Munch

*Restaurant is now closed*

There aren't a whole lot of true family friendly restaurants in the GVRD. Yes, there are the chain restaurants such as White Spot, Red Robin and Boston Pizza which are indeed quite kid-friendly. However, there are not many independent places that cater to parents with screaming kids. There is Choo Choo's out in Langley which offers up train-themed restaurant which kiddies love. Little Nest off of Commercial is one of the few that offer a play area for the kiddies while their parents eat in peace. Now a new restaurant has entered the fray claiming to be family friendly while offering organic eats. Unlike the aforementioned restaurants, Munch is presented as slightly higher class with it's expensive-sounding menu and nice decor. The play area for the kids is larger than the seating space for diners. Much like Go Bananas, there is a gate when you enter the restaurant and no kid can escape while you are there. Moreover, you must sign your kids in so that no one gets separated.

We met up with Vandelay and Donna Chang with their newborn to see if there was any substance to the concept. While the kids were running amok in the play area, we had a chance to look at the menu. I was a bit hungry and decided on their most expensive breakfast which was the Bison Flat Iron and Eggs. Presented on a long plate, there was one slice of multi-grain toast, roasted potatoes, a small bison steak resting on sauteed mushrooms and 2 sunny side eggs. My first impression was this cost $16.00??? I took a minute to think and considered the considerable overhead for the play area that also takes up valuable seats (which affects revenue). So I decided to let the food speak for itself. I was bit annoyed at the one slice of toast (usually there's 2?) and further annoyed at the rubbery texture of the eggs. It looks as if they were made in a small pan; thus they were uniformly round (not aesthetically appealing). I did like the potatoes, they were crisp and soft in the middle with the right amount of herbs and seasoning. The steak was cooked to order and I liked it. I just wish it didn't consist of 5 small slices. I had Filet-O-Fish on my mind as I dusted up the food quite quickly.

Viv had the Chirizo Eggs Benny and Donna Change opted for the Spinach & Mushroom Eggs Benny. I gotta say, the poached eggs were some of the ugliest looking ones I've ever seen. Curiously, there was one perfectly poached and one overcooked egg in each order. Don't get me wrong, they both thought the eggs benny was decent. The Hollandaise was quite good with a nice lemon kick to it. But over poaching an egg is just unacceptable for an eggs benny. Vandelay had the Prosciutto Grilled Vegetable Open Faced Sandwich and I'm sure that wasn't enough food for him. Again, it wasn't bad; there just wasn't enough of it. On that note, the kids meals were just plain tiny. For $10.00, it included drink, a choice of entree and dessert. Not bad, until we got the entree. My son's grilled cheese was pretty darn small. If it weren't for the multi-grain (he hates things in his food), he would've finished it and wanted more food. My daughter's turkey hot dog was more bun than anything. It didn't look like a good value at all. Comparing to the Milestone's kids menu at $10.00 as well, these ones here seem way overpriced. Of course I realize that they must incorporate the cost of the play area and loss of tables into the price.

That begs the question, is the play area and kid friendly environment worth the extra cost? For people without kids, absolutely not. For those who do have kids, it is debatable. It's nice to have a truly family friendly restaurant with a real play area, toys and kids menu. However, there was nothing outstanding about the food that warranted the price point. By no means was it extremely expensive; in fact, the eggs benny were actually in line or even cheaper than some other chain restaurants. However, the kids meals were not very good and pricey. I went away hungry and actually walked across the street to get my son a Happy Meal and a Filet-O-Fish for myself. Generally, a family restaurant should have portions that satisfy the appetites of both
the parents and children. Unfortunately, Munch tries too hard to make their food "upscale" and have muddled up the concept of what a family restaurant should be. With that being said, if they can refine their concept, they do have a good idea.

The Good:
- Excellent play area which is safe and clean
- Great concept of a nicer restaurant that is kid-friendly
- Not the usual family restaurant menu

The Bad:
- Portions are small
- Prices do not reflect value
- Hit and miss with the food execution

Calhoun's

We were planning to have some dessert at Abigail's Party; but the noise level, lack of light and extremely sparse service was beginning to annoy us. When we finally got the attention of our server, which seemed more difficult than crossing #3 Road in Richmond, Bear canceled his dessert. The server seemed genuinely disappointed at that. We wasted another 20 minutes trying to get her attention regarding my double-charged beer. As a result, we headed to Calhoun's for some dessert. Calhoun's? Isn't that what Bread Garden used to be like? Yup, but at 2:00am in the morning, there are not a whole lot of choices for some beverages and dessert. In fact, Calhoun's used to be a regular hangout during my University days.

Not much has changed here except for the free WiFi. It was nice to be at a place where there was light and quiet enough that I didn't have to yell to have a conversation with the person next to me. I got a slice of Key Lime Cheesecake and a Steamed Milk and headed over to grab a seat. I liked the fact it was a baked cheesecake. On the other hand, I didn't like the crust. It was hard and a poor compliment to the smooth cake. I did like the lime topping, it was sweet and tart. Lionel Hutz had already gotten his slice of Carrot Cake and before he could dig into it, I hijacked it. I ended up taking it to another table where there was more light to take a picture. All this time, he was shaking his head. Despite that, he let me try the cake and it had a lot of carrot, raisins and walnuts. It was pretty good and not too sweet. I proceeded to do that with Boss Woman's Banana Cream Cake and Bear's Berry Bar (that just sounded quite funny...). I chose to ignore the stares from other people wondering WTF I was doing. I didn't like the banana cake. There was far too much butter cream and it was quite sweet. Boss Woman didn't seem to like it that much either. I didn't get to try the berry bar since it was quite small and you never want to disturb a hungry Bear.

It was nice to have some time in peace and quiet to chat about things with friends at Calhoun's. It definitely brings back memories when we would come here after studying, clubbing or a case of insomnia. As for the food here, don't expect too much. After all, most of it is refrigerated in the display case waiting to be nuked. Their pastries and desserts are alright; however, better can be found in many other places. With that being said, their freshly made sandwiches are not too bad. But it's comfortable, spacious and inexpensive. The main draw here is that it's open 24 hours and if you needed somewhere to go for coffee and a snack at 2:30am, there is really not much choice.

The Good:
- Open all the time!
- Decent selection of drinks and food
- Comfortable

The Bad:
- Food is what it is
- Don't expect service, it's do it yourself

Abigail's Party

As per usual, I picked up Polka King on our way to our Friday night hockey game. We head in and take a look at the video screens for which rink we would be playing at. We wheel our bags over to red rink and... the Zamboni is toast! Yup, it broke down. The game prior to us had not even started yet! Yikes, what do we do for over an hour? Well, not much really, just head back into the lobby for warmth and chat. I suggested we go eat first... to no avail. Of course, with the game being delayed for over an hour, it cut into my eating time afterwards. As a result, we had to look for really late night eats. Boss Woman wanted to go to Happy King; but we had already appeased her with a visit to Congee Noodle King last Friday. We voted against wonton noodles and decided on something a bit different. In reality, it might have been a bit too different...

Lionel Hutz suggested a place he'd passed by many times while dining at his favourite spot - Hapa Izakaya in Kits. The place is Abigail's Party. When I drove by as I was looking for a parking spot, it dawned on me that this may not be the right place for us. It was pitch black inside and resembled more like a club than anything else. Man... I haven't been to a club in over 10 years! As Polka King and I walked into the place it was indeed very dark. We made our way to the table where Milhouse, Boss Woman, Lionel Hutz and Bear were already seated. Yes indeed, it is Bear, he is alive and well. He played for our hockey team tonight.

Let's just say the crowd here is quite young (and I don't even think I'm that old!). They are boisterous and out to have a good time. Nothing wrong with that, it goes with the overall ambiance of the place. It just makes it hard for anyone to have a conversation without yelling. Furthermore, not many people were eating; rather, they were drinking lots. That didn't stop us since we were a bit hungry. Polka King and Boss Woman shared Scallops & Clams in addition to a Poutine. 2 large nicely seared Qualicum scallops rested on a bed of clams. At least this is what I thought it looked like. You see, it was so dark in there, we really couldn't see what we were eating. Bear got a chance to look at my pictures after the fact and he exclaimed, "so that's how my food looked like!" Polka King thought it was nothing special; but at least everything seemed fresh. Milhouse had Big Al's Beef Burger and he thought it was neither dry or juicy being somewhere in the middle. He did like the fries though, they were very crispy. Lionel Hutz really enjoyed his Short Rib Sloppy Joe. The meat was tender and he really liked the sauce, it was sweet and tangy. For me, I had the Duck Confit Sliders and a Poutine as well. I was a bit indifferent about them because the duck was a bit dry and the texture of the bread was a bit tough. I did like the pickled cabbage on top though. Good crunch and tang added to the otherwise flavourless duck. In terms of the poutine (Bear had it too), the fries were great and the cheese curds were melted. The chicken gravy was unique with a slight sweet veggie aftertaste.

Surprisingly, the food was pretty decent here, especially since we didn't expect it due to the overall atmosphere. However, I do not recommend coming here for a bite if you do not like a club/bar atmosphere. Furthermore, there was only one actual server (along with the boss?) handling the entire place. Thus, the service was sparse and error-filled (although it was really friendly). I didn't get my beer originally and when I asked for it a second time, I got charged for 2 beers! I also asked for bacon on my poutine and did not get it. Also, waiting for anything, including the bill took forever as our server seemed more interested in socializing than paying attention to requests.

The Good:
- Food actually ain't bad
- Open late
- Club/bar-like atmosphere (if that is your style)

The Bad:
- Service was friendly, but absent-minded and non-existent at times
- It's so dark, you really can't see what you're eating
- Club/bar-like atmosphere (if you hate that sort of thing)

Krispy Kreme

When we didn't have a Krispy Kreme up here in the GVRD, Rich Guy and I would drive all the way to Burlington in Washington State for some donuts. That's right, we drove over 1 hour to grab donuts. We were either very committed or should be committed. Whatever the case, imagine the discussion we had with the border guard at customs. "Sir, do you have anything to declare?" "Yes I do". "What is the total amount you purchased?" "$80". "What did you purchase?" "Donuts". "Donuts???" "Yes, we like donuts". "Uh... have a nice day". We would do Krispy Kreme runs for all of our friends; thus the big purchase. I'm not sure if the border guard was confused or thought we were nuts or something. When Krispy Kreme first opened in North Delta, we lined up for over 1 hour for these donuts. In hindsight, I'm not sure why we were so insane. Could it be the hype? Although I don't mind eating Krispy Kremes, they are surely not my favourite. That is reserved for Top Pot and Voodoo.

Krispy Kremes have one thing going for them - they are not very heavy. It's easy to eat more than one of them because there is practically no substance to them. However, there is far too much glaze on them. They are so sweet, Jolly Ranchers have nothing on them. Personally, I can only eat one of them at a time. However, Miss Y can do at least 3 at a time. The original glazed is still by far the best donut they have at Krispy Kreme. For some reason, their other variations, including jelly-filled, cake and fritters are not as good. It's possibly that they are just too sweet? Whatever the case, I don't mind eating them occasionally because they are far different than any of the offerings they have in the GVRD.

The Good:
- Very light, you can eat more than one (not sure if you should)
- They're made fresh (even fresher before when they were more busy)
- Decent selection

The Bad:
- Far too sweet
- Other than the original glazed, their other donuts seem almost an afterthought
- Expensive

Pizza Garden

Polka King has been playing late night Wednesday night hockey at Brit for over 15 years. The fact that it starts at 11:30pm was never that attractive to me. If you think about it, there is no time for sleep until you need to go to work the next day! I have played it a few times over the years and it is indeed fun, if you feel like being unproductive the next morning. However, I am also not one to turn down a chance at some exercise. Besides, all this eating needs to be tempered with calorie burning. Therefore, I dragged my lazy behind to play some really late night hockey tonight.

Let me just say this, after the hockey was over, I now know how Carey Price felt in the lost to Vancouver 7-1. There were 8 breakaways, 4 2 on 1's and a 3 on none! I'm lucky I didn't pull a groin. Whatever the case, I didn't really care because there was some eats I was looking forward to. Eats? At 1:30am in the morning on a Thursday??? Yup, Pizza Garden happens to be nearby to Brit and that's where I headed after hockey. It's open until 2:00am. I dragged Polka King with me since I drove him. Viv has told me about Pizza Garden before since she works nearby. Furthermore, Kevin blogged about it and I wanted to compare it with Uncle Fatih's (which is also nearby and open until 2:00am as well).

2 slices and a canned pop can be had for $5.00 including tax. I got one slice of Pepperoni and one slice of Sausage and Onion with Garlic Sauce. I drizzled more sauce on it for good measure. Polka King got a slice of Hawaiian and a slice of Pesto. He ate the pesto before he realized that I didn't take a picture of it yet. He was so apologetic, almost scared, that I'd do something to him. I wonder if I really do scare my friends when I warn them not to eat before I take a picture? Anyways, the pizza crust itself was not oily and I liked the addition of sesame seeds. However, it was a bit oily on the top. The pizza was pretty decent; but I definitely prefer Uncle Fatih's more. The crust there is crispier and lighter, and it's cheaper ($4.00). Mind you, at 1:30am, if you're spending only $5.00 on 2 slices of pizza and choice of canned pop, there is really not much to complain about.

The Good:
- It's cheap
- Open late
- Pizza ain't bad

The Bad:
- A bit greasy on the top
- Crust is a bit dry
- Store is a bit dirty

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