Church's

With all the fried chicken I've been eating lately, I thought it was about time for a post on Church's. I'm sure most people have tried it before, so there will be no revelations here. However, it is interesting how it stacks up to LA Chicken, Lee's and Popeye's. Sure there is KFC; but I'll leave that to another post down the road. In fact, with my biases towards KFC, I am not in a hurry to eat there in the near future. To me, Church's has a place in my youth. I remember my parents buying boxes of fried chicken from the 41st & Fraser location for dinner every now and then. I loved eating it! What kid doesn't like fried chicken? Oh wait, that would be my son... In fact, when I was in high school and had wheels, I would go there myself and grab a box. You read it right, I dusted off a whole box of 10 pieces all by myself! And remember, the pieces back then were much bigger. Fortunately (health-wise), I can no longer do such a thing, so I actually share with others.

Tonight, my son had just finished up his ice skating lesson and we were on the way home. I decided to drop by the Church's on North Road to pick up some chicken for dinner. Before that, I had visited McD's to grab a grilled cheese Happy Meal for him since he doesn't eat fried chicken (among hundreds or other things). As we have seen the effects of inflation on many things, fried chicken has not been spared. The 10 piece dark has crept all the way up to $14.00. I remember it being $8.99. Yes, my son will hear all about how it was cheaper when I was his age! And I'll bore him with stories of how we did started with monochrome monitors and Gameboys. Yes, I am turning into a real parent!

I decided to get mostly spicy, with a couple of regular pieces. I had a coupon with me for some hot wings and got some of those too with chicken rice. Before they came up with the spicy chicken, there was one problem with Church's chicken. In my opinion, the batter tasted only of salt. That is where KFC, Lee's and LA Chicken have a "leg" up (I really should stop it with the puns...). However, I find that Church's is usually quite tender and juicy because they don't fry the heck out of it. Now, that is dependent on the location you visit. That would probably explain my terrible experience at Popeye's. Not all locations are the same despite being a chain.

For me, the wings were over-fried and the meat was dry. Not something I'd order again. Ditto with the rice. I'm not sure if they changed the recipe or not, but it was mushy and had overcooked veggies in it. Bleck! In general, you get the drift, the chicken is decent here if you want it juicy. However, in terms of having it juicy and tasty, I'd still go to Lee's or LA Chicken first.

The Good:
- Usually juicy chicken
- Reasonable pricing
- Chicken pieces are decent in size

The Bad:
- Other than the spicy chicken, the chicken just tastes like salt
- Their sides need a bit of work
- Some locations sell the weirdest things (Hastings & Nanaimo has watches???)

Sui Sha Ya

Have I hit a new low? Resorting to having not only AYCE Japanese; but AYCE Japanese at Sui Sha Ya! Not sure if you can even call it Japanese food to tell you the truth. There was one point in time that Sui Sha Ya was one of the few places that offered AYCE "Japanese" food. Thus, I have to admit, I did do the occasional meal there during my University days. With those days way in the rear view mirror, I have graduated to much more quality Japanese food. Besides, I can't get my money's worth at an AYCE anymore.

Remember how I mentioned that I'd rather eat at Sui Sha Ya during the nightmare otherwise known as Kawawa Japanese? Well, since we were at Metrotown getting Santa photos for the kiddies, this was probably the best time to test the that theory. Let's just call this meal a research project. A research project with little to no expectations since my past experiences have not been very favourable. So with camera in one hand and barf bag in the other, I ventured where no foodie would normally go. In fact, I should not consider myself a foodie at all for eating at Sui Sha Ya in general. Please forgive me...

I'm happy to report that the whole experience started off on the right foot since they only charged both of my kids only $3.00 each. Not bad considering that BC Sushi wanted $16.00 for a 4-year old! All Sui Sha Ya locations went through extensive renovations a few years back and they're fairly clean and modern. In all honestly, I only wished that they updated their food too (but I'm getting ahead of myself here). So we checked off quite a few items and prepared to wait. Within 2 minutes, we got practically all of the food we ordered. Instead of Fists of Fury, it was Food of Fury as the plates started to crowd our small table. I couldn't even keep up with the picture taking. This is particularly disturbing since sushi and fried food should not come out that fast. Conclusion - most of the food is sitting around ready to be served. If it isn't bad enough to butcher Japanese food, they need to make sure they serve it at the wrong temperature as well.

We tried the roll sushi first. There were 2 pieces each of Futomaki, Chopped Scallop and Unagi. Looking much like the sushi you'd find on a cruise ship buffet, the rolls looked practically alike except for the filling. Viv made a face immediately after one bite. "It's cold and hard!" Uh... what? Oh right, the sushi (mind was in the gutter for a minute)... That's right folks, what we have here is a case of the pre-rolled sushi. Thus, the poorly prepared rice was not only mushy; it was cold and mushy. On the subject of mushy, the Tuna Sashimi was mushy and quite cold. The Salmon Sashimi was actually decent tasting. However, instead of the nice shiny flesh of fresh fish; what we got was more like a matte finish. I can only hypothesize why that is. Left out too long that it began to dry out?

Once again, another WTF moment was when we looked at the Oyster Motoyaki. The sauce was prepared so poorly that it completely separated. Thus, the oyster sat in a pool of oil among clumps of mayo. Resembling a scene from 'There's Something About Mary", this is probably one of the most unappetizing attempts at motoyaki I've ever seen. Consisting of cold mushy sushi rice with little vinegar taste, the Nigiri Sushi was terrible. Add insult to injury, the slices of Tai and Tuna were super thin. Served stone cold and looking like it had been violated in ways it shouldn't have been, the Gyoza were horrible. Imagine someone taking veggies and grinding them into a paste, much like those infomercials on food processors, sticking it into a dumpling wrapper and calling it gyoza. I'd rather eat a Balut than these gyozas. At least the Balut has texture (well, from the beak). Wait, scratch that, after seeing Chris eat it, I'm not so sure.

OMFG, the House Ramen was the most feeble attempt I've ever seen. With noodles resembling Chinese "Haw Gee Mein", this was no more a ramen than Tiger is faithful. The broth was even more hilarious, it was flavourless except for some spiciness. Nissan instant ramen noodles have better soup base than this one. The "Char Sui" was pretty much Chinese char sui without the food colouring. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, after all the restaurant is Chinese operated. Incredibly, the Chicken Karaage was decent. It was actually hot, crispy and well-seasoned. We were probably lucky where the kitchen was preparing a large batch at that time. However, how hard is it to fry chicken wings? On the other hand, I'm not even sure why they bothered to call what we had "Beef Teriyaki". To me, it looked and tasted more like Jimmy's Beef Jerky. Extremely thin, marinated with some salty sauce and overcooked, it was a damn fine beef jerky on a bed of sprouts. So I guess we shouldn't have been surprised that the Tempura was lukewarm. Hey, it's a step up from stone cold; but again I'm really dumb-downing my expectations here! The batter was actually quite light; so it wasn't horrible. I didn't mind eating it. We also didn't mind eating the Chicken Teriyaki. It wasn't half bad. The actual chicken itself was juicy and tender and it was relatively hot. It's a shame that it was drenched in too much sweet teriyaki sauce. Chalk this up to being a Chinese rendition of teriyaki chicken.

With great anticipation, we dug into the Tonkatsu. Why? Well, at Kawawa, it was more like "Ton-Can't-Chew", so we were not expecting too much. You know what? It wasn't half bad. No joke! It was tender inside and crispy outside. Too bad the tonkatsu sauce was a bit bland. But at least we could chew it. That is always a plus. As you can see, my expectations were quite basic here. We finally got dessert in the form of oranges and gelatin. The oranges were fantastic! The best part of the meal really. That says it all.

The Good:
- Decent pricing
- Food comes out quick (not really a good thing either)

The Bad:
- Well, most of the food is awful
- Too many pre-made items
- This is authentic as products from the Richmond Night Market

Irish Heather (Long Table Series) Part II

Generally, it is not easy to find a venue that can accommodate a bunch of food bloggers. Think about it, the criteria is downright difficult to meet. First, it needs to be big enough. Second, the cost cannot be outrageous (yes, we like to eat; but not when it costs $100.00pp). Third, it helps if the food and/or venue is unique. Fourth, they need to accept reservations. When Kim organized the bloggers meetup at the Irish Heather in October, it seemed like the perfect destination. In fact, it did turn out to be a great time had by all. Hey, how can you beat a good meal with beer for $15.00 or less? That, to any foodie is akin to a 50% discount for Dim Sum. There would be a lineup around the block! Fortunately, you can make a reservation far in advance for the Long Table Series.

Once again, Kim did the legwork and setup our second venture into the LTS. This time around, the dish was Roast Duck Leg with Colcannon Potatoes, Mushroom And Foie Gras Jus for $15.00. Present at this dinner were Kim, Anita, Jessica, Mijune and Viv. As soon as we were seated, our drinks arrived and the food shortly after. I liked the pint of R&B Cream Ale that accompanied our meal. To me, it strongly resembled Granville Island's Pale Ale. As M pointed out, it was a bit stronger and bitter comparatively. As for the main, a good-sized duck leg rested atop a mound of cabbage mash potatoes. The dish was finished with a bevy of button and crimini mushrooms swimming in a a generous amount of foie gras jus. At first, it looked like the plate was over-sauced; rather, it was just enough because at the end, there was no sauce left. The sauce itself was pretty darn good. The flavour was subtle while still exhibiting a richness from the rendered duck bones and foie gras.
The mushrooms added a nice earthiness or umami-ness to the dish. There were little pieces of foie gras throughout the sauce and mushrooms; but they seemed to be lost amongst the other ingredients. Some of us felt that the foie gras should have been seared and caramalized to heighten its flavour.

The modestly seasoned duck leg was moist and cooked nicely. Most of the flavour was left up to the sauce and other items on the plate. Personally, I'm more of a fan of confit rather than roasting since it results in softer, more tender meat and rendered duck skin. With that being said, I did like the dish. Of course, just like last time, what's not to like about a decent meal with beer for $15.00? Thanks again to Kim for organizing the dinner. It is a difficult thing to coordinate a time and place for a meetup. It looks like now the next one falls on my shoulders. I'm looking forward to it though!

The Good:
- It's a deal, in my books
- The food ain't perfect; but for the price it's good!
- Great venue for socializing

The Bad:
- The dining experience comes and goes pretty quickly
- The seating is a bit tight, you'd better like the person beside you

Raincity Grill

Being that Viv's birthday fell on a weekday, we decided to celebrate it at the Raincity Grill on Saturday. This is not the first time we've celebrated Viv's birthday here, we had a pretty large group quite a few years back for brunch. Hey, the place has a lot going for them. Being located near the corner of Denman and Davie, it's got a decent view. Pricing is reasonable for it's location and food is usually quite solid. Well, we put this to the test as we went to dinner without anyone but ourselves tonight. While cruising down Davie, we managed to get the last spot before the bus stop at Denman. The significance? Well, the area around here is filled with restaurants and to find a parking spot on a weekend is a challenge. Just park in the first spot you find, you'll probably won't find another.

We were greeted warmly by the staff upon arriving at the restaurant and seated promptly. I really liked our table since there was just enough light that I didn't have to use the flash. Although I am shameless in my photo-taking, I am a bit sheepish when I need to take pictures with my flash in a nicer restaurant. Next thing you know, I will be taking my dish into the washroom, so I can take a picture in private. You never know! I'm sure that'll get me some stares. Looking over the menus, I figured that the Prix Fixe ($48.00) menu was the best bet. I started with the Baynes Sound Scallops. They were nicely seared, resting on cauliflower, and still a little rare in the middle. Typically, overcooking scallops is a no-no and being a bit on the rare side is preferable. I enjoyed the side of Potato Pave, it had a nice caramelization on the surface.

Viv's a big fan of Japanese food and it was almost a given she'd opt for the Tuna Tataki. Beautifully presented on a large plate, the perfectly grilled tuna (even on all sides) had a nice texture. The addition of the pickled vegetables almost emulated the pickled ginger that normally accompanies sashimi. It provided a much needed textural contrast to the soft tuna. The small ponzu gelee bits were just enough to give another flavour dimension.

I had the Slow Roasted B.C. Spring Lamb. There was a predominant onion theme to the dish with caramelized onion rings, shallot confit, onion fondue and onion foam. The only thing not onion-like was the potato puree. Now don't get me wrong. I actually don't dislike onions. However, let's just say they do a number on me. With that being said, I ate nearly all the onions since they are an integral part of the dish. The lamb itself was super tender and the onions were vital to the flavour profile. On a side note, I'm not a big fan of foam. In this case, I really didn't taste any onion flavour in the foam. That was probably a good thing since any more onion and it would probably be too much of a good (?) thing.

Viv's dish, the Roasted Fraser Valley Cornish Game Hen, was presented beautifully with the honey-glazed white meat atop candied walnuts. The dark meat was served as a roll with the skin on the outside. Although some parts of the white meat were a bit dry, most of it was tender and juicy. The honey glaze combined with the candied walnuts provided a sweet flavour to the dish. Despite that, Viv didn't think it was too sweet. Too bad there was only a small streak of polenta since we both thought it was quite good.

We finished off the meal sharing the Chocolate Mousse. Included on the plate was caramelized walnuts, walnut ice cream and a chocolate crisp. Hidden underneath was raspberry powder which helped give a tart kick to the otherwise very sweet dessert. The crunchy walnuts and crisp were a welcomed textural contrast to the smooth mousse and ice cream. Yet another solid meal at the Raincity Grill. The service was consistent throughout the meal and our requests met promptly. It's nice to see a restaurant that lives up to it's prime location.

The Good:
- Reasonable prices considering the venue and quality of food
- Solid service
- Great location, even better during the daytime

The Bad:
- Unless you do valet, parking can be a bit difficult to find
- I know I'm nitpicking; but the rolls were a bit hard

Burgoo (Lonsdale)

Here we are on the North Shore again. Viv was with our daughter at her music class and I was stuck with the responsibility of taking our son to get a blood test. Yah, I got shafted on this one. There are not many kids, let alone adults, who enjoying having needles poked into their veins for the purposes of blood extraction. It's akin to being attacked by a vampire except it's behind the guise of friendly lab staff. We headed up to upper Lonsdale to do the inevitable. My son was getting a bit restless waiting for his turn and that would only be the beginning of an arduous experience. You see, his veins are not very visible; thus it is very difficult to poke a needle into the right place. The staff tried massaging his arm, putting a warm compress and the sort. This took 45 minutes. Finally, they poked him and missed the vein. It didn't help that he had moved his arm. Then, while the needle was still in his arm, they moved it around to try to find the vein. It looked painful! I gotta give it my son, other than a few whimpers, he toughed it out. If it were me, I'd be passed out on the floor. You'd think after that he'd want to run away faster than Tiger Woods in his Escalade. No, he let them do it again. This time on the top of his hand (which hurts more by the way). Finally after an hour, they got the 2 precious vials of blood. I was impressed at his resolve. I don't get it, he can put up with blood extraction; but can't even eat a freakin' hamburger... go figure.

After that, we were off to find food. A bit randomly, we went to Burgoo at the foot of Lonsdale near the Quay. Why not, it's cold and comfort food seemed like a good choice. Besides, there are items such as grilled cheese and mac 'n cheese on the menu. Things I know my son would eat. Since I've already had the Kentucky Burgoo and other stews at the Point Grey location, I decided to go for a soup and sandwich combo. I naturally chose the Gooey Cheese Grillers (guess for whom) and Pacific Chowder. Viv also had the combo and selected the Chicken Caesar Clubhouse and Straight Up Tomato soup. We got a Mac 'n Cheese and Burgoo Biscuits as well. Despite lots of seafood, I thought the chowder was a bit thin and bland. This was not the case last time when Boss Woman had it at Point Grey. Not sure if this was an off batch or not. I had to add salt and pepper to give the soup some resemblance of flavour. On the other hand, Viv's tomato soup (reminded me of the blood earlier) was plenty flavourful with the exception of being a tad too sweet. At least it wasn't too tart. We both liked her sandwich, after all it had bacon! It really did taste like a chicken Caesar with bacon on a bun.

The grilled cheese seemed to be a hit with the kiddies. They should've called it fried cheese since the bread was soaked in enough grease to make it translucent. As described in the menu, it was 2 Filone sandwiches with melted Mozzarella, Gruyere, Emmenthal and White Cheddar. The result is a very crunchy sandwich with a much more complex set of flavours than a regular grilled cheese. Think of it as a crouton sandwich with high-end cheese. The Mac 'n Cheese didn't look all that big being baked in a modest-sized ramekin. However, it was rich and cheesy. The white cheddar top was perfectly golden and gooey. It was probably the best part! We liked how there was plenty of cheese flavour without being salty. However, I would've preferred that the cheese sauce was a bit smoother, I found it a bit gritty. The Burgoo Biscuits were tasty as usual. Not as fluffy as I remember, it was still good with bits of chives throughout. Adding copious amounts of butter improved the experience. Nope, this food is not for those who calorie-count!

Another solid meal at Burgoo. It's simple, straight-up comfort food. Great for the cold weather we've been subjected to lately. For me personally, I was thrilled to see both of the kiddies eating the food. It appeared that my son forgot about his lab nightmare as well. Wow, not only did he survive that, he also ate lunch without much complaining! Miracles really do happen...

The Good:
- You won't go hungry after eating this comfort food
- They specialize in a certain type of food and don't stray far from it

The Bad:
- If you want more variety, it ain't here
- Prices are a bit high, even if it's a decent value

Pearl Fever

Every so often, I am reminded that owning a car is an expensive and money draining proposition. Unless it's a collectible, it's gonna depreciate until it's worthless. All the while, we keep pumping in money to maintain it and fix it. Today, it was a scheduled "B" maintenance for the SUV and it was gonna cost me a few hundred dollars. So I left it at the dealer and was picked up by Rich Guy for lunch. During lunch, I got a phone call from the dealership informing me that the service was actually going to more since it was a "B13". What that means is "you gotta pay more buddy". Great, now the service has not only doubled in cost, it will take longer than expected. Hey, I love to eat; but I ain't gonna eat for 3 hours.

So I went and got a haircut while Rich Guy went to visit his travel agent (for one of his famous going away trips again). We proceeded to head to the dealership and darn, the car wasn't ready! Fine, we decided to hit up a local Starbucks. You know what? We didn't find one. How come we see one on every block while driving here and can't find one when you need one? Alright, plan B. We passed by a Pearl Fever earlier on and decided to give it a go.

I went for something fruity and got the Passion Fruit BBT with coconut jelly. Rich Guy went for a regular Milk Tea. One sip and... woo wee... That's one sweet drink! I know the jelly adds sugar to it; but honestly it was too sweet. I tried to down most of it and I only ended up drinking half. It was well blended and had lots of flavour at least. Rich Guy's drink was much of the same. I didn't hate the drink, so I'll probably give them another try. At the very least, it helped lessen the sting of the bill when I picked up my car.

The Good:
- Blended well
- Lots of flavour
- Nice decor

The Bad:
- Too sweet!
- Wasn't cheap

Maenam

Often, when I go out for Thai food, I find myself in either a cramped hole-in-the wall joint or a slightly nicer place complete with Thai decor and smell of incense. Imagine a place that serves carefully prepared Thai food on tile plates and in an upscale, modern dining space. This restaurant is Maenam, formerly Gastropod. At first, I was a bit skeptical and waited for some preliminary thoughts about the place before I paid a visit. With a multitude of positive reviews, I knew that it was time. Once again, Rich Guy joined me for lunch. Doesn't this guy have anything better to do but eat? Wait, that's like me calling the kettle black...

Before we walked in, I got my first look at the renamed and rebooted version of Fuel - Refuel. I guess I'll need to give that a try sometime as well, now that their popular sous-vide fried chicken is available anytime. Okay, back to Maenam... Upon entering I was quite pleased with the decor. Simple, modern and inviting, I insisted on a window seat. Not sure if that would've been necessary since the whole place is amply lit. The lunch menu is simple with only a few items for appies and entrees. Prices are actually reasonable considering the location and decor. We decided to try several appies to start including: Chicken Satay, Crispy BC Golden Mantle Oysters and Thai Sausages (this is just crying out for a joke). Presented on tile plates, they were almost impossible to move and pick up. They looked nice; but in reality, not functional. Add to that the sticky table, and things were pretty much immobile, which aided in me spilling half of my soup. Plates aside, the satay were big slices of chicken breast which easily dwarf what we normally expect. They were pretty good being moist and the accompanying dip was just the right combination of sweet, spicy and nutty.

The fried oysters were perfectly cooked with a light tempura batter on the outside. By themselves, they weren't much to look at or anything else. But, combined with the slightly spicy, sweet and "fish saucy" dip, it was quite good. Okay, either we personally don't prefer the Thai sausages (insert joke here), or we just don't get it. Not that it was a bad dish per se; but we just didn't see what was so special about it. The sausage itself was meaty and dense with a nice chili kick to it. The sweet chili sauce was a nice counter balance to the salty and tart sausage. Maybe we just don't like sausages? Er...

We also shared a Muslim Oxtail Soup and boy did it have a lot of flavour. In addition to the spicy kick from the peppers, there was zing and aromatics with every spoonful. Nestled in all the greenery hid tender pieces of oxtail. Too bad I spilled most of the first bowl. I really enjoyed this soup. What's a visit to a Thai restaurant without some Pad Thai? I seem to order this every time and this version was pretty solid. I thought the noodles were a perfect consistency and there was no absence of large shrimp, tofu, egg, sprouts and green onions. There was a definite sweet tamarind flavour to the dish with a slightly spicy undertone. However, my tongue was burning due to the spicy Green Curry Halibut. In my haste of cleaning up my spilled soup, I neglected to take a picture of it! The horror! As mentioned, the green curry was quite spicy and a little sauce went a long way with the supplied bowl of rice. Thank goodness we got some Roti as well, that went well with the curry. I gotta say it was some of the best roti I've had. Crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside, it was light and easy to eat.

Overall, our meal at Maenam was enjoyable and the service was solid. Everything we ate resulted in flavour explosions bursting within our mouths. It could be a bit spicy for some people; but we personally like it a bit hot. The food itself was obviously made with care and presented tastefully on those troublesome tiles. If you take the food quality, service, location and ambiance into account, the prices are actually pretty reasonable.

The Good:
- Flavourful (and spicy) food
- Reasonable prices considering everything
- Nice dining space

The Bad:
- What's with those tile plates?