Lamb Hot Pot

The Chinese-style hot pot (yes, I realize there are different types) is often seen as a very simple and basic form of eating.  It is definitely hands-on and interactive, but is also quite generic at the same time.  For the longest time, most of the hot pot restaurants in town have been serving up the Cantonese version which involves mild-tasting broths and a focus on seafood and beef.  However, we are beginning to see more and more Northern and Szechuan-style hot pots that feature spicier broths and a wider selection of ingredients.  The newly relocated Lamb Hot Pot (where Chubby Lamb used to be on Alexandra Road) brings the Northern version to Vancouver.

I've tried the place before and came away satisfied mostly because I love lamb!  Since Bear, Boss Woman and Milhouse also share the same love for lamb, we decided to pay the place a visit after a cold evening of softball.  We ended up ordering the Half and Half Broth with one side being spicy.  Chock full of lamb bones, the broth paid homage to the restaurant's name.  We thought the lamb broth was aromatic, well-seasoned and balanced.  Extra points for them refilling the evaporated broth with more broth rather than hot water.  As for the spicy side, it was definitely impactful and aromatic without being painful.  The best part was the ample lamb spine and bones where the meat was tender and flavourful.  We loved sucking the marrow with the straws!

For the rest of the meal, we chose a few items including both the sliced Beef (appeared to be eye of round) and Supreme Beef (which was more tender and fattier).  Despite being a good portion (it didn't look like it at first, but the amount of meat was substantial), the sliced beef was very lean and ate quite heavy.  It was slightly chewy, even though we barely cooked it through.  On the other hand, the fattier supreme beef was super buttery and tender.  It had a hard time staying in one piece, but it was on point texturally.  Of course we also got an order of Lamb and it was fatty and tender.  We loved that it wasn't super gamy, but still retained the essence of lamb.  Dumplings were not bad where the filling was juicy, but the skin was a tad thick.

Moving away from red meat, we got some seafood in the form of Basa Fish Filets and Black Tiger Shrimp.  Both of these were reasonably-priced at $4.99.  I found the fish to be pretty standard where it was tender and soft even when sitting in the broth for awhile.  Meaty and full of shrimp flavour, the tiger shrimp were large and had a nice snap (we barely cooked these through too).  We also loved the fresh noodles which we cooked al dente.  They were able to soak up some of the great flavour from the broth. In fact, the whole meal was centered around that outstanding broth (and the bones too).  It made everything tasty and satisfying.

The Good:
- Outstanding broth
- Loved those bones!
- Decent service

The Bad:
- A little pricey

The Gray Olive

Oh the power of Instagram...  Normally, a small little breakfast and lunch spot in Burnaby would attract as much attention as the fried chicken available at Swiss Chalet (yes, that was supposed to be a joke!).  However, the many posts on IG of avocado toast, the kitchen sink and chicken & waffles have vaulted The Gray Olive Cafeteria into a social media darling.  As such, I wasn't successful with my first visit as the lineup was over an hour long.  However, after Sunday morning hockey, I was able to snag a table after only 20 minutes of waiting.  This post is actually a combination of that visit and another with the fam.

Since I already have seen it countless times on IG, it was only fitting that I ordered the Avocado Toast on sourdough with oven-roasted tomato and balsamic reduction.  Okay, let's be honest, this wasn't a complex dish.  Most people could just make this at home.  With that being said, I liked it.  The sourdough was toasted enough so it was crunchy and held up to the wet ingredients.  Ripe and soft, the fresh avocado was mild-tasting, but the tart and sweet tomato in addition to the balsamic elevated the flavours.  It could've used some salt though.  For my main, I had the Chicken & Waffle sporting 2 fried chicken thighs, spicy Korean ketchup, whipped brown butter and real maple syrup.  This was on point with crispy waffles that were fluffy and airy.  The fried chicken was crunchy and well-seasoned while the meat was not dry.  Mostly sweet with only a mild kick, the Korean ketchup was pretty tasty.

Everyone else decided on The Kitchen Sink consisting of 2 eggs, sauteed veggies, green onion, sausage, bacon, cheese and G.O. potatoes (hashbrowns).  For $11.00, we thought this was a fair price for the amount of food.  Combined with the mix of veggies (which were still vibrant and firm), the potatoes were crispy while pillowy soft inside.  A layer of melted cheese really brought everything together.  There was enough salty bacon and meaty sausage for impact while the runny egg added some richness.  This was pretty good, albeit rather greasy.  It did need some drops of hot sauce to really bring out the flavours.  On my other visit, I tried the Pork Belly Break Sandwich.  This was pretty good in my books with a toasted airy bun.  The marbled egg was runny while the pork belly was just fatty enough while being tender and roasted caramelization.  Aromatic and full of umami, the roasted sesame mayo was impactful.  There was a touch of spice from the chili-marinated tomato as well.

We also had 2 bennys including the Smoked Ham Hock and the Steelhead Salmon.  Of the 2, we enjoyed the ham hock more as it proved a balanced salty smokiness that helped provide punch to an otherwise mild-tasting Hollandaise.  It was creamy with a touch of lemon (more tang for the salmon benny), but it needed the salt from the ham.  The eggs were poached beautifully in both cases while served on a firm biscuit.  Buttery soft, the steelhead was prepared properly, but completely bland.  We needed to sprinkle some salt to liven up the dish.  The side of G.O. potatoes were on point being lightly crispy and airy soft inside.  From these 2 visits to the Gray Olive, it is obvious that they fill a void that exists in North Burnaby.  Sure, there are other breaky spots, but not serving the same type of food at the G.O.  Prices can get up there, but the food quality and portion size seems to be in proportion.  Love that they are now using real plates and silverware now.

The Good:
- Generally tasty food that is a bit different than those in the neighbourhood
- Nice people
- Fair portions

The Bad:
- Some items could use more salt
- Pricing is on the higher end for this type of restaurant

Ha Cafe

As much as I love brunch and burgers, I can only take that many consecutive North American meals without beginning to feel ill.  That was the case when I was in Victoria for 2 days.  I ended up at Jam Cafe, John's Place and Bin 4 Burger Lounge.  When I got back, the first thing I had to do was to eat Asian food.  After conferring with the kids (yes, they have a say), it was determined that we go for Vietnamese.  Staying within Burnaby, we made our way over to the hidden Ha Cafe in Old Orchard Mall.

We began with the Spicy Chicken Wings and fries which was a fairly large portion.  Nothing much to say about the Cavendish fries since they were crispy as expected.  Just think Costco fries and you get the idea.  As for the wings, they were crisp on the outside while not overly dry on the inside.  They were lightly spicy, but not overly impactful.  The side of black pepper and lemon juice dip was as black as the pavement.  It was also very peppery and a bit out-of-balance.  We also got the Spring Rolls and they were terrible.  The rice paper wrapper was thick and dense while the filling was mealy and overprocessed.  We didn't even finish them.

For myself, I had the Beef Stew Noodles without the onions.  I really should've kept the onions because the sharpness might've helped even out the sweetness of the broth.  To me, it tasted of MSG, but there were elements of daikon and carrot.  I thought the beef brisket was fairly tender and moist, but there wasn't much of it.  The noodles were pretty good being chewy while the sprouts were blanched and underneath the noodles.  Viv went for the House Special Pho which was pretty average as well.  The soup base was sweet and clean, but it was also very light tasting.  There was a lack of depth and meatiness.  The noodles were also good here, but there was very little meat to be found.

The kids shared the Lemongrass Chicken with rice (and we added an egg).  The rice was chewy and the right doneness.  On the side was a large mound of salad that featured crisp and fresh veggies.  As for the chicken, it was tender an moist with rendered skin.  It was nicely charred where there was a smokiness and caramelization.  There was also enough lemongrass for impact. This was one of the better dishes we had at Ha Cafe.  Otherwise, the meal was pretty average.  With that being said, the food was serviceable and well-priced for the portion size.

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Decent portion size
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Food is average
- Not the most spacious of setups

Italian Tomato

Sometimes, with all the new restaurants opening up, we are caught up in trying the latest and greatest.  This happens constantly, so it is difficult to remember the ones that have been around for awhile.  It is especially true when they are not located in the most obvious areas, such as Downtown, Commercial Drive, Main Street and Alexandra Road in Richmond.  Taking over the spot that used to be Dem Bones, Italian Tomato occupies an odd spot ever since they rerouted Bridgeport Road and Sea Island Way into one-way streets.  Hence, if you miss the entrance and the immediate street afterwards, it'll be a big loop to get back.

We met up with Costanza and family for some eats prior to the Starry Night event at Deas Regional Park.  We decided to share 4 large pastas picking one from each section beginning with the red sauce in the Spaghetti Bolognese.  This was a gigantic portion with a tangy (in a tomato paste kinda way) thick sauce that was meaty. It wasn't a classic bolognese and a bit one-note though.  The pasta was al dente though and there was plenty of flavour.  We also added Meatballs for another $6.00 and they were fairly large.  They were accompanied by a similarly tart tomato sauce that was equally flavourful.  The meatballs themselves were far too mushy in texture for our liking though.  We would've preferred some semblance of a natural meatiness and a bite.

In the cream sauce section, we decided on the Milano with Italian ham, mushrooms and peas.  We chose linguine as our pasta and it was firmly al dente.  This was a good match for the rich sauce and ingredients as it was hearty enough.  This was plenty garlicky with enough seasoning to match.  The saltiness of the ham combined with the Earthiness of the mushrooms and sweet pop of the peas created layers of flavour and textures.  The sauce itself was rather heavy though and it was hard to eat too much of it. For our EVOO choice, we had the Mamma Mia featuring baby shrimp, baby clams, baby scallops and prawns in a garlic olive oil white wine clear sauce.  Again, the pasta was appealingly firm, but the flavours were mild except for the amount of garlic.  Despite the abundance of seafood, there was a lack of brininess.  Furthermore, the pasta was too dry and clumped up easily.

Our favourite pasta of the meal was the Marco Polo in the rose sauce section.  It sported diced chicken breast, baby shrimp, spicy Italian sausage and mushrooms in a spicy tomato sauce with a touch of cream.  Due to the zestiness of the dish, we chose the robust and al dente penne which stood up well. There was a low-rumbling spice that was accented by equal parts of tang and creaminess.  The chicken was quite dry, but the sausage was meaty and also spicy.  This dish had quite the impact from first bite to the last.  We added 2 pizzas as well including the basic Quattro Formaggi with mozzarella, bocconcini, provolone and feta.  Featuring a thin crust that was crispy at the edges and not soggy in the middle, it had a good mouth feel.  It was also very cheesy as advertised.

Our second pizza was the Alla Romana with pepperoni, smoky bacon, ham and mushrooms.  Since this featured 3 types of meat, it was more salty than the previous pizza.  Furthermore, the pepperoni added a touch of spice while the mushrooms did its woodsy thing.  Despite the amount of toppings, the crust did not significantly soften, hence it stayed flat when we picked it up.  Overall, Italian Tomato did the job despite some hit and miss items.  The prices were fair for the portion size (not sure why anyone would order half sizes at only $2.00 less) and the kids were left happy.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Fairly attentive service
- Low key setting

The Bad:
- Hit and miss
- Not the most easy to get to spot

Gyoza Bar (New Summer Menu Items)

It is no secret that when Gyoza Bar first opened, reviews were mixed.  In fact, we went with a large group back then and there was a wide range of opinions.  I did a revisit a year ago and was pleasantly surprised with the changes to the menu.  Things were more refined and in my opinion, tastier.  That prompted me to return many more times in the past year.  Recently, I paid Gyoza Bar a visit to try some of their Summer menu items which included a combination of tried and true dishes mixed in with a few new ones.

We were started off with a pair of frozen cocktails including the Grilled Peach & Orange Blossom with pinot gris and rum as well as the Strawberry Yuzu & Pistachio with rose and gin.  Of the two, I preferred the strawberry yuzu partly due to the visuals as it was a beautiful red.  It was also nicely blended and not overly sweet while sporting an aromaticness.  There was also the light hit of gin which went well with the flavours.  The peach & orange blossom was subtle, yet more strong in terms of alcohol.  It was slightly floral with the sweetness of peach at the end.

Onto our first course, we had the refreshing Japanese Tomato Salad with shiso vinaigrette, bonito flakes, cucumber, cilantro and green onion.  This featured ripe chunks of visually-appealing tomatoes which were juicy and sweet.  The cukes were also fresh, bright and crunchy.  I found the vinaigrette balanced in terms of acidity and sweetness while the shiso added a herbal brightness.  I appreciated that the cilantro was in the background as it can often be overwhelming.  Next up was a Gyoza Bar classic in the Japanese Curry Poutine with pulled pork, cheddar cheese, cilantro and pickled jalapeno.  I've had this before and this was no different with crispy fries topped with a generous amount of topping.  The pork was tender and well-seasoned with sweet and mildly spicy curry while the melted cheese kept things together.  Once again, the cilantro was complimentary while the jalapeno added a spicy tang.

Of course, it would've be a tasting at Gyoza Bar without gyozas right?  So we ended up with the Chicken Sui Gyoza with broccolini and a sweet & sour scallion sauce.  Unlike their wonderfully addictive pan-fried gyozas, these were steamed.  Hence, they were healthier, but also in the fact that the filling was soft chicken and veggies.  I would've liked a meatier texture, but it didn't make or break the dish.  The dumpling skin was medium thickness while being tender with an elasticity.  Tangy with a bit of sharpness from the onions, the sauce was impactful in a complimentary fashion to the mild chicken.  Arriving sizzling hot, the Teppan Bistro Fillet Steak was on point.  Prepared medium to medium-rare, the meat was succulent and super tender.  Underneath, we found garlic rice, corn, shiitake mushrooms, sesame and sweet soy reduction.  On top, there was a sprinkle of green onions and a sous-vide egg.  The whole concoction was tasty with umaminess from the ingredients as well as the caramelization from the sizzling teppan.

Due to the hot weather of late, it was nice to be served a Cold Katsuo Umami Ramen with a soy-based bonito broth, chicken char siu, tamago, red cabbage and katsuo bushi.  This was also on point with firmly chewy noodles bathed in a broth that was light, yet at the same time flavourful from the bonito.  This was doubled up in the broth as well as the flakes with touch of sesame oil.  The egg was perfectly runny while the sous-vide chicken was super soft while still retaining a meaty texture.  For dessert, we had the Golden Bao Fritter with yuzu marmalade, condensed milk and ice cream.  These were crunchy while still soft in the middle.  Loved the yuzu marmalade as it added another layer of tang and sweetness to the normally syrupy sweet condensed milk.  Of the new items I tried, my favourites were the cold ramen and the teppan steak, you can't go wrong with either.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Proteins were spot on
- Cold ramen was served ice cold (which worked)

The Bad:
- Chicken in the steamed gyoza could've been meatier

Andamiro Korean Bistro

Ah Mariah Carey, why did you mess up your NYE performance?  Was it really a technical issue as you suggested?  Hey, it could've been, I will never know.  However, that made me real nervous going to see her and Lionel Richie at Rogers Arena.  To our surprise, she was pretty good and even brought her kids onto the stage.  Although not being as engaging as Lionel Richie, I was more than happy with some classic Mariah belting out top-10 hits.  Prior to this, we met up with Costanza and Elaine for some pre-concert eats at Andamiro Korean Bistro.  Costanza raved about their Sura-like multi-course menu for cheap.

To our disappointment, they halted the fabulous deal indefinitely (more like forever).  But that didn't stop us from getting another combo that started with the usual Banchan consisting of stewed potatoes, sprouts, kimichi and green salad.  These were pretty average with overly soft (practically disintegrating) potatoes and weak-tasting kimichi.  Even the sprouts were pretty bland.  Oh whatever, these weren't the main courses, so it didn't matter much.  For our first item, we had the Seafood Pancake presented in the usual cast iron plate.  It was a fairly thick version, yet at the same time, not overly dense.  There was a decent amount of seafood while the green onion was not distributed evenly.  Some parts had a tonne while others had barely any.  On the outside, it was crispy and easy on the grease.

Probably my favourite dish was the BBQ Short Ribs as they were not only aesthetically-pleasing, they were executed almost flawlessly.  Beyond the sweet and smoky caramelized exterior, the meat itself was tender and succulent.  Other than the chewier parts near the bone, the meat required very little effort to eat.  I thought the marinade was on point as it was flavourful without being too sweet nor salty.  It went well with the supplied rice.  Even the grilled mushrooms were tasty.  Bubbling hot, the Seafood Tofu Soup was pretty textbook with the usual ingredients including silky tofu, egg, seafood and veggies.  The broth itself was mildly spicy with the brininess of seafood.  There was actually more ingredients than broth.  Again, this went well with the supplied rice.

The last item of the combo was a medium-sized portion of Japchae.  This was subjected to a good amount of wok-heat (or pan heat) where both the colour and aroma were caramelized.  It was sweet, but nicely balanced by an equal amount of savouriness.  Unlike some clumpy versions, this one had enough moisture to keep the noodles apart without being soggy.  However, some of that moisture was actually oil (so the dish was a bit greasy.).  There was a good amount of tender thin-sliced beef and vibrant veggies as well.   Not that we needed more carbs, but we also added the Kimchi Fried Rice.  This was pretty tasty as it also exhibited great wok heat where the rice was chewy and nutty.  It was also moist with enough kimchi and spices for impactful flavours.  I wondered why this tasted so much better than the kimchi that came the banchan.

For good measure, I ordered the Bossam (that was curiously devoid of Romaine and the other accompaniments).  Whatever the case, the simmered pork belly was tender, fatty and gelantious.  It was tasted with a rich pork flavour that was accented by equal parts sweet and saltiness.  Loved the raw garlic on top, it added a tangy sharpness.  Although we didn't get to try the combo meal at the front of their menu (which they claimed was temporarily unavailable...), the food we did try was good and worth another look see in the future.

The Good:
- Generally tasty dishes
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Service was friendly-enough, but not attentive as we were not supplied with enough cups, dishes nor chopsticks
- If they don't want to offer the great combo deal, just take it off the menu

Jiro Sushi & Ramen

Well, what do we have here?  Another Japanese restaurant!  Yes, not super-exciting as we have these dime-a-dozen type of joints everywhere in the city.  But with a name like Jiro Sushi & Ramen, one could be very well putting themselves out there.  Jiro Ono, to many, happens to be the greatest sushi chef in the world.  Well, we knew going in that we weren't going to be dining on Michelin 3-star sushi, but we did go in with some form of expectations (as in edible).  But after looking over the menu, the super-reasonable prices allowed us to temper those expectations.

We started with the Prawn Tempura that were large and seemed to sport a fairly aggressive batter.  It was on the thicker side, but ultimately, it was still crispy and decent.  The greasiness was kept to a minimum while the whole dish was served piping hot.  I thought the prawn itself was more meaty than having a snap, but it was fine nonetheless.  Next up was the 13-piece Assorted Sashimi for $13.95!  No that is not a typo, it really was that low in price.  In terms of overall quality and preparation, it was fine.  The tuna was soft and buttery, but a little bland.  Shockingly, there was sockeye salmon and it was actually texturally on point while somewhat sweet.  We weren't fans of the tai (snapper) though as it was spongy.

For our maki sushi, we chose the Spicy Dragon Roll consisting of a shrimp, imitation crab and avocado topped with unagi and spicy tuna.  It was further finished off with crunchy panko.  The thing that ruined everything was the sushi rice.  It was warm and far too soft and crumbly.  It was lacking the classic chewiness where each grain of rice would be discernible.  Other than that, the tuna was spicy enough to impact the overall flavours.  The same warm and almost mushy rice was the downfall of the Nigiri as well.  We got one each of the Toro, Unagi and Hotate (even though we ordered Hamachi).  Although the unagi and hotate were fine, the toro was not particularly buttery nor flavourful.  There was also too much rice for the amount of fish.

Since the place has "ramen" in its name, we took the risk and got the Tonkotsu with firm noodles, chashu, ajitsuki tomago, green onion, bean sprouts, snow peas and corn.  Surprisingly, the pork broth was actually decent with a certain milkiness and porkiness.  It wasn't outstanding, but fine for a non-ramen shop restaurant.  Noodles were al dente, but could've been chewier while the chashu varied between tender and chewy.  Lastly, we had the Soft Shell Crab (not sure why it showed up last) and it was pretty good.  The soft and creamy crab was coated in just enough batter to make it crispy without being heavy.  It was salted enough to completely season the dish.  We didn't need the dip as a result.  Overall, Jiro offered up inexpensive Japanese food that was okay in terms of the cooked items, but the sushi needs some work.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Cooked items were not bad
- Friendly people

The Bad:
- Sushi needs work
- Sushi rice needs even more work