Kim Penh Xe Lua

For a big metropolis, there are not really all that many choices for late night eats in Vancouver. Sure, there is Denny's, Knight & Day and Tops. But I'd rather stand in the middle of #3 Road in Richmond with a bulls eye painted on my chest than eat at those places. This is the dilemma Polka King and I faced after our weekly late night Wednesday hockey - 1:30am on a weekday looking for eats... Well, there was one place that we noticed when we were at #1 Congee Noodle a couple of weeks ago. It was a Pho restaurant and it was open 24 hours. But we really couldn't remember the name. Well, it turns out the name is Kim Penh Xe Lua. Alright, what happened to easy to remember names such as Pho Tam, Pho Hong, Pho Hoa or even Pho T&A??? Like there is any chance we'd remember Kim Penh Xe Lua.

We got to the restaurant pretty fast because not many people would be on the road at 1:30am on a Thursday morning. We stepped into the restaurant and it seemed like we'd never left the ice rink. Talk about a slippery floor! Did they mop the place with oil??? More on the oil later... Another thing we noticed was the communal tables. In the middle of the restaurant, there are 3 long tables. I guess you'd better not be OCD about personal space because you won't get any here. Despite a free table for 2 available, we sat at the communal table since there was sufficient lighting for pictures. Hey, you know me! I decided to order the XL bowl of #16 which was the Pho Chin, Nam, Gau, Gan and Sach. However, #17 was exactly the same thing. I was a bit confused. But in Chinese characters, #16 had one more item, so I went for that one. I still don't know what I got extra for ordering #16 and honestly, I don't want to know.

I gotta say, for $6.79, the XL is a fantastic value. The bowl was large, the noodles and meat were plentiful. One problem. The broth was fattier than Rosanne's liposuction. In addition to the considerable oil slick, oily "floaties" were everywhere. Not the most appetizing sight. Looking beyond that, the soup itself was quite flavourful without being salty. The noodles, however, were a bit clumpy. Good value; but overall disappointing execution. For curiosity sake, I also got the Grilled Chicken Banh Mi. It came steaming hot and I really enjoyed eating it, the bread was crunchy and light and the chicken was tender. Polka King had the Chicken Curry (yah, I wouldn't order that here) and predictably it was so-so. I guess we shouldn't be complaining since it's early in the morning and choices are limited; but compared to other Pho places, this would not be my first choice.

The Good:
- Large portions
- It's cheap!
- It's open 24 hours

The Bad:
- Pho is pretty average and the broth is oily
- The floor is oily
- What else is oily? I don't want to know...

Hibiki

It's not often that I say this... but it was a long and hard day at work today. Yup, I was mentally exhausted. Due to a meeting, I wasn't going to get home in time to take my son to his skating lesson. However, with some help from my parents, Viv was able to take him. I ended up making it in time to meet them at the ice rink. It's quite amusing to watch the kiddies learn how to skate. If it were me, I'd just give up after 20 minutes of falling down over and over again. He was a good sport and kept trying. If that weren't enough, once he was done that, we had to boot it over to Bonsor for his floor hockey session. Luckily he's full of energy. Too bad he thinks picking up the puck and chucking it across the gym is a legal move in hockey. We'll need to work on that... After such a long day, I was not in the mood to do anything more. Thus, we headed over to a restaurant that we have avoided up until now. Actually, there was no good reason for us to avoid it other than that their parking spaces never seem to be full. They are in the same complex as #1 Beef Noodle House and Tasty Village. I guess no restaurant would have the crazy double... I mean triple-parked cars in front as #1 Beef Noodle.

Today, we took advantage of the available parking for Hibiki and decided to give it a try. The interior of the restaurant is indeed interesting with painted murals on most of the walls. I see they tried to spruce up the sushi bar with a curtain covering some white Christmas lights. I also though the aquarium at the front with a water-breathing dinosaur was a bit... interesting. Overhearing the server speak to one of the chefs in Mandarin, I knew this was not a Japanese-run establishment. But once again, it's not important who prepares the food if it ends up being good. Time to order and time to put this theory to the test. We started off with a small order of Salmon Sashimi. The slices were quite thick and the fish was indeed fresh. However, what is up with the presentation??? Let's take a slab of salmon and put 5 cuts into it and slap it on a plate and presto, we have salmon sashimi! Uh... I don't remember that I have ever received sashimi presented in one long piece before. Moving on, we got the Tempura Udon for my son. Served separately from the udon, the tempura was both generous in size and well prepared. The batter was not too thick and it was crisp. The udon itself was al dente; but I personally felt the soup was a bit weak and thin.

We wanted to order something a bit more substantial and agreed on the Katsu Don. It came with a Miso Soup and *gack*, it was bordering on cold! Would it have hurt them to nuke it or something? I hate cold soup! Even when it's supposed to be cold! The don itself was quite large with plenty of tonkatsu on top. I also liked the rice, it was a bit chewy and each grain of rice was discernible. Lastly, we got a sushi combo which consisted of 1 California Roll, 1 piece each of salmon, toro, tai, hamachi, amaebi, tako, unagi, tobiko, chopped scallop and shark's fin nigiri. The nigiri wasn't too bad; but the California roll was not very good. It was a bit loose and for some reason or another, the imitation crab meat looked and tasted unappetizing.

We didn't dislike our meal at Hibiki; in fact, we thought the prices were pretty reasonable for what we got. Yet, it wasn't all that exciting either. Was it the poorly presented sashimi? The cold miso soup? Or was it the California roll? Well, one thing is for sure, there is better Japanese food to be had elsewhere.

The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Good portions
- Fairly fresh ingredients

The Bad:
- Like the other restaurants in this plaza, there is not enough parking spots
- Food is a bit average

Ajisai Sushi Bar

The previous night, Rich Guy and I attempted to watch the new movie 2012 after dining at Toshi. However, I guess we were a bit naive to believe we'd actually get tickets for opening night. Tonight, we gave it another go by arriving more than an hour earlier. Once again we were denied faster than trying to fight for a parking spot at Yaohan Centre. I suppose next time we should actually just get our tickets online, just like the commercial tells us to before every movie. I guess we just don't pay much attention to ads and previews that last longer than a sitcom on TV.

A bit dejected, we found solace in the only thing that would do the job - food! We took the opportunity that we were without our respective kids once again, to eat at a place which would be either too small, wrong type of food or have a potential lineup. Yesterday was Toshi, today was Ajisai. Bear has been raving about this place before; but it could never accommodate our entire softball team in the summer. With only 2 people and eating at 9:00pm, we felt our chances at getting a seat were better than having your windshields forcibly squeegeed at an intersection. Why must they do that when I have just washed my car? I digress. We ended up sitting at the sushi bar, which was fine by me. I enjoy watching the knife skills of the sushi chef. At Ajisai, they are Japanese sushi chefs and staff. That's right folks, a real Japanese restaurant!

We decided to start with the Salmon Sashimi and it was excellent. The fresh buttery and sweet flesh was a great way to begin the meal. We were quite impressed with the next dish which was the Geoduck in a ponzu dressing. The geoduck was very fresh being sweet and crunchy. The tangy ponzu really enhanced the sweetness of the geoduck by giving a contrasting flavour. We also got a few pieces of Nigiri which consisted of Red Tuna, Inari and Whole Scallop. Predictably, they were once again really fresh (Inari was fresh too, despite being only tofu skin). The sushi rice had the desired soft while slightly chewy texture. Presented on the same platter was the House Roll which consisted of Tuna, Salmon, Tobiko, Imitation Crab, Ebi and Cucumber. Despite being a relatively large roll, it stayed together without being squished.

Saving the best for last, our order of BBQ Gindara arrived with lemon, asparagus, grated daikon and nato (fermented beans). The perfectly cooked black cod melted in our mouths. When combined with the other items on the plate, there was a nice combination of salty, sweet and tartness. At this point, we were a bit full; but a dish we had seen prepared earlier was still on our minds. The Seafood Salad looked so good, we just had to order it! And order it we did. There was a bounty of seafood resting on a bed of lettuce and spring mix. Tako, ebi, salmon and tuna was generously distributed over fresh greens laced with a light vinaigrette. To top it all off, there were corn flakes! It added a nice crunch to the salad.

Seriously, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of food we ate at Ajisai. Not only was it fresh, it was masterfully prepared and presented. It definitely is a hidden gem since you actually cannot see it from the street. I'm inclined to say that this is now one of my favourites for authentic sushi. Having visited Toshi the day before, I can confidently state that Ajisai is better. If you ever make it out to Kerrisdale, you gotta give this place a try.

The Good:
- Carefully prepared sushi
- The stuff just tastes great
- Authentic

The Bad:
- The place is so darn small, not sure why the washroom is so big...
- If you didn't know where it was, you'd never find it

Thomas Haas

Inspired by Kim's post and the fact that I would be in North Van already, my son and I paid a visit to Thomas Haas. Back in my Charlie's Chocolate Factory post, I mentioned that he would not appreciate the quality and intricate flavours of Thomas Haas. After all, anything that is sweet is usually fine by him. I could probably give him a cube of sugar and he'd be giddy for the rest of the day. So off to Thomas Haas we go to see if it is as good as everyone says it is (including my picky sidekick). Actually, I had already had a taste of Thomas Haas on my visit to Vij's. Although it didn't blow me away, the chocolates were indeed smooth, delicately crafted and not super sweet.

We headed over on Saturday morning and as expected, it was an absolute zoo. For the amount of seating space provided, it's best to just get it to go. The fact it was raining as well didn't help the matter, it rendered the seats outside unusable. Since I've already tried the chocolates, I decided to sample their pastries and a sandwich this time around. I got my son a piece of Manjari Chocolate Cake and a Prosciutto Panini for myself. With Prosciutto, butter, asiago cheese, roasted red pepper, watercress, and mayonnaise on organic casalingo ciabatta, the panini was delicious. A little heavy handed on the prosciutto, it was a bit salty; but I'm not going to say no to more meat! My son took a few bites of the chocolate cake and decided that it wasn't for him. I don't blame him, there's rum in it! Well, I really guess he doesn't appreciate the more gourmet chocolate selections they have here.

I also got a Double Baked Almond Croissant, Lemon Tart, Almond Marscapone Cake, Fruit Danish and Macaroons to go. For my beverage, I went for a Mocha. Viv and I absolutely loved the almond croissant. The outside of was sweet and crunchy, while the inside was more buttery sweetness. This was an extremely sinful treat. The lemon tart was fantastic. The filling was very well... tart. Thin, only slightly sweet and very buttery, the crust was a perfect accompaniment to the tart filling. The macaroons were alright, a little too sweet for our liking. Just a bit sweet while still exhibiting the flavour of coffee, I did enjoy my mocha, in between my son's complaining about the cake. I gotta say, most of the items I tried at Thomas Haas were pretty darn good. I will be back.

The Good:
- Carefully crafted pastries, cakes and paninis
- It wasn't really too expensive
- Great service

The Bad:
- Nowhere really to sit
- Crazy busy all the time

Fritz European Fry House

What can I say? I love French fries! In fact, they are probably one of my favourite foods. I think I've mentioned this before; but I would eat some really good fries over lobster. No kidding! I've eaten some pretty darn good fries lately and some of my favourites include McD's, Salade de Fruits, Belgian Fries and Go Fish. Hey don't give me heck about McD's, the fries are indeed good. Also, I must mention that once I saw a negative review on Dinehere regarding the Pomme Frites at Salade de Fruits. The reviewer suggested they replace them with McCain fries. Dude, what are you smoking??? Anyways, I vaguely remember trying Fritz European Fry House a long time ago when I lived in downtown. It was a about time I returned to do a comparison.

With very little parking available on a Fryday night (sorry for the pun), I got Rich Guy to circled the block while I picked up our order. It's a good thing he was with me since there literally was no parking at all. I decided to get a small Poutine and a small Fries with Chipotle Mayo. The woman behind the counter must've noticed my DSLR because she offered to give me the eat-in version with the mayo in a separate cone, even though I was getting take out. Essentially, she helped me "stage" the fries for my picture. How considerate of her! After I finished taking my shots, she packed up my mayo in a take out cup. It's so nice to run into people who actually want to help you (since it's good publicity for the store anyways). This is in stark contrast to the staff at Anna's who were not happy with my picture taking at all.

Both Rich Guy and I agreed that the mayo was fantastic. Exhibiting a smoky spiciness, it was not a feeble attempt; rather it was a kick in the pants flavour rush. The fries weren't bad, they were adequately crisp. That's not to say they weren't any good; I just like them crunchier. The poutine didn't look all that appetizing at first glance with it's pale gravy. However, it did taste a lot better than the colour. A tad on the salty side, the gravy was able to melt all the cheese curds. In terms of being the best poutine in the GVRD, I'm not sure if Fritz nor Belgian Fries can make that claim. I still liked the one from Chambar (albeit a different class of restaurant). With that being said, it was solid and I wouldn't hesitate to go back for more.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Open really late
- Quality stuff

The Bad:
- Maybe it's just me, but I would've preferred crispier fries
- Just walk there, you won't find parking

Congrats to the Winners!!!

Alright, first and foremost, thank you for everyone who entered the draw. Second, thanks for the kind comments, I really do appreciate it! So after I entered all the names into Random.org, it came out as the picture shows. I'm taking the top 3 names and awarding them a $50.00 gift certificate each. So I'll need an email from Margaret, Holly and Eat 'n About, so I can arrange for delivery of the prizes. Margaret received a gift card from The Keg, Holly and Wendy received gift certificates to The Cannery. Thanks again to everyone who entered and congrats to the winners!

Toshi Sushi

Rich Guy made an impromptu return to Vancouver and he was wondering if I could join him for some eats. Of course I was game. It's like asking if Paris Hilton wanted more exposure! Since he had flown in from the Philippines, his sleeping and eating patterns were a bit wacky. Thus, we didn't end up heading out until 8:30pm for food. We threw some ideas around and eventually decided on paying Toshi a visit. After all, we had no kiddies with us, it was the perfect opportunity to do so. You see, Toshi is a very small restaurant with a very long lineup - a recipe for disaster if we had kids with us. Heading over to Toshi, we had pretty high expectations. After all, it is a widely held notion that Toshi is one of the best in town.

I guess other people hold Toshi in high regard since there was a healthy lineup when we arrived, even at 9:00pm. I sometimes wonder about restaurants with long lineups. Is the lineup a product of it's reputation of having a lineup or is the food really that good. After a reasonable wait, we were seated at the sushi bar. We got the Salmon and Tuna Sashimi to start. The wild salmon was fantastic, in appearance and taste. However, despite tasting sweet and fresh, the tuna was curiously mushy. I realize that tuna can be mushy to begin with; but this was a bit too mushy. We really couldn't figure out why since it looked and tasted great. To be a little different, we got the Tofu Hot Pot and it's exactly what it was. Several pieces of tofu, enoki and napa cabbage in essentially hot water served with a vinegary ponzu dip on the side. Nothing really special about this dish other than it was a good deal at $4.00.

We originally had our hearts set on the Gindara; but they didn't have anymore, so we settled on the Spicy Beef. It turns out that it wasn't a bad consolation at all. Resembling a Korean dish, the tender beef was bathed in a sweet and only slightly spicy sauce. We could have kept eating this if there was an unlimited supply. The Chicken Karaage that we ordered was a bit different than we have been used to. With the mid wing and drumette still attached together, these babies were fried until they were very crispy. However, the meat was still quite tender. It was as good as it looked.

Last dish to arrive was the Assorted Nigiri. It consisted of one piece each of tamago, ebi, ika, salmon, tai, tuna, hamachi, saba, amaebi and something that resembled tai, but wasn't. For the life of us, we couldn't figure it out. No matter, all the pieces were fresh and the rice was a perfect consistency. Not being necessarily a bad thing, the tamago was freakishly large. Anyways, we thought this was a good value at $12.95. Despite being a small restaurant, there seemed to be enough staff to take orders, refill tea and settle the bill. The food came out quite efficiently in even intervals. In terms of the food itself, we were pretty happy with our meal. However, we were far from blown away. We're still not sure why people line up for Toshi. Don't get me wrong, there was not much to complain about and the prices are indeed quite reasonable; but is this the best in town? With so many choices in Vancouver, I'm not so sure about that.

The Good:
- Well prepared food
- Reasonable prices
- Good portions

The Bad:
- It's a really small restaurant
- Eternal lineup
- Only open for dinner