' Crab was satisfying and reasonably-priced.  Seafood was texturally on point and the sauces were impactful.  Would do this again if I was in the area.

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

The Good:
- Seafood (especially the crab) is texturally on point
- Sauces are impactful
- Pricing is fair

The Bad:
- Place is a bit more bare bones, but it is reflected in the pricing
- We found it a bit cold inside

Bow & Stern (The Amazing Brentwood)

A few Summers ago, we had visited the Abbotsford location of Bow & Stern and came away quite pleased with our meal.  Sure, it wasn't perfect, but for the price, we felt it was decent value.  Fast forward to the present and now they have opened up a brand spanking new location at The Amazing Brentwood.  Situated above Ramen Jinya, this Bow & Stern is rather fancy compared to the one in Abbotsford.  We decided to check it out one Friday night.

We didn't go for any of the appies, instead we had the Hot Seafood Platter.  This consisted of arctic char, lobster tails, tiger prawns, mussels & clams, rice and broccolini.  This was generally quite solid where the prawns were buttery with a sweet snap.  The lobster tails were cooked just right retaining moisture and having that rebound texture.  Clams and mussels were good where the white wine cream broth was served on the side.  It was great to drizzle over the fluffy rice.  Unfortunately, the arctic char was a bit overdone and bland.  Broccolini was excellent being crunchy and vibrant.

For myself, I went for the 2-Piece Cod & Chowder in lieu of the chips.  Being a gluten-free batter, it was somewhat crispy on the outside and plenty gummy on the inside.  It wasn't my favourite.  As for the cod, it was cooked beautifully being moist and flaky.  Loved the tartar as well since it wasn't too thick nor chunky.  As for the Boston Clam Chowder, I quite enjoyed it.  The broth was briny and well-seasoned while the amount of ingredients was sufficient.  It wasn't too rich, which made it easier to finish.

Viv had something a bit lighter in the Salade Niçoise sporting the usual components including seared ahi tuna which was perfectly rare.  It was also bright in flavour and soft in texture.  Nicely salted too.  As for the greens, they were aggressively dressed in a tangy white balsamic dressing which was fine by us.  The usual green beans, olives, potatoes, soft boiled egg and tomatoes were all present.  Loved that he egg wasn't overdone while the potatoes were of the crispy variety.

My daughter opted for her usual in the pan-seared Wild Salmon with dijon horseradish aioli atop rice and broccolini.  The salmon didn't look very moist but in fact it wasn't overdone nor dry (despite the albumin on the side).  It was flaky and mildly seasoned.  The sauce was creamy and not too heavy on the horseradish.  Just like the rice that came with the hot seafood platter, it was fluffy but not too wet.  Also, the broccolini was cooked just enough.

My son decided on an ol' favourite with a twist in the Lobster Grilled Cheese.  This, of course, included Atlantic Lobster, white cheddar, mozzarella and Old Bay cream cheese on grilled sourdough.  It was generally quite good except it was a little lacking on the lobster.  The pieces he did find were great though.  There was plenty of cheese though so it was a solid grilled cheese, especially with the crispy bread.  He went for the yam fries on the side which were crispy.

For my mom, she had the 8oz Top Sirloin with a side of wild mushroom demi-glace (an extra $3).  She asked for it to be prepared rare and it was exactly that.  The char on the outside was crispy and smoky with proper seasoning.  However, the steak wasn't super tender, but understandable considering the cut.  Also, not really sure why she ordered it given it is a seafood restaurant.  We found the mashed potatoes a bit dense, yet still decent.  Broccolini was excellent as with the other dishes.  We found the demi-glace to be too thick though.

Onto dessert, we ordered both the Warm Chocolate Lava Cake as well as the Vanilla Crème Brûlée.  We felt the lava cake was textbook and it offered up moist chocolatey cake with melty chocolate ganache in the middle.  We weren't so fond of the crème brûlée though as it was too thin and also too sweet.  It did have a properly torched sugar topping though.  Overall, we were satisfied by our meal at Bow & Stern but not enough to plan a return visit.  I think there is potential here given the location and seafood-themed menu.  I hope there are some further refinements as time goes by.

The Good:
- Nice dining space
- Most of the seafood was cooked properly
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Batter for the fish was not very good
- Crème Brûlée was below average

Coast (Lobster Nights)

Now we all know that Coast is Glowbal Group's seafood-focused spot on Alberni Street in Downtown Vancouver.  It is steps away from their sister restaurant Black + Blue and other high end shops.  Personally, I've had many great meals at Coast and it is nice to see that they are offering up a special lobster-themed menu on Sundays and Mondays.  Their Lobster Nights feature a choice of appetizer and entree while including a dessert.  All this for a reasonable price of $65.00 per person.  Jackie and I were invited to try out this menu and of course, we sampled every available option.

To start, we had an Amuse Bouche that was was a Mushroom Arancini with truffle aioli.  A nice little bite with cheesy risotto inside and a crispy exterior.  Truffle aioli added just another earthy touch.  Also separate from the Lobster Nights menu, we had the Chef's Selection of Oysters consisting of Barstool and Raspberry Point.  These oysters were shucked properly and also very fresh.  These were both very similar in taste with a brininess giving way to sweetness.  The Raspberry Points were bigger than the Barstools.

So onto the actual Lobster Nights menu, we tried their appetizers first. You have one choice from 3 including the Crispy Lobster & Prawn Roll. This was solidly constructed with shiso leaf, cucumber and soy paper on the outside.  The whole thing was definitely crispy with chewy sushi rice and crunchy cucumber.  To combat the dryness of the roll, we found a side of yuzu kosho & plum vinegar sauce.

The next appie option was the Lobster Bisque with dill, brandy cream and sourdough croutons.  This was an impactful soup where the lobster aroma really came through.  It was also rich and creamy with the brandy announcing itself throughout.  Interestingly, there was corn in the soup and it did add texture and pops of sweetness, yet, I personally would've left the bisque alone as it was perfect without it.

Last appie option was the Lobster Louie consisting of poached lobster, romaine, soft egg, heirloom tomatoes, radish and avocado.  As you can see, all of the components were fresh and vibrant.  It really showed in the texture as well.  Nice crunch and brightness.  The pieces of lobster were perfectly cooked with a moist rebound and sweetness.  As for the Louie dressing, it was subtle and I only wished there was more tanginess.

Onto the mains, you can also choose one of the following including the Lobster all'Amatriciana.  This pasta was fantastic with a considerable amount of al dente bucatini.  I really enjoyed the pomodoro sauce as it was balanced with enough tanginess that was offset by the fat from the smoked guanciale and pecorino.  There was added sweetness from the onion confit as well.  On top, we found big pieces of lobster tail and claw meat.  This was actually my favourite entree.

Next, you could also choose the classic 1lb Lobster Thermidor.  I honestly haven't seen this dish very often these days and it is primed for a comeback!  It truly helps when the one we were served was properly prepared.  The tender lobster meat was cooked just right and topped with a creamy Hollandaise and then gruyère.  The butteriness and cheesiness made this dish every so sinful, but delicious.  Even the side of chive & buttermilk mashed potatoes were on point.  So silky and well-seasoned.

Last option was the 1lb Grilled Lobster Provençal with chimichurri, jalapeño cornbread, baby carrots and clarified butter.  I was a little confused at first because the chimichurri was not a Provençal sauce.  But in the end, it was a good compliment to the sweet lobster meat.  The brightness and garlickiness combined with the butter was delicious.  Also, the cornbread wasn't just a throw-in, it was sweet and a bit spicy while going really well with that generous pat of butter.

If you were super hungry, you could make any entree a surf & turf for and extra $45.00 with a 10oz Prime Beef Striploin.  We asked for it be prepared medium-rare and it was done so with an even sear on all sides.  The meat was super tender while the exterior benefitted from caramelization and also proper seasoning.  Some red wine jus helped provide some more depth-of-flavour to the perfectly cooked steak.

For dessert, we had the Warm Banana & Coconut Butter Cake with crème anglaise and berries.  Upon the first bite, it was clear they didn't skimp on the butter.  So nutty and aromatic!  The cake was super moist, yet dense enough that there was body and texture.  It was coconutty and only a minor hint of banana.  The crème anglaise was mildly sweet with a vanilla finish.  So the 3-course Lobster Nights dinner is a steal in my mind.  For $65.00 you get enough lobster and food so you will be satisfied.  To top it all, the dishes we had were appealing and prepared properly.

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

The Good:

- All of the dishes available on the Lobster Nights menu are appealing

- Properly-prepared food

- Enough food to be satisfied

The Bad:

- Due to the special menu, Sundays and Mondays are quite busy, you need to be patient

- Would've loved to see a more impactful Louie dressing

Jack's Chowder

Back in 2016, we did a trip to the East Coast of Canada and New England.  In addition to the sights and sounds, we feasted on lobster rolls, chowder and the sort.  That was a dream come true since that type of cuisine is one of my favourites.  There haven't been too many choices for spots that focus solely on chowder and the sort.  Now, from the good people who bring us the Shameless Buns food truck, we have Jack's Chowder, located in their former B&M store.  We finally got out there to check them out.

Getting right to the main event, we did indeed try their New England Clam Chowder in 2 ways.  First was their humongous bowl and then also, served in a sourdough bowl.  To further amp the flavours, we found some lobster oil and meaty bacon (from Crack-On).  Gotta say this chowder was thicc!  Lots of tender potatoes and carrots along with buttery clams.  The broth was creamy and rich with the smoky saltiness of the bacon coming through.  Of course the lobster oil added even more aroma.  Ah yes, we must not forget about the oyster crackers on the side too!  One observation is that there is more chowder in the regular bowl, so if you didn't care about the sourdough, this would be the way to go.

They also have fish & chips available, but we tried it in a different form with the Fish Burger.  The large piece of fish featured a uniformly crunchy batter that encased flaky and moist fish.  Loved the tartar sauce as it was creamy, mild-flavoured and full of dill.  The addition of pickles and banana peppers provided tangy and spicy notes to really kick up the flavour quotient.  Furthermore, the bun was well-toasted so that it held everything together without being soggy.

Of course, if we were treating this as a de facto fish & chips, we need to have the Salt & Vinegar Fries right?  These may seem familiar to you and if you have had them before, you would know how great they are!  They were super crispy but not greasy while totally seasoned with the tangy saltiness we love with salt & vinegar.  In addition to the tartar sauce, I would recommend you try the Mango Tamarind Hot Sauce.  Such a fruity and spicy compliment to the fries.  Other sides that we added were the Curried Slaw and B&B Pickles.

For me, I really enjoy a good order of Popcorn Shrimp and the one we had here was really good.   The best part was the actual shrimp itself as they used the Argentinian variety.  If you are familiar, these have a strong aroma and are very shrimpy.  So each piece was flavourful even before the tartar.  Texturally, the shrimp had a meaty texture (that is common with Argentinian shrimp).  I really also enjoyed the batter as it was very crunchy while giving way to soft fluffiness.

For dessert, we had both options including their version of Coconut Cream Pie Pudding and Sticky Toffee Pudding.  Both of these were creamy and light while being purposefully sweet.  Hence, I couldn't stop eating them since I never thought it was too much or too sweet.  The toasted coconut was nutty and aromatic while the sticky toffee pudding had delicious caramel vibes (and caramel crunch too).  In the end, the food at Jack's Chowder was really good and well-portioned.  Great to see a spot offer this type of food and isn't located on a dock or some touristy spot.

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

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Good portions
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Not many seats here