Sokela

Much like the excitement shown by Steve in Blue's Clues, I often get quite giddy over receiving mail. Well, maybe not that excited. After all, his song and dance about receiving new mail borders on disturbing. I used to order quite a bit of stuff over the internet and checking my mailbox would be like Christmas every day! Mixed in with little "self-gifts" were the usual pieces of junk mail that normally go straight to the recycling bin. However, there are times that I will take a look at the occasional waste of paper, especially those involving food (who would've guessed?). A particular one caught my attention a few months ago. Advertising itself as an "upscale-type" Mediterranean restaurant, Sokela up on Austin in Coquitlam seemed like something different.

Sure, there is an endless list of places I would like to visit. Yet, most of the time, my restaurant visits are based on convenience. Today, Pomegranate and I were passing right by Sokela and decided to go on a whim. Inside, it resembles your typical Earl's-Milestone's-Joey's decorated restaurant. That's not a bad thing by the way. We were greeted quite warmly by our server and she informed us about the daily specials. We decided to get a Calamari to start since it's one of Pomegranate's favs. Arriving on a nice long rectangular plate, the squid rings were extremely tender with a crisp batter. We hypothesized that the squid could've been marinated in some lemon juice (?). The batter benefited from the use of starch, which is a trick used in Chinese fried items. We liked the tzatzki; yet it could've used a bit more zing. Attempting to be a bit healthier, I chose the daily fish which happened to be a Basa Fillet with marinara sauce and feta cheese. The fish was cooked absolutely perfectly. I was only moderately happy with the sauce because it tasted a bit thin and one-dimensional. By no means was it bad, it just could've been more varied in flavour. I really didn't like the rice, it was very soggy.

Pomegranate went for something I'd usually choose - the Lamb Chops. These babies were amazingly tender and flavourful. Once again, we think that they must've been marinated in lemon juice and olive oil. We were quite happy with our meal at Sokela. Of course, much like anything else, it wasn't perfect; yet the proteins were cooked masterfully.

The Good:
- Surprisingly well-executed meat items
- Personable service
- Unlike other Mediterranean restaurants, this one did not have an overload of plants

The Bad:
- Prices are a bit high
- Rice needs some work

Earl's

Ah yes, Earl's... The bane of my eating existence for many, many years. Ever since it opened it's doors, I always had it in my mind that I was getting ripped off every time I dined there. The haunting memories of a pitiful steak with 5 button mushrooms and a dollop of mashed potatoes for $25.00 never seemed to fade. Yah, it became the butt of my jokes and complaining for quite some time. Every time I was dragged kicking and screaming by my friends as I tried to convince them to eat somewhere else. Hey, I'm not saying I hated the food at Earl's. It's merely that it was one of the worst values around. It's another one of those "chain restaurants" that people were willing to go time-after-time. Well, tonight we met up with Wolvie and Italian Stallion for dinner at Earl's. If you would've guessed by now, Italian Stallion has the the eating diversity of a Yak (they mostly eat grass). Mind you, grass would be too exotic for him anyways. So no Korean, Japanese, Indian, Thai, Malaysian or Vietnamese... Yah, in the GVRD, that practically eliminates 75% of the restaurants.

So here we are at Earl's. If you were present, you would see the displeasure exuding from my slumped shoulders and defeated stance. Honestly, I have no problem with chain restaurants per se. They serve a purpose. It's generally "safe" food which should be consistent throughout the chain (theoretically). Furthermore, if you wanted to get a big group together, chain restaurants fit the bill. There is usually enough space and variety in the menu to please most people. Now, the problem I have with going to a place such as Earl's is the lack of originality. Yes, the food can be quite good, as in the case with Cactus Club. I have a problem with the prices. Yes, I understand there are operating costs associated with such a large operation. Staff, equipment, decor, raw materials and other operating costs do factor into the price. I remember watching something on TV about Earl's and how much goes into each dish and the profit margin is not really all that high. Yes, I get it. But for roughly the same price, you can go to independent restaurants that offer something more original and better value. Alright, enough of my ranting...

We started off with the Warm Spinach and Feta Dip. As described in the menu: spinach, artichokes and a blend of cream cheese, mozzarella and feta, served with toasted olive oil drizzled flatbread. Honestly, the dip was quite good with a nice creaminess to it and plenty of cheesiness. I particularly liked the crispy flatbread. It was a welcomed change from tortilla chips. Feeling guilt from eating a burger for lunch, I opted for the West Coast Prawn Salad with chopped avocado, fresh strawberries, feta, quinoa, candied pecans, julienne carrots, organic greens and baby spinach, citrus honey vinaigrette, warm sauteed prawns. Although it was a bit bland, I sorta liked my salad. There was no shortage of ingredients, especially the quinoa. In retrospect, there might've been a bit too much going on since it was a bit hard to eat.

Viv had the Chicken Club with grilled chicken breast, dry cured bacon, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise, house baked ciabatta. A pretty good sandwich with moist chicken, crispy bacon and a slightly crispy bun. The fries were crispy and light, albeit a bit generic. Wolvie and Italian Stallion shared a Hot Chicken Caesar Salad and Sicilian Pizza. Not a whole lot to say about it other than it was not overdressed and the chicken was moist. With capicolla, the pizza was indeed savory and spicy. Every bite was very flavourful and the crust was a bit chewy. I actually liked the pizza; not bad for a chain restaurant. So I guess this statement sums it up nicely. The food at Earl's is not bad. It's pretty much middle of the road - not offensive; but it won't blow your socks off. The prices seemed to have held steady all these years and thus, it's not outrageous. Mind you, it ain't cheap either. Personally, if I had to go to a chain restaurant, I'd pick Cactus Club over Earl's. But with that being said, Earl's is okay as a safe choice for those who are not adventurous or if you have a large group.

The Good:
- A little something for everyone
- The food is decent
- Service is solid

The Bad:
- Some items are a bit pricey
- It's not kid-friendly; but there were a lot of kids present (maybe give in and make it kid-friendly?)

Fumisen

Last time I was out to visit Shoryumen, I was in a bit of a rush. I was hoping to hit up some ramen and a sushi cone at one time. Apparently, the guy who runs Fumisen was out at the bank and wasn't expected back for a couple of hours. Uh... a couple of hours??? Well, I couldn't hang around even for 2 minutes, let alone 2 hours. Dejected, I left knowing that my next visit to Richmond would not be soon. Well lucky me... Costanza wanted to watch Avatar 3D IMAX at Riverport today. How convenient! Let me just say the movie is a visual delight, especially in 3D IMAX (very trippy!). I really didn't want to get popcorn for the movie since I wanted to save room for more food and also, it's not very healthy. Of course, it had to be a special where we get a medium popcorn and large drink for no extra charge. How things conspire against me! Despite having the opportunity to pass up on the free offer, guess what I did?

Seeing how I really shouldn't be eating that much, we proceeded to Shoryumen to try out their Ton broth which was expected in today. Arggh!!! Delayed to the 12th! Ah zut! Fine, I settled for the Kuro, while Costanza had the Aka. Dusting off the modest bowl of ramen, we set our sights to the cart next door for some sushi cones. Apparently, the guy who runs the place worked in a Japanese restaurant prior to this. He makes small batches of sushi rice to keep things fresh and consistent. Costanza ended up creating his own cone (sounds weird to say that...). There are 5 steps where you choose your wrapper, rice, filling, 2 veggies and the sauce. He went for a Scallop Cone with nori, cucumbers, tomago and chili mayo. Unlike some other places, the ingredients made it from the top all the way to the tip of the bottom. Chewy, with every grain visible without degradation, the sushi rice was fantastic. Tack on fresh ingredients and we have a winner (all for $3.50).

Trying to be a bit different I went for an Unagi Cone with soy crepe (50 cents more) with sushi rice, avocado, cucumbers and chili mayo. The same qualities from Costanza's cone applies here as well. This turned out to be a pleasant surprise. We originally went for the ramen with much excitement while the cones being the snack. However, we liked it more than the ramen (despite being different things altogether).

The Good:
- Fresh ingredients from top to bottom of the cone
- Well-priced
- Made with care (it took a while!)

The Bad:
- Since it's a one-man operation, it'll take quite a while during peak times

Hapa Izakaya (Yaletown)

Originally, I was meeting Kim and Karl for some eats at Bao Bei in Chinatown. Well, it turns out that it would only be Karl and myself since Kim wasn't feeling too well. Kim really must be sick! For him to turn down food is akin to Bill Clinton turning down cigars... I made my way down to Chinatown, found a parking spot and put in 2 hours of time on the meter. Karl did the same and to our dismay, there was a 45 minute wait at Bao Bei. Both of us really do not like waiting. Thus, we threw some ideas around and eventually decided on trying out Hapa Izakaya in Yaletown. We've both been to the Robson location before and I have tried the Kits location as well.

As I arrived, the bustling restaurant seems to fit like a glove in Yaletown. With it's hip decor, beautiful staff and unique food, it fills a void between the high-end dining and chain restaurants. We were lucky to get a table for 2 since the place was quite full. One problem though... The table is really small and if you order too much, there is no way it can fit. In retrospect, Gigi (Ho Yummy) suggested that next time we order as we go to avoid this problem.

We started with the Renkon "Gyoza" which is a loose interpretation of the original dumpling. It's the usual gyoza filling of minced pork and veggies sandwiched in between 2 slices of lotus root, then deep-fried tempura style. It was a bit of a miss for both of us. We thought the lotus root was sliced too thick; thus overwhelming the dish texturally. All we got was the hard crunch of lotus root and little else in the way of meat or crispy tempura. Although the Chicken Karaage was fried a nice crispy brown, it was quite bland. It's too bad since the chicken was quite juicy and tender.

Our server suggested we try the Fried Oysters. This was an interesting, if not poorly conceptualized dish. We liked the oyster, it was crunchy and as Karl put it, very little in the way of fishiness. However, the bed of brown rice congee was an extremely peculiar accompaniment. A bit watery and bland, we didn't get how it complimented the oyster. Something I didn't expect to see at an Izakaya was the Assorted Sushi. We were curious and decided to give it a go. Consisting of 2 pieces each of tamago, unagi, makeral, red tuna, scallop & tobiko and tai, it was visually appealing. However, the sushi rice was a bit hard and salty (?). We weren't sure if it was an illusion or something; but we swear it was salty. The tomago was way too sweet; however, everything else was actually quite good.

The duck arrived on a much larger dish than necessary, which helped fill up our table. It was tender with a touch of flavour from the skin (which was quite chewy). The pickled beets provided some punch; yet the duck itself was quite bland. The last dish, which is one of my favs, was the Ebi Mayo. It sure looked nice with big, juicy prawns dressed in mayo. However, one bite revealed a gummy batter. Unlike the one I had at the Robson location, this one was soggy. Flavourwise, it was mostly sweet. Funny thing, there are 3 Hapa locations and I've been to them all with varying results. Honestly, Hapa Yaletown is not bad per se, it just didn't stack up the Kits and Robson locations. Maybe it'll be different the next time I pay it a visit. From my past experiences, Hapa is usually a very predictable izakaya with good food, funky atmosphere and "nice" staff. This was mostly the case here.

The Good:
- Great service
- Reasonable prices
- Cool atmosphere

The Bad:
- Small tables for 2
- Lacking flavour this time around

Shoryumen

Not since the movie Tampopo has there been such a buzz about Japanese ramen (well, here at least). However, much like the movie, there is a level of artistry and skill when producing the broth. Sure, the noodles themselves have to be good and cooked al dente; but it's all about the soup. Bad soup = bad ramen. When I saw Jessica and Ben's post of Shoryumen out in the same parking lot as Tenku Bakudanyaki, I was very eager to give it a try. How eager? How about going there on my lunch break from North Delta all the way to Richmond and back within 50 minutes? Impossible? Ah, you don't know me very well. With food, the impossible becomes the very possible. Not many things stop me from eating. Well, except for a lineup or the owner-lady at Po Service (er... I mean Po King).

So I arrived just as they were opening up the ramen cart. Wait, lemme rephrase that: the one guy who runs the truck. Yup, he's busy making the noodles, taking orders, taking money and cleaning up. I was impressed. Since the Ton broth will not be available unti Feb 9th, I settled on the Aka, which is miso broth for $5.75. I added 4 toppings for another $3.00. The basic ramen includes seaweed, onions and cabbage/sprouts. I added wood ear mushrooms, miso egg, corn and pork. If you bring your own bowl (thus saving a styrofoam bowl), there is a 50 cent discount. I thought of bringing my own big bowl; but alas, I didn't. I haven't gotten to the level Ben is at yet (he brought his own plate to Tenku Bakudanyaki). The styrofoam bowl that I did receive was not any bigger than those Kimchi instant noodle bowls. But it was filled to the brim.

Of course, by virtue of being a cart, there is nowhere to sit. You stand and eat the noodles right there at the "bar". Since I was in a rush and there was no reason to linger, I downed my bowl in about 8 minutes. The fact that it was not really big helped me finish quickly. I liked the thin noodles, they were done al dente. The miso broth was quite decent. Lots of flavour and moderate depth. I would've preferred to try the ton broth. Maybe next time... The egg was okay, nothing wrong with it particularly; it's just that I would've preferred the Ajitama instead. The pork was the shredded cold variety and I had to soak it in the broth since it was cold. In some respects, I liked the bowl of ramen. It was enjoyable to eat. On the other hand, it was not cheap after I added the toppings. Not particularly the best value considering the portion size and location; but that didn't prevent me from liking it. Of course I can see this place doing quite well during the Olympics since it's practically a stones throw away from the speed skating oval. I'm sure many of the fans will prefer playing less than $10.00 for a decent meal rather than the overpriced concessions. For me, if I'm in the area again, I'd do it again.

And believe it or not, I visited it again in anticipation of trying the Ton broth to no avail (the day I posted this). They still didn't receive the ingredients from overseas. However, I got to try the Kuro Ramen (Shoyu). For my ramen today, I found it less flavourful and had less depth than the miso. There were 2 significant changes since last time. First, there is another person there taking orders, which frees up the original guy to concentrate on preparing the ramen. Second, the egg was similar to a soft poached egg. Third, the bowl is now significantly bigger. Now, they are eco-friendly being 100% biodegradable. Therefore, the portion size has increased as well. I would say there is more broth and toppings now. Not sure about any more noodles.

The Good:
- If you're conservative with the toppings, it's fairly cheap (now with bigger bowl)
- Noodles and broth are decent
- It's got that stange location, interesting concept attraction

The Bad:
- Portions are quite small
- If you go nuts with the toppings, it's actually pricey ($8.75)
- Well, you have to stand there or go to your car to eat it

Sha Lin Noodle House

*Closed due to fire*

I remember visiting Sha Lin when it first opened its doors in 1996. It was quite a novelty since you could watch your noodles being made. When I say being made, I mean hand-made noodles where the chef is pulling, twisting and stretching the dough. Not many places went through all the trouble back then. In fact, the only other place that I knew of was the Unicorn in Richmond (which is long gone). The neatness factor was elevated with the long spout tea pots where they "squirted" the tea into your cup. So, 14 years later, I have returned to try it again. Why so long? Well, there are so many good noodle houses in the GVRD, it takes awhile to redo places. With Taiwanese beef noodle, Japanese ramen and Vietnamese pho, the noodle landscape gets a bit crowded.

Since both of my kids like noodles, we brought the whole family out this time around. As expected, there was the usual lineup during a weekend lunch hour. Good thing that noodles are usually consumed pretty quickly; therefore, tables opened up regularly. Finally seated, we had to decide on a bowl of noodles. Alright, you might think that's an easy thing to do. Well, if you got 2 whole pages of choice, it takes awhile. There is no mistaking what their specialty is here! For me, I went for an ol' favourite, Ja Jeun Mein, which is essentially blanched noodles (cutting noodles in this case) with a fried meat sauce on top with julienned cucumbers. As expected, the noodles were al dente with a nice "bite" to them. However, the sauce was extremely disappointing. Not only was it bland, it was very greasy. Moreover, the pork was stringy and tough to chew. If it weren't for the perfect noodles, I would've not liked this dish at all.

Something I was not expecting, the Pork Dumplings were pretty darn good. When they arrived, they looked like any other boiled Chinese dumpling; but the filling was super tasty. The meat was moist and well seasoned. Dipped into a bit of vinegar, these rocked. It goes without saying, the dumpling skin was just as good as the noodles. For her order, Viv went for the Pushing Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables. It all sounded quite plain to me and in some sense it was. Yet, for a plain bowl of noodles, the chicken broth was quite flavourful. Enough so that it was enough to give the noodles some taste as well. Mind you, for some others, it could still be too plain (soy sauce anyone?). Of course, the noodles were good, chewy and soft all at the same time. However, much like the meat in my noodles, the chicken pretty tough. Strangely, there was the occasional soft piece mixed in with the chewy ones. Inexplicably, we ordered nearly the same bowl of noodles for the kiddies as well. The only difference was the noodles. Instead of pushing noodles, they got dragging noodles.

For those who have no clue what I'm talking about, there are 4 types of noodles here at Sha Lin. Pushing, Pulling, Dragging and Cutting. They merely describe the methods used to make the noodles from the same dough. Pushing are thicker noodles, Pulling and Dragging are thinner, while cutting are wider noodles "cut" directly from the dough into boiling water. These noodles are the star of the show (they make it right in front of your eyes) and the star of the menu. The rest of the food is below average. Service is hurried and basic, as with the decor. However, the food is cheap and plentiful. It's worth a visit just to see for yourself.

The Good:
- Outstanding noodles (texture and execution)
- It's cheap
- Good portions (for the price)

The Bad:
- Other components of the food are mediocre at best
- If you want refinement in your food, look elsewhere (it's pretty much like home-cooking)

db Bistro Moderne

*Restaurant is now closed*

Way back when, Costanza and I coined the term "Filet-O-Fish Meal" when we were left hungry and bewildered after eating at Feenies. The portion size was so pathetic, we figured that we needed to eat again to be satisfied. While stuffing the small piece of halibut in one fell swoop into our mouths, Costanza turns to me and asks, "do you want to go for a Filet-O-Fish after this?". Well, we never actually went back to Feenies, despite the food tasting quite good. Looks like we'll never go back to Feenies since it's now db Bistro Moderne. The new headliner is Daniel Boulud, who brings his style of French cuisine to Lumiere and db. We'd pegged this visit for quite awhile, all the way back in early December. Luck would have it, db would be added to one of the restaurants on Let's Go For Dinner. Now I could get $20.00 0ff! Sweet!

A couple of days before our meal, Ben had tweeted about his experience at db (including the discount). I replied to his tweet, indicating I was doing the same thing Saturday. The very next day, Chris Gonzales (GM of Lumiere and db) added me on Twitter. Coincidence? Well, this was quickly answered when Chris introduced himself once we settled into our table. I guess all the clues were there: my tweet, reservation under my name, DSLR with really large flash... Whatever the case, it really doesn't matter if they knew whether I was coming or not. When it comes to high quality food such as this, it speaks for itself. A mediocre restaurant cannot suddenly morph into a good one overnight.

I was impressed at our servers' knowledge of the menu and the daily features. He explained everything in detail confidently. We started with an amuse bouche consisting of a small fried Beef Bourgignon morsel. And... it tasted exactly as such with rich beef, red wine and onions. Costanza decided to try one of the features, which was the Foie Gras with Figs. Being that it is foie gras, it was luxuriously rich and buttery. As expected, the sweet figs provided the necessary sweetness to help balance the richness. Only 2 crunchy croutons were provided as eating vessels for the foie gras. With such a large piece, 2 more croutons would've been better. In addition to the regular menu, there is an insert with cheeses and charcuteries. I decided on the Duck Pate consisting of the duck breast, giblets, foie gras and fig. Served on the side were cornichons, mushrooms, pickled daikon, beet and turnip (?) with whole grain mustard. I liked the variety of duck parts nestled within the pate. It afforded textural differences as well as differing levels of duck gaminess.

Viv went for something a tad lighter than our duck appetizers. She chose an Alsatian flat bread - the Tarte Flambee with Gruyere and smoked bacon. The flat bread was indeed crispy topped with a modest amount of cheese, onions and bacon. Illustrating how little cheese is needed to provide flavour, the flatbread was cheesy with only a hint of smoked bacon. Personally, I would've liked a bit more "punch" with the flavours; but at the same time, I realize the intention was balance. If having an appetizer for each of us wasn't enough, we were treated to the Tempura Spot Prawns compliments of Chef de Cuisine Stephane Istel. These mini spot prawns were fried perfectly with a light; yet crispy tempura batter. Being that spot prawns are very delicate and can be overcooked easily (resulting in a very tough, chewy product), I was amazed at how juicy and tender they were. Perfectly executed. Served on the side were 2 sauces green chili and mayo cocktail. The fan favourite was unanimously the green chili. A bit sweet and slightly spicy, it provided the necessary kick for this dish. The cocktail sauce was much too mild to be of any impact.

When it came to deciding on my main dish, there was little decision-making needed. All along, I have wanted to try the NY's Original db Burger. It's Daniel Boulud's burger creation featuring foie gras, black truffle and braised short rib encased in top sirlion. At first glance, it may not look like much, other than a fat burger seated between a modest Parmesan bun; but the real beauty is
when you look at the cross-section. Not quite cooked all the way through (which is how a burger should be like), the moist sirloin gives way to rich braised short rib, a touch of truffle and a small piece of foie gras. One bite reveals a complexity usually not associated with burgers. Meaty sirloin in the same bite as rich short rib, earthy truffle and/or with the buttery foie gras - heavenly! Yes, that's where you would end up if you ate this every day. Not for someone watching their caloric intake that's for sure. The frites served on the side were very crispy, each and every one of them.

Viv and Elaine both had the same appetizer and also the same entree! I was dismayed that they didn't pick something different since I wanted more variety. I think they're sick of my antics and did this to spite me... Oh well... So they both picked the Cassoulet de Toulouse which consists of duck confit, duck & pork sausage, gizzards, smoked bacon (big chunks of belly, yum!) atop a bed of tabais beans. The dish didn't look like much; yet as expected, it was filling due to the beans and the rich meats. I particularly liked the gizzard, they were moist while a bit chewy at the same time. The sausage was quite meaty and duck gamy which in my mind is perfectly flavourful. The pork belly was fatty with a smoky braised quality. Most of the beans retained their shape while being tender inside (I say "most" since some were softer).

Costanza went for one of the daily features: Loup de Mer, which is Seabass. It's salt crusted, baked and then filleted. Served on the side is a lemongrass beurre blanc. If it weren't for the colourful ratatouille of zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, tomato and caramelized onions, the dish would be all white. Personally, I would've liked a coloured or glass plate (being picky, I know...). The fish itself exhibited an almost Tilapia-type texture. The mildly sweet flesh was a little on the bland and dry side; however, the beurre blanc alleviated both issues. I would've liked to see a bit more salt flavour (which is strange since the fish is salt encrusted). However, there was one hiccup in the form of fish bones (about 3 of them) in the piece that I had. The fingerling potatoes were perfect while the ratatouille was a nice colour and flavour contrast to the plain fish.

By now we were plenty stuffed since the portions were quite good. A stark contrast to what we got at the former Feenie's. So we ended up sharing 2 desserts. If that weren't enough, they brought over a large cup of Madeleines. Soft, fluffy and only semi-sweet, these little morsels were fun to eat. We just kept popping them into our mouths, even though we were completely full! For our actual dessert, Viv and I split a Lemon Tart. The tart itself had a nice zing and was quite buttery. Served on the side was a raspberry sorbet which was not too sweet or tart. In fact, I found it quite smooth which is a good thing (considering there is no milk products). Costanza and Elaine shared a Spiced Apple Cake. It was served with a whiskey brown butter (which was served table side) and vanilla ice cream. We tried to figure out the spices in the cake and came up with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and possibly cloves. We asked; but being a secret, we never could confirm it. The cake itself was quite moist and not overly sweet. A nice blend of flavours with the aforementioned spices (at least that's what we thought) gave the cake a nice aromatic touch. Further upping the ante was the whiskey brown butter. The whiskey provided a unique flavour to the a normally standard sauce.

Naturally, we enjoyed our meal at db Bistro. And why not? We were treated extremely well (since they knew I was there) and were provided with some "extras". Now, if you know me by now, that does not matter one bit. I observed the service at other tables, the other patrons were treated just as well as we were. Well, except for the visits from Stephane Istel and the gracious hospitality of Chris Gonzales. As for the food, it spoke for itself. It was generally spot on, except for the bones. Most importantly, we got our money's worth since the portions and food quality were very good. Add the $20.00 discount from my Let's Go For Dinner card, we left as very happy patrons.

The Good:
- Well executed food
- Good value (reasonable prices with good portions)
- Excellent service (observed at other tables)

The Bad:
- Fish bones (a no-no)