404 Coffee Lab

If you have been following any form of social media, you might remember the long lines at 404 Coffee when they initially opened.  Located in a small enclave within the recently shuttered Ramen One, 404 Coffee specializes in Asian-inspired coffee and desserts.  They have a walk-up take out window facing busy Broadway just across the street from the Canada Line station.  Now they are expanding into the space vacated by Ramen One and offering a small dine-in menu.  Jackie and I dropped by to check it out.

Of course the first order of business was to sample their Matcha Lovers Menu with the Dirty Matcha Cream Latte, Mango Matcha Latte, Strawberry Matcha Cream Latte and Yuzu Matcha Cream Latte.  I found all of them creamy and smooth with the slight bitterness of matcha.  With the addition of fruit, it lightened things up and added sweetness.  My favourite was the mango as it was tropical-tasting while balanced by the matcha.  However, the best of the bunch was the Dirty Matcha as it added rich coffee to the mix.  Hence it was full-bodied, aromatic, nutty and creamy.   On the end, this was the Einspanner Latte, which was also rich and creamy.  Lots of coffee impact, but not bitter.  Rather, it went down smooth with balancing sweetness.

On their food menu, they have a $6.00 Breakfast Special where you can choose from 6 different "snacks" and from 7 drinks.  For the one pictured, it was a Mentaiko Onigiri with an Iced Americano.   The onigiri had nicely textured rice and plenty of mentaiko mayo for flavour and moisture.  We also tried the Karaage Sando (for $2.00 more) and it was quite good.  There was more than enough juicy seasoned chicken within the soft hot dog bun while dressed with terimayo and nori.  For $1.00 more, you could have a latte or cappuccino rather than the basic coffee.

Sure, they have specialty coffees and some snacks, but interestingly, they also have bigger dishes as well.  These included Rustic Smoked Duck and Street-Style Takoyaki with tomato pasta.  These dishes were served in large portions and I especially enjoyed the duck.  There was an abundance of moist slices of smoked duck atop perfectly al dente pasta.  The tomato sauce was unique as it had some umaminess to go with the slight tang and sweetness.  However, there was something really savoury about it.  As for the Street-Style Takoyaki, it was the same pasta but with some fried squid dressed in unagi sauce and kewpie mayo.

Also available on the menu, we found a selection of Japanese curry.  We ended up choosing the Tempura Curry featuring 3 large ebi tempura.  All mains came with a side salad.  This was rather surprising as I wouldn't have expected such a solid curry at this spot.  It had a nice viscosity and was full of earthiness, sweetness and umaminess.  The rice was dry enough to accept the curry beautifully.  The 3 ebi tempura were crispy with a buttery piece of shrimp inside.

Of course we had some dessert too with Coffee Parfait, Once in a Blue Moon and Caramel Mocha Affogato.  At the core of each dessert was the creamy and rich soft-serve.  It was on the sweeter side, but the natural milk flavour did come through.  I particularly enjoyed the simplicity of the blueberry sundae where there was a ridiculous amount of soft-serve with crunchy blueberries and blueberry sauce.  The affogato was also awesome where their aromatic and strong coffee blended well with the milky soft-serve.  Loved that there was much more soft-serve than coffee, as it remained very much an ice cream with just coffee flavour, rather than turning into a melted mess.  The coffee parfait was on the sweeter side due to the layers of coffee jelly, espresso cake, chocolate sauce and cereal.  Definitely lots of rich coffee flavour while having the same creaminess of the soft-serve.  These desserts are something that I would definitely come back for, but the drinks are even better as they are rich and flavourful.  I wouldn't sleep on the food either as the plates were large and also appealing.  Nice use of the old Ramen One spot!

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

The Good:

- Drinks are seriously good

- Soft-serve is creamy and milky

- Food is decent too

The Bad:

- Due to the setup of Ramen One, the seating is a bit awkward for more than 2 people

Mr. Bowl

We've all seen our share of hidden restaurants in the city including ones in alleys, interior walkways and even ones that don't have actual signage.  Now here is another that is found near UBC.  You would never know it was there unless you were actually in the know or were looking for it.  Once inside, the place is quite large and spacious, especially for a restaurant near a University.  Mr. Bowl, as the name implies serves up rice and noodle bowls with a variety of components. In addition, the menu is a collection of small snacks and larger Northern Chinese, Szechuan and Taiwanese dishes.

We began with the smaller items including the Fried Chicken Wings and the Fried Pork Cutlet.  Nice touch with them being served on a wire rack as it kept things crispy.  The wings were golden brown with crispy well-rendered skin.  The meat was nicely brined being juicy and well-seasoned.  As for the cutlet, it was crunchy despite sitting for a bit (while we took photos).  The pork was moist and tender.  It was served with a tangy sauce that was akin to BBQ sauce.

We had a few more small dishes in the Braised Wheat Gluten and Braised Pork Trotters.  The wheat gluten was more or less pretty standard where they were rehydrated and then braised in a sweet sauce.  Each piece was tender and fully soaked.  As for the pork trotters, they were also tender, but still had bite.  The skin beautifully gelatinized and flavourful from the braise.  The meat was also tender.

We also ordered a small bowl of Hot & Sour Soup.  Although served in the size of a rice bowl, the soup was packed with ingredients.  There was more of that than the actual soup!  The usual bamboo shoots, carrots, tofu, wood ear, pork and egg drop were all there providing texture.  The soup itself was balanced with a good spice level.  To go with our dishes, we had the Scallion Noodles and the Soup Noodles as well.  I would say that both of them weren't particularly flavourful, but again, we were pairing it with the dishes that did have plenty of flavour.  The noodles were al dente with a nice chewiness, especially the scallion noodles.

Onto the biggest item we had, the Pickled Fish Soup was massive where the slices of snakehead fish seemed endless.  They were cooked perfectly being buttery and soft with a slight bite.  The broth itself was pleasantly tangy with a touch of sweetness and spice.  In addition to the mustard greens, we also found some bean curd strips and luncheon meat (aka Spam).  Normally, I don't really drink the soup because it can be salty, but this was quite nice.

 

Another large dish was the Tomato Braised Beef Brisket with Chinese Fried Dough Stick.  We added another dough stick for good measure!  It was a good idea because the dough stick (Yau Tiao) was excellent.  Light and fluffy inside with just the right amount of chew while the outside was crispy and not overly greasy.  It was also perfectly salted.  As for the stew, it was tomatoey but in a sweet way where the sauce was relatively thick.  The beef was fatty and tender.

 

We ended up ordering the Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs and these were quite good except it was on the greasier side.  Despite that, the meaty rib pieces were tender with minimal fatty portions.  The ribs seemed to be stewed before they were deep fried and then wok-tossed in sauce.  Hence, it would explain the fall-apart texture.  On that note, the ribs had an inherent flavour already that was complimented by the sweet and sour sauce that had the unmistakable taste of black vinegar.

 

As much as it didn't look overly impressive at first glance, the 3-Cup Chicken was rather delicious.  It was aromatic, tangy and sweet.  The dark meat was moist and juicy.  There was enough wok hei for caramelization as well.  Deceptive in size, the Cumin Beef Fried Rice didn't look like a lot in its modest-sized bowl.  However, there was actually lots of perfectly wok fried rice.  Each chewy and nutty grain was discernible with aromatics from the caramelization and earthy cumin.  This was one of my favourite dishes!  In fact, the food here at Mr. Bowl was super surprising.  We thought they were merely a place for rice and noodle bowls (like Dragon Bowl), but they are much more than that.  It is a full-blown restaurant dishing up classic dishes that are both well-portioned and well-executed.

 

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

 

The Good:

- On point food

- Large portions

- Reasonably-priced

 

The Bad:

- Location is not obvious, hope the word spreads

- Drinks are so-so 

June on Cambie

If you haven't already heard, we have a new "hot"
restaurant on Cambie Street, where Biercraft used to be located and just steps away from Elio Volpe.  June, named after Head Chef Connor Sperling's wife, is Brasserie-inspired with French-influenced West Coast cuisine.  If Chef Sperling sounds familiar, he had been honing his craft at Published the last 5+ years.  The restaurant itself boasts a prominent bar that helps compliment late night bites until midnight.  Moreover, you can keep the experience alive by heading downstairs to the cocktail bar.

On the topic of cocktails, we started with 2 light and fruity concoctions.  These included the Blue Fizz and the Chamberyzette.  Super light and with a noticeable banana finish, the Blue Fizz was also fruity and went down far too easy.  On that note, the Chamberyzette was even more dangerous with the sour strawberry cordial affording fruity and sweet vibes that blended well with the sweetness of the vermouth.

Onto the food, we began with the Scallops, which were beautifully seared with intense caramelization accentuating the sweet brininess of the plump mollusk.  Beyond being properly seasoned with salt, the natural taste of the scallop was complimented by the citrus butter sauce.  It had a balanced amount of acidity to brighten things up while having the luscious creamy nuttiness of the butter.

Although the Crab dip was listed in the small dish section of the main menu, it was not small at all.  Underneath the chives and aioli, there was a wealth of lump crab meat that was beautifully-prepared.  Each piece of crab was fluffy and had a strong briny essence and flavour.  Those spiced madeleines were fluffy and sweet.  Personally, I would've liked something crunchier, but then again, there was nothing wrong with the madeleines.  I could've just eaten them by themselves!

Loved the plating of the Pepper Bluefin as it was super colourful with no negative space.  The tuna itself was just lightly kissed on one side with crusted black pepper while being rare throughout.  It was buttery as expected with an unmistakable sweetness.  At first, I thought the pepper would be overwhelming, but in reality, I barely knew it was there other than a bit of a bite at the end.  It sat in a piquillo escabèche which was sweet and tangy with only the slightest hint of heat.  Really nice compliment to the bluefin without being too powerful.

One of the more surprising dishes was the Frog Legs.  Now, I've had my share of frog legs before, so it wasn't surprising because of the ingredient.  It was the level of execution that exceeded my expectations.  The legs were gigantic and plump where the texture was juicy and fork tender.  On the outside, it was perfectly-glazed with espellette and B.C. honey offering up both spice and sweetness.  On the side we found a lime mignonette that provided that acidic kick to bring the flavours alive.  Best frog legs I've ever had!

We did have one featured off-menu item in the Spot Prawns in Fresno sauce with Meyer lemon and butter.  These split head-on prawns were cooked just enough so that the meat was still tender and delicate.  The prawns were naturally sweet and despite the impactful sauce, it didn't overshadow the main ingredient.  With that being said, it was nice to have a more robust flavour with spice, sweetness and tang.  We really needed something to soak up all the goodness.

 

That we did with the June Brioche with Beurre d'Isigny from Normandy.  I really should have used the bread as a blank canvas for the various sauces from the dishes at the table.  However, it would also be a waste that we didn't use up all the creamy butter either.  So I just slathered all that I could onto each piece of the fluffy bread.  So aromatic and nutty with a strong butter essence.  I also loved the crispiness of the bread's exterior.

Normally, I'm not super excited about having a salad, but the Salade Maison featured beautiful butter lettuce specifically grown for June.  It was dressed in a tangy dijon vinaigrette that also had balancing sweetness.  For my second cocktail, I decided on something stronger in the Noisette Manhattan.  I'm not connoisseur with this drink, but I did have one a few weeks ago at another restaurant and this was better.  The whiskey went down real easy while still being impactful with some dark wood notes with a touch of sweetness. 

One of our favourite dishes (amongst many favourites), the Mussels were large, plump and perfectly-prepared.  These came with a fino sherry cream sauce.  It was not a heavy as it looked while still being full-bodied and flavourful.  Mildly-seasoned, the sauce was earthy while lightly sweet with a touch of spice from the chilis.  There was an extra serving of sauce on the side so we could fill each shell or dip our bread into.

The real showstopper dish was Pasta for Rachel featuring a whole sheet of ravoili.  Rachel is Chef Sperling's wife (her English name) and yes, he made this pasta for her.  These were filled with potato and comté cheese where it was bordering on salty but just riding that fine line.  That meant these raviolis were flavourful on its own while the firmly al dente pasta was also properly seasoned.  In addition to the black pepper on top, the dish was finished off by a generous dollop of Beurre d'Isigny.

After the pasta, we didn't think there would be anything to equal its deliciousness.  However, the June Burger did just that.  First, we had a beautifully buttered brioche bun.  It softly hugged all of the components and provided the perfect encapsulation of the juicy meaty patty.  It was topped off by rich and nutty gruyère, sweet caramelized onions and what I think was braised beef.  The added jus made this even more meaty-tasting and super moist.  Oh, and the mustard provided just enough tang to break up the heaviness a touch.  One of the best burgers I've had period.

Of course we had to get the Fries to go with the burger right?  This large portion consisted of long strands of perfectly crispy potatoes.  They were pretty crunchy overall and well-salted, so there wasn't much creamy potato texture inside.  I didn't mind that as I dunked them into the dips (mustard extraordinaire, and house mayo).  We had one more drink to go with our desserts in the Coffee Cocktail with orange liqueur.   Not sure what the actual name of this drink was because we couldn't find it on the menu.  But it was rich with plenty of coffee bitterness to go with the aromatic sweetness of the liqueur.  This went well with the next item...

Yes, the coffee cocktail paired beautifully with the Chocolate mousse cake with crème Anglais. This was balanced in terms of sweetness while having plenty of chocolate impact.  The mousse was light and creamy while wrapped in hazelnut ganache and benefitted from the nuttiness of Frangelico.  The extra layer of crunch provided textural contrast.  Lastly, we sampled their Soft Serve du Jour which was rhubarb and creamsicle.  Nicely light and refreshing, the flavours were apparent with a balance between sweetness and tanginess.  The addition of fermented orange afforded some salty citrusy notes.  Complimentary texture came in the form of crispy spruce tip meringues.  All I have to say is "Wow".  This meal was so delicious where I was wanting to do it all again the next day.  Another great addition to the Vancouver restaurant scene and I'm thinking this will have the potential of a Michelin-Star and being on Canada's Top 100 Restaurants real soon.

 

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

 

The Good:

- Perfect execution with the proteins

- Not lacking flavour

- Great vibe

 

The Bad:

- Some items were bordering on salty.  I personally didn't mind it, but others might. 

 

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

Plaza Premium Lounge (US Departures)

So back in December, we made the trek out to the Bay Area to visit relatives.  We ended up visiting the Plaza Premium Lounge in the US Departures terminal at YVR.  Being the holiday season, I could understand the increase in passengers at the airport and thus, more people visiting the lounge.  That was the case for us as we struggled to find seats in the relatively tightly-packed room.  We did end up getting a table near the end though, but even with that, there was not a lot of space for our carry-on luggage.

There was a selection of included alcoholic beverages but if you wanted something fancier, it was as surcharge.  Near the bar, we found some breads during breakfast and it changed to soups when it was lunch service.  They were not able to keep them filled though as one of them remained empty until we had left.  There was a hot and cold drinks station near the washrooms and they struggled to keep cups stocked for the soft-drinks.  I was not able to get a proper cup for soft drinks during the entire time there.  I had to resort to using coffee cups instead.

Next to the drinks, we found a refrigerated section that had some juices, iced tea, cold water and an array of salads, yogurt and mini-cakes. On top, there was an assortment of bundt cakes as well.  This section was fairly well-stocked and the salads were not bad.  I thought the quinoa was the best of the bunch.  The best way to describe the cakes was that they were serviceable.  Once again, we had no cups for the duration of our stay for the juices and water.

When we arrived, it was still breakfast service with a modest selection of items including French Toast, Pork Sausages, Vegetable Fitatta and Hashbrowns.  They were trying to refill the food as fast as they could but there were times when some chaffing trays were empty.  Nothing particularly good or bad about the food other than resembling a complimentary breakfast at a Marriott Residence Inn.

While we were eating, they did a changeover to lunch where the selection included Turkey, Veggies, Stuffing, Rainbow Tortellini and Yams.  This was a bit better than breakfast where the turkey was moist and yams were pretty tasty.  Veggies were predictably overdone and soggy while the stuffing was a bit on the denser side.  Tortellini was surprisingly not overdone, but a little lacking in flavour.

So after posting all the food, I'm going to post a picture of the washroom.  pretty basic, but mostly clean, except for the toilet itself.  It needed to be cleaned but really, there was not enough staff to handle that let alone provide some cups for the soft drinks and juices.  Overall, the Plaza Premium Lounge was anything but premium.  Rather, it was no better than a complimentary setup at a lower-branded Marriott.  That in itself is not worth the $55.80.  I had free passes from my credit card and even with that, I don't think it is worth wasting a pass on.

The Good:

- It is in a convenient location right after customs pre-clearance

The Bad:

- Food is meh

- Staff were trying their best, but things weren't being refilled fast enough

- No cups to be found for soft drinks or juice

- It is far too small for the amount of people using it