The Turning Peel

Ever since I visited Apizza Scholls many moons ago, we have seen Portland's pizza game level up exponentially.  One of the newer spots is The Turning Peel, which was actually not as new as one might think.  Owner Candy Yiu started experimenting with sourdough during the pandemic in 2020.  Her sourdough eventually transitioned to pizza dough and it has the benefit of being not as flimsy as typical Neapolitan crusts.  After debating as to which pizza place we were going to hit on this trip, The Turning Peel seemed like our best bet.

Before we got to our pizzas, we went for the Beet n Mint.  This was a fairly simple salad with cubes of beets with orange segments on top and fresh mint.  Nothing out-of-the ordinary here but solid nonetheless.  The beets were juicy with a sweet earthiness while the orange provided an extra layer of citrusy sweet tang.  It was in a red wine vinaigrette with EVOO and pickled red onion. The mint added that bright herbaceousness.

Onto the pizzas, we tried their Pepperoni Jalapeno Hot Honey.  Look at that crust, isn't it a thing of beauty?  There has been a recent debate as to what makes a great Neapolitan-style pizza where charring and leoparding isn't necessarily a prerequisite.  However, for me, I'm all about the nutty smokiness from this type of preparation.  Add in the sturdiness of the sourdough crust and we have a uniformly crispy crust that is well-seasoned and appealingly chewy.  We can't forget about the toppings on this one and it was a flavor bomb with saltiness, pepperiness, tanginess, spice, sweetness and heat.  Every bite was a blast.  Highly-recommend this one.

We went for the other highlighted pizza in the Truffle Mushroom.  Beyond the outstanding and consistent crust, this had the classic earthy and woodsy notes that was not overwhelmed by any cream base.  Rather, they merely employed EVOO with portobello and bella mushrooms.  This was complimented by fresh cultured mozzarella and finished with more EVOO and aged parmesan (we got it on the side).  You could imagine all the nuttiness and aromatics going on here.

They also have a selection of crust dips and we went for the Ricotta, Honey & Fruit.  This was a nice change from the usual dips we find everywhere else as this was lighter, but just as flavorful with sweetness.  Really complimented the sourdough.  About that...  We were presented with a loaf of Sourdough as we paid the bill.  It was a thank you for dining at The Turning Peel.  Such nice people and such a great product.  We will be back!

The Good:

- Excellent blistered sourdough crust

- Impactful flavors

- Super nice people

The Bad:

- Even though we thought flavors were strong, maybe just a bit more pepperoni would've put that first pizza over the top

Binh Minh Sandwiches

With not a lot of time for lunch since we woke up pretty late, we made out way to Binh Minh Sandwiches for some banh mi.  This place is pretty OG as it has been around since the early 2010's.  It's essentially a family-run hole-in-the-wall on SE Powell serving up not only sandwiches, but also a small menu of hot items as well as to-go Southern Vietnamese specialties.  They have a small and narrow parking lot in the front, but we opted to park around the corner instead as backing out onto Powell seemed a bit risky.

We started with the baseline or most well-known in the Combo Banh Mi.  This cold cut sandwich happens to also be my favorite consisting of ham, head cheese and pâté with house mayo, pickled carrots & daikon, cucumbers and jalapeño on house-baked bread.  We omitted the cilantro though.  Really solid starting with the crusty bread that had a great crunch giving way to a nice chewiness.  There was enough filling for the amount of bread.  Loved the creamy pâté.

We also tried the Grilled Pork Banh Mi that also came with house mayo, pickled veggies, cucumber and jalapeño.  Once again, there was enough meat for impact where it was tender with a meaty texture.  It was marinated and grilled where it was sweet and caramelized with a bit of brininess.  Add in the crunch and tang from the veggies along with the freshness of the cucumber and slight spice of the jalapeño, there was plenty of flavor to be had.

Our final sandwich was the Chicken Lemongrass Banh Mi.  This had all of the same items as the grilled pork, so it had similar textures and flavors.  However, since it was chicken thigh, the meat was more moist and tender.  Also, with the use of a lemongrass marinade, the chicken had a certain brightness. As you can see in the picture above, there was a good ratio of bread to meat, much like the other sandwiches.

I also decided to grab a Pâté Chaud.  This consisted of tender pork that was juicy and well-seasoned.  It was plenty sweet and savory.  It was encased in flaky puff pastry that had good lamination but was a touch doughy in the middle.  However, that didn't decrease my eating enjoyment by much as it was such a sinful treat with butteriness.  Overall, this was a satisfying meal and I would love to come back sometime to try their other items including a few hot noodle dishes.  I just will park around the corner...

The Good:
- Solid Banh Mi
- Inexpensive
- Really nice owner

The Bad:
- Love that they have a parking lot, but nah, too dangerous to park there

Stackhouse Steak Sandwich (Gastown)

As you know from my previous post about Stackhouse Steak Sandwich, I really enjoyed them and appreciate how reasonably-priced they are.  I'm not the only one having that sentiment because now they have opened a second location in Gastown.  Setting up shop in the former Brathaus, the space offers a few counter seats and one table.  Their menu is pretty much the same as the original location but with the addition of breakfast sandwiches.  We came to try those as well as some classics.

So let's get right to those aforementioned breaky sammies right?  They have 4 to choose from including the ones pictured above - Steak & Egg and Steak, Bacon & Egg.  Okay, I first have to say that they made a good choice in bun.  They are using the Gold Bun by Dempsters.  Featuring soft brioche that won't disintegrate either, I found it the perfect vessel for the fillings.  With fluffy egg, tender steak, processed cheese and mayo, the sandwich wasn't complicated, but ate well.  The addition of bacon with steak made it a pretty filling sammie.

The other 2 available options for breakfast sandwiches include the Pulled Pork & Egg and the Bacon & Egg.  I found the pulled pork to be the most flavourful due to the sweet and slightly tangy BBQ sauce.  The pork itself was tender and moist without being overly saucy.  As for the bacon & egg, I actually preferred it over the one with steak.  Without the steak, it allowed the bacon to be the star and it was so meaty and lean already.  The sandwich didn't need more meat.

Okay, let's get back to the regular programming and focus on what has made them successful - the Stackhouse Steak Sandwich.  With beef prices these days, it is amazing they can keep this sandwich at $15.00.  They didn't skimp with the flat-iron steak here it was also cooked to around medium-rare, keeping it juicy and tender.  With some fried onions for texture and aroma as well as a generous helping of chimichurri, we had some real brightness as well.  

For those who want a softer bread experience, they could opt for the Beef Dip Sandwich.  This particular sammie consisted of tender and juicy beef brisket with, melted cheese, horseradish and fried onions.  That in itself could be a tasty concoction already, but with a side of beef jus, it allowed for the bread to soften up and absorb more meatiness.  Loved the crispy onions and wished there were even more as it provided texture to the softness after the sandwich was dipped.

The most unique item on their menu has to be the Steak Tartare Open Sandwich. Yes, this would probably best eaten in-store or as quickly as possible since it is raw.  I gotta say this has to be better than some restaurants, let alone a sandwich shop.  Diced into manageable pieces, the beef was tender and buttery.  It was made with classic accompaniments such as dijon, crushed capers, red onion and parsley.  It also featured a jammy sous-vide egg yolk.  Delicious on the bread, but even better on the ripple chips.

Of course they also have options for non-beef eaters with the Chicken Dip Sandwich.  As you can clearly see, they didn't cheap out on the nicely seasoned and sliced chicken breast.  There was enough for every fulfilling bite.  It was tender and moist while topped with melted cheese, horseradish and chicken skin crackling (some parsley too).  Just like the beef dip, this made for a great sandwich without the chicken jus, but for those who wanted something softer and saucier, the mild jus did just that.

If one didn't want beef nor chicken, there is also a BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich available.  Rest assured, behind all that fresh and crunchy cabbage, there was a good amount of tender and fully-sauced pulled pork.  Just like in the breaky sandwich, the BBQ sauce was sweet and slightly tangy.  The pulled pork and cabbage provided the necessary moisture to soften the bread.  Onion chips provided the crunch beyond the crust of the bread too.

We had a few of their sides as well just like the other location, they are full-service restaurant quality.  Check out the Caesar Salad and the 2 anchovies on top.  I can tell you that not many quick-service restaurants offer such a quality salad like this.  On the same theme, the French Onion Soup was also legit with charred melted cheese on top with a piece of baguette underneath and a rich onion broth.  Unlike many other versions, it was not salty, just natural sweetness of the onions.

One last item on the menu is the Chips & Dip.  We didn't order that since we had chips with all of our sammies already.  But we really wanted the Truffle Aioli, so we got that separately.  Make sure you get a side of that as it is so creamy with just enough truffle.  The chips are naked without it.  Overall, I enjoyed the food at Stackhouse as they put effort into the product and it shows.  Things taste good and the textures are on point.  Prices are reasonable too.  Now they have breakfast sandwiches too!

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Beef is tender and cooked properly

- Legit sides

The Bad:

- It is probably a limitation of the kitchen, so the egg is microwaved.  It still eats well, but the shape is a bit odd.

Woomi Sushi

For the longest time, I never knew there was a food court in Royal Square Mall.  Now don't confuse this with Royal City Centre Mall on 6th Avenue.  This one is right on McBride and 8th Avenue.  From the outside, it looks like any other strip plaza mall where there is a big parking lot with stores facing it.  Therefore, it is hard to see that there is indeed a food court on the inside.  I've been there before, visiting IT Burger, but for this visit, it is to check out Woomi Sushi.  It has been visited by a few people on IG and it looked like a good value.

Even though we just returned from Japan, the kids went straight for the sashimi in the Chirashi Don as well as the Salmon & Tuna Don.  Yes, this was even more impressive in person than in the pictures.  The amount of well-portioned slices of fish were substantial and enough for all the chewy seasoned rice on the bottom.  We particularly enjoyed the buttery hamachi and no joke, the Atlantic salmon.  Temperature of the fish could've been colder as they were somewhat warm.

Viv wanted a bit more food than our lunch bentos, so we added the Salmon Salad.  By pictures alone, I don't have to convince you that the salad was overdressed.  I mean it did taste good with a spicy sweetness, but the greens were far too wet and lost most of its crunch.  We did find big slices of Atlantic salmon in there and in some sense, the amount of dressing did flavour the salmon.  However, maybe having the dressing on the side would be better, especially for takeout.

For myself, I had the Sushi & Sashimi Bento Box that included a green salad, spicy tuna roll and assorted tempura.  Both boxes also had miso soup on the side.  I thought the sashimi was bright and fresh with a nice sheen.  Tempura was quite crispy despite the batter being just a tad thick.  It wasn't greasy though and the items were cooked right.  Spicy tuna roll was mildly spicy with buttery pieces of tuna inside.

Viv ended up with the Teriyaki Beef Bento Box that also included assorted tempura, California roll and green salad.  At first, we found the beef to be salty from the teriyaki sauce, but when mixed with the veggies and rice, it was fine.  The beef was plentiful and tender.   Overall, we found Woomi Sushi to be a really good value.  Portions were rather generous and the overall quality of the food to be better than what you would expect out of a food court.

The Good:

- Well-priced

- Generous portions

- Nice people

The Bad:

- The salad should not be tossed, dressing on the side would be better for takeout

- Temperature of the sashimi could be just a tad cooler

TWK - The Lebanese Sandwich Spot

More often than not, when we are in need of quick eats, we default to the usual fast food joints.  For me, it is always Subway.  Say what you will about the place, but it does the job for me and I get some veggies to go with my sugar-loaded bread and salt-ladened deli meats...  Hmmm...  So maybe, it would be a better idea to find other options.  TWK Lebanese Sandwich Spot on Commercial Drive offers both 8" and 12" wraps that are competitively-priced compared to places like Subway.  In addition, if that doesn't satisfy you appetite, they also have fully-loaded platters for only $17.50.

Before we got to those wraps and platter, we tried their Falafel Pops.  These were deep-fried to order and came out uniformly crunchy on the outside.  Inside, the flavours really popped.  We got strong hits of earthiness, herbaceousness and just a hint of spice.  These were some of the most flavourful falafels I've ever had.  Adding some more nuttiness, the side of tahini offered up moisture too.  Good thing as texturally, the falafels were on the firmer side.

We continued with some more appetizers in the Fattoush Salad and 2 soups.  The salad was fresh with crisp greens, radish and peppers. It came with crispy pita chips and a sweet and tangy dressing.  As for the soups, I loved the Lentil Soup as it was herbaceous and earthy.  Really well-seasoned without being salty.  I liked how it was not overly thick, as some versions I've had are like paste.  The Tomato Soup was supremely fresh with mild-tasting and natural tomato flavours.  It was also earthy and slightly tangy.

We ended up with the Chicken Tawouk and Beef Shawarma Wraps, both in the 12" size.  I would say these would easily be enough food for one person as they were stuffed with plenty of meat.  For the chicken, it consisted of spiced and tender white meat with fries, pickles, coleslaw and garlic sauce.  Nice combination of tanginess, creaminess and earthy-spiced chicken.  For the beef, it had tender beef, parsley, tarator sauce and tomato.  This was bright due to the parsley and also the sauce as it was tangy and nutty.

Something a bit off the board, they also have 2 burgers available.  The first one was the Chicken Burger featuring evenly seared pieces of chicken breast.  The meat was not dry at all and had caramelized flavours.  Love the crispy fried cheese added to the mix.  As for the Beef, it was a pretty robust patty that had natural meatiness.  Combined with the crispy fries, grilled onions and pickles, there was plenty different textures and flavours to go around.

Essentially a deconstructed wrap, the Chicken Tawouk Platter featured grilled chicken, salad, pickles, hummus, fries and a grilled Lebanese bread.  I quite enjoyed eating it this way as the fries stayed crispier and dipping the crispy bread into the creamy hummus was satisfying.  The tender pieces of spiced chicken went really well with the flavourful yogurt dip while the salad featured some of the sweetest grape tomatoes I've ever had.

For dessert, they got Soft-Serve Ice Cream in the form of Rose Water with pistachio and Chocolate.  Really enjoyed the rose water as it wasn't as sweet as one would expect.  It was quite floral and of course nutty from the pistachios.  Chocolate was pretty standard, yet at the same time, wasn't too sweet either.  The soft-serve was decently creamy too.  We also had a Pistachio Cheesecake and it was rich and cheesy while also just sweet enough.  We downed some salty Yogurt Drink while eating our desserts and it was a good match.  Overall, there was some good eats at TWK and well-priced too for the quantity.  Would come back.

 

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

 

The Good:

- Generous portions

- Well-priced

- Menu is focused, but still has a little for everyone

 

The Bad:

- It is mainly a takeout spot, so don't expect a lot of seats

 

White Rock Burger Co.

For all the places that boast smashburgers, not many actually do it right.  Sure, they are indeed smashing a ball of ground beef with a cast iron burger press on a flattop.  However, only a few places create a maillard where we have that nuttiness and aromatics.  Furthermore, a smashburger isn't a smashburger if there aren't crispy edges.  That is why Between 2 Buns has been my goto place for a proper smashburger.  Yet, there maybe a serious contender with White Rock Burger Co.  We dropped by to check them out and their take-out window at the back of the Wooden Spoon.  They operate from 4:00pm on from Wednesday to Saturdays.   

To get a baseline of sorts, we ordered the Big Rock sporting 2 smashed patties, double American cheese, pickles, caramelized onions, lettuce and co. sauce on a potato bun.  Remember when I mentioned that smash patties should have crispy edges?  This had it in spades where the fully seared meat was also nutty and aromatic.  Nicely seasoned as well where the cheese was a bit crispy as well.  Having the sturdy potato bun helped keep things together without being too dense.

Fully-loaded and sporting 2 slices of crispy pepper jack cheese, we had the Fuego with double patties, pickled jalapeños, pickles, caramelized onions, shredded lettuce and chipotle mayo on a potato bun.  This was monstrous with the crispy and nutty cheese as well as the equally crispy beef patties.  Lots of tanginess and bite from the crispy fried jalapeños.  Extra spice was provided by the earthy chipotle mayo and extra crunch from the pickles.

Another large burger was The OG on brioche and stuffed with double patties, aged cheddar, thick cut bacon, crispy onion rings, shredded lettuce, dill pickles and co. sauce.  Since they used a brioche bun here, the bread was lighter and just slightly less sturdy. However, that allowed the crunchy breaded onion rings and crispy bacon to be the main textures.  They piled onto that with crispy cheese and of course, the seared edges of the smashed patties.

Going in a different direction, but also maintaining a crunch of some sort, we had the Spicy Southern Fried Chicken.  I found the chicken itself to be fairly moist with a uniformly crunchy coating.  It was definitely spicy and a touch sweet.  Those bread & butter pickles provided crunch and another layer of sweetness to cut the spice.  However, fried jalapeños provided more tang and spiciness as well.  This was also served on brioche and that is the proper bun for this in my opinion.

Last burger was the Cajun Chicken which featured a grilled chicken breast.  It was well-charred being smoky and a bit spicy from the Cajun rub.  I wouldn't have called it juicy, but the chicken breast was far from dry.  It was nicely complimented by the crispy thick-cut bacon and that tangy tomato jam.  Completing the burger was some melted cheddar, lettuce and co. sauce.  Once again, this was on a brioche bun which was soft and light. 

Naturally, we had to get some sides too!  Fries were crispy with some potatoness left.  Really enjoyed the Mac & Cheese as they used Cavatappi which held onto the cheesy sauce well.  Poutine was solid with a mild gravy and legit cheese curds.  Loved that their Onion Rings were breaded (my preference).  They were very crunchy where the onions didn't fall out.  Lastly, my favourite was the Dirty Fries as they were completely coated being spicy with the cooling of the mayo sauce.

We tried some of their Dips including the Garlic Aioli, Co. Sauce, Spicy Honey Mustard, Cool Ranch BBQ and Chipotle Mayo.  For me, the classic aioli was the best as it was creamy and had big roasted garlic flavours.  Chipotle mayo was great too with earthy, smoky and spicy vibes.  Honey mustard was great with the onion rings with its spicy sweetness.  I found the Cool Ranch BBQ to be tangy with some herbaceous notes.

For drinks, we had one each of the Sparkling Lemonade and the Strawberry Sparkling Lemonade.  Truly refreshing to wash down the big burgers with measured sweetness and some fizziness.  Overall, we were really impressed with the smash burgers at White Rock Burger Co.  They do their patties right with crispy edges and compliment them further with crispy cheese.  Great textures and accompaniments.  Will be back in a heartbeat.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Smashburgers done right

- Textures on point

- Large burgers

The Bad:

- Only takeout, so better have a place to eat it if you aren't going home

Fairmount Bagel

Continuing our frenetic quest to bring stuff home from our last day in Montreal, it brought us to Fairmount Bagel.  I've already had St. Viateur the last time I was in town, so I really wanted to see the other popular spot.  Naturally, there was a lineup to get in and of course, we proceeded to queue up.  If you are wondering about the parallel line next to it, that was for the gnocchi at Drogheria Fine (yes, we got some of that too).

But before we got the gnocchi, we were here for the bagels and instead of doing a plain as a baseline, I went for the Sesame.  Once toasted, it was pretty apparent that the bagels at Fairmount Bagel are completely different than those from St-Viateur.  The bagel from Fairmount was dense, but less dense and less chewy than St-Viateur.  They were a bit sweeter too.  I can't say which one I prefer more because they are both good in their own way.  

Their All-Dressed Bagel (or Everything) had a combination of sesame, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, onion and garlic.  Hence the name and also lives up to it too.  Beyond the texture from the seeds and aromatics, we had the slight saltiness of the bagel.  The onion and garlic provide pops of sweetness.  I did notice that the bagel was not as salty as St-Viateur though and could be eaten cold with less chew.

We got a couple of fruity bagels in the Blueberry as well as the Cinnamon & Raisin.  Since the bagels at Fairmount are sweeter compared to St-Viateur, the fruit portion of the bagel helped make it taste almost dessert-like, even without the cream cheese.  I didn't mind it as it was tasty while the less chewy texture made it less dense.  As said before, these didn't need to be toasted to eat.

Our last 2 bagels were colourful in the Raspberry Chocolate and the Rainbow Bozo.  For the raspberry, the bagel itself was only a bit sweeter than the rest while still sporting a fluffy chew.  For the huge rainbow, it was actually less dense due to its larger size.  It didn't taste remarkably different than the sesame bagel but was super filling.  Overall, we enjoyed the bagels at Fairmount.  They are different than St-Viateur, but I like them both.  One it sweeter and softer, while the other is saltier and chewier.

The Good:

- Not as dense and chewy as St-Viateur for those who like it that way

- Sweeter than St-Viateur for those who prefer it

- More unique options

The Bad:

- The reverse is true for the good if you prefer St-Viateur