Dim Sum @ Imperial

If you've been reading this blog for the last couple of months (shame on you if you haven't!), you might have noticed that I'm trying to hit up all the best Dim Sum restaurants in the GVRD. I've done most of them, but probably the most expensive one keeps eluding me. This particular restaurant is Imperial in Downtown Vancouver. I just haven't had the chance to get down there to grab some Dim Sum! I've been there before; but that was a while back when the Vancouver Convention Centre was just a dream. Now it completely blocks the fabulous view that was once the attraction at Imperial. So when Whipping Girl said she was available for lunch today at Imperial, I jumped at the chance. Vandelay had a meeting and couldn't join us, too bad for him. Food or meeting? What do you think is more important?!?!?

When you think of fine dining Dim Sum, the usual suspects come to mind: Sea Harbour, Fisherman's Terrace, Victoria, Fortune House, Kirin, Sun Sui Wah, Spicy Court, Red Star and Imperial. So how does Imperial stack up to these competitors, especially since it is the most expensive of the bunch? Well, first of all, the dining space and ambiance look the part of an upscale Chinese restaurant. Moreover, the service is impeccable. We were greeted at the door and as we sat down at our table, the wait staff were ready to serve! Our teapot was rarely empty and our plates were exchanged for clean ones several times. The only thing I didn't like were the ladies bringing the dim sum around. They were a bit unprofessional, being slightly pushy. I know, I know, Chinese restaurants aren't known for their professional wait staff (especially dim sum servers); but if I'm going to pay that kind of money, I shouldn't have any concerns regarding service. I'm not even sure why they were bringing Dim Sum around, they have checklists for the food anyways. It seemed a bit redundant.

Whipping Girl and I had the classic "eyes larger than our stomachs" affliction and ordered too much. We started with the Fried Wontons, which were quite good. They were very crispy and within them were pockets of cold-water shrimp. Continuing on the fried theme, we had the Banana & Shrimp Spring Rolls. We were not sure who thought up the combination of banana and shrimp, but it works. You have the contrast of textures with the soft, sweet banana with the crunchy wrapper and cold-water shrimp. Another staple of Dim Sum are the rice rolls, we chose the Beef Rice Rolls (instead of shrimp) since 5 of our items had shrimp already. The rice roll was excellent. The rice noodle was fluffy and the beef filling was one of the best I've had. We spotted on the checklist that there were Pan-Fried Buns and wanted to compare with Victoria. The Pan-Fried Buns at Victoria are the best in town in my opinion. After trying the ones at Imperial, they are no threat to the ones at Victoria. Although they were fried up perfectly on the bottom, the rest of the bun was really too doughy. Moreover, the filling was extremely loose, it kept falling out.

So far so good on the Dim Sum; but here is where it begins to fall apart. We had the Sui Mai (pork & shrimp dumpling) next and it was pretty basic. If you served this anywhere else in any Dim Sum restaurant, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. By no means was it bad, but if I'm paying top dollar, it'd better be special. The Shrimp Dumpling (Haw Gow) was nothing special as well. First of all, the dumpling skin was gummy and slightly over-steamed. Whipping Girl said it was probably served too quickly and not allowed to cool for a minute so the skin could dry up a bit. She is probably right, but despite that, the skin was not-so-good. Although the shrimp was cold-water crunchy, there was too much bamboo shoots mixed in with it. It completely overpowered the delicate flavour of the shrimp (and I love bamboo shoots too!).

Fortunately, the Shrimp & Chive Dumplings were better; however, once again the dumpling skin was a bit thick. At least the flavours were less intense in this one. The next 2 dishes were the most disappointing of all. The Black Bean Spareribs were fatty and a bit bony. There was a serious lack of meat and it had a predominant msg flavour to it. This was exactly the same with the Phoenix Talons (or chicken feet). Rather than being flavourful, it was had an msg or salty aftertaste. In addition, the chicken feet were overcooked. They were mushy and some skin was detached from the bone.

Despite some of my harsh descriptions of the food, it was still an enjoyable and tasty meal. However, for the price we paid, it was nothing special. Being one of the most expensive Dim Sum restaurants in town leads to certain expectations. In terms of the food, it falls flat. Personally, I would much rather go to Red Star, Sea Harbour or Victoria (which is only 3 blocks up the street), all of which are less expensive than Imperial. Mind you, the service and ambiance were top notch. In terms of dinner, I've been to Imperial a few times and it is indeed very good. Again, it's expensive. With that being said, Imperial is still a good option for tourists and nearby business people.

The Good:
- Attentive service
- Nice dining space

The Bad:
- Overly expensive
- Food not up to par for the price or it's competitors
- Lack of parking

Imperial
355 Burrard Street
Vancouver, B.C.
604-688-8191
www.imperialrest.com

Irashai Grill

*Restaurant is now closed*

Okay, let's get this out of the way first. I was invited, along with other food bloggers and writers for a tasting at Irashai tonight. Yes, this could potentially pose a problem in terms of bias. That's why up until now, I haven't actually accepted any invites for tastings. To tell you the truth, I accepted this time because I really like Japanese Tapas. I know, I sold my soul. Kim Ho who writes I'm Only Here for the Food will give me heck. I totally respect his belief that his blog posts are on his terms, so there would be no biases or tainting of the views expressed. Well, I'm seeing him on Saturday, hopefully I can convince him otherwise (it'll be tough!). So I am going to do my best to give an honest opinion about Irashai. However, anything I say should be taken with a grain of salt because it is in a controlled manner and environment.

Our host Danielle made arrangements for bloggers and writers to attend a tasting at lunch or dinner. I was only able to make it out for dinner. Rebecca (Miss604), John, Joyce (Foodie Adventures in Vancouver) Heather from BlackBook and Dan & Ed (Eat, Snap, Repeat) were also present at the tasting. We started off with Grilled Asparagus with a creamy butter egg sauce. The asparagus was cooked perfectly; tender exterior with a firm interior. The sauce benefited from lemon juice and fresh cracked pepper. Consequently, there was a good balance of salt, pepper, sweet and tart. Up next was the Beef Tataki which was accompanied by ponzu and ponzu jelly. The beef was of very high quality, practically melting in my mouth. There was just the right amount of ponzu to lightly flavour the dish. We were then presented with a plate full of sliced Red Snapper. This was served with a side of ponzu where we could add the hot red radish and/or wasabi. The red snapper was buttery smooth and I only needed a little of the ponzu, so it wouldn't mask the sweetness of the fish.

The theme of raw food continued with Sliced Hamachi over a bed of daikon. There was a light mustard seed vinaigrette drizzled over the fish. This was a very refreshing dish with delicate flavours. I thought that there was a bit too much daikon underneath. When I grabbed a bunch with the hamachi and placed it in my mouth, it turned out a bit bland. There were some really beautiful Yam Fries next. They arrived with a unagi spicy mayo sauce. The tempura batter was extremely light and crispy, while the yams were fluffy inside. However, I wasn't that big a fan of the sauce, not because I didn't like it; but it was too sweet and it masked the natural sweetness of the yam. The next dish was a real treat. We got Spot Prawn sashimi since it is in season right now. They were served with the head on and they were fabulous. The sweet flesh of the prawn was all the flavour needed for this dish (with a light squeeze of lemon too). After we had finished the meat, the heads were returned to the kitchen for frying.

While we waited for the prawn heads to be prepared, we were served a dish of Albacore Tuna with Ice and Red Wine. The tuna was fantastic. This was a simple, yet very effective use of flavours. When I first took a bite into the tuna, I got a rush of wine flavour. As I continued chewing the tuna, it finished off with a delicate sweet flavour. I'm not sure if this was the intended flavour profile of the dish; but it worked well. As we finished up with the tuna, the fried prawn heads arrived. The server helped explained how to eat the head, removing the legs and innards from the shell. She made sure we didn't eat the dark sac which contains the nasty stuff from the prawn. Being Chinese, I have had experience eating spot prawns in the shell and trust me, you don't want to eat that sac, it's quite bitter. The fried head was very lightly battered and seasoned. Eating it reminded me of the Amazing Race, where Victor ate the scorpions - crunch, crunch, crunch!

After the crunchy prawn heads, we finally got some sushi rolls. There were 2 rolls: the Summer Roll and the White Slope. On the inside of the Summer Roll was a tempura prawn with avocado, cucumber and masago. On the outside resided tuna mixed with crunchy tempura bits topped with sliced avocado and sirracha hot sauce. This roll was a crowd pleaser. Everyone enjoyed it including me. There were so many flavours and textures at work in this roll: crunchy, smooth, chewy, sweet, salty and spicy. If this roll was the ying, the White Slope was the yang. It consisted of real crab meat and avocado in the middle and scallops on the top. This was a sweet and mild roll which perfectly contrasted the spiciness of the Summer Roll.

Where these 2 rolls were refined and delicate in taste, the Spicy Volcano Roll was not. This bold and brash roll consisted of asparagus, Angus beef, cream cheese and cucumber. It was finished off with cheddar cheese baked on top drizzled with a spicy sauce. Heather remarked that it tasted like "cheeseburger sushi". I have to concur with her about that. It was rich, flavourful and greasy like a cheeseburger. Personally, I thought the combination of cream cheese and melted cheddar was a bit much. It became a bit of a mushy, greasy mess with little in the way of textures. Fortunately, the next roll put the trains back on the track. The Alaskan Crab Leg roll was a delight to eat. It was simply whole crab leg meat with mango and masago deep fried with tempura batter. It was served with a lemon mayo dressing. The flavours woked really well in this roll. The crab meat (sweet with a hint of saltiness) was accentuated by the sweetness and slight tartness of the mango. Moreover, the lemon mayo was the perfect accompaniment to the delicate tasting roll.

If you think there was the end of the food, you are wrong, it kept coming! The Pearl Chicken Karaage was a bit different than I am used to. The chicken were coated in rice cracker pearls and then deep fried. This resulted in a unique crunch and lightness to the chicken. Dipped into the yuzu sauce, it was a winner. I think kiddies would like this dish. Not sure about my son, he doesn't like anything but chocolate. From crunchy, we went to buttery smooth in the form of the Aigamo. The teriyaki duck breast was executed properly where the meat was tender and moist. There was just enough flavouring that it didn't mask the natural duck taste. In comparison, the duck at Guu was chewy. Okay, the last dish was one of the best - Sablefish aka Black Cod. It was grilled perfectly where each flake of the meat was discernable while being moist. The buttery flesh of the fish went well with the fruity yuzu sauce. Actually, this wasn't really the last dish, we also had Tiramisu and Green Tea Creme Brulee for dessert. Both were really good, especially the brulee. It was smooth and not too sweet. Moreover, there wasn't too much green tea flavour to overpower the dessert.

Despite this being a meal on the house, I feel that I can be objective. I must stress that the food was indeed fantastic. It is true that they must've put care into producing the dishes and of course the service would be good. Yet, when it comes down to it, if a restaurant's food sucks, then no matter how much effort they put into it, it will continue to suck. In addition, I looked around at the food of other patrons and it looked every bit as good as the dishes we were served. So if the food is so good, what are the issues that keep it from being rated higher on Urbanspoon or Dinehere? Well, it is mostly one issue - the price. Yes, at Irashai, they use high quality ingredients and the decor is really nice; however, the prices are indeed higher than most of it's competition. Mind you, I'm not even sure exactly who they are competing with. Irashai seems half Japanese restaurant, half Japanese Izakaya. However, in comparison with other Izakayas, I think that the food at Irashai is probably better in ingredient quality and execution. With that being said, if you enjoy good quality food, you have to be prepared to pay for it.

The Good:
- High quality food
- Food is made with care
- A few unique items

The Bad:
- It's good, but it'll cost you
- Identity problem: Izakaya or not?

Irashai Grill
1368 West Pender
Vancouver, B.C.
604-688-8697
www.irashaigrill.com

Red Robin

Okay, I'll admit it. I originally did an Urbanspoon post saying that I didn't like Red Robin. Why? Well, probably because for the money, you can get a better burger at places such as Moderne, Fatburger, Vera's, Hamburger Heaven, Burgers Etc. and Burger Burger. I know some of these places are bit more expensive, but they are also much better. But, and this is a big but, I used to enjoy Red's when I was in High School and 1st/2nd year University. Why have I changed my tune regarding Red's? Is it that my palate has become more refined? Am I being a food snob? Well, I really hope it's not the latter! I still love dives and cheap places! So what is it? I think part of the reason is that everything is fried there. The whole menu is essentially in different shades of brown. Moreover, some of the food is really not all that good either.

Well, today I had to go to Red's because it was my son's birthday and he insisted we go there. So off we go with the whole family to Red's in the pouring rain. I have to admit one thing though, Red's is one of the most kid friendly restaurants around. They have an extensive kid's menu (with refillable milk), crayons in their own boxes and balloons. Every time I visit Red's, I need to have the Royal Red Robin Burger. It's got 2 slices of cheese, bacon and a fried egg. Yes, low-fat eating it isn't; but it's pretty good! I guess after reading Christina's post about her Royal Red, I needed to have one too. I actually do like the burgers at Red's. They're typically quite large and there is never a shortage of fillings. The one problem I have is that it's a bit inconsistent at times. Once, my burger patty was like a piece of charcoal and Viv's was undercooked. Moreover, I'm not a big fan of their steak fries. I like Red's fries when they were still potato wedges. Yes, that was a long time ago. Most of the time, their steak fries are limp and soggy. However, they do go well with Red's tartar sauce.

Viv had the Whiskey River BBQ Burger. She commented that it had too much mayo and not enough BBQ sauce. Mom had the Mini Crispy Chicken Burgers. There were 3 of them: BBQ, Buzz and Original. They looked good; but it appeared she had a hard time with the buns. They seemed a bit too crunchy. Dad had the Salmon Caesar and although the salad was fresh, the salmon was overcooked and dry. And here is the issue I have with Red Robin. Other than the burgers and some of the appies, the other dishes at Red's are not very good. For the price of these dishes, I'd really go somewhere else. But I do admit that the burgers are good. So I actually removed the negative post on Urbanspoon and now have replaced it with this blog post. This time, I'm not saying whether I like it or not. I'm staying neutral.

The Good:
- Burgers are quite good
- Inexpensive place to eat
- Kid-friendly

The Bad:
- Other entrees are not very good
- The menu is in different shades of brown (the pictures of the food)

Red Robin
9268 Cameron Street
Burnaby, B.C.
604-421-7266
www.canadarobin.com

E`s Up Dining

Last week, after eating some really good pasta at Pico Bello, I went over to Kennedy Heights to get some money from CIBC. As I was there, I noticed a tiny restaurant around the corner from Desi Junction. I noticed it for a few reasons. First, there was a blinking "open" sign in the front. Yes, I'm a sucker for shiny things. Second, it looked so odd, I was intrigued by it. I thought to myself, "Should I go try it???" Well, a few days ago, a fellow Foodbuzz member left a message for me to try E's Up. Okay, fine, I will try it today! I had to go to the CIBC to get some cash before I went to eat. Just as I was leaving, one of the bank's employees tried to sign me up for a Visa Infinite card. I told him I already had one; but that didn't really seem like a good enough answer to him. What do I have to do? Whip it out and show you? I really can't stand pushy people.

A bit flustered, I walked into E's Up Dining and was welcomed by a very friendly lady. Apparently, the restaurant is named after her. Yes, her name is "E". Her parents named the kids alphabetically. I would've hated it if I was named "P" for obvious reasons... Anyways, the special of the day was a Homemade Beef Dip with choice of pan fries, salad or vegetable soup for $5.00. Yes, it was $5.00! I chose the salad instead of the fries because I knew we were going to Red Robin tonight for my son's birthday. If you've ever looked at the Red Robin menu, everything is brown in colour (the deep fryer is their best friend). The salad was fresh and E drizzled some sun dried tomato dressing on top. It was pleasant to eat. The beef dip was very good, despite not impressing visually. There was real roast beef bathed in garlic butter nestled in a soft bun. Moreover, the au jus was made from scratch and it was fabulous. No powdered crap here.

E's Up Dining also does catering and in fact, they were catering for the mayor of Surrey. That was the reason why they had fresh roast beef. E explained that she normally doesn't make beef dip because the meat wouldn't sell fast enough (which would compromise freshness). I was impressed that everything they make at the restaurant is from scratch. It's definitely a pleasant surprise for a little non-descript place. If you are in the area, do not hesitate to try them out.

The Good:
- Good food made from scratch
- Very friendly owner and staff
- Inexpensive

The Bad:
- The outside hides what it looks like inside
- Limited menu (but I guess it's to keep things fresh)

E's Up Dining
11967 88th Avenue
Delta, B.C.
604-597-6616
www.allyourneedscatering.com

Business Hours:
8:00am - 4:00pm (Mon - Wed)
11:30am - 8:00pm (Thu & Fri)
10:30am - 3:00pm (Sat)

Original Tandoori Kitchen

My last Indian meal was a buffet (Mehfil) and we all know that buffets are not the best place to look for quality. However, I do realize that it cost me under $10 to get a filling and passable meal. Well, today, I was looking for quality. The Original Tandoori Kitchen has been around for awhile (especially the Vancouver location) and I figured it would be some good eats. Mind you, the Surrey location is in the same plaza as Bombay Se, which happens to be a great Indian restaurant in its own right. I've been meaning to try OTK for awhile now; but I always seem to get sidetracked. It's like my never-ending quest to try Splitz Grill to no avail. Today, I made an effort and finally visited OTK. Since my lunch hour is not really an hour long, I quickly parked the car and zipped into the restaurant. One good thing about going to lunch before noon is that the restaurant is usually empty. This is good for pictures and the food comes out quicker.

I really didn't feel like eating a big meal for lunch; but the dinner combination caught my eye. It included Butter Chicken, Lamb Curry, Tandoori Chicken, Palak Paneer, Dal, Raita, Rice, Naan and Galub Jamun. Yes, it turns out that I was going to eat a big meal for lunch. Great, I was going to be way too full and have bad breath too. Luckily I didn't have to wait long for my meal because there was lots of it and I had to scarf it down quick. The first item I tried was the Butter Chicken and it was pretty good. It was thick and there was not shortage of flavour. It was very similar to the one at Tasty Sweets, except it wasn't as salty. It did have a predominant tomato flavour though. The chicken was both plentiful and very tender. The Lamb Curry was rich in flavour. There was a pronounced ginger flavour with coriander and cloves. This was a nice contrast to the smooth butter chicken. The lamb was tender and delicious. The Palak Paneer was outstanding. There was a generous amount of paneer which were fluffy and soft. The spinach was flavoured generously with garlic, ginger with hints of coriander and cumin.

The Dal was pretty good. The lentils were soft and there was plenty of garlic flavour. But, I'm not much of a lentil fan, so I wasn't too enthused about it. One thing that disappointed me was the Tandoori Chicken. It look and smelled really good; yet it was a bit dry. The fact it was so dry, I really didn't enjoy the flavours as much as if it was tender. It's too bad, since the restaurant is called the Original Tandoori Kitchen! Moreover, the naan was a bit average in my opinion. It was soft, yet a bit doughy. The naan at Desi Junction and Mirch Masala are better.

Regardless of the fact I ate like a madman, as the clock was ticking, I still had time to enjoy the flavours and spices. I think OTK had some really discernable flavours going on in their food. It's just too bad the Tandoori Chicken didn't live up to my expectations. No matter, it's still good Indian food.

The Good:
- Good flavours
- Meats were tender except for the Tandoori Chicken
- Restaurant was clean and spotless

The Bad:
- Tandoori Chicken was dry
- No lunch special = expensive dinner combination

Original Tandoori Kitchen
#2 - 7548 120th Street
Surrey, B.C.
604-592-8900
www.originaltandoori.ca

IHOP

We are taught from a very early age that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I totally agree with that; yet somehow, I'm never really all that hungry when I wake up. Yes, there are times I do not want to eat (gasp!). I'm also too lazy to actually spend time to cook something. Normally, it'll just be a granola bar in the car. If there are any leftovers from the night before, breakfast would be an improvisation. If you can name it, I've had it for breakfast: ribs, pizza, lobster, steak and pork chops to name a few. It's rare that I actually eat a real breakfast, let alone a complete one at that. There are not too many "unique" places to go for breakfast in North Delta. The last time I went for a unique breakfast was a Filipino one at Aquarius Cafe. But I almost got "arrested" for taking photos. Maybe they didn't want me to steal their secret recipes! Today, I decided to go for an ol' standby - IHOP (International House of Pancakes).

As their name implies, the pancakes are their signature item. I've had IHOP many times and in many different locations in North America. One thing I can say is that they're pretty consistent. Mind you, the reason for that are the pre-made recipes. That can be a criticism for a place like IHOP. But, you can say what you want about them, but they are a known quantity. Also, they are good for big groups of people. They do serve a purpose. Also, if you can overlook the fact they are a chain, some of them do have good food. It's too bad some of them are charging a bit too much and moving dangerously close to fine dining prices (ie. Milestone's, Earl's). Okay, enough of my ranting. Today, I was going to order the Rooty Tooty Fresh 'N Fruity; but the server informed me of their Strawberry Specials. Apparently it was cheaper to order that and I got more meat too.

The eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns were what they were supposed to be. Mind you, I do appreciate that they don't burn the sausages and they actually have more meat than fat. I'm not a big fan of shredded hash browns, I wish they had the same option as Denny's where you can choose between shredded or cubed. My pancakes had a good amount of strawberry and whipped cream topping. I like IHOP's pancakes. They are soft and fluffy. However, they are not any better than the ones I have at Denny's or Whitespot. I know there maybe some people who will disagree with me and that's fine. It's all personal preference anyways. I've had better pancakes at some "finer" dining establishments; but you would be paying $10+ for a few pancakes. Not sure about you, but paying $15 for flour, baking soda, egg and milk is a bit much for me. Yes, it would be even cheaper just making them at home. My point is, if you do go out for pancakes, you don't have to spend a lot for good ones. IHOP does have good pancakes; but so do other places.

The Good:
- Good pancakes
- Fairly good ingredients
- You know what you are getting

The Bad:
- It's generic, nothing special here
- Pancakes are good at other places as well (for cheaper too)

IHOP
8170 120th Street
Surrey, B.C.
604-596-4994
www.ihop.com

Teawork

After any Dim Sum, I like to get something refreshing. It is usually in the form of some gelato, Slurpee, fruit smoothie or bubble tea. Today, it was going to be bubble tea. We were thinking of Bubble World; but I really wanted to try Teawork at the corner of Victoria & 41st. Every time I have driven by the place, I have wondered about it. Well, I finally made it out to try it. Teawork is actually a restaurant and bubble tea joint. I didn't come for the food, so I didn't try any. However, I looked at some of the food people were eating and a first glance, it didn't look all that good. Maybe it tastes better than it looks? Maybe I'll try it someday.

Anyways, I was here for the bubble tea and I decided on a Pink Guava Slush with coconut jelly. Yes, I don't usually get tapioca pearls with my bubble tea because I don't particularly like them. To some people, it seems like a big contradiction since I like bubble tea; but don't like the pearls. Oh well, each to their own? Even before I got my drink, I noticed that there were no fresh fruit bubble teas available. However, they did have fresh fruit juice on the menu. So I was bracing for the worst since I'm not a huge fan of powdered slushes. It turns out I needed more than a brace; rather a full-fledged parachute. The drink was horrible. First, it tasted like candy. Second, it was very icy. Either they didn't blend it long enough or the blender wasn't capable of blending it smooth. Viv said the drink reminded her of those slushies you find in the Showmart during the PNE.

Once again, I was attracted to a place due to it's nice exterior and attractive name. This happened to me at Jellie D's a month ago. I should have listened to Vandelay when he told me that Teaworks was nothing special. I usually listen to him because he is quite knowledgeable. Serves me right for ignoring his advice. Speaking of which, it was eery to see Vandelay turning left onto 41st as I was leaving Teaworks. Coincidence?

The Good:
- It looks pretty on the outside
- I like the name Teaworks (or is it Tea Work?)

The Bad:
- Bubble tea was a disaster
- Food didn't look all that good

Teawork
5695 Victoria Drive
Vancouver, B.C.
778-371-9831

Business Hours:
11:30am - 12:30am (Sun - Thu)
11:30am - 1:00am (Fri & Sat)