Pearl Castle

It was the last day for my cousin here in Vancouver, he and his wife were headed back to San Fran. While dining with them at Hapa Izakaya on Sunday, they lamented on the fact they would not get a chance to try anything in Richmond before they left. If you are thinking that I would be taking them to Richmond before their flight, you guessed right. Yes, I did the ultimate sacrifice and drove them around Richmond in the middle of the day and during rush hour. I might as well give up and just assimilate. Where do I lineup for the full-face visor?

The plan today was to pick them up from the Sutton and head over to Shanghai River for some lunch. The whole idea of eating Shanghainese food can be attributed to a discussion regarding Joe's Shanghai in NYC. While they were in NYC, they had tried it on a friend's recommendation that they had the best Xiao Long Bao. Well... Viv and I have eaten at Joe's Shanghai and were not overly impressed. We wanted to show my cousin where the real deal could be found. Suffice to say, they were impressed with Shanghai River and its Xiao Long Bao. After that, we headed over to Pearl Castle for some refreshment. I have been meaning to visit Pearl Castle for some time; but it's one of those places that I never made an effort to go to.

Being in the middle of the afternoon, Pearl Castle was not its usual crazy busy. Good for us, we got to sit at a table of our choice and we took our time. I decided to go for the Strawberry Bubble Tea. Normally, fresh fruit would be my first choice; but I wanted to kick it ol' school. The drink was quite smooth and milky; but I couldn't get over the fact it tasted like Strawberry Pocky. My cousin got the Fresh Watermelon Slush. I didn't get a chance to ask him how it was; but he seemed happy with it. His wife had to settle on a Lychee Slush when her first choice wasn't available. Not a bad second choice, because Lychee is one of her favourites. The drink appeared to be blended well and she remarked that it was very good.

We never got a chance to try the food because we were pretty stuffed from lunch. However, according to friends, it's pretty good. Service was alright; but the servers seemed more interested in talking with each other than checking on tables.

The Good:
- Excellent selection of beverages
- Well-blended and not overly sweet drinks
- Spacious and comfortable dining space

The Bad:
- Service wasn't bad, but it wasn't that attentive either

Italian Kitchen

I had to take my car in for servicing again; but this time it was only for warranty purposes. Rich Guy was nice enough to pick me up again which meant we get to go for lunch! Knowing this well in advance, I had made reservations at the Italian Kitchen in downtown. Joining us for lunch were Vandelay, Snake, Costanza and TS (eating_club Vancouver). While we were waiting for our table, low and behold, Emad Yacoub, the owner of Italian Kitchen and the rest of the Glowbal Group appears right in front of us. He was apparently taking a dish from the Italian Kitchen over to Coast (which is across the street) because a customer demanded it. Talking about service and from the head cheese too!

We were seated expeditiously on the second floor; however, too bad for me, far away from the window (lighting wasn't the best for pictures). Since Costanza had an afternoon meeting to get to, he had to eat and run. So we decided to order first and share the Pasta Platter. Thus, it arrived quickly before all the other dishes. It's so unnerving to eat while everyone is looking at you even though they really might not be. We offered food to everyone else as a courtesy; but no one took any. So uncomfortable! The platter itself included Spaghetti & Spicy Kobe Meatballs, Agnolotti Stuffed with Squash and Mascarpone
Pappardelle with Lamb Sausage, Cabbage and Potatoes and Penne Pommodoro. The Pappardelle was a bit too much on the al dente side. It was also quite rich from the lamb sausage and potatoes. Probably the highlight of the platter was the Spaghetti & Kobe Meatballs. The meatballs were very luxurious and flavourful. They were on the softer side of the meatball continuum; yet that was probably the result of the tender meat. The Agnolotti was a bit heavy with a massive amount of pesto on top. It was a bit of a mushy mess. All of these rich pastas overshadowed the lighter Penne which was almost an afterthought on the plate.

TS talked me into sharing a Beef Carpaccio Pizza with her. Mind you, there wasn't that much arm-twisting required. It definitely looked impressive, with plenty of beef, arugula and shaved asiago on top. However, as Vandelay remarked as well, there was something missing. We discussed this with TS and thought maybe it just needed more salt. There was plenty of pesto underneath the beef, so we got hits of basil, but not much else. Furthermore, we really didn't like the crust all that much either. It was dry and a bit overcooked. For reasons unknown, TS ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna Salad for her meal. Exhibiting regret, she lamented on how a pasta would have probably been more appropriate at the Italian Kitchen. Whatever the reason that led to her brain cramp, the salad did look good and the tuna looked fantastic.

At this point Costanza and Snake had to leave for their respective meetings. The rest of us were left to consider whether to have dessert or not. It didn't take long to decide that all of us were going to order a dessert each! The server was a bit surprised. I guess not many people have dessert at lunch? TS opted for the Strawberry White Chocolate Panna Cotta. Being probably the prettiest and most colourful of all the desserts we ordered, the panna cotta was decent. TS and I both agreed that it would've been better if there was less Zinfandel jelly and more panna cotta. For myself, I chose a classic - Tiramisu. This version was both plentiful and very light. The ladyfingers were soaked in espresso which gave the dessert a nice aroma. Although enjoyable, nothing really special about it. Rich Guy went for the Lavender Creme Brulee which was not bad. It was smooth and creamy; although there was nothing that set it apart. Vandelay ordered the Zeppole di Cioccolato, which are donuts filled with chocolate ganache. They were served piping hot (watch the filling). Again, quite pleasant to eat; but the dough could've have been a bit softer. The ones from Fuel were better.

Overall, it was a pleasant, if not uninteresting meal. Unlike other internet reviews, I do think that the pricing and portion size are not completely out of line when you take into consideration the cost of the operation and its location. For instance, I believe the flavours at Marcello are better; but the portion size and pricing are relatively similar. Furthermore, if you look at a place such as Anducci's where their prices are dangerously close to $20.00 as well, then you can see that Italian Kitchen is not necessarily overpriced. In fact, if you take into account the ambiance (a matter of personal taste), location and service; it's really not all that bad. With that being said, the food had its highs and lows; but it's not as terrible as some people put it.

The Good:
- Attentive service
- Central location in downtown
- It's got style

The Bad:
- Food is hit and miss

Well Tea

After a filling meal at Jang Mo Jib, Bear wondered if anyone was interested in getting a bubble tea. Of course you know I am game for anything food. Milhouse was all for it; yet Boss Woman was a bit hesitant. Too bad for her that I drove! Yes, it's all a sinister plan to get people to eat with me. Drive them and they are at your mercy! Unfortunately for Judes and Miss Y, they had already left by then. Good thing that Judes drove, they probably wouldn't get lost. Miss Y is a walking advertisement for GPS systems. So, we made the short drive to Well Tea half a block away. Despite being quite late, it was bustling with activity. Many people were having a late dinner in addition to those only having a drink.

We only had room for drinks, so we didn't order any food. Well, that isn't exactly accurate because Bear and I ended up sharing Thick Toast with Condensed Milk. Boss Woman didn't order anything, it's probably because she was still full after stealing the egg from the Bibimbap earlier! I ended up ordering the Pineapple Slush with Coconut Jelly, Bear had the Sesame Bubble Tea and Milhouse opted for the Blueberry Slush. Bear and Milhouse were quite content with their drinks. Both were smooth and not overly sweet. However, mine was very sweet and afflicted with a multitude of ice chunks. Not sure if my drink was an "0ff" drink or not. I'll give them a mulligan for that. I really liked the toast. It was thick while being soft and fresh on the inside. It was toasted enough so that the condensed milk could caramelize on top without burning it. Furthermore, there was the right amount of condensed milk so it wasn't too sweet either.. Now we didn't get a chance to try anything else; but 2 years later, I returned with Gordo for some late night eats. We shared a Salty Peppery Chicken to start. The chicken nuggets were fried perfectly crisp. It was flavourful and not oily. We also liked that they didn't skimp on the portion size. However, the chunks were on the larger side which hindered the flavour from making an impact. Furthermore, the copious amount of chicken skin was a bit unappealing.

Gordo decided to go for the classic Taiwanese Beef Noodle. Thank goodness since we couldn't possibly go to a Taiwanese joint without trying it. That allowed me to order something else for myself. As for the beef noodles, Gordo remarked that the noodles were cooked perfectly being slightly chewy. He liked the thickness of it as well. The beef was neither tender nor tough. He said it was somewhere in the middle, which was acceptable. Although the beef broth was flavourful, it lacked depth. Since he had a noodle soup, I went for dry noodles in the form of Ja Jeun Mein (or noodles with meat sauce). This was a chunky sauce with lots of ground beef, pressed tofu and fermented beans. It was on the sweeter side; but did exhibit enough seasoning to flavour all of the noodles. The noodles themselves were al dente and not wet. Yet, the sauce itself was not wet enough which made the entire dish too dry. In general, the food here is passable and does the job for late night munchies with a drink. Despite my disappointing slush, the other 2 were not bad. Ultimately, it fits the bill when nothing else is open. It remains a fairly comfortable place for bubble tea and snacks after midnight.

The Good:
- Spacious and comfortable dining space
- Good selection of drinks
- Service is pretty good for this type of establishment

The Bad:
- Decent bubble tea, but there is better
- Food is okay; but there is better as well

Jang Mo Jib (Richmond)

We had a double-header tonight at the same field where the "soccer ball" incident happened last Monday. Guess what? The same people were there again! Suffice to say, we were ready to freak again if necessary. But that really didn't bother me. What really irked me was that we would be eating later due to the double-header! Any delay in eating time is not cool. Miss Y further cemented her nickname of "screamer" by doing a lot of it during the game. She claimed that the ball almost hit her a few times (she actually got hit once at 3rd); but all we did was heckle her. Yes, we are great teammates. Since it was another cold day in July, there were suggestions of hot pot once again. Ultimately we decided on Jang Mo Jib, which does have hot pot, just not the same type of hot pot as last week. We ended up going to the Richmond location since we were close by. It really seems I go to Richmond at least once a week. Maybe secretly my inner-Richmond is coming out. Soon you'll find me wearing a full-faced visor and driving 30km/h down No. 3 Road.

I've been to Jang Mo Jib lots before, especially at it's original location on Kingsway. It moved briefly to the Biltmore Hotel (now Howard Johnson) and now where it currently resides in the old Knight & Day in Burnaby. There are 2 additional locations in downtown. I have to give credit to Bear for suggesting places to eat every Monday, he is really knowledgeable when it comes to eating out. After we got seated, we were a bit confused why the hostess never gave us menus. We looked around for the "service button", but couldn't find one. We would later realize it was on the wall behind us (not an intuitive location). Most Korean restaurants are not known for their exemplary service and this time, it was no different. Not only did we have to ask for menus, it didn't seem like anyone really wanted to take our order either. At the very least, the food came quick. The complimentary Banchan didn't look particularly appetizing due to it's sloppy presentation; but it was actually not bad. We ended up getting 2 Hot Stone Bowl Bibimbaps to share and boy were the bowls ever hot! Good thing though, it led to a really nice crust at the bottom. I didn't even get a chance to mix the ingredients together when Boss Woman took the egg! Luckily I like her because that's almost sacrilegious to have Bibimbap without the egg. Despite missing the egg, the Bibimbap was quite good. It had plenty of ingredients and the rice was a good texture. But for some reason, I prefer the one from Hanwoori more.

Collectively, we weren't going to a Korean restaurant and not have Japchae, so it was a unanimous decision to order it. It was really large with lots of peppers, onions, beef, mushrooms, zucchini and carrot. The noodles were a little on the softer side; but the dish was still very good. It wasn't too oily and had just enough seasoning. The only reason we ordered the next dish was due to its name - Jzin Mahn Doo. Milhouse spotted the dish on the menu and couldn't stop laughing. They were actually steamed pork and green onion dumplings served with a soy dipping sauce. They were alright; but did not elicit much response from anyone. Where there are Beef Short Ribs (Kalbee) to be found, Bear will eat them, so we ordered it. Arriving on a sizzling hot plate, they were tender and marinated with plenty of flavour. The only negative of this dish was the price - $17.00. It wasn't a lot of short ribs for the money. Finally, the centerpiece dish was the Pork Bone Hot Pot. The large hot pot was served on top of a portable gas burner. The fall-off-the-bone meat was full of flavour and really a crowd pleaser. The broth was rich with flavour from the pork bones and the copious amount of onions.

As a group, we really enjoy Korean food and the meal at Jang Mo Jib hit the spot. By no means was it great; but it was more than acceptable. However, it would've helped if the staff had any interest in providing some service. It was painful just trying to get ice water. They eventually gave us a Rubbermaid container of water; but didn't provide us with cups. We just ended up using our teacups. Korean food in general can be a bit pricey and it was no different this time. We ended up paying roughly $20.00 per person. However, for those who love Korean food, this is not an issue. With that being said, if I were to pay $20.00 for Korean food, I'd go to Hanwoori instead.

The Good:
- Generally solid food
- It's open late
- Spacious dining room

The Bad:
- Non-attentive service
- Same with other Korean restaurants, it ain't cheap

Home

For really no apparent reason other than curiosity, we drove to Langley with the intention of crossing the new Golden Ears Bridge. Along the way, we passed right by La Charcuterie and the only thing that came to mind was "Screamer" aka Miss Y. You really need to read the post on La Charcuterie to understand this inside joke. Obviously, there isn't much excitement crossing a bridge; but I guess at least we crossed it. Once off the bridge and in Maple Ridge, I had already planned where we were going to eat. There is one restaurant I look forward to visiting when I'm driving around the interior of BC - Home Restaurant. Other than Hope, Merritt, Salmon Arm and Sorrento, the closet Home Restaurant is in Maple Ridge. A short drive on Lougheed Highway after we had crossed the bridge landed us at that location.

So what exactly is Home Restaurant? Well, think something similar to ABC Country Restaurant but a bit better (not much can be worse than ABC: Bleck!). It's essentially a diner that serves up home cooking and comfort food. Don't expect anything gourmet or fancy here, you will not find it. In fact, to some, the food may not rate very high. I would agree with that assessment because the food is really average. When at Home, I usually get the Schnitzel Champignon; but since I already had that a week earlier at Old Bavaria Haus, I went for the Pot Roast. If you look at the picture, there is really no presentation at all, it's essentially slapped onto the plate and smothered in gravy. Although the meat was very tender, it was very salty. Add gravy into the equation and it was salt overload. However, the real mash potatoes were excellent with nice tender chunks hidden inside. Surprisingly, the beans were not too mushy and well-seasoned.

Viv had the Turkey Salad Sandwich and it was well... a turkey salad sandwich. It did come with a large portion of salad tough. Otherwise, pretty standard fare, not much to discuss here. My son opted to eat breakfast again, despite eating breakfast already. He got the kid's Pancake Breakfast which included 3 small pancakes, 2 sausage links, scrambled eggs and milk. Not a bad deal for $5.39. He proceeded to drown everything in syrup including the egg. I might as well hook syrup directly into him through an IV. Eggs were fluffy and the sausages were meaty without being too fatty; yet the pancakes were overcooked on one side. That one side is not shown in the picture. I guess they cleverly hid it. My daughter got the complimentary Mac n Cheese for kids under 2 years old. Arriving steaming hot, it was actually quite good being really cheesy. As you can see, this is a very kid-friendly restaurant.

Okay, so the food is pretty mediocre at best. You might ask why on earth would I drive all the way to Maple Ridge to eat this stuff??? Well, I didn't come for the food really, it was more for the Apple Pie! Yes, Home makes really good pie, whether it be apple, cherry, banana cream or lemon meringue. Look at the picture! Look at it! Big juicy slices of apple stuffed into that flaky crust. Not only are there a lot of apples slices, the whole thing isn't watery either. It's not too sweet and has just the right amount of tartness. This time they were a bit heavy with the cinnamon; but it was still excellent. Another thing you'll get at Home is friendly service and a comfortable relaxed environment. Isn't that nice? Moreover, I actually can now claim that I eat at "Home".

The Good:
- Wicked homemade pies
- Friendly service
- Inexpensive

The Bad:
- Mediocre food
- Not really close for anyone in the GVRD other than Langley and Maple Ridge

Cheesecake Etc

It seems like some places are totally out-of-sight, out-of-mind until a situation presents itself. After eating at Hapa Izakaya, we wanted to grab some dessert and Cheesecake Etc seemed like a logical choice since it wasn't too far away. Viv and I haven't been here in ages. When I say ages, I mean like as in 10+ years! I'm usually not a big dessert person; but one of the exceptions is cheesecake. However, it took me a while to recover from a "cheesecake" incident way back in the 90's. Two overzealous friends of mine decided to make baked NY cheesecake (my birthday cake) for the first time. I am not sure what they did to it, but it had the consistency of a cheese block. The middle had a crater as deep as the Grand Canyon and it tasted like baked tofu. Don't get me wrong, I totally appreciated it; but what do you say when they ask, "It's good isn't it?" Later, I found out the rest of my friends had taken their slices downstairs and flushed it down the toilet - clogging it! Imagine my reaction when I discovered it afterwards! Well, I got over that and I still enjoy cheesecake, especially the baked New York style.

Viv, on the other hand, can't stand baked NY-style cheesecake; instead she likes the lighter whipped version. Cheesecake Etc. serves a "whipped-like" version; however it is still baked (thanks for the correction Mike and Edith!). Thus, I am a little biased when it comes to rating the cheesecake here since I like the NY-style more. However, in terms of taste, it is very good; but ultimately lacks the richness, texture and aroma of a NY cheesecake. Furthermore, the strawberry sauce is not fresh. However, it is difficult to find fresh strawberries on cheesecake. Yet, I've had it at the Cheesecake Factory in the US and it's hard to go back once you've tried it. One interesting thing was missing from the cheesecake - the crust. I wasn't really all that annoyed because I don't like the crust. With that being said, I do not dislike the cheesecake from Cheesecake Etc. One positive is that I can actually finish the slice of cheesecake. One thing that I remembered about Cheesecake Etc. was its extremely dark ambiance. Well, that hasn't changed, it's so dark we could barely see what we were eating. Value-wise, the cheesecakes are moderately priced. Personally, it's not my first choice for cheesecake; but it's acceptable.

The Good:
- Cheesecakes are light, not hard to finish one
- Cheesecakes are not too sweet

The Bad:
- I realize it's for ambiance's sake, but it's really dark inside
- If you like NY-style cheesecake, you won't find it here
- Where's the crust?

Hapa Izakaya (Kitsilano)

Have you ever looked at your call display and have gotten an out-of-area call? First knee jerk reaction would be telemarketer - ignore call. Well, for once I answered it. Turns out it was my cousin, Cable Car Guy (from San Fran) who was unexpectedly in town. Apparently, his wife, AZee had planned a surprise trip for their anniversary. In order to get a better rate, she chose the flight that connected through Edmonton. The surprise was ruined when she had to check both of them in online. He got a confirmation email stating that his flight to Edmonton had been confirmed. His first reaction was, "Edmonton??? I have a flight to Edmonton, why am I going to Edmonton?!?!" Talk about a shock to the system. They were staying at the Sutton Place Hotel and the first thing I had to ask was, "Did you have a Japadog yet (since it's right in front)?" Not only did they love Japadog, they went to Kintaro Ramen as well. My cousin knows how to eat! Naturally, we decided to meet for dinner; but the question was where? Since they are from San Francisco, there was no point to take them anywhere that had Westcoast cuisine. I consulted with Whipping Girl and Donna Chang and we all agreed that Izakaya would be the best choice. Although San Francisco has remarkable cuisine, there is a lack of really good Asian food available. San Francisco is like a second home to me and I have always lamented the state of Asian cuisine there. Rather than fight with the downtown crowd, we opted to visit Hapa Izakaya in Kits. It turned out to be a good choice since we parked right across from the restaurant and had no problem getting a table. Originally, they were concerned that people would be staring at them taking pictures of their food. I assure them that wouldn't be a problem while dining with me! This time, the pictures turned out better since we sat outside. Most Izakayas are really dark and taking good pictures is really difficult.

After ordering a large Asahi, we ended up with 9 dishes to share. The first to arrive was the Duck and Daikon Salad. Although the pieces of duck were pale and unappealing, it was actually quite good. The meat was tender (confit) and lightly seasoned. Combined with the crunchy daikon, it was a pleasant salad with good texture contrasts. We also tried a brand new dish, Salmon Risotto Croquettes. I really enjoyed the crispy balls of rice and salmon. It was a very delicate dish in terms of texture and flavours. Too bad they don't have Salmon Yukke, since it's one of my favourite dishes. Therefore, I settled on the Salmon Carpaccio with pesto sauce. Beautifully presented as a rose, the salmon slices exhibited a "lox-type" flavour and texture. Mixed with the pesto, there were many flavours at work; yet it did not overwhelm the salmon. The next dish was not as successful. The Unagi Tofu was a bit boring and bland. I realized that it was intended to be delicate with the silky tofu, but even the Unagi didn't provide much in the way of flavour for the dish.

I always order Ebi Mayo when I visit an Izakaya and this one didn't disappoint. It was just like the one at the Robson Hapa, with a light coating of spicy mayo around the perfectly fried shrimp. We could hear the next dish sizzling as it arrived in its hot stone bowl. Before the server could mash the Ishi-Yaki into a mush, I made a point of it to take a picture first. I was not as quick last time at the Robson Hapa because it was mashed up before I could get to it. The Ishi-Yaki was decent, maybe a little soft; but the really hot stone bowl created a rice crust that is probably the best part of the dish. We were having a hard time deciding whether to go for the Hapa Hot Wings or the Hapa Kamikaze Wings; so we ordered both. Both order of wings were cooked just enough, resulting in some very juicy wings. The Kamikaze wings were generously coated with a Sriracha-type sauce that gave them a serious kick. By no means were they suicide wings; but they were not for the faint of heart either. The last dish we ordered was the Cho Wagyu, which is essentially Kobe beef. It was served with a hot rock that we used to cooked the raw beef. This dish satisfies the novelty quotient; yet it was very enjoyable to eat as well. The buttery Wagyu beef was accompanied by Ponzu and fried garlic chips.

I'm glad I had a chance to visit the Kits Hapa and overall the experience was good. In my opinion, the food was not as flavourful compared to the Robson location. With that being said, it wasn't like the food was terrible either. The one major difference that I noticed was probably the ambiance. I found that the vibe at the Kits location a bit more subdued and quiet. Probably has something to do with the neighbourhood. Service was generally pretty attentive except with a few gaps in between. The "scenery" was more or less the same as the Robson location. In relation to other Izakayas, I still prefer Gyoza King; but only in terms of the food. Hapa still gets style points on the ambiance and bigger dining space.

The Good:
- Trendy and comfortable (for an Izakaya)
- Good selection of items
- Generally solid eats

The Bad:
- Food maybe slightly better at the Robson location
- Doesn't have the same vibe as the Robson location