Happy Valley

As you may already know, I hate lineups. I find that there is no bigger waste of time then to lineup for something. There are very few things that are worth the trouble. And this includes food! Well, to avoid this, we often make reservations. But, with Chinese restaurants this is not an exact science. Let's take Fortune House in Metrotown as an example. Sure, you can make a reservation; yet, all that will get you is into another lineup of people who made reservations. So, when we made a reservation at Happy Valley (formerly Green Hut) for Dim Sum, we didn't really know what to expect. We were meeting up with Goose and his family at Happy Valley. I was a bit late arriving because of morning ice hockey. Let me digress, ice hockey on a hot day is great! When I did arrive, I found out that the hostess had given our table away! Her excuse? There was another party with the same last name that arrived before we did. Excuse me, so let me get this straight. If someone had the last name Lee, they're royally screwed because the chances of another party arriving with the same last name is high. Then why the heck do we give our phone numbers when we make a reservation??? This... was not a very auspicious start to our first visit for Dim Sum at Happy Valley. The good news is we got a table shortly after, albeit a bit smaller.

I've been here for dinner before and was impressed with the overall quality of food and cleanliness of the restaurant. However, they got this strange "used car lot" thing going in the front of the restaurant. One quick glance and you'd think it wasn't a restaurant. Alas, with a huge lineup in front, you quickly realize the people are not there for the used BMW's. Being quite hungry after hockey, I quickly initiated the food ordering process. I passed the order sheet over to Mother Goose (I was dying to use that nickname!) so that she could choose some items. After we all added a few more items, we sent the sheet over to the kitchen. Quicker than a Chinese restaurant closing as a result of a health inspection, the food arrived. All of it! That made for some difficult picture taking and tight arrangements at our table. We ended up ordering 3 types of Rice Noodle Rolls - Shrimp, Beef and Salty Donut. They were pretty soft and packed with ingredients. I was especially impressed with the perfectly cooked shrimp since they were big enough to be called prawns. On the topic of shrimp, the Steamed Shrimp Dumplings were massive! They were some of the biggest ones I've ever seen, they barely fit into the steamer. My enthusiasm was tempered somewhat by the doughy and overcooked dumpling skin. Mind you, the shrimp was both plentiful and in large pieces. This was also true for the Shimp Spring Rolls. Not only were they packed with shrimp, there were 4 of them.

The Black Bean Spareribs were quite meaty; but curiously the same spareribs on top of the Sparerib Rice Hot Pot was saltier. On that note, the Dim Sum to me was a tad on the salty side. This was especially evident with the Fried Chicken Knees. On top of the over fried and small bits of chicken was plenty of MSG crystals. This particular dish was terrible, don't order this if you're at Happy Valley. For one of the few times in my life, a Dim Sum place brought the Egg Tarts last, even though we had chose it with our original order. That was some impressive expediting of food, especially in a madhouse of a restaurant. And the Egg Tarts were pretty darn good. The crust was extremely flaky and they were served hot.

All-in-all, the food at Happy Valley was plentiful and pretty good; albeit salty. Service was not bad for such a busy restaurant. Since the restaurant was so busy, the ambiance was hectic and not all that relaxing. So if you want to slowly sip your tea, eat your Dim Sum and read the paper, this is not the place to be. I'll forgive them for the reservation mix-up, even though honestly it was pretty stupid. But, if you want decent food that is modestly-priced, Happy Valley is a good choice.

The Good:
- Big portions
- Moderately priced
- Restaurant is clean

The Bad:
- Food is a bit salty (and MSG)
- Parking lot is insufficient and tight
- Dining room is quite cramped

El Inka Deli

Awhile back, I mentioned to Kim (I'm Only Here for the Food!) that Latin food was not something that I ate much of. In fact, I really didn't know where to find good authentic Latin food either. Tonight, Kim took myself and TS (eating_club Vancouver) to El Inka Deli for a little Latin experience. The day started off quite well, being sunny and hot. Consequently, I thought that washing both cars would be a great idea. However, as I was washing the second car, it began to rain. And when I finally arrived at El Inka, it really began to pour. For a minute there, I thought I was in Edmonton, where sudden thunder storms happen quite often in the summer. Okay, I'm digressing here.

El Inka actually closes at 8:00pm, but the owner was such a nice guy that he didn't kick us out even though we stayed way past the closing time. El Inka is a pretty small restaurant located in a very odd place. Near the Burnaby Hospital, it resides on Sunset, which is an extremely wide street of businesses in the middle of a predominantly residential area. Looking over the menu, I honestly didn't have any clue what everything was or what I should order. I finally settled on something that was familiar - Mondongo or Tripe Soup. For good measure, I added Papas a la Huancaina, which were sliced potatoes topped with a sauce consisting of cheese, Peruvian peppers and evaporated milk. The dish looked plain; but it was quite pleasant to eat. The potatoes were soft and the sauce was very delicate. TS ordered the Ceviche to start. In addition to having the right tartness, there was a spicy kick at the end. TS ended up putting the rest of it in a cup and drank the rest of the liquid.

The tripe soup was really quite good. I enjoyed the natural flavour of tripe in the broth. It was evident; yet not overpowering. Most of the pieces of tripe were tender enough to chew; but one piece I had to give up on after 5 minutes. Other items in the soup included peas, potato and a piece of short rib. Served on the side were a piece of avocado, flavoured rice and arepas (flat bread). TS has the mother of all dishes there called the Bandeja Paisa. The dish consisted of red beans cooked with plantains, rice, avocado, ground beef, fried egg, fried plantains, chirizo and chicharron. It was a lot of food and since TS was still sipping on her ceviche, she didn't finish it. I tried the chicharron (fried pork skin) and although it tasted great, I had a difficult time gnawing through it. Kim had the Moiara (fried whole Tilapia) with fried green plantain, rice and salad. The fish was fried up very crispy with the meat a tad overdone. Yet, with a squeeze of lime juice, the fish was good. I really liked the fried plantain because it was both crispy and flavourful. Kim explained it was actually mashed up green plantain, then fried. This resulted in a much less starchy texture.

We shared a slice of Tres Leche at the end for good measure. It wasn't too sweet and had just the right amount of evaporated and condensed milk. Some other versions I've tried have been way too sweet. Thanks to Kim, I had a unique culinary experience. The place itself is quaint, being a little hole-in-the-wall. The owner was very gracious and provided sincere service. It's not very often you get honest service these days. It's really too bad that we don't have enough of these restaurants around the GVRD.

The Good:
- Authentic Latin food
- Honest, sincere service
- Something a little bit different

The Bad:
- Prices are a bit on the higher side (roughly ~$15.00 per dish)

Ningtu

It always seems like every Chinese restaurant that serves Dim Sum are completely full on weekends (some on weekdays too!). We honestly tried to think of a place that we didn't have to lineup. Well, there are places where you don't have to line up; but they are either not very good or very expensive. Seeing that we did not want to wake up super early to go for Dim Sum at 9:00am, we finally gave up on the idea. Alternatively, we decided on Ningtu for some Shanghainese Dim Sum instead. Unlike Richmond, where Shanghainese restaurants are a dim a dozen, surprisingly there are not many to choose from in Vancouver.

We met up with my brother-in-law, his fiance and my father-in-law at Ningtu right when it opened at 10:30am. Thus I was able to snag the only window seat in the house. We were meeting partly because my kids are going to be the flower girl and ring bearer. However, the first 2 times my son was supposed to be the ring bearer, it has been an epic fail. First time, he was so frightened, I ended up being the ring bearer! Second time, Viv had to keep giving him M & M's while walking down the aisle. Let's hope this time is better. Mind you, in practice sessions, he's been dragging his sister around like a rag doll. Okay, I'll stop digressing.

I've been to Ningtu a few times and their Shanghainese Dim Sum is way better than their dinner items. However, this is all relative because I believe that places like Shanghai River and Top Shanghai are better than Ningtu. Since I hadn't been to Ningtu for quite some time, we ordered an array of items to determine how it stacks up to the competition. We started with the Chicken in Wine Sauce. The chicken was cooked perfectly so that it was fully cooked; yet still tender. Flavour-wise, it was more salty than wine flavour. With that being said, it was still a good dish. Shanghainese Dim Sum would not be complete without Xiao Long Bao. When it arrived, my father-in-law made a comment that the Xiao Long Bao didn't appear to be hand-made. He used to run a large Chinese restaurant in town, so he's usually pretty knowledgeable with these things. He stated that the buns seemed way too uniform and perfect; thus leading to the speculation that they were not made in-house. However, we were not completely sure. As for the Xiao Long Bao themselves, they were actually really juicy and tasty. The only negative was that the outer skin was a quite chewy.

Once again, we ordered the Hot & Sour Soup. This is another great "indicator" dish to see if the restaurant knows what they are doing. It appears that they do because the soup was pretty good. It had nice depth of flavour in the soup base and there was a good mix of sour, salty, sweet and spicy. We also got a couple of noodle dishes, the Szcheuan Beef Noodle and Chicken Noodle. Underneath the generous amount of beef and tendon was a really large amount of noodles. The broth itself wasn't as flavourful as I would have liked; but overall, it was decent. The chicken noodles were for the kiddies, so we really didn't eat it. Another popular dish at Shanghainese restaurants is the Beef Roll. Some places wrap five-spiced beef with onion pancake with cucumber and hoisin; however, much like Shanghai River, the roll at Ningtu was more like a baked pastry. One major difference was the inclusion of kimchi-like cabbage along with the beef. You know what? That really changed the complexion of the dish. It added both spice and a crunch to the otherwise soft pastry.

The one item that we didn't particularly like was the Fried Salty Donut. The colour was unappetisingly dark brown and it was not crunchy at all. The whole thing was mostly chewy. Yet, most of the dishes were solid; if not a bit unspectacular. It may not be as good as Shanghai River and Top Shanghai; but it holds its own where it is located.

The Good:
- Decent Shanghainese Dim Sum
- Fairly decent service
- Reasonable prices

The Bad:
- Dinner is not as good

Rodney's Oyster House

Alright, this will be the last time I dine with Rich Guy for awhile. He's heading back overseas until the fall. I was able to con him out of his house key explaining that I would look after his house. Now it's time to PARTY! It's like that time he left the keys to his apartment once. He also left the keys to his M3 hanging by the door. Guess what I did? Anyways, it was his turn to service the car today, so I picked him up for lunch. We also picked up Vandelay and Whipping Girl along the way to Rodney's Oyster House. Meeting up with us was MagMagMug, an old friend visiting from Hong Kong. Rodney's is another place I haven't been to in ages and I took this opportunity to go there. I'm sure my kids would not be thrilled with eating oysters.

We started off with a platter of oysters which included Fanny Bays, Kumamotos and Kushis. Provided alongside the oysters were an impressive array of condiments which included Tabasco, Worcester, different hot sauces, shallot vinaigrette and horseradish vinegar. The Kumamotos were the consensus choice. They were delicately soft, sweet and really easy to eat. The Kushis and Fanny Bay Pacific Oysters were also very fresh and sweet; however, they had a much stronger aftertaste. That would explain why that Kumamotos are sometimes referred to as the beginner oyster since they are so easy on the palate.

Oysters on the half-shell are always a treat; but the Po' Boy was something we were looking forward to. Myself, Vandelay and MagMagMug all ordered it at a very reasonable price of $10.25. An authentic Po' Boy consists of fried seafood on a French roll similar to a Banh Mi. However, the one served at Rodney's is served on a Portuguese bun with 3 fried oysters. Yes, it's not the original; but it's good nonetheless. The Po' Boy is really a very simple sandwich; yet, it's got that good combination of oyster flavour and the crispy fried coating. Add some of the available hot sauces and you really have a tasty sandwich. Whipping Girl opted for the special of the day which was Halibut & Chips. Another fabulous value at only $13.99! The two pieces of fresh, flaky halibut were perfectly fried in a light, non-oily batter.

Since Rich Guy was buying, I added a New England Clam Chowder as well. For some odd reason, it arrived last. Whatever the case, it was creamy without being too heavy. Furthermore, it was delicately seasoned so I could actually taste the ingredients. Only complaint would be that the soup was lukewarm. Rich Guy went for the Manhattan Clam Chowder and it was equally good. He didn't get a chance to try the soup hot (or was it lukewarm?) because he left the table for quite awhile to take a call. Probably business, to maintain his richness. However, with all this eating lately, he might end up as only moderately Rich Guy.

A really solid meal at Rodney's once again. It's in their name and they do oysters justice. Service is friendly, if not very casual and loud. But honestly, that is part of the ambiance here. It's not exactly fine-dining, but it's good eats. It's really too bad that they don't serve the Po' Boy during dinner. Moreover, the dinner menu gets considerably more pricey, although there are different items available.

The Good:
- Really fresh oysters
- Reasonable lunch prices
- Fun, casual atmosphere

The Bad:
- If you don't like oysters, there is not much else here
- Dinner is pricey

Little Billy's

So, guess who joins me for lunch today? Snake? No, he's too busy munching on Lobster in the Maritimes. Whipping Girl? Nope, she's too busy overpaying at Morton's. Miss Y? No, she's too busy trying to find her way out of a cul-de-sac. It's Rich Guy again! I think he's available for lunch everyday! Today, we met at Little Billy's right on Hastings near Sperling. Honestly, I've passed by this place so many times and really never even noticed it until I read Deeeelish's post. Apparently, Little Billy's moved to this location after it's former store was destroyed in a fire.

The first thing that struck me when I walked into the restaurant was how narrow the entrance was. Literally, the bar was within 3 feet of the front door. Not a really good design. However, once seated, I began to appreciate the upscale decor and cleanliness of the place. Although the dinner prices are a bit pricey, the lunch menu on the other hand is a complete steal. There are only a handful of items over $10.00. I was tempted to order more than one dish; but the server assured me one plate would be enough. I did try the soup of the day to start - Lemon Rice Soup. Rich Guy had the soup and salad, so he got to try it as well. When it arrived, we both thought it looked like Chinese Congee. However, it sure didn't taste like congee. There was quite a bit of lemon flavour which didn't sit well with Rich Guy. On the other hand, I liked it a lot, partly because I love lemon.

Rich Guy's chicken sandwich looked fresh and said it was pretty good since the chicken was quite tender. I opted for the Prawn Souvlaki which was only $9.95. Included with the 5 prawns were pita bread, rice and salad. The prawns were grilled perfectly. Lots of flavour and crunch. The rice was just the right texture, without being too soft. I decided to substitute the Greek salad with Caesar and it was adequately dressed.

We were pleasantly surprised at both the prices and quality of our meals. It's not "wow" material; but considering that both of our meals were under $10.00, it was a good value. However, the prices jump to almost double on the dinner menu. Not sure if it's such a good value in that case. Yet, I wouldn't hesitate to come for lunch again.

The Good:
- Comfortable dining space
- Good value for lunch
- Service was friendly

The Bad:
- Expensive dinner menu
- Very tight entrance

Montana's

It's Wednesday today. Do you know what that means? Whopper Wednesday? Wing Wednesday? Miss Y getting lost (wait, that's everyday!)? Yes, the aforementioned are all true; but it's also all-you-can-eat ribs at Montana's! Okay, I know, the ribs at Montana's are not the slow-roasted Southern style such as Memphis Blues. But honestly, I personally prefer the ones from Montana's. Granted, most of the other food at Memphis Blues would put Montana's to shame. With that being said, there are not many places that offer AYCE ribs, especially at the same cost as the regular menu. AYCE baby backs go for $25.99 and AYCE side ribs cost $23.99 (they both include one side and corn bread).

We rounded up the whole family including the grandparents and headed over to the Montana's out at Coquitlam Centre. We went pretty early because it gets really busy on AYCE night. I was able to score a rare window seat; but due to the time of day, the light was harsh and coming in through blinds. How do I work under these conditions??? Soon, you'll see me with a full-fledged photographer's kit. I'm sure that'll be discreet at a restaurant! We decided to share a plate of Nachos with Sirloin Beef to start. Surprisingly, the nachos were both plentiful and quite good. The tortilla chips were crispy thin and the beef was moist. Moreover, the whole dish was not really all that oily either.

I've had the AYCE ribs many times before; but this time, the rack of ribs were especially meaty. I was wondering if I could actually eat more than the first dish! The ribs at Montana's are exactly how I prepare them at home. They are precooked first, then BBQ'd on the grill and finished off with sauce (Apple Butter, Texas Bold or Honey Garlic). To the Southern traditionalists, this could be sacrilegious; but again, I like them this way. I was able to finish off the whole rack and subsequently ordered another half rack. Honestly, I struggled through the second order, the ribs were extremely meaty and moist.

Mom and Dad decided to share the Fire-Grilled Mushroom Chicken which is a featured promotional item. Currently there is a promotion for the summer (2009) where if you order one of six selected dishes, you get a coupon for a free entree on your next visit (you need to be in a party of 5 or more though). Surprisingly, the dish was pretty good. Chicken was moist and sauce was full of mushroom flavour. I say it was surprising because other than the ribs, most of dishes at Montana's are mediocre. This is a perfect segue to Viv's dish, the Chipotle Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. Although Viv enjoyed the spicy sandwich, it's one of those dishes that epitomizes average chain restaurant food - it's boring. That's why I actually don't mind some of Cactus Club's Feenie-created dishes because they are different and unique; albeit pricey.

On the topic of pricey, Montana's is not exactly a cheap night out. Although Montana's is in a genre all by itself, their price points compete directly with Cactus Club, Joey's, Earl's and Milestone's. Consequently, if BBQ food and generic dishes are not your thing, it's best you move along. However, if you do like this type of food and you want a kid-friendly environment, it's not a bad choice.

The Good:
- Family and kid-friendly
- Ribs are quite good, if you like the precooked kind
- A wide range of middle-of-the-road food

The Bad:
- It ain't cheap
- A wide range of middle-of-the-road food

Red Onion

Honestly, I have to admit it. I really didn't feel like playing softball tonight since it was burning hot. Alas, the lure of eats afterwards keeps me going. Picked up Milhouse along the way and we ended up going to the wrong field. It wasn't bad, we were only at the adjacent field, so we didn't have to reroute too far. We're not as directionally challenged as Miss Y! The field we did end up playing on was terrible. The grass was so dry, even routine grounders became home runs. I'll officially use that excuse as to why we lost. After a brief discussion as to where to eat, we ended up going to an ol' standby - the Red Onion in Kerrisdale. In addition to the usual crew heading over to the Red Onion was Dr. 911 and Siena. She was not really all that thrilled with the nickname of Mrs. 911 for some reason or another, so we gave her Siena instead. Dr. 911 seemed quite happy with Mrs. 911; but he had no say in the matter

We ended up moving some tables together in order to accommodate our table of 9. I was a bit concerned with the lack of light where we were sitting. However, I was scoping out a neighbouring table which was right next to the window. Like a hawk, once the table opened up, I snapped it up and forced everyone to shift their tables over. They are such understanding teammates! I ended up getting a Cheeseburger and a large order of fries which I shared with Milhouse. There is an option of adding $2.25 for a side of fries with your burger; however, if you can find someone to share the large ($3.75), you get substantially more fries. And those very fries are pretty darn good. They are freshly cut and quite crispy. Much like some other good burger joints such as Moderne Burger, Vera's and Splitz, the burgers at the Red Onion are fresh. They're not the biggest nor juiciest burger; but are good because they are made with care and choice ingredients. Of course, Miss Y had to order something completely random at a burger joint - Quiche. It's just like the time she had a REGULAR hot dog at Japadog. Predictably, the quiche was passable, if not forgettable.

Judes and Hot Chocolate had the Chicken Burger. Rather than a chicken breast, the bun revealed pieces of chicken. No matter, the chicken was moist and flavourful. Almost everyone else had a burger (are you listening Miss Y?); thus, I didn't bother taking pictures of their food. I'm sure they were thrilled because that meant they could eat right away without waiting for me to snap a photo first. Boss Woman especially gets annoyed at that, it's probably why she stole the egg from the Bibimbap last time at Jang Mo Jib. Everyone seemed quite satisfied with their meal at the Red Onion. However, my personal favourite burger joint is still Moderne Burger. After that filling meal, we headed over to Vivo! Gelato for dessert. We walked there in hopes of burning off a few calories.

The Good:
- Freshly made burgers and fries
- Reasonably priced

The Bad:
- Only a small selection of toppings
- Other food does not stack up to the burgers