Match Eatery & Public House Delta (Game Day Wings)

You've probably heard me yammering on about how good the wings are at Match Eatery all the time.  Sure, you might chalk that up to me being invited to eat there every now and then.  Well, for those who read this blog often, they will know that I put my money where my mouth is!  I've dined just as many times at Match on my own coin because I genuinely like the place!  So when they invited me out to try their Game Day Wings menu, they didn't have to ask twice!!!

So you can get this menu on "NFL game days" as the name suggests.  We were here for a Sunday morning to catch the football action and to enjoy the wings!   The first one I'll discuss is a favourite of mine in the Nashville Hot Spiced.  Now, this time around, they toned down the spice with less dry rub.  For me, I would ask for more of it, but I get that they have to appeal to a wider audience.  So, if you eat it like I do, you will get some sweet heat to go with the pickles.  If you can take spice, highly recommend you ask for more rub!

One of their new flavours is the Buffalo Blues featuring a hot sauce laced with real blue cheese.  Normally, the dip on the side is the blue cheese, but in this case, it was garlic ranch dip.  Hence, the blue cheese pungency was all in the real chunks of cheese.  The hot sauce itself was mild with some tanginess.  The wings themselves were not dry and the skin was completely rendered and crispy.  Instead of carrot and celery sticks, we found matchstick versions.

One of my favourites of this tasting was the What's the Dill Yo?  This featured crispy wings tossed in dill pickle seasoning.  Hence, the wings were tangy and mildly salty.  There was also some sweetness.  To drive the point home in terms of impact, we found sour dill pickles and dill pickle chips.  If that wasn't enough flavour bomb for us, we also dipped everything into the spicy dill dip.  This was like a chunky tartar sauce that had a kick.  Would love this on my fish sandwich!

The absolutely most tasty dish was the Rising Sun Togarashi with a soy drizzle that was both sweet, salty and tangy while accented by the aromatic sesame seeds.  This was perfectly complimented by the creamy and sweet nori-kewpie mayo.  This had some vibes related to a blast from the past in the Thai wings from Milestone's in their heyday.  Definitely a must order and it really does the Asian fusion justice in its flavour profile and execution. 

Last wing creation was the Stadium Nacho with wings tossed in taco seasoning and served with a nacho cheese sauce topped with salsa.  We also found some tortilla chips and pickled jalapenos.  So this was essentially nachos with some chicken.  However, this worked as a the flavour profile was cohesive.  I enjoyed dipping both the wings and chips into the nacho cheese.  The taco seasoning was definitely there but not enough to make things salty.

So if you see in the background, we also had a the Game Day Beer in the Gridiron 24oz Budweiser for a great price of $10.50!  You can have this as a Bud Light for the same price.  It was served ice cold and naturally went well with the wings.  I think it particularly paired best with the hot wings and taco wings.  For those who can't finish so much beer, there is an $8.00 option for a 16oz.  But honestly, go for the 24oz, it is a better deal!

We ended up ordering a few more items including the Blackened Chicken Sandwich with Jack cheese, crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion and house mayo.  This was fantastic as the chicken was truly blackened giving off nutty smokiness.  At the same time, the meat was still moist and tender.  Crispy bacon and melted cheese added texture and more flavour.  It was served on a perfectly toasted potato roll.  

We also had our usual in the Game, Set, Match... Burger with all the same fixin's as well as pickles on toasted brioche.  As per usual, the smashed beef patty was nicely seared while still moist and tender.  The bacon was crispy, so each bite wasn't a struggle (with flabby bacon).  Also, the texture was appealing.  The brioche bun was soft, but toasted enough to hold everything together.  We got the side of breaded onion rings and they were great!  

Since we were there during brunch, our dessert was the Sweet French Toast Bites.  We've had this dish before, but this time around, it was perfect!  The cubes of brioche were crispy on the outside (while not being greasy) and the inside was still soft and fluffy.  They tasted great on their own with aroma, but the side of Kentucky Bourbon Caramel Dip was money.  So rich and sweet.  Another tasty visit to Match and we overloaded on the wings.  Not a bad thing to happen to us!  Come for the games on the big screens and order the wings as well as some inexpensive beer!

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

The Good:

- New wing flavours are great, especially the Rising Sun and What's the Dill Yo?

- Great beer special for the 24oz

- The rest of the food is great too, especially the burgers

The Bad:

- Not really a bad, but you'll have to ask for more rub on the Nashville wings because the new version doesn't have enough

Phở Bắc Sup Shop

Meeting up with Lola and Scout in Seattle is always a treat.  If I haven't told the story before, we met them on an Alaskan cruise over 10 years ago.  I was excited to do cruise ship trivia, but could not find a seat at the bar.  However, Lola waived me over and asked if Viv and I wanted to join her and Scout to form a team.  We killed it at that session and subsequent ones on the the 7-day journey.  Since then, we meet up every now and then when we are in Seattle or when they come up to Vancouver!  This time, we met up at a Seattle favorite in Phở Bắc Sup Shop.  They dish up traditional Vietnamese eats with some modern touches as well as offering cocktails.

We started with some fried things including the Pho Fries featuring a dip made of pate pho gravy with minced brisket, herbs, pickled carrots, cilantro, jalapenos and fried shallots.  Oh man this was absolutely delicious.  The uamaminess was so intense with the liver aroma and the sweetness.  Fries were crispy and already good on their own.  We also had the Chinese Donuts that we ended up dipping into the broths of our noodle soups.  They were crispy and not overly dense.

Viv ended up with the Short Rib Pho that featured three bones!  These were so tender as the meat fell off the bone.  There was some delicious meatiness to them and that was filling enough.  But there was still al dente noodles and the broth was fairly clean with the star anise coming through.  We felt maybe the broth was a touch on the lighter side where they didn't overdo it with the salt and rock sugar.  However, there was enough natural flavors from the beef bones already.

For myself, I went for the BBH (or Bun Bo Hue) also sporting a beef rib. This was much more impactful due to the spiciness of the broth.  I wouldn't say it was super spicy, but it definitely lingered.  There was also a bit of brininess and sweetness to the broth.  It cam complete with pork blood cubes and shrimp meatballs.  These meatballs were excellent with a fluffy bounciness to them while being naturally sweet.  The lai fun was slippery and cooked just right.

For Lola, she had the Pho Tron Prawns & Veggies.  This consisted of turmeric noodles tossed in an OG Pho Bac sauce, fried shallots, peanuts and a side of broth.  Those yellow ribbons were the highlight of the dish as they were chewy (in a good way).  Some real earthiness to them and plenty of impact from the sauce.  There was an intoxicating mix of sweet, tangy and briny.  When all mixed together, the prawns and veggies (which were properly cooked) benefited from the awesome sauce too.

For Scout, he went for the Pho Tron with Beef.  This came with the same turmeric ribbons and accompaniments.  There is no soup in this picture because the thought it would be a better shot...  Anyways, the main difference in the protein really changed the dish.  The well-marinated and tender beef provided more punch and depth with salty brininess to already compliment the existing sauce. Overall, we enjoyed the food at Phở Bắc Sup Shop where things were just tweaked enough to create some excitement to the dishes without being completely unfocused.  Loved the industrial vibe of the place and we had some great cocktails too.

The Good:
- Simple and industrial, the dining space worked
- Food was delicious
- Well-planned tweaks to the dishes

The Bad:
- That must be one of the worst parking lots ever
- Gets pretty busy, you might have to wait

Buddy's Jersey Eats

So I've been to Vegas quite a few times, but each time, it has either been with my guy friends or with my family.  I'm sure you know what a guys trip to Vegas would look like and what a family trip to Vegas would entail.  Both are great, but they limit what I truly want to experience in Vegas.  So imagine my excitement when we planned a foodies trip down to Sin City!  Yep, Roanna, Jacqueline, Eileen and I traveled down for some fun and most importantly, to eat!  Finally, 4 people with the same goal and none of that other stupid stuff that costs me too much money... 

Our first top was Buddy's Jersey Eats located in The Linq along the Promenade.  It is a quick counter-service joint specializing in hot dogs (Jersey Rippers), chicken sandweeeches, waffle fries and wings.  They are open late (like to 4:00am) and is a great spot for a casual bite that is not a chain restaurant.  We sampled almost the entire menu with the Wings coming up first.  We had the Buffalo and the Dry Rub.  Loved that these wings were quite large and were still juicy inside.  The skin was well-rendered and crispy.  I actually preferred the lemon dry rub as it was flavourful and tangy while the skin was crisp.  Buffalo was good too, especially dipped into the blue cheese dressing.

We can't forget about the Hoboken Chicken Wings either and heck, the Hoboken Chicken Sandweeech.  These were totally different than the Buffalo and Alfredo.  This was all about the spice and tang which added a considerable impact to the chicken.  For the wings, it was a bit less apparent since they were tossed and topped with the peppers.  For the burger, it was right in there, so you got a burst of everything with each bite.  Of note, I would've liked to see the bun toasted (or toasted more) as it was a bit stiff.

Onto the other sammies, it continued a familiar theme with the Buffalo Chicken Sandweeech as well as the Alfredo Chicken Sandweeech.  Consisting of the same crispy chicken patty (with moist chicken meat), the buffalo was similar to the wings with a tangy spice cooled down with the blue cheese dressing.  The Alfredo was predictably creamy and cheesy with the same delicious chunks of meaty bacon.

Onto the Waffle Fries, we had the Disco and the Alfredo.  The fries themselves were crunchy but with some potatoey goodness left inside.  With the gravy on top of the disco fries, the waffle fries ate a bit softer, but were still crispy.   Lots of salty goodness here along with plenty of cheesiness.  A bit like a poutine.  I liked the Alfredo more due to the considerable amount of that same meaty bacon.  They were in large cubes that had much more meat than fat.  Hence, they were a nice little snack that I could pick off and go with my beverage.

With some of the same toppings, we had the Jersey Rippers (aka Hot Dogs).  Naturally, I gravitated to the Alfredo due to that awesome bacon.  I think that the bacon not only added the usual smoky saltiness to the dog, but the textural aspect was even more impactful.  It gave the hot dog more body and made it more fulfilling.  Not to mention the cheesy creaminess made this a rich concoction  Now the Hoboken ripper was even more flavourful due to the spicy tanginess.

We ended off strong with the Italian Donuts and they were served hot out-of-the-fryer being crispy with a warm soft interior.  It was dusted in powdered sugar and drizzled with nutella.  Pretty delicious way to end the meal.  Overall, the food at Jersey Eats is not complicated.  They have a few options with similar toppings/flavors.  However, the food is prepared properly and I found it impactful and yummy.  Prices are reasonable for the strip and it is a great place to grab a quick bite whether it be for lunch or late into the night (or early morning).

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

The Good:

- Has a focused menu and does it right

- Food is flavorful

- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:

- Limited seating

- A few repetitive flavors

 

Wing’n it Express

As long as I can remember, I love munching on chicken wings.  Whether it be on game nights at a pub or just a late night gathering during my University days, wings were a go to option.  Fond memories of cheap wings at the King's Head or John B, and even AYCE wings at Malone's!  Since then, we have found restaurants specifically offering up wings as their main menu item in a dizzying array of flavours.  One of the newest is Wing'n It with 30 locations across Canada.  We recently visited Wing'n It Express out in White Rock along 152nd to try out their wares.

We ended up trying out several flavours of their wings including the Roger Victor Whiskey.  At first, I was a bit concerned with the amount of sauce on each wing, but my worries were for naught as the flavour was on point.  Lots of sweet BBQ tang and some taco seasoning while having a mild spicy finish.  The wings were large and meaty with moist meat inside.  Being fairly rendered, the skin was not flabby.   From that we moved onto the Kamikazee which were touted as the hottest flavour they offered.  I guess this depends on your tolerance for spice.  I thought they had a kick, but were hardly 5-alam.  However, for Roanna and Eileen, they went straight for the water.  For me, I enjoyed that they were not scorching hot because I like to taste my food and not have my tongue burnt off.

Next set of wings featured the International and the Double Ugly.  For the former, we found that the Mach 1 base seasoning was mild (as it should be) and slightly sweet.  The addition of parmesan provided both saltiness and nuttiness while the Italian seasoning definitely gave it some aromatics.  As for the latter, it was aggressively sauced with ranch, dill and honey garlic.  As expected, this ate rather sweet but also had nice dill flavour.

The last set included Angels and Jet Stream.  Beyond the spicy kamikazee, I liked the Angles the best with its combination of ranch dressing and a coating of mango chipotle.  It was creamy that helped bring down the slight sweet heat of the dry mix.  As for the Jet Stream, it was a combo of BBQ and ranch.  So essentially, you didn't need to dip these wings as they were already dressed.

For those who don't want to only dine on wings, they also have a selection of handhelds including the 3 Sisters Burger.  This had the potential of being a great burger - soft bun, lots of meat and cheese.  However, the patties were of the cutlet variety, hence there was a lack of meat texture.  On the other hand, the Original Philly Cheesesteak was fantastic as it has the beautiful beef texture that was tender and well-seasoned.  This was actually very good.

We also went with some sides such as the Dusted Fries with garlic parmesan (14 flavours to choose from!) and the Onion Rings (these can be dusted too if you want).  Fries were pretty good being crispy and plenty potatoey.  Loved the dusting as I didn't need to dip them into anything!  The thick battered onion rings were crunchy and featured plenty of tender onion.

Probably the most surprising item of the meal was the Funnel Fries with ice cream chocolate drizzle.  So rather than a messy and greasy funnel cake, we had crispy funnel fries that were sweet and delicious.  They were seriously addictive with a soft, almost eggy interior to compliment the crunchy exterior.  Dipping them into the ice cream gave it some Wendy's Frosty and Fries vibes and that is a good thing.

They also have a selection of Milkshakes and we got the strawberry.  It was creamy and just thick enough, so that we could drink it through a straw easily.  We did find it sweet, but it wasn't crazy sweet, so that was good.  Our last item was the Ice Cream Sandwich that partial proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  It was pretty solid with 2 chewy and soft chocolate chip cookies with hard ice cream in the middle.  As the restaurant name suggests, the real draw here is the wings.  I thought the flavours we tried were impactful while the wings were large and juicy.  Sides were pretty good too.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:
- Meaty and moist wings
- Lots of impactful flavours
- Funnel fries!

The Bad:
- Maybe a bit too much sauce for some people
- Burger cutlet patty should be swapped out for a meatier version

 

Match Eatery & Public House (Delta)

Here I am at the Delta location Match Eatery & Public House again.  Sure this was in celebration of its 1st anniversary along with the Cascades Casino and Delta Hotels.  They have really injected a bit of excitement into sleepy Ladner with some pizazz and also delicious food.  I believe Match is one of the most underrated chain restaurants in the Lower Mainland.  It is reasonably-priced and way better than places such as White Spot and Boston Pizza.  That is why I spend my own money coming back over and over again.  However, I would never turn down an invite from them either!

So the thing to have here is their wings.  I think of all the chains out there, they have some of the best.  I also find them consistent as I've never had a bad batch.  We went ahead and ordered the Game Day Salt & Pepper Wings as well as the Hot Wings.  We wanted to have their awesome Nashville Wings, but they are only available on NFL game nights.  Just like all of the other times, the wings featured rendered crispy skin.  At the same time, the meat was still moist.  The hot wings did have a vinegary kick to them.

So we actually ordered the No Bib Dry Ribs after all our food had arrived, but I'll put them here since it is an appie.  Much like the wings, the dry ribs were uniformly crispy on the outside.  While on the inside, they were almost juicy and not chewy at all.  Loved that most pieces were rather meaty with only a bit of bone.  Also like the wings, the amount of salt & pepper was on point providing flavour without going overboard.

Normally, we would order a full-sized burger, but since we wanted to get some things we've never had before, it was the Twin Car Hop Burgers this time around.  It was an excellent decision as the patties were much larger than the soft & toasted buns.  Hence, the charred crispy edges of the meat was very noticeable.  These little burgers were very good and I would say they give the regular-sized ones a run for their money.  Patties were also meaty and not dry at all.

Continuing on with the smaller items, we had the Food Truck Blackened Halibut Tacos & Tots.  Although the halibut was cooked right being moist and not dry, it was a bit lacking in terms of blackening spices.  However, the side of pico de gallo helped things along with tangy spice.  This complimented the other ingredients, which included coleslaw, fresh avocado, honey-lime crema, pickled onion and cotija cheese.

Another item I've never had before is their pizzas, so we decided on the You Had Me At Pepperoni sporting double pepperoni, roasted garlic, pepperoncini peppers and mozzarella on a honey-sesame crust.  Oh wow.  Why did it take me so long to try this???  It was #)$*$)#$* good!  The crust was crunchy and aromatic while nicely sweet.  It worked really well with the pepperoni and the peppers.  One of the better chain restaurant pizzas I've had!

Originally, when I was invited to try out their Little Italy promotion, I really enjoyed their Garlic Shrimp Alfredo.  Naturally, I ordered this time around and it didn't disappoint.  The pasta was al dente and remained as such until the end.  It was tossed in just enough creamy alfredo sauce to coat the pasta without being too saucy.  The shrimp was definitely garlicky and buttery tender.

I've always been intrigued with the New York State of Mind on the menu and finally went for it.  Turns out that they know how to grill steaks too!  The 8z NY Steak was perfectly medium-rare.  Look at it!  Well-rested, the steak was juicy and flavourful while being tender.  It was also properly seasoned and sported some smokiness from the char.  It came with perfectly prepared veggies which were still firm.  Mashed potatoes were good too being well-seasoned.

Onto dessert, we shared the 4-Layer Chocolate Cake.  Oh this was good too!  The rich and chocolatey sponge cake was layered with equally rich chocolate butter cream which was purposefully sweet.  I didn't think we would eat all of it, but we did!  So as you can see, the food at Match is solid across the board and offers up something for everyone.  This is why I come here on my own coin in between invites from them.  I especially love this location in the Cascades Casino as it sits in a lovely and spacious dining room while being attached to the equally beautiful casino and Delta Hotel.  Congrats on their 1st anniversary!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post

The Good:
- Solid eats across the board
- Nice dining space
- Lots of parking

The Bad:
- Maybe the blackened halibut could've used more spice