The Orange Room

*Restaurant is now closed*

My coworker, K-Press had originally tipped me off about the Orange Room in New West. Her feeling is that there is a total lack of culinary delights in her hood and the OR was something a bit different. She went there and sampled the food and produced a really detailed write-up for me to read. She was hoping to have me post it on my site as a guest review; however, she didn't have any photos! Doh! She seemed quite disappointed and honestly, I'm a bit too OCD with my pictures anyways... Well, today was the day I gave the Orange Room a go and dragged Ma, Blondie, Pomegranate and L-Pete for the ride.

From the outside, it sure doesn't look like much with its 80's-looking signage and iron fence. Once we walked inside, it was a different animal altogether. Warm, modern and chic, this place surely doesn't scream out New West. While we often associate places like the Waffle House, (which is 2 stores down) with its older clientele, with good ol' New West; the Orange Room brings a hip strut with attitude into the old city. We ended up making it in time for breakfast and I went all out and had the Steak and Eggs. Looking quite grand on the plate were 2 Born-3 eggs with fruit, country hashbrowns, toast and a perfectly round steak. I asked for it to be prepared medium-rare and what I got was medium to medium-well. I like my hashbrowns fried in cubes; but the ones here were a bit too crispy. They were fried to the point that not much potato was left. On the plus side, the sunny-side eggs were perfect and the toast was crunchy.

Blondie had the Bacon and Eggs. As you can see in the picture, there are 2 things that stand out. First, they used back bacon and second, the eggs were nicely scrambled. The orange butter was a
bit interesting being sweet and a bit aromatic. Pomegranate's breakfast was only average in his mind. The Farmer's Omelet was a tad overcooked and bland. He didn't quite like the "fresh" ketchup. I personally didn't mind it; yet he felt it had no flavour. Now with all these criticisms regarding the food, it would appear we didn't enjoy our breakfast here. On the contrary, I believe we did. If we took the whole meal into consideration with the prices, venue and service, then the Orange Room looks promising. Nothing is perfect and we don't expect perfection. What we do know is that the Orange Room is something a bit different out in New West.

The Good:
- Comfy and cool digs
- Reasonable pricing
- Despite the shortcomings, the food appeared to be prepared with care

The Bad:
- A few consistency issues with the food
- Food suffers from over-creativity (such as the round steak and the fancy ketchup)

Irashai Grill Part II

*Restaurant is now closed*

Here we are again at Irashai Grill. I was lucky enough to be invited to a tasting with a few other food bloggers back in May. I initially tried to talk Kim into attending as well; but he had already tried Irashai before and stuck by his original assessment. Hey, I totally respect that. Today, with Kim, Victoria and Anita, we were doing a photography workshop with Jackie Connelly. There was an option to eat at Irashai afterwards at our own expense. I guess this was a good idea since I could re-evaluate Irashai under different conditions. Although they did know who we were and thus, not really replicate a surprise visit.

We started off with the Beef Tataki Carpaccio which was beautifully presented on a bed of greens, daikon and carrot. Interestingly, despite looking buttery soft, the beef was a bit chewy. The citrus ponzu and herbed oil sauce was mostly... oil. Not sure if that was the intention.
The next item was the Summer Roll consisting of a shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, masago, tuna and mayo. I've had this roll before and it was quite pleasant, I especially liked the siracha kick at the end. However, there was no crunch from the tempura which ultimately did not provide the texture contrast needed in this roll.

Interestingly, Kim ordered the Oyako Don. His reasoning was to try a straight-up Japanese dish without the distraction of fancy fusion implements. Well... this was disappointing. If you look in the picture, you can definitely see egg, onion and chicken; but the dish was devoid of any flavour. The rice was completely white underneath without the usual penetration of dashi, mirin and soy. On a positive note, the rice was a nice consistency being a bit chewy. On the topic of chewy, the Aigamo was extremely tough. It was cooked exactly how we wanted, being a bit rare; however, it was like gnawing on an overcooked piece of chuck steak. This usually shouldn't be the case. We were all quite confused why this might be. In the end, we didn't come up with a definitive explanation. Maybe it might have helped to slice the breast thinner?

The last and probably best dish was the Grilled Sablefish with yuzu miso. It was cooked up perfectly with moist tender flakes and a nice caramelization on the surface. But then again, I haven't met a piece of sablefish I didn't like. This meal was very interesting on so many levels. I had practically the same items at the tasting in May; but the execution this time around was not good. For instance, both the beef and duck were fabulous last time. This time not. The roll was mostly similar to last time, so there was not too much to say about it. Same can be said about the sablefish, pretty much spot on once again. It's hard to explain the discrepancy between the 2 meals. I do know one thing for sure, the oyako don seriously needed flavour. I wouldn't go as far as saying the meal was terrible. It was decent with some good points and some low points. The question is: where would Irashai rate now that I've had it on the house and one out of my own pocket? Well, if you average both meals out, the real Irashai would probably fall somewhere in the middle. I still stand by my original post on Irashai; yet, I also fully stand by this current one as well. It's just too bad it was a letdown this time around...

The Good:
- Nice venue
- Varied menu
- Good service (but they knew we were there)

The Bad:
- Food consistency issues (how can it differ so greatly from one visit to another?)
- Varied menu (can be a negative since the menu is not focused - Izakaya or Sushi Bar?)
- Expensive

Miki

Why do people park in handicap spaces when they're not supposed to? Oh, I see, they're handicapped alright - in the freakin' head! It's just plain heartless to do such a thing. Well... There it was, a shiny new white BMW (of course it was, what else did you expect???) parked smack dab in the middle of a handicapped spot right in front of Miki Japanese. I felt much disdain for the owner of the car. Well, I am a great believer in Karma... Somewhere down the line it will all equal out. Okay, enough of my ranting. So we are once again at a Japanese restaurant. Don't get me wrong, Viv and I love Japanese food. But, honestly, it has been a bit of an overkill lately. It's all due to my son's love of udon. I know we can make it at home; but every time we ask him what he wants to eat, it's those "thick noodles".

Miki has been at this location for quite some time; but had to shut down for a little while as the building was being rebuilt. Now, in it's newer modern digs, it begs the question: has the food gotten any better? Yes, Miki is one of an endless sea of Japanese restaurants in the GVRD. No, it's not Japanese run (I think it's Vietnamese); however, let's not prejudge. We decided on Miki tonight since it's not too far of a drive from home. I was actually dreading the parking situation in the small plaza in which it resides. You see, Fatburger is a tenant too and the parking lot is generally pretty full during peak meal hours. Lucky for me, I did find a space which was NOT a handicap spot (I hope you are reading this Mr/Mrs. BMW!).

Trying to order something a bit different than the usual, I chose the Hot Salmon Sashimi. To me, this meant sashimi which is probably seared and served warm. Of course, I was wrong and it turned out to be a spicy sashimi. I really think they should change the name of the dish. It was a bit spicy; but overall, it was a bit flavourless other than the oshinko bits. Furthermore, I really wish they didn't dice up the salmon into tiny cubes. We also got the Appetizer Sashimi which consisted of one piece each of Tai, Ika, Tako, Tuna, Hamachi and Hokkigai. Generally, the fish was pretty fresh except the piece of hamachi was a bit slimy. Although it was a good value at only $5.49. The Nigiri Sushi appeared to be a fantastic value on the menu, most items were only 99 cents including unagi. Some others were $1.49 and $1.99 respectively. We got one piece each of the tako, inari, hokkigai, chopped scallop, uni and 2 pieces of unagi. Again, everything seemed quite decent including the uni. I ordered it mainly for myself since Viv thinks it has an aftertaste of garbage. I have no clue what she's talking about! One thing that I didn't like was the rice. It wasn't mushy per se; yet it was on the softer side of the sushi rice texture continuum. At this point, I was still busy eating, attending to our son and taking pictures to notice much of anything else. Well, Viv eagerly points out to me that the boss lady had um... abnormally large "bakudanyakis". Huh??? WTH? Why does she always do that? Then I had to look and uh... In the words of Forrest Gump: "That's all I have to say about that".

We got a couple of the specialty rolls which included the Rainbow Roll and the Dragon Roll. Both were actually quite decent and at 10 pieces each, they were a fabulous value. Of course we got an order of Tempura Udon for our son and the tempura itself was not bad. Light, crispy and not oily, we enjoyed eating it. However, the batter did seem a bit strange, it didn't resemble a tempura batter for some reason or another. As for the udon, it was plain terrible. The noodles were mushier than overcooked beef tongue. They fell apart on contact from a chopstick. Furthermore, the soup was weak and we couldn't understand the copious amount of Napa cabbage.
In general, the food was on the good side of mediocrity. I know it doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement for the place. However, the food was alright, not great; but passable. Sure, the udon sucked and the sushi rice needs a bit of work; yet for the prices they charge, it fits the bill if you are nearby while not intending on eating authentic Japanese and are happy with mediocrity.

The Good:
- Really cheap
- Renovated space is clean and spacious
- Food is passable if hungry

The Bad:
- Food is passable if hungry
- Advertised AYCE, but there is none (yet...)
- Parking sucks, especially with morons parking in handicap spaces

La Conquistadora

Much like Kim, I find myself eating an inordinate amount of Mexican food despite the fact I'm not a big fan of the cuisine. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Mexican food, it's just not my first choice. Although, it's tough to be anyone's first choice since there are not that many authentic Mexican restaurants in a sea of Asian establishments within the GVRD. That would probably explain a somewhat understated enthusiasm when I heard about La Conquistadora. Located on King George Highway near 104th, it is not much to look at outside. In fact, I driven by this place many a time without even noticing it. Well, it's hard to notice anything on King George Highway since there is store after store of similar facades. It's much like Kingsway, you really need to stop the car to find what you're looking for.

Well, I knew exactly how it looked like since I had tried to visit it on Monday (it was closed). Once we passed through the front door, it was surprising to see that it was a restaurant/store. It was nice to see that nothing on the shelves were labeled "Old el Paso". Rather, it was all authentic Mexican products, with a dash of El Salvadorian (the place is a Mexican/El Salvadorian restaurant). I made sure that Sexi Mexi joined us for this meal. She was my official "Authentic Mexican Food" police. The first thing she did was the "ordering in Spanish" test and the place passed with flying colours. She decided on the Tostada and it was alright. Taste-wise, it was subtle while the tostada was a bit thick for her liking.

Personally, I didn't want to eat anything I could get a Taco Bell, so I went for the Enchilada Mole. I find that there are not many places that serve a good mole in the GVRD; in fact, not many places serve mole in general (it takes awhile to make). Alright, by looking at the picture, you're wondering why I'm eating something that is smothered in a black sauce. Don't be alarmed, the mole has chocolate in it; thus I believe this is a Mole Pablano. I found the mole to be a bit sweet with an underlying heat. Honestly, I haven't had a whole lot of mole in my life; therefore, it's a bit hard to compare. Overall, I found the dish to be quite pleasant and a nice departure from the usual red or green sauce. The Soft Tacos were not too bad, except for the watery mess made by the pico de gallo. These are not as good as the ones from La Taqueria; but again, it is located in Downtown. Thus it is not fair to compare due to distance alone.

The Quesadilla served with rice and refried beans was nothing much to look at; yet was pretty good. Filled with a good amount of chicken with Monterey jack and cheddar cheeses, it was grilled up until it was a bit crispy. Sexi Mexi summed it up best. The food here at La Conquistadora may not be the best the Mexican food she's ever had; but it is indeed authentic. Furthermore, the prices are very reasonable and the staff are personable. With not much in the way of competition (other than Luna Loca), La Conquistadora is probably the place to go for Mexican food in Surrey.

The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Authentic
- Friendly staff

The Bad:
- It's authentic, but there is better albeit much farther away
- Not much of a dining space, but it does the job

La Brasserie

What happens when you combine the delicate nature of French cuisine with the robust, meaty food of Germany? Well, to me at least, you get the best of both worlds. Originating from the Alsace-Lorraine region of France bordering Germany, this unique combination brings a bit more meat to the table, literally. La Brasserie offers a slice of Franco-German food in a quaint and cozy restaurant in the West End. Much like the name implies, there are wines, beers and comfort foods associated with brasseries. Tonight, Darina (Gratinee) set up a dinner with myself and Kim early on a Tuesday evening. They do not take reservations here and it is imperative you arrive early to ensure a seat.

While we were deciding what to order, Mijune (Follow Me Foodie) walks by along Davie. I would hazard a guess that she was on the way to eat something... Anyways, we put in our order and we started to set up our cameras with respective Speedlites. It's quite dark in La Brasserie, so a flash was necessary for good pictures. Kim softly predicted that it would only be a matter of time that someone would say something about the flashes... And our mad picture taking began with the bread which was accompanied by butter and a pork/chicken rillette. I did like the texture of the rillette. It was soft while still maintaining a meat texture. However, I would've preferred if it was more aggressively seasoned.

Arriving as a fairly generous portion, Kim started with the Steak Tartare. Visually, there were bits of onion and chives mixed in with the beef and egg yolk. Tastewise, it was quite mild. Maybe a bit too mild. Of course, it's never a good idea to upstage the star of the dish, which would be the beef; but a just a bit more seasoning would have elevated the impact of the tartare. Texturally, I thought it was buttery soft and delight to eat, especially with the very crunchy toasted baguette. For my starter, I chose the Poutine (which is more Belgian than anything; but whatever, I like it). Darina and I thought the cheese some "squeak" (but now have found out that in fact, they were not cheese curds thanks to Mijune). However, the rest of the poutine was a bit of a disappointment. The gravy was well-seasoned and peppery; however there was just too much of it! It overwhelmed the frites, making them quite soggy and thus hiding any truffle taste. Kim suggested we try the poutine at La Belle Patate. And you know I will!

For Kim's main, he chose one of the 2 dishes I was eying on the menu. In fact, we both were eying the same 2 items! Coincidence? So he ended up with the Braised Lamb Cheeks and for myself, the Suckling Pig. Probably the most visually appealing dish of the night, a good amount of lamb cheeks were topped with fried egg noodles resting atop colourful carrots, brussel sprouts and radicchio. I really enjoyed the gelatinous texture of the lamb and the luxuriousness of the rosemary jus. Kim mentioned that for some people, it would probably be too gamy; however we both like that strong flavour. The best part of any pig is the fat and the sucking pig had some pretty crispy skin - a good thing. However, I thought that that meat could've been a bit more moist, after all it is suckling pig. The sauerkraut was a nice tart (it was very tart, but I liked it) counterbalance to the rest of the dish. The schupfnudel was a bit too doughy for my liking.

Darina opted for the Mussels & Frites in a saffron, white wine and garlic sauce. At this point, we were asked to ease up on the flash. I totally understand this and we did stop (until after I took one more snapshot of the mussels). The mussels were plump and fresh while the sauce was aromatic and lightly flavourful. Interestingly, the frites were excellent being crispy and lightly potatoey. It was good that we got to try it without the gravy since the ones in my poutine did not hold up well to the moisture. Overall, Darina and I thought the meal was quite pleasant. We agreed that we'd give it another try. For once recently, Kim and I didn't agree. He was not overly impressed (while not disappointed either) with the entire meal and didn't see what the big deal is. I can see that. I was a bit on the fence as well; but ultimately, I thought it was decent enough at fairly reasonable prices for another visit.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Portions are good

The Bad:
- Slight hit and miss with some items
- They don't take reservations

Yokohama

Let's see, all-u-can-eat Japanese buffet in Surrey... Only one I've seen up until now is Nordel Sushi. AAAAAHHHH!!!! Run!!!! I'd rather go to Sui Sha Ya instead of subjecting myself to substandard Japanese food at ridiculous prices. Now, I'm not a great connoisseur of AYCE, it's just that sometimes I'm curious, with a group or just plain stupid (see Kawawa). Today, it was out of pure curiosity. I had passed by Yokohama on my way to Golden Pizza and Sandwich and noticed the AYCE banner. For $12.95, I thought it was a pretty reasonable price for AYCE, especially out here in Surrey. So I convinced Sexi Mexi to join me on this food adventure into the heart of Whalley.

Normally, I like to be seated in a corner or near a window. This time, we were seated right in front of the sushi bar. There goes the chance at being discreet about my picture-taking! I'm very glad I had a dining partner, it always looks less creepy that way. Looking over the menu, the selection for the lunch AYCE seemed to be quite decent. Not only did it contain the usual dishes, there was sashimi (albeit with a limit). I decided to max out the limit not knowing that Sexi Mexi was not going to eat any. Doh! Well, she doesn't really like sashimi, so I ate it all. It was actually not bad. Despite the salmon being cut in an odd manner, it was fresh. Not exactly bad, I really didn't care for the tuna, it as just "alright" (being not too mushy).

We also got one each of the California Roll and Yam Roll. Again, not offensive while not being that inspiring as well. I guess I'm just a bit biased towards these rolls in general. I found the rice actually pretty decent with a bit of chewiness. However, I didn't detect much vinegar taste. The Vegetable Tempura was pretty decent with a light batter and served somewhat hot. You'll understand why I emphasize the temperature later... When it first arrived, the Tonkatsu looked a bit odd and frankly, quite scary. The colour of the sauce appeared more like caramel than anything. This could've passed as a dessert at the PNE. However, it tasted much more savory than it looked. Despite fried up nicely, the tonkatsu itself was served lukewarm. The same could be said about both the Beef and Chicken Teriyaki. In terms of taste and texture, they were pretty average. Nothing I would particularly order on its own; but for AYCE, it's acceptable. Again, it's a shame they were not very hot either. I know they're trying to be efficient and all; yet serving cold food is not very appetizing.

Sorry for sounding like a broken record; but the Agedashi Tofu was not really hot as well. If it were hot, I'm sure it would have been a whole lot better since the tofu itself was quite good. On the flip side, the Chicken Karaage came out piping hot. Too bad they fried it until it resembled Magda from There's Something About Mary. Dark, dry and hard, these wings were a complete disaster. It could give "Ton-
Can't-Chew" a run for its money. It's a bit ironic that the one hot item turned out to be the worst.

Well, my second Surrey Japanese AYCE adventure was not really all that good. However, it was better than Nordel Sushi (but that is not saying a whole lot). I guess for the price and the location, it fills a void. If the food was served hot, it might've made a difference; however, the food was not really that good, even for AYCE.

The Good:
- Price is pretty decent for the selection you get (especially out in Surrey)
- Service is friendly
- Food comes out lightning quick (well, not really good in this case)

The Bad:
- Most of the food is pre-made and cold
- Overall food execution is average at best

Al Basha

Yes it's Wednesday and yes it's late night hockey time. It also means early morning eats on a Thursday. The flavour of the day happens to be Middle Eastern at Al Basha out on Broadway in Kitsilano. Yah, I realize that is far from home at 2:00am; but I am a dedicated foodie. Of course, this week-after-week exercise of playing late night hockey and eating is turning me into a very sleepy foodie too. I seriously hope I don't fall asleep eating Pho one day. That could be one hilarious and messy scene! It's interesting to see so many people out this early in this neighbourhood. We assumed that many were University students. To think of it, I was out this early all the time during University. I guess not having early morning classes helped.

For some reason or another, I was quite famished. Polka King was rather taken aback when I ordered both the Chicken Shawarma Plate and a Beef Donair. He, being not as hungry, opted for only a Falafel Donair. I was extremely disappointed in him. One measly donair and vegetarian to boot! Alright, I actually don't mind vegetarian food, so I take it back... Anyways, when we finally got our orders, I initially regretted ordering all that food since the Shawarma plate was huge! No matter, I was up for the challenge. I dug into chicken and rice ladened with yogurt and hot sauce... Wow! This was some tasty stuff! Garlicky, yogurty and spicy, I couldn't stop eating it. I did take some bites of the pita bread and humus while I was enjoying the chicken. That was pretty good too, although more zing would've been nice.

As for the donairs, mine was pretty good. Wrapped in a soft pita, there was a good amount of tasty beef glazed with the same sauces. Polka King's was much of the same, except substitute falafels for the beef. Other than being open late, the food at Al Basha is pretty good and cheap. Moreover, the owner is quite friendly and more than generous with the portions. Add into the fact that it is located in a pretty nice neighbourhood, rather than the usual seedy hole-in-the-wall downtown locations, you have a great place to grab some cheap eats early in the morning.

The Good:
- It's cheap
- Food is tasty and plentiful
- Not a seedy location

The Bad:
- It's kinda far from everything else
- Tables were a bit sticky