Cafe D'Lite

Hainanese Chicken, an often misunderstood dish since the name implies an origin within China; yet it is a dish associated with Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia as well. Widely considered the national dish of Singapore, there are a few variations of Hainanese Chicken among the different areas. However, the basic items are constant such as the poached chicken and chicken oil rice. The trick to make the chicken tender and juicy is to never let the water boil. Moreover, the proper technique to make chicken oil rice is, as in the description, to use the leftover chicken oil to stir fry the rice before cooking it in the leftover chicken broth. Many places cheat and do not use this process, resulting in a mushy and non-aromatic rice. So far, it's been difficult to find the perfect Hainanese Chicken; but Prata Man does a pretty good version (I'm not sure about their other dishes though... a bit substandard). You can find other variations at Mui Garden (free range, it's chewier), Banana Leaf, Tropika and Hawker's Delight.

Today, on our way to the women's ice hockey game between China and Finland, Viv and I stopped by Cafe D'Lite to give their Hainanese Chicken a try. I decided to order the large single order since it looked so pretty in the picture. You see, it's a formed bowl of rice surrounded by boneless pieces of dark meat. I'm happy that it was boneless since that is the correct way of serving it. Too many a time, there are bones, which is a no-no. The chicken, in my mind, was pretty good. Tender, juicy and with a light drizzle of sweet soy, this would give Prata Man a run for its money. However, and this is a big however, the rice was terrible. Consisting of mainly broken rice, it was mushy and dry and the same time (not sure how that can be). Furthermore, it was flavourless and lacked the oil gloss that makes the chicken rice taste and look good. That in itself spoiled the dish for me.

We also got a Beef Laksa and it looked pretty good. Yah, oil slick at the top is normal. I thought noodles were done right and the broth itself was decent, maybe lacking a bit of coconut flavour. It wasn't as spicy as I would've liked it; but it's my bad for not specifying. Honestly, except for the rice, I thought the meal was solid and I'll probably return. However, I hope this was an off day for the rice because it was not very good at all.

The Good:
- Properly prepared Hainanese Chicken
- Reasonable prices considering the location

The Bad:
- Terrible chicken rice (maybe only this time?)

Me-n-Ed's Pizza Parlor (Coquitlam)

I'm not even sure why I give my son the choice of restaurants. While we were cruising along in the car, I asked him what he wanted to eat and the first thing he comes up with is "pizza". Hey, I have no problem with pizza; but I'm not so inclined to eat it for an early lunch on a Sunday. But he kept insisting that we go eat pizza. Alright, why deny the kid when he normally is excited about food as Indiana Jones is happy to see snakes. Since we were in Coquitlam already, we went to Me-n-Ed's. Another motivation to go there was due to the Entertainment coupon. Honestly, without it, I would probably not even consider going there. Hey, it's not that I don't like the food; rather, I find it a bit expensive for what you get. Personally, I can eat half a large easily. In fact, Viv can eat half a large easily. Wait, thats not too hard to believe. She did finish 4 dozen wings by herself once...

So here we are again... at Me-n-Ed's. We were the only table for the longest time. It figures. I'm sure this is not the most popular place to eat on a Sunday morning. Also, with all the Olympic activities going on, there were not many diners here during lunch. Viv and I decided to share a large pizza with shrimp, capicolla, ham, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, sausage, mushrooms, chicken and anchovies (on my half). Hold on, what's with all those toppings??? Yah, if you did this at most other pizza joints, you'd be looking at a pretty big bill. Yes, the bill at Me-n-Ed's is not light either; but at the very least, any amount of toppings over 4 counts as the same. So pile it on!

If you've never had a pizza here before, the "crust" is what makes it unique. Resembling more like a very large cracker, the crust is crunchy and quite thin. Thus, you could easily eat quite a few slices. I personally like the crust despite its apparent "crispy" spin. And since there is really no side crust, you can eat the whole darn slice without wasting it or dipping it into some ranch dressing. Since my son has as much chance eating anchovies as Lady GaGa wearing something normal, we got the kiddies a mini pizza. Apparently they like the pizza here too and that in itself is another reason I like it...

The Good:
- If you like a really thin, crunchy crust
- Unlimited toppings
- Family friendly

The Bad:
- Expensive
- If you don't like a really thin, crunchy crust

Kyoto Sushi

When something is said to be "Best in...", it almost results in the kiss of death. People go in with high expectations and inevitably will be disappointed. So when I heard that Kyoto Sushi happens to be one of the best in Surrey, I was quite skeptical. Mind you, expectations should be tempered as you move farther away from Vancouver. Usually, the best of the GVRD are typically found in Vancouver; but there are the occasional gems that buck the trend (ie. Ah-Beetz). So, the last time I attempted to try Kyoto Sushi, I ended up at Tokyo Ken's since I was unwilling to make a U-turn. Well, I should've made that U-turn because Tokyo Ken was a bit underwhelming. I still ended up heading into the parking lot of Tokyo Ken's to do my U-turn because if I did on the actual street, it would've been right in front of the police station. I'm assuming that would have not been a smart move.

I was the first customer to arrive and hogged a prime seat at the window as usual. I originally planned to use the Entertainment coupon which stated that "for those who prefer 25% off any sushi or sashimi or combination dinner". From my understanding, that should be usable even for a single diner. Apparently not. I was too much in a rush to argue about it and accepted their explanation (which was it only applies for 2 people). Anyways, I did end up getting a dinner box which consisted of tempura, dynamite roll, chicken teriyaki and 4pcs nigiri. I tried the tempura first before it cooled down. It was very crispy and fried perfectly. Not oily at all, I really enjoyed it. The nigiri was also quite good. In addition to the 2 pieces of salmon, I was suprised to get toro (tuna belly). Both were quite fresh devoid of mushiness or fishiness. The sushi rice was decent as well being firm while not being dry.

While most of the Dynamite Roll was good, such as the rice and the crispy double prawn tempura, the avocado was terrible. Mushy, practically disintegrating on its own, they should have not used it at all. Despite everything good about the roll, it was destroyed by the bad avocado. One surprising part of the box was the Gyoza. Not only did it exhibit good colour due to the pan-frying, it was fluffy and juicy. Yes, it was juicy. Normally only reserved for Xiao Long Baos, the hot juice from the tasty gyozas was a treat.

As for the chicken teriyaki, it was pretty much like other one you'd find at most Japanese restaurants. However, with that being said, it was much juicer and larger than the one I had at Tokyo Ken's. As with most places, there was too much sweet teriyaki glaze, it's akin to eating liquid candy. Once again, I have to use the modified gauge or expectations when it comes to Japanese food out of Vancouver. Kyoto is decent given it's location.

The Good:
- Food is decent
- Service is friendly
- Reasonably priced

The Bad:
- A bit difficult to get to unless you're traveling East on 72nd
- Confusion with the Entertainment coupon

Burgoo (Main)

Okay, now I've officially visited every location of Burgoo. I wasn't really planning on eating at the Main Street location today; but when I asked my son what he wanted to eat, he emphatically proclaimed "grilled cheese!" Of course, we were not intending to eat grilled cheese in any form. In fact, we were on our way for some noodles (another favourite of his). This was roughly a block away, so I immediately had to take a left onto 15th Ave. The last time we tried to eat at this location, there was an hour wait despite being only 5:00pm. We were lucky today as we got seated right away. I noticed that they have added an "extension" to the front of the restaurant. The extension is merely a tented area with heaters. No matter, the place is so darn small, it's necessary. It'll probably be outdoor seating in the summer.

Unlike some other restaurants of the ilk, Burgoo is relatively family friendly with high chairs and crayons. Sure, it's a bit dark and cramped; but it works. Compare it to a popular chain restaurant such as Earl's, at the very least, Burgoo tries to accommodate families. So... the whole point we were here was due to the "grilled cheese" and of course we ordered it. For $2.00 more, you can make it a soup and sandwich combo. In my opinion, this is worth it (assuming you like soup, but why would you come to Burgoo if you didn't?) since it is a fairly large bowl of soup. So we ultimately got the Gooey Cheese Grillers with Sunset Corn and Chicken Soup.

I've tried the corn and chicken soup at the Pt. Grey location before; but Viv hadn't. She really liked it since there were many flavours at work. She thought the chipotle and cumin almost made the soup taste a bit curry-like which worked well with the sweet corn and crema fresca (which is quite similar to creme fraiche). Compared to the cheese grillers from the North Vancouver location, these ones were less fried. Still crispy, the bread was not completely doused in oil; thus there was some bread-like qualities left. Again, the cheese was ooey and gooey.

This time around, I went for the Lamb Tagine which is served in a traditional tagine slaoui. Served with couscous, the stew consists of lamb, apricots, olives, carrots, chickpeas, celery, onions, zucchini and turnips. The stew itself was not too gamy since there was actually very few pieces of lamb. Furthermore, the apricots and carrots added a sweetness to the dish. Viv had the Pot Roast served with mashed potatoes. With the same root vegetables as my dish, the pot roast was a bit stringy. Much like my dish, it was on the sweeter side which was pleasant. This was an "okay" pot roast. Another solid meal at Burgoo once again. However, after 3 visits, I've noticed that there is not really that much meat in their stews. Not a huge problem if you are having a sandwich or soup; but since they are known for their stews... they might want to add a bit more meat.

The Good:
- Classic comfort foods (stews, soups, grilled cheese and mac 'n cheese)
- Solid service
- Decent value depending what you order

The Bad:
- Where's the meat?
- As with all locations, seating is a bit cramped
- Can get expensive depending what you order

Taste of Africa

My random restaurant adventures led me to Dan Sung Sa a few weeks ago and it turned out to be a pretty good find. While exiting the parking lot, I noticed another interesting place named the Taste of Africa. Hmmm... African cuisine eh? Interestingly, I'm not even sure what African food is all about since there are like 53 countries within the continent. I've been to Simba's and it's mainly Eastern African cuisine, where there are Middle Eastern influences. From what I can gather (and correct me if I'm wrong), I believe the Taste of Africa is Western African food.

As per usual, I was the first customer for lunch (I have an early lunch hour). Warmly welcomed by what I figured as the owner of the place. Well, her picture is on the sandwich board outside... She assumed I was there for the lunch special and she was right. At $6.99, it seemed like a good deal to me. I decided on the Jollof Rice, Beef Kehbab and Salad. The kebabs were cooked quite thoroughly. Something that I normally don't prefer; but it is how they prepare it here. The sauce was only slightly spicy with some tang. Despite the rich colour, the rice was on the dry side and only moderately seasoned.

The meat patty that I got to go was extremely flaky, buttery and light. The meat filling was soft and only moderately spicy. I would've preferred a bit more meat; yet at the same time, I can see how that would make it too dense. Compared to a Jamaican patty, this one is bigger while actually being less filling. Definitely not as spicy and a whole lot flakier. In general, none of the items I tried were outstanding. With that being said, it was inexpensive and a departure from the usual. That in itself makes the Taste of Africa unique and a place to try if you're in the area.

The Good:
- Good value
- It's definitely different
- Friendly owner

The Bad:
- Personally, I like my food with a bit more moisture; however, I'm sure that's not how they prepare it here
- Minimalistic dining space (if you care about that)

Dougiedog

*Location is now closed*

The hot dog. Such a simple food. A tubular oasis of ground up "you don't want to know" wedged within baked leavened dough. Hey, I'm not knocking it. In fact, I'm standing up for the humble, often ridiculed wiener in a bun. Think of it. It's easy to make. It can be BBQ'd, grilled, pan-fried, boiled, baked, nuked or even eaten as is. It's portable. Kids love it, adults love it, seniors love it. It transcends socio-economic and cultural boundaries. Ah yes, the simple hot dog has gone global. First it was Japadog, then Tikka Dog, now there's Dougiedog. Dougiedog??? Wait, that doesn't sound very exotic. In fact, it sounds as exotic as a HK-style breakfast (complete with it's own wiener in place of a sausage).

Well, when Mel (Gourmet Fury) alerted us of this new hot dog joint out on Granville (just around the corner from The Dogfather), I had to try it. Well, as per usual, Kim made it out there first and laid the groundwork. He had tried the Seoul Dog and the Tokyo Dog. Hey, I decided to try the exact same ones. Fresh from splitting a Banh Mi from Viet Sub, we were going for meat in a bun overload. It was like the time when I had La Taqueria, Finch's and 2001 Flavours all in one shot. Doug himself prepared the tubular delights for us. The claim to fame here is that their wieners are made with no preservatives and with fresh meat. They are never sitting around in a factory too long. Furthermore, these wieners exhibit the "snap" usually reserved for those you find in Chicago or New York. Unfortunately, we don't get much of that here. The only one that I've tried that is remotely close is Japadog's Kurobuta pork wieners. But I find those more chewy than snappy. Think of the ones here akin to European wieners.

Viv and I both agreed that the Seoul Dog was better than the Tokyo Dog. Nothing against the latter; but when compared to Japadog's Terimayo, this one was missing something. Maybe the grilled onions? With the addition of Bonito flakes combined with the shredded Nori, it's definitely fish tasting (I personally liked it). In the Seoul Dog, you get flavours normally not seen in a hot dog. You have spicy Kimchi, Bulgogi (BBQ Korean beef), pickle and sesame. Nestled in a soft steamed bun, the flavours in this dog really worked. You could really get the Korean flavours even with the weird addition of a dill pickle. For the price they charge ($6.95 for the specialty hot dogs), you get a pretty big hot dog (it's actually 2 small wieners). Their regular dogs are much more moderately priced at $4.50ish. But I must note that the Terimayo at Japadog (what the Tokyo Dog aspires to be) is only $4.50.

The Good:
- I like the steamed bun
- High quality wieners with a snappy casing
- Lots of different choices

The Bad:
- With such a diverse selection, it'll yield some good results combined with mediocre ones
- Some may balk at spending $7.00 for a hot dog

Viet Sub

The Vietnamese sub, AKA Banh Mi, is one of my "go-to" foods. If I ever need a snack, it fills the void. When I need a meal, I just eat more than one of them. It's essentially a French Baguette stuffed with a variety meats mixed with cilantro, sweet butter, sometimes pate, pickled daikon/carrots, black pepper, hot peppers, cucumber and fish sauce. It may sound like an odd collection of ingredients; but once you give it a try, you may never go back to Subway or Quizno's. Considering they range in price from $2.75 to $5.00, it's a friggin' steal. Now, the most popular places to get these tasty sandwiches would be Ba Le, Tung Hing and Au Petit Cafe. Unless you included the Chinatown location of Ba Le, there are few good Banh Mis to be found in Downtown. Well, assuming you've been paying attention, the whole point of this post is to inform everyone that Viet Sub brings the humble, yet tasty Banh Mi into the downtown core. Yes, there are other places you can get these; but the ones here at Viet Sub are actually good.

Today, the whole family decided to take in the Olympic vibe in downtown and while we were on our way to try out Dougiedog, I stopped dead in my tracks when I spotted Viet Sub. Suddenly, I was reminded of what Kim blogged about last July. I recalled that he recommended it. And for him to recommend something, it must be good! He hates everything else... LOL... So Viv and I decided to share the Special Sub to try it out. To our delight, it was indeed quite good. Lots of ingredients and a nice smoky BBQ sauce which gave the meats a "char sui" taste. The bread was crispy and warm; yet a a bit too chewy for me personally. I still prefer the airiness of Ba Le's baguettes or the right-out-of-the-oven ones from Tung Hing.

Not being satisfied with splitting one Banh Mi between the both of us, we returned later in the week. In fact, we braved a Friday in Downtown during the Olympics. Predictably, it was wall-to-wall people reminiscent of my visit to New York. I've never seen the sidewalks so full of people. This time, we got 2 more subs: BBQ Sub and the Cold Cut. Once again, both were doused with the same BBQ sauce from last time. It got a little boring because of it. Don't get me wrong, we love the sauce; but maybe only use it in the BBQ and Special sub, not the cold cut. Usually, the cold cut sub in any other Vietnamese restaurant would only have pate as the main flavouring agent. This way, you could taste more of the meat. Whatever the case, we enjoyed the subs and concluded that this is the place to get Banh Mis in Downtown Vancouver.

The Good:
- Inexpensive (especially located on Robson!)
- Good amount of filling in the subs
- The subs are comparable to other places in Vancouver

The Bad:
- The place is really small, not a place to linger
- The bread is a bit chewy (personal preference)
- Should take it easy on the BBQ sauce