Ess-a-Bagel

From one bagel shop to another, we made our way to the ever-popular Ess-a-Bagel.  Due to its proximity from Utopia Bagels, we ended up at the West 32nd Street location.  Compared to Utopia, Ess-a-Bagel is more known for their giant bagel sandwiches and therefore, we snagged one of the precious seats and ordered a few them.  Oh, we also got some to go too!

Well, there was only one choice for Viv and it was the Signature Favorite on a Poppy Seed Bagel.  This was fully-loaded with sliced Nova (Lox), scallion cream cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and capers.  We got the butteriness and saltiness of the lox combined with its classic running mate - scallion cream cheese.  But with lettuce and tomatoes, we go much more moisture and it actually helped dilute the saltiness of the lox and heaviness of the cream cheese.  Of course, the sharpness and crunch of the onions and tanginess of the capers were also a classic compliment.  The bagel itself was pretty firm and chewy, so all of these ingredients helped offset that.

For myself, I went for the Eggstacy with ham, sausage and cheddar all on a Pumpernickel Bagel.  They really didn't skimp on the cheese and it was ooey gooey wonderfulness.  The egg was a bit overdone, but the sausage and ham provided some needed moisture.  I found the pumpernickel bagel to be even firmer and denser than the poppy seed bagel.  Loved the rich earthy sweetness of the bagel.

Of course I had to compare their Sesame Bagel with the one at Utopia.  First off, it was slightly bigger and had the same amount of sesame seeds.  Hence, there was the aroma and nuttiness of sesame seeds in taste and smell.  Texturally, I thought these were denser and heavier than the ones at Utopia.  After toasting, the outside was crunchy while the inside got a bit softer with an appealing chew.

Yep, got the Everything Bagel as well, but in both classic and whole wheat.  There was an obvious textural difference between the two.  Predictably, the whole wheat was a bit more robust and nutty.  With a mix of the usual sesame seeds (black & white), poppy seeds, onion and garlic, we had the usual aromatics of an everything bagel.  Once again, we made sure we didn't burn any of these.

So for our sweet bagel, we had the Cinnamon Raisin.  Beyond the size difference and denser bagel, this one here was not that dissimilar than the one at Utopia.  Yet, it was a little more dense and chewy as mentioned before.  Overall, we thought the bagels at Ess-a-Bagel to be good and pretty large in size.  They went well with the components of our sandwiches.  But if I really had to compare, the classic bagels from Utopia had a texture that was more to our liking.

The Good:

- Large bagels

- Those sandwiches are fully-loaded and tasty

- Thick crispy exterior

The Bad:

- More dense than others I've had, but okay for those who like it

- Long lineups

Utopia Bagels

On our last day in NYC before an evening flight, we made the trek out into midtown searching for some bagels.  The first stop was at Utopia Bagels out on East 34th Street.  Founded in 1980 at its original Queens location, Utopia is known for its hand-made bagels.  We made it rather early on a Sunday, so the place was only a bit busy.  We ended up grabbing a selection of bagels to bring home.

The most basic one in our bag of bagels was the Sesame.  After being toasted, the bagel exhibited classic NYC-style texture and density.  The exterior was crunchy, yet wasn't hard nor dense.  Inside, we found the desired chew, but it was still soft at the same time.  In terms of taste, the bagel was savory and not sweet (like the ones we had in Montreal at Fairmount).  The nuttiness of the sesame was very apparent.

Of course we went for the Everything Bagel as well (it is our favorite!).  Naturally, with sesame seeds, there was similar elements to the previous bagel, but adding poppy seeds (not very many), onion and garlic meant we had more complexity.  Be careful toasting this one up though since you do not want to burn the garlic.

Something a bit different was the Jalapeno Cheddar.  As you can see, this was almost completely covered with cheese.  As a result, the salty and nutty cheesiness was at the forefront.  Furthermore, this made the bagel a bit more moist and less crunchy on the outside (in particular, the side with the cheese.  Some tangy spice was provided by the jalapenos.

Moving over to the sweeter bagels, we tried the Cinnamon Raisin.  This was definitely sweeter and especially with pops of flavor from the raisins, it was great with some basic cream cheese or even good quality butter.  This could all be said about the Blueberry Bagel as well, except with a more muted sweetness.  A little bit more moisture from the blueberries though.  After toasting, both had the same crunchy exterior like the other bagels while being chewy, yet soft inside.  

Our last bagel in our order was the French Toast Bagel.  Yes, this was mapley-sweet with hits of cinnamon and a bit more sweetness from the powdered sugar.  Texturally, it was still classic bagel with a soft chewiness.  Really enjoyed this one, but I highly recommend that you get this in a separate bag because it took on all the essence of the everything bagel.

Overall, the bagels at Utopia were exactly what we prefer - soft but chewy with a nice crunchy exterior after being toasted.  They also have a wide selection of flavors too.

The Good:

- Classic bagel texture

- Lots of options

- Manageable size

The Bad:

- Lines can be a little long

The Handpulled Noodle

Sometimes, we just need to eat something closeby and convenient, even if it means sacrificing something awesome.  That doesn't mean we would merely grab a hot dog from a random food cart and call it a day (however, some hot dogs rule!).  Instead, we walked a few blocks to a quick-service spot called The Handpulled Noodle.  This would serve us well, since it was a fast meal just before watching a play nearby.

Ordering can be by 2 methods here - either by the self-service ordering screen or at the front counter.  However, they were so busy, there was really no one at the counter.  We ended up getting the Hot & Tangy Shrimp Wontons to start.  These looked plenty hot, but in reality, they were more tangy, sweet and a bit smoky.  Sure, there was spice, but it wasn't tongue-burning.  The wontons featured a semi-thick, yet delicate dumpling wrapper.  Inside, the shrimp filling had a nice rebound texture.

For our first noodle dish, we had the Herbal Beef Soup Noodles served with thick noodles.  We found the broth to be flavorful, yet lacking a bit of depth.  I didn't get a whole lot of meatiness to go with the mild spice.  As for the noodles, they were chewy in a good way and remained as such to the end.  The slices of beef shank were tender with a natural meatiness.

Of course we were going to get the Beijing Bolo (aka Zhajiang Mien) with the # 2 noodles (aka Biang Biang noodles).  This dish was all about the wide noodles with its robust and chewy texture.  I thought the meat sauce wasn't as savoury as I would've expected.  It was actually more sweet and almost nutty.  This wasn't spicy, so great for those who wanted something mild

Since we always struggle to get enough veggies when we were out-of-town, we got the Broccoli with garlic as a side.  This was fine as the broccoli was a little overdone, but definitely had lots of garlic.  Maybe a little lacking in the wok hei, but did the job nonetheless.  In fact, this meal did feed us and we were okay with it.  Nothing amazing and really, we don't think it was trying to be either.  They do need to have another ordering kiosk as the only one there doesn't do the job when there is a lineup.

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Fresh handmade noodles have a good texture

The Bad:

- Food is only okay

- Ordering Kiosk is overwhelmed when there is a lineup   

Joe's Pizza

Walking back to our hotel after exiting the Times Square station, we were looking for some food to bring back to our room.  Lo and behold, a long lineup (for the slices) appeared in front of us on Broadway.  The place was Joe's Pizza, which to some, is a NYC favourite.  Is it a tourist trap?  We lined up to see for ourselves.  Of note, be sure to line up for the slices, not the "Pies Only" storefront (unless you wanted a whole pie).

We decided on 5 slices and really, there was only around 7 choices anyways.  Naturally, we got the baseline in the Fresh Mozzarella.  It featured a tangy tomato sauce that wasn't too acidic.  There was a smattering of mozzarella to give it some body.  However, it was the crust that was the best part of it.  In addition to be properly salted, the crust had a nuttiness to it and it was uniformly crispy on the crust and bottom.  It had a classic chewiness that had a good mouth-feel.  We also had the Pepperoni and it ate quite differently as it had a denser cheese and of course had some meaty and pepper slices of pepperoni.

Our favorite of the bunch was the Supreme sporting tomatoes, sausage and red onion.  This was the most robust slice as the combination of cheese and sausage provided heft in terms of each bite.  Lots of saltiness was from the different ingredients.  The addition of tomatoes provided some moisture while the onions afforded some sharpness and bite.

Something much less heavy and devoid of meat was their Caprese Pizza.  As the name suggests, it consisted of fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil.  The combination of ingredients meant things were light and a bit wet.  However, the crust was up to the challenge and held up, staying chewy and dry.

The last slice was the White with Fresh Spinach & Garlic.  With the absence of tomato sauce, we got much more the nuttiness from the crust.  Furthermore, the taste of the spinach and garlic was devoid of competing flavors.  Really simple, but delicious and uncluttered.  All-in-all, we found Joe's Pizza quite solid and definitely quenched our NYC thin-crust pizza cravings.  I'm sure we will find even better on our future NYC travels, but Joe's is a good choice despite its touristy location.

The Good:

- Crispy and chewy crust

- Not too many choices, which makes it easy to order

- Not a crazy amount of sauce, so the crust doesn't get soggy

The Bad:

- Um, the lineup, but it moves

Mama Katsu

From Legoland, we made our way to Disneyland and that is where our dining out stopped.  We spent most of our time eating at the park and also grabbed some fast food from Raising Canes and In-N-Out.  But I was able to squeeze a few meals in from Mama Katsu, which was on our way back to our hotel.  It was across the street on Harbor Drive and we walked by the place a few times a day. 

The first time we stopped by to pick up some food, we got the Original Kimbap.  Not only did I get it the first time, I got it again on the second visit!  Well first off, it was quite good where there was more filling than rice.  Definitely fulfilling and great for taking it into Disneyland.  Acts as a great snack or even a meal.  I thought the components were well-prepared (textures how they should be) and there was enough flavor to eat without any condiments.

So of course I got the Pork Katsu and it was a large portion of 2 cutlets, 2 fried gyoza, rice, slaw and katsu sauce.  Fried until uniformly crispy, the pork katsu was also tender and not dry.  Naturally, it paired well with the tangy and sweet katsu sauce.  I only wished there was more of it.  Dumplings were pretty typical, but did feature a thin wrapper and a fairly juicy filling.

Picked up a second dish for good measure in the Chicken Yakitori.  This came with rice, tempura prawns, gyoza and slaw.  Since they used chicken thigh meat, it turned out to be jucy and quite flavorful.  There was a light char on them which added some smokiness.  There was enough sauce to flavor each skewer, but probably not enough for all the rice.  I suggest you ask for a bit more.  Prawn tempura were only okay since the batter was a bit thick.

On another visit, I went for the Fish Katsu and it was also a pretty large portion.  Each piece was crunchy while featuring flaky and moist fish.  This came with tartar sauce, slaw, rice, fried gyoza and ebi tempura.  As a whole, this was quite a bit of food and definitely was enough for me.  I found this one to be considerably more greasy than the pork katsu.

For good measure, I decided I needed to get some Spam Musubi as well. This would serve me well in the moment and also be a great snack for later.  This was solid as the layer of chewy rice was actually modest in size.  Therefore, the seared Spam had much more effect.  Overall, the food at Mama Katsu was solid and served in large portions.  Great for a quick meal to take back to your hotel after a day at Disneyland.

The Good:

- Big portions

- Solid eats

- Well-priced

The Bad:

- There maybe a wait at times

- Can be greasy

Tram Cream Coffee 5

After constant urging from my cousin, we finally relented and visited Tram Cream Coffee 5 in Newark (California).  This is one of their newest locations and it happened to be conveniently located near our hotel.  As their name suggests, they specialize in cream coffee, specifically Vietnamese cream coffee.  We did 2 visits to the place in order to get a decent variety.

To get a baseline, I had to order the Cream Coffee from their signature series.  This particular cup was a small and believe me, that was more than enough for me.  That Vietnamese coffee was predictably strong, intense and rich.  It wasn't as bitter as other versions I've had while it did have a slight chocolaty finish.  Of course the coffee was balanced off by sweetness provided by the cream.  Naturally, it diluted the strength of the coffee with the cream itself too.

We also had something from their Creamliner series in the Sesame Cream Coffee.  In addition to the sesame cream, we found Vietnamese coffee and also whole milk.  This itself made the coffee less of the focal point.  Rather, we got the full brunt of the nutty and aromatic black sesame (when mixed that is) and also the cool creaminess of the milk.  Coffee only added a bit of aroma to the drink.

On another visit, we had the Tiramisu from their signature series.  Of all the ones we tried, this was probably the sweetest of the bunch.  Due to the sweet cream, it more than balanced off the strong Vietnamese coffee.  I'm not sure if I necessarily got Tiramisu vibes from this drink.  However, it was creamy and sweet, which is great for those who want less bitter coffee notes.

The best drink in my opinion was the Creamy Hanoi from the signature series.  This was super creamy and with the addition of egg cream, it was richer and thicker.  I thought this was the best balance of the rich coffee and cream.  With some grass jelly, this added another layer of texture and a different bitterness.  In general, the drinks at Tram are solid and there are plenty of options.  Lots of locations for you to check them out!

The Good:

- Vietnamese coffee is impactful without being overly strong

- Lots of options including more coffee-forward to more creamy drinks

- Lots of locations

The Bad:

- Can be a bit sweet

B&D Authentic Viet Cuisine

So here we are again, on the corner of Kingsway at Salisbury in Burnaby...  Why is this so significant you ask?  Well, the restaurant on this corner has changed so many times, I've lost count.  If someone can help me out, please fill in the missing restaurant...  Right now, it is B&D Vietnamese (and the subject of this blog post), and before that, we had (in descending order) Asian Cuisine by 18 Chefs, Queen's Cafe, Wonderful House, Private Home Cuisine and ???.    Okay back to B&D, we finally headed out there to give the place a try.

We stared with the Salt & Pepper Crunchy Wings with a side of pickles.  These were indeed crunchy as the skin was well-rendered and firm.  Since they fried these pretty aggressively, the meat was on the drier side, but not overly so.  The wings did have some flavour, but could've benefitted from more salt and pepper.  Loved the pickles on the side, they added nice crunch and tang.

Next, we had the Mini B&D Spring Rolls stuffed with ground pork, taro, carrot, jicama, wood-ear fungus and vermicelli.  These bite-sized springs rolls were fairly firm due to it being filled with plenty of ingredients and also being wrapped tightly.  Would've preferred rice paper, but these were still good with lots of texture (especially the taro).  They were a little light on the seasoning, but the side of fish sauce helped alleviate that.

Our last appie was the Papaya Salad with shredded unripe papaya, pickles, shallot, Vietnamese herbs and prawns.  This was a good version as the textural crunch from the unripe papaya was both appealing and bright.  Herbs added aroma while the pickles provided tanginess.  Add in the fish sauce and this was full of flavours including the usual fermented saltiness.  I personally like this salad to be on the spicier side and I wished there was that option.

Onto the mains, my daughter had a hard time deciding (as she usually does) and finally took our suggestion to try the Bò Kho (Beef Stew Noodles).  As you can see, there was no absence of beef shank which was super tender and flavourful.  The broth was aromatic and had good meatiness in addition to the seasonings.  The noodles were also prepared properly being al dente.

For my mom, she went for the Braised Duck Noodle featuring 6-hour braised duck leg, fresh coconut broth, shitake mushroom, sher-li-hon, red date and goji berry, served with egg noodles.  Although the broth was rich and full of depth, it could've used maybe a touch more salt.  Besides that, the duck leg was fall-off-the-bone tender while the egg noodles were appealingly chewy.

My dad had the B&D Special Pho with 18 hr simmered beef broth, rare beef sirloin, flank, tripe, tendon, and beef balls.  This was blessed with enough toppings to make this a fulfilling bowl of noodles.  The meats were tender, including the soft tendon.  As for the broth, it was not bad with sweetness and a background meatiness.  It was clean and pleasant.  Noodles were perfectly al dente.

My son went for the Grilled Pork Chop Rice featuring pork chop marinated for 24 hrs with our house sauce, green onion oil, and fried egg, served with cucumber, tomatoes and fish sauce.  This was a large portion of food with 2 nicely charred pork chops.  They were fairly tender with good marinated flavours.  Rice was dry and chewy, great for accepting the fish sauce as moisture and flavouring agent.

Viv and I waited a long time for our dish being the Lẩu Bò Đà Lạt (Da Lat Beef Hot Pot) featuring 24 hr simmered beef broth, beef flank, beef bones, beef tendon, taro, tofu, egg noodles, and veggies served with house special fermented tofu sauce.  This was more than enough food for both of us where the broth was flavourful with some lemongrass and meaty notes.   I found the brisket cubes in the broth to be a bit chewy while the tendon was soft.  Generally, this was satisfying but I would've been happy with my own bowl of Pho.  In the end, we found the food at B&D to be pleasant if not needed just a bit more seasoning.  Prices were completely fair for the portion sizes and the service was friendly.

The Good:

- Nice people

- Fair portions

- Fair prices

The Bad:

- Maybe more impactful seasoning needed

- The wait for the hot pot was very long

Life Of Pie

Here we are, 3 years later,  doing a similar road trip from 2019.  Little did we know that that would be that last trip we'd take up until now.  So our first leg took us through Portland, but we only stopped for lunch.  Since it was our first day, we had the energy to make it all the way to Ashland for our first pit stop.  Upon a friend's recommendation, we stopped at Life of Pie (nice take on the name of the movie) for some Neapolitan style pizza.

Before that, we got some greens into our meal (at least the adults) with the Kale & Arugula Salad.  This was dressed with a honey-lemon vinaigrette and tossed with toasted breadcrumbs.  On top, there was a some freshly grated parm.  I found the dressing sweet with plenty of acidity.  There was brightness to go with the pepperiness of the arugula.  Loved the crunch from the breadcrumbs as it added texture to each bite.  Finally, the parm did its nutty salty thing.

For the kids, they scoffed at the greens and started things off with the Fried Ravioli filled with mozzarella.  These were very tasty and well-prepared.  Each ravioli was crunchy, but not so much so that they were tough.  In fact, they were light, crispy and nicely spiced.  Inside, there was plenty of stringy mozzarella.  I thought the marinara was tangy and light, but it would've been better if they didn't serve it cold.

Onto the pies, we started with the classic Margherita with mozzarella, marinara and fresh basil.  Having the basic baseline pizza is always a good idea to get a true taste of the sauce as well as how the crust is meant to be.  This was very good with a nicely leoparded bottom where the dough was adequately seasoned and nutty.  I found the crust to be uniformly crispy giving way to a tender center.  Nice chewiness beyond the crunch too.  As expected, the torn basil on top was added afterwards and provided a bright herbaceous flavour.

Onto something that was much more zesty, we had the Fennel Sausage with Mama Lil's Peppers.  This pizza featured even more leoparding which meant there was additional smokiness.  The most dominant flavor was the sweet, tangy and slightly spicy peppers.  There was no mild moments with each bite.  However, I could still taste the fennel and the meatiness of the sausage.  Nice stringy mozzarella and tangy marinara rounded things out.

Our last pizza was different in the Seasonal Mushrooms with pecorino romano and a truffle EVOO base.  Without an actual sauce on the pizza, this ate much more crunchy with even the center being as such.  Didn't mind it one bit as the nuttiness went well with the truffle and earthiness of the ample mushrooms.  This was probably our favourite of the 3 we ordered.  However, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the choices as the dough is great with proper seasoning as well as leoparding.  Prices are reasonable too.  If you are in Portland, go check it out!

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Good dough and subsequent crust
- Simple, focused menu

The Bad:
- Maybe heat up the sauce for the fried raviolis