Best Fortune

For all of the different types of Chinese cuisine, Sichuan is one of my favourites.  The combination of spice and spices along with meat and noodle dishes, it is something that is much more impactful than say, Cantonese food.  However, due to the influx of immigrants from Hong Kong specifically, that is the most prevalent Chinese cuisine in the Lower Mainland.  So when there is another option for Sichuan eats (and really any Northern or Uygher restaurants), I'm there with bells on.  So I dug out those bells when Jackie and I were invited to try out Best Fortune on Alexandra Road.

We were here mainly to try their Deluxe Sichuan Set Menu that offers 5-courses for $88.00.  There are options for each course.  The 2 choices for the first course included the classic Big Plate of Mouth-Watering Chicken (yes, that is what the description said, big plate...).  Indeed, it was a big mound of tender poached chicken that featured tender meat and gelatinized skin.  Naturally, the chicken was only a blank canvas for the sauce.  About that sauce, it was definitely spicy, a bit nutty and smoky.  There was enough seasoning to add more than just spice, so in general, it was good!

The other option is the Spicy Beef & Tripe.  This featured thinly-sliced beef shank that had been stewed until tender and chilled.  The tripe has also been cooked until it was buttery soft.  Then it was tossed in a chili oil mix that also had some soy and plenty of garlic.  This was a good version of this dish as the textures of the tripe and beef were on point while the flavours were spicy, but not to the point we couldn't taste anything else.

For the second course, there were 2 options, with first being the Green Peppercorn & Sauerkraut Fish.  This featured some glass noodles underneath and a wealth of sliced fish (looked like snakefish?), pickled mustard greens, seaweed and bean curd skin.  Loved the texture of the fish as it was almost crunchy, but that initial texture gave way to flakiness.  The broth was tangy with numbing spice from the peppercorns.

 

If you didn't want the fish, you could choose the Sichuan Boiled Beef.  This is another classic dish that featured sliced beef atop bean sprouts in a spicy broth.  There was a considerable amount of tender buttery beef within the large bowl.  They had been tenderized perfectly where the meat texture was still present.  In terms of flavour, there was the same smoky nuttiness from the chili oil.  It wasn't so spicy that we couldn't taste anything else which meant there was balance.

The third course had 2 choices that would go well with rice.  The first being the Spicy Blood Tofu & Tripe Stew.  It was a pretty large bowl of food that featured large strips of mung bean noodle underneath with some bean sprouts and other veggies.  There was a mix of luncheon meat, intestines, pork's blood cubes and bible tripe.  This all sat in a spicy broth that was rather flavourful and a bit smoky from all the chili oil.

 

The other option was the Braised Bean Curd in Mapo Sauce (aka Mapo Tofu).  Unlike the Cantonese version, this one was much more robust, spicy and deep-flavoured.  They used medium-firm tofu here and it stood up well to the cooking process.  Each cube of tofu took on the flavours of the starch-thickened sauce.  It was a bit spicy, a bit sweet and plenty savoury.  The ground pork added some meaty texture.

Moving onto the fourth course (which was the vegetable dish), the first option was the Dry Pot Cauliflower.  This was essentially stir-fried Taiwanese cauliflower with an array of spices including Sichuan peppercorns.  There was plenty of caramelization and aroma as well as a noticed numbing spice.  The cauliflower was cooked-through but had a nice crunch.

The alternative option from the cauliflower was the Specialty Eggplant Stir Fry.  I absolutely loved this dish since they coated the pieces of eggplant with starch first and deep fried it.  So that ensured each piece was cooked-through and was sealed with a crispy starch coating.  The result was that the eggplant didn't get soggy and melt while help soaking up the delicious black bean-based sauce.  It had a bit of spice as well.

For the fifth course, we had 3 noodle options including Noodles with Peas, Minced Pork Noodle and Sour & Spicy Yam Noodles.  So the 2 noodles were essentially a form of Ja Jeun Mein where you would mix up the components with the boiled white noodles.  For the first one, the chickpeas were soft but still intact while the ground pork was plenty spicy.  With peanuts and sesame seeds, there was plenty of nuttiness too.  The second noodle was similar except it had some mustard greens.  Hence, there was a bit more tanginess.  The yam noodles had a nice chewiness to them and there was plenty of heat to go with the sourness.  If I had to choose, the minced pork noodle would be the best bet.  Overall, the 5-course set meal for $88.00 is a steal considering how much food you are getting as well as it being delicious.  Love that there are choices for most courses, so you can get almost exactly what you want.  The spice level here is right up my alley being hot yet we can still taste the other components and flavours.  If you only have 2 people, you can get the first two courses for $39.00 and it includes rice and pop.  Hard to find cheap eats these days, but this would be it. Definitely a revisit for me sometime down the road.

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

The Good:
- Well-priced set meal
- Good spice, but not overwhelming
- Large portion size

The Bad:
- One of the employees was away, so there was only one person handling the entire restaurant. Even if they had the other person, service would be stretched. She did a good job though and never got frustrated
- Parking at the back can be chaotic

 

Kuan Zhai Road

If you haven't noticed, Chinese Skewer restaurants are becoming more and more prevalent in a city that rarely had any just 5 years ago.  Something about meat on a stick has created an appetite that hasn't been satiated as of yet (as there are more and more opening up as of this post).  We all know the usual places such as the popular Happy Tree as well as Meat Up.  One spot that has relatively flown under the radar is Kuan Zhai Road tucked into a small strip mall just down the road from Happy Tree on Kingsway in Vancouver.  It isn't apparent what the place is called because the English name is in tiny font.

In addition to their grilled skewers, they have spicy hot pot options with "Help Yourself" Skewers in their refrigerated displays.  Priced at a reasonable 69 cents each, these one bite skewers are cooked in your choice of broth.  We had the extra spicy broth with chilis, chili oil, spices and Szechuan peppercorns.  This was super hot and kept my lips burning long after I had finished.  Totally tasty!  We ended up with a variety of skewers including duck tongue, tripe, tendon, fish and conch.  Things were texturally on point (including the normally too chewy tripe) and nicely spiced by the hot pot broth.  We actually returned a few weeks later and asked for super hot and it was actually very spicy!  

As for the BBQ Skewers, we got a selection including lamb, meatball, prawns, beef and chicken wing.   Compared to other skewers spots in town, I found the amount of meat to be a little more than average.  In terms of pricing, it is pretty competitive.  I thought the lamb skewers to be the best being tender and moist with a decent char on the outside.  Flavours were mildly spicy (you can get spicier) while the cumin really came through.  Naturally, the beef was a bit more robust with an appealing chewy meatiness.  Flavours were quite similar except for the meat of course.  Didn't really enjoy the meatballs as they were far too dense.  Shrimp were sweet with plenty of the usual shrimp aromatics but it was a bit overdone in my opinion.  Loved the honey chicken wings as they featured rendered skin and super juicy meat.

Just for kicks, I got the Lao Chengdu Hot and Sour Noodles as well as the Spicy Chicken.  The slippery noodles were mildly spicy with a bit of tang.  I really thought they could've amped the spice level way higher than it was.  Of course, we only needed to ask for it, so not a big deal really.  However, the amount of moisture was an issue as it made the dish wet.  As for the chicken, it was inherently seasoned enough.  Texturally, it was tender while nicely gelantized including the skin.  Once again, it wasn't as spicy as we would've liked (to be fair, we like it flaming hot).  Yet, as mentioned, we could've asked for it to be prepared spicier, such as the hot pot.  For those who like it milder, this would've been fine and pretty good.  If I had to compare with the nearby Happy Tree, I would say Kuan Zhai is pretty similar without the loud pop music.

The Good:
- Well-prepared skewers
- More low key than the nearby Happy Tree
- Better service than Happy Tree

The Bad:
- A smaller restaurant, so when it gets busy, not as many seats
- Parking is an issue

The Meat Up 聚点串吧

*Restaurant is closed*

After my initial visit to Happy Tree on Kingsway, I've been in search of another Chinese skewer spot that didn't blow my eardrums out with loud K-pop.  Furthermore, the thought of ordering minimum 10 skewers of each meat didn't impress either especially with only 2 people.  Let's just say that my recent visit to Chi House BBQ didn't challenge Happy Tree.  In fact, it merely reinforced the fact I would have to endure loud music while eating an over-ordered amount of skewers.  However, The Meat Up on Granville caught my eye after taking in dessert at the Snackshot right next door.  I returned to see if they could satisfy my urge for meat on a stick.

As with any of these skewer places we got the basics in the Traditional Lamb and Black Pepper Beef. Not that there wasn't any meat on the sticks, but as evidenced in the picture, there could be a touch more in my opinion.  In terms of texture, I thought the lamb was pretty moist with a good amount of cumin and spice.  The beef wasn't as flavourful since the black pepper was a bit weak.  The meat was definitely more firm, but yet again, it was tender.  Something that was different and interesting was the Signature XL Lamb Skewer for $9.95.  Yes, it was long, but in between the chunks of lamb, there was plenty of green pepper and onion.  Value is debatable, but in terms of eating enjoyment, this was excellent.  The meat was appealingly gamy and well-spiced while being super tender.  One of my favs of the meal for sure.

Just to get some variety, I decided to try the Spicy Pork Spareribs.  Since they were ribs, I already knew that half of it couldn't be eaten, so I'm not going to comment on the value.  In terms of texture, they were pretty good exhibiting the classic chewy bounciness.  It wasn't as spicy as I would've liked, but then again, I like things spicy.  At the very least, I wasn't forced to order 10 of these.  For some seafood, we had the Scallop, Spicy Shrimp and Squid.  The scallop was pretty mild-tasting which was fine as I prefer to taste the subtle sweetness rather than being overwhelmed with seasoning.  Texturally, it was a touch overdone.  Again, the spicy shrimp wasn't really that spicy, but there was a kick.  They had a nice snap texture.  The squid was good being just cooked being an appealing chewy.

Some items that didn't include skewers was the Cold Liang Pi Noodles.  As much as the colour was pretty monochromatic, the flavours were pretty good.  There was mild spice to go with some sweetness and plenty of peanut.  Personally, I would've liked more chili oil and vinegar though.  Yet at the same time, it wasn't as if this wasn't good either.  Texturally, the noodles were chewy, but could've been less soft.  For our one vegetable, we had the grilled Eggplant with plenty of minced garlic on top.  I enjoyed how the eggplant was tender and delicate without becoming mushy.  Due to the copious amount of garlic on top, there was no absence of aroma and flavour.  The only thing that I didn't like was the greasiness of the eggplant itself.

Back to the skewers, we got the Honey Chicken Wings and the Grilled Rice Cake.  Surprisingly to me, the wings were my second favourite items as the skin was well-rendered and crispy.  As advertised, they were indeed sweet and sticky with honey.  Also crispy on the outside, the rice cakes were chewy on the inside.  Our last item was the Special Spicy Tripe Pot featuring tripe, beef, beef throat, beef tendon, black fungus and seaweed.  One thing that struck me about these skewers was the meager amount of meat.  Aside from that, the spicy broth was delicious achieving the balance between heat and flavour without one dominating another. Overall, the skewers at The Meat Up were good and the service was fairly decent.  I thought the prices were consistent with other restaurants of this ilk.  A good option for those wanting this type of cuisine.

The Good:
- Above-average
- Decent service
- Flavours were good

The Bad:
- A bit meager with the meat on some skewers
- Total can get up there if you are not careful of what you order