Rumblefish

Back in the Summer, I had visited Rumblefish out on the corner of Hastings and Garden.  Yes, it occupies the former location of The Red Wagon and now dishes up fish n' chips and the sort.  It was a pretty solid experience, but somehow, I just didn't get around to posting it.  Well, let's try again as Jackie and I were coming from first dinner and needed a second dinner for good measure.  I suggested we try Rumblefish and off we went!  Fate would have it, we returned a week later for a tasting.  So this post is a combination of all the meals I've had here!

For the 2nd and 3rd visits, I decided to get a few things that weren't on the table the first time I visited.  First off, we had the Seafood Chowder which was a completely different animal.  Rather than being creamy and thick, this was more brothy, yet not runny.  It was chock full of buttery clams and pieces of soft fish.  However, the most unique feature of it all was the flavour.  At first, we were trying to figure out why the chowder was so intensely full of umami.  After a bit of tasting and thinking, Jackie got it right - the addition of mushroom powder.  Hence, this was somewhat of a seafood chowder/mushroom soup hybrid.  Plenty tasty and original.  As you can see, we got this with a bread bowl and in a regular bowl.  Unlike other versions, the bread bowl was not sourdough.  Hence, it was lighter and easier to eat.  The bread soaked up the little broth that existed and was plenty delicious.

On my second visit with Jackie, we had the Calamari featuring fried strips of Humboldt squid.  These were tender with classic squid chewiness.  Really good balance in the texture department.  The batter was relatively thin where it was almost not there in some spots.  This resulted in a light crispiness.  I felt that the seasoning was adequate where we could eat this without the accompanying ranch-like dip.  

For the 1st and 3rd visits, I decided to order the Prawn Roll.  Yes, both versions were doused in a considerable amount of sriracha mayo.  Was it messy?  Yes.  However, it ate quite well since the prawns themselves were cooked just right having a cold water crunch.  There was natural sweetness and brininess.  With a kick, the creamy mayo acted as a binder that provided impact and moisture.  All of this sat in a toasted buttery roll that was soft and a bit crispy on the outside.  Completing this concoction, we had lettuce, slaw, ginger, pea shoots and pickled onions.

Onto the Fish n' Chips, I've had both the halibut and cod several times.  The 2 piece Pacific Cod & Chips goes for $22.00 and includes slaw, lemon wedges and tartar sauce.  I found the batter to be fairly thin and crispy.  It wasn't greasy while the fish was moist and flaky.  For me, it was all about the Halibut & Chips.  This was a one piece for $17.00.  Halibut can turn out badly if it was not fresh and overcooked.  However, this was perfect.  The fish was almost buttery and light.  Fries were fresh-cut being crispy with plenty of potato goodness left inside.  Tartar was also good being bright and not too heavy.  Nice tang to it.

An item not found on the regular menu was the Nashville Hot Fish Sandwich.  Consider this to be a dead-ringer for the chicken version except that it contained a piece of fried pacific cod.  Dressing this thing was slaw, sriracha mayo, tartar, b&b pickles and pickled onion on a toasted bun.  This had quite the kick while not going overboard.  Nice crunch all around from the fish, slaw and pickles.  Messy, but also delicious.

Now you would think the last thing that one would order is a Smash Burger at a fish n' chip joint right?  Well, don't sleep on this burger as it was legit.  The beef patty was smashed enough that it was able to crisp up on the edges while still not being dry.  With condiments such as American cheese, burger sauce, lettuce, pickled onions and pickles, this had some Big Mac vibes.  The toasted bun held everything together, yet was not heavy.

Last on the list was the Grilled Rockfish, Rice n' Beans.  I've had the previous iteration of this dish (which is no longer available) which was sablefish.  I preferred the sablefish more, but then again, it was also more expensive.  For this one, the fish was nicely charred having a smokiness and being properly seasoned.  It was not as moist and buttery as the sablefish, yet that was to be expected.  This would be a good choice for those wanting something a bit healthier.  Some grilled tortillas on the side allowed for construction your own taco/burrito.  Overall, the food at Rumblefish is solid with some surprises.  The Seafood Chowder is definitely different and plenty flavourful while the Smashburger is also good.  If you go for the Fish n' Chips, you won't be disappointed.

*First 2 visits were paid but the 3rd visit was complimentary*

The Good:

- Solid Fish n' Chips

- That Seafood Chowder is unique

- Surprisingly good Smash Burger

The Bad:

- The Grilled Rockfish is on the drier side

Elem

Remember the last time I was at Elem?  If you guessed May, you are correct!  Now if you can also recall, I was dining at Elem almost monthly after they opened in late 2024.  So why the huge gap in between visits?  Well, if you haven't already heard, Viv broke her leg in July and that put everything on hold.  Also, I had gone to Montreal in October and had to do a detox after ripping through the best that they had.  So here we are back at Elem, now a Michelin-recommended restaurant and also appearing on Canada's 100 Best Restaurant list.

Like all of our meals at Elem, we got the Rye Bread.  This time around, they were accompanied by an apple butter topped with grated Szechuan pepper.  This resulted in a creamy and naturally sweet butter that had a slight bite.  It was ever-so-subtle though, so it wasn't numbing or spicy.  As for the rye, it was at its soft fluffy best with a slightly crispy exterior that was sweet.  Inside, there was still a slight chew. 

Of course we'd get some cocktails right?  These were quite interesting with the Hot Pot Whiskey Sour.  This really did taste like Chinese hot pot with the earthiness and spice.  We also got some extra tanginess from the kalamansi.  Their version of a Mai Tai featured 3 types of rum, which made it boozy but it was slightly tempered by the passionfruit granita and pistachio orgeat.

Our appetizers began with the Chicory Salad that was quite bountiful in size.  It was truly an appetizer as the coronation grape vinaigrette was super bright and tangy.  It helped balance out the bitterness from the crisp radicchio.  Nice crunch and aromatics from the walnuts and creaminess from the ricotta salata.  Although it might've seemed like a small detail, the plump blueberries added a fruity sweetness to the mix.

Onto a new item that is going to replace the Chicory Salad on the menu, we had the Futsu Squash with forno beets.  Chef Vish decided to employ little-used ingredients for this creation.  Not overly popular, the futsu squash was full of umami that resulted in an earthy sweetness.  It was tender, yet still had some firmness.  These were topped with tender slices of forno beets that were lightly sweet, but not overly earthy.  We found chunks of buffalo mozzarella and pickled walnuts as well.  The slices of fennel added extra crunch and aroma.  Finally, they used the whey from the mozzarella to create a vinaigrette.

We mourned the loss of the crab toast but were delighted to see the Prawn Toast as its replacement.  Light, almost fluffy and slightly rare, the diced prawn was super delicate and sweet.  It was topped with sesame and seared until crispy and aromatic.  Sitting on the same milk bread, it was lightly toasted.  Hence, it remained slightly crispy despite half-immersed in a tom yum sauce.  Combined with some Indian spices including cumin, the tom yum was earthy and tangy.  We got the lemongrass beyond the cumin.

Staying with the veggie theme of this meal (as we got a lot of that), we had the Delicata Squash that was halved and roasted.  Hence, the sweetness was coaxed out of the squash from the heat.  This was further enhanced by the quince glaze, which was balanced off by the ample pine nuts.  Underneath, we found a creamy mornay sauce.

Second round of cocktails consisted of the Tamarind & Mango Agua Fresca with a fruit popsicle.  Yes, this was a mocktail, but a tasty one at that.  Definitely refreshing but at the same time with body, the tamarind was prominent in taste and appearance.  The other cocktail was the Hinojo consisting of tequila, amartillado sherry and fennel.  Yep, another fairly strong concoction but balanced.  The tequila was at the forefront but the fennel added that licorice aroma.

We've had almost every version of the fried rice at Elem and although we have enjoyed them all, the current iteration was probably the best.  Interestingly, it happened to be the Mushroom Fried Rice and yes, there was no meat in it.  Despite that, it was very mushroom forward with impactful pieces of mushroom and a considerable amount of mushroom XO.  There was good wok hei where the rice was nutty and firm with caramelization.  Nice crunch from the veggies and fluffiness from the egg.

The feature of the night happened to be the Argentinian Chili Risotto and yes, we got that too.  Just like the other risottos we've had here, this was expertly prepared.  Spreading nicely on the plate, the aborio rice was firm, but cooked through.  There was enough moisture and cheesiness without being intrusive.  The natural sweetness and umaminess of the Argentinian prawn came though.  Nice addition of acidity from the lemon and yes, it had spice from the chili and sambal.

Our meat dish of the night was the Wagyu Bavette in a crying tiger sauce.  Prepared mostly rare, the meat was juicy and possibly a touch chewy.  We would've preferred medium-rare or even medium in this application.  No matter, as it was still plenty chewable and best of all, it sat in a delicious sauce.  The combination of briny fish sauce, tangy lime juice and sweet tamarind really helped bring this dish alive.  Of course the plethora of herbs just put the flavours over-the-top.

To go with this, we had the Cabbage, that was roasted and topped with sesame pangrattato.  Nice aromatic and nutty crunch from that to go with the charred eggplant puree.  With some anchovies, we got some light salty brininess to provide some punch to an otherwise mild dish.  The cabbage itself was tender but not mushy.  We detected some cumin that gave the dish plenty of earthiness.

As for the sweet stuff, we were presented with a bonus bite in the Beet Ice Cream.  This was super smooth with a balanced sweetness.  We got the natural flavours of the beets including a hint of earthiness.  Really delicious.  We also had the Chocolate Tart with pumpkin gelato.  The tart itself was creamy and rich, while not being heavy.  It was semi-sweet with a balancing bitterness.  Underneath, the coffee foam added some extra flavour. 

When I asked for the bill, we were presented with some sweet bites (as they always do) in Passionfruit & Apple Jellies.  They were not too sweet and had a nice light gelatin texture to it.   Once again, it was a fine meal at Elem.  We still mourn the loss of the iconic Crab Toast and possibly the Bavette Steak could've been a bit more tender, but overall, the dishes we had were well-executed with thoughtful flavours.  Can't wait for my next visit!

The Good:

- Beautiful dining space

- Excellent service

- Worthy eats

The Bad:

- Wish the Crab Toast was still around...

- Steak could've been more tender

Sud Soi

I've always wondered why Vancouver's Thai food game has been so weak all these years.  Yes, there have always been some good Thai spots in town, but as a whole, it doesn't hold a candle to cities like Portland, New York and LA.  However, we are seeing an upward trajectory as of late with the opening of spots like Song and smaller joints such as Silom, Sip Song, Zab Bite, Zab Zaab, Soi Ram and Siam Le Bien.  Of those, some specialize in Northern Thai or E-Sarn cuisine.  One of the more recent openings is Sud Soi in the former location of Lombardo's in El Mercato on Commercial Drive.

We had a few small plates to start including the Grilled Pork Jowl and the Grilled Wings.  These were good with some charring and well-marinated meats.  As you can see, the pork jowl was still juicy and fatty while the wings had somewhat rendered skin.  The meat inside was also juicy and tender.  Although both dips seemed to be the same, the one for the pork jowl had more brininess.

One of the more interesting dishes was the Fried Chicken with Midnight Sticky Rice.  The deep fried chicken thigh was really crunchy on the outside.  Inside, the meat was fairly juicy with some drier portions.  There was some chili sauce on the side which added a bit of tangy heat.  As for the sticky rice, it was in a beautiful shade of purple and black.  A nice chewy and sticky accompaniment to the chicken.

We ended up ordering the Khao Soi with soft shell crab.  Unlike many versions of the this dish, the curry broth in this one was much more earthy and rich.  They really went hard with the spices and extracted the maximum amount of flavour from it.  Hence, the noodles really absorbed the flavours.  Soft shell crab was fairly large and crispy on the outside.  Of course, the inside was soft and almost creamy.

As a default of sorts, we got the Pad Thai, but not the regular one.  Instead, we had the Pad Thai Korat which is supposed to be bolder and spicier.  That it was with plenty of tang from the tamarind and a balancing amount of heat.  We also got some caramelized brininess.  Noodles were chewy and veggies were crisp.  Loved the addition of pork cracklings.

Their Pad See Ew with chicken was the beneficiary of proper wok hei, which ensured smokiness and caramelization of flavours.  We got heightened sweetness to go with the saltiness of the soy and really liked the fried shallots on top.  The chicken itself was fairly moist despite being white meat and the gai lan was vibrant and crunchy.  A real solid version of this dish.

We wanted to like the Pad Ka Prow but they really skimped on the amount of meat in this dish.  There was 5 times the amount of rice compared to the meat.  Hence, we ended up with a bunch of rice with nothing to eat it with at the end.  In terms of taste, it was good though, since it was also full of wok hei with strong aroma.  The fried egg was great being fluffy with crispy parts.

After all this food, we needed something sweet to end off the meal.  We got the classic Mango Sticky Rice which came in a decent portion.  The first thing that struck me was how cold the sticky rice was.  It wasn't hard per se, but the temperature did make it more chewy than I would've liked.  Nice sweet coconut cream on top though.  Mango was fresh and as good as it could be considering the time of year.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Sud Soi where the wok hei was good and the flavours were impactful.  Possibly a few things could be better, but nothing major that couldn't be rectified.

The Good:

- Impactful flavours

- Good wok hei

- Nice people

The Bad:

- Too much rice, not enough meat for the Pad Ka Prow

- Sticky rice for the dessert was too cold

Oishinoya Broadway

Boy, this location along the Broadway corridor at Cambie has changed hands a few times!  First, it was Ramen One, where it emulated Ichiran's lonesome dining within your own cubby with minimal human interaction.  Then we found 404 Coffee Lab taking over the entire space (they were only a small window attached to Ramen One at first) offering up beverages with some food options.  Now the place is an outpost of the Oishinoya chain dishing up various version of Gyudon as well as some other rice bowls.  They didn't do much in altering the layout of the restaurant, so introverts rejoice!

So after ordering from the kiosks in front, we merely took our receipt, picked a cubby and sat down.  We placed our receipt by the service window and after a short wait, presto!  We got our rice bowl sets.  Before I get to those, the cubby itself is more than just 3 walls.  Rather, you have your personal water station (so you don't need to ask for water) as well as chopsticks, spoons and napkins.  If you needed condiments, they have it all including shoyu, garlic ra-yu, togarashi, furikake and fried garlic.  Believe me, that garlic ra-yu or chili crunch, is fantastic.  You can put that on anything and it will taste better!

Since the basic bowl wasn't interesting enough for a picture, we went for the Ontama Gyudon featuring an onsen egg.  This was placed atop a good amount of thinly sliced fatty beef.  We found green onion, onion and pickled ginger rounding out the ingredients in the bowl.  With the silkiness of the runny egg, the chewy rice took on a different texture being more moist but still having a bite.  The beef was buttery and tender while conservatively sauced.  This was intentional because we could customize the flavours with the aforementioned condiments.   We got this in a set which added 3 small side dishes including edamame, kimchi and wakame as well as a Miso Soup.

My favourite of the bunch was the Cheese Gyudon as they did not skimp on the torched cheese on top.  I could really taste the cheesiness, but it wasn't overwhelming.  There was a bit of smokiness and nuttiness.  Again, the fatty beef was tender and the stringy cheese on top added another layer of texture.  I've already gone over how the garlic ra-yu could enhance even shoe leather, but it really went well with this bowl since it was relatively neutral-tasting.  Just a bit of spice (the chili crunch itself was more nutty than spicy) and some crunch really enhanced the rice bowl.  Moreover, to give it even more boost, we sprinkled in some togarashi.  For this set, I opted for the Chicken Karaage and a Miso Soup.  The karaage featured a crispy thin batter while the chicken itself could've been juicier.

Our last version of the beef rice bowl was the Kimchi Gyudon.  This was essentially the basic gyudon with a bunch of kimchi on top.  If you were expecting some briny and spicy version of Korean kimchi here, that is not what we got.  Rather, it was plenty tangy with some sweetness and mild spiciness.  By itself, it needed a bit more for it to be tasty kimchi.  However, when combined with the fatty beef and chewy rice, it was not bad.  The tanginess and crunch brought some life into the bowl and even the slightest of spice did help provide more impact.  Instead of the chili crunch, adding some shoyu and fried garlic did the trick.

Onto a couple of non-beef rice bowls, we went for the Unagi Don.  This was a pretty standard version where we found 3 big fillets of buttery unagi.  It was lightly glazed so it wasn't too sweet.  It sat on a bed of chewy rice which accepted the sweetness of the unagi well.  Since this was also a set, we were able to try the Ebi Tempura as well.  I found the batter to be a bit thick, yet it was still uniformly crunchy.  The ebi inside was still moist and buttery.

The last thing we tried was the Bara Chirashi consisting of salmon and tuna mixed with cucumber and green onion.  Seeing that this was not a sushi joint, the sashimi was decently fresh and vibrant.  With a bit of shoyu and mixed together with the rice, this was rather pleasant and light.  Overall, the rice bowls at Oishinoya were well-portioned and did the trick.  Nothing particularly fancy here, but the pricing is fair and you can get full, even with the small size.  Great for people on the go or ones who'd rather not converse much with anyone.

*All food and beverages were complimentary except for the cost of one of the sets*

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Well-portioned, even for the small size

- Great for those who want to be left alone

The Bad:

- Obviously, not great for groups

- Currently with the Skytrain construction, it can affect you, depending how you get there

Maple Leaf Lounge International Departures YVR

The last time I posted on a lounge at YVR, it was the Plaza Premium for US Departures.  Not mincing words, I would say it was sub-par.  But that was expected as the domestic and US-departure lounges are generally average at best.  This time around, I was heading to the Maple Leaf Lounge in the International Departures terminal at YVR.  Being in ANA business class, we were able to access the Maple Leaf Lounge since they are in the same Star Alliance as Air Canada.  It was conveniently located just past security and the entrance was inviting and open.

There was no wait and we were able to enter right away.  The space was fairly large with lots of views of the tarmac from the floor-to-ceiling windows.  There were a decent number of lounge seating near the windows as well as bar seating.  We ended up sitting away from the window as all of those spots were already occupied.  I must say there was a lack of space between the bar seats (at the right and left sides of the bar) and the divider.  Tight squeeze especially if someone has their luggage beside them.

The food selection was acceptable with some Spring Rolls, Onion Rings and Sauteed Veggies.  Right beside it, we found a small salad bar.  I though the spring rolls were fine being crispy with a good amount of veggies inside.  Onion rings were the typical frozen battered variety.  The sauteed veggies were actually quite good being firm and not overcooked.  Salad options were pretty typical, but everything looked fresh and replenished frequently.

The other section of the food selections featured a "made-to-order" BBQ Pork Bao and Roasted Cauliflower.  Naturally, this was a far cry from the actual made-to-order dishes at lounges in Asia, but hey, they do have that in the new Plaza Premium First Lounge (which I have yet to try).  I thought the bao was decent where the pork was tender and nicely marbled.  Didn't try the cauliflower though.  Adjacent to that, we found 3 chaffing trays with Korean Potatoes, Lemon Butter Sole and Rice.  The sole was not bad being soft and mildly seasoned.  Potatoes were crispy and sweet while the rice was fairly fluffy.

In addition to the actual bar, there was a selection of beers-on-tap that one could just pour for themselves.  Next to it was a soda pop machine with Coca-Cola products.  Adjacent to that was a Lavazza coffee machine.  Naturally, we found a selection of teas as well next to it.  Attached to the first buffet island, there was also congee and a Wild Mushroom Bisque.  I went for the bisque and although it was a bit salty, the mushroom flavour was there.

Inevitably, I must talk about the washrooms...  They were spotless and seemed to be attended to on a regular basis.  The lounge was about 75% full and the washrooms still looked like the pictures above.  No trash and pools of water anywhere.  As for the toilets, they were also clean and a great place to do your business before the flight.  Showers were available too and like most lounges, you need to check with the front desk for a waitlist.

To end this blog post and also ending our visit to the Maple Leaf Lounge, we had some dessert in the form of a variety of cookies.  These were pretty good with a crunchy exterior and a somewhat soft chewy interior.  They were rather sweet though.  On the topic of sweet, they had some classic Nanaimo Bars on the bottom tray too.  Representing something local!  Overall, the Maple Leaf Lounge was decent, but not particularly memorable.  It did the job and wasn't chaotic.  

The Good:
- Food area replenished quickly
- All the spaces I observed were clean and kept clean
- Generally enough seating

The Bad:
- Just a typical lounge