Five Guys Burgers & Fries

The first time I ever heard about Five Guys was last summer in Portland. I had planned to give them a visit; but alas, too much eating and not enough time! Despite what you think, I do have my limits. Originating out of Arlington, Virginia, the name represents the founder and his 4 sons. It started off as a small operation; but as its popularity grew, franchising followed. There have been comparisons made with another popular hamburger chain, In-N-Out. However, in my opinion, they are very different. More on that later... Now, I've been waiting for In-N-Out to come into Canada; but honestly, I think I should settle on Washington State instead. Unlike Five Guys, In-N-Out does not venture far from it's routes in California. So when I saw that Five Guys were coming up to B.C., I was anxious to give them a try. Originally, I was eying the Langley location (which still has yet to open); but the West Vancouver location opened first. Kim had already trekked out there and finally I got my chance. After giving Nimby another chance with their fries, I decided to head over the Lion's Gate to Park Royal.

Exactly like other Five Guys locations, there are bags of potatoes (specially grown for their fries) near the front entrance. Also, complimentary roasted peanuts are there for the taking as well. Honestly, these were pretty good peanuts. Big, with a nice roasted flavour, I could've eaten quite a few of these. But I actually got them after I had finished my meal and I was very full. Looking at the menu, I only had one burger in my sights, the Bacon Cheeseburger (which comes with 2 really large patties). Included with the burger are a multitude of complimentary toppings which include grilled mushrooms and onions. I've seen big burgers in my time; but I have to admit that this one was plenty big. At almost 1000 calories, this is not food for the feint of heart. At the heart of the burger are the 2 aforementioned patties. They are fresh and flame-broiled. They were not juicy per se; yet still somewhat moist and exhibited a noticeable beef flavour (they cooked their meat well-done). I liked how they made the pieces of very crispy bacon "fit" within the burger. Thus, I had bacon in every bite. I did not like the mushrooms very much. Hard to explain; but they almost seemed canned. However, the burger as a whole was quite good and messy. Now back to the comparisons with In-N-Out. I feel that Five Guys offer a more substantial burger much like Vera's and Fatburger. In-N-Out, much like Nimby (a local example), is more focused on the simple burger. No fancy toppings, no humongous patties and a much lower price point.

As for the Fries, there is no need to get any size bigger than a small. They end up cramming the bag full of fries anyways. Fried in peanut oil, the fries certainly have body. They're generally crisp with a definite "potato-ness" to them. I liked them and would've eaten more if I hadn't already had a full order of fries from Nimby. Combined with a large drink, my meal came out to over $15.00. I do understand that I got the most expensive burger and it is more than enough for one person without the fries. However, much like Fatburger, Vera's and the sort, it is becoming the norm to spend that amount of money for gourmet burger and fries. Much like Kim, I feel that if you want a freshly made burger with fresh cut fries and a soft drink, go to Burger Burger. You'll spend 1/3rd of the price.

The Good:
- Meaty, great tasting burgers
- Lots of topping options
- Pretty decent, crispy fries

The Bad:
- It can get pretty pricey
- With such big patties and large amount of fries, it's a lot of calories (well, can be a good thing too I suppose)

Vera's Burger Shack (Surrey)

Isn't it amazing that the humble burger is quickly moving from cheap eat to gourmet? Yes, there are places where we can still get it for less than $5.00. And no, we're not talking about fast food outlets either. However, there are a few worth mentioning such as In-N-Out and locally - Burger Burger. When fine dining establishments from renowned chefs are producing "gourmet" burgers, you know it's going upscale. Today, I'm not focusing on burgers stuff with foie gras and truffles; rather, it's the "better" burger where it is supposedly superior than your average fast food chain. One of Vancouver's favourites is Vera's, which has many locations around the
lower mainland.

I was in a rush today and thought by having a burger, it would take less time. Alas, I forgot that this ain't no McD's and they actually cook the burgers to order. Well, it makes for a better burger right? I decided to go for the daily special which was the V-Mini with fries and a soft drink. Don't let the name fool you, it's still a pretty big burger with a single fresh patty, cheddar, fried onions and mushrooms. I haven't had a Vera's burger in awhile and I gotta admit it was pretty darn good. This time around, the patty was quite moist with nice charring and the copious amounts of toppings made it a slightly messy eat. I got plenty of beef flavour while not running into too much grease. The bun was nicely toasted and the darn thing really filled me up.

The side of fresh cut Fries came prepared exactly how I like them - crispy while not being "crisps". Not oily from the exterior and still some potato-ness on the inside, I ate every last piece. Feeling a bit guilty after this meal, but I gotta admit it hit the spot. Once again, Vera's is not my favourite burger; yet it is certainly better than average.

The Good:
- Big burgers
- Fresh ingredients
- Fries are pretty good

The Bad:
- A bit on the expensive side
- For the price you pay, you don't get much ambiance or service

1st Avenue Bakery

One day, while shopping at the T&T on 1st Ave, Viv and I decided to finally give 1st Avenue Bakery a go. Yah, this place has been here for as long as this complex has existed. However, we never thought of actually trying out their pastries. Hey, from the outside, it really doesn't look all that promising. Look at it. If you want minimalistic, you got it. From the plain teal awning to the basic font of its signage, it ain't trendy. But, faced with the choice between getting T&T bakery items (bleck!) or trying out 1st Ave Bakery, it seemed like a good bet.

Inside, the display is a bit messy and the items do look a bit ol' skool. Nothing fancy in here! So we randomly pick a few items which included Cocktail Buns, Pineapple Buns and Lo Poh Beng. What the heck is Lo Poh Beng? Literally translated, it means "wife cake". Well, if it were completely taken literally, it would mean "old wife cake". Yah, makes you want to eat it eh? it's basically sweetened winter melon paste within flaky pastry. We only got these because the owner lady recommended it. Honestly, I wasn't holding out much hope for these pastries and buns. However, after picture-taking (like everything I eat), I tried it out. You know what? The Cocktail Bun (essentially a sweet coconut mixture) was very good. The bun itself was soft and airy; yet not dry while the filling was plentiful and coconuty.

The Pineapple Bun, only named because the top looks as such, was again pretty good despite it's pale appearance. With the same soft and airy bun, it was contrasted by the sugary topping. It was really good after a short nuking. Now for the bad news. Although the Lo Poh Beng was recommended, I really didn't prefer it. I found it dry and bland. While I was chewing it, my mouth was getting dry and I needed to drink some water. It is not even comparable to the ones from Kam Do. Despite this, all of the other buns (we got others too) were solid and very reasonably-priced. Interesting how a random visit to an independent Chinese bakery turns out to be pretty decent.

The Good:
- Loved their dough for the buns
- Most items taste like they should
- Inexpensive

The Bad:
- Some buns and pastries just don't look nice
- Not sure why the Lo Poh Beng were recommended

Ichiro

There are times when some restaurants are just not that accessible for me. Well, I do go out of my way sometimes to try some places, such as Ah-Beetz in Abbotsford. However, that is not my usual MO. Take Steveston for example. It's not necessarily far compared to some other places; yet it is not really "on the way" from anywhere. It's just one of those places that is an intended destination. Touristy and quaint, Steveston Village possesses a good amount of eats in a small area. The last time I was here with Pomegranate, we tried out Kisamos and for good measure, grabbed a pizza from Steveston Pizza. Today, I was relatively close by with a meeting in Ladner. Thus, I made a slight detour for lunch. Now, it's obvious that I do not hide my feelings towards Richmond traffic. Some people might think I exaggerate; but honestly, things that happen... are exactly how they happen. Either I have bad luck or Richmond traffic is what it is. Am I the only one who thinks this? I'm pretty sure not. With that being said, it is not even remotely close to NYC or LA, so maybe I should look at it that way. Also, with so many eating options, it would be foolish to avoid Richmond. Of course with all this being said, guess the speed of the car I was following as I made the turn into Steveston? If you answered 30km/h, you are correct... At the very least, if there was an accident, it would be in slo-mo.

After I got past the Corolla (why is it always a Corolla???), I got the last parallel spot at the side of the restaurant and also got the last window seat as well. So everything was looking on the up and up. To get a decent selection of items to sample, I went for the most expensive lunch combo (Sushi & Sashimi Set) for $15.95. Considering what I got, it is actually a relatively fair price. In addition to the obligatory miso soup, I started with the Ebi Sunomono. This was a very good sunomono with vermicelli exhibiting that nice "rebound" texture while having a nice balance of sweet and tart. I also liked the full size ebi on top. After that, I made my way to the Chawan Mushi. This particular one was much more "custardy" than soupy. It was super smooth with only a moderate hint of seasoning. There was yet another full-sized ebi on top.

Probably the highlight of the combo was the sushi plate consisting of 3 pcs bass, 2 pcs tuna and 2 pcs salmon sashimi, California roll, 1 pc each of ebi, salmon and tuna nigiri. As you can see, everything looks fresh and is prepared nicely. Although a tad on the dry side, the sushi rice was good with some "bite" and sweet vinegar flavour. As for the Tempura, it was also quite good. The veggies were fresh and the batter was light and crispy. I particularly liked the ebi, it was large and juicy. I wasn't a huge fan of the Chicken Teriyaki though. Nothing inherently wrong about it since it was not over-sauced or overcooked. However, it was a bite dry and lifeless. Maybe someone else would like it; but I didn't. Again, that is my personal preference. Yet, on the whole, the food here at Ichiro is pretty good. There is an obvious attention to detail and emphasis on freshness. Not the best Japanese I've ever had; but definitely something worth trying if you are in the neighbourhood.

The Good:
- Food is made with care
- Items are fresh
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- A tad expensive
- Not really close to anyone but the locals

Hurricane Grill

Once again, I was scheduled to play a hockey game at the same time as the Canucks tilt with the Blackhawks. It's almost a great excuse to skip our game. However, most of us made it to our game, unlike Polka King (who got free tickets). Well, karma reared its ugly head. While we won our game 6-3, the Canucks lost 7-4. We all had a good laugh at Polka King's expense. Deciding where to eat after Friday hockey has become somewhat of a tedious experience since some of our games don't exactly end early. Thus, our dining options get severely limited. Sometimes, it gets so desperate, Knight & Day starts to creep into the conversation. Noooooo! I'd rather drive the wrong way in the Crystal Mall parking lot with a bulls eye pasted to the front of my car. That way, I'd be dead, I wouldn't have to eat at K & D.

Okay, enough of the morbid thoughts. I had something on the North Shore in mind dependent on the outcome of the Canucks game. I thought that we could give the Hurricane Grill a try since it's relatively nearby and open late. Now if they had won (ya right!), people would be happy and drink 'til the bar closed. But if they lost, I figured people would clear outta there faster than the end of discounted Dim Sum at 11:00am. And you know, I was right. Upon arrival at the Hurricane Grill, there were more frowns than a bunch of football players at a salad bar. With plenty of seating abound, we could pick our table. So, by virtue of being a bar that serves food, one might assume that the eats here are ho-hum. Well, at least everything sounded good on the menu.

Gadget Girl and Lionel Hutz took a chance with the Warm Seafood Spinach Salad. Yes, it's generally not the most natural choice at a bar. However, the salad looked quite good. With a bounty of shrimp, prawns and scallops atop fresh greens, mushrooms, goat cheese, roasted almonds and Mandarin slices, this was not a small salad. Gadget Girl was pleasantly surprised with the honey mustard dressing since it did not taste like the stuff you get with your chicken strips. Sweet Tooth also had the salad, albeit a heartier one in the Grill Salad. Consisting of a 6oz NY Steak atop grilled veggies and spring mix with a balsamic reduction, she was quite happy with it. The steak was cooked slightly beyond her request, but it was still easy to eat. Furthermore, the veggies were fresh and cooked perfectly. Both Boss Woman and Mr. Blueberry had the Seafood Linguine which consists of prawns, scallops, shrimp, onion and mushrooms in a rose sauce. While Boss Woman liked her pasta indicating that the sauce was well-balanced, Mr. Blueberry was less enthusiastic. He thought the pasta was a bit soft and sauce weak.

Now, what's a visit to a bar without a burger? Emilicious and Milhouse both had the Danish Burger. Yes, all this repetition of food was killing me... Anyways, the burger is made with a 7oz homemade patty with Danish bleu cheese. It was a consensus that the burger was solid. The meat was well-charred and there was no shortage of sharp bleu cheese flavour. Not much to comment about the fries, they were of the generic variety. For myself, I went for the 16oz Lamb Shank with veggies and roasted potatoes. Although I'm sure that the 16oz measurement is the pre-cooked weight, it just didn't look all that large to me. It was extremely tender with a nice gelatinous meat falling off the bone. The sauce was quite understated and really didn't add much to the flavour profile. The veggies were crisp and the potatoes were perfect. Curiously, the lamb shank itself was luke warm, which detracted from my eating enjoyment. Ginseng was not that hungry and went for the Yam Fries. Although they are probably the frozen variety, they were fried nicely with a crisp exterior. In general, the food execution was quite good here. Nothing spectacular; but surprisingly good food for this type of restaurant. Not exactly cheap by any stretch of the imagination, the prices are on par with popular chain restaurants.

The Good:
- Pretty decent food
- Lots of menu items to choose from
- Nice vibe

The Bad:
- Service is a bit slow
- Some items are not cheap

New Town Bakery & Restaurant (Surrey)

If you know me, there aren't many places I won't eat at. In fact, there are times I intentionally visit places most people wouldn't dare set foot into. Call it stupidity, stubbornness or just plain disregard for my personal well-being. Sometimes it's almost a game of "I dare you..." with Kim and Karl. Yah, let's see who can eat at the crappiest looking establishment we can find. Well, I think it's quite safe to say that some of the best places are the least appealing. Well, this time, I finally chickened out. Yes, I admit it. I was scouting this banh mi joint right next to Pho T&A in Whalley. I was just about to walk in when I got a case of the nerves. There were many unsavory characters around and for some reason or another, I just balked. I headed straight for my car (not before updating an exterior photo for Pho T&A), and got the heck outta there. Maybe it was not my day, probably off my game...

So what to eat now? How about something that is relatively safe? Located right next to Pho Tam is the Surrey location of New Town Bakery. Mostly known for their excellent apple tarts and dai bao (big bun), they also serve up Chinese food and the occasional Filipino dish. On the topic of uninviting, the interior of New Town is not a work of art. Of course, I wasn't expecting as such; yet, after all the aforementioned things about crummy looking places... I leave one and end up at another. I suppose I'm drawn to these places subconsciously. Not knowing the system, I just grabbed a menu and seated myself. There wasn't a staff member available for a little while.

When a server did notice me, I have to admit she was pretty friendly. I ended up ordering the Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice and the Filipino Style Vermicelli. Although the rice had a nice salty kick to it, it was far too mushy. Obviously fresh rice was used rather than dry day-old rice. Chock full of squid, pork, fish balls and shrimp, the vermicelli was quite good. This was more of a Chinese version of this dish; but I liked the subtle flavour. I got an order of Sweet & Sour Pork on rice to go for Ma. I didn't get to try it; but she remarked that the pork was moist and the sauce was indeed flavourful. To me, it looked quite good! So in addition to their wonderful bakery products, New Town succeeds in offering decent eats at reasonable prices.

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Decent portions
- Very good bakery products

The Bad:
- No, you're not going there for ambiance or attentive service
- Mostly decent food, but there is better

Dinner @ Golden Swan

Alright, the last time we were at Golden Swan, it was for Dim Sum and to be honest, it was a disappointment. In fact, I was disappointed in being disappointed because Golden Swan was part of my childhood. You see, the restaurant known as Golden Swan began back on Nanaimo Street as Golden Phoenix. We'd go there for Dim Sum and dinner all the time when we lived in that neighbourhood. Yes, there is a Golden Phoenix there right now; but it's not the same Chinese name or ownership. The original owners of that restaurant opened a small one unit restaurant on Victoria called Golden Swan. Within the same little strip mall, there were a few other businesses including Baskin Robins. Slowly, but surely, they took over one unit at a time and finally it exists as we know it today. I've been a customer of Golden Swan for quite some time and it was nice to see we'd return for dinner tonight. It was my nephew's 1st birthday and we were going to have quite a feast tonight. I was seriously hoping that the meal would be better than the last time we visited.

Although this dinner was neither a wedding nor a baby one-month, the set menu remains pretty consistent. Thus, we started off with an Appetizer Platter which consisted of Honey Garlic Spareribs, Marinated Jellyfish, Pork Hock, Marinated Beef Shank and Fried Shrimp. Well, nothing much to complain about here. The spareribs were crisp with just the right amount of sauce while the fried shrimp were just cooked. The jellyfish was well-seasoned with sesame oil and soy while exhibiting the desirable crunchy-chewy texture.

The obligatory Crab Claws stuffed with minced shrimp were next. These were perfectly fried with a light crisp exterior with soft, moist shrimp.
Impressively presented, the Bird's Nest was actually full of snap peas while all the seafood rested on top. Despite this optical illusion, there was still plenty of shrimp, scallops (slightly overcooked) and squid. Our soup for the meal was 2 Types of Fish Maw Soup (fa gow & yew toh). Fish maw is the air bladder found in the body cavity and helps fish balance. Fa gow is the dried variety while yew toh is fried. In the picture, the darker strips are the fa gow. It's much more gelatinous and firm. There was no shortage of either fish maw, chicken within the luxurious; yet lightly seasoned broth.

Next up, as expected (these types of menus are pretty standard) was the Lobster in supreme broth. Supreme sauce is essentially an English name for "seun tong" or premium chicken stock (might be made with such items as dried scallops etc...). Well, nothing much to dislike here. The lobster was fried up nicely with sweet juicy meat and there was just the right amount of savory sauce. Sometimes you get a pool of sauce at the bottom; but there was just enough to coat each piece. If you've ever been to one of these meals, you'll know that the Crispy Fried Chicken is next. I find that this dish is actually quite hard to do right despite its simplicity. I've helped make this at my friend's restaurant and to ensure a crispy exterior while maintaining a juicy, moist interior is very difficult. This particular attempt here was pretty good. Most of the meat was still moist (the white meat was a tad dry) while the skin was crispy. We liked the shrimp chips as well since many restaurants are moving away from serving it with the crispy chicken.

One of the real treats of any Chinese "banquet"-type dinner is the Abalone with Shiitake Mushrooms. At first glance, abalone doesn't appear too look like much and flavour-wise, it's quite delicate. The thing about abalone is the texture. It's quite meaty and chewy; yet soft enough to eat at the same time. But honestly, another major reason that abalone is so treasured is that it's quite hard to attain. Hidden in the deepest parts of the ocean, people die to harvest them. So to some, abalone is nothing special. For me, I like it; but there are other things I'd eat before it. In this case, it was prepared correctly while the dried shiitake were stewed to the point of being quite tender without breaking apart.

Now to the fish dish. Sometimes, you'll see a whole steamed fish, maybe a fried fish (ugh!) and this time it was Steamed Sole with Virginia Ham and Shiitake Mushrooms. Since the ham is inherently quite salty, there wasn't a big need for a flavourful sauce. The thickened chicken stock sauce was quite light and the ham did its job on the delicate fish. A solid, if not unexciting dish. With any banquet-type menus, the 2 filler dishes come at the end. Normally, we have a noodle dish and a rice dish. And just like 90% of the time, we got the Fried Yee Mein with shiitake and flowering chives. Maybe lacking a bit in "wok hay", the noodles were still a bit chewy (which is a good thing) and only moderately seasoned with soy. Not too wet and not too dry, this was a pretty decent attempt. As for the other dish, we got Lucky Fried Rice, which is a variation of the Yeung Chow Fried Rice (Shrimp & BBQ Fried Rice), which added carrots and gailan stems. Visually appealing with plenty of crunchy shrimp and other ingredients, the rice was decent. A few clumps of rice here and there; but overall the rice was dry and lightly seasoned.

Compared to the Dim Sum lunch I had a year ago, this dinner was definitely more satisfying. Nothing stood out as being subpar while at the same time, it wasn't spectacular either. But then again, for a mid-level Chinese restaurant which is both spacious and relatively clean, it more than did the job. Maybe I need to revisit during Dim Sum to see if that awful visit was an aberration.

The Good:
- Properly seasoned food
- Good execution
- Good service this time around

The Bad:
- Pricing is on the higher side for this class of restaurant
- I know I say this a lot, but there really is no parking around