Fortune House

Dim sum, I love it. I remember when I was younger, we'd go every weekend, sometimes on both Saturday and Sunday. That probably explains why I eat it all the time. It's like an addiction. Mind you, I think I'm addicted to all food in general (if that is not obvious already). Back then, there weren't many choices. You could count on one hand the places you could go for Dim Sum. It brings back memories of Golden Crown, Ming's, Park Lok, Pennisula, Kingsland, Pink Pearl and Flamingo. Heck, I even met one of my good friends (Goose) while we were kids at Golden Crown.

One place that serves up pretty good dim sum is Fortune House Restaurant at Metrotown in Burnaby. Similar to most Dim Sum restaurants in town, this place is always busy on both weekends and weekdays. Unless you come right when it opens at 10:00am, you'll be SOL and waiting for around an hour for a table. Alternatively, you call ahead and make a reservation. However, a reservation only puts you into a separate list for people who have called in, so you will still have to wait for your table. The estimated time for a wait is beyond 30 minutes. Now, you may wonder why the wait? Well, the dim sum pretty good as I had mentioned. Furthermore, there is a real lack of competition nearby. You have Top Gun in Crystal Mall which is not bad. But then you get into places such as Po King (which I would never return to).

Portions are quite generous here. You will find that the Shrimp Dumplings (haw gow) are big and cooked perfectly, with cold-water shrimp. I like how most of the filling is whole shrimp with little in the way of filler or small bits. I just wish the wrapper was a bit less gummy. It's not often that you find Scallop Rice Noodle Roll available at all Dim Sum places, so we decided to order it. The rice noodle here is soft while still maintaining it's structural integrity (interesting way to describe it eh?). Inside, there are fairly large pieces of sweet scallop and cilantro. We also got the Shrimp & Pea Shoot Dumpling and it confirmed that the rice flour wrappers are indeed gummy. However, the filling was quite good with mostly crunchy shrimp with some pea shoots. I liked that it was well-seasoned, yet I could still taste the sweetness of the shrimp.

As always, we get the rice hot pot. This time it was the Spareribs & Chinese Sausage Rice. When the server removed the lid of the hot pot, it revealed that there was a good amount of ingredients on top of the rice. Sadly, the rice itself was quite mushy and could've used a bit more cooking time. The spareribs were quite dry; however, they were quite meaty. One dish that is done quite well here is the Salty Donut Rice Noodle Roll or "Ja Leun". It's essentially a Chinese Salty Donut wrapped in rice noodle with green onions and dried shrimp (in this case, dried scallop on top). As already mentioned, the rice noodle is soft; yet holds its shape while the donut is just the right texture (in between soft and airy while having a little bit of crunch). One of my favourite Dim Sum dishes is the Fried Taro Dumplings. It's essentially ground pork, shiitake mushrooms and in this case ham encased in mashed taro root, then deep fried. Unfortunately, these ones arrived stone cold. A big no-no. Especially since there are no push carts here, it is expected that the Dim Sum would be served hot. Otherwise, the dumplings were very good being light (despite the frying) and well-seasoned. While the taro dumplings were cold, the BBQ Pork Pineapple Buns were not. This is a combination of 2 different types of pastries. It's a BBQ pork bun with pineapple bun topping (which incidentally has no pineapple in it, it just looks like a pineapple). Since it was warm, the bun itself was soft and the topping was crispy. Only thing that I didn't prefer were the onions mixed in with the BBQ pork. Don't get me wrong, it's not the fact I do not like onions, it's because I don't find that the onions add anything to the flavour of the pork. After all, it's not seafood which needs onions to help mask the fishiness which BBQ Pork doesn't have.

Definitely an acquired taste is the Steamed Chicken Feet or Phoenix Talons. They are essentially fried chicken feet that are then steamed in a oyster/soy based sauce. The trick is to steamed them until they are tender and gelatinous while not turning the skin into mush. These ones here were almost perfect with the skin being plump while very little of it detaching from the bone. Flavourwise, I thought they were a bit salty. One item that you rarely see at a Cantonese Dim Sum restaurant is the Onion Pancake Beef Roll. This is usually a Northern delicacy. However, Fortune House has changed ownership and there is a increased focus on Northern Chinese food. The roll itself was packed with beef and the pancake itself was slightly doughy.

The portions at Fortune House are quite decent and the food is generally quite good. The decor is upscale (but a bit cramped), and the service is attentive. However, the service during dim sum is a bit hurried and disorganized. But it appears the staff are trying their hardest to keep up. Food comes out at at decent pace, and we never had to wait too long, despite being a busy restaurant. Dinner is also good, matching most other restaurants in this category. Portions are not as large for dinner, but they are not small either. Service is much more attentive during dinner since they are usually much less busy. Prices are pretty reasonable for this type of restaurant, taking account the food quality, ambiance, service and cleanliness. Overall, Fortune House is a solid choice if you want to eat either dinner or dim sum.

The Good:
- Food is carefully prepared
- Good portions for Dim Sum
- Good service (for dinner)
- Location (lots of parking and inside the mall)

The Bad:
- Extremely long waits for a table during Dim Sum
- Hurried service (Dim Sum only)
- Cramped seating arrangements

Fortune House Seafood Restaurant
2199A - 4700 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC
V5H 4M1
(604) 438-8686
www.fortunehouserestaurant.com

Pho Hoa (Burnaby Kingsway)

When you want to eat something late at night, especially after midnight, there are not too many places to choose from. Let's just say Vancouver is a little behind in that respect. When I was in NYC, everything was open! One ol' standby is Pho Hoa. You really can't go wrong with Pho Hoa. It may not be the best pho in town; but it certainly is predictable. This Vietnamese restuarant has many locations around the world and I've been to ones here in GVR, Edmonton, and Milpitas (California). I can say that the they are pretty much the same throughout the chain. You know what you are getting, and I guess that would be the advantage of Pho Hoa over some mom 'n pop joints.

Tonight, it was like any other Friday night. We had just finished up our hockey game and were looking for eats. Boss Woman wanted to do wonton noodles; but we put down that idea. Nobody really wanted to do that, and besides, Polka King and I just ate it a couple of days ago. Like most other Pho places, the decor is pretty minimalistic. Also, if you are looking for a sparkling clean restaurant, you've come to the wrong place. I am not picking on Pho Hoa specifically, since other Asian restaurants in this genre are equally dirty. However, being a large chain restaurant that spans the globe, you'd think they would have higher standards. Anyways, the menu is again, pretty standard, you have your Pho (Vietnamese beef soup noodle), vermicelli bowls with various types of meat and spring rolls, and rice with various meats.

I went for my usual large #44, which is a bowl of Pho which consists of brisket, tendon, flank and tripe. It's listed under Adventurer's Choice and aptly so. For me, it's just normal. The soup base for the Pho is not too heavy; but well seasoned. It's probably a bit stronger compared to places such as Pho Hong and Au Petit. That could be the result of boiling the broth longer, more flavouring ingredients, or msg. I am hoping it's not the latter. Milhouse, Bear and Polka King all had vermicelli bowls. Shredded Pork, Beef and Chicken respectively. All looked pretty good and were cooked nicely; but Bear complained that there wasn't really all that much meat. This brings up one beef (sorry for the pun) I have with Pho Hoa is that the portions are not as large as some of the independent Vietnamese restaurants, but I guess this is what you are giving up for name brand consistency. Service is efficient and fast (food will come out shortly after you have ordered); however, like many restaurants in this genre, you will find it unmemorable and uninspired. Not necessarily a knock on Pho Hoa, but don't expect anything more than the minimum. Pho Hoa is a solid choice for Vietnamese food, especially late at night. Yet, if you want something a bit more exciting and bigger portions, go elsewhere.

The Good:
- Consistent
- Food tastes good
- Open late

The Bad:
- Portions are a bit on the smaller side
- Service is lacking enthusiasm
- A bit dirty

Pho Hoa
5505 Kingsway
Burnaby, B.C.
604-436-0001
www.phohoa.com

Shanghai Wonderful

*Updated post as of 10/25/09*

Goose messaged me over MSN and indicated that he wanted to meet up for some Shanghainese Dim Sum. Of course the first thing that comes to mind is Shanghai River since it is arguably one of the best in town. However, we seem to go there quite often and something different was in order. I suggest Shanghai Wonderful since we hadn't been there for about a year. The last time was with Vandelay and Donna Chang. We had the dinner for 4 that cost $68.95. It was a magnificent value since it included a choice of appetizer: Smoked Fish and Jellyfish or Free-Range Chicken, Peking Duck (3 courses - skin/wrap, lettuce wrap and soup), Braised Pork Hock, Xiao Long Bao, a tofu bean dish and dessert. It could have easily served 6 people.

Located in the former Bread Garden across from Landsdowne Mall, Shanghai Wonderful is one of many Shanghainese restaurants in Richmond. Some others are Shanghai River, Top Shanghai, #1 Shanghai and Chen's Shanghai to name a few. There is parking in the plaza; but it doesn't seem adequate when it's busy. The restaurant itself is modern and clean; thanks to the remnants of the former Bread Garden. Similar to most Shanghainese restaurants these days, there is a fresh dumpling station where everything is made-to-order fresh. We arrived before the place opened and I must say that the drive to Richmond was quite relaxing and uneventful, other than following someone who drove excruciatingly slowly. I think the plan from now on is to visit Richmond before anyone wakes up. Less people on the road, safer for me!

We started off our meal with the Drunken Chicken, which is essentially free-range chicken bathed in a rice wine sauce. The sauce itself was quite strong with plenty of wine flavour with a hint of sweetness. The chicken itself was cooked nicely with gelatinous skin and a bit of gelatin hiding underneath. Arriving with a glisten shine, the Seafood Hot & Sour Soup exhibited a deep rich colour. We chose to get the chili oil on the side since some did not like it too spicy. Not only did the soup have good depth of flavour (a tad on the sour side according to Goose), there was plenty of seafood and the other ingredients. According to my cousin, the Xiao Long Bao here are some of the best. I would tend to agree with him. They were fresh and the outer wrapper was extremely thin. The buns themselves were very juicy, bursting with meaty flavour. However, the juice wasn't too fatty which was good. These are definitely comparable to the ones from Shanghai River. Some might even argue that these are better.

For the kiddies, we got the Shanghai Thick Noodle Soup. From the picture, you can't see the noodles; but take my word that they were good and not overcooked. The soup was not as rich as the one at Shanghai River; but was still quite good. There was plenty of pork and veggies atop the noodles. Originally, we weren't planning on ordering the Sticky Rice Roll; but we saw some other people eating it. Doesn't it always seem like the dishes at neighbouring tables look better and more enticing than the ones you ordered? The one thing we noticed was that the rolls were filled with plenty of salty fried donut, dried pork and pickled mustard greens. Furthermore, there was very little rice and it was "protected" from drying out by plastic wrap. The one thing that I didn't like was the donut itself. It was dense and quite difficult to chew.

I gotta say, it's great to have an authentic bowl of Tan Tan Noodles. The noodles were the star of this dish. They were cooked al dente exhibiting mouth-pleasing chewiness. It also held up well to the flavourful sauce. About that sauce... It was peanuty with a nice kick of saltiness and texture from the mini dried shrimp. There was a hint of background heat and nice aroma from the crushed peanuts on top. This puts impostor places such as Toko to shame. Another very well-received dish was the Shredded Chicken Cold Noodles. My word, for the price ($6.25), this dish was massive. Not only were there a lot of chicken and noodles, there was a mound of shrimp, BBQ pork and julienned veggies. This dish was an absolute home run. The al dente noodles were bathed in a delicious sesame dressing with a touch of seasame oil and soy. The julienned cucumbers and carrots along with bean sprouts provided a crunchy texture contrast.

We added 2 more dishes at the end, one being the Steamed Bun with Sweet Condensed Milk (Wun See Gewn). Usually, we like this fried, but the kiddies seem to like the steamed one better. Not much to say about this dish other than it was soft and when dipped into the condensed milk, it's quite sweet. I remember I used to spread this stuff on toast. Not sure if I'd do that now. The final dish took quite a long time to arrive; but it can be forgiven because the Pot Stickers are freshly made-to-order. When it finally did arrive, they were bursting with juice and the dumpling skin was not too thick. However, I did find them a bit on the stiffer side. I personally like them on the softer, moist side.

Compared to the dinner items, the Dim Sum was much more satisfying. Most of the dishes, if not all were very good, well portioned, fresh and inexpensive. This definitely gives the other Shanghainese restaurants in the area a run for their money. I'm still not convinced that I particularly like their dinner menu, even though it is an excellent value. Service is hurried and generally acceptable here. I find that the seating is a bit cramped; yet I didn't feel uncomfortable. Arrive early though because you'll have a hard time finding a parking spot or a table.

The Good:
- "Wonderful" Xiao Long Bao
- Food comes out very quickly
- Good value

The Bad:
- Seating is quite cramped
- Set dinner menu only in Chinese, not good for those who can't read it
- Limited parking

Shanghai Wonderful
110-8380 Lansdowne Road
Richmond, B.C.
604-278-8829

Stanley Restaurant

Pho is something that you can probably get on any street corner in Vancouver, particularly on the Eastside. However, in some of the burbs, particularly Delta, you would be hard- pressed to find decent Chinese food, let alone a good bowl of Pho. So with that in mind, my expectations are tempered. The one place I frequent quite often is Stanley Restaurant. Yes, I know the sign says Pho Stanley; but the actual name is Stanley Restaurant. Tucked in behind the Delta Lion Pub, most people wouldn't even know it existed. As such, there is very little natural light in the place. In fact, it seems almost like someone's basement. One look at the decor and it sure looks like forgotten restaurant decor from the 70's. Hey, whatever, it is the food that counts right? When I first visited the Stanley, it was a full 5 years after I started working out in North Delta. I didn't even know it existed up until then!

As mentioned, the decor is pretty typical of Pho joints. Minimalistic, keeps the cost down. Well, at the very least, this place give you the full neon treatment (seems to be a Vietnamese favourite) such as the case at Pho Van and Goldtrain Express in Vancouver. Service is pretty good, since it appears that it's family-run. It's by no means memorable, but it's quick and efficient. The food at Stanley Restuarant is pretty good for a Vietnamese restaurant out in Delta (not exactly the hotbed of Asian cuisine). This time around, I decided to start with a Shrimp Salad Roll. I don't usually get it since it is too much food for me to finish and have a Pho too. Not bad, lots of ingredients inside including roast pork and shrimp. A bit bland without any basil. The dip was more hoisin than peanut; but did the job.

Like I always do, I get the large House Special Pho for $7.25. It's got all the goodies such as brisket, rare beef, tendon, tripe and meatballs. All the meats are good except for the rare beef. It is on the chewier side. The broth is quite decent in my books. It has a good amount of meat flavour, possibly on the saltier side. And in this case, not very clear. The noodles could be a bit chewier; but not a bit deal. Let's be honest here, it's good for North Delta. There are better. Not nearby though! The closest is Pho Hot and it is not as good. Okay, I must admit I eat at the Stanley quite often since it is close and relatively inexpensive. So on another lunch hour, I had the Bún bò Huế. This particularly version had some heat; but not incredibly so. I didn't get much in the way of lemon grass, so that was a bit disappointing; however, the abundance of noodles and meat made up for it in some ways. I'm not too picky when my personal favourite , Pho Tam, is so much farther away. But if I had to compare, the one here does not hold a candle to the Pho Tam version.

As always, Ma loves the Lemon Grass Chicken on rice. As you can see, it is a very generous portion. The chicken is tender with a good amount of lemon grass flavour. It is so good for her, she asks me to get it for takeout whenever I head here for lunch. Hey, I'm not going to declare the Stanley to be in my top 10 of Vietnamese restaurants. However, with the very few options in this area, it more than satisfies the Vietnamese Pho cravings. Prices are reasonable, service is good and it is relatively clean, if not a bit dated. We really can't ask for more.

The Good:
- Decent portions
- Reasonable pricing
- Friendly proprietors

The Bad:
- Not sure about the Chinese food...
- Hard to find

Stanley Restaurant
11184 84th Avenue
Delta, B.C.
Tel: (604) 594-1933

Business Hours:
11:00am - 9:00pm (Mon - Sat)

Sushi Town

Got back late from a meeting today and really didn't feel like cooking. Considered the regular places, but they seemed a bit boring. Decided to try Sushi Town, which is on Hastings in Burnaby North. It was only a 5 minute drive for me, very nice. The restaurant is a bit non-descriptive on the outside, one could drive right past if you weren't looking for it. Inside, it's quite typical of a small Japanese restaurant - tables close to each other, and a sushi bar bustling with activity. The restaurant is quite busy, so it is quite common to wait for a table. Best to get takeout if you hate waiting.

We ordered the salmon sashimi (9 pcs for $7.95), and the slices were huge, easily double of what you find anywhere else. Also it was very fresh, and tasty. Next, we had the Dragon roll and the Mangodise roll (8 pcs @ $4.95 each). The Dragon roll had avocado on the inside and a nice helping of unagi on the outside. The Mangodise roll had mango on the inside and shrimp on the outside. Both rolls were very tasty and are definitely fitting the trend of the nouveau-type of sushi rolls becoming more common these days. However, they were small compared to those at Tomoya and Toyotomi. The Unagi Roll and the Spicy Scallop Roll were good too. Only criticism is that the rolls are a bit loose. Tried the assorted tempura, and I have to declare that this is one of best tempura I've ever had up until now. I can honestly say this with confidence since I've tried quite a few versions of tempura in my lifetime. The tempura batter was light and crispy - not laid on too thick either. The prawn was juicy and sweet. The yam was just excellent, soft and sweet on the inside, but crisp on the outside.

Also ordered an udon, which was very good as well - the noodles were a bit chewy; yet not soggy and the broth was well-balanced (not too salty). The service at Sushi Town is efficient, but it's definitely indifferent. You order and you probably won't see the waitress until the food comes out and when you need to pay the bill. However, you're not expecting too much at these prices. Seating is tight, so you will be really close to the people beside you; in fact, we were conversing with our neighbouring table all throughout the meal. We actually enjoy that, but for some shy folk, they might feel uneasy.

The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Food tastes good
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Very tight quarters
- Just adequate service (staff seems a bit overworked)
- Very busy, waits are common

Sushi Town
5935 Hastings Street
Burnaby, BC
V5B 1R7
(604) 294-6155

Posh

This is a follow up post on a current visit on October 16, 2009. Rich Guy has been only back a week in town and now heard overseas once again. We decided to meet for lunch prior to his red eye flight tonight. For the first time in a long time, the weather was quite awful. Of course being Vancouverites, we are used to wet, miserable weather; however, we seem to forget about it during the summer and early fall. We decided it would be a great day for some hot pot or in this case Japanese Sukiyaki at Posh. With a name like Posh, you'd expect it to be nice inside, which it is indeed. It's clean, modern and inviting.

Sukiyaki is somewhat similar to Chinese hot pot, except for a few differences. The pot itself is quite a bit shallower and the broth is mostly soy-based, being quite salty. At Posh, you can adjust the saltiness of the broth by adding more water. You have a pot of water and a pot of sauce, so you can customize the taste of the broth. Posh is an all-u-can eat restaurant, $11.88 for lunch and $15.88 for dinner. For the price, it includes unlimited selection of Grade A Alberta beef, pork, fish and a wide variety of veggies. In addition, there are several types of tofu and noodles. Normally, sukiyaki is a dish and is not served in an AYCE format. However, the sukiyaki here is not exactly authentic since it serves up meat other than beef. The original sukiyaki only had beef. I ain't complaining here because the more choice of meat, the better. Traditionally, raw eggs are provided for you to dip your cooked food into as a finishing touch. It may sound strange, but trust me, it adds a buttery consistency to the food. Rich Guy wanted no part in this, despite me "egging" him on (sorry for the terrible pun). The beef and pork are sliced thin and served on stacking plates. There meat is well-marbled and are tender once cooked. I wasn't a big fan of the fish though. It was too "fishy" tasting and a bit tough. The veggies are fresh and there is a good selection.

Despite comments to the contrary, for the times I've been to Posh, service has been attentive and today, our server was doing her best to meet our needs. Food that we ordered came really expeditiously and exactly as ordered. For me, I personally like the AYCE sukiyaki here at Posh. I know there are some who think there is not enough choices in terms of meat; but they must remember that sukiyaki should only be beef. The fact that you get pork, fish, fish cake and a wide variety of fresh veggies is plenty in my opinion. Furthermore, at the prices they charge, I think it's a decent value, especially at lunch. Of course some might point out it's not authentic. I do agree with that statement; however, if you accept it for what it is, it's not bad.

The Good:
- Nice decor
- Attentive service (at least that's what I get all the time)
- Non-offensive, pleasant meal

The Bad:
- For this location at least, it's so hidden, you'd drive right by it if you didn't know about it (Burnaby)
- Portable burners should really be built-in units
- Beverages are a bit high in price

Posh Restaurant
101-1788 W. Broadway
Vancouver, B.C.
604-737-7674

1123-3779 Sexsmith Rd.
Richmond, B.C.
604-303-7674

105-6462 Kingsway
Burnaby, B.C.
604-434-7674
www.303-posh.com