Da Mario

I have to confess that I never have eaten at Da Mario up until now because the front facade scared me. From the time I used to live in Coquitlam (10 years ago) until now, every time I passed by, I assumed it was closed. Frankly, I don't understand why they don't try to spruce it up with a new coat of paint or a new awning. However, I was told that the inside is much nicer than the outside. Tonight, we met up with Wolvie and Italian Stallion for an early dinner. The interior of Da Mario was indeed a lot more inviting than the outside. We brought the kiddies as well and prepared to suffer the consequences of doing so. The place was actually quite nice and thoughts of my kids hitting the wine glasses with their cutlery made me cringe. Serves us right for teaching them to do so at the countless weddings we've been to! I guess we'll see how they did... As if it was meant to be, we got one of the few window seats. I'm not sure if Wolvie mentioned so in making the reservation; but it worked out for me!

My first thought when I opened the menu was that it was everything was relatively inexpensive, especially the pastas. Taking into consideration that Da Mario is in the Entertainment book, a meal here can ultimately be quite cheap. I decided to get the Linguine alla Vongole or linguine with clams. I gotta say, when it arrived, I was surprised at the portion size. It was much bigger than I envisioned it to be. I keep thinking that pastas from authentic Italian restaurants would be small. In this case, think of a portion in between Marcello and Anducci's. For $14.00, it was a decent value considering the Entertainment coupon. As for the pasta itself... that's another story... The linguine was bordering on overcooked and the sauce was quite watery. Furthermore, it was very salty. It completely masked the fresh tomato and clams.

Viv tried one of their many types of Veal Cutlets. I believe she had the Parmigiana. By virtue of using essentially the same tomato sauce, it was salty. Also, the breading was mushy and loose. This was not a textural winner in any sense of the word. Normally, a pan fried cutlet should be crispy no matter what sauce you put on top. To prove this point, the Schnitzel at the Old Bavaria Haus were very crispy despite the sauce on top of them. Italian Stallion went with a Baked Sausage Penne. As you can see in the picture, there is more liquid at the bottom of the penne than an overflowing toilet. It looked more like penne in tomato broth than baked penne. He liked the flavour of the sauce despite being watery. Wolvie had the Veal Prosciutto and it was quite flavourful due to the prosciutto. The veal was tender; however, it was quite thin. She really didn't care for the vegetables, they were overcooked.

The kids shared a Penne Alfredo and the kitchen intelligently split the order into 2 plates. Again, the pasta was a bit overcooked; but in this case it worked for the kiddies. There was quite a bit of Alfredo sauce on the plate, although it did taste quite good. Italian Stallion thought that they didn't reduce the sauce enough, consequently it was not very thick. My daughter ate lots while my son didn't eat a lot as usual since there was pepper in it (the infamous "things" in the food). On a side note, they did pretty well here, looks like I can take them to nicer restaurants after all!

It's interesting that the meal was a bit disappointing. Maybe I went in with unrealistic expectations. After all, another Italian friend of mine recommended the place. However, to preface this, he has only had the gnocchi and lasagna there - 2 dishes I did not order. Mind you, Italian Stallion wasn't all that impressed either and as his nickname suggests, he's Italian too. His philosophy on Italian food, particularly pasta, is best eaten at home cooked by mom. The pasta sauces are cooked slowly over a long period of time with love. No restaurant has the time or financial commitment to cook a sauce for 8 hours (unless if it is a fine dining place that charges $50.00 for pasta!). So, mom's cooking is better! How can anyone argue with that?

The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Good portions
- Authentic
- Pretty nice dining room

The Bad:
- Food was generally salty
- Pastas were watery and overcooked
- The outside needs some work

Amelia

I'm always on the look out for inexpensive breakfasts. After all, 2 eggs, choice of meat, hash browns and toast should never really exceed $10.00 (unless it's fine dining). Look at the raw materials, nothing really jumps out as expensive. When it comes to cheap breakfasts, Bon's off Broadway takes the cake. For $2.95, you get a complete meal and it's available all day! Jane's in Burnaby is only a tad more expensive at $3.50. I heard of another place that serves up decent breakfasts for $3.50 as well in New West. The place is Amelia on 12th. Much like Jane's, it's a Chinese Canadian restaurant. Of course, if you're only paying $3.50 for a complete meal, there are compromises to be made. Amelia has got this 80's pastel theme going on. Think Miami Vice. Imagine the paint adorning the walls and the furniture that you rest your behind on looking like Don Johnson's wardrobe. Art hangs on the walls in almost randomness among the menu specials. Leave your plastic at home because they only take cash. I foolishly did not bring cash with me and had to walk up the block to get some.

As mentioned, their breakfast special at $3.50 is the draw here. It includes 2 eggs, choice of meat, hash browns and toast. For the price, you'd expect 2 sausages or bacon strips; but you actually get 3. Unlike Bon's, where the food looks like it's slapped on the plate, the food here is made with much more care and is presented nicely. The eggs are not overcooked, the hash browns are evenly crispy and the meats are done right. The sausages had a nice colour on them, while not being dry. As you can see in the picture, the strips of bacon with the French Toast are perfectly crispy without being burnt or shriveled up. The French toast itself was soft and pan fried perfectly.

I wanted something a bit different for myself and ordered the Bavarian Breakfast which is essentially the same as the special with the meat being a Bavarian sausage. I'm not sure if it was worth the extra $1.50 though. Next time I'd just have the regular breakfast. Don't get me wrong, the sausage was pretty good though. As you can see in the picture, the sunny side eggs were cooked perfectly. Waffle Guywent a completely different direction and had the Perogy Breakfast. It consisted of the same items in the regular breakfast while adding 6 perogies. He wanted his bacon cooked soft and it arrived as he had requested. This is pretty impressive since the cook was making quite a few orders at the same time. Everything was great on the plate except the onions. They could've used a bit more cooking.

For 6 people with beverages, our bill came out to a little over $37.00 excluding tips. That is an outstanding value considering that the breakfasts were pretty large and the food was made with care. As with most family-run restaurants, the service was personable and efficient. If you are in the New West area, go get a great breakfast with the loose change you have in your pocket.

The Good:
- It's cheap
- Food is made with care
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- When you're paying so little, don't expect nice decor or ambiance
- Cash only

Milestone's

In my University days, Milestone's was one of our "go-to" restaurants, whenever we need a place to go as a group. Mind you, another "go-to" place was The Prow at Canada Place; but it's long gone now. Why Milestone's? Well, it appealed to most people, portions were good and prices were reasonable. Since those days, the prices at Milestone's have crept up dangerously close or at par to fine dining establishments. In terms of portions, they are still good; but unless my eyes are deceiving me, they seem a bit smaller. Nowadays, I rarely visit Milestone's. In fact, it's been a year since my last visit there. Tonight, we went to the Brentwood location, which also happened to be our ol' standby while I was at SFU. Lots of memories here and lots of good times.

We started off with a Milestone's classic, the Spinach and Artichoke Dip with fresh red tortilla chips. I often wonder why they even bother putting a small amount of salsa on the side. Honestly, it's enough for 2 chips max. Whatever, the main attraction is the dip itself. 15 years ago, the dip was served in a really large ramekin. Then suddenly it decreased in size to a square
bowl. Now it appears that it has reverted to a large size in an oval bowl. One thing that I noticed right away was that the dip was quite watery. There seems to be less cheese than before. While chatting with Whipping Girl recently, she confirmed that the dip is indeed less cheesy. However, the dip still tastes really good with a nice creaminess with finely chopped spinach and chunks of artichoke. Continuing on the classic dish theme, I opted for the Portobello Mushroom Chicken. It consists of 2 grilled chicken breasts topped with a creamy portobello sauce on a bed of capellini. The sauce is what makes this dish. It's creamy, earthy and garlicky. When mixed into the capellini, it's a great pasta dish. Unfortunately, the chicken was a bit overcooked this time.

Viv went for another staple at Milestone's, their juicy burgers. She went for the Californian which consisted of spicy avocado salsa, tomato and double-smoked bacon. Predictably, the burger was juicy and quite large. At least to me, the burgers seem roughly the same size as before being quite large and moist. Normally, she'd get the crispy curly fries as a side; but she opted for salad this time. No matter anyways, because my son's Grilled Cheese kids meal came with fries. The chances of him finishing it is as good as getting good service at Po King (which incidentally is closed for a month while on "vacation"... Right...). The children's menu at Milestone's is actually quite extensive. A surprise to some since it doesn't seem like a family-friendly restaurant. Despite costing $10.00, there is a decent amount of quality food which includes a drink, entree and dessert. Another solid, if not unexciting meal at Milestone's. We really do not eat here regularly anymore since there are so many other independent restaurants that are about the same price or less. However, if you have a group of people or just want something predictable, Milestone's is a safe choice.

The Good:
- Good Portions
- Solid food
- Comfortable dining space

The Bad:
- Prices are creeping up there (same with Earl's, Cactus Club and Joey's)
- Food is a bit on the "safe" side much like other chain restaurants

McNoodle House

It's hockey pool season again and a whole bunch of us were off to Chill M's house for some drafting action. It is here where we can all be Brian Burkes and make asses of ourselves. Being environmentally more conscious, I picked up DB Hypno, Vandelay, Costanza and Rock Guy along the way. I also brought my son with me and I swear that all he ate for lunch were 5 chocolate chip cookies. I'm sure Viv would not be impressed, I hope she's not reading this blog post! Although there were many goodies to snack on while we were there, Costanza wondered if we were going to grab some eats after the draft. Being one to never say no to food, I convinced everyone to go. Well, they really had no choice, I drove them all! My sinister plan to "force" people to eat with me!

Since we were in Tsawwassen, it was only logical to eat at a place along the way home. And guess where that "place" might be??? Yes, Richmond once again. I never seem to be able to avoid it - eating in Richmond! We were actually looking for Mak's Noodle House; but we got a bit confused when it read "McNoodle House". After a relatively long wait at 2:30pm, we got a table. You know there is good food to be found when there is a lineup in the middle of an afternoon. Upon settling into our seats, I noticed that the menu and the chopstick wrappers all read "Mak's". So I guess they changed their official name; but didn't change the other things yet? It appears they still have the same Chinese name.
With a name like "McNoodle", I can smell a lawsuit from McDonald's already.

Naturally, I decided to get the Wonton Noodle Soup, which is their signature dish. I gotta say that this is one of the best bowls of wonton noodle soup I've ever had. The noodles are perfectly al dente, which is no easy feat. It's a perfect combination of elasticity and softness. The broth itself is flavourful not in a salty way; rather it has depth. The shrimp wontons are a bit small which actually makes them easy to eat. They are full of crunchy, well-seasoned shrimp. However, the bowl is quite small, so you'll need to order something else. That something else was the Salted Pork & Century Egg Congee. Arriving in another small bowl, the steaming hot bowl of congee was not as thick as I would have liked. It became quite watery after a few spoonfuls. There was a good amount of egg and adequately salted pork. I still prefer the congee from Congee Noodle King or Congee Noodle House instead.

Vandelay decided to get something different so I could blog about it. Honestly, he really does take one for the team when I eat with him. He got the Brisket Rice Noodle Soup. As expected, the noodles were cooked perfectly while the brisket was meaty and tender. He thought the soup was not all that flavourful; but the brisket helped make up for that. Just like me, he wished that the bowl of noodles was bigger. Costanza also went for something different and settled for the Dry Noodles with Sui Gow. The sui gow were packed tightly and were good according to Costanza. However, he thought the noodles were a bit too dry, it could've used a bit more sesame oil. Again, the noodles were perfectly al dente. The 3 of us ended up sharing an appetizer platter consisting of sliced beef shank and marinated jellyfish. This was good with tender slices of meat and jellyfish that exhibited the "snap" texture when bitten into.

When I first mentioned that we were going to a wonton noodle house, I sold the idea to Rock Guy and DB Hypno that there would be non-shrimp options. Little did I know that there weren't many. You see, they don't like shrimp (in fact DB Hypno is allergic to it). Therefore, they were stuck with either getting brisket or gai lan noodles. Rock Guy went vegetarian. He also got the spring rolls on the side. They looked quite crispy and not too oily. Next time I take Rock Guy to a wonton noodle house, I'll make sure it's a crappy one, cuz they won't have any shrimp in it. LOL...

I'm not sure if I'd want to lineup for wonton noodles again since I hate lineups. The service was quite basic while still being friendly. The small portions here were almost perfect for us since we didn't want anything that heavy since dinner was only 3 hours away. However, I can see how this may not look like a good value to some. It's definitely quality over quantity here. Not everything was excellent; but the wonton noodles were indeed very good. Just make sure that you order 2 bowls if you're hungry.

The Good:
- Perfectly executed noodles
- Delicately flavoured food
- Excellent wontons (albeit small)

The Bad:
- Portions only fit for a snack
- Small restaurant and tightly packed
- Lineup

The Patty Shop

So this is a complete random food adventure. You see, I was at West Side Bakery looking for some of their fabulous butter cheese buns and there was this interesting store beside it. On the outside, it wasn't much to look at. In fact, it had the same generic awning as West Side Bakery. Rather, the name of the store really piqued my interest - The Patty Shop. Before you jump to conclusions, it's not a hamburger joint or have anything to do with cow patties. Instead, it was a Jamaican patty shop. Jamaican patties? Score! I love Jamaican patties. To me, this is the most odd location for this shop. You'd expect to find
something like this on the Drive (Commerical). Whatever the case, Viv and I were quite anxious to try these patties!

Despite just finishing up Dim Sum at Golden Star not too long ago, we got one patty each @ $1.90. We got one mild and one hot. The first thing that I noticed was how flaky the pasty was. Some patties I've had in the past are too much like a pizza pop. Not this one, it was flaky and light (lotsa butter or lard!). One bite into it and #$)#$&*)#&$#!!! The darn thing was steaming hot!!! We both burnt the roofs of our mouths! I realize that they make 'em fresh all day and keep them warm; but I didn't know it would be this hot! I had to go to the grocery next door for some cold drinks. I think we almost visited every store on this block in one try! Anyways, once we let our mouths recover, we settled into enjoying our patties. We really liked the texture of the meat. It was smooth without loosing its "meatiness". There was a background spiciness to the hot patty which was very good. The mild one had a bit of spice; but we liked the spicy one more.

TS (eating_club Vancouver) bought a whole bag of frozen patties from here before and thought they were not bad. I trust her judgment. However, her sister wasn't as impressed. I guess the jury is out on the frozen patties. Although, I can assure you that the fresh ones are flaky, flavourful and HOT!

The Good:
- Really flaky and light pastry
- Lots of smooth beef filling
- Inexpensive

The Bad:
- It's strictly takeout (not sure if that's bad, but it is worth mentioning)

West Side Bakery

A long time ago, when I was first going for my driver's license, my instructor had introduced me to some very delicious butter cheese buns. As odd as that just sounded, it is a true story. He was taking me through dry runs of my road test around the Kitsilano Driver's Services on McDonald Street and brought me to West Side Bakery (I'm not sure if it was that name that back then). He was ranting and raving about these cheese buns. For me, I was thinking that he was a bit strange for: (a) bringing me to a bakery and (b) seeming so enthusiastic about these "buns". Whatever the case, I'm game for anything and I tried some of those cheese buns. I gotta say, those were some pretty tasty cheese buns. They don't look like much; but there is a good amount of cheese within buttery "croissant-like" bun. Healthy eating? Nah, take that Krispy Kreme!

Honestly, these cheese buns are best when you either get them fresh outta the oven or nuke 'em for a bit. What you get is nice soft pastry with melted cheddar cheese. Now, if you're wondering why I can't just go to Safeway and buy some of their cheese buns, it's just not the same. The ones at supermarkets seem a bit hard and not all that cheesy. Today, I was only able to get 2 of them since that's all they had left! I was a bit disappointed at only getting 2; but it was better than none I suppose. Trying to avoid the dreaded tax, I ended up getting 4 cookies to bring my total to a half dozen. I got 2 each of the butter chocolate marble and butter sprinkle cookies. I didn't actually try them since my kids wanted it all to themselves. They looked good and the kids liked them. While I was there, a few people came in to get fresh bread. That also looked good. Maybe next time I'll visit the bakery earlier so I don't miss out on the cheese buns. Looks like my ol' driving instructor must've introduced quite a few people to his favourite buns...

The Good:
- Great cheese buns
- Other items seem quite good

The Bad:
- It's a small place, not much selection

Dim Sum @ Golden Star

*Restaurant is now closed*

Having already dined at Golden Star for dinner, I was a bit curious of their Dim Sum. After all, there is a big yellow banner on the outside advertising their Dim Sum staring from $2.75. Since we were in North Van, it seemed like a convenient place to go. We didn't really feel like driving all the way to Richmond, wait, I never feel like driving to Richmond! But why am I always in Richmond? Anyways, we met up with my parents at 11:45am and to our surprise, there was no lineup. Not sure if that was a good or bad thing. The parking lot was full, as expected (since it's so small), so I had to find parking a block away. We ended up with a table right at the end of a row which gave us plenty of space. However, it really doesn't matter where we sat because the dining room is actually quite spacious. I mention this since this is quite uncommon for a mid-range Chinese restaurant. There is so much room, you can actually walk in between the 2 rows of tables in the middle of the restaurant. Yup, no obnoxious people sitting on the front edge of a seat whilst backing into your seat causing you to squash your kidneys against the edge of the table. After we sat down, a line began to grow at the front. Hey, that's what we expect at most Dim Sum places in the GVRD.

Like many other Dim Sum places, there are no longer push carts; only a checklist. I actually like this, the food is much fresher this way. The first dish to arrive was the Shrimp Spring Rolls. There was a good amount of crunchy shrimp; but the wrapper itself was soggy. By looking at the colour of the spring roll, we'd expect it to be really crispy. This was not the case. For people who love garlic, there was no shortage of garlic flavour. The Chicken & Chinese Sausage with Rice was next and I love to call it the "filler" dish. If you were hungry and didn't want to order lots of dishes, you should order this. But if you want to eat more of a variety of Dim Sum, I'd stay away unless you have a big party. Despite what I just said, the rice was one of the better dishes of the day. It was not soggy and there was plenty of chicken, sausage, mushroom and veggies on top. I just wish the chicken was de-boned - much easier to eat that way.

We really didn't like the Pan Fried Buns so much. It wasn't that they were bad; but I suppose we are so used to the awesome ones at Victoria Restaurant. All other versions pale in comparison. I felt that the bun itself was too thick and it overwhelmed the meat. Every bite had more bun than meat. My dad wanted to get some veggies and we found something not usually offered at Dim Sum - Stir Fried Chinese Morning Glory with Fermented Bean Curd. Okay, this may not sound that appetizing; but trust me, this combination is money. In this case, the morning glory was still crisp and there was a good amount of saltiness from the fermented bean curd. We always seem to order BBQ Pork Bun and it's probably because my daughter loves these. She is the total opposite of my son, she eats everything. These ones were good. The bun itself was fluffy and there was ample sweet BBQ pork filling.

Talking about unappetizing, for some, the Steamed Duck Webs might not be that appealing. Well, I've been eating these since I was a kid, so I guess it's because I'm used to it. If you like fried gelatinous skin which is steamed in a oyster- based sauce, this dish is for you. I liked the ones here, they were in one piece, not salty while still being soft. As I have mentioned many times over, one of the dishes that Dim Sum restaurants must get right to be legit is the rice noodle roll. In this case, we got one Beef Rice Noodle Roll and one Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll each. The beef one was mostly for the kiddies er... I mean for my daughter because as you can clearly see, there are "things" in it and my son doesn't eat "things". Curiously, the beef roll was not as soft as the shrimp roll. I've noticed this on more than one occasion at different restaurants. My mom hypothesized that the filling might influence the softness of the noodle itself. Whatever the case, both were pretty good with plenty of filling.

I must confess that the next dish is a personal favourite of mine and I always have to get it for Dim Sum. Somehow, I usually end up eating most of it. Not sure if no one else likes it as much as I do or I just hog it all to myself. I'd like to think it was the former. The Steamed Spareribs were pretty good. A decent mix of meaty pieces with cartilage pieces. It wasn't too fatty nor salty. However, once we were finished the spareribs, there was a significant pool of oil that remained. One dish you'd expect to be a bit greasy would be the Soy Fried Noodles. Not only were they not greasy, they were dry and flavourless. Just by looking at them, there is a definite absence of colour as well. This could of benefited from more light and dark soy.

You might be wondering what happened to the Steamed Shrimp Dumplings. After all, almost everyone orders this and it is also the measuring stick for everything else. Apparently, the dumplings got crossed off our table ticket and they thought we already got it. We told one of the managers this and not only did it come out very quickly after that, he came by to make sure it arrived. I was impressed with their handling of the situation. The dumplings themselves were lightly seasoned and the shrimp was crunchy (I always say this, but it's not crunchy in the sense of crispy; rather it has the "bite" associated with cold water shrimp). Despite the hole in the wrapper of one of the dumplings, the skin was thin and just the right texture (soft, but slightly chewy).

It was pretty solid Dim Sum at Golden Star and I didn't have really all that much to complain about. Most of the food was what it should be and the prices were sure reasonable. I really liked that we were not packed together like sardines and never felt rushed. Service was actually pretty decent and they took responsibility over the missed shrimp dumplings. Although Golden Star would not be my first choice of Dim Sum, it is a place I would return to.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Good spacing between tables
- Food is decent

The Bad:
- As mentioned in the dinner post, the carpet really needs to be replaced
- Small and tight parking lot