Calypso

If one was to seeking Jamaican food in the GVRD, it would seem logical to migrate over to Commercial Drive. However, what if you were in Surrey? How about if you were in an industrial area where all you'd normally find are auto repair shops and warehouses? In that case, the chances of finding a good Jamaican Patty is as good as Tiger Woods keeping his pants on. Well, to my utter surprise, I found one on Yelp! with only one review. Normally, I don't really trust any restaurant with only one review. After all, some of them are written by the owners themselves! But this didn't seem to be the case. In fact, I was so intrigued, I had to go visit it almost immediately. Woah, why the hurry? Honestly? Being out here in North Delta/Surrey, there are a plethora of really good Indian restaurants. No offense, but I'm a bit butter chicken'd out. Hey, if there is something different, I'm all over it!

So I put the address into my GPS and off I went. Alright, while I was driving there, I was thinking to myself, "there is no way that a restaurant can be out here!" The area is completely industrial and the likelihood of finding a restaurant was not good. I did what the GPS told me to do and ended up in an industrial park full of various types of businesses. I circled around and didn't see any restaurant. At the point of almost giving up, I saw it out of the corner of my eye. Just like my Lee's post, I really can "see restaurants". Walking into the place, I was a bit taken aback that there were only 2 tables. Yes, that's right, two! I waited a few seconds and a jovial Asian man named Frank comes out and speaks to me in a Jamaican accent. Taking a moment to soak it all in, I decided to order a Beef Patty and Stewed Ox Tail.

Flaky, authentic and darn hot (temperature wise), this really hit the spot. I really liked the meat filling, it was a bit spicy and moist. I could've eaten 3 more of these if it were not for the Ox Tail. And oh what a big plate of ox tail! Red beans and rice were served on the side with spinners. You see those long dumplings on the plate? Well, those are spinners. They are dumplings made by "spinning" the dough with both hands to form the long cylindrical shape. Hey, they're simple; yet very delicious. Although looking quite doughy, they were actually quite tender. The same could be said about the bounty of ox tail, they were super tender and modestly seasoned. To kick it up a notch (I can't believe I said that), I sampled the Habanero sauce. Bam! It was hawt! Alright, no more Emeril. While munching on the ox tail, Frank chatted with me about food and such. He suggested that I come back for the Cow's Foot. Hey, I'm game and I returned a couple days later.

Knowing how big the portions are here, I did not order a patty this time. Served once again with red beans and rice, the portion of cow's foot was quite large. Soft, gelatinous, rich and damn good, I could've eaten more of this if it weren't so filling. Mixed in were tendons and tripe. This is definitely out-of-the-ordinary. I like it! While devouring this tasty dish, Frank offered me a traditional Jamaican holiday treat - Spiced Fruit Bun with Processed Cheese. Think of it as fruit cake that is more like bread with a slice of Velveeta in between. A strange combination but pretty good. I couldn't even taste the cheese honestly.

During this visit, Frank suggested I try the Escoveitch Fish on my next visit. However, I needed to pre-order it. I suppose this would ensure that they could acquire a fresher product. Essentially a whole seasoned Tilapia deep fried, this reminded me of the Moiara that Kim had at El Inka Deli. The aggressively seasoned fish was fluffy and moist beneath its crisp peppery exterior. It was so good that I had to confirm with Frank that it was indeed Tilapia. Usually, I'm not the biggest fan of this fish, I find it a bit mushy. Topped with escoveitch pickles (onions, carrots and habaneros), the dish was kicked up quite a few notches. This is not a bland dish! Served on the side were Festivals. No, there wasn't a party going on here; rather, they are slightly sweet cornmeal fritters which remind me of The Reef's Johnny Cakes. I liked how the crisp (yet not oily) exterior gave way to a soft and sweet inside. Not as fluffy as Johnny Cakes; but still enjoyable to eat.

What a hidden gem in the oddest of places. Well, the reason behind this is that Calypso is more of a supplier of food to other restaurants such as Jamaican Pizza Jerk. Therefore, the restaurant part of the operation is not its primary focus. But, I don't mind since I can get some tasty Jamaican food in the middle of nowhere.

The Good:
- It's something different in a sea of curry
- Large portions
- Owners are just wonderful people

The Bad:
- You'd better dine alone or only with just one other person
- Food ain't cheap (but worth it in my opinion)

24/7 Thai

With a name that could easily describe a Tiger Woods Asian vacation (I should stop with the TW jokes...), I wasn't expecting too much from 24/7 Thai. After all, how can one get good Thai food at 2:00am in the morning? Actually, it used to be open 24/7; but I can only assume that Thai food ain't too popular between 4:00am to 9:00am. For Polka King and myself, it was something a bit different in terms of late night eats. After all, we've been doing the wonton noodle thing quite often and honestly, it's quite boring. Located in the same plaza as 7-11 on the corner of Oak & Broadway, this little Thai restaurant doesn't look too promising from the outside. Inside, it's quite minimalistic other than random attempts at decor. Naturally, at 2:00am in the morning, there is only one server (which actually didn't seem like enough).

When we finally got her attention, I ordered the Shrimp Pad Thai and Prawn Red Curry. When the pad thai arrived, I immediately noticed they used a rice noodle that was a bit thinner than what I'm normally used to. Despite this, they managed to cook it perfectly so it was still chewy. I thought it was flavourful with plenty of tamarind flavour. I only wished it had a bit more spice since I found it a bit too sweet. The red curry was acceptable. It had a mild amount of spice (well, for me at least) and plenty of prawns. Other prominent flavours were coconut milk and Thai basil. Too bad I didn't order any rice! I was too full from the noodles to eat any rice. I ended up packing up nearly the whole thing. Polka King wasn't all that hungry and decided to try the Chicken Satay. The skewers were meaty; yet lacked any real flavour. The satay dip was quite sweet with lots of peanuts. Ultimately, the dish ended up just being sweet or bland if ate without the dip.

Well, this is not exactly great Thai food; but it wasn't bad either. Again, at 2:00am in the morning, we really had not much to complain about. Well, there was only one server and she had to do everything. That made it difficult to make any requests or even get the bill. Understandable that they didn't have much more staff present, after all, most people are sleeping at this time, not munching on Thai food. Well, unless you're Tiger, apparently sleeping has a different meaning.

The Good:
- Open almost all the time (just like Tiger's mistresses)
- Food is passable for late night eats (you can do much better during regular hours)
- Inexpensive

The Bad:
- Not much in the way of service
- Uh... some of the dishes don't seem like Thai food (like Pho!)

Dae Bak Bon Ga

*Location now closed*

While lunching at Maenam, Rich Guy and I noticed a new Korean restaurant across the street. We really couldn't make out the name or remember to tell you the truth. Not really thinking about it, we filed it into our subconscious for the next time we ate. Rich Guy was actually leaving for a couple of months (for real this time) and this was like another one of his famous "going away" meals. Joining us were Viv and Whipping Girl. For tonight, we were originally thinking of visiting Octopus Garden; but we weren't in the mood to spend $100.00 per person. Furthermore, I'm sure my daughter wouldn't be able to appreciate the food there. Thus, we changed our plans and decided to give Dae Bak Bon Ga a go. Apparently the original location is on Robson and the AYCE BBQ or Shabu Shabu is only available there. Undeterred by that fact, we decided to get both the BBQ and Shabu Shabu for 2 people anyways. We added a Dolset Bibimbab and Japche for good measure.

Prior to the Banchan, we were presented with 2 complimentary appetizers. The first being a thin slice of radish topped with meat, shrimp and veggies. We all thought this was bland and uninteresting. The second one was a veggie pancake and it was alright; but we'd prefer if it was actually hot. I guess we shouldn't complain much since they were free. For me, it seems like I get excited about the Banchan more than the actual meal sometimes. I'm really not sure why since they are quite simple. Included in this set was kimchi, seaweed, potatoes, sprouts, green salad and cabbage. They were all carefully prepared and I had to fight off Whipping Girl, so that I'd actually get some to eat. But I was getting all excited for nothing since you can usually get a refill of banchan at most Korean restaurants.

Sizzling hot, the Dolset Bibimbab arrived with lots of daikon, carrot, zucchini, beef, shiitake topped with a raw egg. I quickly mixed in the kochujang with the rest of the ingredients. The darn thing was so hot, I almost burnt myself passing the bowl over to Rich Guy. Don't get me wrong, that is fantastic since it formed a really nice crust on the bottom (which is the yummiest parts). However, even without the hot stone bowl, the rice itself was a nice chewy consistency while still be soft. Predictably (for me at least), we got the Japchae. I guess it's the standard rice and noodles when we go for Korean. Served hot, the Japchae was excellent. The noodles were the right consistency, veggies were not soggy and overall the dish was not greasy. Too bad it was such a small portion. If you look on the plate, it doesn't seem to fill it out much. Mind you, the price is roughly $5.00 cheaper than places such as Hanwoori, Jang Mo Jib and Insadong.

Furiously, the items for our Shabu Shabu and BBQ arrived, quickly filling our table. The staff actually had to move another table on to the end of ours to put all of the items. For the hot pot, we were provided with 3 sauces - chili, soy and sesame. On one plate was thinly-sliced beef atop oyster mushrooms. Whole shrimp, squid, greenlip mussels and blue crab occupied the second plate. The last plate consisted of soba noodles, Shanghai bak choy, Napa cabbage and yams. Everything was fresh which made for a pleasant hot pot. While Whipping Girl and I tended to the hot pot, Viv and Rich Guy did the grilling duties on the BBQ. On a large platter, there was short ribs, spicy pork, beef and chicken. Cooked on the built-in BBQ unit, the meats were good (when not burnt by Rich Guy). Yah, Rich Guy doesn't cook and this further encourages him not too...

At the end we were stuffed and very satisfied with our meal. The food was well executed and the raw meats were fresh and plentiful. Being a new restaurant, it is both clean and roomy. However, the most important thing we noticed was the attentive and friendly service. For a Korean restaurant, that is no small feat. Even without those useless chime buttons (cuz no one ever seems to answer it anyways), we got everything that we requested and the staff actually checked on us every now and then. A solid dining experience.

The Good:
- The food is made with care
- Decent value
- Great service

The Bad:
- They need to work on the temp control, first it was boiling in the place, then freezing
- As with any Korean BBQ, your clothes smell afterwards

Hang Lee Wok

Manchu Wok, Flaming Wok and Panda Express. Probably the antithesis of authentic Chinese food; yet ultimately usually the most popular food stand at any food fair. Is it that people do not know what real Chinese food looks and taste like? Maybe they don't really care for real Chinese food. Possibly the quantity of food for the money is considered good value. Maybe people are attracted by the grease and neon coloured sauces. Whatever the case, the Chinese food stand is a staple at every food fair where the only decision is whether to order a 3 or 4 item combo with rice or noodles. For me at least, I can tolerate Westernized Chinese food. I believe that whatever we eat, it has to be prefaced with a dose of real expectations. So, I know not to expect much while dining on this type of food. However, even with that being said, if the food just plain stinks, well... it really doesn't matter what it is.

Seeing how there is little else in North Delta for me to try, I headed over to Scottsdale Mall and visited their modest food fair. When I say modest, I'm talking about 3 food stands. So, there really isn't much in the way of options. That would probably explain the lineup at Hang Lee Wok. Much like the others, you have your rice, noodles, sweet and sour meats, BBQ Pork, stir fried veggies, spring rolls and other fried items. I went for the full meal deal and opted for the 4 item meal. I got Fried Rice, Sweet n Sour Pork, Sesame Chicken and Stir Fried Veggies. After paying, I attempted to pick up the styrofoam container and it was heavier than Tiger Wood's sinking career. It was so heavy, I almost dropped the darn thing on the floor.

Now, being good value is one thing; but the food wasn't very good, even for Westernized Chinese food. The meats were fried to the point where it was hard and dry. The sauces were predictably greasy and radioactive in colour. I did like the vegetables as they still retained their colour and crunch. The fried rice was... well, prepared fried rice. For what it is, it's a good value considering the quantity of food you get. However, I wasn't exactly thrilled with textures or taste. I wasn't even close to finishing it and probably it was a good thing.

The Good:
- Huge portions
- Good value

The Bad:
- Food was not really that good
- High on the grease factor

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