Red Star (Granville)

One look at my "to-eat" list of Dim Sum joints and to my complete horror...  it was getting dangerously low.  Man, there are not many places left to try and most of them are in Richmond.  Curse you!  So I had the decision of heading into the land of driving confusion or do a return visit.  I chose return visit...  The place?  Red Star on Granville.  Hey, it is one of my favourites and we've not been there for Dim Sum since 2009.  Now, what it lacks in traffic confusion, it makes up for it with congestion inside.  Especially during Dim Sum, the traffic jam in the restaurant can rival anything out on the street.  Just trying to make your way to the washroom and/or back to your table can be quite the exercise (especially if you really must go!).

Once we did get to our table, it was a tight squeeze as per usual, but at least we got a table.  You see, they are super busy and if you do not make a reservation, it might be quite the wait.  And yes, we got our table more or less at our requested reservation time.  We started with a few kid favourites including the Shrimp Spring Rolls.  I'm happy to report my son now eats the WHOLE thing including the shrimp (which makes us do cartwheels because it was a b*tch to remove the filling for him each and every time).  As for the roll, it was crispy and full of whole shrimp, which exhibited an appealing snap.  We would've liked to see less salt though since there was enough natural flavours including the ample amount of garlic.  The kiddies loved the Loh Mei Gai (sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves) as it was full of ingredients.  There was almost a 50/50 split between sticky rice and moist ground pork, shrimp and shiitake mushrooms.

Continuing on the shrimp theme, we had the Haw Gow (shrimp dumplings) and they were quite good.  Unlike some other higher-end Dim Sum joints, these dumplings were pretty large.  They were stuffed full of whole shrimp which had a beautiful buttery snap texture.  However, they were too aggressive with the seasoning as it was on the saltier side as well as having too much sesame oil.  As for the Sui Mai (pork & shrimp dumpling), they were equally good.  It may not look it in the picture, but there was actually more shrimp than pork which made for a lighter, snappier texture.  The pork itself had a nice bounce, yet was seasoned a bit too aggressively.  Although, there was a good amount of shiitake mushroom which added another layer of flavour.

Onto one of my Dim Sum favourites, that doesn't include tripe or feet, is the Blackbean Spareribs. The one here was really well-prepared.  The pieces were meaty (with very little cartilage and fat), properly tenderized and flavourful.  There was a good bounce texture combined with a garlicky hit.  Moving onto another Dim Sum classic, we had the Shrimp Rice Noodle Rolls which featured large whole shrimp with flowering chives.  As with all the shrimp so far, these were crunchy.  The noodle was almost the perfect thickness where it was soft while maintaining some elasticity.  Despite his new found love for shrimp, my son balked at the shrimp rice noodle rolls instead opting for his standby being the Soy-Fried Rice Noodle Rolls.  Unfortunately, they really messed up this dish.  As you can clearly see, the noodles were hacked up and broken from the careless stir-frying.  Usually, to maintain their shape, the proper way would be to pan-fry them without tossing.  Disregarding its appearance, the noodles were still nicely textured although a touch salty.

Trying to add some veggies into our meal, we got the Pea Shoots with Bean Curd Sheets.  Arriving on a medium-sized plate, while being a really small portion, it really didn't look like a good value.  I guess quality made up for quantity in this case where the pea shoots were cooked just enough maintaining a crunch.  On the other hand, I didn't really like the salty starch-thickened sauce on top.  Now a visit to Red Star is not complete without having their BBQ Duck.  Why?  Well, they have ducks that are specifically raised for that purpose.  Therefore, these ducks have less fat which bodes well for Peking Duck as well as BBQ Duck.  We ended up with the Lai Fun with BBQ Duck.  If you look at the picture, there was very little fat underneath the crisp roasted duck skin.  Furthermore, the meat was moist and tender. Probably one of the best BBQ ducks in town.

We had a few more items including the Bean Curd Skin Roll and Beef Meatballs.  The bean curd rolls were big and loaded with tender ground pork, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms and green onion.  I liked the addition of water chestnuts as it added a nice crunch.  Furthermore, there was enough starch-thickened sauce (which was mild) to keep the rolls moist, while not drowning it either.  The Beef Meatballs were overloaded with baking soda as we could taste it in every bite.  Hence the texture of the meat was too soft.  We liked the hit of dried orange peel though.  For dessert, we had the Egg Tarts where the crust was flaky and buttery.  The filling was soft and just sweet enough.  This was a nice end to another solid Dim Sum experience at Red Star.  Albeit a bit expensive, it continues to offer up some of the best Dim Sum in town at its price point.

The Good:
- Generally well-prepared eats
- Portions are respectable for this class of restaurant
- Although hit and miss, service is decent

The Bad:
- Pricey of course
- Not that spacious for Dim Sum considering the class of restaurant 
- A touch heavy with the salt

Hanoi Pho

There it was.  Right at the corner of Hastings and Dunlevy.  It beckoned to me.  It spoke to me.  It said, "come eat here"...   Why was I attracted to it?  Okay, before you get the wrong idea, we're talking about a restaurant folks!  In fact, it is a sad-looking restaurant on the Downtown Eastside.  Hanoi Pho is the name and eating there is my game.  Yes, I had to eat there, despite its location and fairly unwelcoming exterior.  Who should I recruit to tackle this food adventure?  Why, no one else other than Snake.  He's used to slithering around anyways.  This wouldn't faze him.  In fact, he was hungry and suggested we share some items.  I would never turn that down.

We started with the Grilled Chicken Banh Mi  which was full of tender charred chicken which was violated (yes, violated) by an obscene amount of butter mayo.  They could've been more conservative with it.  Also, the bread was not crunchy at all. Snake opted for a bowl of Pho. The broth was dark in colour and looked rich.  One sip and whoa...  What was that flavour?  Licorice-like...  Too much star anise?  Five-spice (better not)?  Whatever the case, my tastebuds were telling me this was flavourful yet completely different than any other Pho broth I've had in town.  Was it bad?  Well no.  In fact, it was good in a strange kinda way.  At least it wasn't bland. The noodles were nicely texture while the meats were sliced thin and tender.

For myself, I went for the Dry Noodles and it was a modest portion topped with thin slices of lean BBQ pork and butterflied shrimp.  I thought the noodles were perfectly al dente however, they were a bit too heavy handed with the sesame oil as it was the dominant flavour by far.  So much so, I could barely taste the soy.  I liked the pork as it was moist despite being lean.  Same could be said about the shrimp as it was barely cooked, but they did a crappy job deveining the darn things.  Seeing how a small bowl of noodles could never satisfy my appetite, I added an order of the Lemongrass Chicken and Pork Chop with Egg on Rice as well.  Now this was a very large portion.  I thought the meats desperately needed more char, specifically the chicken.  On the drier side, the meats were flavourful though. I liked how the egg was free-range and runny. "Not bad" is probably the best way to describe Hanoi Pho.  Yes, I'm acutely aware that there are some loyal customers that might be think more highly of the place, but it was just alright for me.

The Good:
- Decent portions
- Friendly people

The Bad:
- Food wasn't bad per se, but something different about every dish (than I'm used to)
- Not as cheap as one would think considering the location

S&W Pepper House (Crystal Mall)

Yup, it was time for our usual North Road Korean food adventures with Big D and Slick again.  So I fired off an email asking which restaurant we'd hit this time around, but *gasp*, Big D didn't want to eat anywhere near North Road.  Why???  He thought all of the remaining places were pretty mediocre and thought we should explore other options.  Aiya!  What now? Okay, we needed something interesting and impactful.  Something that would really tickle our tastebuds...  Aha!  S&W Pepper House in Crystal Mall.  Oh no...  Crystal Mall!  AND...  The Save-On parking lot was closed as well...  Noooooo....  My only hope, the Burnaby Public Library.  Yes, we really shouldn't take up the parking spots, but there was no way I'd enter the circle parking lot of confusion!  Big D hates the lot so much, he'd rather pay park...

After securing safe parking spots for our cars, we arrived at the restaurant and ordered 4 items off the lunch menu and 1 off the regular menu.  Yes, 5 dishes for 3 people.  Mijune would be proud.  We started with the Guo Qiao Rice Noodles.  Literally translated, these "crossing the bridge noodles" usually consist of ingredients that were not found in this version.  Whatever the case, broth was mild, yet flavourful with depth and body while the lai fun had a good bite.  Before it even hit the table, we could smell the arrival of the Cumin Lamb which elicited a response from our salivary glands.  One bite and we were hooked.  The cumin (I'm refraining from making a joke here...) was strong, but not too strong while there was a balanced level of spice.  Moreover, the lamb was not dry as well as not be overly gamy.

Unlike Americanized versions of Kung Pao Chicken, this was nothing but.  The chicken was moist while the peanuts were crunchy.  Once again, the spice level was just right as we could taste the tang and savouriness of the rest of the flavours. There was one item that I originally forgot to order and thankfully I remembered because it rocked. The Sliced Pork Belly with garlic sauce was money.  The thin slices were warm, but did not fall apart when picked up with our chopsticks.  Naturally, it was fatty, but not overly so.  The meat practically needed no chewing at all.  Most importantly, it was bathed in a sauce that had the right combination of chili oil, garlic, chili flakes, vinegar and soy.  Very tasty.

Lastly, we had the Shredded Pork with garlic & chili sauce was also solid as the julienned meat was tender.  It was accented by crunchy wood ear mushrooms and again had a balanced spice level.  After it was all said and done, Big D and Slick were impressed with the food.  In fact, they wanted to return for more in the near future, especially for the pork belly.  Great.  Crystal Mall again...  Maybe I'll take transit next time.

The Good:
- Balanced flavours including spice level
- Well-priced
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Small place means cramped and probably a wait
- Do I even have to mention the parking lot?

The Spud Shack Fry Co.

"What is your favourite food?" is a question that I am asked often.  Even before I started blogging, my answer (without hesitation) would be "a good serving of fries".  Huh???  Fried potatoes is your favourite food???  Yes, I would take that over lobster if you can believe it or not.  Now I'm not talking about frozen McCain fries nor any generic versions offered up by Sysco or GFS.  I'm talking about "frites" made preferably from Kennebec potatoes and fried more than once.  Better yet, serve it up with some form of aioli or other mayonnaise concoction.  Most people have heard of Belgian Fries, Fritz and La Belle Patate, but there is a new player in town called The Spud Shack.  Unlike the aforementioned joints, The Spud Shack is somewhat hidden and almost an afterthought, especially for those who don't venture out of Vancouver.

For myself, I decided to make the effort out to the New West Skytrain platform in search of good frites.  My plan of attack included the one piece Cod & Frites with a side of chipotle mayo.  There was an ample amount of crispy frites which were potatoey soft inside.  As for the piece of tempura-battered fish, it was flaky and just barely cooked.  The batter wasn't exactly thin, yet not thick either.  It was crunchy while a touch greasy.  I found the tartar sauce quite mild where I would've liked to see more tang and pickle/onion crunch.

I also added a medium order of the Montreal Smoked Meat Poutine.  Although I would've preferred cubed pieces of meat, the rest of the poutine was fantastic.  Starting with the same great frites, there was a good amount of legit squeaky cheese curds (which were only slightly melted).  The amount of rich gravy was perfect as it caressed all the frites, without drowning them. So how about that...  A hidden gem of sorts in a Skytrain station.  Good frites, surprisingly decent fish and solid poutine.  I hope there will be a location in Burnaby someday...

The Good:
- Solid frites
- Real cheese curds for the poutine
- Surprisingly decent fish

The Bad:
- Not particularly easy to visit or find if you're not on foot or traveling by train
- Mostly take out, not many seats

Sushi Nanaimo

There I was.  Caught between a rock and a hard place.  No, I wasn't in a parking lot fighting for a space on #3 Road in Richmond (although that would be quite the pickle..).  Rather, I was given the task of organizing lunch with the following criteria: gluten-free but not vegetarian, kid-friendly, not expensive, not Asian and within Vancouver.  Argh...  Seriously?  Okay, I'd rather be fighting for that parking spot with nothing but my fragile body...  Apparently, they do that in Richmond too...  Anyways, I was able to remove the "non-Asian" stipulation out of the equation when Herbie the Lovebug relented in his demands.  So I ended up suggesting Aki, yet they were not open for lunch on Sundays (pretty common for authentic Japanese restaurants).  Hence, I resorted to a Korean-run Japanese restaurant out on Nanaimo simply named Sushi Nanaimo.  Now, don't let the generic name fool you, the place is very popular with the locals as it does its best "Sushi Garden" impersonation.

Luckily we arrived before noon as the place was quickly hopping with a lineup out the door.  Taking advantage that Nikita, Bluebeard, Lana Banana and Herbie the Lovebug were all hungry, I went ahead and ordered too much food.  Like that would be a surprise...  To make things simple, I got the Tray C consisting of Nigiri (3pcs each of Salmon, Tuna, Ebi, Hokkigai and Chopped Scallop) and Maki Sushi (Dynamite, Red Roll, Chopped Scallop, Mangodise and California).  For $35.95, this was a lot of food which was actually decently prepared.  As you can see, they didn't merely hack up a bunch of seafood and slap it randomly on rice.  There was a certain neatness and order to the presentation. The sushi rice was a touch dry, but acceptable with a hint of vinegar.  As for the rolls, everything was pretty typical with the red roll having a considerable sesame oil hit.  Next up was an order of Wild Salmon Sashimi.  Although cut a bit strange in my opinion, the fish itself had a nice sheen and was naturally sweet.  I liked the buttery smooth texture with a nice bite.

So far so good, until we had the Tokatsu-Don...  At first glance, there didn't seemed to be anything wrong with the dish.  Look at it.  It was large portion with a big tonkatsu on top caressed by egg.  Yes, the pork cutlet was fried nicely and it was sufficiently tender.  Furthermore, the egg was both plentiful and fluffy.  And, there was enough sauce to properly flavour the rice.  So what's wrong you might ask...  Well, if the rice underneath was supposed to be waterlogged and soggy, then it would've been a solid Don.  But since that is not how one makes a tonkatsu-don, it was a fail. Seeing how the Yakisobi was the daily special at $6.95, we got one of those too (with chicken).  Unlike everything else so far, this was a more modest portion served on a sizzling hot plate.  The noodles were al dente and properly sauced while the chicken was plentiful and moist.  However, the whole dish was quite greasy.

As evidenced in the pictures, the portion sizes were very generous and it got even more generous with the King Chicken Katsu.  At $7.50, we weren't expecting much, however, the darn thing was massive and took up more space on the table than J-Lo's derrière.  Compared to the one I got at Gawa Sushi, this was easily 2.5x bigger.  What made it even better was the fact it was fried beautifully.  The cutlet was crunchy, yet juicy inside (despite being rather thin).  Although it looked like an aftermath of a Peter North flick, there was just the right amount of sauce and mayo.  Lastly, we had one each of the Vegetable Tempura and Prawn Tempura.  They were served hot and crispy.  The prawns were pretty big and even though the batter was a touch heavy, it was still light.  Despite some pretty big eaters at the table, we struggled to finish the food (and we didn't).  We all agreed Sushi Nanaimo is a fabulous value considering that the food is above-average.  Yes, we realize it is not an authentic Japanese restaurant, but we really didn't care either.  We weren't looking for authenticity anyways.  What we got was decent eats, big portions at low prices.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Large portions
- Decent food

The Bad:
- Service seemed a bit confused
- Gets busy and the place ain't that big either

Mai's Vietnamese Restaurant

Once again, the dreaded "I forgot I bought a Groupon" phenomenon hit us.  For some reason or another, I didn't remember buying one for Castle Fun Park which was going to expire at the end of the month.  Great.  I had to shoehorn a visit to Abbotsford into our busy schedule.   It's like Lindsay Lohan trying to schedule some sobriety into her life... Don't get me wrong.  I love Castle Fun Park.  In fact, we used to go there for some late night fun back in the day.  However, Abby is just a bit far for some mini-golf and batting cages.  But my son absolutely adores the place, so off we went to redeem the Groupon.  Once we were finished, we briefly entertained the idea of eating locally, but Viv suggested we head closer into town for food.  Hence, we stopped at Mai's Vietnamese just off Hwy 1 near 200th.

Much like many of the newer Pho joints in the GVRD (in particular, the burbs), Mai's is an original restaurant from the ground up.  What I mean is it isn't a former Italian or Greek restaurant (or even a former 7-11).  We started with the Fried Chicken Wings which were dark and really crunchy (a touch too much batter).  The meat underneath was not a moist as I would've liked, but the sweet and tangy sauce partially made it up for. Predictably, we had a bowl of Pho as a baseline of sorts. As the hot broth met my lips, the burst of sweetness was very strong.  Not much in the way of meatiness, but there was the usual Pho flavouring agents.  This was a decent broth.  In terms of the noodles, they were plentiful and al dente.  The meats were generally thin and tender, but the flank was somewhat dry and crumbly.  

I had the Bun Bo Hue and it was not as fragrant as I would've hoped.  Moreover, it was actually quite mild altogether with very little spice, yet at the same time, I did get a hit of shrimp paste.  The noodles were a touch softer than I would've liked.  There was plenty of meat though, but missing the pork knuckle and blood.  The kids shared the Lemongrass Chicken with Rice.  It came neatly plated with 2 well-charred pieces of white meat on top of chewy rice.  I could understand the use of breast meat, especially since they are trying to appeal to the local clientele, yet personally, I found it dry and lacking in flavour. Ultimately, we were pleased with our meal despite the fact, we could get cheaper and better in Surrey.  But we were not in Surrey, so Mai's did the job in a clean environment complete with great service.

The Good:
- Clean
- Very good service
- Okay eats

The Bad:
- A touch pricey
- There is better in Surrey, but we were not in Surrey 

Pho Century

Ginseng and I go way back. In fact, all the way back to high school, albeit she is 3 years younger.  Hence, it is always a pleasure to hang out with her, the few times she is able to join us for late night eats after Friday hockey. So when she indicated it was possible for her to grace us with her presence, we made accommodations.  You see, our usual MO is to travel deep into Vancouver for food (although I live in Burnaby, what gives?) which effectively makes it inconvenient for some, including Ginseng.  So we decided to head to the location of Pho Century on Kingsway at Sperling. Actually, now it is the only location as the other one has closed

Emilicious wanted to share a Spring Roll with me and I eagerly accepted (this does not sound right, I know...).  When it arrived, we were glad they had used rice flour wrappers (something about the appearance and texture). The filling was a tad loose, but that in turn made the spring roll somewhat light.  Flavourwise, it was mild with hints of fish sauce and sweet onion.  While we were sharing a spring roll, Ginseng and Milhouse split a Salad Roll.  Yes, it was a veritable food orgy...  The salad roll was neatly constructed with a nicely textured rice wrapper.  Pretty standard with no complaints.  Lionel Hutz, who is quite indifferent when it comes to Pho, went for the Banh Mi Dac Biet.  Within the toasted and airy baguette, there wasn't a whole lot of meat.  Therefore,the sandwich lacked substance and flavour.  Compounding the problem was a lack (or very little) of soy or Maggi sauce.  In the end, he still thought it was fine for $3.95.  Besides, we were not at a Banh Mi joint anyways.

Moving onto the main event, I went for Rice Combo #4 which included BBQ lemongrass chicken, fried egg and Vietnamese ham.  This was neatly presented with all of the components prepared with care.  I particularly liked the chicken as it was really juicy with a barely-cooked consistency.  There was a good level of charring where the meat exhibited plenty of flavour from the marinade.  The ham was sliced thick and it was moist with a bit of bounce.  Lasty, the rice was chewy without being dry.  For Ginseng and Emilcious, they both went for Pho and I thought to myself, I can't just sample it, I need a bowl of my own!  Hence, I also got a Pho Dac Biet. Yes, I am a glutton, so sue me!  Wait, Lionel Hutz was around...  better not...  I found the soup on the sweeter side with not much in the way of meatiness.  The noodles were al dente while the meats were thin and tender.  A decent, if not, standard bowl of Pho.  "Pretty good" was the sentiment from the table, although I thought the non-Pho items seemed to be better than the Pho itself.  Loved the fact it is open late too, so it provides an alternative to Pho Hoa.

The Good:
- Cooked items are prepared with care
- Prices are okay
- Open late

The Bad:
- Pho is not the draw here
- Smiles are not free here