The District

It was our last game of the season and we were able to tie the game with less than 30 seconds on the clock. However, we ultimately lost the game in a shootout. It was disappointing to lose; but the good news is that we could go eat afterwards! There weren't many options because it was midnight and late night dining in the GVRD is limited. For a fleeting moment, I considered On Lok; but it was quickly shot down by Milhouse. He said that the questionable cleanliness concerned him. Well, I was in total agreement there. Finally, I remembered that The District Social House is open until 1:ooam. Since we were on the North Shore already, it seemed to be a good idea.

So we quickly left the rink and headed over to Lonsdale Quay (The District is at the foot of Lonsdale). I actually passed right by the restaurant since it was so dark. Milhouse was following me and was thoroughly perplexed why I did 2 consecutive U-turns. Since it was nearing closing, we were able to get a table right away. The original concept of The District was that it would be a place for people to connect, while enjoying good food. However, no one seemed interesting in connecting when we were there. Maybe it wasn't that type of crowd that night.

Whatever the crowd is, the dining space at The District is small, cozy and warm. However, they are in the process of expanding into the adjacent building. The warm and cozy feeling got kind of lost in the unnecessary loud music. We even had problems ordering because the server couldn't hear us and we could hear her. Regardless of that, she was very friendly and attentive. Boss Woman had the Crab & Shrimp Cakes and she was moderately pleased with them. They were good; but nothing really set them apart. The accompanying pea shoot salad was really good though. Polka King had the Indonesian Chicken Satay and he said they were quite tough due to overcooking. Moreover, they were a bit bland, even with the dipping sauce.

Milhouse and Lionel Hutz had the The No. 13 Burger and although the meat was moist, it was salty. The fries were also very salty, mind you, they were very crispy and pleasant to eat. I decided to go for the Mussels & Fries. There are 2 choices as to how the mussels are prepared. The District style is a savory tomato broth with chirizo and peppers. I choose the French style which is a white wine broth with garlic, onion, thyme, leeks and cream. I really liked the dish, the flavours were very delicate and didn't overpower the natural sweetness of the mussels. I could taste all of the aforementioned ingredients in a balanced state. There was a choice of grilled bread or frites with the mussels. I should've ordered the bread, for 2 reasons. First, the bread would've been perfect for soaking up the delicious broth. Second, the fries (as mentioned before) were super salty.

Despite the overall lack of enthusiasm from the group regarding the food, I still enjoyed my visit to The District. The overall concept of the restaurant in terms of style and ambiance is a winner. Actually, the only issue I had with my particular dish was the salty fries (which could easily be rectified). It is too bad that some of the other dishes were not as well received. My personal belief is that The District deserves a second look on my part.

The Good:
- It's got style and ambiance
- Cozy dining space
- Good service

The Bad:
- Price is a tad high (mind you it costs about the same as Milestone's)
- Restaurant is narrow and cramped (it's expanding soon)

The District
13 Lonsdale Avenue
North Vancouver, B.C.
778-338-4938
www.thedistrictsocial.com

Kaplan`s

I'll take the line from Iron Chef and use it in my description of Kaplan's - "it reminds me of my youth". I used to live 2 blocks away where I spent my school years in Oakridge. As a kid, I would go there myself to have a corned beef sandwich or maybe a matzo ball soup. Yes, that was me, a little Chinese kid enjoying some Jewish food. Well, I was in the neighbourhood today and decided to get a couple of sandwiches for takeout. I went for the classic Corned Beef Sandwich and Viv ordered the Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich.

Much has changed at Kaplan's since I was young, it's been through a few renovations and owners. The new owner is from New York and claims to bring the NYC deli experience to Vancouver. I've been to NYC myself and have enjoyed their monstrous meat sandwiches. Does Kaplan's measure up? Well, although the corned beef is quite good, I have had better. My corned beef sandwich was really not all that large even though it cost me $10.50. Although the "Woody Allen" at Carnegie Deli in NYC is $18.00USD, it's at least 3 times larger than the one I had at Kaplan's. If you look at the picture, I'm not kidding about the discrepancy in size (sorry for the quality, it's not a digital picture).

Although the sandwiches at Kaplan's do not really compare to the ones we've had in NYC, they are still pretty good. The meat is tender and not overly salty. I actually like their caraway rye bread, it's not as hard as a traditional rye bread. With that being said, the lack of competition and choice in the GVRD, there is really nothing much to compare with.

The Good:
- Corned beef is pretty good
- The caraway rye compliments the meat

The Bad:
- A tad expensive for what you get
- Not the full NYC experience they claim to be

Kaplan's
5775 Oak Street
Vancouver, B.C.
604-263-2625
www.kaplans.ca

Burger Burger

Although Vancouver is not known for its great burger joints, I have had some decent ones lately. But it seems that good burgers come at a price. It appears that gourmet burgers will set you back $10 or more these days. However, I heard about this place in New Westminster that serves up pretty decent burgers at bargain prices. This place is Burger Burger. Yes, the name is not very original. It's like calling a Japanese restaurant "Sushi Sushi" or a Chinese restaurant "MSG MSG". Let's get this out of the way first. Burger Burger is a dive. Yes, it's got no ambiance and the only decor you'll find here is a lonely white framed print on the wall. Yet, there must be some compromises when you can get a 2-topping burger, home-cut fries and a soda for $5.69. Yes, this is not a typo, it's a complete meal for under $6. You would be hard pressed to even get that price at McDonald's.

I went for the Mushroom Cheeseburger (4 oz.) and picked out a Coke Zero. Yes, that is my futile attempt to make this meal a bit more calorie and fat friendly. After I put in my order and paid at the front counter, I took a seat to soak in the ambiance. Thank goodness my food showed up quickly, because the ambiance was probably soaking me in. When the burger and fries arrived, something felt familiar with it. Large irregular thin patty? Special sauce looks like Thousand Islands? Soft fluffy bun? Place run by a Korean couple? Wait a minute! This seems a lot like a Wally Burger! Yes, the same Wally's that used to be a Kingsway institution. Sadly, it closed down a while ago. Could it be? Wally's reincarnated here in New West? (*edit* it's not Wally's, they have actually reopened at Cates Park).

One bite into the burger and I was pleasantly surprised. Although the meat was thin, it was moist. The bun was soft and so easy to eat. There were plenty of freshly sauteed mushrooms smothered by a slice of processed cheese. Even though the burger would not compare with Moderne Burger, Vera's, Fatburger or Burger Heaven, it still held it's own. For the price I paid, it was a really good burger. Moreover, the fries were fantastic. The fresh cut fries (I saw the bucket of them) are very similar to those you find at Moderne Burger. Probably not as good; yet again, for the price, I'm not complaining. If you are ever out in New West, I'm seriously encouraging you to try Burger Burger. It's not Burger Heaven, but for more than half the price, it's definitely a very good value.

The Good:
- Burgers and fries are surprisingly good
- Very friendly couple that runs the place
- Excellent value

The Bad:
- It's a dive, but what do you expect when you pay so little?
- Have an option for real cheese as a surcharge

Burger Burger
340 6th Street
New Westminster
604-525-4229

Tasty Village

*Restaurant is now closed*

Once again, I was destined to miss the Canucks game. Viv's car was all fixed and ready for pickup at 4:30, a mere half-hour before game time. Well, as mentioned before, I'm superstitious and I thought if I missed the game again, the Canucks would win. So after we picked up Viv's car, we were on our way to Crystal Mall to get some eats. However, we decided to go somewhere else. The reason? Well, it's hard enough parking ONE car at the crazy Crystal Mall parking lot, imagine TWO cars! It took us all of 2 seconds to decide on a different venue. I remembered when we went to #1 Beef Noodle House there was another Chinese restaurant in the same plaza.

The parking lot is insufficient for the plaza, since there are 3 restaurants. Lucky for us, there was parking since we were the first ones there for dinner. Tasty Village has a regular menu with various Chinese dishes and a dim sum menu. We love Shanghainese Dim Sum, so we ordered off that menu. We started off with the Seafood Hot & Sour Soup. The colour of the soup seemed a bit odd to us. Rather than being a dark, rich colour, we got a bright orange-red. No matter, its the taste that counts right? Well, it tasted more salty than hot and sour. However, the seafood in the soup was fabulous. The seafood consisted of perfectly cooked cold-water shrimp, real scallops and squid. Viv surmised that maybe if the broth was too rich, it would overwhelm the seafood. I suppose that could be the case here. But, it still didn't taste like hot and sour soup; it was more like salty and a bit spicy soup.

We also ordered the Beef Roll. It's essentially sliced beef shank, cucumber and hoisin sauce wrapped in an onion pancake. The roll itself tasted pretty good. The meat had a hint of 5-spice powder and cucumber provided some crunch. Viv suggested that the cucumber was cut too big and it overwhelmed the dish. I agree, if the cucumbers were julienned rather than large sticks, it would've been a better compliment. With that being said, the roll was still pleasant to eat, especially since the pancake was crispy and thin.

Of course, since we were having Shanghainese Dim Sum, we couldn't do without the mandatory Xiao Long Bao! When they arrived, I already had my preliminary thoughts. You can see that the skin is thicker than the ones at No. 1 Shanghai, Shanghai River, Shanghai Wonderful and Lin. Fortunately, when I bit into it, the thickness of the skin did not hinder the experience because it was quite soft. I thought the meat tasted pretty good; but Viv begged to differ and didn't like it as much as I did. The Xiao Long Bao were not that juicy either. Thus, the Xiao Long Bao would be considered average compared to other places. We also tried the Szchewan Beef Noodle. The soup was rich without being salty and the beef shank was tender. But, the noodles were terrible. They were undercooked making them a bit difficult to chew. I'm pretty sure this is not a regular occurrence, otherwise no one would eat it, especially since they are next door to #1 Beef Noodle House.

The food was acceptable for the price, I thought it was a decent meal. However, you can definitely dine on much better Shanghainese food at the aforementioned restaurants. But, if you don't want to head all the way to Richmond, Tasty Village can still satisfy your Shanghainese Dim Sum cravings. Oh, and about that Canucks game; they were winning until I got home to watch them lose.

The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Clean restaurant

The Bad:
- Average food
- Lack of parking

Tasty Village
4735 Willingdon Avenue
Burnaby, B.C.
604-437-8813

Business Hours:
11:00am - 10:00pm (Mon - Fri)
10:30am - 10:00pm (Sat & Sun)

Pico Bello Trattoria

*This restaurant is now closed*

I can't believe that I've never seen Pico Bello before. I drive by it every day and I have specifically looked at this strip mall, in the hopes of finding more good eats. Yes, Pico Bello is located in the strangest of locations. It's tucked in a corner of the strip mall on Scott Road in between 82nd and 84th. Moreover, Pico Bello seems to have nothing in common with any of the other stores nearby. However, I guess quite a few people know about this gem because there is a banner proudly displayed outside indicating that it was voted #1 by Surrey and North Delta Now readers.

We arrived just as it opened and of course the restaurant was empty. I like this, since I can take a picture of the restaurant with nobody in it. We looked over the menu and it's pretty simple. There are some appies, salads and pasta. The pizzas were crossed off and our server explained they are in the process of hiring another pizza chef. The server was very friendly and she took her time to explain the daily specials. I struggled deciding what to eat and eventually settled on a standard: Spaghetti and Meatballs. Tash had the Fettuccine Alfredo (another classic).

We were started off with some bread and it was really good! I wanted to save some for my pasta, so I stopped eating it and then it got cold. I guess it was a no-win situation. Our pastas arrived pretty quickly and I knew I was going to like it. One look and there were big chunks of fresh tomatoes and ground beef mixed in with fresh slivers of basil. The pasta was done a perfect al dente. Unlike Anton's, there was just enough sauce to coat the pasta. The meatballs were excellent. They were moist on the inside; yet browned on the outside. The flavours were delicate and did not overpower the sauce. The sauce itself was a good balance of tang, sweet and salty.

The same could be said about the Fettuccine Alfredo except it had a bit more sauce. However, the sauce was rich and it successfully adhered to the pasta. So, in the end, it was the right amount . The sauce was a perfect balance of creaminess and delicate flavour. The pasta was also al dente. It appears they really know what they are doing. This is quite perplexing to me. How can a small Italian restaurant in a very strange location make such good pasta? I mean, I thought it was superior to Marcello. Well, I ain't complaining! The more authentic places for me to eat, the better!

The Good:
- Pasta was cooked correctly
- Food looks the part and tastes the part
- Good service

The Bad:
- It ain't cheap here
- Very odd location

Pico Bello Trattoria
#101 - 8556 120th Street
Surrey, B.C.
604-591-5559

Business Hours:
11:30am - 10:00pm (Tue - Fri)
5:00pm - 10:00pm (Sat & Sun)

Hanwoori

So, what do you think most people were doing tonight? It was game 3 of the 2nd round series for the Canucks. If you said watching the game at home or at the bar, you would be correct. Guess where I was? No I was neither at home or at a bar. Why??? Well, the clutch on Viv's car was on the fritz and we had to take the car in for servicing. Therefore, we headed over to our mechanic to drop off her car. Since we were out and hungry, we went to a nearby restaurant. Wait! Why not just get takeout and head home to watch the rest of the game? Okay, the reason why I didn't do that is because I'm superstitious. You see, I play ice hockey and in fact, I'm a goalie. If you know hockey, goalies are the most superstitious (and crazy) people. I am no exception (except for the crazy part...). It seems every time I miss a Canucks game, they win. My reasoning was: If I don't watch it, they will win.

Okay, let's stop this discussion of my goalie craziness (I'm not crazy!). The restaurant that we went to was Hanwoori. I haven't been here in awhile; but I remember that there is good, authentic Korean food to be had here. We decided to order a few standard items: Bibimbap and Japchae. I decided to order one item I've never had before: Gori Gomtang (Oxtail Soup). We started off with the complimentary Banchan which consisted of marinated bean sprouts, kimchi , stewed potatoes, pickled daikon and kimchi-style romaine lettuce. All of the Banchan were fresh looking and tasted as such too.

The Bibimbap arrived first and there were so many ingredients, you wouldn't know there was rice in the bowl. There was a generous amount of fresh carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, beef, fern brakes, shiitake mushrooms and fried egg. Mixed together with Kochujang (red pepper paste), the rice was fantastic. It's amazing something this simple can taste so good. Next, we had the Japchae and it was absolutely enormous. Well, for $16, it'd better be enormous. While I was eating, I had a short chat on the phone with Ben, who writes Chow Times. He first questioned why I was not watching the Canucks game. Then he remarked that Korean food is expensive. Well, I can't disagree with him there. $16 for some noodles is a bit steep! However, the Japchae was really good. It was done perfectly. The flavours were subtle and the dish was not oily. Moreover, the noodles were soft; yet still chewy and there was no shortage of ingredients in the dish.

Last to arrive was the Gori Gomtang. It was accompanied by a bowl of rice and seasoned salt. The salt is necessary for this dish, since it is quite bland. The soup is pretty simple, with barely detectable hints of garlic and ginger (and oxtail of course). However, with the addition of the salt, all the flavours come alive. Despite the broth being light tasting, it still has a richness to it, due to the fatty oxtail. The oxtail itself was very tender.

I really like the food at Hanwoori, you can see it is made with care. However, you definitely pay accordingly since it isn't cheap. The service was actually quite friendly, although when it started to get a bit busier, it was very sparse. But in my experience, this is quite typical in Korean restaurants. As for the Canucks game, they won. You see, I'm not crazy after all!

The Good:
- Great looking and tasting food
- Clean restaurant
- Friendly, if not hectic service

The Bad:
- Pricey
- Hectic, if not friendly service

Hanwoori
5740 Imperial Street
Burnaby, B.C.
604-439-0815

Pepperoni Cafe

Having eaten Indian food for lunch yesterday, I needed to eat something else. As mentioned before, there are a plethora of good Indian restaurants in North Delta and Surrey. Therefore, I needed to look real hard to find non-Indian food. Well, I really had to look hard for this one because I ended up driving all the way to Scott Road and 64th. That's 20 blocks from where I work! Nestled in the strip mall on the Southeast corner of the intersection is Pepperoni Cafe. Normally, people come here for the pizza (which I heard is pretty good); however, I was here to try one of their sub sandwiches.

Yes, I really didn't feel like ordering a whole pizza for myself, despite the fact there is an individual size available. I don't know if it's just me, but I find that individual size pizzas have more dough than toppings. I much prefer getting a pizza slice. I decided to go for the Smoked Chicken sub with lettuce, provolone cheese, ranch, mayo, spices & tomato. You might be wondering why I put tomato last when I listed the ingredients... Well, I'm not really a big fan of raw tomatoes and I actually decided eat them in my sandwich. Yes, that's as adventurous as I got today.

If the pizza at the Pepperoni Cafe is as good as people have indicated, then it's a good thing. Why? I honestly didn't think much of my sub. It wasn't terrible, but it was nothing special. For the same price I could get a much tastier sub from Quizno's or Subway. The sub at Pepperoni Cafe was lacking substance. There was meat and veggies in there, but I couldn't taste them. The overwhelmingly dense and thick bread prevented me from even tasting much of the tomatoes! And I thought it was a breakthrough for me to eat raw tomatoes! Well, I'll try their pizza someday and update this post. Hopefully it lives up to the hype.

The Good:
- Heard they have good pizza (will update this when I do)
- Pretty nice interior for a pizza joint
- Staff was nice

The Bad:
- If I crave Quizno's and Subway over this sub, there is a problem
- A bit pricey

Pepperoni Cafe
#140 - 6388 120th Street
Surrey, B.C.
604-594-7777
pepperonicafe.com

Business Hours:
9:30am - 9:00pm (Mon - Thu)
9:30am - 10:00pm (Fri & Sat)
10:00am - 9:00pm (Sun)