Ding Hao

After back-to-back kid's birthday parties, we were ready to pack it in. Honestly, one party is tiring enough! The first was out at Stanley Park and the second was at Build-a-Bear in Coquitlam Centre. I know this sounds pathetic; but we were getting quite tired watching 10+ bears being stuffed and dressed. 1.5 hours of that is enough to make any parent loony. The icing on the cake was the big dent on the side of my door courtesy of the T&T parking lot. I guess we don't need to be in Richmond to have some moron swing their door out with total disregard for other cars... Now that I was in no mood for anything really especially cooking, I just wanted some food. For some reason or another, Shanghai Restaurant (the restaurant we had in mind), did not seem to exist. Consequently, we ended up in front of Ding Hao resturant. Not knowing what to expect, I was about to just drive on by; but Viv convinced me to stay. Apparently this TBN/BBT joint has been around for quite a while and has been written up in the Vancouver Sun. It was certainly quite modern and clean inside.

As per my usual MO at TBN restaurants, I went for a plate of Assorted Marinated Items consisting of beef shank, beef tripe and pig's ear. I was quite happy that they served the sauce on the side. Normally, this oyster-based sauce can be quite salty which ultimately overwhelms everything on the plate. I was generally quite pleased with all the meats. The pig's ear had a nice chewiness to it while the shank was tender, if not a bit dry. We also went for a plate of home-made Boiled Dumplings which were also decent. I liked the slight chewiness of the dumpling wrapper. I could've done with less green onion in the filling though.

Predictably, I ordered the Spicy Tendon and Beef Flank Noodle. It seems like I always get this at a Taiwanese restaurant. There are 2 sizes available and guess which one I chose? The beef broth did not have as much depth as I would've liked and it wasn't really all that spicy either. However, it was still decent. With the generous amount of pickled mustard greens, there was a nice tang and crunchiness. I would've preferred the noodles to be more al dente; yet they were far from being mushy. I liked the soft tendon; but I found the flank a bit dry. For $10.00, I didn't consider the bowl of noodles to necessarily be a good value. After all, one could get a much bigger and better bowl of noodles at LSD (Lao Shan Dong). For the kiddies, we got a small bowl of Crispy Chicken Noodles. The noodles were a bit soft while the soup was quite good. It wasn't too salty while still being quite flavourful (hope it wasn't MSG). The accompanying crispy peppery chicken was quite average. Compared to the ones at Beefy Beef, these ones were heavier and more chewy. I also found them more peppery which is not necessarily a bad thing if you like pepper.

As mentioned, Ding Hao has been around for quite awhile. I guess being hidden behind Sushi Town doesn't help. Much like many other Taiwanese beef noodle joints, there is a wide selection of bubble tea. We weren't in the mood for any and didn't get to sample some... maybe next time. In terms of ambiance, the place is modern and clean. Service is friendly; but it is quite basic where you order food, get food, take away plates and get bill. Then again, some places don't even get that right. Overall, it is a decent place for TBN considering that there are not a lot of options nearby (especially since Pearl Castle in Poco is now closed).

The Good:
- Most items are decent
- Clean and inviting dining space
- Friendly service, if not basic

The Bad:
- There is better TBN, but not anywhere close by
- A bit pricey

The Roc

*At new location on 41st at Main*

Another Sunday morning hockey and another opportunity for eats. Yes, I've turned this sporting get together into another culinary event. Much like Friday night hockey and Monday softball, I turn my teammates into dining companions. So with JuJu, RBC and Kaiser Söze, we headed for Dim Sum. Not wanting to spend "Kirin" type money, we ended up heading to The Roc on Kingsway. When I used to live in Vancouver, this place was our "go to" Dim Sum joint when we would meet up with friends. In fact, we were regulars at their old location on Kingsway near 33rd. I hadn't been to The Roc for roughly 7 years and believe it or not, the owner lady recognized me right away! Either I look funny or I didn't change that much. I hope for the latter...

With the traditional push carts patrolling the small restaurant, it wasn't hard to get everything we wanted quickly. We started off with the obligatory Haw Gow (steamed shrimp dumplings). We were impressed with the size of these suckers. As you can see, they fill up the whole bamboo steamer. The shrimp filling was quite good, packed with crunchy shrimp devoid of veins. Only modestly seasoned, we could taste the shrimp. However, the dumpling skin was a bit gummy. The usual partner to the haw gow are the Sui Mai (pork & shrimp dumplings). For as long as I can remember, the shouts of "haw gow, sui mai" from the Dim Sum cart ladies, complete the atmosphere. Too bad so few places have push carts anymore. As for the sui mai, they looked good and tasted equally good. With a chewy texture exhibiting a nice "bite", these were also lightly seasoned. I could taste the pork while not so much that it was overwhelming.

For a reasonable $2.25, it will get you most items on the push carts. However, a few items command a slightly higher price at $2.80. This includes the Rice Noodle Rolls. We got one each of the shrimp and beef rice noodle rolls. Slightly on the thicker side, the rice noodles were still quite soft; yet still holding their shape. There was a good amount of properly cooked and prepared filling. I must remark that they really cook their shrimp properly here. Everything that had shrimp in it was done the right way. And that goes for the Scallop & Shrimp Dumpling as well. With a thin, albeit real piece of scallop on top, the shrimp was juicy, crunchy and not overseasoned. Still wasn't a big fan of the wrapper; but it wasn't a really big deal.

Then I ordered 2 dishes just to test out if RBC (our only non-Asian at the table) would be adventurous or not. Apparently he was not. I even tried putting the 2 dishes right in front of him to hopefully provide some motivation to try. He didn't bite and kept asking for BBQ Pork Buns. So what were the 2 dishes that didn't tickle his fancy? The first was the Phoenix Talons (or chicken feet). I guess to the uninitiated or those who never grew up with the stuff, the chicken feet do look a bit intimidating. For me, I like 'em and these ones were good. Soft and gelatinous underneath the fried skin, it had good flavour from the oyster-based sauce. The second dish was the Beef Tripe or in this case honeycomb tripe. I think RBC intentionally tried not to look at it. He just kept asking for BBQ Pork Buns. We assured him that they would come by. In the meantime, I kept pestering him to eat some tripe. He stood his ground and did not. Oh well, his loss! The tripe was the perfect texture where it is soft while still being slightly chewy. Flavourwise, there was none of that gamy tripe flavour which is a good indication that it had been run through cold water long enough. The sauce had a good balance between salty, sweet and a bit of spicy.

Alas, the BBQ Pork Bun did come around and we got an order to pacify RBC. He had no shame perpetuating the stereotypical non-Asian who is afraid of anything that doesn't look familiar. Next time, I'm going to stuff some tripe into his BBQ pork bun! And these buns were pretty fluffy with a nice amount of filling. In fact, we also got some Custard Buns and those were good as well, if not a bit too sweet. I could go on about the other 5 dishes we had (yes, we were hungry); but I'd be just repeating what I've been yakking about all along - The Roc offers up some decent (dare I say, "good") Dim Sum on the cheap. Sure, we were packed like sardines there and the service is sparse (they are nice though). Yes, there will probably be a wait as well; however, it's worth it in my opinion. As long as your expectations are realistic.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Dim Sum is surprisingly good
- Portion size is good for the price

The Bad:
- It's a tight fit and forget about ambiance
- Staff are nice; but service is very sparse
- Parking in the area sucks

Da Rae Oak

*Restaurant is now closed*

While dining at the Lion's Den with some fellow bloggers, I got a phone call. Turns out that I forgot that we were supposed to meet up with Costanza and Elaine for dinner. One look at the time, and I realize that I'd be eating again in 2.5 hours later. Doh! I was hoping to grab a "snack" at Ba Le. Well, that ain't gonna happen anymore! I ended up going for a haircut, then went home to pick up the family. So after a brief intermission, here I am eating again. Located right next to Samosa Garden, Da Rae Oak is not a very big restaurant. We were lucky to get a table for 8, as the place filled up pretty quick and was packed by the time we were eating.

As with most Korean restaurants, our meal started with the complimentary Banchan consisting of stewed potatoes, sprouts, wakame, daikon and kimchi. Nothing particularly exciting or offensive, these little dishes did their job. We started off with the Mul Mandu (steamed dumplings). These perfectly cooked little morsels were filled with pork and veggies encased in a thin dumpling skin. Dipped into the spicy, vinegary and sweet sauce, this dish was a winner. Up next was the Gam Ja Tang (pork bone soup). This was the soup for 2 version served on a portable burner. Is it just me or this soup in any shape or form grossly overpriced considering the raw materials? I realize there are quite a few examples of curiously expensive Korean dishes; but this one confuses me. The pork neck bones used are generally quite inexpensive. However this large soup costs $19.50. The only thing that might explain the high pricing would be the amount of time required boiling the broth and thus softening the meat. With that being said, this type of long boiled soup is normally complimentary in Chinese restaurants. Okay, despite my ranting, the soup itself was quite good. The meat fell off the bone and had soaked up the flavour of the broth. The broth itself in turn had a nice body to it from the bones while exhibiting some spice.

Bibimbap is such a simple dish; yet to me at least, oh so good especially served in a hot stone bowl (dolset). The ingredients were both plentiful and good while the rice was quite mushy. Even the sizzling hot stone didn't save it. Considering that I had to add the gochujang to it, it became even mushier. A dish that I have never personally ordered in a Korean restaurant, partly due to my preconceptions, is the Kan Poong Gi. It is essentially deep fried chicken in a sweet and hot sauce. To me it seems to be related to sweet and sour pork. When it arrived, it sure bore a striking resemblance with the fried pieces, peppers and pineapple. The only difference was the lighter colour of the sauce. I'm not sure about the spicy part; but it was sweet and a bit sour. It was alright; however nothing I'd order again. Nothing against this version of the dish in general, it's just too much like sweet and sour pork.

Something that we always order by default at a Korean restaurant is the Japchae, even though it is another example of an expensive dish (which is mainly just noodles). We liked the japchae here. Consisting of a good amount of ingredients, it wasn't overly oily (it generally is due to the risk of the noodles sticking). Flavourwise, there was a good amount of "wok hay" which translates into good caramelization. The last dish, Chicken Udon, was more for the kiddies. However, if you look at the picture, it doesn't resemble any udon I've ever encountered. But that wasn't a problem at all since the noodles were very good. Cooked al dente with a good amount of elasticity, these noodles had a nice "bite". The soup was had depth without being salty. It was flavourful and I really hope it wasn't MSG! Even the pieces of chicken were tasty. I probably ended up eating more of this than the kids. Don't worry, there was enough to go around, it was a big bowl! Actually, all the dishes were well-prepared and well-seasoned. Pretty solid food in my books. Mind you, like most Korean restaurants, the total bill wasn't cheap. Furthermore, service was extremely sparse despite being courteous when we got some.

The Good:
- Generally well-prepared and well-seasoned food
- Okay portions

The Bad:
- Sparse service (lack of staff)
- Tight seating

Bella Gelateria

Randomly, I get a call from Rich Guy. He had his brother on the line and he wanted to speak with me. Strange, I don't get many calls from his brother, who by the way will be referred to as Richer Guy. Yah, he's got even more money than Rich Guy. Dude has got a Ferrari! Apparently, Richer Guy had visited this new gelato place located in the Fairmont Pacific Rim. Completely at random, he had stumbled upon it and scored some samples. He got so excited by the quality of the gelato, he just had to tell me about it. It so happened to be that we were dining nearby tonight. Thus, we headed down to meet Richer Guy across the street.

This happened to be the last testing day before their actual grand opening on June 25th. I was introduced to the owner, James, who attended the Italian Culinary Institute and advanced masterstraining at Carpigiani's Gelato University. This guy is serious about gelato! In fact, he is the first in North America to employ commercial gelato equipment which is used in Italy. The impressive equipment help keep the gelato rich by limiting the amount of air. Furthermore, every ingredient is fresh. Nothing is preprocessed or prepackaged. The result? The best damn freakin' gelato I've ever had. Since he was giving out free samples to random visitors, I tried almost all of them. The Gewürztraminer Sorbetto really impressed my palate. Sweetened just enough, it felt like I was eating wine. That was also evident when I was trying out the Chocolate Fondent. It was like eating pure chocolate. The flavours are intense, the texture is smooth and the quality is obvious.

The store display is quite confusing to most people since you don't actually see the gelato. The reason for this is that if the gelato is exposed, it is compromised. So, everything is hidden under lids until it is time to scoop. There are 3 sizes - small ($4.95), medium ($5.95) and large ($6.95). Considering the care put into the creation of the gelato and sorbetto, the quality ingredients and the prime Downtown location, I find the prices to be extremely reasonable. In fact, these prices are comparable with popular places such as La Casa Gelato and Amato. However, they are not even remotely close to what Bella Gelateria can produce, in my opinion. It is not often I get blown away by anything, especially desserts (since I'm not a dessert person). But at this moment, the best gelato in town has got to be Bella Gelateria hands down.

The Good:
- Quality ingredients
- Made with care
- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:
- Mostly walk-up traffic, there is no parking here and if you get a spot, it'll cost you
- Limited flavours (which can be a good thing since it ensures quality control)

Chill Winston

When looking into the high cost of eating, Ben believes that, "Asian food has to be the best value around". Hey, I'm with him 100% there. There is no better value than Asian food, particularly Chinese food. However, after awhile, I tend to get bored of it all. Time after time, we seem to go get wonton noodles after hockey. Great value? Yes. Interesting? Not exactly. Lionel Hutz and I agree that there is absolutely no fun in visiting a Chinese restaurant late at night. No atmosphere, no style, no service and no scenery. Well, I guess there was scenery at Chill; but that didn't help us when we were waiting over an hour for our drinks. So for once, we decided to head somewhere hip that had an energetic vibe and food that didn't have dumplings in it. Originally, we tried to visit the Alibi Room; but that turned into an epic fail. Turns out they were really busy. Furthermore, the hostess at the front-of-the-house completely ignored me when I was the first in line. She proceeded to help 2 other groups until Lionel alerted her of my annoyed existence. Apparently, she thought I was with another group. Uh... No...

We ended up leaving and headed over to Chill Winston instead. It was beginning to sprinkle and luckily we got a table pretty quickly inside. Immediately, Lionel noticed that the scenery was indeed quite nice (staff and patrons alike). I concurred and found it fortunate Viv wasn't around. I guess by virtue of her reading this, I'm a dead man... The place definitely has a nice vibe to it. For me, I do like this type of restaurant every now and then. Wanting the best of both worlds, Lionel Hutz ordered a Spinach Salad and added the steak from the steak salad. It was a mix of Baby spinach, sunflower seeds, strawberries, oranges, goat cheese with a balsamic pear vinaigrette. He liked the salad; but thought that the steak was overly salty. Moreover, he was never asked how he would like the steak done. Mind you it came out a perfect medium-rare. He was a bit miffed at the extra $6.00 for the steak since both salads were roughly the same price.

I decided to get an order of the Poutine to start. I liked the Jack Daniels demi-glace; however, I didn't get much in the way of JD flavour. I wasn't a huge fan of the cheese. For some reason or another, the texture reminded me of crumbled dry tofu. The fries were nothing special; yet they did their job. For my main, I went for the Bison Short Ribs. Not sure why it was plural since there was only one rib... Now, that one rib doesn't look all that big; but I assure you it was enough meat. It was fork tender and had a smoky molasses flavour with a touch of bourbon. It was accompanied by a wonderful potato salad and grilled zucchini.

Polka King had the Halibut which was supposed to come with corn on the cob and rustic summer salsa with black beans and white wine reduction; but they didn't have any corn and substituted asparagus instead. He enjoyed the properly cooked items; but he questioned if it was really worth the price he paid. That brings up the idea of value once again. Of course we can never compare ethnic Asian restaurants with places like Chill Winston. The price we pay takes into account the location, style, staff and raw materials. If you merely want value, Chill Winston may not be the place for you. However, if you want a hip place to hang with some friends, eat decent food and see and be seen, this is the place for you.

The Good:
- It's trendy and energetic
- Nice outdoor seating
- Great "scenery"

The Bad:
- Some items are pricey
- Food is not bad, but not great either

Thu Mai Coffee & Sandwiches

Awhile back, I attempted to pick up some banh mi from a little shop right next to Pho T&A in Whalley. However, for some reason or another, I morphed into the next coming of Shaggy and even food couldn't entice me to go in there. Maybe it's just me, but there were a group of men playing cards and smoking like chimneys which just made me feel unsettled. Thus, I ended up going to New Town instead. Today, I pulled up my big boy socks and decided to give it another go. Hey, I'm a pretty big guy. Maybe if I go in with intention and a scowl on my face, I could look intimidating. Yah right, I think I look as intimidating as Erkel in an MMA tournament. Whatever the case, I walked in like I meant to. Ordered 3 banh mi. Sat down and didn't make eye contact.

It's funny how there is this big sign that says "No Smoking", while the air in there was slowly resembling the LA skyline. As for my banh mi, it took quite a long time and I had to sit nervously for roughly 8 minutes or so. Once I got my order, I quickly left reeking of Export A Gold. In one piece, while probably losing 3 years of my life from second-hand smoke, I made my way back to work. Of course I had to take pictures of my sandwiches; but I had to go straight into a meeting. Thus, it was a gong show of sorts, where I had to take a picture of the sandwiches really quickly and bringing them in to meeting. Yah, food takes precedent over everything else. What can I say? I decided to go for 3 subs with the first being the Cold Cut. With good amount of meat and crisp daikon, carrot and cucumber, this had all the potential for a good sandwich. However, it's quite obvious from the pictures that the bread is too dense. Not that it wasn't crusty on the outside; but it was too doughy on the inside. Flavourwise, it could've used more pate, although there was plenty of fish sauce.

Ignoring the bread, the Meatball sub was quite good with a decent amount of strongly onion-flavoured meat. The Shredded Chicken suffered from being too dry. The meat was a bit stringy and lacking flavour. Possibly, even more fish sauce and mayo-butter could've saved it. Honestly, these were some pretty average banh mis. Not horrible; yet not something I would necessarily ache to eat again. But, there isn't much in the way of competition nearby, so it is a viable option... If you are brave enough that is.

The Good:
- Decent amount of filling
- Ingredients are fresh
- Like with most banh mi, it's cheap

The Bad:
- Bread is too dense
- Not sure about the overall surroundings
- No Smoking? Yah right...

Le Do

I've been playing Sunday morning hockey over the last 3 summers and have only been out to eat after once. Honestly. What a waste. Think about it, a large group of hungry individuals probably in need of restaurant food... Hmmm... I take advantage of being on several sports team as an excuse to eat out, why not this group as well! So while changing out of my goalie gear, I overheard JuJu craving Pho. Hey, that's my kinda talk! I immediately invited myself to the conversation and even offered up a suggestion. There were a few places mentioned with us finally settling on Le Do, which was nearby. Since I'd never been to Le Do before, I accidentally walked into the diner on the corner and sat down (there is Le Do signage on the building). I was thoroughly confused to see the absence of srircha and hoisin on the tables. I asked if they served Pho and the server told me it was a few stores down. Sheepishly leaving the place, I went to the right restaurant.

Ultimately, all of us decided to get some Banh Mi to go with our Pho. I went for the cold cut which had a good amount of meat. On the other hand, the meatball sub had so little filling, we thought they had forgotten it. Upon further digging, we found it underneath the daikon and carrots. I was so hungry after hockey, I devoured my banh mi without looking closely at it. Either it had none or very little pate since I couldn't taste any. The bread itself was quite dense and not very crunchy. Definitely no where in the same class as the ones from Au Petite Cafe. As for our Pho, we all went for different ones and predictably, I went for the one with everything. I really liked how the soup was steaming hot. That is very important when there is rare beef and cold sprouts going in. Moreover, the broth itself was both aromatic and not too heavy (as in salty or msg). We thought it was a good balance of sweet and savory. With perfectly done rice noodles and a decent amount of tender meat, the Pho is definitely above average here.

Kaiser Söze had the Spicy Pho and although it had all the good elements of the regular Pho, it was not really all that spicy. If you look at the picture, it doesn't even look spicy. I guess when ordering, it would be prudent to ask for it to be spicier, or better yet, just order a regular Pho and dump loads of srircha into it. Prior to ordering, I had called Viv and asked her if she wanted anything. With confirmation, I ordered her a Chicken, Shredded Pork and Egg Pie Rice. If you're wondering why it's plated despite being takeout, it was intentional. Hey, plated food looks better in a picture than a Styrofoam container! Viv enjoyed this dish and remarked that the egg pie (egg, pork, vermicelli & carrots) tasted better than it looked. If you are wondering where the shredded pork may be, it's the jelly looking strands on top of the rice. Yes siree, it's shredded gelatinous pork fat! Hey, it's good, don't knock it. And that pretty sums up the food here at Le Do, it's solid, if not unremarkable. But for the reasonable prices they charge, it's a good choice for Vietnamese food.

The Good:
- Inexpensive (yes, I know most Vietnamese restaurants are inexpensive, this one is just more so)
- Good portions (other than the missing meatball in the sub)
- Solid food

The Bad:
- Pretty tight squeeze inside
- While the food is good, it won't blow your socks off either