Long`s Noodle House

Quite often, I eat alone (although I hate it), especially during my lunch hour. First, it's hard to get someone to join me. Second, there isn't much time to chit chat while trying to scarf down food (and taking pictures). So it's always a treat when eating in a group, especially with like-minded individuals. Ben and Suanne, who write Chowtimes, setup this foodie get-together at Long's Noodle House. Kim (I'm Only Here for the Food), TS ([eating club] Vancouver), Christina & ET (Doesn't Tazte Like Chicken) and Angie (Sea Salt with Food) were present as well. Now, instead of people staring at me taking endless photos of my food, they can stare at a whole table of people taking pictures of food!

We left the ordering up to Ben since he's been to Long's before. We started with the Wine Chicken and it was served in a small urn. The urn was both aesthetically pleasing and served a purpose. It kept the chicken moist and soaked in the warm wine sauce. This dish was executed really well, the chicken was tender and soaked with wine flavour. Ben recommended that we save the wine sauce to mix with white rice. Served at the same time was the Wine Pig's Feet. The flavour was roughly the same; however, I got more hits of wine flavour as I gnawed through the foot. Arriving right after the pig's feet was the Shanghai Style Wheat Gluten. Mixed in with the gluten was Wood Ear Mushrooms and Golden Needles (Lily Flower). This dish was very flavourful and sweet. Too bad we didn't get the rice until later, it would've went well with it.

Of course we had to try the Xiao Long Bao since it is a Shanghainese restaurant. By looking at the Xiao Long Bao, it was obvious there was a lot of juice inside of them. The fact the buns were stuck to the parchment paper complicated things. We had to be very careful removing them, otherwise EPIC FAIL and juices everywhere! Luckily for me, I was able to remove without breakage (believe me, it was a delicate operation). Too bad for TS, she destroyed hers. The lady owner gave TS the evil eye as if: "How dare you treat my food like that!" I thought the Xiao Long Bao were pretty good, maybe the skin could've been a bit thinner; but I guess it would further complicate removing them out of the steamer.

The next dish, according to Ben, won an award (not sure what award it was, too busy eating...). The dish was Crispy Rice with Salty Egg. It's essentially rice puffs mixed with salted duck eggs. I can see why it won an award because it was really tasty. It was like eating a salty egg rice crispy. Okay, it probably tastes better than it sounds. The next dish was Fish with Wood Ear Mushrooms. I really didn't know what fish it was but it could've been sole? Whatever the case, it was a pleasant dish to eat, if not nothing special about it. The fish was cooked perfectly though. It was probably flash fried before stir-frying.

Although it's Long's Noodle House, we only ordered one noodle and it was the Sliced Spiced Beef Noodles in Soup. That's okay though, sometimes when you order 3 or 4 noodles, you're too full to eat anything else. In a very nice square bowl (nice to see something different than a round bowl), there were lots of tender beef resting on a generous amount of vermicelli. I really liked how the vermicelli soaked up the spicy flavours. The next dish was something a little bit different, it was Fried Eels with Garlic and Black Pepper Sauce. Although the dish was unique in theory, it really didn't have any taste. Viv thought it was a bit bland and for $15, a bit pricey. Fortunately the next dish was better - Stir Fried Pea Shoots with Garlic. The pea shoots were wok-fried perfectly still retaining some crunchiness. It wasn't heavily seasoned, allowing the garlic flavour to stand out. The best dish of the meal was the last one. It was Stewed Pork Hock. It consisted of a whole pork hock braised in a rich sauce (probably oyster-based sauce). The pork was fall-off-the-bone tender and the sauce had lots of depth without being salty.

We had thought the meal was finished until the lady owner asked if we wanted dessert. We mulled around the idea and decided to go for the Dow Sah Wor Beng. It's essentially a sheet of sweet red bean paste encased in spring roll wrap and deep fried. The red bean paste was both plentiful and tasty; however, I wished that the whole dessert was a bit more crispy. Other than that, it was pretty good.

Viv and I had a blast meeting for dinner with other foodies. When you get a bunch of people with the same passion, there is never a shortage of good conversation. However, it can also be quite dangerous. You see, foodies like to eat and even after a full meal with dessert, we found enough space to head over to Vivo! Gelato for some second dessert! Luckily we didn't meet for breakfast, imagine how many other meals we could've squeezed in an entire day?

Read Kim's post about it here.

The Good:
- Most items were quite inexpensive
- Overall good food
- Some unique dishes

The Bad:
- Incredibly small restaurant
- Some specialty items were really expensive

Long's Noodle House
4853 Main Street
Vancouver, B.C.
604-879-7879

La Grotta Del Formaggio

So it's the long weekend, time to relax and do absolutely nothing... Yah right. When you got 2 kids, this is when you do some "family time". Since we have membership at the Vancouver Aquarium, we decided to pay them a visit. If you've been reading my other posts, you know how enamored I am towards Richmond traffic and driving. But, I must say that downtown can be pretty frustrating as well. It's not so much the clueless drivers; rather, you get the rude, rushed drivers and the clueless tourist driver. Today was no exception. We were driving through Gastown following a mini-van from Oregon. As we were approaching the intersection of Water and Cordova (heading towards Richards), the mini-van suddenly stops even though there was a green light for us. Then the mini-van cuts across to turn right onto Cordova on a red light (in front of other cars and pedestrians too). I understand that you are from out of town; but does they give you a license to cause accidents and kill people??? Then, as we were approaching the Stanley Park turnoff from Georgia, we needed to change lanes from the carpool lane. However, this limo decided to speed up and tailgate the car in front of them essentially boxing us out. Then it turns out he had to change lanes too into the other lane! #$&@#$&@#!!! Next time, I'm going to Richmond, it's actually *gasp* safer!

While we were at the Aquarium, we took in the Beluga show and all I could think about was caviar... Then as we were looking at the many species of fish, all I could think about was fish n chips. My son really wanted to look at jellyfish and while we were admiring the awe of the big jellyfish, all I could think about was Chinese marinaded jellyfish! I think we needed to leave and find some food. Otherwise I'm not sure what I would be thinking of at the otter exhibit. On our way out of downtown, I convinced Viv to lineup for 20 minutes to get a Japadog. We only shared a Misomayo dog because we had to save some room for a sandwich. You chose a sandwich over eating more Japadogs? Yes, but this is no ordinary sandwich. We are talking about a La Grotta Del Formaggio sandwich. A what?

We are talking about the "cavern of cheese" on The Drive (Commerical Drive) in Vancouver. Yes, they sell a lot of deli items and many different cheeses. But their real draw are the fabulous sandwiches. Viv has been telling me about them for awhile. She's had them many times since she works nearby. Today, we wanted to pick one up as we headed over to meet up with Costanza at Confederation Park. For around $12 you get a humongous grilled focaccia sandwich with your choice of meat, cheese and a multitude of high quality ingredients such as artichoke hearts and roasted peppers. This sandwich is so large, it easily feeds 2, maybe more. As we were busily munching them down at the park, random people commented and inquired about the sandwich. Yes, they look and taste that good! Costanza suggested that we should've bought more and re-sold them at the park. Interesting idea; however, that would really take away from some serious eating time. And you know I wouldn't do that!

The Good:
- High quality ingredients
- They are not shy about stuffing the sandwich full of stuff
- Excellent value

The Bad:
- It's a messy sandwich to eat (especially if you add fatty cheese)

La Grotto Del Formaggio
1791 Commerical Drive
Vancouver, B.C.
604-255-3911

Mink Chocolates

After Dim Sum at Imperial, Whipping Girl insisted that we go visit Mink Chocolates. I normally do not eat a lot of chocolates; but I do get into it during Christmas. I had to put more money in the meter along the way - freakin' $2 for 24 minutes!!! So not being much of a chocolate connoisseur, I really didn't know what Mink was all about when Whipping Girl mentioned it to me whilst I was munching on chicken feet.

As we walked up to Mink, I got the idea. A place where you can get chocolate, treats and a beverage. It looked pretty trendy and I was beginning to be afraid that it would be all looks and no substance. Imagine that, all looks no substance, in downtown... Anyways, it was a glorious day in Downtown Vancouver, with the sun shining bright, the birds chirping, people bustling and temperature rising. Great day for hot chocolate, right? Yah, that's what I thought too when Whipping Girl ordered up 2 hot chocolates. Was she trying to kill me? Well, with skepticism in one hand and a hot chocolate in the other, we left Mink. Before I had a chance to take a sip, Whipping Girl explained if she was having a bad day, she would come down to Mink for some chocolate goodness. Hmmm... When I have a bad day, I just look at pictures of food. Am I the only one that does that??? Yes, I'm an ice hockey goalie... but I'm not crazy!

So I finally got a chance to take a sip of hot chocolate in the beautiful sunshine. Whipping Girl looked on with great anticipation. I thought to myself, what's the big deal? It's hot chocolate, how good can it be??? Well, one sip and I immediately could tell that this was no ordinary hot chocolate. Oh no, not that powdered crap you get out of a vending machine at the law courts or at the AQ at Simon Fraser. It was smooth, sweet, sensual (?) and not burning hot. I was looking for adjectives to describe this heavenly drink and settled on, "It tastes like I'm drinking a chocolate bar". Whipping Girl actually helped me finish the sentence as if she was reading my mind. Yes, the chocolate flavour was bursting with yummy vanilla sweetness. I couldn't believe I was ranting and raving about a hot chocolate. The piece of extra dark chocolate that accompanied the beverage was just plain good. I'm not a chocolate connoisseur, so I don't really have the adjectives to describe it. You have to trust me (famous last words). As I got into my car, Whipping Girl seem content walking away, again earning props from moi regarding her Mink recommendation.

The Good:
- The place has a good vibe - trendy and inviting
- Excellent hot chocolate
- Good chocolate

The Bad:
- Well, with anything trendy and good, it doesn't come cheap
- Not really a huge selection

Mink Chocolates
863 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, B.C.
604-633-2451
www.minkchocolates.com

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