i-Cafe Express (City Square)

For the longest time, i-Cafe resided upstairs on the Southwest corner of Broadway and Heather.  If you have been around for awhile, you will remember that location was Jukebox Johnny's in the 80's.  Now we find i-Cafe as a food court stall in City Square right beside Dumpling King.  They are now known as i-Cafe Express and I really do think this concept lowers the overhead with less staff and of course, less retail space.  They have most of their favourites on the menu while offering a slightly lower price point.  I was able to take out once and eat in another time for this blog post.  

On my first visit, I took home some of the Hong Kong-Style Cafe essentials including the veritable Baked Pork Chop Rice.  This was a decent portion consisting of the necessary fried rice base topped with a good amount of fried pork chop on top.  The pork was tender and meaty without too much fat.  The abundance of sauce was quite textbook being thick from the roux and exhibiting a balance of tanginess and sweetness.  This was a competent version of the dish.

Another classic dish that needs to be included is the Spaghetti Bolognese.  Depending on the version, it can get pretty close to the Italian dish.  This one here was certainly meaty and was the beneficiary of the sweetness from the onions.  Lots of depth and richness from the creaminess added to the sauce.  There was enough of it too that it coated all of the al dente spaghetti in the tin container.

So the Curry Beef Brisket may not be as vital as the previous 2 dishes when assessing a HK-Style Cafe, but it is a menu staple nonetheless.  This one was actually decently spicy with a good amount of earthy curry hit.  The coconut milk/cream provided plenty of creaminess and aromatics.  The beef itself was quite tender and so were the potatoes.  The side of rice was a generous portion.

On another visit, I actually sat down to eat and went with 2 dishes.  The first was the Laksa that was stuffed to the top of the plastic bowl with bouncy noodles and coconutty broth.  I wished it had more spice and brininess as it was aromatic but bland.  However, the plethora of components made up for it as I was eating for awhile to actually make a dent.  I liked the little details were there such as the soft-boiled egg (not cooked to oblivion).

I originally wasn't going to finish my second item in the Chow Kway Teow, but it was so good, i finished it too!  It was a good sized portion that was the beneficiary of solid wok hei.  Hence, there was smokiness and caramelization.  The noodles were nicely chewy while not clumping together.  Seasoning was adequate being a bit spicy, a bit earthy and plenty savoury.  They didn't skimp with the ingredients too.  Solid dish.  Overall, the food at i-Cafe was like it was before - solid and dependable.  I like the concept of them being in a food court as it lowers their operating costs and hence, the prices are reasonable.

The Good:

- Dependable decent HK-Style cuisine

- Reasonable pricing

- Decent portion size

The Bad:

- Well, being in a food court, you lose the restaurant experience, but you would find something like this at Aberdeen Centre as well

- The Laksa could be more flavourful

Lucia on Main

Awhile back, I was getting my hair cut at my hairdresser when I looked across the street to see that Smitty's had closed.  A few more visits to my hairdresser and I noticed that it was being replaced by an Italian restaurant called Lucia.  Taking a closer look at what it is all about, the place seeks to be unpretentious and welcoming while Chef Zach Steele combines traditional Italian with Westcoast influences.  This sounded like the place to go when the hockey crew wanted to meet up for a Monday dinner.

For a Monday, the place was hopping and was definitely inviting and we never felt pressured to rush through our dinner.  We decided to do our meal "alla famiglia" with a selection of dishes including the Sourdough Focaccia with a delicious butter.  Honestly, we weren't paying attention to what the creamy butter was, but it was fantastic on the appealingly chewy bread with a beautiful crust.

We really enjoyed the Polenta Fritters as they were a whole lot lighter than most other versions I've had.  Encased in seasoned bread crumbs, the polenta was creamy and well-seasoned without being dense.  They were crunchy on the outside and topped with grana padano.  Underneath, we found a tasty pesto aioli that was creamy and well-blended.  Hence, we got nuttiness as well as herbaceousness.

Probably the most popular appie we had was the Calabrian Cheese Dip served with house-made flat bread.  Honestly, we could've put this dip on shoe leather and it would've tasted good.  It was creamy, appealingly salty and cheesy.  However, it was not merely one note as we could pick out the tangy nuttiness of the manchego.  The fluffy bread was the perfect match for this dip.  But again, we put that on other things at the table too!

We decided to order a couple of pizzas including the Capicola and the Wild Mushrooms.  As you can see, the pizzas weren't exactly traditional Neapolitan, but it worked for us just fine.  It was thin, uniformly crispy and had a shattering crunchiness.  I enjoyed the properly salted dough as well as the chewiness of the crust.  With a combination of spicy capicola, roasted peppers and confit garlic, there was not absence of impact.  As for the mushrooms, it was more subtle but still there was plenty of woodsiness and earthy truffle.  I enjoyed the simplicity of this pizza more.

Moving onto the pastas, we tried all of them starting with the Fregola Sarda.  The sweet pops from the charred corn was a nice counterbalance to the salty pancetta. There was rich cheesiness provided by the ricotta salata as well as from the cheese on top.  The little fregola pasta was delicate but still had texture.  Not to be forgotten, the charred zucchini was tender but not mushy.  It had some natural sweetness with a bit of bitterness from the skin.

The best pasta according to everyone hands down was the Spinach & Mascarpone Tortelli.  These precious little pockets contained a considerable amount of filling which was creamy but not runny.  The pasta itself was thin and still fairly al dente (especially for a fresh pasta).  This was all tossed in brown butter, which was nutty and seasoned just enough.  Adding some cheesy saltiness, we had some grana padano on top.

We had some differing opinions about the Lumache with Italian sausage in a vodka sauce.  Some thought it was salty while others thought it was fine.  For me, there were pockets of saltiness, especially from the sausage, but not enough to be "too salty".  The pasta itself was tender and just a bit past al dente.  I loved the vodka sauce as it was creamy with a mild tanginess.

Other than the tortelli, the Bucatini Bolognese was also really good.  Featuring fresh bucatini, there was a more gentle texture than the dry version.  It was tossed in a hearty bolognese that was rich and meaty with a background creaminess.  It was plenty savoury with a balancing sweetness as well.  The generous amount of grana padano provided plenty of nuttiness.  I would come back for this dish alone.

We only ordered one meat dish in the Squid that was grilled and served with salmoriglio.  The exterior of the squid was quite nice being nicely charred and appealingly chewy.  However, the inside was rather soft and mushy.  It would've been better that they butterflied the squid and grilled it for a more uniformed preparation.  As for the salmoriglio, it was a nice compliment to the squid being tangy and bright.

For good measure, we added some sides including the Broccolini and the Potatoes.  We really enjoyed the perfectly prepared broccolini as it was crunchy but cooked all the way through.  Nice char that offered smokiness and caramelization.  We didn't enjoy the potatoes that much as they were not crispy and quite dry.  As much as there was plenty of cheese and herbs on top, it didn't season the potaotoes effectively.  Overall, our meal at Lucia was good and we thought the pricing was completely reasonable.  Service was great and we never felt rushed.  Would come back.

The Good:

- Generally tasty food

- Reasonable prices

- Nice vibe

The Bad:

- Those potatoes were not very good

- I didn't think so, but many at the table thought some things were salty 

Bar Corso

A year ago, I had a fantastic meal at Bar Corso that featured small share plates that were well-prepared and relatively reasonably-priced.  We had sat outside on the streetside patio enjoying the nice weather, while people-watching and having good conversations.  I had planned to come back but things were rather busy in the past year for me, so it got lost in the shuffle.  Ironically, Jackie and I were invited to try their Tasting Menu where I was able to return and do something different.  

For $65.00, we were served 5 courses starting with some antipasti in form of Sottacetti featuring various pickles.  These were crunchy and tangy with the celery being our favourite.  The beets were good too.  The side of Focaccia Bread was a bit too dense for our liking though.  In the past, I've only had Bagna Cauda as a dip with crudités, but this version, the radishes were already tossed in the anchovy, garlic and olive oil dip.  It was tasty with a briny creaminess that complimented the fresh and crunchy radishes.  Crunchy garlic chips on top added extra aroma.

The anitpasti didn't stop there as we had 2 more items including the Albacore Tuna Crudo and the Marinated Zucchini.  We found the crudo to be fresh and bright.  I personally would've loved more acidity, but it was sufficient in this case.  The spiced tomato gel added a muted kick that was needed.  Crunch from the puffed risotto was the textural contrast that was the cherry on top.  As for the zucchini, the tender ribbons were fresh. The aromatics of the saffron dressing was in the background while the stringiness of the stracciatella added creaminess.  Some light crunch was provided by the fried zucchini blossoms on top.

Onto the Primo course, we were served the Escarole.  This consisted of sautéed Bitter Farm greens that was nicely tempered by a roasted peach and burrata sauce.  The sweetness of the peach (elevated by being roasted) and the creaminess of the cheese was the prominent flavour profile of the dish.  There was some crunch from the escarole while the pine nuts provided a different crunch to the dish.  Lastly, some black olive added some briny saltiness.

 

Our favourite course happened to be the Agnolotti filled with taleggio.  I found the pasta to be just the right thickness where it held everything together but was still delicate with an al dente chew.  What really made this dish was the toasted kelp and marsala buerre blanc.  With just a hint of sweetness to go with the nutty and umaminess of the kelp, the sauce was rather addictive.  It wasn't too heavy despite the butter, so we could eat lots of this.  Too bad it wasn't a big portion.

 

After a considerable wait (but was forgivable since it was a Friday night), we were served the Galantina.  This consisted of a roasted guinea fowl ballotine topped with turnip greens, shaved black truffle.  It sat atop caramelized turnip puree with preserved lemon and pistachio.  The ballotine itself was a touch dense, but the meat was still juicy.  Loved the combination of flavours as we had earthy, salty, nutty and bitterness.  This helped add some literal meat to a mostly vegetable-forward menu.

 

At the end, we were served the Semifreddo asll'Olio d'Oliva.  Really enjoyed this as the semifreddo was exactly that, semi-frozen.  Hence it had a soft texture, but not melted.  A bit creamy and just sweet enough.  The sea buckthorne glaze was tangy and provided a contrast to the sweetness.  Overall, we thought the food at Bar Corso was thoughtful and carefully-prepared.  It was as good as I had remembered and the pricing for the tasting menu is reasonable.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Classy food

- Well-prepared

- Tasting menu is well-priced

The Bad:

- Being a veggie-forward menu, it may not be that filling for bigger appetites

Stackhouse Steak Sandwich

One of the most convenient quick take-out lunches (or dinner) is the classic sandwich.  Even though they have been on the downturn as of late, Subway has been the go to spot for decades if someone wanted a sandwich.  However, with prices creeping up, there are other options and that would also be one of the contributing factors into Subway's struggles.  Consider the new Stackhouse Steak Sandwich on Davie offers up their signature Steak Sandwich for only $12.00, you can see why people are not flocking to Subway as they did before.  We dropped by Stackhouse to try their wares recently.

Before we got to the sandwiches, we had some of their accompaniments including the surprisingly delicious French Onion Soup.  For a sandwich shop, this was a pretty solid soup with the sweetness of slow-cooked onions coming through.  Unlike many other versions, this was not overloaded with salt either.  This was topped with the usual toasted baguette as well as a slice of gruyere.  With all of the usual components, this was a classic French onion soup!  Even the Caesar Salad was elevated with house-made dressing and anchovies on top.  That added the salty fishiness that was noticeable and provided impact to the salad.

The Stackhouse Steak Sandwich is their signature menu item.  It features medium-thick slices of medium-rare flat iron with a chimichurri sauce and crispy onions.  This was a really good sandwich!  The beef was tender but still had a natural texture while the sauce was bright and tangy which kept things light.  Loved the crispy onions as they added aroma and more texture.  The bread itself had a crusty exterior with a soft and almost fluffy interior.  Really good value at only $12.00.

Something a bit more fancy, the Steak Tartare Open Sandwich was also well-priced at $12.00.  It featured a considerable amount of fresh beef that was tender with a slight chew.  It was dressed with the usual components such as dijon, cornichons, capers, parsley and red onion.  A sous-vide egg yolk topped the whole thing.  When mixed together, we had a silky custardy texture from the egg yolk.  The sturdy bread was a good compliment to the tartare but secretly, I liked putting it on top of the chips! 

Yes, the previous 2 sandwiches were good, but it was all about the French Dip for me.  This featured the same sliced flat iron with Swiss cheese, horseradish cream and fried onion chips.  I really enjoyed the horseradish as it a slight bite, but the biggest thing was the aromatic creaminess it provided.  The au jus on the side was flavourful without being salty.  When dipped into the au jus, the bread soaked it up well without going completely soggy.  It added the last bit of flavour that put this sandwich over the top.

They also had a featured sandwich which was the Pulled Pork.  There was no shortage of fully sauced and tender pulled pork.  It was on the sweeter side, but I appreciated the impactful flavours.  Sometimes, people forget that the bread is pretty neutral-tasting and the filling needs to compensate for that.  That it did and it was delicious with each bite.  There was some crispy onions for crunch while a bit of slaw provided a creaminess to the sandwich.

Dessert came in the form of a jarred Cheesecake with strawberry topping.  I found the no-bake cheesecake pretty creamy as there was whipped cream mixed with the cream cheese.  Possibly too much whipped cream as it took away from the cream cheese.  It was lightly sweet, but the strawberries on top were quite sweet.  I really enjoyed the crispy crumbs on the bottom.  Added so much texture to the dessert.  Overall, I was pretty impressed with Stackhouse since their stuff is pretty good quality but their prices are low (especially for Downtown).  I would totally come back, especially for the beef dip!

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

The Good:

- Quality ingredients

- Reasonable prices

- Surprisingly elevated food

The Bad:

- Limited seating, but it is a sandwich shop

- Cheesecake could use less whipped cream

Lobsterfest @ Vancouver Fish Company

We all like a deal right?  Especially in this economy, more people are being very discreet with their spending.  Hence, for restaurants that usually serve more elevated cuisine, something has to stand out in order to attract potential customers.  Enter the classic 3-course meal that comes complete with an appetizer, main and dessert for one comprehensive price.  This is the case at the Vancouver Fish Company on Granville Island.  For a limited time, they have their Lobsterfest menu for $65.00 until October 31st.

As a bonus, even before the actual 3-course meal began, we were served an Amuse Bouche.  It consisted of a Honey Walnut Prawn with togarashi.  This recipe has been around since Chef and Managing Co-Owner Stephen Duyzer has been at the helm.  It featured a large lightly-battered and fried prawn that was glazed in honey mayo.  We found roasted walnuts, sesame and some togarashi.  Hence we had sweet nuttiness with just a smidge of spice.  Delicious bite to start.

Our first actual course was the Seafood Chowder with fresh seafood & clams, bacon, thyme and cream.  Compared to other cream chowders, this one was fairly light.  Not a bad thing as it was easy to eat and did not bog us down for the next course.  It was also mild in flavour as it wasn't salty.  I did get a bit of the bacon though and there was a good amount of fish.  It could've used a bit more clams to increase the brininess.

Now onto the main event, the 1lb Whole Nova Scotia Lobster!  Eye-balling it, I found it to be bigger than 1lb and Jackie's was even larger.  I would estimate mine as around 1.1lbs and the other closer to 1.4lbs.  It sat atop garlic roast potatoes and broccolini.  Things were cooked right with the lobster being bouncy and sweet while the broccolini having a crunch.  Instead of clarified butter, we found herb beurre blanc.  This was great as it provided more flavour than plain butter.

For dessert, we were served 2 of the available options (depending on the night).  First was the Berry Crumble and the second was a Tiramisu.  I thought the berries could've used a bit more starch to thicken the moisture, but it did taste great being just sweet enough and natural tasting.  The crumble on top was crunchy while the ice cream was creamy and not icy.  As for the tiramisu, it was an airy version with creamy marscapone and lightly-kissed lady-fingers.  It was not heavy and easy on the sugar.  It could've used a bit more espresso though.  Overall, the meal was solid and a good deal at $65.00, especially given the awesome location on Granville Island.

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

The Good:
- Solid deal with all things considered
- Lobster is bigger than one pound
- Great location

The Bad:
- Chowder could've used a bit more clam

Published on Main

Here I am at Published on Main once again.  This is one of my favourite restaurants in Vancouver that include AnnaLena, Elem, Elisa, June and L'Abattoir.  Back in 2022, Published was bestowed the honour of being #1 on the list of Canada's 100 Best Restaurants.  I wholeheartedly agreed with that sentiment given that their OG menu items were on point and beautifully-plated.  For the next 2 years (2023 and 2024), Mon Lapin in Montreal was awarded #1.  I actually visited Mon Lapin in 2023 and despite being delicious, I wasn't sure if it was truly #1.  In 2025, it is now Pearl Morissette in the Niagara region being touted at #1.  Spoiler alert, I made my way out to their converted barn situated on a farm restaurant in June.  That will be posted soon.  For now, this is just my latest visit to Published, which currently sits #9 on the list.

So we started with one of our favs in the Chips & Dip.  This menu staple was missing from the menu the last time we were here since they could not source the right potatoes.  Good call because if it isn't up to specifications, take it off the menu!  With this version, I found the chips to be a bit thinner and lighter than before.  No matter, still really tasty potato chips (which were salted just right).  As for the smoked fish dip, it was creamy, chunky and full of smokiness and dill.  A seemingly simple item, but a must order.

We had the refreshing Dungeness Crab next with a cute crab on top.  The delicate crab sat atop some preserved tomatillo and was surrounded by cornichons, green olives, sungold tomatoes and sea asparagus with some fennel fronds.  All of this was finished off with a clarified gazpacho.  Lots of natural tomato flavour and brightness in this dish.  More tomato came in the form of Pan con Tomate on the side.  The bread was crunchy and a bit smoky while the tomato was bright, fresh and full-flavoured.

We them moved onto an OG menu item that has been there from the beginning - the Aebleskiver.  These pancake balls are unassuming but utterly delicious.  A bit crispy on the outside and plenty soft and pancakey inside, these were filled with stewed herbs. Full of aromatics and umami, these were tasty by themselves but ultimately, the herb emulsion completed the dish.  It was creamy and subtle, giving some much needed moisture to the Aebleskivers.

Just like the chips & dip, another must-order for me is the Kentucky Fried Maitake.  At first glance, one might assume these fried mushrooms are heavy and dense.  That would be completely wrong as these were lightly crispy and almost light as a feather.  The coating was beautifully seasoned with enough salt, pepper and spices.  However, the garlic scape ranch on the side was not just for show, it was creamy and bright with a slight sharpness.

Of course we need to get some veggies into this meal and we did with the Badger Flame Beets with golden beets.  Visually-appealing, the beets were sweet and a bit earthy while sitting on a tasty paste comprised of lemongrass, black vinegar and miso.  That really gave the dish a kick in the pants with sweet tang, brightness and rich fermented saltiness.  The whole thing was topped with shiso and sunflower seeds for extra herbaceous hits and texture.

We continued the vegetable theme with the Hispi Cabbage.  At first, the dish didn't look all that exciting, but we shouldn't judge a book by its cover right?  Well, the cabbage was excellent being firm, but cooked through and charred while dressed in a hazelnut mole and sat atop mucho macha salsa.  If you can imagine, this was a flavour bomb of nuttiness, earthiness, sweetness, bitterness and a touch of spice.  To finish the dish, we found some pickled onions and serranos which added crunch, mild heat and more tanginess.

The veggies didn't stop there as we also go the Summer Squash.  The slices raw zucchini were neatly arranged atop a tabbouleh salad.  Mixed within it, we found roasted squash and pickled patty pan squash and herbs. It was dressed in mega miso which was of course, full of rich fermented umaminess.  The delicate texture of the squash was still noticeable amongst the other ingredients while the raw zucchini on top (with lemon dressing) provided a bright bitterness.

I long for the days when the scallops with apple was on the menu, but the Roasted Scallop with sweet corn, 'nduja and lobster mushrooms sounded quite good.  In fact, it was excellent.  The scallops were seared beautifully with the centre still rare.  Hence it was naturally sweet with the extra caramelization on the external surfaces.  With enough savoury elements and a touch of spice from the 'nduja, the sweet corn was able to compliment the already sweet scallops in a balanced manner.

One dish that I was indifferent about was the English Pea Tortelli.  This really tasted how it appeared.  It was very green with the lovage being dominant in the pistou.  I'm sure that was intentional, but for me, I didn't get much of the peas. The pasta itself was firm and al dente, but it was a bit thick in my opinion.  Hence, it was dense and not delicate.  I did like the pickled ramps as it helped deviate from all of the green flavours.  Some added crunch on top was appreciated.

Moving along to the meat portion of the meal, we had the Sticky Pork Ribs.  These were fall-off-the-bone tender while retaining a meat texture.  It was glazed with a pickled fermented fig BBQ sauce which was money.  It was sweet, tangy and had a little something something.  On the side, we found a summer beans and sungold tomatoes dressed in a Maggi dressing.  I believe I've had this dressing summer beans last year and it was great!  Nicely emulsified, the dressing was creamy and full of umami and saltiness.

In addition to the ribs, we added the Summer BBQ Beef for good measure.  The tender slices of beef were meaty and quite lean.  It was slathered with a lacto paprika BBQ sauce which was savoury more than sweet with some tanginess and definite paprika vibes.  Underneath, there was some cheesy semolina grits where it was surrounded by spicy and crunchy brassicas in a calabrian garlic sauce.

Of course we had to get dessert right?  We went for the classic (from day one) Hay featuring aerated hay custard.  That light and barely there custard was mildly sweet and nutty.  It was complimented by the green apple granita as it provided that burst of tangy sweetness as well as a hit of cold.  The floral nature of the chamomile was also present.  Beyond the pretty flower petals, we had some crispy meringue to add some needed texture.

  

So our second dessert happened to be the newest dessert in the Elderflower featuring a rose curd on the bottom with an elderflower mousse and a yogurt sorbet with honey lemon verbena.  This was an appealing mix of floral, tangy and sweet with contrasting textures between the creamy curd and light mousse and firm top.  As per usual, when they bring you the bill, it includes some final bites in housemade jellies and caramels.  Once again, it was a fantastic meal at Published on Main.  It truly earns its place in the top 10 of Canada's 100 Best Restaurants and I personally believe they should stay there.  However, I still reminisce about the OG menu where they got to the top of the list.  Maybe one day they will get there again.

The Good:

- Solid meal with some surprising flavours

- The classic dishes kept on the menu are excellent

- Just enough service that it isn't obtrusive

The Bad:

- I did enjoy the meat dishes, but they do not hit the highs of the ones I've had in the past