Indishpensable

What happens when you want to cook at home, but have absolutely no ingredients to do so? Well, the people at Indishpensable think that they have your solution. In addition to being a restaurant, they specialize in packaging fully prepped ingredients for you to cook at home. Exact quantities and detailed instructions should make it easy for even the worst of cooks (in theory that is). This would be a great way for anyone to fool dinner guests into thinking they were a gourmet chef. For this post, I was challenged by Indishpensable to try one of their pre-packaged take and make meals. After that, I needed to purchase all of the ingredients for that meal and make it again. The challenge was to make it for less than the meal would have cost at Indishpensable. Of course, the first meal was complimentary and the second meal was covered up to $50.00. Although I did get a freebie of sorts here, I was assured that I could say whatever I wanted about the product and the resulting challenge.

When I went to pick up my package, I was greeted by Brent, one of the co-owners of Indishpensable. He explained that all of the items are freshly prepared and packaged for each customer. Best thing to do is to call ahead, so the package is ready for pickup when you arrive. For the really busy or lazy person, there is also delivery (using a cooler bag) available as well. I was given a choice of 4 dinners for two and decided on the Oven-roasted Halibut & Rosemary wrapped in Prosciutto, smashed new potatoes with dill & truffle oil, confit of tomato, zucchini & capers. Upon inspecting the ingredients at the store, it was noted that they used local ingredients and the halibut was Ocean-Wise. Furthermore, the meal came with a coupon for 10% off a paired bottle of wine from Kitsilano Wine Cellar.

Upon getting home, I hastily started cooking because daylight was becoming scarce (for the pictures!). Following the instructions, I first started boiling the potatoes while preheating the oven. While that was going, I started on the tomato confit. As both things were happily cooking, Viv got home from work and helped me wrap the halibut and rosemary in the prosciutto. She stuck that in the oven and I continued cooking the confit. While that was finishing off, I drained the potatoes and added the prepackaged ingredients and proceeded to smash them. By then, the halibut was done and I merely plated it as per the instructions. What impressed me here was the accurate timing and organization of the cooking. Obviously, everything has been thought out thoroughly and made as easy as possible for the end user. That's a good thing, because some customers are probably not used to cooking.

As you can see in the picture, the dish looks pretty tasty. In fact, it was pretty good. Despite the large quantity of herbs used in this dish, they did not overpower any of the ingredients. The herbs added flavour without copious amount of salt. Presentation- wise, there was quite a bit of green on the plate though. I really liked the use of anchovies in the tomato confit because it gives a saltiness that is more complex than plain salt. The use of truffle oil added a subtle earthiness to the potatoes and the prosciutto helped flavour the halibut. However, I think a bit more seasoning was needed for the fish. Since you are cooking it, you can adjust the seasoning as you wish.

Now this meal for 2 purchased at Indishpensable would normally cost $38.00. The second part of the challenge saw me go out and purchase many of the ingredients to recreate the meal. Since some of the items would not be found in a regular grocery store, I chose to shop at Urban Fare. Wait a minute Sherman, you might be yelling out right now. Isn't Urban Fare expensive??? You are correct, but if I were to find truffle oil, there ain't any at Stupidstore! Moreover, if I went to different stores trying to find each item at it's cheapest, I'd waste more gas than any savings I would incur. The only other place I had in mind was Granville Island and it probably would have been a little bit cheaper.

Anyways, I bought most of the items at Urban Fare other than the white wine, rosemary, basil, dill, oregano, garlic, butter, and olive oil. The reason for this is that I had these items already. This is valid because for some people, they would have existing items on hand. The total bill at Urban Fare came to roughly $60.00. If you factor in the other ingredients, it would be well over $90.00 for this meal. Now, of course some of the items would not be completely consumed by this one meal such as the truffle oil, white wine, olive oil and herbs. But you get the gist of it though, there is absolutely no way that someone, purchasing through a retail outlet, could do this meal for $38.00. The only way you can do this meal for remotely the same price is to have most of the items on hand already. But if you did, you'd probably not be Indishpensable's target market. Mind you, if you were short on time, this still could be a dinner solution. Furthermore, you must remember that everything is prepped and cut. Ultimately, for those who want to cook a gourmet meal; but either do not have the know-how or a pantry/fridge stocked with ingredients, Indishpensable is their saviour.

The Good:
- Everything is pre-cut and ready to cook
- Very good portions of food
- It's fresh and everything is thought out carefully
- Can impress girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband

The Bad:
- Some people who have a stocked pantry and can really cook may not go for this
- Although there is delivery available, more locations would be handy (if they continue to be successful, I guess this won't be an issue)

Hatto Sushi

Thinking that I hit all the sushi places in North Delta (Minori & Akari), I wasn't expecting to see another Japanese restaurant when I dined at the Green Lettuce. Hidden in the corner of the same shopping complex is Hatto Sushi. So far, Minori has been a decent choice for Japanese food out here. Akari was decent, but on subsequent visits, it hasn't impressed me. I was quite excited to eat Japanese for lunch today since most of the restaurants on Scott Road are Indian. Don't get me wrong, I love Indian food, but after awhile, I feel like I'm sweating curry!

Arriving a bit early, I expected Hatto to be closed. However, their door was ajar, even though the hours indicated they open at 11:30am. Oh well, I walked in and indeed they were open. They should really change that sign. I was greeted warmly and I got my choice of tables because I was the only one there. At that point, I was hoping it was because I was early! I was quite impressed with the selection of sushi on the menu, especially for a Japanese restaurant out here. I really hate when there is too much choice, I end up taking really long to order. Well, I did decide on the Salmon Sashimi and when it arrived, I was pretty surprised to see wild salmon. Happily digging in, the slices of salmon were sweet and fresh. A really nice start to the meal. The prices of the Nigiri Sushi were a bit high; but I decided to get some anyways. I got 2 pieces each of Toro, Unagi and Inari. Not particularly looking that impressive, they did taste better than they appeared. I liked the sushi rice, it was soft; but not mushy. The Toro could have been sliced a bit bigger in my opinion, especially for the price.

The last item I ordered was at their suggestion - the Caterpillar Roll. It sure looked impressive when it arrived with lots of avocado on the outside and 2 strips of cucumbers doubling as the antenna. It did taste good since the avocado was fresh and there was just enough sauce. However, far too much rice overwhelmed the unagi in the centre. I really didn't even notice it was there to tell you the truth. The 3 items that I got cost me close to $30.00; yet I really didn't seem overly full. Although the food was pretty decent, I'm not sure if I got good value. The salmon sashimi was a real treat; but the other items were pretty average. While I can't say that I didn't like Hatto Sushi, I wasn't all that excited about it either.

The Good:
- Decent Japanese food considering the location
- Friendly staff
- Good selection of items on the menu

The Bad:
- A tad pricey
- Portion size could be a bit better

Tuttimelon

*This is now closed*

I swear it's a conspiracy. Of all people, I win a coupon for a free topping from Tuttimelon thanks to Wendy (Eat 'n About). You see, I have a love-hate relationship with Richmond and guess where Tuttimelon is located? On one hand, there are a multitude of great places to eat, drink or grab a snack in Richmond. On the other hand, I have to put up with people who: drive 30km/h in a 50km/h zone, do not understand how a 4-way stop works, fight to the death for a parking spot, cut you off like you didn't exist and wear those ridiculous full shield visors. Wendy... this one is for you...

Alright, to drive all the way to Richmond for some froyo didn't seem quite fulfilling, so this visit to Tuttimelon was right after a pretty satisfying lunch at Rainflower. This actually worked out perfectly since we didn't order dessert at Dim Sum. Also, something fruity and cool is the perfect refreshment to counteract salt and MSG. Walking into Tuttimelon, it reminds me a lot of Qoola. Trendy modern decor? Check. Fresh fruit? Check. Multitude of dry toppings? Check. Menu on 2 flatscreens? Check. Crazy Richmond traffic outside? Check. Hmm... I wonder who's copying who? If I'm not mistaken, Tuttimelon opened their San Francisco store in 2007.

Not really knowing what to order, I asked the staffer there for her opinion. She said that a popular combination is the Mango Frozen Yogurt with Mochi and Strawberries. For those who do not know what Mochi is, it is essentially a rice cake that is soft and a bit chewy. The staffer was bang on, the Mochi really complimented the froyo. I was skeptical at first because I thought soft with soft would be just mush. But, the slight chewiness did give a texture contrast and the
neutral flavour of the Mochi did not conflict with the mango froyo. The strawberries added a nice zing and sweetness. The froyo itself was extremely light and refreshing. It was almost guilt-free dessert eating. Almost. I liked how the mango flavour was pronounced and it wasn't merely just sweet. There was a bit of mango tartness which ultimately added to the refreshing taste. The one thing that detracted from the texture of the froyo was that it was not cold enough. While I was taking the picture, it was already melting. Maybe I was too early and they had not properly froze the yogurt yet? Despite that, I enjoyed my froyo from Tuttimelon and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg (well, thanks to the coupon from Wendy). However, it required me to drive to Richmond and I bet Wendy was pretty happy with that!

The Good:
- Fresh toppings
- Great tasting froyo
- The place is spotless

The Bad:
- It was a bit too soft
- Good luck finding parking

Rainflower

Although there are plenty of places where you can get Dim Sum in the GVRD, I've been to quite a few of them already. Yes, I still go to Victoria Restaurant for Dim Sum; but when I want to go to a place I've never been before, there are not a lot left. So, I got my mom to scour the Chinese newspapers in search of a good Dim Sum place I've never been to before. She spotted one called Rainflower in Richmond and asked if I knew about it. In fact I have seen it before when I drove by the old XS Cargo location. But from the outside, it didn't catch my fancy and never thought about it again. Knowing that I had to visit Richmond eventually to redeem the coupon for Tuttimelon I had received from Wendy (Eat 'n About), we headed south to try out Rainflower. We took our chances and made a reservation for 11:30am. We chose this time because it is 30 minutes clear of the early morning discounted Dim Sum. After 11:00am, it's regular pricing and thus we figured that it would be less busy. Turns out we were right, we got seated immediately. Wow, did I ever misjudge this place! When we walked in, the interior was nicely decorated with classic colours. Hanging from the center of the ceiling was a very big chandelier. Unlike many other Chinese restaurants, the seating arrangements were spacious and the chairs were comfortable.

Similar to many of the newer Chinese restaurants, there are no Dim Sum carts here; but only an order sheet where you check off what you want. We started with the Sui Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling). I normally do not order this dish because Viv really doesn't prefer it. With my mom around, I finally had a willing diner. This particular sui mai was extremely lean. I'm not sure if there were even any pieces of pork fat in it. This made for a much stiffer texture. Furthermore, with less fat, the flavours were not as rich. The shrimp spring rolls arrived next and they were only passable. There was nothing wrong with the roll itself because it was crunchy and not oily. However, the shrimp filling was in little pieces; thus becoming a bit mushy.

It always seems like we order the Beef Meatballs... It's really quite a boring dish. After all, it's just ground beef with green onion (sometimes cilantro) and steamed. But when you dip these suckers into Worcester sauce, it comes alive. Don't ask me, it's a Chinese thing. Dip food into English sauces: Worcester, Maggi, HP and the sort. These meatballs were good. Soft, lightly seasoned and not completely reeking of baking soda (that's what makes them soft), they were exactly how they should be. Okay, the moment of truth, the Shrimp Dumplings arrived. The litmus test for any Dim Sum joint are the Haw Gow. These ones were pretty large and the outer wrapper was soft, a bit chewy and translucent. Despite tasting pretty delicate (not too much salt and/or MSG), the shrimp inside were not large enough. This resulted in a pretty loose filling which ultimately fell apart pretty easy when bitten into. I'd give these only a passing grade.

We also ordered the Fish Maw with Shrimp. For those who do not know what fish maw is, it's a fish air bladder which has been fried, then dried. Usually, it's steamed or boiled to rehydrate it for eating. If this scares you, it's really not that bad. This particular dish was delicately sweet and the fish maw was still intact. The flavours were so delicate, it was bordering on bland. Definitely a candidate for some hot sauce. The next dish would have never even come if we didn't look at our bill. We had marked down Geoduck Congee; but the server did not enter it into our order. We inquired and found out they were out of Geoduck, that's why it was never entered. Uh... Would it have been too much trouble to tell us that in the first place??? I can never understand the service at Chinese restaurants. Anyways, we substituted it with the Chicken and Dried Scallop Congee instead. For a non-congee/wonton restaurant, the congee was pretty good. Decently thick and not reeking of MSG, the congee was delicately flavoured by the dried scallops. I didn't get to eat much of this since my daughter went to town on it.

If you're wondering why we always order the Beef Rice Noodle Roll, it's because the kids eat it. Wait, let's try again... My daughter eats it, my son doesn't like the "things" in it. This particular one was more along the lines of the chewy, stiff version. It wasn't terribly hard; but I personally like the softer kind. However, the beef was tender and moderately seasoned. Seeing how the 2 measly pieces of greens on this dish would not count as "eating our veggies", we ordered the Pea Shoots with Bean Curd Stick and Ginkgo Nuts. Beautifully executed, the pea shoots were cooked just right (tender, but still some crunch) and the ginkgo nuts were tender without falling apart. The flavour profile of this dish is usually quite bland and this one was no different. Sitting in a lightly seasoned broth, this whole point of the dish is about delicate textures more than bold flavours.

To fulfill our pork quotient, we got the Steamed Spareribs with Garlic and Pumpkin. As simple as this dish sounds, there are several factors that make or break it. First, some places put so many "crappy" pieces in it, there is no meat to eat. The best pieces are meat attached to bone, not cartilage. Furthermore, the meat should be lean and tenderized with just the right amount of baking soda. Too much and the meat becomes mush. Lastly, it should be flavourful; yet not salty. The spareribs at Rainflower satisfy the aforementioned criteria. As you can see from the picture, there is an ample amount of meat with very little fat or cartilage. Although it's a filler, the pumpkin at the bottom did taste good because it absorbed all the tasty flavour from the seasonings and pork.

While we were eating, I kept seeing a dish that seemed to go by our table every few minutes. I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but it did resemble Hand Shredded Chicken Salad. I took a chance and ordered it. When it arrived it was indeed that dish; however, it was a big mound of mess. They really have to work on the presentation of this! But, the good thing is that it was very large and full of tender chicken, pickled vegetable, julienned carrots, cucumber and seaweed. It certainly tasted a lot better than it looked. With only a slight taste of sesame oil, the whole dish was delicately season. There was good texture contrast between the soft chicken and the crunchy vegetables. No wonder every table ordered this.

The last 2 dishes were Daikon Radish Cake and Vegetarian Goose Roll. The radish cake was pretty good, it was soft without falling apart. As you can see in the picture, it was pan-fried nicely. The real dud of the meal was the last dish. For some inexplicable reason, the vegetarian roll was served fried to a crisp. Looking as wrinkly as Robert Redford's face, this was both an aesthetic and textural failure. However, that was one of the few misses we had for Dim Sum. Generally, the food was quite good and the service was solid (except for the congee incident). Beautifully decorated and quite spacious, the Rainflower has a lot going for it. One thing to note is that there are very few parking spaces allocated for the restaurant. Do not park in the adjoining lots because you will get towed.

The Good:
- Delicately flavoured food
- Good food at good portions
- Excellent dining room

The Bad:
- Very few parking spots
- If you prefer more traditional Dim Sum items, there aren't that many here

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