Sushi Garden

Whenever there is a lineup, you can assume one of 2 things: it's cheap and/or it's very good. We see lineups at places such as Anton's, Stepho's, Sushi Town, Kintaro Ramen and Japadog. All the aforementioned places are inexpensive, have big portions and the food is generally acceptable (I personally don't like Anton's). Another one of these infamous "lineup" places is Sushi Garden. I haven't been here since it was only a small one unit Japanese restaurant. Currently, they occupy 2 store units and do good business. There is practically a never ending lineup in front. Last time I tried to crack the lineup, I gave up and went next door to the Green Basil instead. Today, we were determined and actually lined-up. Looks like I've been having some luck with lineups lately because we were seated within 15 minutes.

When dining at Sushi Garden, there are certain concessions to be made. First, you need to accept the decibel level here, it's loud. Second, you really need to give up your personal space because the people beside you are literally sitting right next to you. I was listening in on the conversation beside me and almost wanted to join in! The last time I did that at Lhy Thai, it didn't go down too well... Third, don't expect any service other than the bare minimum (if you're lucky). It's funny how the table next to us kept staring at me taking photos of my food. It was hard to be discreet when the person next to me could've hit me with his chopstick if he wasn't careful.

We started off with the Takoyaki (can you tell it's one of my favourite dishes?) and let me tell you this - you are not here for the presentation. But, hey, they were fluffy with just the right amount of sauce and mayo on top. I only wished that there were more bonito flakes. I usually don't order Gomae; but I really needed some vegetables in my diet (yes, call me pathetic). When it arrived, it looked... interesting. Clumped into 4 distinct sections and violated by an obscene amount of overly sweet dressing, this was a flop. WTH? The dressing was like liquid candy. I could barely taste any sesame flavour because it was so sweet.

Arriving next were the Nigiri Sushi (Scallop, Unagi, Chopped Scallop and Inari). These were very good, topped with large pieces of scallop and eel. Very fresh and very tasty. I particularly liked the sushi rice, it was soft; but still had some resistance when eaten. At $13.00, the Assorted Sashimi looked like a good value on paper. This was confirmed when it arrived on our table. In the middle of the plate resided 3 huge pieces of tuna and salmon respectively. Rounding out the dish were 3 pieces each of Tai, Hokkagai, Amebi and Tako. We particularly liked the tuna because it wasn't mushy. Of course tuna sashimi by nature is never going have the texture like salmon or tai; but at least this one had some meatiness to it.

Last but not least was the BC Roll. I only ordered this because I wanted to try a roll sushi and I assumed it would be small. After all for $2.95, how big could it be? Well, it wasn't big, it was enormous! With very little rice on the outside, it was filled with plenty of imitation crab, cucumber and curiously a small amount of salmon skin. Portion-wise, I have no complaints regarding Sushi Garden. In terms of quality, it was more than acceptable. Service was alright, especially if you take into account how much you are paying. If you are hungry and have little to spend, Sushi Garden can fit the bill. But if you want a bit more quality and service, there are other options.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Low prices
- Food is decent

The Bad:
- Service is quite basic
- Seating is tight
- For some, it's not worth lining up

White Spot (Gilmore)

White Spot eh? You might be wondering why I'm here again... Well, the main reason is that my son really likes White Spot. There was one time we drove by a White Spot and ended up going to a different restaurant and he started crying. I'm really glad he doesn't like ABC! Today, we actually went to the Lougheed and Gilmore location instead of our usual North Road location. The other reason for visiting White Spot was to test the theory that not all locations are created equal. That's right, even with Chain restaurants, they have good and bad locations. Kim (I'm Only Here for the Food!) went to the Burnaby
Kingsway location recently and received indifferent service. Well, I've been to the Gilmore location before and it has never been my favourite White Spot. Why? First, it's small (I guess they can't do much about that). Second, the food and service is a bit slow. We'll see today if that is still true.

For starters, we were greeted at the entrance right away and seated. This is a very good start because in the past, we'd have to wait until someone noticed us. Once we were seated, our server came over and took our drink order. This is more like it! For the purposes of this blog, we decided to order a few different items from last time. We started with their very popular Zoo Sticks. With just the right amount of perfectly fried breading, the firm (but cooked) zucchini sticks were money. Hey, I'm not going to White Spot without having one of their burgers. As mentioned before, the burgers here are not really all that large (including the Bigger Better Burger) and contain enough mayo to make Hollandaise sauce look healthy. But for some reason, they rock! I went for a classic - the Monty Mushroom. A modest amount of sauteed mushrooms adorned the "bigger better" patty which was bathed in copious amounts of Triple-O Sauce (red relish and mayo). It's messy, but good!

Feeling a bit ol' school, Viv also ordered a classic - the CBC. No, not the TV station, but the Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese. Not quite a curry, not quite pot pie filling, the CBC is a White Spot original. It's got tender pieces of chicken with broccoli florets sitting in a creamy sauce with a hint of curry. Served separately was a colourful and fresh garden salad. The salad used to be on the same plate; but it appears that they have merely added more rice to the dish. Good thing because there was never enough rice with this dish before. I personally am indifferent towards the CBC; but my mom absolutely loves it. Viv thought it was alright; but she's not into creamy sauces anyways. As usual, my son got the pirate pack and he couldn't wait to get to the chocolate gold coin. Curiously he wasn't into the ice cream. He's such a picky eater.

Well, another predictable meal at White Spot, nothing more, nothing less. Maybe we'll visit another location next time and eat some other classic dishes. Unlike previous visits, this one at the Gilmore location was pretty good. We were greeted promptly, service was attentive and the food didn't take forever to come out (however, it was still a bit slow).

The Good:
- Predictable food
- Affordable eats
- Kid-friendly

The Bad:
- Try to stay away from the featured menus, something gets lost in translation
- This location has been a bit slow in the past for me
- Seating here is a bit tight

Taste of Singapore

*Restaurant is now closed*

Being relatively new, I never noticed Taste of Singapore, even though it resides in the same plaza as Bombay Se and Sandar's Thai Garden. However, I did notice that Ryan ("Oiboy" in Urbanspoon) had tried it out and blogged about it. Seeing that it got rave reviews, Toolman and I decided to give it a try today. No wonder I didn't notice it before. It's hidden among many more small shops and restaurants in the 7500 Plaza out on Scott Road. As we strolled into the restaurant, I noticed that there were very few seats. I guess it really didn't matter because we were the first to arrive for lunch. Naturally, with the choice of tables, I picked the seat near the window.

We asked what were the 2 best dishes and the owner picked out Beef Rendang and Ayam Masak Merah. I wanted to order more; but he said it would be enough. The two dishes arrived with a large serving of rice and fresh lettuce. We dug into the beef first and it was extremely tender without being fatty. The flavours were subtle (due to the coconut milk) with just a hint of heat from the chilis. The chicken (Ayam Masak Merah) was much more flavourful, being sweet, tart (from the tomatoes) and a bit spicy. While I was snapping photos of the food, the owner came by and amicably asked if I was a photographer. I nodded in agreement trying hard not to blow my cover. I guess it's hard to be discreet with a DSLR! As we were eating away, someone from the kitchen brought over a spicy Sambal Terasi sauce. I gave it a try and it was really spicy with a hint of seafood. I found out that the sauce consisted of fermented shrimp and chilis. Indeed, it reminded me of Chinese "Haw Jeun" which is fermented shrimp. Toolman didn't like the sauce very much; but I was all over it. However, my stomach might be not appreciate the torment I was putting it through.

The food at Taste of Singapore was a real surprise. It's definitely a gem hidden in a strip mall on Scott Road. The food was outstanding. On top of that, the prices are downright cheap! Our meals were $9.00 each and if we had opted for the daily special, it would have only been $6.00! Taste of Singapore combines the winning formula of honest service with great tasting food at very reasonable prices. If you are ever in the area, I encourage you to try them out.

The Good:
- Outstanding value
- Food is prepared with care
- Friendly and honest service

The Bad:
- Not a lot of seats (if it ever gets busy...)
- People not in the area are missing out

Pho T & A

Okay, the only reason I wanted to visit this place was its name. With the infamous Pho Bich Nga no longer in business, there has been a void of really good Pho restaurant names. Yes, there is Pho Dat Phu; but how can you argue against Pho T & A? Doesn't it just make you wonder what is really in the soup??? Pho sure! Not really knowing exactly where the place was, I actually ended up at Pho Tan first. Man, that place is busy! I heard good things about this place, I shall return when it's not as packed. So I continued my search of some T & A, err... I mean Pho in the heart of Whalley. It is an area in transition with the new SFU campus and many high rises and condo developments nearby. Parking my car in the lot of Pho T & A was a bit unnerving; but I'm sure it was all in my head.

So sitting there looking over the menu, I noticed the "cash only" sign and looked in my wallet. No cash! Doh! I quickly scrambled to my car looking for loose change. I was able to scrounge $9.00, enough for a bowl of pho; but not anything else. I decided on the large House Special Pho which included every meat. A really good value at $6.50. While waiting for my order, I noticed they were making fresh popcorn in a miniature machine at the front. Wait a minute! WTF? They're selling popcorn? This is not a T & A theatre is it? Nope, just Pho T & A. Strange. Whatever the case, the soup was pretty light and modestly seasoned. I could detect some spices and meat flavour; but it was not very rich. The noodles were a tad on the soft side; yet there was plenty of it. Same can be said about the meats, there was a decent amount of it for price. It was a decent bowl of Pho; but nothing to write home about. However, I could really care less because I satisfied my curiousity over this place!

The Good:
- It's not expensive
- Place is pretty clean
- Pho was decent

The Bad:
- Questionable area
- Popcorn?!?!?

Budgies Burritos

Let's face it, there are not many places to go for a good burrito in the GVRD. Sure, there's Taco Del Mar (which I actually like); but you'll get the usual people pointing out that it's a fast food chain. Okay, whatever the case, at least it is not Taco Bell nor Taco Time. Sure, there is Dona Cata; however, they only have one burrito on their menu (from what I can remember). I can go through a whole bunch of Mexican restaurants in town and the story will all be the same - either it is not very good or it's not worth the price. However, there is one place where you will find a pretty good burrito for a low price. Okay, let me get this out of the way before the "authentic burrito police" come knocking on this post - the burritos at Budgies aren't exactly "authentic'. However, they do not advertise as such and really, if it tastes good, who really cares?

On my way home from a doctors appointment, it was getting late and I needed to grab some dinner for Viv and myself. Since I was nearby, I paid a visit to Budgies Burritos. The first thing you'll notice when you walk into the place is the hipster vibe. From the unique artwork down to the minimalistic decor, it's got a certain grunge, punk, anti establishment, and hippie air to it. There could be something else in the air; but I won't speculate on that... I walked up to the order window and a very mellow dude took my order. He wrote down my choices on a small little whiteboard that he later passed to the "burrito-maker". One thing you need to know before I go on... The food here is vegetarian. Okay cue the dramatic music. Yes, I am eating a vegetarian burrito. No, my doctor didn't suddenly condemn meat in my diet; rather, I really wanted to see if these burritos would be good without meat. Honest!

The JameDog caught my eye with it's garlic roasted potatoes, rice, beans, cheese, chipotle sour cream, lettuce and salsa. There is a choice between refried beans and black beans. I chose the former. Wanting a kick in my burrito, I opted for chipotle salsa. I picked up the Henry for Viv which consisted of tofurkey sausage, rice, beans, cheese, sour cream, salsa and lettuce. To make it easy, I chose the refried beans and chipotle salsa for her as well. There are 2 sizes available, a 10" and a 12" (different of $1.00). Guess which size I got? The 12" of course!!! I've been told that upon leaving, make sure they got your order right and that you got the right amount of change. Apparently, mistakes are common. For me, no mistakes at all and the service was friendly.

So how were the burritos? First off, they are quite large, the thing weighs a tonne! Definitely good value for the $7.50 each. Second, especially with the chipotle salsa, they were not devoid of flavour or spice. Even the tofurkey was pretty darn good. Will never mistaken it for meat; but it had a good bite to it and had a nice texture. The potatoes in my burrito were soft, but not mushy. However, after awhile trying Viv's, I think the Henry was better because of the tofurkey. Definitely not a "wow" eating experience; but it was satisfying, inexpensive and I did not have any meat urges.

The Good:
- Burritos are quite large and heavy
- You really don't miss the meat (at least I didn't)
- Good value

The Bad:
- I guess if you're dead set on eating meat, then move along
- From other people, it looks like that mistakes happen here

Sushi & Main Tea House

I remember trying a bubble tea from Sushi & Main Tea House quite a few years ago. I had dropped off a friend and she went in to get it, so I have never been in the place. From the outside, it's really quaint and soon the curiosity factor sets in. It makes you really want to go inside and try it, even though it says clearly "Sushi & Main Tea House". Yes, the sushi part makes me nervous, partly because it doesn't look like place that should be serving sushi and honestly, is it any good? Well, I wasn't going to find that out today, especially since I was on my way to see my doctor.

So I stroll into the place and notice 2 youngsters waiting for their bubble tea. They looked at my strangely when I started snapping photos. I did the "I'm not a tourist" routine to explain what the heck I was doing. I'm not sure if it worked because they seemed a bit confounded. On the other hand, what confused me was the little girl who came out to take my order. I wasn't expecting that. They start them young these days! I went for a fresh fruit Lychee Slush with Coconut Jelly. As I was waiting for my drink, I soaked in the decor. I gotta say that it's one of the most eclectic combination of things I've ever seen. From the sticker wallpaper to the African art, there was a little of everything in there. I particularly enjoyed looking at the chandelier near the counter. Nice touch. It goes well with the uh... disco ball???

I did like the price of the bubble tea, it only cost me $4.50 for fresh lychees. The drink was quite light and refreshing. The contents were well-blended and the jelly provided all the sweetness I needed. Some might consider the drink a bit bland; but I do not like my bubble tea tasting like liquid candy. The little bits of lychee throughout the drink provided both texture and legitimacy of being a fresh fruit beverage. While I was taking my last photo of the drink at the front window, the little girl asked me what I was doing. I explained that I wrote a food blog. Her reply, "what's a food blog?". Um, it's like a website where I talk about food. She didn't seem to quite comprehend. I ended up giving her a Moo card. She seemed impressed. Look at me, I'm impressing 9 year-olds!

The Good:
- Garage sale decor, it's awesome!
- Pretty good bubble tea, not too sweet
- Inexpensive

The Bad:
- Although there are a couple of couches, this is not a place to really sit because it's so small
- The name of the place might scare some people off

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