Boot and Sombrero

I didn't think it would actually happen; but I am literally running out of places to eat in North Delta. So, I took full advantage of the fact I was in Ladner for a meeting. One restaurant that I've been meaning to try is the Boot and Sombrero. It seems to have a pretty good satisfaction rating on Urbanspoon. It's situated in what used to be Uncle Herbert's Fish & Chips. The building itself is divided like an old house and consequently, the dining space is separated into several rooms. Mind you, on a nice day like today, it creates quite a contrast in light within the restaurant because you have the front 2 rooms with an abundance of sunshine and the back room with no light at all (no windows back there).

The Boot and Sombrero is a Tex-Mex restaurant that serves up BBQ'd items and Mexican favourites such as tacos and fajitas. It's located in the heart of historic Ladner Village. In fact, it's right next to the Delta Museum. If you ever have a chance to make it down here, it's definitely a nice place to take a walking tour.

There were several lunch specials available; but I went for the pulled pork dinner instead. Yes, I am eating pork again. Okay, I promise to stop eating pork for the next week, maybe... I had high hopes heading into this meal and usually that is not a good thing. Arriving on a pretty large plate was the pulled pork, sauteed string beans, a jicama slaw, curly fries and cornbread. The pulled pork was more like crumbled pork. It was tender, but quite dry. Moreover, the BBQ sauce seemed to taste like Kraft mixed with some spices. It was more tangy than smoky (like Bull's Eye). I did like some of the sides though. The beans were cooked all the way through; yet still had some crunch. The fries were crispy and the cornbread had a bit of crunch and spice from cayenne. However, the jicama slaw was a bit bland.

I'm a bit torn in regards to the food. I didn't hate it; but I didn't really like it either. The service was excellent and the atmosphere was quaint and relaxing. I can definitely see why people would like this place. But, I'm really in BBQ food and the sauce is usually what makes or breaks a restaurant. For me personally, I didn't like the sauce. This would be a problem since all their meat products would be smothered in it.

The Good:
- Quaint location
- Excellent service
- Decent value

The Bad:
- BBQ sauce is quite generic tasting
- From what I had (which was only one dish), the food was average

Corner 23

What's with the heat these last few days??? It's only early June! The weather has been kind of wacky this past year, including last December. Let's just hope we don't use up our allotment of good weather too soon. This hot weather is making me quite uncomfortable at work, I'm sweating just sitting at my desk. Also, with all the allergens flying around, I'm in full allergy mode. At the very least, the weather was going to be good for softball tonight. Again, I picked up Milhouse and Boss Woman, trying to be environmentally conscious, driving my SUV (a contradiction?). Miss Y, not being the beneficiary of a ride from Judes, arrived barely on time. She was one traffic light away from being late again! Following the game, I was in full expectation that we were going to eat right way. How wrong I was... The team had an impromptu batting practice that went on for what seemed like forever. Before that, we had settled on heading to Corner 23 (the idea, thanks to Chowtimes and I Love Food Blog). So there I was thinking and drooling about the famous pork hock at Corner 23. Yes, I was fantasizing about pork feet. It's the same affliction I have with ox tongue and beef tripe.

Finally, we were on our way to Corner 23, which is incidentally on the corner of Cambie and 23rd (hence the name). Miss Y was following me to the restaurant and being the nice guy that I am, I decided to switch lanes and lose her (which I did). However, she did make it to the restaurant, so it was all for naught. I got the last parking spot in the small lot behind the restaurant. Mind you, there were actually 3 spots; but only one was usable. Apparently, people do not know what the white lines are for.

In addition to being a restaurant, Corner 23 is also a great place to get bubble tea. All of us ordered one except for Lionel Hutz, he wanted a Coke. Guess what? They don't have Coke. I'm pleased to say that the bubble teas were quite good. I went with a Guava Slush with coconut jelly. Maybe my expectations were too high, but the slush could've been a bit more smooth. Other than that, it wasn't too sweet (which is good). Milhouse, wanting something a little bit different, ordered a chocolate slush.

We decided to each choose a dish each and share. However, some of the dishes we chose weren't really conducive for sharing. Moreover, it didn't help they only gave us small little plates; bowls would've helped. Naturally, I ordered the Wun Luan Pork Hock, much to the chagrin of my fellow diners. It seems they do not share my love of pork fat. Speaking of which, I really should avoid pork fat for awhile. I had some at Kintaro on Thursday, then Yukon bacon at Tomahawk for lunch on Saturday and the Dong Bao Yeuk at Top Shanghai for dinner. Vandelay would be proud. I have to say that the Pork Hock didn't disappoint. The pieces had a gelatinous quality to them and when dipped in the slightly spicy sauce, it was pork fat goodness!

I don't remember who ordered the Five Spice Beef Wrap; but it was good. The pancake wasn't too thick and there was plenty of hosin sauce tossed in with the beef. The next few dishes were not really good for sharing; however, we did our best to share. It got a bit messy doing so. Impressively arriving at our table was the Creamy Seafood Hotpot. Almost unanimously, this dish was a miss. It should have named "Fish Balls in Milk" because that's what it really resembled. If they had added vermicelli and tofu, it would be very similar to a "Sa Woh". Inexplicably, this was served with rice. The hot pot had no flavour; thus the rice served no purpose. Fortunately, the chicken steak was big and cooked perfectly. It was tender and juicy. The pepper sauce was very flavourful and full of black pepper.

To really emphasize that many of the dishes we ordered were not meant for sharing was the Peking Style Shredded Pork. It came on a platter with rice and 3 smaller side dishes (creamed corn, stir fried broccoli and bean sprouts with dry tofu). Although the dish was pleasant to eat, it probably would've been better with steamed flour wraps rather than rice. We also had the Noodles with Spicy Meat Sauce (not pictured). There was plenty of sauce and it was a bit spicy. It went well with the noodles. Milhouse ordered what he usually orders - Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice. I don't blame him, it's one of my favourites as well! We requested them to omit the green onions to no avail. The kitchen messed it up. I'm quite sensitive to these types of mistakes. A really good kitchen would not never make this type of error.

The last dish to arrive were the Potstickers. They arrived last because it apparently takes 20 minutes for them to cook. We accepted this explanation because it is a sign that they were cooked the proper way. Some restaurants cheat and steam the potstickers first before pan frying them. The proper way is to fry and steam them in the same fry pan. As you can see from the picture, they looked really good. For some reason, the elongated shape of the potstickers really worked. There was more fried surface area for us to enjoy.

Overall, we were quite satisfied with our meal at Corner 23. Most dishes were very good and the bubble teas were a great compliment. We felt quite comfortable in our spacious seating arrangements and the restaurant is both clean and modern. Despite the hot weather, the air conditioning was on maximum and we were actually feeling quite cold. No matter, I'd personally rather be cold than sweating at my desk.

The Good:
- Pretty good food
- Good bubble teas
- Modern and comfortable dining space

The Bad:
- Small and tight parking lot

Jugo Juice

How come the weather is always so nice in May? It seems like every year it rains like no tomorrow in April, then gets nice in May. April showers bring May flowers? Okay, then why does it start to rain again in June? Right, we live on the wet coast. Taking advantage of the nice weather, I switch into summer mode and get into my shorts and sandals. Excellent, now onto the mall... Mall? On a nice day like today? Trust me, I'm not even sure why I'm at the mall. One thing is for sure, at least I can get a nice cold refreshment here. We were considering Orange Julius; but we really don't like the last 1/3rd of the drink since it becomes a foamy mess. Also, it ain't cheap. Too bad there isn't Jamba Juice up here in Canada (yet). However, we do have Booster Juice and Jugo Juice. It ain't Jamba Juice, but it'll have to do.

I've always been a bit weary of Jugo Juice. It's probably the brand loyalty and familiarity of Jamba Juice. It's almost like, "How dare they try to copy them!" I guess it could be the Marble Slab and Coldstone Creamery debate as well. Anyways, we picked up a Powerzone Jugo Juice, which contains strawberries, pineapple, tropical nectar and orange juice. I'll admit it. This is probably the 5th time I've had Jugo Juice and it is indeed growing on me. If Jamba Juice never existed, I'd probably like it unconditionally.

Well, my daughter seemed to like Jugo Juice unconditionally. She kept sipping away at it like there was no tomorrow. This is exactly how my son reacted to Jamba Juice when we visited my cousins in San Fran, 3 years ago. They do say children are the best indicators of honest opinions. Therefore, I guess there really isn't that big of a difference other than the name.

The Good:
- It's supposed to be a bit healthier than other drinks (there is quite a bit of sugar though)
- You get your servings of fruit!
- It's refreshing

The Bad:
- It's a bit filling
- It's not really that cheap

Pho 101

Alright, class is in session. You are all registered in Pho 101. So what is exactly is Pho? Well, it is a Vietnamese dish which consists of rice noodles, thinly sliced beef (and other beef products) resting in a broth comprised of beef bones, oxtails, charred onion and spices. This broth can take a very long time to prepare, sometimes taking the entire day. The origins of Pho is a bit unclear. Some say it originated from the French (who occupied Vietnam) dish Pot-au-Feu. Others claim it was Chinese influence since Pho could be derived from "Fun" (Chinese for noodles). Whatever the case, it is a very satisfying and delicious dish from the Vietnam.

There are a multitude of Vietnamese noodle joints all over the GVRD, each with their different spin on the broth. Some are a bit richer and salty; some are a bit lighter and clear. Today, we decided to visit a brand new Pho restaurant on Hastings in Burnaby. The restaurant is aptly named Pho 101. Yes, there are a lot of Pho restaurants with numbers in their names; but this is the first time I've seen a triple digit number in the name. I guess they are running out of numbers to use? What will come next? Pho 666? Could be some hot and spicy Pho! Pho 101 has a huge advantage in its location. There is not another Pho restaurant nearby for at least 20+ blocks. Thus, there is no competition. Moreover, it seems like they wanted to go for a more updated decor and style. It's definitely a lot more clean and modern than most of the transplanted Pho restaurants. These other Pho restaurants do not renovate and it is extremely odd to eat Vietnamese food amongst Italian or Greek decor.

Luckily we arrived early, the place filled up pretty quick; partly because it has no competition and it's also a very small restaurant. Naturally, I ordered Pho and picked the most expensive one at $10.00 for a large bowl. This is probably one of the most expensive bowls of Pho I've ever seen. However, it comes with a side of thinly-sliced raw Filet Mignon which you can place into the hot broth. I was a bit skeptical of the meat, wondering if it was really going to be good. Yet, it was soft and tender, even after sitting in the broth for awhile. The broth itself was rich tasting and not oily at all. It was bordering on salty without being so. This was a solid bowl of Pho, if not a bit small compared to places like Pho Hong and Pho 99.

Italian Stallion and Wolvie joined us for this meal and the last time they dined with us was at Memphis Blues in December of last year. I guess we'll make a date for December of this year for our next meal then. JS had the Fried Chicken Leg and Rice. It's a simple dish really; but it's pretty good if you didn't want to go for Pho. Chicken skin was crispy and the meat was juicy and tender. However, LS stated that she preferred having the noodles. I would concur, especially since the chicken dish costs more than the Pho.

We also ordered a Vietnamese sub for good measure and it was actually pretty good. Crispy French bread and fresh fillings including what we figured was jellied pork rinds made for some good eating. So did Pho 101 make the grade? I would say yes. The food was made with care and the service was good.

The Good:
- Pho is good
- Food is made with care
- Good service

The Bad:
- Extremely small restaurant, tight seating arrangements
- They didn't turn on the A/C and it was boiling while eating hot soup

Business Hours:
11:00am - 8:00pm (7 days a week)

Excellent Tofu & Snack

Again, I have to credit Wendy's Boyfriend (Eat 'n About) for this one. She/boyfriend and Ben (Chowtimes) are great resources for dining in Richmond. We decided to get some dessert after Top Shanghai. After reading Wendy's post about Excellent Tofu & Snack, I was anxious to try some of their desserts. The only thing that worried me was the parking lot at Central Square. It's extremely small and there are quite a few businesses here, which include Ninkazu and Lido. Luckily for us, there was a parking spot available immediately as I pulled into the parking lot.

Excellent Tofu is not much to look at outside and really, it ain't too much to look at inside either. It's essentially a really long counter with a few small tables behind it. No matter, we were here for a quick, cheap dessert; not expecting anything fancy. As Wendy mentioned, the old guy who runs the place has impeccable English. We actually ordered in Chinese to his son (?). Viv and I decided to share a Grass Jelly & Tofu Pudding dessert, Fruit Cocktail Tofu Pudding and a Red Bean Pastry.

I really liked both desserts, especially since I could adjust the flavour with simple syrup, ginger syrup and brown sugar provided. I'm a big fan of the grass jelly, despite it being a bit bitter. This is easily corrected with copious amounts of ginger syrup. Mind you, the red bean pastry was not so good. It was kept in a warm pan and it was nuked for our dining pleasure. If you can imagine, this is not a good thing. The whole thing was very dry and had that "sitting around for awhile" quality to it. Next time, we'll stick with the tofu desserts.

The Good:
- Fresh tofu products and desserts
- Inexpensive
- Its got that "dive" quality to it

The Bad:
- Don't eat the pastries
- Not a place to take a first date

Business Hours:
10:30am - 10:00pm (Mon, Tues & Thu)
12:00pm - 10:00pm (Wed)
10:30am - 12:00am (Fri & Sat)
10:30am - 11:00pm (Sun)

Top Shanghai

ET and Christina (Doesn't TaZte Like Chicken) swore they would never return to Top Shanghai to eat ever again, despite the food being pretty good. They explained that the service is just plain horrible. Well, I can definitely relate. There are a few restaurants I have not set foot in again due to horrendous service, namely Po King and Yan's Garden. My point is, if I am spending my hard-earned money to dine out, why should I be subjected to abuse? However, as ET remarked, people are masochists and continue to dine at these places. Well, being a masochist for one night, I took the family to Top Shanghai to see what the fuss was all about.

So here I was in Richmond, AGAIN! This time, there were all sorts of near misses, slow drivers and people who wanted to cut me off. Phew! I thought something was amiss, since it was so pleasant the last few times. Everything is normal again! Upon entering the restaurant, we were quite shocked to see a table smack dab in front of the entrance. Seriously, the person sitting next to the door would be in harms way of wayward handbags, diaper bags and SLR cameras on shoulder straps. That was just a preview of how tightly packed the tables were. Literally, if you sat on the inside, you would not have a hope in the world in getting out to use the washroom. A comfortable restaurant this is not.

We had plenty of time to look over the menu because my parents were running a bit late in meeting us. I couldn't contain myself and burst out laughing at the menu. Yes, it was the case of the misspelled Chinese menu that seems to afflict ALL Chinese restaurants. The more notable errors were Fried Pork Bum, Homemade Bean Crud and Fried Prok. Spell check anyone? Imagine what an unsuspecting person would think whilst reading this menu? This reminds me of the time when I used to live in Coquitlam. There was this market that used to be near the London Drugs (now Michael's) and they sold live seafood. Advertised proudly and boldly in the front window was LIVE CRAP. Okay, I'm not sure if it was supposed to be live crab or live carp. Whatever it was, I went in and told someone that they were selling very fresh garbage.

Okay, we avoided ordering any bums or crud and settled on Chicken in Wine Sauce, Stewed Pork Belly, Szcheuan Tendon & Noodles in Soup, Hot & Sour Soup, Shanghai Noodles in Soup, Xiao Long Bao and Pan Fried Buns. The food actually came out in that order, making no sense whatsoever. I think we got the chicken first because it was a cold dish. No matter, it was pretty good. Since the chicken was free-range, the meat was lean and a bit chewy. I happen to like this texture and combined with the strong wine flavour, it was a winner. Next came one of Top Shanghai's signature dishes. I ordered this on the recommendation of Ho Yummy. In Chinese, it's called "Dong Bao Yeuk". Actually it's named after the person who created this dish, so there really isn't an English translation. What it is will scare some people. It's essentially a big side of pork belly that has been braised gently. What you get is a very tender piece of pork belly. It's extremely sinful; but so good! I guess Vandelay should've been here to eat it too, seeing how he loves pork fat!

The tendon noodles arrived next and it was not very good. First, the noodles were clumped together and a bit too al dente. Second, the soup was flavourless despite appearing to be quite rich in colour. Third, the tendon was not very tender. I'm not sure why we got our soup 4 dishes into our meal and after a noodle soup too?!?! Anyways, the soup was jam-packed with ingredients. However, it was neither very sour or hot. It was a good "lots-of-stuff' soup; rather than a hot & sour soup. Fortunately, the Shanghai noodles were quite good. The soup was flavourful without being salty and there was plenty of pork, cabbage and spinach on top of the noodles.

The juicy buns (xiao long bao) arrived nearly at the end of the meal (who was expediting these dishes???) and they were good. The large dumplings were full of broth and well-seasoned meat encased in a paper-thin wrapper. I liked how they placed each bun on a slice of turnip. This made removing the buns a much easier task. Last to arrive was the sang jeen bao (pan-fried buns). I give it high marks for a very crispy bottom and actually having juice inside. I give it really poor marks for being a bit too heavy on the dough.

I really didn't mind the service all that much. It's probably because I didn't experience much of it. It's basic and I guess we can't expect too much. I enjoyed my meal; but it was not as good as I would've hoped. It's probably because I came in with high expectations. One thing I really didn't enjoy was the proximity of the tables. It was bordering on ridiculous. Also, they really should get a spell checker for their menu. What would they do if someone insisted they get the bums and the crud???

The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Decent food, if not unspectacular
- Nice pictures of the food everywhere (and I mean everywhere)

The Bad:
- Minimal service
- Very tight seating arrangement
- Strange expedition of dishes

Business Hours:
10:30am - 10:30pm (7 days a week)

Tomahawk

Today we were out early in West Van for another kiddie party. Did all of my friends have kids at the same time??? Seems like every kid's birthday is in May, including my own! I considered visiting one of my favourite places to dine on a sunny weekend - Salmon House on the Hill. However, I wasn't sure if the kiddies would actually eat anything there. Well, there is this one place that I've heard about practically all my life and I've never actually tried it. This place is the Tomahawk, which has been around since 1926.

Once again, Vandelay and Donna Chang join us in the culinary adventure. Inside the Tomahawk, there is an impressive collection of First Nations art. I didn't take any pictures of the art out of respect for their picture-taking policy. For insurance purposes, they do not want people randomly snapping pictures of their irreplaceable carvings and other artifacts. However, they were more than happy to let me take photos of the food. This was after I asked politely and handed them my Moo card. These cards do come in handy!

Vandelay only had one thing on his mind - mmm... bacon... When he heard about the Yukon-style Bacon & Eggs, he just wanted to have it, especially since there are 5 (!) slices of Yukon-style bacon. If you've ever had De Bacon at De Dutch, then you'll get an idea of what Yukon bacon is like. Served with the 5 slices of bacon were a heaping pile of hash browns, 2 eggs and 2 slices of Klondike toast. He seemed to enjoy his bacon since he really didn't say much while eating. Maybe he was experiencing pork fat overload since he had the full fat pork treatment at Kintaro only 2 days earlier.

For me, I only had one choice in mind - Oysters on Toast. The fact that it sounded a bit strange made me want to order it. What I got were 6 fried oysters on top of 2 slices of Yukon bacon and Klondike Toast. A heaping pile of hash browns occupied the rest of the plate. The oysters were good; however, the batter was either too thick or over fried. It was a bit too crunchy. I liked the bacon and the hash browns; yet I could've done without the toast. I'm not sure if it's only me; but the Klondike toast is very dry. I had to get a side of butter to somehow moisten the toast to no avail.

Viv had the half order of the Eggs Florentine. The egg was poached perfectly and the cheese sauce wasn't too salty; yet it was average in her books. Donna Chang had the Organic Beef Pattie Melt. Although it didn't look all that impressive, she said it was good - bread was crunchy and the meat moist. My son had the kids meal with Grilled Cheese. He seemed to enjoy it, probably because they used real cheddar cheese. That is a rarity these days, most places use processed cheese.

Despite the average food, I still like the Tomahawk. It is something a bit different and eclectic. If you look at a place like De Dutch, it is something a bit different too. But, it costs more than Tomahawk and I'm not sure if the food is any better. I look at Tomahawk as a whole experience and it's got good service, an interesting dining space and a "je ne sais quoi" quality about it. In fact, it's exactly the type of place that would be featured in the show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives".

The Good:
- It's got tradition and character
- Something a bit different
- Service is good

The Bad:
- Food is a bit average

Business Hours:
8:00am - 9:00pm (Sun - Thu)
8:00am - 10:00pm (Fri & Sat)