Mui Ngo Gai

*This location is now closed*

The Vietnamese restaurant. You know, the one that has PHO prominently displayed on their awnings. There's Pho 99, Pho Hoa, Pho Tan, Pho Tam, Pho 101 and so on. Just put "Pho" and you got a restaurant name. The classic was Pho Bich Nga. Too bad it's gone! How about a Vietnamese restaurant without Pho in its name? Sure there are a few out there such as Song Huong, Thai Hang, Thai Son and Bao Chau. But there is something a bit different with Mui Ngo Gai. If you ever get a chance to look at their menu, there are dishes that you'll rarely find at other Vietnamese restaurants in town. In addition to the standard pho, rice and spring rolls, there are entrees from the South and hot pot.

Actually, we weren't planning on dining on Vietnamese food tonight. We were on our way home from the women's ice hockey game at UBC between China and Finland. I was wanting to try Banditas out; but it turns out that they close at 10:00. Thus, I had to find something close and quick. Viola, Mui Ngo Gai! If we had more time, I would've tried some of their specialties. Instead, we ended up with most of the regular items you'd find at any other Vietnamese restaurant. I got one Spring Roll and one Grilled Pork Salad Roll to start. I really enjoyed eating the salad roll. It wasn't exactly big; but there were big pieces of nicely grilled pork with crunchy romaine, carrots, daikon and vermicelli. Not exactly that appealing when I laid eyes on it, the spring roll was much better than they looked. Despite looking hard, the spring roll was crunchy and I did like the filling of meat, carrots, cellophane noodles and woodear mushrooms.

Predictably, I ordered a large pho with the works (rare beef, tripe, tendon, brisket). However, if you look at the picture, you'll notice it's not a large. Yah, they messed up. Didn't matter though, it turned out for the better since I really wasn't all that hungry. Remember, I already had dinner prior to the game (an early one though). Well, it was a small in theory; but honestly, there was enough noodles and meat to qualify it as a large. It just came in a smaller bowl with less soup. And about that soup, it was good. Definite meat flavour and a nice balance between salty and sweet. Noodles were al dente and the meats were well-prepared. A pretty solid bowl of pho.

Viv ended up with a rice dish that included grilled pork, chicken and ham. Don't worry, she only ate half. A pretty simple dish really; yet executed properly with nicely grilled meats with a hint of lemongrass. A pretty good bang for the buck at $8.95. Pretty good, another successful random restaurant visit. Food is good, price is right and the owner-lady is quite nice.

The Good:
- Solid pho
- Diverse menu
- Good portions

The Bad:
- A bit run down

Dim Sum @ Yummy Wonton

Roughly a year ago, I was in search of good Chinese food in North Delta. For those who live out here, that is akin to finding an honest politician. Not an easy feat. It turns out that there are not too many to be found. Ming Shing, Kam Wah and the New Ruby didn't fit the bill. Maybe it was lowered expectations or just relief that I was so enthusiastic about the food at Yummy Wonton. In hindsight, it wasn't outstanding (probably just decent compared to Vancouver); but pretty good for North Delta. Seeing that they also have Dim Sum and with the meal at Lotus still fresh in my memory, Pomegranate and I decided to give it a go today.

Interestingly, I sat at the same table as my last visit. Nothing really wrong with that other than the fact that there is not a single seat in this place with good lighting. Thus, in the middle of the day, I had to use my flash. Not the most ideal thing to do; but I had no choice. I kept it as discreet as possible. The first dish we got was the most important and if you look at the picture, something struck us as a bit odd. Yes, there are 5 Steamed Shrimp Dumplings rather than the usual 4. For me, this was really strange since it's not normal to have that amount and honestly, what Chinese restaurant will give you more than you need? Hey, we're not complaining! I've always joked to Viv that 2 kids are enough since Dim Sum usually has servings of 4 (yah, lame excuse, I know...). I'm a little nervous that there are places that do 5 dumplings! Anyways, the shrimp filling was quite good with a nice crunchy texture and modestly seasoned. However, I wasn't a big fan of the dumpling skin, it was a tad gummy.

To satisfy Pomegranate, we got the Spring Rolls and for once, they were not filled with shrimp. Hey, I like shrimp; but sometimes I just want a veggie filled one. These were fried up crispy, not oily and filled with crunchy veggies. We also got the Potstickers and thankfully there were only 4 of them (LOL...). These were decent with a nice crispy bottom and a moist meaty filling. I was pleased that they provided the correct sweet vinegar as a dip. The vinegar makes the dish. For me, I always have to get a Rice Noodle Roll and I got the BBQ pork version today. For some reason, Pomegranate didn't prefer it. I guess it could be a textural issue because I thought it was quite good. It was soft, not too thick and had a decent amount of BBQ pork inside. It's almost like last time where Hot Mama didn't like the rice noodle roll at Lotus due in part to the texture as well. I guess you have to be used to it?

Another dish I always have to get is the Black Bean Spareribs. This was not bad with generally meaty pieces. The dish was a bit oily; yet it was seasoned just enough so that I could still taste the meat flavours. Talking about meat flavours, I thought the Sui Mai were pretty good, not being over-seasoned. Appearance-wise, they looked the part with a nice topping of tobiko. Texturally, the meat wasn't overly processed retaining a slightly chewy consistency. Again, there were only 4 of them! Still don't get the 5 shrimp dumplings...

The last dish dish was the Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaves. I thought that the rice was prefect balance of stickiness and moistness. A good amount of pork helped flavour the rice. Hey, what do you know? Another decent Dim Sum experience out here in North Delta. Okay, with that statement, it must be prefaced with caution. If you were expecting Vancouver or Richmond quality Dim Sum, then that might be a stretch; however, it is more than acceptable considering the location. In comparison with its only other competitor, Lotus, I would say that Yummy comes out slightly ahead since the food is prepared with a bit more care and the presentation is a bit more appetizing. With that being said, it comes with a cost since Yummy is more expensive than Lotus.

The Good:
- Decent Dim Sum considering its location
- Friendly service
- Large, comfortable restaurant

The Bad:
- A bit pricier than its immediate competition
- Limited Dim Sum menu (understandable for its location)

Amorosa

Much like other foodies such as Mijune, Victoria, Joyce and Elaine, I have been suffering through a bought of the stomach flu. It's nasty business I tell you... Whatever you eat, it is bound to come out one way or another. Furthermore, the desire to eat is greatly diminished. Imagine the horror! It's akin to a Tiger Woods or David Duchovny not being allowed to have sex! Wait... bad analogy... Anyways, you get the idea. So upon my recovery, which took way longer than expected, you can only imagine my desire to eat. In fact, I think I'm trying to make it all up by eating more! Thus, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to pay Amorosa a visit. No no no, not the psychotic b**ch from The Apprentice. Heck, I wouldn't want to visit with her even if she were holding onto 2 Banh Mis in each hand with a plate of lobster sitting in front. Well... possibly... WTH? No, of course not! The place I'm talking about is Amorosa Pasta House out on Edmonds and 6th. Yah, that corner. The last time I tried eating here, it was packed... on a Monday night! This place is indeed popular. Hey, big portions and reasonable prices, sounds like a good combination.

It was also convenient for us since my son has his skating lessons at Moody Park, which is nearby. Knowing how Rich Guy only eats out and never cooks, I invited him to tag along. I learned my lesson from last time and made a reservation. As there are no real tables big enough to accommodate 5+ people, it was a tight squeeze for us (even though they added a small table to the end of a large one). Since Rich Guy doesn't eat vegetables because he claims, "real men don't eat greens", I pestered him into sharing a Spinach Salad with us. Hey, the salad was pretty good, even he concurred. With fresh green leaves and large slices of button mushrooms, the salad was lightly dressed with a herb raspberry vinaigrette. Although we had complimentary bread, we went ahead and got the Garlic Cheese Toast. It was partially a backup plan in case my son didn't eat the pasta... Turns out it was a good choice, not only did he eat it, we enjoyed it too! The toast was really soft and there was a good amount of melted mozzarella on top. Although, Viv thought it would've been even better with more garlic.

Our server was quite astute and made sure that the kid's pasta came out first. They ended up sharing the Penne Alfredo. Creamy while not being too creamy (I know that is a lame description...), the sauce was not over seasoned. The penne was on the softer side of al dente. Viv went for the special of the day which was Rotini with sausage, sun-dried tomato and zucchini in a rose sauce. This was the large portion size and it was quite a bit of pasta. Moreover, as you can see, there are ingredients throughout, so they didn't skimp there. Although I thought the pasta was pretty solid, there was a bit too much sauce for my liking. Of course it provides flavour and moisture; but it softens the pasta a bit too much in my opinion.

Rich Guy decided to be a bit healthier and settled on the Penne Genovese which consists of chicken, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes in a rose sauce. I'm not so sure on the "healthier" part; but I guess there are worse dishes he could've ordered. Another large plate of pasta with a bit too much sauce. Don't get me wrong here. It tasted pretty good with a nice balance of tomato and cream sauces without being salty or too sweet. He proudly declared he was only going to eat half and almost ended up finishing the whole thing. For myself, I went with the Linguine alla Vongole, which is a favourite of mine. Unlike the one I had at Jimoco, this pasta was thoroughly "clammy". I thought the sauce was decent with hints of oregano and some tomato zing. Once again, there was a lot of sauce here. The pasta had a "fresh" quality to it and although that is a good attribute; it is not my personal preference. Despite this, I did finish the whole plate of pasta. Probably not the best idea; but I did anyways. If you're expecting "trendy" pasta like you'd find at some downtown eateries, you won't find it here at Amorosa. But for the prices they charge coupled with large portion sizes, it will remain as a popular destination.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Inexpensive
- Personable service

The Bad:
- A bit too much sauce
- Tight seating arrangements

East No 1 Seafood

Finally getting over the stomach flu, I decided that eating out was necessary. Well, eating is important for a restaurant-based food blog! Luckily I keep a nice buffer of posts that come in handy when I'm ill and cannot eat! Well, that really didn't stop me from eating at Codfather's and McD's (twice!) since I figured that since it would come out anyways. I refuse to let the stomach flu rain on my parade! Today, I took full advantage of Rich Guy being around. You see, he's always game to be a dining partner. You think I eat out a lot... He never cooks. Therefore, he probably eats out more than me. Imagine that... We ended up meeting at East #1 Seafood Restaurant for Dim Sum this morning. We really didn't want to head anywhere with a lot of traffic, so we ended up picking a place located in the ever-so-busy parking lot of T&T. Go figure. I decided to avoid the frustration and parked right on Renfrew. Believe me, once you enter that parking lot, you'll be stuck there for a while as people attempt to park in the extremely narrow spots. And when I say narrow, let's just say that it's enough for a car, but not for you to get out.

The one thing you'll notice at East #1 is that they still employ the traditional Dim Sum cart. For some people, this is very important. For me, I'm a bit indifferent. Yes, it's neat to see your food before you order it; but I find that the food deteriorates as it circles the entire restaurant. And... it always seems to happen to me, the shrimp dumplings sell out at the table just before me every time. Scratch that, people run up to the cart, raid it of everything they want and then I get the scraps. Fortunately for us, we did get the Shrimp Dumplings before they sold out. Meh... They were disappointing. The dumpling skin was gummy and overcooked. Same with the shrimp. It was a bit hard and not crunchy at all.

Although the Sui Mai looked good and contained a good amount of shrimp, we thought it was also overcooked. The pork was too chewy and a bit bland. The next dish was a bit surprising. Very few restaurants serve Stir Fried Silver Needle Noodles anymore. Definitely an ol' school Dim Sum dish. Essentially hand-rolled noodles made of rice flour, these are known for their chewiness. These ones didn't disappoint and as you can see, lots of shrimp too. Where the shrimp dumplings failed, the Scallop and Shrimp Dumpling were better. The filling was perfectly cooked with crunchy shrimp and tender scallops. However, once again, the dumpling skin was gummy.

Alright, when I take pictures of soups, stews and congee, I try to take a spoonful of it to illustrate what you can't see. However, as I tried to spoon some ingredients for this picture, there was none. Actually there was, but they were in little bits. So essentially, there was really nothing in the Preserved Egg and Salted Pork Congee. To the trained eye, you will notice that the congee is prepared ol' skool or in a home-cooking way (for those who do it in that manner). What they did here was to put the egg and pork into the congee and cook the heck out of it. The result is a fairly tasty broth; but all of the ingredients have basically melted away. For me, in a restaurant, I'd like some ingredients to see and chew.

We found the Steamed Black Bean Spareribs quite oily. The meat itself wasn't too fatty; but for some reason or another, the "sauce" on the bottom of the plate was mostly oil. I know that oil is a given in this dish; but there was just too much of it. Athough, we did like the garlicky flavour and the meat did have a slightly chewy texture. Looking like it just lost a bar fight, the Beef Rice Noodle Roll was aesthetically poor-looking. Either the Dim Sum chef rolling these was careless or s/he thought that a half dressed beef noodle roll would look sexier. Yah, that's a lot of meat showing, definitely centerfold material... Well, it was a whole lot better to eat than to look at. The rice noodle was soft and there was plenty of tender meat filling.

I gotta say, this was one interesting session of Dim Sum. First, we had the ol' skool Dim Sum carts, that are a dying breed. Second, the Dim Sum itself was plenty ol' skool too in it's presentation, preparation and selection. Rich Guy and I were not really all that impressed with the meal as a whole. Much better Dim Sum could be had just across the street at Bing Sheng. However, I must admit that the pricing here is very reasonable and the portions are large. Judging from the clientele, I think the ol' skool theme is consistent with them as well.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Large portions

The Bad:
- Dim Sum is ol' skool, not carefully prepared or good either
- Lack of servers

Codfather's

*Restaurant is now closed*

So here I am stricken with the stomach flu, which is probably my worst nightmare. Not only am I limited by the types of food I can eat, it comes out shortly like a waterfall (sorry for the visual). Courageously, I dragged myself into work today knowing there was a washroom less than 20 feet away. I'm quite a determined person and something as trivial as a Gastroenteritis won't get me down. I thought of the last time I had the stomach flu and coincidentally, it was roughly a year ago. Undeterred, I defiantly had McD's, Viva Sue Pizza and Beard Papa's. Yes, I figured if it was coming out anyways, I'd eat the greasiest, crappiest and highest caloric food out there. Of course, that came at a price and I will spare you the details. Today for lunch, I convinced Pomegranate that we should go for fish 'n chips. Yes, that's right. Fried, greasy and dipped into tartar sauce, this was my defiance in full effect. I will take this stomach flu head on and show who's boss!

We made our way to Codfather's out in Burquitlam. For a fleeting moment, I considered the AYCE fish 'n chips with bottomless pop... Alas, I am defiant, not crazy! Rather, we both went for the lunch special which consisted of a bowl of Seafood Chowder and 1 piece Cod 'n Chips. We tacked on a side of Halibut for good measure. Ah yes, nothing like a bowl of creamy, fatty seafood chowder for the stomach ailments. I'm sure if my stomach could talk, it would be asking #$O#E$(#U I'm doing? Well, the chowder was indeed creamy and full of scallops and fish. I didn't detect any clams or clam flavour (possibly there weren't any clams or very few?). That would probably be my only complaint, a lack of seafood flavour; but otherwise a solid seafood chowder.

Okay, we were expecting one piece cod and halibut respectively; but when the platter arrived, we were completely shocked at the portion. Look at it. Either they don't know how to count or the owner was extremely generous. My theory is that he noticed my camera and gave us more? However, I could be totally wrong. Whatever the case, the fish was flaky and fresh with a very light batter. I wouldn't say it was devoid of grease (since it is deep fried), but it wasn't too greasy. The fries were pretty good being crispy while still maintaining the qualities of a potato. We weren't that enthused with the tartar sauce though. It was a bit bland and a bit more zing was in order. But other than that, it was a pretty satisfying meal of fish 'n chips.

The Good:
- Light batter
- Fresh fish
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Other than the specials, regular prices are a bit high
- Tartar is a bit bland

Kyung Bok Palace

With Wednesday hockey at Brit on hold until after the Olympics, Polka King and I got our mid-week hockey fix at Richmond Ice tonight. I used to be a regular on Thursday nights here until my son was born. Of course, playing Thursday hockey was not an option when other commitments take precedent. However, when I was asked out of the blue last week to play goal in Richmond, I jumped at the chance. Hey, I haven't seen these guys in nearly 5 years and I really needed the exercise. However, in my twisted world, the most important thing was that now I could take advantage of the late night eats in Richmond! Yes, we've exhausted a fair bit of the late night eats in Vancouver already... Time to move on.

So honestly, where to eat after hockey? There are the usual Hong Kong-style cafes and such. Hey, how about that Korean restaurant right beside #9? I was curious about it the last time I spotted it and with Polka King on board, we headed over to Lansdowne Centre. Gosh, the place was quite busy for a Thursday midnight. Turns out the good people from Samsung had taken up a good part of the restaurant. They are here for the Olympics and by the sounds of their chatter, they were also here for the booze! They seem to know how to party it up!

At first glance, the menu seemed quite consistent with any other Korean restaurant except for 2 things. First, there was an AYCE late night BBQ. Uh... No. Second, there was this special for $19.95. Initially, we were a bit confused. It stated we could pick any 5 items for $19.95. Wait a minute, 5 dishes? That seemed like an incredible value. This menu is apparently available for lunch and late night after 9:00pm. We weren't all that hungry; yet, the deal seemed just too good to pass up.

As per usual, we got the complimentary Banchan prior to receiving our dishes. It consisted of Kimchi, Stewed Potatoes and Marinated Bean Sprouts. Of the 3, the potatoes were a definite miss. They were way too soft and practically falling apart. Not aesthetically pleasing to look at or to put in our mouths. We got the Bibimbap to start and it certainly looked pretty good. Sure, I would've preferred the Dolset Bibimbap but again, for $19.95, I wasn't complaining. The toppings were plentiful; however, the rice was quite mushy. At the very least, it was served hot, not stone-cold like the one from Norboo.

Although the Seafood Pancake was not served on the usual cast iron plate, it was texturally quite nice being fluffy in the middle a bit crispy on the outside. In fact, without the plate, it turned out to be less oily. In terms of seafood, I didn't notice much other than the imitation crab meat. So it was a decent pancake without seafood. At first, when we saw the 5 items for $19.95, we figured that the dishes would be smaller versions of regular-sized portions. The Japchae certainly fit that description being quite small. Hey, I don't blame them for not giving really large sizes considering the price. But my point is that most of the dishes are pretty decent in portion size, which is a good thing. As for the Japchae itself, it was alright, the noodles were a bit softer than we would've liked. Furthermore, it was a bit bland. Although it did have a nice sesame oil aroma. Our plate of Bulgogi was probably the most disappointing dish. The meat was tasteless and quite chewy. Our last dish was the Pork Bone soup. I really liked the large meaty pieces of pork bone. The broth was slightly spicy and a bit sweet. A nice dusting of perilla seeds added aromatics to the soup.

We barely finished all the food we were presented with. The 5 dishes for $19.95 is a very good value. Okay, the good deal does come with compromises. The food itself was pretty average. It doesn't stack up to the really good Korean restaurants such as Hanwoori and Insadong. However, for a late night meal, you can't really beat this offer. Moreover, the service was actually quite friendly, albeit sparse. In terms of the regular menu, I wouldn't pay the regular prices for the food though.

The Good:
- Late night menu is dirt cheap
- Service is actually alright
- Spacious dining room

The Bad:
- Average food
- Food took a bit long to arrive

Tandoori Kona

Alright, you might be wondering why the heck I was in Richmond of all places. Yes, I have a hate-hate relationship with this place; but one cannot deny the gastronomical delights that lay within its borders. It's almost like I have to come here despite the traffic, clueless drivers and utter chaos (otherwise known as #3 Road). Now, you'll be even more surprised that I didn't come here for the Chinese food today. I was here to eat Indian food. Wait, lemme get this straight... You came all the way to Richmond for Indian food??? Don't you have really good Indian food in the Surrey/North Delta area? Yes, that is right. It's almost as crazy as trying to find good Chinese food out in Chilliwack. However, there is this place right next to Continental Restaurant that succeeds in a sea of Chinese establishments.

Actually, I was tipped off nearly a year ago in my Mirch Masala post about Tandoori Kona. Yah, it has taken me this long to finally fulfill my promise to try it. Hey, there are a lot of restaurants in different places! Everything in due time... The first thing that I noticed when I walked in the door was the daily special. For only $7.99, you could get Butter Chicken, Eggplant & Potato Curry and Chickpea Curry with Rice, Naan, Salad and Raita. That sounded too good for me to pass up. However, being a bit curious about the "tandoori" part of the name, I wanted to try it. I wasn't in the mood for Tandoori Chicken since the bones would just slow down my eating. I went for the next best thing in an order of Chicken Tikka which is essentially boneless tandoori chicken on a hot plate. I know it's not exactly the same; but close enough for my purposes.

One look at the lunch special and some people might be wondering where the food is. Not to worry, once you're done with the rice and naan, you'll be plenty full. There is no need for too much sauce, it goes a long way. Much like pasta, it's mostly noodles with just a bit of sauce. Despite being a bit lukewarm, I did like the Butter Chicken, it was creamy and had a nice balance between sweet and tart without being salty. The modest amount of chicken was moist and tender. Both the eggplant and chickpea curries were quite mild and didn't really leave an impression. I really liked the naan. Soft, warm and just a bit blistered, this is the texture I look for when it comes to naan.

When it came to the Chicken Tikka, it looked strange. Now for people who have had this dish before, as you can see, it doesn't resemble it whatsoever. Rather, I think I got an order of Chicken Tikka Masala since it was served with a side of spicy butter chicken sauce. I didn't have time to send it back, so I ended up eating it. It was quite good, with big chunks of tender white meat. However, I would've preferred that they had actually prepared the chicken with some charring. But I guess they don't prepare it that way here. Dipped into the sauce, I ended up with a spicier, more flavourful version of the butter chicken that I had in the special. Overall, I thought the food was pretty decent, especially for being in Richmond. Prices are very reasonable and service is friendly in a clean environment.

The Good:
- Reasonably priced
- Solid food
- Clean

The Bad:
- Lunch special was a bit lukewarm (probably all ready to go for lunch crowd)