Golden Ocean

Man, this place brings back memories. Prior to its current iteration, Golden Ocean was once Miramar. We knew the owners and were regulars for Dim Sum every weekend. This was when I attended Osler Elementary when we still lived in Oakridge. Yes, it was a very long time ago! Honestly, I don't recall the last time I was here. Today, we met up with Goose and Mother Goose along with my parents for Dim Sum. Knowing how the place gets crazy busy on the weekends, we made a reservation for 11:45am. The significance of the time is that before 11:30am, there is a 20% discount off the total bill. Thus, it's extra crazy busy before that and a reservation is pretty much useless. So at 11:45am, there is a much better chance we'd get our table quickly, which we did.

Part of a dying breed, Golden Ocean stills serves Dim Sum on rolling carts. As much as I still like the novelty of Dim Sum carts, it doesn't seem very practical here since the seating arrangements are tight and the walkways even tighter. It reminds me of rush hour on #3 Road in Richmond! Except in this case, you want lots of cart traffic around you since you get more food! The one problem with carts is we end up ordering too much and the table gets filled to the max. It's an inherent affliction since the Chinese in us takes over. We start to worry that the dishes we want will either be sold out or won't come around again. So let the hording begin! "Back off! Get your own Haw Gow!"

We started with the Shrimp Spring Rolls and it was a no-brainer really. My son loves the "crunchy" and would never let the cart go by without asking for it. Too bad he doesn't eat the filling! Although making a good spring roll isn't exactly rocket science, these were pretty good. Crunchy, full of shrimp and none too salty or oily, they did their job. To somewhat have greens in our diet, we got the Stir-Fried Pea Shoots. This is a tricky dish to prepare since if you overcooked it, the pea shoots become limp like spinach. Under-cooking it and it might be too chewy. This one was nearing the overcooked stage; but barely. So it was acceptable, especially in a Dim Sum environment.

As always, we got the 2 classics - Haw Gow & Sui Mai (aka Shrimp Dumplings and Pork/Shrimp Dumplings). As for the Sui Mai, I thought they were executed quite well. What you look for in a good sui mai is tender; yet slightly chewy pork and cold-water crunchy shrimp. There should be a bit of pork fat and a touch of sweetness-saltiness-sesame oil. For aesthetic reasons, a small dab of tobiko or salted duck egg yolk should top each dumpling. In this case, all of the above applies. For a good Haw Gow, naturally, there should be crunchy cold water shrimp that is just cooked. Mixed in could be a variety of things which include pork fat, water chestnuts, white pepper, sesame oil, sugar and salt. There are some variations which use bamboo shoots in place of water chestnuts. That, in my opinion, is a not as good since bamboo shoots are quite pungent and overwhelm the delicate shrimp. Fortunately, there were not bamboo shoots in these shrimp dumplings, which were quite good. The only thing I'd change is the slightly thick dumpling skin.

Another Dim Sum staple is the Beef Meatballs. Although there are several variations, when it comes down to it, it's a meatball of ground beef. However, the important thing here is to make the ground beef smooth without being mushy. These were good being soft with still a nice "rebound" when bitten into. The good thing about carts is that you can actually see the food, which makes deciding whether to order it or not a bit easier. In the case of the Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant, we ordered it based on the size of the dish. They should've renamed it shrimp with a bit of eggplant. Lots of juicy ground shrimp on top of eggplant made this dish a winner.

The Loh Mei Guy (Sticky Rice wrapped in lotus leaves) is another dish we often order. A "filler" item, it's "cum bao", which is not a disgusting protein bun despite how it sounds. Rather, it means that you can get full on it easily. In this case, the rice was a bit soft due to the copious amount of pork filling. Despite this, the amount of filling helped flavour the rice thoroughly. Now a dish that some people might take a pass at; but you know that I would definitely eat - Steamed Beef Tendon. Honestly, there is not inherent taste to it other than what it is cooked in. So it is a textural issue with most people. When cooked right, it's gelatinous and slightly chewy. Overcooked and it's mush, undercooked, it's unchewable. Once again, they nailed here with soft pieces of tendon that maintained their shape while being garlicky and slightly sweet.

Another dish that people horde over is the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll. Sure, it comes in different forms such as BBQ pork, beef, mushroom, scallop, salty donut, spareribs and plain; but the shrimp version is the most popular. We had to special order this one because it kept selling out before it got to us. Yet again, another great dish. Encased within soft layers of rice noodle were crunchy cold water shrimp. We also got the Beef Rice Noodle Roll as well and it was just as good with the beef being soft and not overwhelmed with cilantro. A dish we got exclusively for the kiddies were the BBQ Pork Mexican Buns. Wait a minute! Mexican bun? WTH is that? Yah, when I first saw one in a Chinese bakery, I was confused. What does Mexico have to do with these pineapple bun cousins? Well, they seem to be a variation of the Mexican Conchas. Filled to the max with sweet BBQ pork in a soft pastry with a crispy sweet topping, these were better than some Chinese bakery versions.

Another dish for the kiddies was the Preserved Duck Egg and Salted Pork Congee. Well, at least for my daughter since the chances of my son eating preserved duck egg would be as good as the contestants on Fear Factor. I wish I was on that episode since I would be popping those eggs like a snack. Alas, with my luck, they'd have roasted cockroaches or something that would make me want to gag. Anyways, the congee was alright for a Dim Sum meal. It was a bit thin; yet it did have lots of ingredients.

For dessert, we ended up getting 3 orders of the Egg Tarts, not because we wanted to necessarily eat so many; but my daughter had a whole plate to herself. I guess they were good? I didn't have one. They did look good though. Ultimately, the meal was quite good. Not one item was sub par. Service, if you can imagine was only acceptable since the place was a madhouse. Despite this, the staff were as friendly as they could be. The only downside is that the pricing (even with the discount) ain't exactly cheap. Blame that on the location. Still, we enjoyed our meal and would gladly return for another.

The Good:
- Carefully prepared food
- Most items were bang on
- Pretty decent selection with carts

The Bad:
- Quite narrow for carts
- A bit pricey

John's Greek Taverna

I'm not even sure how we ended up at John's Greek Taverna today. I think we were looking for a completely different restaurant and since we were running short on time, it was close enough. If we didn't pull into the parking lot accidentally, we would've never known that this place even existed. There are a whole bunch of businesses hidden from the main thoroughfares. In fact, there are a few other restaurants too. Nice. Now in addition to my random wanderings in Surrey, I will now pull into random parking lots and circle around looking for hidden restaurants. Yah, that's a past time that is both a bit strange and might draw the attention of the authorities. Hey, it's not a stretch. Happened before!

Not to worry this time around since the cop shop is literally next door to this place. They can watch me from their desks if they like. Since we were pressed for time, we quickly ordered and amused ourselves with the fake fire above our heads (it was blowing tissue paper emulating fire). We started with the Calamari and it was a pretty large portion. Despite being crispy and not too oily, there was too much batter. It completely overwhelmed the pieces of squid. The tzatziki was alright, could've used more lemon. For my main, I had my favourite which is the Roast Lamb. Honestly, I was torn on this one. I don't want to be mean; but this dish was horrible. There is no other way to describe it. Yes, there were 2 generous pieces of lamb on the plate. But both were tough, hard, stringy and salty. I really didn't enjoy it and had to stop eating it. It wasn't all bad though. I did like the fresh Greek Salad and the rice was alright. The potato was okay as well, it could've used a bit more flavour though.

Curiously, Father D chose a dish that was not very Greek. He was craving steak and went for the Steak Sandwich. And believe it or not, it was pretty darn good. As you can see, the meat is nicely charred and it was cooked as requested (medium-rare). It was served on a nice piece of garlic toast and the accompanying Caesar Salad was solid. As for the fries, they were forgettable being fried a bit too long. You'd think a steak sandwich would be filing enough for lunch; but Father D also had a Beef Gyro! It was good as well. Packed with plenty of fresh ingredients and beef, this one was a winner.

So, 2 out of 4 dishes were good. The one dish I'd hope to be good was in fact, terrible. I'm not sure if that was a one-time mistake with the lamb or not. I seriously hope that it was a off-day since that would be embarrassing for any Greek restaurant. Again, this made it tough for me. I didn't want to be harsh, especially given the really good service we got as well. But... the lamb was that bad. Until I try it again, for now, I would take a pass.

The Good:
- Good portions
- Friendly staff
- Comfortable environment

The Bad:
- Pricey
- Worst roast lamb I've had to date

Vanya

An impromptu hot pot at home tonight resulted in the need to do a bit of shopping today. Usually, T&T serves as the one-stop destination for hot pot related products. However, as most of us know, it is definitely not the best value. Case in point, the sliced beef for hot pot is so overpriced, it costs more than a prime rib roast if you calculate on a per pound basis. Thus, I never buy hot pot beef at T&T. I find the best place to get quality beef for a reasonable price is Hankook Meats on Kingsway which can be found in the same complex as Samosa Garden. Since we had not eaten lunch yet, we thought of places to go near Hankook Meats. One place that came to mind was Vanya. Viv swears that we've been here before; but some reason or another I don't remember it.

Prior to it changing hands, the place was Japanese-run. Now, apparently it's not. However, the sushi chef and staff are all Japanese (information provided by several readers). Suffice to say, there is absolutely no parking in the Collingwood area during the daytime, especially on the weekend. Despite the sign not indicating so, the adjacent parking lot does have spaces reserved for Vanya. Now, if you were expecting a modern, fancy Japanese restaurant, stop reading now. Vanya is definitely ol' skool in the same vain as Koko. However, the restaurant decor, carpet and furniture has seen it's best days. A good candidate for restaurant makeover.

For me, I don't really care about decor, as long as the food is good. We decided to order everything a la carte and started with the Assorted Sashimi. At $11.00, the portion size was quite underwhelming. But the quality of the product made up for it. Viv was quite impressed with the wild salmon and tai. They were both fresh and delicious. I liked the tako since it was the perfect texture of slightly chewy while not too chewy. Although the tuna tasted fine, we thought it was a bit mushy. Not knowing what to expect, we got the Seafood Salad. It turns out that shrimp and imitation crab stick accounted for all of the seafood. With large uncut leaves of crispy lettuce, the salad was pleasant to eat, if not a bit boring. The copious amount of vinaigrette was a tad on the salty side.

Originally, I was tempted to order the Futomaki for $9.00; rather, we inquired about the Vanya Roll. Turns out for $8.00, it is the seafood equivalent of a Futomaki. Consisting of wild salmon, tuna, tai, hokkigai, ebi, mackerel and imitation crab, this was a really large roll. And with 9 pieces, we thought this was a great value. Great value aside, the roll was delicious as well with many different flavours and textures at work. The sushi rice was a tad dry; yet it still had a good chewy consistency. Often, when we order gyoza, it is not fried up properly (due to lazy kitchen staff). Well, I have to say that the gyozas were nicely browned. The soft, thin dumpling skin encapsulated a fluffy meat and veggie filling. Really good gyozas.

We got 2 items specifically for the kiddies (which we end up eating if they don't...). The first was the Oyako Don. They used white meat in this particular case and to our surprise, it was tender and juicy. Mixed with fluffy egg and just the right amount of mirin/soy/dashi mixture penetrating the rice without making it salty. As expected, we got the Tempura Udon again. Hey, my son likes udon and tempura (only the batter though!). The udon was alright, the noodles were a bit soft while the soup was pretty flavourful. I wasn't a huge fan of the tempura though. The batter was a tad thick and had a layer of sogginess beneath the crispy outer coating. Although not perfect, the meal at Vanya was satisfying. Definitely reminds me of the style you'd find at Hi-Genki and Koko. Not modern Japanese food; but good home-style Japanese food. Nothing wrong with that.

The Good:
- Friendly staff
- Honest food
- Authentic

The Bad:
- Interior is in need of an update
- Not as inexpensive as you'd think

Song Huong (Surrey)

Quick... What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Vietnamese food? Pho? Banh Mi? CTV's filthiest restaurants? On that note, it's amazing that most of the places I go are on that list. Ultimately we are at the mercy of what restaurants want to put on their menu. Thus, we are quite familiar with Pho, Banh Mi, Spring Rolls, Salad Rolls and the sort. Not until recently, I tried the Beef 7-Ways at Thai Hang. Well, it was more like Beef 5-ways, since they didn't have the other 2. It is offered only in a select few Vietnamese restaurants in town. Other than Thai Hang, Song Huong is the only other place I know for sure that serves it. Luckily for me, they have a Surrey location in addition to the one on Nanaimo in Vancouver. Why? Well, Pomegranate and I could swing by for lunch at the Surrey location, not the Vancouver one! The first thing I noticed is that this location is a whole lot smaller than the one in Vancouver. We thought the plastic green bananas and chili peppers with a slight dusting of cobwebs really enhanced the decor. Seriously, it doesn't matter, we were not here for the ambiance... Knowing how we were about to eat lots, I picked a larger table (from my last experience at Thai Hang, you need space for this meal!).

I know the the last time at Thai Hang we only got 5 ways although the menu stated 7. The menu here at Song Huong specifically states Beef 5-Ways. There is no Beef 7-ways! Has downsizing and belt-tightening affected this meal as well? What's next? Beef 1-way? Isn't that just a "steak" here in North American cuisine? I certainly hope this trend doesn't continue! Fine, 5-ways it is... I guess for that reason we added an order of spring rolls to make up for the missing 2 courses. The crispy blistered exterior gave way to a "tight" filling of meat, vermicelli, carrots and wood ear mushrooms. I mention that the filling was "tight" because it was a whole lot better than the one at Bao Chau. The one there was mushy and loose.

As for our beef meal, the first course was the sliced rare beef, which we cooked in a hot pot on a portable burner. The beef was plenty fresh; yet it was a tad chewy. If it was sliced a bit thinner, it would've been easier to chew. Also included in the meal were hot sauce, lemongrass, sweet anchovy sauce and cooked vermicelli. On another plate, we were supplied with pickled daikon/carrots, pearl onions, bean sprouts, cucumber, tomato, romaine lettuce, mint, Thai basil and perilla leaves. We proceeded to make our own salad rolls with the supplied dry rice wrappers (which we soaked in hot water first). A tip to those who have never had this meal before - only dip the rice wrapper briefly in the hot water. It further softens once you put it on the plate. Otherwise, it'll be too wet. Also, don't be too greedy and overload the wrapper, you won't be able to close it. I learned this the hard way at Thai Hang. This time around, I was a roll wrapping superstar. LOL...

The next beef dish was the Satay Beef. Buoyed by a mound of picked veggies, there was actually very little meat here. Furthermore, the meat was also quite chewy and dry. The beef at Thai Hang was both more tender and flavourful. Apparently, the 3rd, 4th and 5th courses of beef were the beef meatballs/sausages. One version is wrapped in pepper leaves. Another is wrapped in fat and one is more sweet. However, I have a hard time differentiating between the two, except one has onion. By the time we were finishing up, we were stuffed beyond belief. Seeing that his meal will only set you back $26.00, it is a good value. However, it's really too bad that there wasn't the 7-course option. It's funny how I've had this meal twice and have yet to experience the full 7-courses. I may need to do this next time I'm in California since it is more prevalent done there. But for now, I'm more than satisfied with this unique meal that is definitely a change from the usual pho options.

The Good:
- Good value
- Food quality appears to be solid
- Friendly staff

The Bad:
- Restaurant a bit run down (not particularly unusual for this type of restaurant)
- No Beef 7-Ways option

Lucky Horse

While at Toyko Ken a month ago, I spotted a Chinese restaurant within the same shopping complex. I really didn't think much of it. After all, what's so special about a Chinese restaurant? There's one every few blocks in the GVRD. However, for some reason or another, I wanted to try it. They always say that curiosity killed the cat. Well, as long as they are not actually serving cat at the restaurant, it's all good. With a name like Lucky Horse, I'm pretty sure Cat is not on the menu. Ma was a bit nervous since I've taken her to a few places that serve items she's not entirely comfortable with. To this day, she still talks about the chicken feet I ordered for Dim Sum. She didn't end trying them though.

Today, I suggested we try Lucky Horse out while assuring her that they did not serve horse. It's only in the name! Well, when we were presented with the menu, I was absolutely sure there was no horse. In fact, I was almost certain that I would not be finding authentic Chinese food here. Why? The menu was printed only in English! Furthermore, with "Chinese and Canadian Food" on the front of the menu, it served almost as a warning. Ma exclaimed that, "there is North American food in here!" Alright, I ain't a food snob and do have the guilty pleasure of partaking in the occasional Manchu Wok/Panda Express meal. Yah, call it a lapse of judgment, giving in or just plain desperate; but if my expectations are for North American Chinese food, I'm okay with it. With my "Chineseness" turned down a few notches, we went about our business of ordering. There was a dinner for 2 that seemed quite reasonable for $23.00; but we wanted some leftovers, so we went for the dinner for 3 at $30.00. Hey, it sounded like a good deal with Spring Rolls, Chicken Chow Mein, BBQ Pork Fried Rice, Sweet & Sour Pork and Chop Suey. As we waited for our food, I assumed my role as the token Chinese person in a "Chinese" restaurant...

The Spring Rolls arrived hot and crispy. Other than the obvious oil slick at the bottom, these babies were actually quite good (they were veggie-filled). Looking much like something you'd find at a food fair Chinese joint, the BBQ Pork Fried Rice was a bit dry. However, I'd rather have it dry than soggy. It did the job, nothing more, nothing less. While the rice had a dark soy tinge, the meat on top of the Chicken Chow Mein was paler than Nicole Kidman. We found the noodles to be on the softer side; but again, they did the job and the copious amount of chicken meat didn't hurt the dish. Exhibiting a red that does not readily exist in the real world, the Sweet & Sour Pork turned out to be pretty solid. Most, if not all of the pieces were meaty with very little fat on them. Despite the colour, the sauce had a nice balance of tart and sweetness. I particularly liked that there was very little in the way of fillers in this dish.

Our last dish of Chop Suey consisted of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, baby corn and beef. Honestly, the veggies were cooked perfectly with good colour and crispness. Too bad the beef was chewy and there was way too much salt. If you are thinking that the food looks suspiciously like the one you'd find at Manchu Wok, Flaming Wok and Panda Express, you're right. The only difference is that you are being served and the food is cooked to order. Yah, I wasn't expecting "real" Chinese food here. With that in mind, the food was pretty average for North Amercian Chinese food. But, for the prices they charge and the large portions, it will satisfy their target customer. I'm just not one of them.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Good portions
- Friendly staff

The Bad:
- Of course it ain't authentic! They never claim to be...
- A bit salty

Kwan Luck

Located in the old Dragon Inn resides a Chinese restaurant that is open until 3:00am. So what's the big deal you ask? Since our Friday night hockey games are becoming later and later, these are the only restaurants we can rely on for some eats. Yes, desperate times call for desperate measures. It's getting so bad, I'm considering going back to Knight & Day! Wait, that's just plain lunacy. I take that back. So Milhouse, Dr. No-Share (formerly Dr. 911) and Polka King joined me in exploring the unexplored. Kwan Luck was not even on Urbanspoon. That's how obscure it is. When we entered the place, I was a bit confused at the decor. On one hand, it looked like any other greasy spoon; but then they got these chic Ikea-looking lights in a range of colours hanging over every table. Chinese restaurant? HK- style cafe?

Whatever the case, I really didn't care. One look at the menu and it looked more like your regular Chinese restaurant with a few HK-style cafe items. Of course Dr. No-Share decided on a dish all to himself, so we ignored him and got some items to share. It started off a bit weak in that the Wonton Soup was average at best. Consisting of wontons made solely of pork, we expected some shrimp in them, to no avail. At least the broth was not too bad. Not too salty and a bit of meat flavour (we think it was chicken?). As we were wondering if this was a sign of things to come, the Baby Gai Lan and Beef set us back on tract. It sure looked good and it was. The baby gai lan were tender yet had a nice crunch. The beef was properly tenderized and the entire dish was not seasoned aggressively. What I liked the most was that there was no pool of oil on the bottom of the plate.

Being the "banana" (a term to describe an Asian who is white on the inside and yellow on the outside) that he is, Polka King really only knows a few food items in Chinese. In his broken Cantonese, he wanted his favourite dish "Gon Chow Ngow Hoh" or Fried Rice Noodles with Beef. It seems like that's the only thing he orders... Maybe he doesn't know anything else in Cantonese? When it arrived, the colour was a bit pale (lack of dark soy); but the flavour was pretty good - caramelized soy flavour with chives and tender beef. Again, this wasn't excessively oily (which is usually is) and that was a plus. Now if Polka King only knows one item, Milhouse is not far behind. He didn't need any arm-twisting when the Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice was suggested. He seems to eat this exclusively as well. If I only ordered what I knew... say... in German, I'd be eating only schnitzel all the time. I need to teach them some other dishes! Okay, the fried rice was also pretty good. The rice was firm, dry and full of flavour from the salted fish. There was enough "wok hay" (high heat from the wok) to cooked the lettuce without it being soggy.

Lost in the food was the Preserved Egg and Salted Pork Congee. It was almost an afterthought. Why? Well, it was pretty average at best. The congee itself was not particularly that thick and there was a real lack of ingredients. I had to search within the congee to find bits of egg and pork. Dr. No-Share had the Beef Congee and it looked a bit better with a decent amount of beef. However, the congee here has nothing on Congee Noodle King or Congee Noodle House. In fact, I would say that Kwan Luck is not the place to go for congee or wontons for all that matter. However, the fried rice, noodles and main dishes seem to be executed quite well and at 2:00am in the morning that is a real plus.

The Good:
- Open late
- Decently executed dishes
- Reasonably priced

The Bad:
- Average congee and below average wontons

Karmony Bakery

While leaving Nancy Wonton House, Viv and I noticed a Chinese bakery a few blocks away. In my mind, I was thinking to myself that we should really try it out. I quickly ask my son if he wanted some buns. He gave me a "yes" and I made an immediate left turn for some impromptu Chinese pastries. Little did I know, Viv had the same thoughts and was quite happy I did so. Nice to see we were both thinking about food. Mind you, I'm always thinking about food, so it's not that much of a stretch. In fact, while my buddies look at women while we're in the car, I'm checking out restaurants... "Hey, check out that the sexy awning of that restaurant!". LOL...

Ironically, I'm not a big fan of bright red and yellow awnings; yet, that was what attracted me to Karmony. I guess there is a rhyme to the reason. On the inside, there is a modest display of buns and pastries. I was in the process of getting some items when Viv suggested we try some of their apple tarts. Well, anytime we get apple tarts, they will inevitably be compared to the ones at New Town. Flaky and crunchy on the top while sweet and tart on the inside, I have to admit that these ones were pretty good.

I also ended up getting some Pineapple Buns and BBQ Pork Pineapple Buns. There is no pineapple whatsoever; but the name is due to the top crust resembling a pineapple. We were pleasantly surprised with the texture of the dough. It was light and quite soft. I only wished they had put more filling, it was sparse and uneven. It did taste pretty good though. Not too sweet while nice and crumbly on top. I gotta say this was a pretty nice find. Definitely better than Maxim's and either equal or better than Pine House (in terms of the pastries, didn't try the cakes).

The Good:
- Reasonably priced
- Soft, slightly chewy dough

The Bad:
- Shop doesn't look at that impressive inside (doesn't matter really)
- Limited selection