Mui Ngo Gai

Ever since the modernization of Anh & Chi, we have slowly begun to see the transformation of many other Vietnamese restaurants as well.  One of the more recent ones to change their formula is Mui Ngo Gai out on Kingsway.  They've been there forever dishing up traditional Vietnamese eats that are not normally found at the run-of-the-mill spots.  Now, they have gone higher end with ornate furnishings as well as an updated menu that includes a Singaporean section.

Without further delay, let's get straight to the crown jewel of our meal with the Singaporean specialty - Chili Crab. There are many versions of this dish, but this one has to be one of my favourites in town.  The Dungeness Crab was bathed in savoury sauce that was full of awesome umaminess.  Furthermore, there was a balanced spiciness that was also equal parts sweetness.  It had such depth-of-flavour, we needed some starch to go with it.  It included 4 pieces of roti, but really, it would've been best with plain rice.

Another interesting item we had was their version of Nasi Lemak.  In the middle, we found rice coloured with butterfly pea flower.  Then we had some sambal clams as well as sambal whole squid.  Sliced cucumbers and radish rounded out the plate.  This was so tasty due to the sweet and spicy sambal.  There was plenty to go around to flavour the buttery clams and firm squid.  It also helped make the rice super tasty.  Heck, even the veggies were extra delicious with the sambal.

On the topic of sambal, we also tried the Sambal Prawns and they were absolutely fantastic.  These butterflied prawns were huuuuge and fried perfectly, so that the shell was completely edible.  On top of that, the prawn itself was just cooked through being juicy with a meaty and sweet snap.  But the thing that really made this was again, the sambal.  It gave each prawn a savoury and sweet spiciness that was also briny.  So delish!

Onto some Vietnamese dishes, we went for something big in the Deep Fried Crispy Whole Fish in Tamarind Sauce.  This was indeed very crispy, especially the edges, fins and head.  It was like eat fish crisps.  The tamarind sauce was the perfect compliment to the fish as it provided a sweet tanginess.  For the actual meat, it was still moist near the middle body, but progressively got drier near the ends.  Understandable given the different thickness.

The fish was a good segue to an equally crispy item.  The Banh Xeo was a textural delight with an appetizingly uniform crispy exterior.  The crunch was so satisfying with each bite and also the aroma was addictive.  Inside, there was a good amount of pork, shrimp, squid and sprouts.  So much so, it was rather shocking to see.  When wrapped in lettuce and complimented by mint, pickled carrot & daikon and spicy fish sauce, this was a delicious bite.

Of course we had to get the veritable Pho Dac Biet, but this was served in a really small ornate bowl.  In terms of portion size, there was just as much as any bowl of Pho I've eaten recently, but since it was crammed into this bowl, there was barely any soup.  With the little soup I could scrounge, it was clean and meaty without being too intensely salty.  The meats were good and well-portioned and the noodles were al dente.  Maybe they need to use a larger bowl or offer extra soup on the side.

Another classic Vietnamese dish we had was the Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew) served with a warm baguette on the side.  This was pretty solid with big tender chunks of beef shank.  This was a satisfying dish were the strewing juices were meaty and had the unmistakable taste of star anise, ginger and sweetness.  The baguette was crusty on the outside ans soft on the inside.  Great from sopping up all the flavour.

Some smaller items we had included the Crispy Fried Chicken Wings and Bánh Bột Lọc (Shrimp & Pork Tapioca Dumplings).  I found the wings to be crispy as advertised.  The meat was still fairly moist except for one of the smaller drumettes.  As for the dumplings, they were bouncy with seasoned pork and shrimp in the middle.  Pretty solid "regular" dishes off a revamped menu.  Overall, the food was excellent and the addition of Singaporean favourites provided the most flavour and impact.

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

The Good:
- Those Singaporean dishes, especially the Chili Crab!
- Updated decor
- Still solid Vietnamese fare

The Bad:
- Increase in prices
- The Pho needs a bigger bowl

Singapore Hawker (Sperling)

I personally believe that Singapore Hawker is one of the best values in town especially considering the rising prices of food these days.  Yes, there are cheaper spots in town, but you must factor in the food quality and general lack of Singaporean food.  We've been to the location in Coquitlam and were thoroughly impressed with the place including their on point efficiency.  However, it gets quite busy there and the seating is not that comfortable.  Now that they have a new spot in Burnaby, we had to see if things would be the same or better.

One look at the place and it is apparent that it does not resemble the previous tenant (Deer Garden).  The place has an open concept and is brightly lit.  They are counter service only and that helps lower the price.  To start, we had 3 pieces of the Chicken & Beef Satay Skewers each.  These were rather meaty where the chicken was moist while the beef was tender with some chew.  As you can see, there was a nice char from the grill and that came through with some smokiness.  The side of sweet peanut dip was tasty and complimented the skewers nicely.

We actually ordered 2 each of the Nyonya Sambal Egg and the Roti Canai, however I must've not paid attention to the cashier repeating my order because we only got one each (we ended up going up and getting 2 more).  No matter, the sambal egg was not overdone and the sweet, briny and spicy sambal was addictive.  As for the roti, it was featured some crispiness on the outside while soft and chewy on the inside.  Side of curry dip had some mild heat.

Again, I must've blanked out because I swore I ordered the Malaysian Laksa, but I ended up with the Singaporean Laksa instead.  No big deal as this was pretty good, if not too mild for me at least.  It was creamy with enough coconut while the brininess was definitely there as well.  All the usual ingredients were on top including tofu puffs, fish cake, shrimp, fish balls and egg.

For our one veggie dish, we opted for the classic Sambal Green Beans.  I would say this was pretty much the same as the other location.  Hence, the flavours didn't pop like I expected it to be, especially with their delicious sambal.  Although there was some spice and shrimpiness, the entire dish was a bit underwhelming.  Beans were good though with a nice vibrant crunch.

One of my favourite items from Singapore Hawker is their Hainanese Chicken on Rice.  The dark meat deboned (like it should be) chicken was tender and "wat" (which means buttery texture).  It was flavourful, but the side of ginger and chili condiment made it even better.  The side of chicken oil rice was nutty and chewy with a touch of sweet soy on the bottom.  Still a good deal at $14.95 (was $12.95 one year ago).

I guess we ended up ordering almost the same things as last time as we also got the Kari Lembu with Rice.  This was a good thing though as the beef brisket was fatty and tender.  The chunks of potato were fried up nicely where they softened, but did not melt into the curry.  About that curry, it was rich and flavourful while mildly spicy.  In addition to the rice, it was served with some veggies.

Not to be outdone, we also added the Nyonya Rendang Lembu with Ginger Rice too.  Unlike the previous dish, this sported lean brisket, where it was less tender and more meaty.  Also the use of coconut milk as well as shredded coconut, there was some definite aromatics happening here.  In addition the lemongrass came through too. There was some mild spiciness as well.

I wanted to add another curry to our order and I asked for their recommendation and it resulted in the Nyonya Yellow Curry Chicken with Ginger Rice.  Not sure if this would be my personal choice, but it turned out to be not bad.  Naturally, the use of chicken breast meant the meat wasn't super tender, but it wasn't dry either.  I found the curry to be aromatic yet quite mild.  The ginger rice had an appealing colour but wasn't that flavourful.

Lastly, we had the Char Kuey Teow.  No, there was not cockles in this version and not expected (especially in Vancouver).  However, it was pretty good with lots of ingredients and decent wok hei that ensured caramelization.  Overall, the food at Singapore Hawker is good, especially for the price.  Are there better versions of some of the dishes in the GVRD?  Yes, of course, but for me at least, Singapore Hawker is a place that is good enough for me with all things considered.

The Good:
- Yes, the prices have gone up, but still good value
- Decent eats
- Efficient service

The Bad:
- Things are efficient and you will be finished eat quickly, so not a place to eat slow and enjoy your meal

Singapore Hawker

For all the different cuisines that I indulge in, there is one that I never get to enough (of course this is based on availability as well).  Singaporean cuisine should be represented much more than it is within the GVRD, but here we are with only a few here and there.  Now we all know that there are many Singaporean dishes available in Chinese restaurants, but that is not quite the same.  So to get my fix, I finally visited Singapore Hawker out in Coquitlam.  This counter-service spot is constantly bustling with dine-in guests as well as plenty of takeout.

I gathered up the fam including the grandparents to check the place out sans my son (as he is now too cool to eat with us...).   We started off with the classic Roti Canai accompanied by the usual curry dip.  This was a pretty solid version with flaky flatbread with discernible layers.  It was a bit crispy while chewy on the inside.  It fairly light, so it wasn't too heavy nor dense.  The dip on the side was flavourful and adequately spicy.

Since my daughter loves Satay, we got the mix of beef and chicken that totaled 6 pieces. As you can see, they were not scrawny with plenty of meat on each stick.  I thought they were charred enough for caramelization and some smokiness.  The chicken was a touch dry, but not overly so.  I actually preferred the beef as it was still juicy and plenty tender.  Loved that they didn't skimp on the peanut satay sauce.

A stealthily tasty item was the Nyonya Sambal Egg featuring a deep-fried hard-boiled egg topped with a generous amount of sambal.  As you can see, the egg was perfectly cooked where it was didn't sport a dark ring.  The outside of the egg was lightly chewy while giving way to tender egg white and crumbly yolk.  The best part was the sweet, salty, plenty briny and slightly spicy sambal.  We used the excess to eat with everything else.

One of our favourite dishes was the Hainanese Chicken with chicken oil rice.  Boneless and ample in portion size, the dark meat chicken was super succulent and tender.  The skin was not flabby while the meat was flavourful on its own.  Although the chicken rice was decently flavourful, it could've used a bit more oil.  Furthermore, the rice itself could've been chewier.  Beyond that, this was still delicious and reasonably priced at $12.95.

Another rice dish was the Kari Lembu (Malaysian Curry Brisket) served with steamed white rice. I make this at home quite often, but minus the considerable oil slick.  I realize that the flavour is all in the oil, but maybe a little less would've been nice.  Ate quite greasy.  Now the brisket itself was on the leaner side, yet most pieces were still tender.  The curry itself was mildly spicy with plenty of aromatics.

For our veggies, we decided on the Sambal Green Beans.  We chose mild because not everyone wanted spicy.  Even with that, there was a flavourful amount of spice.  Interestingly, even though we could see the sambal (as well as the dried shrimp within it), the dish was not as impactful as we would've hoped.  Despite that, the beans were perfectly crunchy while cooked all-the-way-through.  There was still good aromatics to the dish though.

For our noodle dishes, we had to get the Char Kuay Teow and it was a generally a good decision.  I would've liked to see more whole pieces of flat rice noodle (many were broken), but the dish was quite good.  As you can see, the caramelization from the wok fry was appealing.  Beyond the colour, the dish had a light smokiness balanced off by equal amounts of sweetness and savouriness.  Mixed into the noodles was shrimp, squid and fish cake.

The other noodle dish was the Singapore Laksa with tofu puffs, prawns, egg, fish cakes and fish balls.  I asked for this to be medium and it did have a flavourful kick.  I would've liked it to be even more briny, but it wasn't bland by any means where the coconut broth was rich and aromatic.  There was plenty of vermicelli noodles as well as sprouts and the other listed ingredients.  Good value at $12.95.  In fact, most items were $12.95 while be well-portioned.  Such a great value especially with increasing prices at most restaurants.  I'll definitely be back.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Inexpensive
- Efficient staff

The Bad:
- Tight seating
- Parking in the area can be hard to find  

Nancy Go Yaya

For a city that boasts some of the best Asian food in North America (and for some cuisines, in the world), it is quite disappointing that South Asia is so poorly represented.  I really enjoy dining on Malay, Indonesian and Singaporean cuisine, but there are only a limited amount of authentic spots.  So when a new one opens up in town, I'm all over it.  The newest is Nancy Go Yaya located directly below Kissa Tanto.  This is no coincidence as it is run by 2 of the co-owners of Bao Bei and Kissa Tanto.

Before we got to the good stuff, we had something that was surprisingly addictive.  The Satay Prawn Chips were impactful and spicy.  Dressed in satay spice and fried curry leaves, there was aromatics, nuttiness and heat.  The chips themselves were crispy and light, meaning they were fried perfectly in proper temped oil.  This was a bit steep at $6.00 but hey, things are worth it if they are tasty right?

The tastiest item was the Kaya Toast featuring pandan mochi toast, coconut jam, butter pat and grated salted egg yolk.  Beyond the beautiful green color of the toast accented by yellow, the toast itself was seared beautifully.  It was crunchy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside.  Got the essence of pandan that combined with the aromatic coconut and sweetness.  Then there was the hit of butter and nuttiness of the egg yolk.  I could eat this over and over again.

Onto another sandwich, we got the Roti John with an added piece of fried chicken.  It consisted of curried egg, cheese, sweet chili mayo, herbs, achar cabbage slaw and crispy stuff in between a milk bun.  This was messy to eat and quite enjoyable.  Chicken was juicy and featured a light crispy coating.  There was good spice and aromatics going on as well as crunch from the slaw.  Milk bread was soft and wrapped around the ingredients well.

Also tried the Laksa featuring spicy coconut shellfish broth, fishcake stuffed tofu puff, bean sprouts, turmeric egg, prawns and housemade wheat noodles.  Although this wasn't a very big portion, it ate well.  I thought the broth was fairly flavourful, slightly spicy, briny and rich in viscosity.  The noodles were al dente while the fish cake tofu puff was texturally pleasing.  Not the best Laksa I've ever had, but a competent one.

For dessert, we tried the Pandan Chiffon Cake with muscovado cremeux and cornflake macadamia crunch.  Again, the roll itself was pleasing to the eye and the cornflake crunch looked inviting.  I found the cake to be a bit on the wetter side and semi-sweet.  Again, it was aromatic with the cremeux offering up the necessary rich sweetness.  Yes, that crunch had a great mouthfeel and was delicious.  Overall, we enjoyed the food at Nancy Go Yaya, however the question is would we return?  I would say it is quite possible, but I'm not rushing to do it.

The Good:
- That Kaya Toast!
- Got this hole-in-the-wall vibe serving unique food thing going on
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- A bit pricey for what you get  

Queens Cafe (Asian Cuisine by Eighteen Chefs)

The corner of Kingsway and Salisbury in Burnaby is a deathtrap for restaurants.  I can't even count the different establishments that has graced that corner, only to close down in favour of a new venture.  It's not like there isn't any foot traffic, as it is across the street from Highgate.  Furthermore, Nao Sushi and Anatoli's Gate are literally on the same block where they have survived for over a decade.  Now, we find the Vancouver outpost of the Singaporean chain Eighteen Chefs taking over the spot, yet with a curious name.  Due to bureaucratic red tape, they weren't able to secure the name Eighteen Chefs (as of yet) and decided to open under the old name of Queen's Cafe "Asian Cuisine by Eighteen Chefs" rather than not be in business while waiting for the approval.

We dropped by in the opening week to check it out along with Guy and Girl Smiley.  One of the first dishes that caught our attention was the Salted Egg Yolk Fries.  Sadly, it wasn't what we expected as they merely poured a very wet salted egg yolk sauce on top of generic soggy fries.  Don't get me wrong, the sauce tasted great with the unmistakable saltiness from the creamy and luxurious salted egg yolk, but the amount of moisture killed the texture.  This would've been much better if the fries were super crunchy and coated with dry salted egg yolk.  One of the more surprising dishes was the Chicken Skewer with Truffle Curly Noodles.  This was not an overly complex dish but the chicken was both plentiful and super juicy with a smoky char.  They used a lot of rosemary which added a layer of earthiness.  Although the noodles appeared to be of the instant variety, they were al dente and coated with enough black truffle paste that it was woodsy enough without being too much.

Onto 2 HK-style cafe type dishes, we had the Spaghetti Bolognese as well as the Baked Pork Chop Rice.  By virtue of not being baked, the spaghetti was lacking in  body and aroma.  Even with the generous amount of meat sauce, the noodles ate plain and probably needed to be salted more when it was being boiled.  I thought the sauce was decent with lots of tender nuggets of beef, but the flavour was somewhat one note and lacking in the usual combination of sweet, savoury, tangy and a hint of star anise like the usual Asian-version.  The addition of arugula was a bit strange too.  On the other hand, the pork chop rice was excellent.  Underneath, the fried rice base was nutty and dry, which was the perfect compliment to the balanced tomato sauce topped with plenty of ooey gooey cheese.  Best of all, the large panko-crusted pork chop was moist and tender with a crunchy coating.

Sporting the same pork cutlet, the Nasi Lemak consisting of the usual ingredients including rice, crispy anchovies, cucumber, peanuts, fried egg and sambal.  Nothing particularly amiss with this other than us choosing the pork cutlet over the chicken.  Oh and yes, there is a fried egg rather than a boiled egg.  For me, I'm not a stickler for complete authenticity and this was still fine when everything was mixed together.  Again, the pork cutlet was the star as it was large, crispy and completely tender.  Served with roti, the Curry Chicken was fairly large in portion size.  About that roti, it was more like baked puffed pastry rather than the usual doughier roti found in Malaysian cuisine.  With that being said, it was texturally a delight and really was delicious when dipped into the creamy coconutty curry.  It had a nice viscosity and had a touch of spice.  The large chunks of bone-in leg were tender and not overdone.

We also gave the Hainanese Chicken a go and it was acceptable.  However, there were a few glaring issues.  First of all, we got the wing and very little else, so there was barely any meat to go with the rice.  Second, it was if they used a butter knife to chopped the chicken as there were bone fragments everywhere.  Taste-wise, it was pretty good and the chicken oil rice was nutty and chewy.  Loved the chili sauce as it was legit spicy rather than just sweet.  We waited forever for our Spring Chicken & Striploin Steak Platter.  Turned out it was not worth it because the steak came out rare when we asked for medium-rare.  They even argued with us!  We know what medium-rare looks like!  As for the chicken, it was fairly moist with rendered fried skin.  Too bad it was completely bland.  The side of signature heart-attack rice was nutty and chewy, but not as flavourful as we expected (even though it is cooked with rendered fat drippings).  Overall, there were some highlights to go with some duds.  They just opened, so it is fair to give them some time to work out all the kinks.

The Good:
- Portions sizes are generally large
- Proteins were cooked right except for the steak
- Reasonable pricing for what you get

The Bad:
- Service was non-existent, didn't even cutlery for the longest time.  Also, arguing with customers when something is clearly wrong is a huge no-no
- Some dishes need further refinement

Bee Kim Heng

As I was turning onto 16th from Fraser, I noticed that the new location of Bee Kim Heng was open for business.  That made me a happy camper (wait, I don't camp...  okay, how about a happy hoteller?) as I was a distressed to see the old location boarded up awhile back.  Seeing how my son has a general dislike of anything interesting, on a whim, I decided to pay the place a visit.  Hey, he might like it - Singaporean style jerky that is grilled and cured with lots of tasty seasoning (in particular sugar and no preservatives).  I decided to go for 1/2 pound of beef and 1/2 pound of pork.  The nice people there even gave us some samples.

I passed it to my son and surprise!  He liked it! He was especially impressed with the Pork Jerky as it as was mostly moist with some chewier portions.  It was charred which gave out a smoky flavour that accented by the sweet marinade.  My preference was for Spicy Beef Jerky which as the name implies was spicy.  In fact, it wasn't wimpy spicy either as there was a real kick. Being beef, the texture was much drier and chewier, but still not particularly difficult to eat (unless you put too much in your mouth).

Lastly, I picked up a few bags of their End Pieces which are generally chewier and sometimes a bit burnt.  Consider it the "burnt ends" beef jerky equivalent of the wonderful BBQ brisket variety.  It's cheaper and a great snack to munch on in front of the TV.  Now if you've never tried this type of jerky before, you are missing out.  Definitely a treat and probably the best Singaporean-style jerky in town (not that there are many other places).

The Good:
- Freshly made with no preservatives
- Just the right amount of char and smokiness
- Nice people

The Bad:
- You'll be paying for it
- Won't keep long