Dim Sum @ Golden Swan

Boy, we've been going to Golden Swan since it first opened. In fact, we went to it's previous incarnation as Golden Phoenix on Nanaimo and Broadway. Golden Swan first opened up as a small little one-unit operation on Victoria back in the 80's. Gradually, it began expanding by taking over neighbouring units until it has now taken over the entire plaza. Golden Swan is one of the few remaining places that employ push carts for dim sum. Most places give you checklists and you merely choose your dishes and they are brought to you. Now, I am actually indifferent to how the dim sum is brought to me, as long as it's good.

However, at Golden Swan, I would just rather they used checklists. Why? Well, the people that push the dim sum carts seem to have the PNE Showmart mentality where if they bother you enough, you'll want to buy 2 Sham-Wows or a vegetable slicer. If I don't want fried squid, I DON'T WANT IT. No matter how many times you ask me and tell me it's awesome, it won't change my mind. When I go for dim sum, I don't want to experience the same pressure I get at a furniture store. No, I don't want this couch and no I do not want to buy today. Do these ladies get a commission or something for the amount of Haw Gow they sell???

Anyways, dim sum is busy here at Golden Swan, so you'd better come early or later to avoid the 11:30 - 12:30 rush. Parking is also an issue, there are very few parking spots available and most of the street parking is restricted to residents only. Since we had 6 people for dim sum, we were able to order a wide variety of items. They included Haw Gow (steamed shrimp dumpling), Sui Mai (pork and shrimp dumpling), Spareribs, Beef Balls (ground beef and green onion), Dai Jee Gow (scallop/shrimp dumpling), Chicken Feet (it's really not that bad), Pork Knuckles (same, it's not as bad as it sounds), Beef Tripe, Cheun Fun (rice noodle roll), Rice with Spareribs, Seen Jok Geun (tofu skin roll) and Daan Tat (egg tart).

The Haw Gow was pretty good, the shrimp was crunchy; however, it was a bit oversteamed since the dumpling skins were stuck together. The Sui Mai and beef balls were quite good, flavours weren't too salty and the meat wasn't oversaturated with baking soda. However, the spareribs were horrid. It was swimming in sauce that mostly consisted of oil. They either put too much marinade or they steamed it too long. The scallop dumpling was a total miss as well. There was too much onion in the shrimp portion of the dumpling and it killed the sweetness of the shrimp. There is no need for onion in the dumpling. Also, one of the dumplings had pathetic pieces of broken scallop on top. That was aesthetically atrocious. Why the kitchen would let this happen is beyond me. I don't know about you, but I'm not paying good money for scraps . They should have refrained from using the leftover pieces of scallop.

The chicken feet and pork knuckles were pretty good, they were both soft and flavourful. The rice with spareribs was a bit mushy and it is probably due to the same reason the steamed spareribs were swimming in oil. The same spareribs probably saturated the rice with oil; thus making it soggy. The egg tart was very good though. The crust was flaky and the egg was soft and had just enough sweetness. However, the beef tripe was not tender at all, it was quite chewy. Although the tofu skin roll was pretty good, the dim sum cart lady made a mistake. We asked if there was shrimp in it and she confidently declared that there was no shrimp. We had someone at our table who is allergic to shrimp and guess what was in the roll? Yes, shrimp.

That was not the only frustration with the wait staff either. One of the dim sum ladies tried to force the aforementioned fried squid on us and actually had placed it on our table and marked it off on our bill. We told her we didn't want it and she forgot to take it off the bill! We had to track her down to get the item removed. She spent 5 minutes trying to count how many dishes we had. We had 7, and she marked off 8. I'm sorry to be mean, but how hard is it to count to 7? Then, we tried to order a small bowl of noodles. The server kept trying to tell us that they only had big bowls of noodles. Uh... no. All Dim Sum restaurants have small bowls of noodles, what if we only had 2 people??? If we ordered the big bowl of noodles, all we could eat are noodles! Then why come to Dim Sum??? Finally, we were able to order a small bowl of noodles after much trouble. So was there a perfect storm of negative events that made this venture to Golden Swan brutal? I would hope so. I've been to Golden Swan many times before and it's never been like this. So I need to be fair and think that this may be the exception. However, with such intense competition in Vancouver for Dim Sum, Golden Swan better not have too many of these off days.

The Good:
- Wide variety of Dim Sum
- Always lots of carts coming by your table

The Bad:
- Pressure sales from Dim Sum ladies
- Clueless wait staff
- Some issues with food quality

Golden Swan
5380 Victoria Drive
Vancouver, B.C.
604-321-6621

Mui Garden

*Location now closed*

Okay, what exactly is Chinese-style curry anyways? Well, it is definitely not "real" curry, such as the ones you find at authentic Indian restaurants. Chinese curry is usually yellow and quite mild. However, within that Chinese-style curry, there is another version that more resembles Malay/Thai curry, which uses coconut milk. This smooth curry is what Mui Garden is famous for. Sure, there are other places that serve similar curries such as Curry King and Cafe Glouchester; but Mui Garden arguably has one the best smooth curries in town. Now, this type of curry isn't for everyone. It's not spicy like a Thai green curry and it really doesn't have complex flavours like an Indian Curry. In fact, it's sort of bland.

I personally can appreciate all types of curry and I enjoy all of them. In addition to their curry, Mui Garden serves up items you would find in a typical Hong Kong-style cafe such as fried rice, noodles, spaghetti, sandwiches and a variety of drinks. Another signature dish is their Hainanese chicken, which is just as popular as their curry. Naturally, we ordered both the Beef Brisket Curry and the Hainanese Chicken, since it is what Mui Garden is known for. As mentioned before, the curry is very mild and velvety smooth. The smoothness can be attributed to the liberal use of coconut milk in the dish. This is definitely not low-fat eating! You have a choice between plain white rice and chicken oil rice. The chicken oil rice is usually served with the Hainanese chicken. The rice is essentially cooked in fatty chicken broth which is left over from cooking the chicken. Again, it's not low-fat eating; but it's ever so good. The beef brisket itself is remarkably tender. This is due to the fattiness of the meat itself and slow braising. The potatoes in the curry are also done perfectly; they are in one piece and still quite soft.

The Hainanese chicken was quite meaty for free-range chicken. Generally, free-range chicken are quite lean and the meat is a bit chewy. I don't mind this type of chicken; however, there are people who prefer the juicier, regular type of chicken. We also had the stir-fried Chinese broccoli and it was done perfectly. It was still crunchy and had lots of garlic flavour. However, it was a bit oily, they could have used a bit less oil and it would have still been good. The last dish was Steamed Tofu with Seafood and Chicken. This dish was pleasant to eat, but it was very bland. I know the premise of this dish is delicate flavours with delicate textures. However, it was way too delicate to the point that it tasted like nothing. I've been to Mui Garden a few times and if you stick with their popular dishes, they are indeed pretty good. However, I'm not convinced that their other dishes are really that good. I would say they are acceptable. There are other places with better food and at lower prices. With that being said, Mui Garden is another solid choice for Chinese food.

The Good:
- One of the best smooth Chinese-style (Malay/Thai inspired) curries around
- Good free-range Hainanese chicken
- Very comprehensive menu

The Bad:
- Prices are bit high for mostly average food
- Service is decent, but they need more staff
- Parking is limited
- Cash only

Mui Garden
4327 North Road
Burnaby, B.C.
604-421-8838

Business Hours:
11:00am - 9:30pm (7 days a week)

Shabusen Yakiniku House

*Restaurant is now closed*

You'd think that having Japanese AYCE so many times lately would make me sick. Well, if you know me, there are very few things that make me sick - well, maybe raw onions... Anyways, this is the first time I've been back to Shabusen since it had that infamous fire last June. Shabusen is a bit different from all the other Japanese AYCE joints, it includes Korean BBQ. For Korean BBQ enthusiasts, Shabusen might be lacking authenticity and choice. Moreover, for those who are well-versed in Japanese food, they might cringe at the Japanese food served here. But, as I have said before about AYCE Japanese restaurants, you cannot expect too much. You must go in with reasonable expectations, otherwise you'll be bitterly disappointed. But, if you really want quality Korean or Japanese food, and you cannot accept any less, then I suggest you stay away from these places. Now if you can stomach these types of restaurants, then please read on...

The prices at Shabusen have slowly crept up from 5 years ago, it's roughly $3 more now. AYCE lunch is $13 and dinner is $23. I personally think that the prices are reasonable for what you get. The overall decor and atmosphere of both Shabusen locations are inviting and comfortable. Only problem is leg room is at a premium since the grills are built into the tables. The service is a bit inconsistent. In fact, the service can be quite indifferent and slow. It really depends on your luck and I guess if you have to rely on luck for good service, then just like a casino you'll probably lose more than you win. The selection of food items is quite extensive for dinner and the lunch menu is better than most other AYCE places. Lunch even includes sashimi, albeit there is a limit of 8 pieces per person (that's still plenty).

We ordered a variety of items starting with Salmon and Tuna Sashimi. The fish was fresh and the slices were very big (Nordel Sushi, please take note!). It's nice to see that even though there was a limit, they didn't skimp on the size. The Gyozas were fried up nicely and were not overstuffed, having just enough filling. The Beef Teryiaki was alright, similar to most places, the meat was a bit chewy and it was pretty much unmemorable. The Chicken Teriyaki was alright as well, it was not overcooked and there wasn't too much sauce on it either. The Tonkatsu was a bit thin and overfried. The Tonkatsu at Ninkazu was better, as was the Chicken Karaage. The karaage at Shabusen was not very good. It's fried perfectly, but the skin isn't all that crunchy and the chicken is completely flavourless. It didn't look all that appetizing either, they probably used too much flour or starch.

The Nigiri Sushi was pretty standard, but it's good to see that the fish completely covers the rice (take note Nordel Sushi!). The roll sushi was actually not that bad. There was plenty of filling and they didn't overdo it with the rice either. Now, I left the Korean BBQ for the end because this is maybe a contentious issue for some people. Let me get this out first - it is NOT authentic Korean BBQ. That doesn't bother me personally; however I can understand why it would be an issue for others. I love authentic Korean BBQ and there are plenty of places in the GVRD that serve it. The Korean BBQ at Shabusen suffers from several issues - no small appetizer dishes, lack of meat selection, bland/unauthentic marinade and no service button at your table (just kidding...). But if you were looking for authentic Korean BBQ, you should look elsewhere. For me, Shabusen offers good value, taking into account the price and the overall selection of food. I will admit that Shabusen doesn't satisfy my Korean BBQ cravings; but I can put up with the occasional visit once in awhile.

The Good:
- Good selection for dinner and lunch
- Comfortable surroundings
- Korean BBQ included

The Bad:
- Service needs some work
- Food is a bit average
- Korean BBQ is not authentic and limited

Shabusen Yakiniku House
2993 Granville Street
Vancouver, B.C.
604-737-6888
www.shabusen.com

Business Hours:
11:00am - 2:30pm, 5:00pm - 10:30pm (7 days a week)

Akira Sushi

With the kiddies running amok and Viv still not home, I didn't have a chance to prepare dinner. It was already 6:00pm and Viv had a hockey game at 9:00pm; therefore, we needed to go somewhere close. We decided to head to Akira Sushi which is next door to Jane's (serves up cheap $3.50 breakfast). I've been to Akira Sushi on many occasions and the sushi is quite decent. On the other hand, the quality of the cooked food depends on who's in the kitchen and how busy the restaurant is. Akira Sushi is a small family-run restaurant, so do not expect a lot of staff. One thing you'll always find consistent here is the little boy sitting at the table closest to the back of the restaurant. When I say family-run, I mean the whole family is here - literally.

When it gets busy, you'll find that service will be sparse. Moreover, depending who is working that night, you might even get the frustrated older lady who seems to crack under pressure. It's also quite amusing to watch the kitchen when it's busy. One lady who works back there seems like she's on Iron Chef, running around frantically and looking disheveled. This is when you know the cooked food might not turn out well. Fortunately for us, the restaurant was only moderately busy when we arrived. We didn't look at the menu and quickly ordered the Akira Boat since we were in a rush. For $26.95, the Akira Boat includes: Miso Soup, Ebi Sunomono, 6pcs California Roll, 3pcs Salmon Sashimi, 2 pcs Tuna Sashimi, 2pcs Spicy Tuna, 2pcs Tako (octopus), 1 pc (nigiri) each of Salmon, Tuna, Ebi and Saba (mackeral), Gyoza, Assorted Tempura, Chicken or Beef Teriyaki with Rice or Yakisoba, and ice cream (green tea or mango). Yes, all this for $26.95. This is a fantastic value for this much food. We actually didn't get to have the soup, partly because the server forgot, and so did we. When you're dealing with kids, you don't even remember what else is going on.

The sunomono was very large (probably the largest I've seen) and it had 2 large cold-water shrimp on top. However, the vinegar dressing for the sunomono was bland and when I say bland, it was more like plain water! Fortunately, the sushi on the Akira boat was fresh and pleasing to eat. The tempura, on the other hand is pretty average in my books. I've never like the tempura here, it's not terrible, but the batter is a bit too thick and it's not always that crispy. The gyoza were fine though, they are fried up perfectly and the filling is quite tasty. The teriyaki chicken was good, the chicken was cooked perfectly, being tender and juicy on the inside. I chose rice instead of yakisoba for the fear of it being too oily (it seems to get oilier as it gets busier). Finally, our meal concluded with a generous scoop of ice cream.

We quickly packed up and sped (well, not really) home. So what can I say about Akira Sushi? Well, it's not the best place to go for Japanese food, it's not the best place for a spacious dining room and the service is sparse due to lack of staff (albeit friendly and personable). So why do we eat here??? It's not my first choice, but it's a great place to go when you need a quick, cheap meal. For what you pay, you can't expect much more then you are getting. Thus, Akira Sushi is one of those places that certainly fits the bill of Plan B if Plan A falls through. Plan A would be Toyotomi, a block west of Akira.

The Good:
- Good value
- Friendly service, despite the lack of servers
- Good portions

The Bad:
- Small dining room
- Lack of servers, although they are friendly
- Inconsistent food

Akira Sushi
4219 Hastings Street
Burnaby, B.C.
604-637-1800

Business Hours:
11:30am - 9:30pm (Mon - Fri)
4:00pm - 9:30pm (Sat)

Desi Junction

I was originally going to meet Toolman last Tuesday for lunch at Desi Junction; but I was stricken with the stomach flu. Therefore, we met up today for lunch at the mysterious restaurant I pass each day on my way to work. The reason it is mysterious (at least to me) is the fact that it's very hard to see inside. To me, it always seems like a nightclub - brick exterior and very dark looking. Well, upon entering, I was pleased to see that it was nothing like the outside. We were greeted by an expansive dining room which resembled a White Spot to a degree.

The staff here are quite friendly, we were quickly shown to our booth and the server spent time explaining the menu to us. In addition to the regular menu, there are daily lunch specials for $9.95. The lunch special includes choice of 2 entree items, rice, choice of Naan or Roti, Raita (yogurt sauce) and choice of Ras Malai or Gulab Jamun for dessert. There are 2 special entrees every day of the week. Today's entrees were Fish Curry and Shahi Paneer (cheese in a cream sauce similar to Butter Chicken). In addition, there are 2 everyday entrees, which are Butter Chicken and Dal Makhni (pan-fried lentils). Toolman chose to have the Fish Curry and the Paneer with Naan. I had the Butter Chicken and Fish Curry with Roti.

Before I even got a chance to try my food, I picked up what I thought was a green bean and popped the whole thing in my mouth. I was thinking to myself that this was the worst green bean I've ever..... #$)#* &)#*$#)$* THIS IS NO GREEN BEAN!!! It was a hot chili pepper! I spat the wretched thing out and that began 10 minutes of pain in my mouth. I am not sure why I had such a big brain cramp; but I will actually look at my food before I eat it next time. Anyways, 10 minutes later, I continued eating my meal.

The butter chicken was pretty good, the flavours were quite mild and the chicken was very tender. However, I thought that this version of butter chicken was quite rich. I know it is supposed to be rich, but this one seemed to have more cream (some versions don't even have cream). The fish curry was mild, even though I asked for spicy, either I really like it spicy or the pepper could've killed my taste buds. There was a pronounced cilantro flavour in the curry and it reminded me of a Vindaloo minus the vinegar. The fish itself was quite tender and cooked perfectly. We ordered a side of garlic naan and it was fantastic. It was soft, fluffy and full of real slices of garlic. I could've eaten them plain and I would've been happy. However, I wasn't a big fan of the roti since it was a bit gummy. The main difference between roti and naan is that roti is unleavened, which may have been a factor with the gumminess.

For dessert, I choose the Gulab Jamun, which is a fried pastry ball made of cream and flour. It is soaked in a very sweet sugar syrup flavoured with rosewater. Although I am not a big fan of this particular dessert, the one at Desi Junction was a little less sweet and I managed to finish the whole thing. Toolman had the Ras Malai, which is flattened paneer soaked in rosewater-flavoured cream and topped with pistachios. BC thought it was good and it looked very mild to me. Lastly, for the purposes of freshening our breath, we were presented with toasted fennel seeds with colourful candied seeds. Overall, I thought the meal was a good value for the price. The service was excellent, the server was always very personable and she kept checking with us if everything was alright. Moreover, the restaurant is very clean, including the washrooms. Other than my own stupidity with the pepper, Desi Junction was a good experience.

The Good:
- Great service
- Decent food
- Clean restaurant

The Bad:
- Uninviting stark, exterior

Desi Junction
8821 120th Street
Delta, B.C.
604-592-6360
www.desidowntown.ca

Ninkazu Japanese

Lately, it seems like I'm shadowing Ben (from Chow Times) or he's been shadowing me. We eat at the same places! Anyways, I've been trying to find other places for AYCE (all-you-can-eat) sushi other than the usual places (Fish on Rice, Kingsway Sushi, Top Gun Sushi, Richmond Sushi, Shabusen, E Bei). I'm also trying very hard to not visit Sui Sha Ya or Kawawa because they are not very good. Moreover, I'm REALLY not going to return to Nordel Sushi since they are overpriced and underwhelming.

So, upon reading up on Chow Times, I stumbled upon Ninkazu Japanese. This place is in a little strip mall sandwiched between Aberdeen Centre and Parker Place. If you can imagine, there are not a lot of parking spots here. You can park at the other surrounding parking lots at your own risk. Anyways, we made it over to Ninkazu and were seated at a nice round table. I often wonder why more restaurants do not have large round tables. These tables are the best for sharing food and having conversations. How many times have you been in a large group and have been stuck at a nice long table? You end up having a conversation with only the people around you. What if you don't like them??? What if you sat beside them only because you were late??? LOL...

Anyways, AYCE lunch is $9.95 (which is quite cheap) and dinner is $22.95, add $1 for weekends and holidays. The menu is pretty standard for lunch AYCE, however it lacks the variety of Fish on Rice (adds limited sashimi, oyster motoyaki and beef short ribs). So we practically order everything off the menu; since the selection wasn't that extensive. The roll sushi was acceptable, fillings were fresh and not a tonne of rice on the outside. The nigiri sushi was fresh; but the fish on top was a bit skimpy (thinly cut). Although the sushi and raw items were just okay, the cooked items were fabulous. The Chicken Karaage (fried chicken wings) were HUGE, being very crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The Tonkatsu (fried pork chop) was very crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside as well. This is one of the few times I really enjoyed Tonkatsu. Usually, it is fried to a crisp and you really don't even feel like you're eating a pork chop. The gyoza were also very well done with a perfectly cooked crispy bottom. The skin was thin and there was just enough filling. The chicken and beef teriyaki were also quite good, with the meat being cooked just right. The only cooked item that was not really all that good was the tempura. The batter was a bit thick and it was soggy.

The dining room itself was one of the nicer ones for AYCE Japanese. Unlike Richmond Sushi, Fish on Rice and E Bei, Ninkazu does not have private rooms. I actually think this is better, especially for AYCE. Service was good, the waitress was responsive to our needs and food came out expeditiously. Overall, despite the average sushi, I think that Ninkazu is a still a good value.

The Good:
- Cooked food was very good
- Comfortable, spacious dining room
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Average sushi
- Limited parking

Ninkazu Japanese Restaurant
#205 - 4231 Hazelbridge Way
Richmond, B.C.
604-279-9077
www3.telus.net/ninkazu/

Business Hours:
11:30am - 3:00pm, 5:00pm - 12:00am (7 days a week)