Din Tai Fung

So Vancouver finally gets their own Din Tai Fung...  Why is this so special?  Well, it all started with an oil shop in Taiwan that then transitioned into a small restaurant that had some really great Xiao Long Bao.  It became a bigger restaurant (that still stands today) and expanded globally.  Located right next to the Camana Hotel on Alberni, Din Tai Fung seems ready to take on the tourist crowd and also locals (who will brave Downtown traffic and find the few precious and expensive parking spots).  There is underground parking available as well.  We waited until the initial crowds had dissipated to check it out.

We've been to Din Tai Fung many times in the past, so we have a baseline for what to expect.  To start, we had the Cucumber Salad as well as the Seaweed & Bean Curd Salad.  Both were pretty small in size, but delicious.  Exhibiting a fresh crunch, the baby cucumbers were perfectly salted and accented by both sesame oil and chili oil.  As for the seaweed & bean curd salad, it was also well-seasoned with mild spice and a good balance between savoury and sweet.  Nice textures here.

We got one order each of their famous Kurobuta Pork XLBs and the Crab & Kurobuta Pork XLBs.  Both featured the classic thin dumpling skin with exactly 18 pleats.  This optimal method keeps all the soup inside while looking aesthetically-pleasing.  I am happy to report these were just as good as I remembered.  The skin was delicate with some elasticity.  The pork filling was moist and tender with a considerable amount of sweet and savoury soup that was not greasy.  Personally, I enjoyed the regular pork XLBs more than the crab.  It was just a bit too briny for my liking.

For our one veggie dish, we selected the stir-fried Spinach with Garlic.  Presented in the shape of the wok ladle, there was actually quite a bit of wilted spinach on the plate.  It was definitely soft, but not mushy.  Plenty of seasoning meant it tasted great.  Featuring the same spinach, the Stir Fried Rice Cakes with Chicken was also well-executed.  Possibly there could've been more searing on the rice cakes, but the dish did have wok hei.  It was nicely seasoned where it was a bit salty with some sweet elements.  The rice cakes were chewy, but not hard and the chicken was tender.

We moved onto a pair of noodle dishes next with the Braised Beef Noodle Soup and the Noodles with Minced Kurobuta Pork.  The beef noodle soup was legit with a meaty broth that had depth and was well-seasoned.  The large pieces of beef were almost melt-in-my-mouth tender with some tendon within.  It was also flavourful from the braise.  Noodles were al dente with a nice rebound.  As for the mixed noodles, the mince pork "sauce" was lacking moisture to combine with the chewy noodles.  With that being said, the pork itself was not dry and was full-flavoured being on the saltier side.

We went back to the dumpling well with the Shrimp & Kurobuta Pork Shao Mai and the Sticky Rice with Pork & Mushroom Shao Mai.  Yes, they looked like sea anemones and unlike the XLBs, the dumpling skin was much thicker and chewier.  With the same pork filling, the first shao mai had elements of the XLBs.  With carbs on carbs, the second shao mai was rather doughy and not really something I'd order again.  They did taste good though with some umaminess and mild saltiness.  I've had these before, but somehow I forgot I didn't like them! 

To get our fill of dumplings, we also got the Shrimp & Kurobuta Pork Potstickers as well as the Shrimp & Kurobuta Pork Spicy Wontons.  We really enjoyed both of these with the potstickers having a crispy skirt.  Subsequently, the bottom was crispy as well and the rest of the dumpling skin was medium thick and appealingly chewy.  Filling was juicy and tender.  As for the wontons, it had the same filling, so that was a good start.  They were quite large in size and held onto the chili oil sauce well.  It didn't eat as spicy as it looked, rather taking on some sweetness and smokiness.

We got our dumpling fix but couldn't resist and had the Chocolate & Mochi XLBs with a side of Sea Salt Cream.  Oh these were fantastic with a rich and sweet velvety chocolate centre.  The sea salt cream was the key to this as it added a balancing saltiness.  I would have these again in this combination.  Overall, the meal at Din Tai Fung was as expected.  It was satisfying and the XLBs were on point.  Service was fantastic being attentive and personable.  Prices are of course on the higher side and portions size are not very big.  Good for a visit once in awhile or to bring your out-of-town guests who don't have a Din Tai Fung.

The Good:
- Excellent XLBs as usual
- Other dishes are above average
- Service is fantastic

The Bad:
- Pricey for the portion size
- Parking in the area is expensive

Pearl House

I remember a long time ago (2013 in fact), I had visited Pearl House out on Sperling at Kingsway in Burnaby.  It was solid Taiwanese fare that was reasonably-priced.  Well, that location has closed permanently and now houses Singapore Hawker.  Now we find that Peal House has reopened on the West side of Vancouver where the Meet Up used to be located.  Jackie and I paid a visit to this new location and upon entry, it was pretty much the same setup as before (when it was Meet Up).  So it was fairly spacious and inviting.

Of course, the space is one thing, but the food needs to be good too right?  We began with a Taiwanese classic in the Deep Fried Chicken Nuggets.  These were pretty big pieces of thigh meat, which helped them keep juicy and tender.  They were also nice marinated so that the meat had a mild saltiness to it.  As for the batter, it was not too thick while being crunchy and not overly greasy.  There was also the usual slight pepperiness and fried basil to compliment.

Continuing on with the appetizers, we had the 3-item Marinated Combo with sliced pig ear, beef shank and eggs. I thought the items here were prepared quite well.  I was actually quite impressed with the marinated eggs as the egg yolk wasn't completely obliterated.  Notice that there was no ugly green ring around it.  The pig's ear was sliced thin and had plenty of flavour including a background hint of star anise.  Same with the beef shank, as it was also tender and moist.

Naturally, at any Taiwanese restaurant, one must order the beef noodle right?  We did that but opted for the Beef Shank & Noodle Soup.  I found the broth for this bowl to be a bit mild, yet not flavourless.  I could taste the meatiness, but at the same time, it was not as rich as the one found at Myst.  The noodles were plentiful and perfectly al dente.  The beef was fall apart tender and flavourful while the tendon were in large gelantinous tender pieces.

We went a bit off the board with our next dish with the Deep Fried Unagi Bento.  This was literally 2 fillets of eel that were breaded and deep-fried.  Honestly, I didn't enjoy this bowl as the best things about eel (being buttery and soft) was absent after the breading and deep-frying.  Furthermore, it really didn't go with the rice that well as it was dry without any sauce.  Hence, we just ate the eel.  This also came with some veggies and 2 slices of Taiwanese sausage.

Our last savoury item was the Deep Fried Chicken Thigh Curry featuring a large chicken thigh.  I'm sure they added the green onion for colour but that was far too much of it.  The pure taste of the curry was partially obscured by the green onion.  Too bad because the curry itself was excellent having a sweet earthiness where the viscosity was just right.  The rice was firm enough to receive the curry while the chicken was juicy and tender with only a thin layer of fried coating.

For dessert, we had the Snowy Mango Pomelo with a cheese mousse on top.  This was refreshing and fruity as expected.  I found the shaved ice to be nicely texture without big chunks.  It was completely flavoured with the mango syrup.  For our drinks, we selected the Roasted Oolong Milk Tea as well as the Passionfruit Slush.  I thought these were solid and not merely an afterthought.  The tea had a noticeable roasted nutty flavour while the slush was fruity and completely blended.  Overall, Pearl House is a solid place for Taiwanese eats, desserts and drinks.  Portions are generous while the pricing is reasonable (given how expensive things can be in this area).

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

The Good:
- Generous portions
- Solid eats
- Spacious dining room

The Bad:
- Some dishes could be tweaked

Full House Dumpling

Originally, we were going to hit up some eats in Berkeley once we made it to the Bay Area.  However, with an SUV full of our precious belongings, we weren't too confident in leaving it parked for a few hours on the street.  Hence, we decided to head straight to my aunt's house in Fremont.  That way, we could drop off our valuables and then go for some eats.  As always, we ended up going for Chinese in the form of Full House Dumpling (at least we weren't going to eat here 3x straight like Pearl Bay).

The thing to get here is, of course, the dumplings.  Specifically, we are talking about their Xiao Long Bao (Juicy Pork Dumplings).  We got both the regular ones and the Crab Xiao Long Bao.  I thought these were excellent featuring fairly thin dumpling skin that had some elasticity.  There was plenty of soup to be found inside which was clean and sweet.  I thought the essence of crab was apparent.  The pork filling for both was tender and moist while not crumbly.

Sticking with dumplings, we also ordered the Shrimp Pork Siu Mai.  Somehow I was thinking Din Tai Fung when I saw this on the menu.  However, it really was just Cantonese-style shrimp siu mai.  So no, these were not XLBs with a shrimp plugging up an open top (maybe it was something else on this menu).  These were okay with a fairly loose, yet tender pork filling.  There was a bit too much green onion in it, which didn't make much sense.  The shrimp had a nice sweet snap though.

Moving away from dumplings, we tried their Water-Boiled Fish served in a clay pot.  Typically, this is a Szechuan dish, but it appears the Full House serves a variety of Chinese cuisines (including their main focus - Taiwanese).  Although not particularly Szechuan-like, their version was quite delicious regardless.  It had good spice while not being burning hot.  There was no shortage of tender fish fillets (probably basa) that were flaky.  

One of the more under-the-radar items was the Salted Egg Yolk Silken Tofu.  Each cube of tofu was fried just enough to retain its shape while still being silky in texture.  It was carefully wok-tossed (so nothing broke apart) in salted egg yolk, garlic, green onions and peppers.  Although not really all that salty, the aroma and essence of salted egg yolk did come through.  The nuttiness and also the rest of the ingredients were evident.

I wasn't really sure why I was ordering Spicy Stir-Fried Cabbage but it was a pretty solid dish.  Despite some moisture at the bottom of the plate, there was still decent caramelization due to ample "wok hei".  Hence, the spice from the chilis did announce itself throughout the dish.  However, there was still the natural sweetness of the cabbage coming through.  Also, the cabbage was still crunchy despite being cooked through.

One of the more average items was the Braised Beef Noodles.  Now by looks alone, this was quite good with lots of braised beef and wide thick noodles.  Indeed the noodles were al dente and well-portioned.  However, the beef was a bit chewy and lacking impact.  The soup itself was a bit too mild for my liking as it lacked depth and was rather one note.  Possibly if this was the spicy version, it would've been better.

Now on the other hand, the Garlic Pork was very impactful.  That garlic sauce on top was potent and I wouldn't go near anyone with that garlic breath after eating it.  I personally thought it was fantastic despite some thinking it was too garlicky.  There was enough salt and sweetness to make the sauce complete.  As for the sliced pork belly, it was a touch chewy given that there was a decent amount of fat.  However, it was still easy to eat.

I'm not particularly fond of the Green Onion Pancake, but Viv loves it, so yes we had that too.  Turns out that she should've not ordered it because it was also rather average.  On the positive side, it as nicely browned with a crispy exterior.  There was also a balanced amount of green onion.  However, the pancake itself was rather dense and chewy.  Furthermore, it was pretty much soaked with oil, so every bite was far too greasy.  

For no other reason than we didn't have any rice dishes, we ordered the Shrimp Fried Rice.  I would say this was an okay plate of fried rice.  There was decent caramelization, but the rice itself was more fluffy than nutty and chewy.  It was also rather bland needing salt.  At the very least, the shrimp were done right with a sweet snap.  Overall, the food at Full House was decent with some highlights, in particular, the soup dumplings.  Stick with those and you can't go wrong.

The Good:

- Soup dumplings are legit

- Reasonable-pricing

- Spacious seating

The Bad:

- Other dishes are hit and miss

- Service is hit and miss

Dinesty Dumpling House (Gilbert Road)

Sometimes ol' favourites are forgotten when we are distracted by all of the newer and shiner restaurants that are available.  However, it is always good to remember the standbys.  You know, the places where it is a given that you'll find good familiar food that you've always enjoyed.  One of these places is Dinesty, with its XLBs and mix of Taiwanese and Shanghainese dishes.  I've been to every location except for the one near the Olympic Oval in Richmond.  With an invite in hand, it was as good as any time to revisit an ol' friend dressed in new digs on Gilbert Road.

I've actually seen this location before when I was picking up some drinks from the adjacent Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea (more on that later).  I consider this the most appealingly appointed one as the decor is modern and the tables are spaced well-apart.  Of course, the thing to get here is the Steamed Pork Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao).  These featured a medium-thick dumpling skin that was delicate with some elasticity.  Inside, the tender and slightly loose pork filling was blessed with a good amount of sweet meaty soup.  Solid XLBs.

One thing I never order, but I got to try this time was the Steamed Green Vegetable & Egg Dumplings.  Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed these more than the XLBs!  No joke!  The dumpling wrapper in this one was similar (naturally) to the XLBs but stretched a bit thinner.  Nice elasticity to the dough which meat the dumplings ate well.  Inside, the tender vegetable filling still had a vibrant texture.  Loved the fluffiness of the filling.

One of my favourite dishes at Dinesty is the Camphor & Tea-Smoked Duck (Chinese Restaurant Award Winner).  This one did not disappoint.  As you can see, this was not a small scrawny duck.  Plenty of smoky tender and moist meat encased in smoky relatively rendered duck skin.  Beyond the breast meat, the skin on the dark meat was crispy.  We deboned the meat and slipped it into the soft mantau buns.

One dish that flew under the radar in terms of appearance was the Crispy Fried Squid.  Instead of the classic Taiwanese chicken nuggets, we got squid nuggets instead.  Good call because these were freakin' good!  The exterior was supremely crunchy (and not greasy) with plenty of seasoning.  The big chunks of squid within were tender with an appealing chewiness.  Very addictive.

To get our one veggie item into our meal, we had the Spicy String Green Beans with Minced Pork.  This dish featured the usual flash fried green beans wok-tossed with chilis, garlic, ginger, pine nuts and minced pork.  I found the beans tender with a slight crunch while the pork to be plentiful (hidden within) and tender.  There was plenty of seasoning as well as a slight kick.

Another dish I probably wouldn't have ordered myself was the Basa Fillet topped with egg whites and soy bean powder.  Turns out it was good and I would probably order it next time.  The ample fillets of fish were delicate and moist.  Loved the egg whites and the soy bean powder as they provided layers of texture.  Completing the dish was some crunchy veggies that added brightness and contrasting texture to the fish.

A classic dish was the Simmer Chicken with basil in triple sauce (aka 3 Cup Chicken).  Loved the flavours in this dish as they were pronounced and impactful.  Generally, this is called 3 cup chicken for its 3 main ingredients - rice wine, soy and sesame oil.  The balance of sweetness with tang and aromatics was perfect.  Furthermore, the pieces of chicken were juicy and tender.  Loved the viscosity of the sauce too as it clung onto each piece of chicken beautifully.

To go with this, we added the XO Sauce & Diced Beef Fried Rice.  Of course white rice would've been more optimal, but why go for boring?  The fried rice was far from boring featuring discernible grains of nutty and chewy rice.  Seasoning was aggressive in a good way where the rice was full of caramelization and umaminess (from the XO).  Beef was not overly tenderized, hence exhibiting a natural meaty texture.  Good caramelization on that too.  To go with the food, we were able to order drinks from Yifang and they were delivered by robot to our table.  A bit novel yes, but convenient and better than drinking just tea.  So once again, Dinesty came through with predictable food at a reasonable price.  It is still a solid choice for this type of cuisine.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Predictable food that is good
- Reasonably-priced
- Nice dining space for this location

The Bad:
- Wish the parking was not only limited to 1.5 hours (should be at least 2)

Uncle's Snack Shop

Situated in the old location of Green Lemongrass on Westminster Highway in Richmond, newly opened Uncle's Snack Shop is offering up an eclectic menu that restaurant veteran, Kevin Lin, has developed fusing traditional Asian flavours while presented in non-traditional ways.  Of course I had to see what was cooking, literally and figuratively at Uncle's.  I decided to let the huge lines of the weekend dissipate so I could be first on a weekday and order "one of everything".

Ah yes, doing my best impersonation of Mijune Pak (not that I can be Mijune Pak..), I really did get one of everything including all the sammies.  From top and clockwise, we had the OG Chick Sandy, Hot Chick Sandy, Salty Chick Sandy and Cheesy Shroom Sandy.  They were all solid with the salted egg sandwich standing out for me.  The chicken thigh was juicy and aggressively crunchy on the outside (in a good way).  I could get the richness of the salted egg without it being overdone and heavy.  Nice crunch from the napa slaw that also balanced the richness.  I was pleasantly surprised with the appealing spice from the hot chick sandy where it was definitely impactful without taking over the other flavours including the fragrant Thai basil aoili and the fresh cabbage & daikon slaw.  I thought the OG chick sandy definitely captured the traditional Chinese flavours with the ginger & scallion condiment.  There was a crapload of it where the brightness and zing was apparent.  I would've liked to see more tang from the cucumber salad though.  Of course there was also a vegetarian offering in the cheesy shroom sandy with a cheese-filled panko fried portobello.  Lots of textures here and no lack of cheese.  The tamarind jam added tang, sweetness and spice to liven things up.

There was one more sandy that was definitely different from the rest in the Egg Tofu Katsu Sandy.  Enjoyed this one as the milk bread was ever-so-soft and fluffy.  The thin piece of katsu was tender and not dry while crispy on the surface.  That egg tofu was naturally silky soft while complimented by tangy tartar with bits of pickles and onion.  Katsu sauce provided some salty sweetness as well.

One of the most stealth items was the Pomelo Salad with jicama, pickled watermelon rind, cucumber, mint, caramelized onion, tofu puffs and spicy tamarind dressing.  This salad was a lot of things but most of all, it was about textures.  Lots of fresh crunchy things to go with the chewiness of the tofu puffs.  The tang and sweetness of the dressing went well with the ingredients and the mint added a extra flavour component.

The biggest item we had was Auntie's Staff Meal which was Fried Spicy Ribs on rice with mushroom tofu stew.  For the price ($12.00!!!), this was a lot of food.  If I were to tackle this alone, I probably wouldn't have finished it.  All 3 ribs were large, meaty and fall-off-the-bone tender.  Loved the crisp exterior glazed with a spicy sweet chili sauce.  The rice was texturally sound while the stew was hearty and comforting.

One of their most interesting items was the Taiwanese Sausage Corn Dog with brown sugar chili garlic sauce.  If you are not familiar, a Taiwanese sausage is firmer (oh, cue the jokes...) and sweeter than a regular sausage.  There is also chunks of fat and the casing is a bit chewier.  So this corn dog was considerably different than ones you would find at the PNE.  However, the one thing that put this over the top was the dip.  Sweet, tangy and slightly spicy, it was flavour bomb to go with the corn dog.  I was very pleased that they dared to put Honey Garlic Chickenese on the menu.  These were actually deep fried chicken knees coated with honey garlic butter.  Think of them as small chicken nuggets with the crunch of cartilage.  I thought these were good with the classic sweet aromatics.  I personally would've asked for sauce on the side as I like my chicken knees not covered in sauce.  At the bottom of the picture, we had Uncle Scott's Shake-Shake Tots were dressed in truffle parm (extra $2.00).  These were crunchy and there was definitely enough truffle oil and parm to make them flavourful.

We actually had 2 more items including the Chicken Skin Chickarron and the After School Mac Salad.  However, I'll only discuss the chickarron because the mac salad will be coming off the menu.  Properly rendered and crunchy, the chicken skin was tossed in a sticky fish sauce.  Pretty addictive and if I didn't care about my cholesterol, I would've eaten all of it.  LOL...  Ultimately, we didn't eat all of the food.  We ordered too much!  However, it did give us a good sense of the menu and what Uncle's Snack Shop is all about - interesting food with bold flavours.  Definitely worth a try for a quick bite or a meal.

The Good:
- Bold flavours
- Interesting food
- There's parking!

The Bad:
- Sandwiches are on the pricier side, but this is not a fast food restaurant

Sweet Honey Dessert (Burnaby)

Sometimes, I really wonder if we can trust internet ratings when it comes to restaurants.  Sure, it can be a framework of some kind so we can get a sense if the place is at least worth visiting.  Yet, I've been to many spots that have 3/5 ratings (or even lower) and came away questioning the low score.  To be specific, in my experience this usually happens with Asian spots.  Maybe it really depends on who is rating the place and more importantly, what is it being rated on?  Many times, the low score is due to bad service and/or lack of cleanliness.  Not too long ago, I had a pretty good experience at Sweet Honey Dessert in Richmond and it was not reflective of their low rating.  So when a new location opened up in Burnaby, I gladly hit them up twice in a short period of time.

Now one of the reasons they might score low is that their Puppy Ice Cream plain sucks.  Yes, it is one of the cutest things out there, but the ice cream doesn't melt.  There is truly too much in the way of stabilizers and non-dairy ingredients for it to be good.  To top it all off, it didn't even taste like anything but sweet.  I think it is supposed to be mango???  Whatever the case, we didn't order this at the Burnaby location and I'm only including this as reference for those who are considering shelling out $12.00 for it.  What they are actually good at is their Souffle Pancakes.  Yes, there are other spots that specialize in it, but I find the ones here very good.  Light and fluffy while only semi-sweet, these were consistent both times I've tried it.  This time around mango and yes it wasn't really the season for it, but the imported ones they did serve were decent.

The 2 times I've been at this location, I've ordered the Coconut Milk Sago with Grass Jelly.  Simple, but satisfying the broth was semi-sweet and aromatic from the coconut milk.  Little bits of texture were thanks to the tapioca pearls.  A hit of appealing bitterness emanated from the cubes of grass jelly.  Some people wonder what makes one version better than another (since there are many places that serve these types of dessert)?  With so little variation in ingredients, there are no huge swings in quality. I digress.  One of my favourite Chinese desserts at these type of establishments is the Mango Sago.  This one was respectable with a mildly-sweet "soup" with the usual tapioca pearls, chunks of mango and pomelo.  Refreshing and light where the mango was decently tangy and sweet like the ones served with the souffle.

Lastly, another classic dessert was the Taro Ball Red Bean Soup.  Completely the opposite of the refreshing fruity desserts, this one was heavier and surprisingly not very sweet.  That was a good thing as sometimes red bean soup can be too sugary.  The balls ensured that this ate like a meal.  Personally, not my favourite choice of dessert.  But that had nothing to do with them and I still don't understand the bad reviews.  Sure, it isn't the best in town, but it is more than respectable.  Just stay away from the puppy ice cream.

The Good:
- Lots of choice
- Souffle pancakes surprisingly decent
- Open late

The Bad:
- A bit pricey
- Service is okay, but a little sparse