Japadog (The Store)

When people look at the culinary scene in Vancouver, there are the usual suspects such as Bishop's, Blue Water, Cioppino's, CinCin, Il Giardino and Market. However, the one place that most tourists end up lining up for is the infamous Japadog. That's right, our gastronomical legacy (for now) happens to be a hot dog cart. Yup, we are known for tubes of mystery meat topped with Japanese ingredients served roadside whether it rains or shines (mostly rain unfortunately...) Hey, don't laugh. When the Olympics were here, Japadog got worldwide exposure and literally captured the imagination of many visitors. Watch the franchise expand all over North America! But first things first. The Japadog store located on Robson near Richards has been a long time coming. However, it was an epic fail that it did not open prior to the Olympics since that part of Robson became the hub of activity. Imagine the money they could've made! No matter, they did pretty well at their cart locations despite this. Finally, after what has seemed like an eternity, Japadog, the store, has gone live.

Early last year, I had visited the original Japadog cart on the corner of Burrard and Smythe in front of the Sutton Place Hotel. I gave both the Terimayo and Okonomi a try. As much as I wanted to dismiss it as merely a dressed-up hot dog, I really liked it (especially the Terimayo). Something about the combination of Japanese ingredients combined with the lowly hot dog made it work. A subsequent visit yielded the Misomayo and although it was good too, the Terimayo held a place in my heart. Today, I braved the threat of a lineup to give some of the new items at the Japadog store a go. There was a small lineup and it only took about 10 minutes before I was in. There were a few items on the menu that piqued my interest including the Love Meat; but honestly, it wasn't Japanese enough for me to try (despite its easy to ridicule name...). I settled on 2 items with the first being the Tonkatsu. Much like the name implies, it is a fried piece of pork slathered in tonkatsu sauce topped off with shredded cabbage and mayo inside a soft roll. Well, I liked this one. How could you not? Look at it. It was crispy, saucy with a nice crunch and smooth mayo.

I wasn't as enthused with the Yakiniku which is a hot dog topped with beef sandwiched in between a "rice" bun. It wasn't exactly the easiest thing to eat with things falling out all over the place. The sauce made it even messier as the rice did not hold up. The rice itself was somewhere between sticky rice and sushi rice. I did like the hot dog itself. It was quite meaty and had a nice snap. The whole thing didn't taste bad per se; it would be best eaten with a knife and fork. Another new item on the menu is the addition of fries. These "Shaked Fries" are exactly that. Fresh from the fryer, they are placed in a paper bag and shook with the selected seasoning. Choices include Aonori, Teriyaki, Japa Shio and Butter & Shoyu. I went for the latter. Although the seasoning itself was pretty flavourful and unique, the fries were quite average. They were very generic and lacked any real crunchiness despite being crispy (if that makes any sense).

Depending on your personal preferences, the new items will either be a hit or a miss. However, they have the favourites on the menu which will still attract new and old customers. At the very least now, people don't have to stand out in the rain (unless the line is long) and they actually have somewhere to eat it other than the sidewalk.

The Good:
- Menu still has the favourites: Terimayo, Okonomi and Oroshi
- Has an actual eating area
- Food is expedited much more efficiently than the cart

The Bad:
- Not sure about the fries, they need some work

Bandidas Taqueria

"I want to eat meat" is what Father D proclaimed as we were leaving Downtown. For a fleeting moment, I thought of heading to Samba; but we weren't that hungry. Besides, I was already robbed by the parking meter of all my spare change. I wanted to leave Downtown pronto! I figured we could go to the Brave Bull; yet it was not open for lunch. So there we were driving down Commercial Drive looking for eats. We drove right past Memphis Blues, Vera's and ended up at Bandidas. Uh... isn't that a vegetarian joint? Yup, I brought Father D to a veggie place when he wanted meat. And worst of all, I had to park at a meter. Scrounging up all the loose change I had left, which were mostly dimes, I fed the meter enough for 40 minutes. Well, we'd have to eat fast.

As mentioned, Bandidas is a vegetarian restaurant specializing in Mexican food. So instead of ground beef, we find tofu. That didn't sound all that appetizing to Father D. I'm not even sure if I did a good job in making tofu look good. I think I mentioned that it tasted like linoleum... Hey, I'm into tofu and wasn't all that concerned. We started sharing 4 soft tacos - 2 each of the Leona Gayle and the Camillo. Consisting of smoky-sweet chipotle organic tofu, pinto beans, cheese, roasted red salsa, romaine lettuce & sour cream, the Leona Gayle was okay, but not as flavourful as the ingredients would suggest. I personally wasn't a big fan of the corn tortilla, it was dry and hard. However, I really liked the Camillo with its spicy breaded walnuts, pinto beans, cheese, purple cabbage, fresh red salsa and sour cream. For me, it was the crunchy walnuts that made the taco. Just the texture and sweetness was all it needed.

For my main, I had Dave's Enchilada filled with jack cheese and sweet chipotle tofu topped by a house-made mole. From what I could taste of the mole, it was slightly smoky and sweet. The flavour from the tofu detracted from the mole; but not in a bad way. I really enjoyed the tofu (didn't miss the meat). Father D had the Heuvas Rancheros which consisted of 2 free range eggs on corn tortillas with ranchera sauce, sour cream, pinto beans, roasted yams and potatoes. Although everything on the plate was good, he wasn't a huge fan of the sauce. The whole thing became a bit watery. Like me, he wasn't a big fan of the tortilla; but he did really like the potatoes. By virtue of being meat fans, we were okay with the meal; yet slightly indifferent. We could see why Bandidas is so popular with its big portions, creative use of veggie ingredients and energetic vibe.

The Good:
- Healthy portions
- The place has a nice vibe
- Creative uses of non-meat items

The Bad:
- Not as flavourful as we would've hoped
- Service is a bit sparse
- A bit unrefined (and it really isn't supposed to be either)

Grand Honour Hot Pot

Rain. That is probably the last thing we wanted on a Monday. You see, it was our first softball game of the year and I was pretty excited about it. Sure, the eating that comes afterwards is always something to be happy about; however, I got a new composite bat. I really wanted to try it out! Not only did it rain, it was pouring. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, the game was not called. So I made the long trek out to Shannon field near Granville and 63rd. Yah, pretty far from where I live. Lo and behold, the game was indeed canceled. Turns out that neither team captain had each others' phone numbers, so no one knew it was a no go. So with rain beating down on me, I was busily going from car-to-car trying to get a read of where we were going to eat. Hey, we can't let this opportunity to eat pass us by! We really couldn't get a consensus and all that going back and forth just soaked my jacket. Finally, I just let Boss Woman make the decision (after all, that is her nickname). She thought since the weather was crappy, we should go for hot pot. That sounded alright to me and I had actually passed by Grand Honour on the way to the field. So off we went to hot pot, except for Silent Bob. You see, he didn't even know what hot pot was all about. I tried enticing him with tripe, intestine and pork bung in boiling broth; but that only encouraged him to leave. Hey, his loss, I get more bung for myself!

This also marked the return of Miss Y and Bear to my eating adventures. Milhouse and Boss Woman were present as well. So not to confuse everyone, there are actually 2 Grand Honour restaurants kiddie corner to each other. One is hot pot (with regular menu items as well) and the other is just a Chinese restaurant. So for $18.00, it is all-you-can-eat at Grand Honour, which I find as a reasonable price, considering its location. However, much like every other hot pot joint, the soup base costs extra. It's like paying your cell phone bill and having the stupid system access charge on top. Sneaky! So depending on how many people are dining with you, it can add $2.00 - $4.00 to your total cost. We ended up getting 2 hot pots which tacked on $16.00 to our bottom line. One thing that struck me immediately was the lack of service at this place. It took quite a long time to even get our order in. In fact, I saw one of the servers reading the newspaper. Uh, WTH are you doing dude? Also, it took forever for our soup to boil (probably 15 minutes). You see, this is important since they could limit your stay to 1.5 hours. With the slow service and even slower boil, that ate up 30 minutes already. Luckily for us, the place wasn't busy for a Monday night and they never enforced the time limit. But you can see that this could be a problem if it were busy.

The one positive is that we got our items pretty quickly. Too bad we were still waiting for the soup to boil. After awhile, we grew impatient and started sticking things into the hot pot. The first item we tried was the Fatty Beef and it did live up to its name being quite tender. One quick dunk and each thin slice cooked on contact. One thing I noticed right away was that both soup bases (chicken & satay) were woefully bland. I think if one was to pay $8.00 for each, it should taste like something. Resembling turd, no one was brave enough to eat the Beef Balls (Vietnamese Style). I found them rather dry and overly chewy. We did like the Wontons and Sui Gow. Despite not containing much shrimp, the filling was tasty and fresh. Not looking like any Fish Tofu we'd ever seen, the wrinkled up fried items on the plate were apparently it. They looked and tasted like tofu puffs (but they were not since tofu puffs were on another dish).

Call me a sucker for anything cheek, the Pork Cheek (after a short dunk into the hot water) was "porky" and a had a nice soft chewiness to it. These tasted and appeared very fresh. We weren't expecting live Shrimp, so when we got them, it was no surprise. However, they were almost frozen solid. That makes for a longer time to cook and once again... about that time limit... Since they were not fresh, we didn't end up getting any head... er... I mean eating the shrimp heads... That's too bad, that is the best part. Who doesn't like head anyways? Next up was a plate of Chicken and Sole. As the picture suggests, the items had a nice sheen and were fresh. Now, a plate that I insisted on having - Tendon, Bible Tripe, Fresh Squid and Dried Squid. Look at it! Why Silent Bob would not like eating this is beyond me... Anyways, the items were pretty standard with the tendon being soft. For those who don't know, the dried squid is merely air-dried and re-hydrated by soaking in water (it's the darker item in the back).

In only a style that is uniquely Miss Y, she ordered a dish of noodles. Going against the Chinese thought of eating only the expensive items, we really didn't mind the noodles (especially the wonton noodles, nice and chewy). The meal itself was quite pleasant with fresh items at a reasonable price. However, the service, or lack of, was inexcusable. Not one person came and checked on us and the soup was never refilled. At the very end, we barely had enough broth to cooked up one piece of meat. It might as well have been Korean BBQ, the pot was so dry. That my friends is good enough to take a pass on this place.

The Good:
- Inexpensive considering the food and location
- Items are fresh
- Fairly comfortable digs

The Bad:
- If reading the newspaper is considered service...
- Might as well make it a serve yourself restaurant
- Soup base has no flavour

Song Huong (Vancouver)

With a title like "Beef 7 Ways", it might sound more like a questionable movie found at the back of the video store rather than a feast of food. However, rest assured, it is indeed a meal and it doesn't involve any censoring. In fact, this meal is not very easily found in the GVRD. To the best of my knowledge, only Thai Hang and Song Huong offer this special Vietnamese meal. I'm not surprised since this feast is usually served at weddings. Having already tried Thai Hang (albeit missing 2 courses) and the Surrey location of Song Huong (they only had Bo 5 Mon), it was about time I got the full monty or rather all 7 ways (now that does sound like a questionable movie...). Seeing how we were meeting up with Nikita (Gluten-Free Guinea Pig), we needed to appeal to her dietary restrictions. Well, what better than Vietnamese food? It's all rice-based products here! Also, Herbie the Lovebug and Giselle were joining us as well and they are foodies in their own right. We can't possibly go for something usual and boring. Thus, it led us to the Vancouver location of Song Huong for hopefully an actual Beef 7 Ways this time around.

Much like other Vietnamese restaurants, the physical building was once another type of establishment. My guess is it was either Italian or Greek. In fact, this location was another Vietnamese restaurant prior to Song Huong. With a few modest changes, the interior honestly still does not look the part. But who really cares anyways? Since we had 5 of us and the Bo 7 Mon usually feeds 2 people (quite well I might add...), we went for 2 of those and added some spring rolls. Much like the ones I had at the Surrey location, they used rice wrappers here; thus the blistered appearance. These were good, served hot and crispy. The filling was not too loose or tight and quite flavourful.

As for our Beef 7 Ways, we got the obligatory condiments which included a large bowl of sweet fish sauce, lemongrass, crushed peanuts and sriracha with the seeds. On the plate of veggies, we had onion bulbs, sprouts, cucumber, tomato, pickled daikon and carrots, lettuce, mint and perilla leaves. On another plate, we got blanched vermicelli (no picture because it's a plate of plain vermicelli). Of course we got the dry rice wrappers; however, rather than being served on a plate, they just gave us the whole package (exactly how you'd find it at the market). Interesting... What next? Pork chops still in the styrofoam container with saran wrap? Anyways, a bowl of hot water is provided, so you can soak the wrapper before eating. One tip, it is only necessary to dunk the wrapper in briefly (even though it is not soft yet). It'll soften very soon, too much water will make it hard to use.

So a quick lesson on what the heck you do with everything in this meal. As mentioned, you get dry rice wrappers (much like the ones you see on salad rolls, except smaller). You soak 'em and then put whatever you wish from the veggies, condiments and vermicelli. Just don't stuff it too much, you won't be able to wrap the darn thing and will end up with a bloody mess. Added to everything else is the beef. The first course is the Raw Beef. No, you don't stuff raw beef into the wrap. Rather, you cook the beef in a pot of water on a portable burner. The beef cooks really quickly, so don't leave it in too long, otherwise it'll get tough. The second, third and fourth courses consisted of 3 types of "sausages" or "meatballs". The first one (Bo La Lot) is wrapped in betel leaves (can be pepper leaves too) much like the Greek dish Dolamthes (which are wrapped in grape leaves). Practically the same, the second sausage is wrapped in caul fat. The third type has a more pronounced onion flavour. These little ground beef sausages are grilled and are quite flavourful with definite hits of fish sauce. I personally like the one with caul fat more. Something about the fat on the outside, so yummy. The caramelization of the sugars and charring adds a slightly sweet, smoky flavour.

The fifth course consists of Grilled Beef over a bed of cabbage, onions and basil. This one is more of a beef salad than anything else and as you can see, very little beef to veggie ratio. The strips of beef were nicely charred and slightly chewy. Up at the sixth course, we had the Beef Congee. Usually, the congee is not that similar to the Chinese version since it is a whole lot thinner and sweeter. Furthermore, copious amounts of cilantro make for a completely different taste as well. However, this time around, the congee was thicker and not too sweet. In fact, it resembled a Chinese congee. We were not sure if this was the intention or just a one time aberration. So this time, I liked it. But, I do not like the normal watery version. The last course was a giant steamed Meatball consisting of beef, wood ear mushrooms, vermicelli and onions wrapped in caul fat. No one seemed to like this since it was extremely bland and a bit gummy. I didn't mind it and merely used the supplied condiments to make it taste good. Nothing a bit of sriracha can't liven up!

Well, finally I got the full 7 courses (sort of). I'm still looking for a version that doesn't have 3 types of sausages. Although there are small differences, they are still very similar and don't offer enough uniqueness. With that being said, the meal was a pleasure to eat and really hands-on. There is more than enough food for 2 people per order of the Bo 7 Mon. Despite only having 5 courses (more of each though) at Thai Hang, I give them the slight edge due to more meat.

The Good:
- Good value (but most Vietnamese restaurants are...)
- Food looks and tastes good
- Beef 7 Ways!

The Bad:
- Service is sparse due to the size of the restaurant and minimal staff

Chada Thai

For me at least, I find that Thai food in general can be pricey. Generally, in terms of each individual item, it may not necessarily break the bank; but the portions are hopelessly small. Therefore, much like tapas, we end up ordering a whole lot of dishes to feed our hunger. Eventually, you get the bill and do a double-take. Of course, many Thai dishes are quite saucy, especially the curries; thus we get full on the rice alone (much like eating pasta). However, it's those times that you want a bit of variety and end up ordering 6 dishes for 3 people where it becomes expensive. On the topic of expensive, Chada Thai in Coquitlam is definitely not cheap eats ($15.00+ per entree).

So, to get a taste of Chada Thai without forking over fine dining money, Pomegranate and I went for lunch. Yes, for once Rachel Ray is right. One of her "tips" is to visit a restaurant for lunch since the prices are usually cheaper. Yum-O! Gawd, I can't believe I just said that... Anyways, even before we ordered, our server brought us a Vegetable Consume with basil. A tad on the salty side, this consume was packed with flavour and aroma. A nice, unexpected start to our meal. Although not exactly killer cheap (such as Lhy Thai), the lunch specials here are $10.00. Included is the aforementioned soup, rice, salad (more like coleslaw without the dressing) and crispy wraps. Pomegranate went for the Cashew Chicken with medium spice. Interestingly, the medium was actually spicy (not killer spicy, but it had heat). However, the spice didn't detract from the other flavours. A solid dish. For myself, I had the Pad Thai in the spiciest they could make it. I'm happy to report that it was indeed spicy. Although it numbed both my lips and tongue, believe it or not, it didn't overpower the dish. In between the stinging, I could still taste the tart tamarind and some sweetness. For me, that is the perfect balance for a spicy dish. Furthermore, the noodles were still a bit chewy and there wasn't too much sauce.

I know we only had 2 dishes for lunch; but it was enough for me to plan my return visit to Chada Thai. For me, the food quality and flavours were excellent. Execution was spot on and even the medium had a good amount of spice. No watered down flavours here.

The Good:
- Good amount of flavour and spice
- No watery food here, high wok heat
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- The place is really small and tight
- Prices are a bit higher compared to other Thai restaurants

Kent's Kitchen (Chinatown)

What can $5.00 buy you these days? In some instances, not very much. How about a Bakudanyaki, Terimayo, 2 slices of pizza or a bowl of wonton noodles? Not too bad... Consider that it can get you only a beverage at some establishments, then it really doesn't go too far. What if you wanted a really large meal that quite possibly stretch into tomorrow's lunch as well? Now, that's just plain preposterous! As mentioned in my post about Kent's on Victoria Drive, it is very possible. Of course there are compromises. Yup, there are shortcuts taken in the preparation of the food. Yes, the food is quite greasy and the deep fryer is indeed on overtime; however, it might possibly be one of the best deals in town. Today, we paid a visit to the original location in Chinatown. Unlike the Victoria Drive location, there are no BBQ items; rather, just a larger display of cooked items to choose from.

I'm happy that they implemented a "ticket number" system here since relying on plain courtesy in Chinatown is pure lunacy. You'd have better luck trying to run across a freeway than to have people here self-regulate themselves. It's akin to having any hope of someone being generous enough to offer you their parking spot at Crystal Mall or Aberdeen Centre... You'd be lucky to retain your own space that you signaled and waited for! I digress. So, for as little as $4.50, you can pick any 2 items with steamed rice. If you eat in, they pile it onto a large plate and if you takeout, they fill the box to the brim until it is a leaky mess. Complimentary soup is available if you want it.

Ma and Hot Mama played it safe and did the Sweet 'n Sour Pork thing. Nothing really wrong with that; but there are much more exotic dishes that taste better in my opinion. My favourite has got to be the Mixed Offal. What's better than a stew of tripe, lung, pancreas and tendon? Maybe add in some tongue and then we're talking! I added some fried eggplant for my daily vegetable intake. Hey, nothing spectacular, possibly bordering on average; but you can't deny the value!

The Good:
- Cheap
- Very large portions
- Vast selection

The Bad:
- Some items are average or worse
- Greasy

Salvation Army Harbour Light

With our busy lives, it's easy to be completely immersed by the things that directly impact us. I, for one, am guilty of that. It's the same most days - get up, go to work, go home, take care of kids, cook dinner (or go out), give kids a bath, put them to bed, blog a little, then fall asleep. By virtue of living in Canada, we are already further ahead than most nations. We get our basic needs met, such as shelter, food and health care. For those who are more fortunate, there are luxuries. Furthermore, for what I do, I am very lucky to dine on such delectable delights so often. Therefore, we often lose sight of those who are less fortunate. Hey, I'm no saint (and probably will never qualify anyways...). But I do know one thing - there are people who do not have food to eat (even for a prosperous nation such as Canada), let alone dining in an expensive restaurant.

Today, we did our annual visit to the Sally Ann Harbour Light located in the Downtown Eastside. With its location and the reputation of the area, it is quite easily to misunderstand the purpose of the place. Moreover, we often make assumptions and form misconceptions of the clientele it serves. Yes, there are the individuals who suffer from drug addictions and mental illness; however, there are many people who just can't afford food due to many factors. With the help of sponsors and donations made by various organizations including local supermarkets combined with volunteers and existing clients of the Salvation Army, there are over 208,000 meals served annually. We've been volunteering at the Sally Ann for 3 years and most of the people making it happen are those going through their substance abuse treatment program.

How do people end up here at the Sally Ann? Well, there are many stories we've heard over the last 3 years and not one is ever exactly the same. Addictions can take many different forms and are a result of various factors in an individual's life. But they all have one thing in common - the drugs and its deadly grip. This is where the Sally Ann comes into play. At Harbour Light, they provide treatment programs for those who are seeking it. Although they are a religious organization, there are no expectations. They are only there to help, not to convert. Of course if one chooses to, it is their own choice. There is much more we can do to support organizations such as the Sally Ann, myself included. However, every little bit counts and those who rely on such assistance are grateful.

If you would like to find out more information or help, check out their webpage.