one20 Pub & Grill

You're probably wondering why I chose to eat at a pub for lunch. No, I'm not boozing it up during lunch hour! In fact, I had to resort to drinking ice tea, in a bar. Pretty sad sight, I know! The real reason for my visit to one20 was that I had received a gift certificate on Friday and I decided to use it. Actually, when I went to pay, it was apparently expired!??!!? Luckily the server was nice and still accepted it. I've been to one20 before and despite it being a bar, the food isn't all that bad. Of course it's the usual stuff: fried appetizers, burgers, sandwiches and some entrees. But if you look more closely, there are a few interesting items as well.

As I was sipping my iced tea, amongst people drinking beer, I decided to start with the Hot Wings. I know it's quite difficult to get really excited about a pound of hot wings; however, these were pretty good. They were decent in size and fried perfectly. The outside was crispy, while the inside was still quite juicy. In addition, the wings were coated with just enough hot sauce which covered the entire wing without drowning it. Thus, the wings remained crispy even though it was completely coated with sauce. Despite it being an all day special, blue cheese or ranch dressing was included. The "second course" as my server declared tongue-in-cheek was a Beef Dip with fries. I was pleased to discover that the beef was actual roast beef (not that Arby's ham-like roast beef). Moreover, there was plenty of roast beef stuffed in a crusty bun. Although the au jus was probably powdered mix, it was not overly salty. The fries that accompanied the beef dip were pretty pedestrian.

On a return visit with Pomegranate, I finally got to try their Loaded Beef Burger. For all my previous visits, I've had anything but the burger. And we all know that a good pub needs a respectable burger! And yes, it was a respectable burger. The patty was not overly dry and not oily while the bacon was lean and crispy. The mushroom were sauteed nicely; but the onions are hardly caramelized. I decided to substitute yam fries and they were crispy. The chipotle mayo had a decent kick to it, which I enjoyed very much. Pomegranate had their Chicken Wrap and although the flavours were good with some spice and fresh veggies, the chicken was quite dry. It probably needed more sauce to make up for that.

I don't usually head to a bar to get lunch. Frankly, my image of a bar includes beer, beer and more beer. Food is almost an afterthought. However, the food at one20 is more than passable. It's not gourmet; but it really isn't expected to be. Moreover, the prices are very reasonable, nothing is really over $10.00. Mind you, my ice tea was $3.75. I could've had a beer for a little bit more. But I can't go back to work after guzzling beer! I will go back to the one20 for lunch again; but I'll just stick with water.

The Good:
- Food is pretty cheap
- Food ain't bad for a bar
- Service is pretty good

The Bad:
- Beer everywhere and I can't have any...

Ramies

Originally, we were planning to go out as a family for some schnitzel at Old Bavaria Haus tonight. However, the parents didn't feel like going out and the kiddies were a bit sick. Incidentally, Viv wasn't in the schnitzel mood either. What's wrong with everyone? Where's the love for some fried veal? Fine, so we had to pick another place to eat. You'd think this is an easy task don't you. Well, I really didn't want to do the Asian restaurant thing again and trust me, in the GVRD, it's hard to avoid Asian food (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Thai, Malay etc...). Okay, there is this one place that I used to frequent with my hockey team - Ramies. For those who are not familiar with Ramies, it's a small Greek restaurant on Kingsway across from Saffron and Curry King. One look at the place and you'd really wonder what was the big deal. It's not really all that noticeable, it's small, it's not really that cheap and the portions are not particularly large. Not a ringing endorsement eh?

The whole story is in the food, period. Whatever they lack in quantity or in price, the food makes up for it. If you want quantity on the cheap, then go to Stepho's. Tonight, HL joined us for dinner. And yes, we do refer to him as HL because his name is a bit difficult to pronounce (for some people). Believe it or not, he wanted to join us on a food adventure because he kept reading my updates on Facebook. We decided to split a Calamari to start. I thought the pieces of squid were the perfect size. When they are too small, the squid gets tough and hard. When they are too big, the squid doesn't become crispy enough. The batter was not over seasoned; yet there was a bit of a grease on the bottom of the plate. The tzatziki sauce was very good. It was full of garlic and lemon flavour while having the right consistency.

HL and I both had the roast lamb. I ended up taking a picture of my plate because it looked nicer. Although the piece of lamb was modest in size, the quality more than made up for it. It was tender throughout and perfectly seasoned (just the right amount of garlic and saltiness). The Greek salad was fresh, the lemon potato was soft in inside and nicely broiled on the outside and the rice was cooked perfectly. Only complaint were the veggies, some of the beans were a bit soft.

Viv had the Lemon Chicken. No, this is not some Greek version of the Chinese dish. Although it would certainly be a sight to behold a fusion Greek/Chinese Lemon Chicken! Rather, the chicken here is marinated in lemon and roasted. Viv really enjoyed this dish. The chicken was really tender and juicy despite it not looking as such. Curiously, the chicken did not have a strong lemon taste, almost barely detectable. Once again, we had a good dinner at Ramies. Food tasted great, textures were bang on and service was decent.

The Good:
- Food is made with care
- Food tastes as it should
- Textures are correct

The Bad:
- A tad pricey
- Not much in the way of ambiance

Business Hours:
11:00am - 10:00pm (Mon - Sat)
4:00pm - 10:00pm (Sun)

Dolce Amore

For the longest time, I couldn't figure out what happened to Dolce Amore. Well, I could plainly see Dolce Amore on the same corner across from Norman's. But what happened to the gelato? Finally, I got a chance to stop and actually take a look. In a non-descript building right next to the restaurant was the good ol' gelato shop. Fine, I must've not seen it the countless times I drove by or I just didn't pay attention to Viv. It appears she's told me on a few occasions. I guess I have selective hearing. So after a great dinner at Chambar, whipping girl and I went to get some dessert. We had our hearts set on the Drive (Commerical) and we set out to find Dolce Amore gelato. This time I didn't have to pull the "turn into a lane and reverse out in the opposite direction" to park in the few spots available. In fact, I saw a space that someone was trying that maneuver on, but I was already facing the right direction. Guess who got the parking spot?

As usual, there was a lineup; but that gave me more than enough time to snap photos and ponder what I was going to order. Whipping girl decided on 2 scoops in a cup. I wanted the large 3 scoops in a cup. This was a decision I would learn to regret. I went for the Limocello and Green Apple sorbetto and the Cheesecake Gelato. While the server was scooping the sorbetto, I knew it was going to be next to impossible for me to finish it. I swear the portion size of my 3 scoop cup was at least 3 times bigger than that of Amato, La Casa, Mondo, Cumpari's and Vivo. I don't even remember it being that big before they moved the store over. Look at the picture! The cup is even the large cup already and it's overflowing! Best of all, it only cost $5.50!

Of course, quantity is one thing, we also have to talk about the quality. First of all, both gelato and sorbetto were bursting with flavour. The sorbettos were tart and sweet, truly refreshing on a warm day. Texture-wise, they were not icy. The cheesecake gelato was very smooth and had plenty of cream cheese flavour. I ended up only finishing 2 of the 3 scoops which was honestly an achievement in itself. Whipping girl finished 1 of 2 scoops. My advice is to get one scoop less than you actually wanted. I really liked the gelato at Dolce Amore, as much as I like Vivo. However, the portion size (combined with quality) at Dolce Amore is hard to beat.

The Good:
- Huge scoops!
- Moderately priced
- Good quality gelato and sorbetto

The Bad:
- Not a lot of places to sit
- Lack of parking in the area

Chambar

I was both hungry and tired after playing hockey this afternoon. Viv had report cards to do, so I was without a dining partner. Not to worry, never fear, from out of thin air; whipping girl appears!!! Yes, I found a willing dining partner in whipping girl. We were trying to decide on a restaurant for a little while. You'd think it wouldn't be this hard! She suggested Chambar, just as I was thinking of it! Excellent! I've been meaning to visit Chambar for quite some time. Mind you, there are lots of places I've been meaning to visit! Before I picked up whipping girl, I took the opportunity to get some exterior photos of establishments that I never go a chance to take. Yes, people were looking at me like I was some weirdo. Anyways, a good thing about Chambar is that parking is quite plentiful in the area. We parked only half a block away.

We started with the Les Crevettes de la Colombie Britannique (BC Spot Prawns 3 Ways). The first set of prawns were coated with panko and fried. These were cooked perfectly retaining the texture of the prawn, while providing a solid crunch on the outside. The second way was citrus oil poached with grapefruit wedges. It was both refreshing and flavourful. The third way was a curried bisque. This was an extremely luxurious and rich concoction. We wish we had much more of it.

Next up were the Moule Frites Coquotte (Mussels and Fries). We substituted our frites with the Poutine a la Belge. Let me say that the poutine was fabulous! It was quite different than the ones you'd find at a fast food joint. First of all, the fries were very crispy so that they held up to the demi-glace. The strong flavours were complex due to the use of blue cheese and cilantro. There are 3 ways you could choose to have the mussels perpared: Coquotte, Vin Blanc or Congolaise. The one we choose, coquotte, was a broth consisting of white wine cream, smoked bacon and spring onions. The broth was wonderfully aromatic and rich. I guess anything with bacon fat is delicious! We had to order some bread to take advantage of the broth. The mussels themselves were large and sweet.

The last dish was definitely a case of "saving the best for last". Le Canard Aux Epices (Five Spice Rubbed Duck Breast) was beautifully presented in 3 large pieces atop truffled goat cheese green beans, orange spiced beats and walnut mashed potatoes. The duck was cooked perfectly, with each piece being buttery smooth. The duck skin was nicely charred and with the five spice added a nice smokiness. The green beans were fresh and crunchy. Mixed with the goat cheese and truffles, it was mouthful of flavours. We could've eaten much more that. The walnut mash potatoes were also a highlight, resembling taro with the crunch of walnuts.

We really enjoyed our meal at Chambar. The flavours were unique and really worked. The service was impeccable, being casual and professional at the same time. Naturally, all this comes at a cost. But we felt it was worth every penny. I wasn't hungry after the meal (thus no searching for a Filet-o-Fish) and I went away impressed.

The Good:
- Bold flavours
- Casual and upscale at the same time
- Food was impressive

The Bad:
- A tad pricey (but I thought it was worth it)
- Bread should be complimentary

Zipang Sushi

Once again, it was time for my monthly haircut. It's funny how my hairdresser asked if I knew when was the last time I came for a haircut. Of course I know! The last time I came for a haircut, I went to Crave right after, it's right on my blog! Haha, the blog doubles as a personal diary as well. How convenient. Since, I was going to be around the Main Street area, I wanted to eat something nearby. Where to eat? There are many options; but some of them are not open for lunch (Grub and Toshi to name a few). Donna Chang was my dining companion today and she suggested Zipang Sushi. Kevin (604Foodtography) had a post about that a little while back. I was thoroughly impressed with his writeup and positive comments regarding the food. Zipang Sushi it is!

As usual, we went for the best table in the house, the one near the window (light for pictures). Actually since it's a really small restaurant, there was only one table by the window. We really had no rhyme or reason to what we ordered, I think we just randomly blurted out things and ended up with a whack of food. We started out with the Wild Salmon and Tuna Sashimi. Actually, I ate this whole dish myself. No, it's not because I'm a pig! But I am eating lots of swine these days... It's because Donna is pregnant and is trying to avoid certain foods. The sashimi was excellent, fresh and delicious. We also ordered the Zipang Salad, not really knowing what it was. It turned out to be a green salad topped by a massive amount of fried noodles with dressing drizzled all over. The salad was fresh, the dressing had good tartness and the noodles added a crunch. However, we thought it was overkill with the amount of noodles.

We really love Takoyaki and with no hesitation we ordered it. The pan-grilled octopus balls were soft and fluffy with a large piece of tako inside. Bonito flakes, mayo and scallions were served in the middle of the serving plate. Another favourite of mine is Ebimayo, I really like the fried crispiness of crunchy shrimp smothered in chili mayo dressing. However, the one here at Zipang was a bit disappointing. The shrimp were not crispy; in fact, they were a bit overcooked. If you look at the picture of it, if I hadn't adjusted the shrimp, you would have never seen it. It wasn't smothered in mayo, it was drowning in it. One positive is that it tasted pretty good. It should've been renamed Mayoebi. Continuing on the theme of drowning in sauce, the Okonomiyaki was truly over-sauced. Although the pancake was fluffy with plenty of pork, all we could taste was the sauce. Donna had scraped some of the sauce off; but it was still overwhelmed by the residual flavour.

We knew the last dish was not going to be saucy since they were 2 sushi rolls. The first was a Caterpillar roll, which consists of unagi, cucumber and avocado on the outside. This was a pretty standard roll, it was good to eat; but it could've been from any other good Japanese restaurant. However, the Cactus roll was more distinctive. Essentially a California roll with crunchy tempura bits inside and toasted sesame seeds outside, there was plenty of crunch in this roll.

Donna and I left Zipang sushi satisfied and stuffed. The restaurant itself is small; but tastefully decorated inside. The service was good and friendly. Moreover, the food was generally quite good. Food tasted as good as it looked. Only complaint is that they were a bit sauce-happy.

The Good:
- Restaurant has got a good feel to it
- Food is fresh and tasty
- Prices are reasonable for the quality

The Bad:
- It could just be me, but they use too much sauce
- Restaurant seating is a bit tight
- Rolls are not very big

Business Hours:
11:30am - 3:00pm, 5:00pm - 10:00pm (Tue - Sun)

The Keg (Burnaby)

There's a story behind how I ended up eating at The Keg tonight. A week ago, I went for our interview with NEXUS. For those who do not know what NEXUS is, it's a program for approved travelers who can skip the regular lineup at the border and at the airport. Naturally, parking in downtown is scarce and expensive. I was forced to pay $12 for parking since I really didn't know how long the interview would take. It actually took only 1 hour and I was left with a ticket that wouldn't expire for another 4 hours. Therefore, we decided to pass the ticket off to the next person parking in the same lot. So Viv passes it off to this random guy as we were getting ready to leave. The guy comes back and hands something over to Viv. The guy happened to be the Operations Director of The Keg for BC! He hands Viv a $50 gift card! Talk about karma...

I've always like The Keg. I know there are some who disagree; but that's okay, we all have our preferences. I know The Keg is not Morton's, Hy's or Gotham (all in the same company except for Morton's). Yet, I never view it as such. I look at it as competition to places like Milestone's and Earl's. Moreover, I think their steaks are pretty good for what they charge. Trust me, recently, I've been to Mr Mikes and the steaks there cost almost the same as the Keg; but are inferior. Tonight, we visited the relatively newer Burnaby location at Still Creek. The old location was torn down and Costco resides there now. Viv and I were tempted by the outdoor patio (good for pictures); but the weather was way too warm to sit outside today. Consequently, my photos will suffer the "dark steakhouse" effect.

For our appy, we ordered the Crab & Spinach Dip. The dip itself was quite flavourful from the abundance of Parmesan; but it overpowered any crab that was in the dip. I liked the crispy red tortilla chips, there were freshly fried. However, I wasn't a big fan of the pita chips, they are a bit too thick for my liking. Next time, I'm going to stick with the shrimp cocktail, which is one of my favourites at The Keg. As always, we were started off with the complimentary sourdough bread. I really like this bread, it's a whole round loaf which is served warm. Viv ordered the Ahi Tuna for her main dish (not sure why she ordered fish in a steakhouse). She thought the tuna was perfectly cooked, with just a slight sear on the outside and completely rare on the inside. She did remark that there should have been a bit more pineapple salsa, since the fish itself was not heavily seasoned.

Naturally, I went for the Keg-sized Prime Rib. Mind you, the Baseball Sirloin is pretty darn good as well. My prime rib came out a perfect medium rare. It was moist and flavourful without being salty. I really can't stand places that rub so much salt on the meat, it resembles corned beef once it's cooked. Once again, I got exactly what I expected from The Keg. I think that's the draw here. Of course there are independent restaurants where you can get a good steak (probably cheaper too); however, you take the risk of not knowing what to expect. There are higher end steakhouses which are better than The Keg; however, it's all relative. You'd be paying almost double for steak without any sides at a place like Gotham. Mind you, the dinner for 2 ($119) special at Morton's is an exception. Are the steaks, service, ambiance and sides twice as good as other places such as Morton's and Gotham? Not likely. It's always the case, you pay double for probably 20% better. Unless you have money to burn, The Keg will do me fine when I have an urge for a steak.

The Good:
- Fairly reasonable prices
- Consistency
- No surprises here

The Bad:
- As with any chain restaurant, it suffers from generic food
- Always busy and no reservations = long waits

T & T Supermarket

I have a love hate relationship with T & T, I really do. Of course it's a good one-stop shop for all your Asian products, meats and produce. Moreover, they have bakery items, cooked food, Vietnamese products, Korean banchan, BBQ, Dim Sum and sushi available. This is where I have the love hate relationship. Whenever a place tries to be all things to everyone, it's always going to be a bit mediocre. My experiences with T & T pastries have been quite negative. There is something amiss with their products. It's not like they're not inedible; but there is something about them that does not add up. This can be said about much of the other items too, including their sushi. It's just not authentic. Same with the Vietnamese and Korean items. Again, they're edible, but not my first or even second choice. That brings me to the cooked items. They certainly look the part; yet inevitably, they taste a bit off.

Today, I was really out of options, I decided to get takeout from T & T. I went for the 4-item combo with soup and rice for $6.99. The four items I chose were Fried Shrimp in the Shell, Honey Garlic Spareribs, Fried Bean Curd Roll and Stir-Fried Broccoli and Cauliflower. Honestly, this is a pretty decent deal for so much food. Mind you, I much prefer the food at Kent's Kitchen for roughly the same price. But that is assuming you are near a Kent's Kitchen. What T & T has going for them is convenience. I rushed back to work with my food and if you look at the picture, there is a good amount of food in the Styrofoam container. This is where quantity trumps quality. The fried shrimp were not executed very well. Normally, the shell is fried to the point where I can actually eat it. Not the case here. If I did, I would've probably cut up my mouth. Also, there was practically no flavour. This can be said about the spareribs. Not sweet enough and no real garlic taste. Moreover, the ribs were mostly bone, no meat either. Mind you, the bean curd and veggies were pretty decent. The broccoli and cauliflower were not overcooked or over seasoned.

One item I did not get was the Sweet and Sour Pork because from my many past experiences, it's neither sweet or sour. It's just fried pork with a flavourless red sauce on it. For what it's worth, T & T will never win any awards for their food; but it is a convenient one-stop shop. Despite what I think, there are people who like them because T & T always seems to be busy and full of people.

The Good:
- Convenient
- Lots of choice
- Competitive prices

The Bad:
- It's trying to be good, but never really achieves it
- Actually some items are just terrible (at least in my opinion)