Wang`s Shanghai Cuisine

*New owners - now Xu's Wonton House*

Probably against better judgment and sanity, Viv and I ventured out to Crystal Mall for some shopping and eats. If you haven't been to the food court here, you are missing out. There are gems to be found here on the cheap. Originally Vandelay had written up a post on Wang's; but being the control freak that I am, I decided to do my own. When we think of good Xiao Long Bao in the GVRD, there are a few places that come to mind such as Lin, Shanghai River, Shanghai Wonderful, Chen's, Top Shanghai and #1 Shanghai. However, I believe some of the best can be found at this food stall tucked in the back of the food court. Normally, there is a lineup here and whenever we see a lineup, the food has to be either really good or really cheap. Both were true in this case.

We got an order each of Xiao Long Bao and Potstickers. Since they are made fresh and cooked to order, we had to wait 10 minutes. Once we got the xiao long bao, the darn things were steaming hot. We delicately picked each up (with a spoon and chopsticks) to prevent an epic fail where all the juice leaks out. And boy there was a lot of sweet, non-fatty, meaty juice inside. The dumpling skin wasn't ultra-thin; yet it was still very easy to eat. The potstickers were equally good. Nicely fried up on the bottom and with a good amount of meaty juice inside as well, these just plain tasted good. For less than $4.00 each, I believe these are some of the best values around. On another visit, we had the XLBs again and they were solid once again. Skin was a bit thicker; but not a huge issue. We decided to try something different and got a bowl of Dan Dan Noodles. Honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of the noodles. They were soft and the flavour was too subtle. Sure, there was both sesame and peanut for me to see visually; however, there was no impact whatsoever. It was slightly sweet with not much in the way of savoury or spice. For me, I'll just stick to the XLBs. I know I sound like a broken record regarding the parking. Yet, if you choose to park in the underground circular parking lot with only one way in and out, be prepared to be frustrated at the people who do not know how to drive or park a car.

The Good:
- Really good xiao long baos
- Cheap

The Bad:
- Long lineups
- Crazy parking lot at Crystal Mall

Wang's Shanghai Cuisine
Crystal Mall Food Court
4500 Kingsway
604-909-6688

Samurai Sushi House

We had just finished up at a friend's kids party in Tsawwassen and were wondering what to eat. Yes, it is Valentine's Day, but with 2 kiddies, the thought of a romantic meal by candlelight was not in the cards. We thought about going to Prata Man in Richmond; however, the kiddies were tired and restless from the afternoon activities. We needed to look at takeout and a healthy one at that (my eating habits lately would make any physician cringe). Viv and I agreed on a good ol' standby - Samurai Sushi House.

This small Vietnamese-run Japanese restaurant is across from Oakridge Centre in Vancouver. You're probably wondering, Vietnamese people running a Japanese restaurant? Don't prejudge and don't worry; it's fresh, tasty, somewhat authentic and inexpensive. If you have a potluck or party to host, please do yourself a favour - save some money and time. Go to Samurai Sushi for one of their party trays and your guests will be very happy with you. If you call 1 day in advance to order, you get an extra 10% off their good prices already. If you call in 2 hours before, you get 5% off. So I think you are getting the idea, it's best to get takeout from Samurai.

If you choose to eat there, be prepared to do your best impression of a sardine, since there is only one table and about 8 bar seats. The one thing that sets Samurai apart from other small sushi places is that they don't skimp on the cuts of fish or the size of the rolls. The salmon and tuna on the nigiri are absolutely massive. The rolls are so big, they will fall apart if you try to pick them up. All this for a low price too! You will notice that there is a constant stream of people lining up for takeout at Samurai and that's the key to this place. Instead of charging more or providing less to make a profit, Samurai will make their money on volume alone. I really don't understand why some other restaurants don't see this, they are so short-sighted.

We decided to pick up the party tray B ($20!), which includes 1/2 House Roll, Alaska Roll, California Roll, Salmon Roll, Tuna Roll, 2pc Tuna, 2pc Salmon and 2pc Ebi Nigiri. As a side note, I added a previous picture of party tray D ($35) for reference. As you can see from the pictures, the portions are extremely generous. On top of this, the ingredients are incredibly fresh - this would be a result of such high volume as well. While I was waiting for my order, the sushi chef was cutting some Hamachi from a whole fish, now that's fresh! Since everything is fresh, the food tastes good. With that being said, I don't prefer that the sushi is made with a liberal use of rice, especially on the California rolls. Furthermore, as some might point out - it's not truly authentic Japanese. But, honestly, how can anyone really complain? Prices are good, food is fresh and portions are huge, this is usually a recipe for success and customer satisfaction.

The Good:
- Fresh ingredients
- Huge portions
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Dining room, what dining room?
- A bit heavy on the rice
- Authentic?

Samurai Sushi House
5888 Cambie Street
Vancouver, B.C.
(604) 325-8597

Business Hours:
11:00am - 9:00pm (7 days a week)

Hamburger Mary's

Once again, after Friday night hockey, we were in search of some grub. Seeing how we always go to Asian places, I voiced my preference - Hamburger Mary's. "What's Hamburger Mary's?", is the response I get from a few teammates. Well, if you are a night owl or do the club/bar scene, Hamburger Mary's is a great place to satisfy the munchies late into the night (or early morning). Open until 3:45am and open again 2 hours later, Hamburger Mary's serves up great burgers and shakes 22 hours a day. So with a little convincing, we head over to Hamburger Mary's. In addition to burgers, there are breakfast items, appies, sandwiches, and milkshakes on the menu. The milkshakes are pretty good and are made with low-fat yogurt and 2% milk - less guilt! Be sure to try the Orange Creamsicle, it tastes exactly like the the actual popsicle!

I decided to try their special burger, the 10oz Prime Rib burger with cheddar cheese and horseradish mayo. I must say the burger was absolutely delicious. The patty was extremely tender and juicy. It had a great deal of prime rib taste and the horseradish mayo was a nice compliment to the burger. I was barely able to finish it. However, I really didn't like the fries much. They were crispy and all, but they were small little bits and were more like potato crisps rather than fries. Other plates at the table included a lamb burger, chili burger and salmon burger. They all looked good, and judging by the reaction from my teammates, they were good as well.

Boss Woman wanted to be different and ordered breakfast. She had the Swiss Scramble that consisted of scramble eggs, sausage, tomatoes, green onions and topped with melted swiss cheese. It came with a side of pancakes and hash browns as well. She said the egg was fluffy and the whole scramble itself was not salty. She loved the hash browns which were the fried cube-type. I will say that Hamburger Mary's does not have the best burgers in town. I think Moderne Burger is better; however, if you want a good burger and milkshake at 3am, look no further than Hamburger Mary's.

The Good:
- Good burgers and shakes
- Open 22 hours a day
- Retro dining room

The Bad:
- Cramped retro dining room
- Fries, in my opinion are cut too small
- Good luck finding parking

Hamburger Mary's
1202 Davie Street
Vancouver, B.C.
(604) 687-1293
www.hamburgermarys.ca

Business Hours:
5:45am - 3:45am (7 days a week)

Pho 99

So, we had a kid's birthday and a baby shower to attend this weekend and we needed to pay Toys R Us/Babies R Us a visit. Naturally, when we get out of the house with the kiddies, we need to find a place that they would actually eat the food. We decide on having some Pho (pronounced Pheu, which means nooodles) at Pho 99, which is also incidentally right next to our favourite Korean restaurant, Insadong. We been to Pho 99 quite a few times in the past, ever since we moved to Burnaby 4 years ago. What can you say, it's cheap, tasty and hits the spot, especially on a cold day.

Naturally, I have the Pho and I chose #19 which is categorized in the "Adventurer's Choice" section since it has brisket, flank, tripe, and tendon. The soup for Pho is not a simple beef broth. Rather, it is slowly simmered for a whole day with beef bones, and spices such as star anise, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and garlic. Thus, in the end, you get an incredibly rich broth bursting with flavours. I am happy to say the broth at Pho 99 is indeed rich and flavourful. However, it is on the oilier side and I suspect (much like other places), there is a decent amount of MSG in it. Unlike Pho Hoa, there is a good amount of rice noodle and meat in the broth. One thing I would like to mention is that the brisket was excellent. There were large, meaty strips of soft brisket that maintained it's shape and tasted really good. We actually ordered the roll combo to start and it included 1 fried roll, 1 shrimp salad roll and 1 pork salad roll. All were pretty good, with the vermicelli being soft, but still a bit chewy inside. The fried roll was not oily and was crisp on the outside and packed with filling on the inside. Viv had the Lemon Grass Chicken with Rice and the chicken was flavourful and tender.

With the reasonable prices and good food quality at Pho 99, it is really an excellent value. However, there are some negatives that come with the positives. First and foremost, the washrooms are gross. They seem to deteriorate with every visit. There are these really stupid saloon-type swing doors that lead to the washrooms. Well, let's just say now there is only one swing door. There has been this lonely half swing-door for over a year. I guess they are not too concerned about fixing anything. Secondly, although the service is friendly, it is a bit absent-minded. You could ask for a glass of water and you may never get it. It's not bad service, it's just minimal. With that being said, Pho 99 is still a solid choice for Vietnamese food in the Burquitlam area.

The Good:
- Food is quite good
- Portions are reasonable
- Food comes out quick

The Bad:
- Restaurant cleanliness is a concern
- Service can be a bit better

Pho 99
#62 - 2991 Lougheed Hwy
Coquitlam, B.C.
(604) 472-1299
www.pho99vn.net

Mahek Restaurant

Met up with an old friend, Toolman, I haven't seen for awhile for lunch today. We originally were going to meet at Yummy Wonton House, which is across the street from where he worked. However, we changed the venue because I really wanted to go somewhere different. I asked around for some suggestions, and I'll give credit to JH and JK for recommending Mahek Restaurant in Surrey.

From the outside, Mahek is very non-descript except for the big blue signage. Also, there was a very nice white Porsche GT3 outside, it appears Mr. Mahek is doing well! Anyways, upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted to an upscale and inviting dining room. The seating arrangement is both comfortable and private since most of the tables are booths. Looking over the menu, most dishes are $10 and up, with rice or naan being extra. However, there is a lunch special that is only $8.95. The lunch special is a fantastic value since it includes either Lamb Curry, Butter Chicken or Vegetable Curry with rice, 2 pieces of Tandoori Chicken and 2 pieces of naan. This meal is similar to many of the other Indian restaurants in the area and in fact, it is $1.00 less than most of them.

It was more than enough food and I was struggling to finish my last piece of naan. The naan was on par with the best ones I've had. It was soft, fluffy and hot. The lamb curry was quite mild with big chunks of meat. The meat was not as tender as I would have liked it, but it certainly wasn't tough either. The butter chicken was smooth and the meat was tender; however, it looked a bit runny. The tandoori chicken was mild and had good flavour, with hits of tumeric and chilli powder. However, it was a bit overcooked. We also ordered soft drinks and to our surprise, it was re-fillable. This is unusual in an Asian restaurant. Although the food was good, Mirch Masala, which is across the street, is better. The service was pretty good, with the waitress coming over to ask if we wanted refills. Overall, Mahek is a decent choice for Indian food in a comfortable setting.

The Good:

- Really nice dining room and comfortable seating

- Portions are decent

- Service is attentive

The Bad:
- Regular menu is a bit pricier than other places
- Mirch Masala across the street is better

Mahek Restaurant

9470 120th Street

Surrey, B.C.

(604) 585-3331
www.mahekchaat.com

Morton`s Steakhouse

*UPDATE* Morton's of Vancouver is now permanently closed as of October 3rd.

How many times do I need to celebrate my birthday? Well, if it involves eating, I will celebrate it as many times as people want to go out to eat with me! Many of my friends have told me that their experience at Morton's has been good, so I really had an itching to go. It was one of 3 steakhouses in Vancouver that are on my wishlist, which includes Gotham and Hy's as well. I was telling Costanza (who joined me at Morton's) that it would be very cool to drive up to the valet at any one of these restaurants in my black SUV with dubs. Then Costanza bursts my bubble by saying that it would be cool, until everyone saw the 2 child seats in the back. Ouch! Back to reality!!!

Anyways, I must say that first and foremost, the service is outstanding at Morton's. It was friendly, unpretentious and attentive. The dining room was classy in a New York/Chicago style; yet it was understated and inviting. The prices at Morton's are consistent with an upscale steakhouse, with steaks being around $50 and up and sides being extra. Unknown to many, especially my friend Whipping Girl (who recently ate there), there is a Steak and Seafood dinner for 2 that costs $119. It includes a selection of Morton's most popular dishes in a set meal. Each person has a choice of salad, either a Caesar or Morton's Salad; a choice of seafood, either Broiled Sea Scallops, Colossal Shrimp Alexander or Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes; a choice of 1 potato and 1 vegetable to share; a single-cut Filet Mignon; and a choice of dessert, either Morton's Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake or Key Lime Pie. Whipping Girl ordered almost the exact same dinner at the a la carte prices in the menu!!! Suffice to say, she was choked; however, she doesn't regret it since the food was good.

Before our meal, we ordered some oysters on the half-shell to start. They were extremely fresh and sweet. They were accompanied by tobasco, seafood sauce, horseradish, lemon and saltine crackers. I start the meal for 2 with the Morton's salad which is a variety of lettuce tossed in blue cheese dressing, topped with chopped egg and anchovies. The lettuce was extremely fresh and crisp; however the salad itself was tossed unevenly. I had some pieces that were slathered in dressing and I just had to leave them on the plate. The others had the Caesar and it was pretty average, with the salad being watery. Then came my Filet Mignon accompanied by the Colossal Shrimp Alexander. My filet was perfectly cooked at medium-rare. The meat was very tender and every bite was buttery smooth. The Colossal Shrimp Alexander consists of 3 butterflied giant shrimp which are breaded and fried, resting on a beurre blanc sauce. The shrimp should really be called prawns since they are really large and meaty. They were cooked nicely, being crispy outside and not overcooked on the inside. However, there was just too much beurre blanc sauce for my liking. Viv had the scallops wrapped in bacon, which came with an apricot chutney. The scallops were sweet, but were a bit overcooked. The bacon on the outside was extremely crunchy and a bit burnt; that detracted from the dish. Viv did not like the apricot chutney since it had hints of horseradish. But I personally like horseradish and thought the chutney was good.

We ended up sharing the 4 side dishes amongst ourselves and they included steamed asparagus, steamed broccoli, french fries and a jumbo baked Idaho potato. The asparagus and broccoli were steamed just enough, so they still maintained a healthy green colour and some firmness. The vegetables were extremely fresh and sweet. They were accompanied by hollandaise sauce which was okay; but it would have been better with some more lemon juice. That would be the same for the Bearnaise sauce that accompanied the Filet Mignon too. The french fries were surprisingly good, being crisp on the outside, but maintaining a good potato taste and consistency on the inside. The baked potato was the biggest one I have ever seen before in my life. It was so fluffy and soft on the inside, it just melted in my mouth. It was the best baked potato I've even had.

For dessert, we all chose the Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake served with Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream. The chocolate cake was moist and very good. On the inside, there was molten chocolate oozing out. I liked the cake, but with every bite, it became a bit too sweet for my liking. Overall, the meal at Morton's was satisfying, especially at the price we paid. There were some issues with some of the dishes; but nothing major. The steaks, which is their specialty were outstanding and so was their service.

The Good:
- Steaks were excellent
- Service was outstanding and unpretentious
- Ambiance was classy and intimate
- Expediting of the food was spot on

The Bad:
- Some of the food, other than the steaks, has it's issues
- Parking is scarce or expensive (although the valet was reasonable at $7)
- Can be pricey if you don't have the dinner for 2 special

Morton's
750 W Cordova St
Vancouver, B.C.
(604) 915-5105
www.mortons.com

Business Hours:
5:00pm - 10:00pm (Mon - Thu & Sun)
5:00pm - 11:00pm (Fri - Sat)

Vivo! Gelato

*This location is now closed*

After a satisfying meal at Hapa Izakaya, I was messaged by Miss Y on my Blackberry. She was with a few of my softball teammates at The Eatery and wanted me to drop by to say hi. Well, having nothing better to do, I went there and said hi. Not sure why I actually drove there to say hi, when I could've called or just texted. Now being well into the west side of Vancouver, we decided to go visit my favourite gelato place, Vivo! Gelato. I personally think Vivo is better than most of the other gelato places in town (La Casa, Bellagio, Amato); however, I do think that Mondo Gelato is good too.

Just like all the other popular gelato places in town, Vivo makes their gelato fresh in small batches with fresh ingredients. Unbeknownst to many people, gelato is made with milk, not cream. Thus, the milk fat is only around 10%. The reason gelato is so creamy is that air is limited it is being churned in the machine, resulting in a more dense, richer product. I've tried most of the flavours at Vivo and I've liked most of them. However, it's all personal preference, I may like some flavours that some other people may not like and vice versa. The flavours I do like are coconut, tiramisu, pistachio, white chocolate raspberry, blueberry cheesecake and green tea. The sorbetto at Vivo is very good too, it's so creamy you'd think it was made with milk ingredients, which it's not. I like the passionfruit, pineapple, green apple, lemon and lychee. However, some flavours are on rotation and you might not see it all the time.

The thing I look for in a gelato or sorbetto is that you can taste the flavour of the main ingredient and it's not too sweet. Vivo achieves this with strong flavours, balanced tartness (in the tart flavours) and just enough sweetness. Another positive of Vivo is that there are ample and comfortable places to sit (similar to a Bread Garden). I can't really stand places like La Casa and Amato where there are limited places to sit. Unlike some people, I am not a big fan of standing/sitting/squating outside and eating my gelato. Although the Oakridge location of Vivo has limited seating as well, it's in a mall, so you have plenty of other options. If you are in the neighbourhood, I wouldn't hesitate to try it out.

The Good:
- Creamy, good tasting gelato and sorbetto
- Comfortable seating (mostly Kerrisdale location)
- Reasonable prices

The Bad:
- Locations not centrally located for the rest of GVRD (need one East Van/Burnaby)
- Some flavours are not available all the time

Vivo! Gelato
5395 West Boulevard
Vancouver, B.C.
604-266-7637
www.vivogelato.com

Business Hours:
11:00am - 9:30pm (Mon - Thu)
11:00am - 10:30pm (Fri - Sat)
1:00pm - 9:00pm (Sun)