Szechuan Chongqing

Just like a scene from the Twilight Zone, we were transported to an alternate reality where there were no Chinese people other than us in a Chinese restaurant. That's right, cue the music, we were the ONLY Chinese people at Szechuan Chongqing for the duration of our dinner. Well, the staff were Chinese; but they don't count. If this happened at any other Chinese restaurant in town, it would send most people running for the hills. After all, isn't Vancouver like 50% Asian? How can it be that there are NO Asians in a Chinese restaurant? Well, I'm exaggerating here because when I go eat "Chinese" food in Delta, it's quite often I am the only Chinese person there. In fact, one time at Delta Wonton House, the server was downright in shock that a Chinese person walked into the place. The Chinese food was awful and well... the restaurant is now closed (I feel bad for them, but their food was not very good). Can it be that the food at Szechuan Chongqing is not actually catered towards Chinese people? I guess we'll have to see about that...

I honestly do not remember ever visiting this location of Szechuan Chongqing. Sure, I've been to the Broadway location; but that has only been for Dim Sum. I never got to try the Kingsway location before they changed hands to Big Lai Palace (which closed under suspicious circumstances). As the name suggests, the restaurant's main focus is Szechuan food, which is bold and spicy. However, my mom doesn't do spicy really well; thus we ordered mostly Cantonese dishes. I did make sure we got one spicy dish since this is what the restaurant is all about. We started off with a Cabbage Hot Pot with Assorted Meat and Seafood. Essentially, a hot pot with all the ingredients sitting in a broth. It's not the most exciting dish; but it was pleasant to eat, if not a bit bland.

Next up was the Moo Shu Chicken with Crepes. This dish was actually pretty good with a cornucopia of sprouts, chicken, onions, wood ear mushrooms and carrots. Strangely, the fried egg was left in one piece on top, rather than being julienned. Viv thought the dish was bland; but I thought it was fine because the hoisin sauce made up for any flavour deficiency. It was probably our fault for ordering the next dish - Crispy Chicken. This is a pretty difficult dish to make right and since this was a Szechuan restaurant, it is obviously not their specialty. It was overcooked and super salty. If there was such a thing as chicken jerky, this would be it. The best part of the dish were the shrimp chips.

One surprisingly good dish was the Scrambled Eggs and Shrimp. Unfortunately, they put green onions in it despite the fact we asked them not to. We didn't send it back in fears that it might be extra "runny" when we got it back. Onions aside, the eggs were perfectly fluffy and the shrimp was cold-water crunchy. Finally, the dish I had been waiting for - Orange Peel Beef. Loaded with beef, this dish had a nice rich colour. The combination of orange peel, dark soy, chilies and lots of sugar resulted in an intense flavour. The beef had a good sear (most likely from deep-frying) which gave it a nice crisp exterior. The only criticism of this dish was that it was a bit too sweet and the slightly watery sauce.

Overall, the meal was a bit better than expected considering our initial impressions. I'd definitely stick with the Szechuan specialties here since they are not a Cantonese restaurant. However, the fortune cookies that we got at the end of the meal gave a clear indication that we were not their target clientele.

The Good:
- Service was friendly and attentive
- The one Szechuan dish we had was pretty good
- Prices are quite reasonable

The Bad:
- Depending what your expectations are for Chinese food, there are better choices
- The fortune cookies at the end says it all (and I'm not talking about the fortune inside)

Bombay Se

It seems like every time I've tried to dine at Bombay Se, something happens and I never end up eating there. The first time, I met up with Herbie the Lovebug, Nikita and Bluebeard at the old smaller location (in the same plaza). Since it was such a small location, there was a big lineup and we headed somewhere else instead. The second time, I had a hockey game and it was only Viv who made it out there. When it moved over to it's bigger location on the 2nd floor of the same building, I really wanted to try it. However, it wasn't open for lunch! I'm only in North Delta during the day, so dinner was not really an option. When I heard that they are now open for lunch, I was a happy man. In fact, they have a "buffet" of sorts for $10.99. It's not the traditional buffet where you go help yourself to warming trays of food. Rather, it's served exactly like a regular combination platter; but it's unlimited. Yup, you can request more of what you like and they will bring it to you. I personally think this is more hygienic and a fresher way of eating an all-you-can-eat.

By virtue of never having a chance to dine at the old Bombay Se, I can't really compare with the new location. However, the new location is spacious, modern and very clean. In fact, I've noticed that most Indian restaurants I've visited are extremely clean. I wonder why Chinese restaurants cannot follow suit? I didn't need to look at the menu since I decided to get the unlimited lunch special. You can have it either in vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Guess which one I chose? Included on the platter was Butter Chicken, Goat Curry, Chickpea Curry, Aloo Gobi, Potato Pakora, Raita, Achar, Rice Pudding, Basmati Rice and Naan.

With tender pieces of chicken, the Butter Chicken was a bit spicy; however, the creaminess and tomato flavours were still discernible. This was the perfect sauce for the warm and soft naan. The Goat Curry was a bit weak; but the meat was tender. On the other hand, the Chickpea Curry had a bit of bite. The same could be said about the Aloo Gobi, the mixture of potatoes and cauliflower had a kick at the end. The Raita helped bring balance to the meal with the coolness of yogurt. From the sampling of these dishes, the food not bad; if not a bit standard. I've had better Indian food; yet with that being said, Bombay Se still brings together a combination of decent food and friendly service in an upscale environment.

The Good:
- Restaurant is nicely decorated and clean
- Service is good
- Food is decent

The Bad:
- Regular menu is a bit pricier than some other Indian restaurants

Boston Pizza

Alright, Emilicious gave me a hard time on Facebook about going to Boston Pizza. I really don't blame her. I don't usually visit Boston Pizza unless it's with my hockey team or with my family. You see, my former hockey team (yes, I'm no longer with them) is sponsored by the Brentwood Boston Pizza. Therefore, I had to go there in support of our sponsorship. There are times I have visited it with my family because admittedly, it is quite kid friendly. Well, not is all doom and gloom with BP since their pizzas are respectable. Not exactly authentic Italian thin crust pizzas; but BP never claims to be such. The real problem I have with BP are their pastas and some of their entrees. At regular price, you can practically eat anywhere else. Tonight, Coreymania, DB Hypno (click the link and you'll understand the nickname) and myself were at BP because it was part of a Whitecaps game and dinner deal. The deal was for 4 game tickets, 1 large pizza, 4 salads and 4 soft drinks at $20.00 per person. That is actually a pretty good value.

Honestly, I've never been much of a soccer (fine, English football) fan and probably never will. I'm all about the hockey! My last Whitecaps game
other than tonight was back in the old Empire Stadium! I'll admit that watching it live is a whole lot better than on TV. When I watch soccer on TV, it reminds me of the Simpsons episode when a game was played in Springfield. Whatever the case, I enjoyed the atmosphere and the Whitecaps ultimately won the game. After that, we headed off Boston Pizza for some food. Luckily for us, the salads (especially the Spinach Salad) at BP are decent. Plenty of toppings and being quite big, the salads were satisfying. Only complaint is that they should not toss the spinach in the dressing, it should be served on the side because it makes the spinach limp. As mentioned before, the pizzas are decent. We ended up with the Tropical Chicken which is a bit interesting because it substitutes Alfredo for tomato sauce. The tang is made up by the pineapple. The crust is not heavy nor oily at all.

We decided to get an order of their baked wings (they come fried as well) and since they are baked, they are still quite juicy and tender. They are not crisp like the fried ones; but they are a little healthier. On a side note, please do not get their Appy Platter, it was formerly known as the team platter. It is not worth the $20.00 because it is only sufficient if you were a team of 2 people. Mind you, their Cactus Cut Potatoes and Southwest Skins are respectable appies. Now we head into what's the matter with BP - their pastas. I do realize that they in no shape or form claim to be authentic. However, I've never had pasta so soggy in my life. They obviously have never heard of al dente before. I guess it's difficult to achieve that since the pasta is pre-made and merely reboiled. The sauces are pretty one-dimensional and bland, other than the Mama Meata which doesn't exist anymore.

Their "go-to" pasta is the Smokey Mountain Spaghetti and Meatballs for $17.75. Despite the fact I've eaten this on many occasions with my team before; this is probably the most overpriced item on the menu. Don't get me wrong, the size of this pasta is decent; however the overall execution is lacking. Pasta is mushy and the sauce is bland. Although, the meatballs are pretty decent. They're quite meaty and flavourful. I really could go on and on about the menu because I've tried practically everything; but I think you get the idea. The food is hit and miss. For the price, you would be better served going to White Spot. However, BP still remains a good option for sports teams, families and people who just want some pizza late into the night.

The Good:
- Pretty decent pizza
- Portions are good
- Open late

The Bad:
- Most of the food is iffy
- Overpriced pastas and entrees

Las Tortas

I was tipped off a week ago by TS (eating_club Vancouver) about a new sandwich shop that had opened up 2 stores down from Pied-a-Terre. Oh, this is no ordinary sandwich shop. Rather, it is one of the few places you can get an authentic Mexican torta. No, no, not the ones you can get at Duffin's Doughnuts. These ones are made by real Mexicans (as opposed to fake Mexicans???). Being a real fan of good sandwiches (re: Ba Le, Au Petit Cafe, La Grotta del Formaggio, La Charcuterie), I put it high on my list to visit (apparently Kim had it high on his list too!).

Needing some takeout today, I took the opportunity to head down to Las Tortas for a couple of sandwiches. The method of ordering is a bit unique; yet really simple. You merely take a paper bag (which has the menu on it) and select what you want to order by checking off the item. You put down any special requests, put your name on the top, check off if you are eating in or out and present it to the cashier. I only wish they had real Sharpies rather than Crayola felt markers because it was not easy to write with them. My "no onions" became scrunched up and looked more like "noinions". Whatever, the cashier figured it out.

I decided to try the Pierna or slow roasted pork thigh marinated in Mexican spices. Essentially a pulled pork sandwich, it included tomato, cabbage, pickled onions (I didn't get this), jalapenos, guacamole, refried beans, butter and mayo. This is all served on a grill toasted telera. For $2.00, I added their house fried potato chips. I got Viv the Carne Asada con Queso, which is marinated roast beef with Oaxaca cheese. Her sandwich included all the aforementioned toppings. Since all of their sandwiches are made-to-order and served hot, I had to wait for a little while. During this wait, I grabbed the window seat (of course I did). In the process, I had to squeeze in between another table that was occupied already. The lady seemed to wonder why I had to pick the seat right next to her when there were plenty of other open tables. So, I told her what I was doing and I wanted the best lighting possible for my pictures. It was a bit surreal, I was chatting to a total stranger about food all of a sudden. Well, that is actually a good thing. She mentioned that she had just read a post on Corner 23 and wonder if it was me. It could've been, but then again, many other bloggers have a post on Corner 23.

I finally got down to trying out the torta and it was quite an enjoyable sandwich. The bun was quite crunchy and the fillings were not the usual fare I'm used to. The pork was on the drier side; yet it was still moist. I especially liked the crisp cabbage which gave a nice freshness and crunch. Surprisingly, the sandwich did not have the "wow" factor I was looking for. What I essentially got was a solid sandwich with Mexican ingredients. Interestingly, the star of the show was the house-made potato chips. They were slightly thick cut; but fried up nicely. Crispy, not salty nor oily, these chips were money. For $2.00, they were worth every penny. When Viv finally got her chance at sandwich, much later since I actually ate at the restaurant first, she pretty much echoed my sentiments. A solid sandwich; but not OMG wonderful.

My sandwich came out to $8.50, while Viv's was $9.30. The Cubana tops out at $9.95. While not exactly cheap (since you can get these for $5.00 in L.A.), it is not incredibly expensive for a made-to-order hot sandwich. It may have not knocked my socks off; but I would eat it again.

The Good:
- Made-to-order and served hot
- A unique sandwich (at least up here in Vancouver)
- Wonderful freshly fried potato chips

The Bad:
- Not exactly cheap
- Could use a tad more filling
- Mostly takeout, not a lot of places to sit

Copa Cafe (Coquitlam)

No, this is not a repeat. If you think you have seen a post on Copa Cafe earlier, you are not seeing things. However, this time, I brought the family out to the location in Coquitlam. Actually, Copa was not my original choice. I ended up here because Amorosa was full and it would be over 30 minutes before we would get a table. I have no problem with that; but my kids might. Not sure if the diners there would like to see 2 kids bouncing off the walls for 30 minutes. But honestly, when we leave a restaurant to avoid a lineup, we end up wasting the same amount of time going somewhere else. It could be that I just hate lineups! I dropped Viv off at Zeller's to return something, so I headed over to Copa first with my son. As I pulled up to the front of the restaurant, everyone at the window just had to look over and stare. Is it just me or Asian people like to stare for no apparent reason? It's just like how when they drive by my house and I'm outside, they have to stare at me. What? Do I have something on my face??? Wait, I'm Asian... I hope I don't stare... No, I just take photos of food and thus, people stare at me.

Seeing how we all ordered set menu items at the Vancouver location, I decided to order all Chinese dishes (well, at least HK-style interpreted dishes). For the kiddies, we started off with Scramble Eggs with Shrimp. This was not an auspicious start to the meal because the eggs were overcooked, watery and in many small pieces. At least the shrimp was cooked right and had the right texture. For good measure, we got the Spaghetti Bolognaise, just in case the kiddies didn't like the eggs. Not resembling an authentic bolognaise of any sort (that's HK-style cafe for you), it was linguine not spaghetti. No matter, the dish tasted fantastic! Lots of meat and cheese flavour and the noodles were not overly mushy. Since it was baked, it had a nice crust on top as well. I just wished they didn't serve it with a big bay leaf in the sauce. I was in the mood for some HK-style curry and selected the Curry Brisket. Although the sauce was flavourful with just a bit a hint of heat, the beef was not very tender. Curiously, this dish didn't come with rice.

The final dish is one of our favourites - Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice. It's definitely an acquired taste due to the pungent fish; but I gotta tell you, when it's done right... Fortunately, it was not only done right, the dish here at Copa was fanatastic. The rice was firm, there was lots of fish and chicken and the dish was well-seasoned. Pretty predictable meal here at Copa, food was generally good except for the scrambled eggs and the tough brisket. Despite being quite friendly, the servers seemed overworked. We couldn't seem to get their attention when we needed something. One server got bent out-of-shape when she spotted my son playing with the sugar packets. Only in a Chinese restaurant you will find employees scolding others' children.

The Good:
- Predictable food
- Comfortable and clean dining space
- Pretty good value

The Bad:
- Same with the other location, when you have such a diverse menu, some food may not turn out well

Adonia Teahouse

Alright, it was inevitable, Sherman and I were both eating; but in 2 different places simultaneously. What to do? Of course Sherman had his trusty DSLR and was off to Hon's after playing hockey. What about me? Well, I was sucked into doing my very first entry into the blog. Armed with my trusty Canon SD630, I headed off to Adonia with my sister-in-law. Actually, we were planning to go to The Secret Garden; but it was completely packed. I had called Sherman to ask where we should eat in the Kerrisdale area. He was a bit too busy at the time taking off his goalie gear to be much help. He took the opportunity to sneak in, "you should get an iPhone" suggestion.

Alright, I really do not have time to be blogging about anything, let alone Sherman's obsessive food adventures. But, he really gave me no choice. We wandered around Kerrisdale in search of a place to eat when we stumbled upon Adonia. Completely empty, we were able to pick where ever we wanted to sit. It was interesting to see that the place was run by Asians. No matter, as Sherman says, it's not important who makes it, as long as it is good. We went in with an open mind. Originally, I sat facing the window which makes for very poor photos. I actually got my sis-in-law to switch seats with me for the sake of better photos. Geez, I pulled a Sherman there... Next, you'll find me moving tables and asking total strangers if I could take pictures of their food! Wait, I'll leave that up to Sherman. He has no shame.

Adonia is a quaint little English-style teahouse nestled in the heart of Kerrisdale. Adorned with floral wallpaper and wood paneling; it really has the decor to put you in the mood for high tea. It had a comfy and cozy feel as if I were invited into someone's house for tea. At $22.00 per person, it included choice of tea, Scones, Potato Salad with Shrimp and the traditional three-tiered platter. The platter included mini-sandwiches, hor d'oeuvres and desserts. As we sat waiting, the server set our table with antique teacups, saucers, spoons, sugar bowl, and creamer. I thought this added to the charm of the place. Interestingly, I noticed that the sugar spoon was actually a souvenir from Hell's Gate. The tea arrived first in individual glass teapots and came with a chafing bowl to keep it warm along with a bowl of sugar pellets and cream. I was a little disappointed to see that it wasn't an antique teapot. Anyway, onto the tea. I chose a mango tea and my sis-in-law chose an Earl Grey. I was afraid that the tea would be too fruity and overpowering, but it wasn't at all. It was perfect with just a hint of mango flavour. My sis-in-law noted that her Earl Grey wasn't as aromatic as others she has tried, but surprisingly when she had some, it was quite flavourful.

The first of the goodies to arrive were the two sweet and savory scones. The cheese scone had a nice and buttery texture and the raisin scone had a sugary and crunchy top to it. Next up was the three-tiered platter which we worked our way from the bottom up. On that note, no one came to explain anything or checked up on us other than the initial ordering, food service and final bill. On the bottom tier were cucumber sandwiches, ham sandwiches, egg salad and tuna salad sandwiches on mini cheese buns. The sandwiches were pretty standard. Although, the cucumber sandwiches were bland and were in need of a little salt and pepper. The middle tier had 3 different items. A baguette slice topped with green and red roasted peppers and shiitake mushroom, salmon lox on a toasted whole wheat bread, and a puff pastry with salmon mousse. I was looking forward to eating the lox because it's one of my faves, but oh my goodness was the bread toasted beyond chewable! I ended up just eating the lox by itself. The puff pastry wasn't flaky and the mousse was not pronounced at all. There wasn't much of it and I had a hard time figuring out what it actually was at first. By the time we reached the top tier for desserts, I was getting a little full...more from the tea than the food! What I found odd was that on every tier there was two of everything, but on the top a few of the items came as singles. I didn't get to have every piece of dessert since I was getting full, but overall the sweets were again standard. What was nice about them was it wasn't too sugary. Finally at the end, we were served panna cotta and cookies. I enjoyed the panna cotta except for the sweet jam layer on top of it. As for the cookies, they could have been more creative than serving a walnut shortbread, a cranberry and walnut shortbread, and a cranberry and walnut cookie.

Well, as a first high tea experience it was nice. It was definitely nothing to write home about, but I enjoyed being able to sit for a period of time chatting with my sis-in-law, and enjoying some bites of food. Although this experience has piqued my interest in trying out other teahouses to see how they compare. I'm sure there are better places for high tea out there (Secret Garden and Bacchus). In terms of service and quality of food, I find Adonia just average.

The Good:
- Quaint decor and china
- Tea was decent

The Bad:
- Average food
- Indifferent service, bordering on cold

Hon's (New West)

Being that this was the last session of ice hockey for the summer at Brit, some of us were gonna head out for eats afterwards. You know me, I am not passing up an opportunity to eat! At around exactly the same time, Viv was at Adonia doing tea with her sister-in-law. 2 blog entries at the same time! For some reason or another, people were having difficulty deciding where to eat. Finally, they all looked at me and figured I should have an idea or two. Taking into account that we had about 10 people including kids, I suggested Hon's. We chose the New West location because it was closest to where most of us lived. For me, Hon's is a part of my childhood. Back in the day, Hon's was one of the few places where you could get a decent bowl of wonton noodles, congee, whole fried yee mein clusters and of course, potstickers. I remember going to their first, and only location at the time, on Main Street in Chinatown. In fact, we once spotted Tiger Williams dining there, I got his autograph! From those humble beginnings, Hon's has grown to 6 locations including a fusion restaurant.

Almost everyone knows about Hon's, after all, it's synonymous with good portions at reasonable prices. But this begs the question, is Hon's necessarily the best considering it's popularity? Universally, I'm sure most people would say it is not the best; but you know what you are getting. It is a safe bet for most people, including those who are not necessarily that adventurous. Let's take the most basic item - the wonton. Although the wontons are perfectly fine at Hon's, it is far from the best in town. I would say that the wontons at Congee Noodle King, Congee Noodle House, Ho Yuen Kee, New Maple and McNoodle are superior in terms of the filling, size and taste. However, I must note that the aforementioned places serve all shrimp wontons. The one at Hon's is the mostly pork with shrimp. Then there is the matter of personal taste. I have some friends who don't like all shrimp wontons and actually prefer the pork with shrimp. Today, everyone had different variations of dishes that included wontons. There was a small Wonton Soup, Wonton & BBQ Pork Rice Flat Noodle, BBQ Duck and Wonton Noodles, and just plain Wonton Noodles.

Other than the wontons, there are 2 other components that can make or break wonton noodles - the soup and noodles. The soup at Hon's is actually pretty good, good depth of flavour and not too salty. The noodles have the right elasticity and are visually appealing. All-in-all, a solid bowl of wonton noodles, assuming you like the pork and shrimp type of wontons. The BBQ duck and pork were also very respectable, being quite meaty and juicy. Alright, a visit to Hon's is not complete without ordering Potstickers. These pan fried dumplings come in pork, chicken, beef or vegetarian fillings. Today, they only had pork. I'm sure there are better potstickers to be found; but I do like the ones from Hon's. In fact, I buy them frozen in a bag and make them at home. They have a relatively thin outer skin and just enough filling inside. When prepared correctly, you can eat quite a few of these. I actually prefer making them at home, because they seem to use way too much oil at the restaurant.

To be a little bit different, I ordered the BBQ Pork Lo Mein and Yeung Chow Fried Rice to share. Lo mein is essentially dry noodle usually mixed with some oyster sauce and sesame oil. In this case, they took dry to a whole new level. The noodles were so dry and devoid of any moisture that it was stuck in a clump. It had the texture of rubber bands. Even after adding copious amounts of the side soup, it still didn't change the texture. Add to the fact that it had no flavour whatsoever didn't help. At least the BBQ pork was tender and not fatty. The Yeung Chow Fried Rice or BBQ Pork and Shrimp Fried Rice was very good. Packed with crunchy shrimp, BBQ pork, egg and peas, the rice was well seasoned; yet not salty. Moreover, it wasn't oily and the rice itself was perfectly firm.

Pretty much another predictable meal at Hon's. Nothing more, nothing less. In my youth, Hon's was THE place to go for this type of food; but with the influx of newer and better wonton noodle restaurants, it's hard to get overly enthusiastic about dining at Hon's. There is absolutely no major problem with eating here; in fact, it's not a bad choice. However, there are better places to go for the same price. Yet, Hon's will be one of those places permanently embedded in my childhood memories.

The Good:
- It's a safe and reliable place to eat
- Good portions
- Cheap prices

The Bad:
- Average wontons (personal preference)
- Some of their dishes are quite greasy
- Most of their food is neither bad nor good