Blueberry World

*This is now closed*

Fads, they come on strong and eventually fade away (or morph into something else). That's why we call them fads since they really have no staying power. I must admit that I originally thought bubble tea would be a fad that would ultimately lose its luster; however, by combining Taiwanese food with a modest tea shop has seemingly revived the genre. One thing that is gaining popularity is froyo (frozen yogurt). Well, it has already exploded in California some time ago; but we are a bit slow to adapt here. Qoola and Tuttimelon are a few places that come to mind in the GVRD. Blueberry World is another. We had just finished up our meal at CRU and were looking for dessert. Seeing how Blueberry World is only a block away, we decided to try it out.

At first, we weren't even sure it was open since it looked deader than NBC's late night lineup. However, upon further inspection, it was indeed open. Viv and I ended up sharing a medium froyo with kiwi, mango and blackberries. First off, the froyo was not all that appetizing. It was icy and lacked any creaminess whatsoever. Not to mention, it was extremely soft, melting very quickly. Furthermore, the toppings were not fresh. The kiwi pieces were translucent-looking and the mango turning a shade of dark that was a bit disturbing. For Viv and I, this had to be the worst froyos we've had in the GVRD so far. Albeit a bit more expensive, Qoola would be a much better choice. I'm not sure if this was an off-day since the one staff member seemed disinterested. However, if this is any indication of their overall product, they're in a lot of trouble when competing with the likes of Qoola, Scoop! and Tuttimelon.

The Good:
- Not too pricey
- Simple menu (can be good for the undecided, but bad for the ones who want options)

The Bad:
- Froyo is icy and bland
- Fruit is old looking and not fresh
- Uh... where are the blueberries???

Scoop!

Earlier in the day, we were on West 4th heading over to the Candy Aisle after Temaki Sushi. I parked my car across the street and as we were walking over to the crosswalk, I passed by Scoop! frozen yogurt. I suggested to Viv that we really should try it. She was quite adamant that we should not. Guess who won that argument? A bit disappointed, I kept wanting to try it. So fate would have it, we headed to Scoop! after dinner at L'altro Buca. We arrived at a bit earlier than Costanza and Elaine. Rather than waiting for them, I decided to go ahead and order. Yah, some friend I am eh? Hey, it's food we're talking about here! I can't wait! The premise behind Scoop! is that you can choose your own toppings from their "buffet"-style display. Much like U-Grill, they weigh your froyo before and after to determine how much you pay.

For me at least, I think this novel idea works. When food becomes interactive, people tend to like it and ultimately pay for it too. If you look at the picture, you'll noticed that each bowl does not contain a large amount of each topping. I believe that this helps keep the items fresh. Unlike the big vats at Blueberry World that looked disgusting, the fruit here was indeed fresh and colourful. So, Viv and I ended up selecting the Raspberry froyo. There was also plain and green tea available. The toppings of choice were mochi, strawberries, kiwi and coconut jelly. The blended froyo was pretty smooth and not too sweet. As you can tell in the picture, the fruit was vibrant in colour and fresh. Even the mochi was fresh, it was pillowy soft.

While we were waiting for Costanza and Elaine to arrive, we grabbed a Connect 4 from their stack of board games and entertained ourselves. In addition, there is a Foosball table at the back as well. When they finally arrived, we grabbed Scrabble and had an impromptu game. It's amazing how many dirty words you can make in this game! Makes for some humourous fodder though... I guess the only complaint about the froyo would be that it is blended. That means if you chose anything but plain yogurt, it needs to be manually mixed with the flavouring agent. This tends to make the froyo a bit soft and it ultimately melts faster. Other than that, not much to complain about, it was fresh and tasty.

The Good:
- Interactive toppings (you can choose your own)
- Smooth, nicely balanced froyo
- You get to play board games!

The Bad:
- Blended flavours suffer from over-handling leading to a quickly melting froyo

Temaki Sushi

It sure seems like I eat Japanese food almost every week. Well, there are a few reasons for this. First of all, my son hates almost all types of food except for udon and tempura. Scratch that, only the tempura batter. Second, I convinced myself that Japanese food is healthier. I guess Tempura, Agedashi Tofu and the sort do not qualify. Luckily there seems to be a Japanese restaurant on every other block in the GVRD. Despite the fact there are many to choose from in our neighbourhood, we headed all the way to Kits for our eats today. We actually attempted to eat at Temaki Sushi a few weeks ago to no avail since it's closed on Sundays. We were with Guy Smiley and Girl Smiley last time and they joined us again this time to finally try this place out.

We started with the Deluxe Assorted Sashimi. Presented nicely on a long glass plate, everything looked nice and I particularly liked the fried spot prawn heads. I practically ate the whole darn thing except the razor sharp portion, it was hurting my mouth. All the sashimi on the plate, as you can see, was fresh and nothing was mushy. A real nice beginning to the meal. Served piping hot, the Agedashi Tofu was quite crispy on the outside and decently soft on the inside. I would've preferred a silkier texture; but decent nonetheless. Not resembling tempura batter in texture and appearance, the Tempura itself was actually quite crispy and light. However, with the strange looking batter, it a tad too crispy and didn't take the dipping sauce too well. They Beef Yakisoba arrived on a sizzling hot plate. It was on the saltier side; yet was pretty good. The noodles were just the right chewiness and it was a pleasant eat. The Plain Udon (guess who this was for?) was your typical udon in soup. The soup was a bit plain with no real taste of dashi or mushroom. Although, the noodles were the right consistency in between soft and a bit chewy.

We got 2 specialty rolls to try out which were the Dragon Roll and the Chef's Roll. The Dragon Roll consisted of a California Roll with BBQ eel on the outside. The Chef's Roll had mango, tempura bits and cucumber on the inside while tuna and masago resided on the outside. The best way to describe both rolls is that they were not bad. Nothing particularly exciting about them; however, ingredients seemed fresh while the rice had a nice resistance. The last item was the Sushi Combo which consisted of a Dynamite Roll and assorted Nigiri. As you can see in the picture, the rice looks pretty good and each item is prepared carefully. Again, nothing mind-blowing; but solid nonetheless. Essentially, that sums it up pretty much. Decent food at reasonable prices. Staff seemed interested in providing good service and the place is decently clean. Mind you, I wouldn't pass up Ajisai, Shiro, Fuji or Toshi in favour of Temaki; but I wouldn't be opposed to visiting again either.

The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Not great, but decent food
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Portions could be a bit bigger

L'altro Buca

*Restaurant is now closed*

It's a shame that I never had a chance to try Parkside before it was relaunched as L'altro Buca. It was only my list of places to visit. Well, with the current economic climate, it was probably for the better that the change was made. Much like Fuel being re-branded as Refuel, moderately priced fine-dining is in. It's places like Les Faux Bourgeois, Salade de Fruits, Pied-a-Terre and DB Bistro that thrive when more expensive places falter. Tonight, Viv and I joined by Costanza and Elaine, ventured into the West End to see how L'altro Buca stacks up to the rest.

Of course, when dining in the Downtown core, parking is always an issue unless you do valet. We were extra concerned about tonight since the West End is known for it's limited amount of parking. Imagine our surprise when we not only found parking, we parked right across the street from L'altro Buca. Apparently, there are around 6 free spaces across the street on Haro. Too bad for Costanza, he parked in the first metered spot he found on Denman. I made sure to razz him about that! We were dining particularly early tonight since I knew it would be less busy. The reason? So my flash would not bother the rest of the diners. As it turns out, we were the only ones there for most of our meal.

For my starter, I selected one of their daily features which happen to be 2 things I love: Pork Belly & Scallops. Beautifully presented, 3 perfectly seared Hokkaido scallops rested atop a crispy piece of pork belly. Salsa verde, lentils and frisee rounded out the dish. The salsa verde did its job providing aromatics and flavour. Believe this or not, I would've preferred a more fatty piece of pork belly. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious; but it was quite meaty. The whole beauty of pork belly is the fat! The lentils were cooked perfectly maintaining a slightly chewy texture and there was a nice tomato element that provided subtle flavour. As Viv predicted, Elaine went for the Gamberi, which is lemon, chili and garlic prawns. If this keeps up (at Bishop's), we can just order each others' dishes since it seems like we can guess correctly almost every time! To me, this was probably the most successful appetizer we sampled. 5 large prawns draped with a sauce consisting of butter, garlic, chili, lemon, plum tomatoes and scallions rested atop a very crunchy slice of grilled baguette. The prawns were perfectly cooked with a fresh "snap" texture. I felt that the sauce was predominantly garlic with chili and lemon in the background. Surprisingly, after all the prawns were all consumed, the crunchy bread held up to the sauce.

Viv and Costanza both had the Scallop Carpaccio with duck prosciutto with citrus and radish, arugula, frisee and fennel salad with truffle vinaigrette. Although the scallops were fresh and sweet, the star of the dish was the house-made duck prosciutto. It provided the necessary savoriness to the dish without being overly salty. Curiously, the salad was deconstructed with the orange segments acting more as a garnish. Although we could taste the citrus in the vinaigrette, it hid any evidence of truffle. For my main, I also went for the daily feature - the Veal Chop with sage and marsala reduction. Surrounded by extremely soft gnocchi, the large chop was quite tender. Completing the plate was spinach and zucchini which were laced with tomato, garlic and some spiciness. Predictably, the reduction was a tad bitter and tart. Being neither salty or sweet, it needed an extra dimension to flavour the meaty chop.

Costanza ordered the Tagliatelle Boscaiola which consisted of mushrooms, bacon, tomato, cream, brandy. I felt that the sauce was a tad on the salty side probably due to the bacon. However, it was quite light despite the inclusion of cream and brandy. The juicy mushrooms provided a nice woody aroma to the dish. Although the noodles were al dente and pretty much executed perfectly, I thought it was a bit doughy. Costanza didn't think so; thus it could just be me. For her meal, Elaine chose the Osso Buco. It consisted of a good portion of veal shank cooked in a tomato red wine sauce (with gremolata) resting on saffron risotto. Ever-so-tender, the red wine sauce penetrated the meat subtlety. Although the risotto held up well to the abundance of sauce on the place, it was not risotto-like at all; rather, it was too much like plain cooked "rice".

I left Viv's meal to the end since something interesting happened. Her dish, the Manzo which is a duo of grilled beef tenderloin and braised short rib was actually quite ordinary compared to the rest of the mains. The short rib was a bit stringy and not all that moist. However, the tenderloin was pretty good, it was quite "meaty". Despite appearing to be overly sauced (garlic & chili), most of it was soaked up by the items on the plate including the polenta. It was creamy, garlicky and plasticky. Plasticky??? Yes, there was a nice piece of plastic wrap awaiting inside as a surprise. We decided not to say anything about it since to us, it really wasn't a big deal. Hey, we're Chinese. We've had worse things in our food before. However, that's not what our server thought. He noticed it and had this expression of concern and horror on his face. He profusely apologized on the kitchen and restaurants' behalf.

Honestly, we weren't that upset (I'm sure other people would be and with good reason). But they felt so bad, they took Viv's meal off the bill and brought us all a really big plate of soft, warm Zeppoles for us to share. Plated on top of a bed of dulce de leche, the decadence quotient was elevated by the chocolate dip served on the side. Similar to the 1528 found at Dulcinea, this was smooth, silky, chocolaty and only semi-sweet. This was a very nice way to end an enjoyable meal. Pretty much everything was good and the service was excellent. They were able to turn a potentially bad situation into a positive which is a testament to their professionalism.

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing for the quality of food and location
- Decent portions for this type of restaurant
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Some minor issues with the food
- Dining space feels a bit "old"

Safari Gourmet Pies

*Now closed*

For the longest time, I have heard about Safari Gourmet Pies. I discovered it while surfing the internet for possible restaurants to try. It was intriguing for a couple of reasons. First, it's in the oddest of locations. Surrounded by autobody shops and warehouses, you would not expect a meat pie here. Second, it's not your Swanson's meat pie (bleck!); rather, it's supposed to be "gourmet". I was extremely interested in trying it out. Finally, Foodosophy visited the place and blogged about it. Awesome! I can now put description to picture. It looked meaty and yummy to me! So, without further adieu, I made it a priority the next time I'd be in the area.

Almost by fluke, I needed to go to NCIX on Kingsway to pick up a few items. Thus, I'd be passing right by Beresford! I made a slight alteration to my route and stopped by to pick up a couple of pies. Occupying the same building as Out of Africa Trading Company, the actual store is quite non-descript on the outside and very minimalistic on the inside. To the left of the front counter, there are a few products for sale. Various pies sit in a small warming oven right on top of the counter. Again, with my limited knowledge of African food, I believe meat pies are Western and/or Southern African cuisine.

I had to ring a bell to get service. A small friendly Asian woman came out. I inquired what would be the best pie to try if I only got one. She confidently replied, "the Pepper Steak". Sold. I got one of those. Of course, you know I couldn't only get one... So for good measure, I picked up a Chicken and Mushroom as well. When I got back home, I tossed the items from NCIX on the floor and rushed to the kitchen. Yah, I know what is more important! Cutting the pies open, revealed big pieces of meat occupying most of the interior. The pepper steak lived up to its name and it is indeed good eats. The pie crust was not too thick and flaky on the top. I liked how the crust was not soggy at all on bottom. This is probably thanks to the thick, meaty filling. Despite being packed with big chunks of chicken and mushroom in a thick roux, the other pie was not as flavourful. I mean, I could taste chicken and a bit of the mushroom; yet it could've used some salt. For those who have milder tastes, this one would fit the bill.

Whatever the case, the one thing that sets these meat pies apart from the usual fare is the abundance of meat. Usually, with frozen generic pies or even the ones found in supermarket delis, they lack any substance. Furthermore, there are many different pies to choose here, from the exotic to the usual. Combine that with a thin, non-soggy crust, you have some good eats from an unusual location.

The Good:
- Pies are full of meat
- Thin, flaky crust
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Out-of-the-way location
- It's strictly take and go

No. 9

OMG! What the heck was I thinking??? #9??? Am I getting that desperate for late night eats or what? I'm beginning to scratch the bottom of the barrel. Well, that's what Costanza and I were faced with at 1:30am. Once again, I was over at his place trying to rewire his home entertainment centre after some renovations. I helped Costanza mount his TV above the fireplace. To me at least, it seems like very little is holding up an item that is worth so many thousands of dollars. Let's hope it doesn't fall off! So we were thinking of places to go and not much came to mind. Well, he doesn't live too far from Richmond, so we decided on #9. I haven't been to this place in ages. Imagine that, not only was I going to a place I'd normally not visit, I'm going to Richmond! What's the worst that can happen? Bad drivers and bad food...

Well, since there are not many drivers this early in the morning, I neither got cut-off nor tailgated. Why can't it always be this pleasant??? Arriving in the Lansdowne parking lot littered with Bimmers and Benzes, I noticed a heavy police presence. Not sure if that was a coincidence or intended. Whatever the case, we parked and took our chances. You know what? For a weekday late night/early morning, there were a lot of people at this place. Don't people have to work or something? Wait, we were there too... Alright, it took us forever to figure out what to eat. The menu is absolutely enormous from the usual congee/noodles to hamburgers. For some inexplicable reason, we went for dinner items. Yah, greasy Chinese food, that'll make us feel real good at this time of night. And we weren't even drunk!

We started with the Spicy Green Beans and to our surprise, they were quite good. Full of flavour and slightly spicy, these perfectly "fried" green beans were still crisp. However, our enthusiasm was shut down faster than a restaurant after a health inspection when the Curry Brisket arrived. Looking quite sad, the curry tasted bland and the sauce was gooey. The sauce was thickened with too much corn or tapioca starch; thus it was nothing like curry (even for a Chinese version) should look or taste like. The beef was a bit chewy as well. The last dish, Orange Peel Beef, was disappointing. I realize there had to be a certain amount of sauce for the steamed buns, but there was so much of it, the table was getting sauced! Plus, the beef was none too tender as well. Flavourwise, it was acceptable. Just like every other time we've been here, the food is greasy and generally quite average. Well, at the very least, the portions are quite large, so you can stuff your face with lots of greasy food at 3:00am.

The Good:
- Open all the time
- Large portions

The Bad:
- Greasy
- Too many items on the menu to properly execute them all

Denny's x 2

Okay, I must admit that there have been some indiscretions lately... No no, not like Tiger Woods. ABC, Sui Sha Ya, Knight & Day and now Denny's. Those would be considered indiscretions by most food-loving people. However, there are 2 good reasons I am at Denny's today. First, for research and blog purposes. Second, being that it was my birthday, I decided to heck with it, I'm getting myself a free meal! With my picture ID in my pocket and a nervous stomach feeling queasy already, we made our way out to Denny's for breakfast. I have to admit one thing, I used to enjoy visiting Denny's at one point in my life - when I was too drunk to realize it... Now, it's only reserved for breakfast if anything else. Face it, everything on the menu at Denny's is a shade of brown. If it ain't deep-fried or pan-fried, it doesn't make the menu.

Rather than eating a breakfast, I decided on the Double Cheeseburger. Man, I didn't expect the burger to be that big. It was so tall that I had to remove one patty just to eat it. And you know what? It really wasn't too bad. It turns out that Denny's has recently changed how they make their burgers. Going from the frozen pre-made patties to a hand-made fresh patty, it has made a world of difference. It was thick and greasy. Yes, I would've used the word "juicy"; but it really wasn't. Each time I pressed down on the patty, the only thing that squeezed out was fat. Not the most appealing sight; yet it was moist and quite meaty tasting. The addition of real cheddar added to the greasy experience. However, this burger will shorten your lifespan. Although, I really didn't like the fries. Paler than Nicole Kidman, they were a bit undercooked and not crispy at all.

Ma had the Lumberjack Slam which included an obscene amount of food: 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 bacon strips, ham, toast, hash browns and pancakes. The appearance of more bacon on her plate of food was a result of somebody else not wanting theirs. Well, there is not much to complain about in terms of quantity of food and honestly it is fine - if you want the cholesterol for the week in one plate that is. And this brings up the main point of Denny's. It is definitely not a place you expect great food. In fact, some might argue it's the antithesis of good food. However, the prices (at least for breakfast) are reasonable for the amount of food you do get.

Now after my free meal (well, if someone else eats too and you gotta order 2 drinks), you'd think I had satisfied my Denny's quota for the year. Wrong! My birthday only comes once a year and I ain't gonna waste it! So after waiting for Viv to get home from work, I had already planned my second visit to a different location. That's right folks. I went to Denny's again, for dinner! I told you I had a few indiscretions. It's like Tiger visiting one of his mistresses more than once in a day. For my second free meal, I decided to start with a Half-Sampler Platter which features all of their fried starters. How about some fried cheese sticks, onion rings and chicken strips? All representing a different shade of brown, these cholesterol morsels weren't half bad. Well, the cheese sticks were gross once they cooled down. I just ate the cheese in the middle. Feeling a bit guilty from eating Denny's food all day, I went for one of the few healthier items on their menu. It wasn't hard spotting it since it was in a different shade - the Lemon Pepper Tilapia. Surprisingly, the fish was cooked perfectly being soft and flaky. There was good lemon zing and the side of string beans and corn were not overcooked. Not gourmet eats by any stretch of the imagination; yet this dish cost $13.99! For that price, I'd eat somewhere else.

Viv also had a dish that can be considered "healthy" in the Cranberry Pecan Salad. Her initial response to the dish was "WTH is this?" Yah, it looked like a pile of spring mix with stuff thrown on top. Yes, there was chicken, but little in the way of cranberries or pecans. Furthermore the "balsamic" dressing was more like a sweet slurry. I know, I know, we shouldn't come to expect much out of Denny's. Another reason I visited Denny's twice in one day was merely born out of mischievousness. I thought it would be a funny post if I did. Well, I'm not sure if it was all that funny. Maybe my stomach might consider it a cruel practical joke. Definitely unhealthy. Funny? That's up to you.

The Good:
- It was sorta free
- Lots of food for the money
- Breakfast is not bad
- If you like food from the deep-fryer

The Bad:
- Makes me appreciate places like White Spot
- Greeeeeasy
- Some items are not all that cheap