Green Lettuce (Surrey)

I'm a big fan of Indian Chinese food; however, there are not many places that serve it within the GVRD. I've been to Hakka Masti and Asian Spice out in Surrey/North Delta and they were pretty good. However, I haven't been necessarily ultra impressed so far. In fact, I felt that the 2 aforementioned places over-seasoned their food to the point that it was overpowering. I'll use Italian food as an analogy. If a chef dumps a whole pile of Parmesan on a dish, does that make it right? No, just because certain spices and ingredients are used predominantly in a particular cuisine, it doesn't mean you can use copious amounts of it. At Hakka Masti and Asian Spice, I found that they may have been a bit heavy handed with some of their spices, despite the fact I enjoyed my meals there.

Today, I visited one of the most well known Indo-Chinese restaurants in the GVRD - Green Lettuce. Although I pass by the Vancouver location quite often, I found myself at the Surrey location today. For lunch, they have a few specials which include rice and tea for $8.99. The Szechuan Chicken caught my fancy; but I was a bit hungry and decided to get the Dry Chili Beef for good measure. I was quite impressed with the service and how fast I got my food. Arriving first, the tender slices of perfectly cooked chicken were bathed in a moderately spicy sauce. I could see the chili peppers, green and white onions; but the flavours worked together. This is the balance I was talking about. The special came with a bucket of rice which was more than enough for me.

The Dry Chili Beef was actually a good amount of food since there were no fillers other than the 3 shrimp chips. The tender pieces of beef were only lightly deep-fried and then wok-fried in a spicy chili sauce. Again, I could definitely see the chili and seeds; yet I could still detect sweetness, garlic and a vinegary tartness. Achieving balance in a spicy dish is not a given; but they did here. I really enjoyed my meal here at the Green Lettuce. I most certainly will be returning. And guess what? I have returned, albeit more than a year later. This time around I also had 2 dishes starting with the Peppering Fish. Although this was a lunch special, they did not skimp on the portion size. The plate was overflowing with fish and sauce with very little filler. From what I could gather, it was Basa. It was fried up perfectly being moist and still a bit crisp outside. The sauce was very tasty with a nice combination of chili flakes, garlic and saltiness. Once again, balanced spiciness.

My second dish was the Manchurian Chicken. Again, it was a good amount of food with very little in the way of anything other than meat. However, I found the meat to be stiff and overcooked. The sauce was pretty good with a combination of sweet, tart and spicy. For me, the texture of the chicken didn't do it for me, so this would be the only one of the 4 I've had that was so-so. However, 3 out of 4 is pretty good in my books, especially considering the portion size for the price. Let's see when is the next time I'll return, another year maybe?

The Good:
- Friendly and efficient service
- Spicy food; but not overspiced
- Reasonable prices

The Bad:
- Well, if you don't like spicy food, it ain't for you

McGrath's Fish House

*Restaurant is now closed*

Since we were near Seattle shopping at the Premium Outlets, I made plans to meet up with Goose to celebrate his birthday. I let him choose the venue and he selected McGrath's Fish House in Alderwood Mall. I've passed by this place a few times while dining at Claim Jumper and grabbing some drinks at Jamba Juice. McGrath's is actually a chain of restaurants specializing in seafood, particularly fish (hence the name). Immediately, comparisons to Red Lobster came to mind. Other than the complimentary scones, there is not much to like about Red Lobster (small portions, expensive, food not very good). Again, with an open mind, Viv and I headed 25 minutes south on I-5 from Tulalip to Lynnwood. Goose had to make a reservation a couple hours prior since McGrath's doesn't take reservations the day before. To my dismay, we were seated in a dark area of the restaurant. They didn't have a table for 6 near a window. I am using this excuse for the poor pictures!

Since I was treating, I encouraged Goose and Mother Goose to order lots of food. In actuality, I just wanted to take more photos. Yes, I always have an ulterior motive. Although this time, it cost me! So we started off with 3 appetizers - Crab Cakes, Calamari and 1/2 Pound of Peel n Eat Shrimp. Have you ever looked at a menu and from the description of the food, envision something grand? Well, imagine my reaction when the food arrived. Thinking that I had ordered 3 really large appetizers, it turned out to be 3 really small appetizers. Granted that they weren't too expensive; but the portions were small, especially the calamari. Although the 2 crab cakes looked quite good being nicely browned and all, they were a bit stiff. Furthermore, I didn't get any sweetness of crab. The shrimp were pretty good, they were crisp and accompanied by enough cocktail sauce to drink. However, the calamari was just plain terrible. First, there wasn't much of it (which was probably a good thing). Second, it was glistening with oil. Third, it wasn't fried long enough (or the oil wasn't hot enough) because the squid was chewy and slimmed with uncooked batter. To add insult to injury, the dipping sauce was bland.

At this point I was quite concerned about the rest of our meals. However, the house sour dough bread kept my mind off of it because it was pretty darn good. All entrees come with a garden salad. For a little bit more, you can substitute it with a different salad or soup. I decided to replace my garden salad with the Pear, Candied Walnuts, Fried Yam Strings and Blue Cheese Salad instead. This sounded quite delicious in theory. However, when it arrived, I could barely identify anything underneath the yam strings. There was so much dressing, the greens became soggy. In theory, if they had not overdressed the salad, the crunchy sweet walnuts and crispy yams would've been a great compliment to the pungent blue cheese. Chalk this up to lack of execution. On the other hand, Viv's Seafood Stew (Soup) was pretty good. I guess they called it a stew because there was more ingredients than broth. The tomato broth exhibited nice depth with a touch of "good" fishiness flavour. Goose and Mrs. Goose had the Garden Salad and Coleslaw respectively.

I am normally not a big fan of Tilapia since I find it a bit mushy; but I ordered it because of the lime butter. It's really too bad I didn't taste any lime; I did taste a lot of butter though (which is not necessarily a bad thing). Soft and not too mushy, the fish was actually cooked properly. The same could be said for the green beans and red potatoes. Strangely, there was tartar sauce served on the side. I wasn't sure what the purpose of it was since the fish was already seasoned and not fried. For me, it almost cheapened the dish. Well, then you can give me heck for using it on my potatoes (not sure why I did that). Anyways, I guess the only real complaint for this dish was the absence of lime flavour. Viv chose the Hazelnut Sole with came with a lemon dill sauce. Again, the fish was cooked properly and tasted quite pleasant. I would've like the hazelnut coating to be a bit more crispy; but it was not really a big deal. Furthermore, I did not detect much lemon flavour at all in the sauce, when we squeezed copious amounts of lemon juice on the fish, the flavours seemed to come alive. Not sure if that was the intention; but it sure seems like they shouldn't put "lime" or "lemon" in the description if the flavour is so weak.

Since it was we were celebrating Goose's birthday, I encouraged him to order something good. There was a Live Whole Lobster for $30.00 and King Crab Legs for the same price. In the end, he opted for Sirloin Steak with King Crab Legs. Honestly, it didn't look like a lot of food for $30.00; but Goose seemed to be satisfied with it. He was especially happy with the crab since there was quite a lot of meat packed into the 2 legs. Mother Goose had the Mixed Grill which consisted of a Crab Cake, Prawn Skewers and Wood Fired Salmon. She was really pleased with the perfectly grilled and seasoned salmon. Taking a quick peek, it was indeed flaky and moist.

I really have mixed feelings about McGrath's Fish House. It really has nothing to do with the fact it is a chain restaurant either. The service was predictably friendly and attentive (that's what most people are looking for in a chain restaurant - predictability). On one hand, we had some really average appetizers in terms of size and execution. On the other, we have perfectly cooked fish, albeit lacking in some aspects in terms of flavour. In retrospect, the prices at McGrath's aren't exactly unreasonable for this type of food. However, none of the food made me go "wow" or I really need to eat this again. So, in the end it was difficult to decide whether I liked it or not. When I have this dilemma, I always ask myself whether I return to a restaurant or not. In this case, the answer is not.

The Good:
- Service was very friendly
- Prices were reasonable
- Fish was done properly

The Bad:
- Flavours need a bit of work
- Appetizers were small and not very good
- For the price, you can go to a better independent seafood restaurant

Eagles Buffet (Tulalip Casino)

*Restaurant is permanently closed*

Believe it or not, I really don't mind shopping. In fact, I am a bit of a deal-hunter. I used to prowl Redflagdeals, Slickdeals and Techbargains quite often until this food blog has taken over my life. Therefore, I am no stranger to shopping at outlets. I regularly visit the Woodburn Outlets just south of Portland and the Seattle Premium Outlets in Tulalip. Having visited Woodburn only 3 weeks ago, it didn't stop us from heading down to Tulalip on the Labour Day weekend. With our Nexus passes, we merrily bypassed the 2-hour lineup at the border and headed south on I-5. Our plan of attack was to snag a choice parking spot at the outlet and wander over to the Tulalip Casino. 

No, we weren't going gambling. Besides, I'm a terrible gambler. My poker face is as subtle as my reaction to good food. We headed over to the land of one-arm bandits and smoke to grab an early lunch (I guess brunch). You might be wondering why we didn't shop a bit first and eat at the food fair. Well, it's already $7.99 for a plate of food at Flaming Wok, the buffet is only $10.99. So if I was intending on eating crappy Chinese food for $7.99, why not pay $10.99 for that and 4 times the amount of food! Besides, you'll be much more comfortable sitting there while stuffing your face. I've been to this buffet quite a few times and I want to share some of my pet peeves about buffets:

- If you do not cut into a lineup at a store, do not cut into line to get that meatball
- Do not take a plate, touch it, inspect it and decide it's dirty and place it back on the plate stack in front of somebody
- Do not pick one-by-one, the best piece of rib in front of everyone
- Do not take all the shrimp when there is a lineup behind you
- Do not eat so much that you have to puke in the washroom for the next person to see
- Do not take a mound of food on 3 different plates, it's a buffet, there will be more food
- Do not secretly place food in your purse, it's against the rules and frankly it's disgusting
- Be polite, don't grunt like a caveman, even though you are gorging like one

Alright, let's get this out of the way first. You will never confuse the buffet at Tulalip Casino with any of the nicer Vegas spreads; but remember, you're only paying $10.99 ($9.99 on weekdays). The buffet makes up with quantity and selection where it may lack in quality. I'm not really into these types of buffets which are devoid of any seafood (except Tuesdays); but for $10.99 and with no immediate competition, I'll eat it. Starting at one end of the buffet is the Chinese food station. I give it to them that there is an actual Asian person wok-frying the food. However, it doesn't taste anything like the dish it is supposed to be. Some of the dishes include Egg Drop Soup, Spring Rolls, Potstickers, Fried Sui Mai, Fried Rice, Noodles, Orange Chicken, Vegetable Stir Fry, and General Tso's Chicken.. 

Whatever the case, I never touch this part of the buffet anyways. Moving along, you'll hit the Italian pasta bar. There are choices of ingredients for a quick pan toss. Honestly, I don't hit this part of the buffet either. I think it's the "Chinese" values instilled in me. I was taught from an early age that things like pasta, mash potatoes, rice and the such should be avoided at buffets since they are only fillers. I guess that's why I also skipped the breakfast items. There is the usual selection of sausage links, sausage patties, bacon, potatoes, scrambled eggs, French toast and pancakes.

Moving over to the next cluster of food, we find chicken fried steak complete with country gravy. I absolutely love this stuff; however, every time I eat it, my stomach doesn't do so well. Therefore, I skipped this as well. Finally, at the next station, I started to put food on my plate. This station consists of onion rings, wings, pot roast, mash potatoes, stuffing and gravy. The items here are pretty standard, however, the pot roast is actually pretty good. Just make sure to go easy on the gravy, it's quite salty. Totally disregarding the "Chinese" buffet strategy, I grabbed some mash potatoes. Hey, I love mash potatoes! Directly next to this station is the hot carving section. It includes fresh rotisserie chicken, a whole ham, salmon fillet and roast beef. I'm not sure what I have against baked ham; but I never seem to get any at a buffet. I also avoided the salmon because it's always overcooked. I did get some roast beef and at least this time, it was cooked perfectly medium rare and quite tender.

Moving on, past the carving station is another pretty decent spread of food. It includes ribs and fried chicken. I particularly like the ribs because they are both tender and sauced-up real well. I usually get a whack load of these. Since I'm there, I take the obligatory piece of fried chicken. Predictably, the fried chicken is overcooked; but I eat it anyways. I'm not sure why I didn't get a picture of this section. It could be that I was probably too interested in eating the ribs and forgot to take a picture. Continuing on, the next section includes a couple of pizzas, which I bypassed as well. The following portion of the buffet was actually added a year ago. If you have ever been to the Mongolie Grill, this will look familiar. Behind the spread of veggies, noodles, meat and sauces resides a large round Mongalie grill. You merely pick your items (a la U-Grill) and it is cooked fresh for you.

In the middle of the buffet resides an island where the soups, salads, desserts and ice cream reside. There are the usual mixed spring greens, romaine and lettuce with your choice of various items. There are the requisite pasta salad, potato salad and carrot salad as well. I didn't take a picture of this section partly because it was so busy and also, it's salad. I eat meat! *Grunt* There are 3 soup choices, usually a clear broth, a chowder of some sorts (today it was seafood chowder) and chicken noodle. Lastly, the dessert section is quite extensive and it includes an ice cream bar. There isn't much of a selection, but it's good for the kiddies and also includes all the toppings.

Beverages are also included with the buffet. Choices include juice, pop, coffee and tea. Honestly, the food at Eagles Buffet is quite average. You got some decent stuff mixed in with not-so-good stuff. But for $10.99, it is a good value considering that there are very few dining options around the Seattle Premium Outlets. Add the fact that you will pay at least $8.00 at the food court anyways, the buffet is a no-brainer (assuming you want to take time out of your shopping). If you can go in with reasonable expectations for $10.99, then you will come out thinking you got good value and a bit full.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Pretty good selection for the price
- Includes beverages

The Bad:
- Some of the food is iffy
- Lots of smoke from the Casino side

Tung Hing Bakery

*Restaurant is closed*

Alright, another one of Holly's suggestions came to fruition today. We needed something quick, tasty and cheap; so I headed over to Tung Hing Bakery for some Banh Mi (Vietnamese subs). It wasn't exactly nearby or convenient to get to; but I really don't let that get in the way of good eats! I was driving on the other side of the street and instead of turning left onto Inverness, I decided to park across the street. Bad move. Try crossing Kingsway at an uncontrolled intersection in the middle of the day. I would have had better luck playing chicken with a large luxury SUV in Richmond. Trust me, I was having second thoughts about risking my life for a couple of sandwiches. I made it across alive to discover a clean and inviting establishment. You see, not all Vietnamese sandwich shops are that inviting.

I really enjoyed the fact that I could see them making my sandwiches right in front of me. Moreover, seeing all the ingredients was both novel and mouth-watering. I ended up getting 3 different Banh Mi - House Special, Honey Garlic Sausage and Meatball. It only cost me $8.50 for all 3! Luckily I arrived when I did, after I left, there was a pretty long lineup. I made it halfway across the street to the median on my way back to the car. Let me tell you, there is nowhere more precarious than hanging out on the median of a busy street.

Alright, about those sandwiches... The first thing you'll notice about them is the freshness of the ingredients. Veggies were crunchy and colourful. The meats were what they should be - moist, chewy and flavourful; but never dry. I particularly liked the sausage sandwich since there was ample amount of meat and it was tasted quite bold. Viv thought it was too sweet and probably it was; but I liked it anyways. The meatball sub was alright; but the one from Au Petit Cafe is both more meaty and flavourful. The house special sub was pretty standard with a variety of meat and plenty of fish sauce flavour. Although they baked their own French rolls fresh; I found that the bread was more dense and not as airy as the ones from Ba Le and Au Petit. By no means were they bad; it's just a personal preference of mine. With that in mind, the subs at Tung Hing are solid and inexpensive.

The Good:
- The place appears clean
- Inexpensive
- Fresh ingredients

The Bad:
- Bread could be a bit lighter

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

*Restaurant is closed*

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

*Location is closed*

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