Minoas

Once upon a time, there was a neat little Greek tavern that majestically stood out among the monotonous buildings along Kingsway across from Central Park. However, big bad Translink (well, it wasn't named that back then) came by and built an ugly-looking chunk of concrete in front. The subsequent Skytrain line helped obscure Minoas from passing motorists. Sure, you can still see it; however, it just ain't the same. It's been a very long time since I was last here. That was before marriage, kids and a mortgage. Back then, the Entertainment coupon brought me in. This time, it is a result of Elaine (Parker Pages) organizing a little blogger rendezvous. Joining us tonight was Chris (Mr. Elaine), Jessica & Mark and Kim. Oh, and we brought our Entertainment coupons as well. Finally, I'm getting use out of the book!

Since it was a Tuesday, the roast lamb was on special for $13.95. In order to use our coupons, we had to order it at regular price. With that, we saved an extra $1.00 compared to the special. Score! LOL... They allowed us to use 3 coupons for our party of 6. I mention this because some restaurants don't allow for this, even though they do not state it on the coupon itself. On a side note, I find this very deceptive and unethical. If you don't want to honour coupons that bear your restaurant's name, then DO NOT even bother offering them! This was the case with Red Fort. Viv had gone with some friends and the did not accept more than one coupon. Despite no stipulation on the coupon itself or any warning on the menu. So I give Minoas kudos for accepting them all. Now, if you ever talk to people who have been to Minoas or just merely read any online review, it is quite obvious people either like the place or don't like it. Not much in between. Apparently, the reason for this is inconsistency. Jessica and Mark confirmed this since their last meal here was not very good.

In addition to our individual meals, we shared an Appetizer Platter to start. There was Spanakopita, Dolmathes, Manitaria, Humus, Tzatziki, Calamari and Pita Bread. It was a decent portion; but as Mark stated, there should have been more for $28.99. For me, the dolmathes were very good. Filled with plenty of beef, it was very flavourful. I particularly liked how the filling wasn't too wet since there was a lemon sauce on top already. The calamari was quite tender; but the batter was not as crisp as I would've liked. The Spanakopita was crisp and the filling was tasty with a nice onion flavour. I only wish there was more filling. I really enjoyed the manitaria (mushrooms). Once again, well-seasoned and cooked perfectly. Both the humus and tzatziki were full of flavour, in particular lemon (which I really like). Mark and I both had the Kleftico (roast lamb) and was it ever a huge portion! The meat was very tender and moist. Moreover and most importantly, it was well-seasoned with hints of garlic and lemon. As for the sides on the plate, I wasn't exactly that enthused. The rice was both bland and overcooked. The lemon potato was overdone as well and quite greasy. It did taste quite good though. The veggies were alright still retaining some texture.

Since we are all food bloggers, we all decided to give each other samples. Kim opted for the Moussaka. I thought it was executed very well. The thick slices of eggplant did not disintegrate; hence, every layer was discernible. I also liked that the modest layer of bechamel. Sometimes, it's just too thick; thus overwhelming the dish. Elaine had the Biftekia (ground beef patties) and for once, they were not a charred and chewy. Surprisingly, they were very moist, juicy and flavourful. Jessica went for the Paidakia (lamb chops). I must've had a really good piece because it was super tender and juicy (again with good amount of seasoning). However, everyone else remarked that it was dry and overcooked. So except for the lamb chops, most of the food was quite well-executed and well-seasoned. From this visit alone, I would conclude that Minoas is a solid choice for Greek food; but keep in mind that others have not been so lucky.

The Good:
- Well-seasoned food
- Tender meats
- Quaint establishment

The Bad:
- Regular prices are on the higher side
- Service could've been more attentive
- According to many, food is inconsistent

Dim Sum @ Luxe Seafood Restaurant

It is a general belief that good Cantonese Dim Sum cannot be found anywhere outside of the immediate suburbs of Metro Vancouver. Naturally, there are places that "claim" to serve Dim Sum; yet what ultimately transpires is some spring rolls and unidentifiable dumplings. What is really hard to find is authentic Dim Sum that should look and taste like the stuff you get in Vancouver or Richmond. I'm sure some of you are now laughing at the mere mention of good Dim Sum out in the burbs. Now, to draw further ridicule, I was actually looking for good Dim Sum out in Langley. Langley??? You might think the chances of that are as good as not eating at a Chain restaurant out here. On that note, if you haven't noticed, there is almost every conceivable chain restaurant out here, including the only Olive Garden in British Columbia. Langley is mainly a family-orientated community and with that, chain restaurants thrive. With that being said, there are many good places to eat in Langley, if you look hard enough.

What brought me out to Langley this time around is Luxe Chinese Restaurant. Apparently, they have authentic and good Cantonese Dim Sum. Okay, if you aren't rolling on the floor laughing already (as in ROFL), please keep reading. Joining me were fine residents of Langley, Nikita and Bluebeard. They are our go-to friends for eats out here. We ended up to be a bit late due to some crappy luck. You see, while we were on the Trans-Canada, we were following a long stretch of cars in the carpool lane. I think we were doing 80km/h at the fastest. Finally, I got a chance to swing over and pass them all. Apparently, they were all following this Mini that was driving excruciatingly slow. Okay, I know it's the carpool lane and yes, they did have a carpool; but honestly, why hold up traffic when you can merely drive in the slow lane at the same speed? For the love of...

Oh and it gets better. Driving down 200th, there was this car driving under the speed limit in left lane. So I switch over to the right lane. Well, that didn't help. The minivan I ended up following impeded my progress by stopping at every light. If you live out in Langley, you'll know how long those lights are on 200th! So that is why I was late. I really should stop giving Richmond such a hard time since it appears no one knows how to drive in the GVRD regardless of location. When we finally got to the restaurant (which is directly across from Willowbrook Mall), I was surprised that they had push carts! Talk about the full-meal deal on authentic Dim Sum.

So, it wasn't long until we had food on the table starting with the Shrimp Dumplings. They were a fairly decent size filled with delicately-seasoned crunchy shrimp. It's too bad that the dumpling wrapper was both chewy and dry. Honestly, at this point I was just busy taking photos since we ordered so many items from the passing carts. I don't think I got to eat until the last picture was taken. The next item I got to was the Beef Meatballs. Despite the obvious inclusion of green onions in the meatballs, it didn't overwhelm the meat. In fact, Nikita's kid must've devoured 2 of them himself. So the taste was definitely mild enough. For me, I liked the slightly chewy texture. Then we had the Shrimp Balls on Silk Tofu. This was pretty good with a shrimp meatball that still had "bite" and a properly steamed slice of silk tofu (it didn't fall apart). The Beef Short Ribs were unexpectedly good. You see, most times there is more fat and chewy tendon than meat on these things. What we got were big tender pieces which were quite garlicky.

The Pork Spareribs were equally garlicky and meaty as well. As you can see in the picture, the ribs are meaty; rather than the chewy and fatty cartilage pieces. We got an order of the Shrimp Spring Rolls to satisfy my son. Unfortunately, that means only eating the crunchy wrapper and ignoring the shrimp. Well, at least I get the shrimp... The spring roll was good, fried perfectly without retaining too much oil. Sharing the same dry, doughy rice flour wrapper as the shrimp dumplings, were the Scallop and Shrimp Dumplings. Mind you, that was probably the only negative thing about them. Filled with plenty of crunchy shrimp and topped with a decent slice of scallop, these dumplings were good. From one dumpling to another was the Sui Mai. The ying to the shrimp dumpling's yang, these were pretty good as well. There was a good combination of slightly chewy pork with crunchy shrimp. There was a predominantly porky taste to it with a few bits of shiitake adding some flavour. I liked how they used some tobiko on top which added a nice colour (same for the scallop & shrimp dumpling as well). It is such a simple thing to do; but it really enhances the appearance.

We got one order each of the Beef Rice Noodle Roll and the BBQ Rice Noodle Roll. What we didn't get was the shrimp version. This is highly unusual. Unless you have a dislike or allergy to shrimp, it is a given that you order the shrimp one over the others (well, maybe not scallop). I remember, as a kid, being told that, for the same price, it is always worth it to get seafood first. Well, we didn't and honestly, I really prefer the BBQ pork version more. The one at Luxe is pretty good. There were plenty of lean pieces of BBQ pork, all wrapped up in soft sheets of rice noodle. I liked how the rice noodle was quite thin (as you can see in the picture).

The last item we had was the Pea Shoots and Shrimp Dumplings. I didn't get to try this one; but it was good since it had the same crunchy shrimp as the shrimp dumplings. However, it also had the slightly chewy dumpling wrapper too. Not a big deal though. I'd prefer chewier over mushy any day. Wow. I didn't see this one coming. Yes, I have heard good things about Luxe; yet to see for myself was an eye-opener. The Dim Sum is good enough to rival places in Vancouver. Of course I've had better; however, Luxe is not only good enough for Langley, it's good enough for anywhere in Vancouver.

The Good:
- Dim Sum is comparable to most places in Vancouver
- Friendly service
- Push carts, if you like 'em

The Bad:
- A little pricier than usual (acceptable given its location)
- Selection is a bit limited

Sunday Brunch @ Heron's (Waterfront Hotel)

*Now replaced by ARC*

$40.00 for brunch??? To some, that might sound like a raw deal. The venerable AYCE brunch is a hotel staple. The elaborate spread usually follows the formula of cold food, breakfast items, hot entrees, omelet station, meat carving station and desserts. Naturally, some items hold up better in this environment more than others. The question is: can we actually eat $40.00 worth of food? It is possible while it is probably not a good idea. At the Pan Pacific, the AYCE brunch tops out at $50.00 per person. Good food for a buffet, not necessarily worth it unless you take in account the location, level of service and ambiance. So far, we've been to the Hotel Vancouver, Metrotown Hilton and the aforementioned Pan Pacific. Today, we sample another Fairmont property - the Waterfront Hotel (specifically Heron's Restaurant).

One thing that we must take into account when dining anywhere in Downtown is the cost of parking. The metered parking, if you can find one, is a hefty $2.00 for 30 minutes. Thus, we decided to park at the Terminal City parkade a block away for $7.00 (for the whole day Sunday). I originally made a reservation via Opentable a few weeks back. We arrived a bit early and after checking into the front desk, we sat and waited to be seated. For some inexplicable reason, we were the last to be seated, even though we were the second party to arrive. I must've counted 5 other parties being seated before us. No big deal since there was plenty of food and plenty of tables. But why make a reservation when people who just walk up after we arrive, get seated first? We got no apology or explanation for this and I felt that this was quite unprofessional. Ultimately, we were left quite confused as to their seating system (when you are willing to pay $40.00pp for a meal, this should not happen, ever...).

Fortunately, once we were seated, our server was extremely personable and friendly. She responded to all of requests promptly and professionally. Moreover, she was observant enough to offer my parents a senior discount which brought their meals down to $33.00. I quickly rushed to get some pictures of the barely touched food. I say barely touched because the people who were seated before us started eating already. Yes, the real reason we arrived early was to be seated first so I could take pictures of the pristine food. Too bad really, we weren't seated first! Okay, I'll stop talking about it, I'm over it (well, maybe not...). After some mad picture-taking, I got down to business - eating! As usual, there are selection of Salads, Cold Cuts and Marinated Vegetables. To the left are the Breads, Pastries and Cheeses. To the right, is a variety of Fresh Cut Fruit and Veggies which include the usual cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, watermelon, grapes, strawberries, carrots, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, peppers and celery. On the opposite side were the money items. A nice spread of Seafood lay waiting which included prawns, mussels & clams, scallop & shrimp ceviche, smoked salmon, gravlax, smoked herring and Indian candy. I really enjoyed the plump mussels, they were fresh tasting and sweet. The prawns were also very good with a nice snappy crunch.

There are are 2 Hot Food Stations with the first consisting of the all the regular breakfast items such as Eggs Benedict, Pancakes, French Toast, Bacon, Potatoes, Sausage and Tomato au Gratin. Although the Eggs Benedict were sitting under a heat lamp, the free-range eggs were poached perfectly with a nice runny yolk. I found the Hollandaise to be a bit bland though, a little more lemon would've helped. The other items were pretty much your decent standard breakfast fare. The adjacent station included Butter Chicken, Grilled Chicken Thighs with Peppers, Spring Salmon with Buerre Blanc, Leg of Lamb with Olives & Sundried Tomato, Truffled Mushroom Ravioli, Veggie Chow Mein, Shanghai Bak Choy with Shiitake Mushrooms and Carrot & Ginger Soup. I found that it was more like tomato chicken rather than butter chicken. It was quite tart and not creamy at all. Despite being cooked until well-done, I did like the lamb. I personally like the taste of lamb and it was evident while still taking on some of the flavourings.

Over at the Carving Station, there was roasted Ham and Beef Strip Loin. I was disappointed that there was no prime rib; but decided to give the strip loin a try. Nope, no good. The darn thing was cooked completely through (to satisfy the masses) and it was tough to eat. What a waste of a strip loin roast. Viv had the ham, which was tender; yet quite salty. The standard omelet bar was directly beside the meats and I didn't bother with it since there were no premium ingredients. For me, if I ate a whole omelet, that would be too filling. Besides, the Chinese in me drew me towards the seafood, again and again... To the right of the carving station was an area dedicated to the kiddies. There were items such as Pizza, Chicken Strips, Fries, Sandwiches, Cookies, Fruit Cups, Mini-Chocolate Bars and Veggies. And right next to that, there was a selection of Sushi and Chinese Dim Sum (Spring Rolls, Haw Gow, Sui Mai, Fried Dumplings). These items are mainly there to up the diversity quotient, not necessarily to be representative of the actual cuisine. One could easily get better quality Sushi and Dim Sum elsewhere.

Finally, there was a large Dessert Station right in the middle of the buffet. Curiously and to my mom's dismay, there was no creme caramel. But other than that, there was a wide variety of cakes, bars and tarts. As if we thought that would be the only dessert around, there was also a Chocolate Fountain near the front entrance. This was a big hit with the kiddies. However, my son only ate the marshmallows, he doesn't eat fruit, among other things. Too bad, since the selection here at the Heron's Sunday brunch is pretty extensive. Other than the Pan Pacific, this probably has the most selection of food for the $40.00 price range. Naturally, being a buffet, not all of it turned out to be good. However, there were enough good items to make the experience enjoyable. We particularly liked the ambiance and the service (other than the delay seating us), despite the tight seating arrangements. By virtue of being a Fairmont property like the Hotel Vancouver, the buffets are similar. But due to the excellent prime rib, I give the edge to Griffin's.

The Good:
- Nice ambiance with plenty of natural light
- Wide selection of items
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- Iffy execution on the cooked items
- No prime rib
- Tight seating

Sweet Revenge

After our free meal at the Thirsty Penguin, Emilicious suggested we check out the Arc'Teryx factory sale nearby. Despite incredibly slashed prices, I was not really in the mood to spend hundreds of dollars on outerwear. At that moment, I devised a plan. I promised that I would accompany her to the sale if she went out for desserts afterwards. Milhouse, Boss Woman and Apu were all game for that idea as well. Yah, I'm resorting to gentle coercion for people to do my bidding! So as I pull up to the Arc'Teryx sale, there is this crazy ass long lineup that extended out to the street. We found out it was approximately a 2 hour wait. Uh... no thanks. There are very few things I'd lineup for. Clothing is not one of them. It's even a stretch for me to lineup for food! I do as well in a lineup as a undented car in the Aberdeen parking lot.

At that point, no one, including Emilicious wanted to endure that kind of torture. We proceeded to go for dessert even though we never actually went shopping. It was a win-win situation for me! It was also quite nice that everyone was willing to travel from North Van over to Sweet Revenge out on Main & King Edward. For once, we didn't have to put money in the meters because it was already 10:00pm by the time we arrived. I am so used to putting money in the meter that I almost paid for no reason. Fortunately, Milhouse stopped me and I saved some coin. We ended up waiting for a good half hour for our table since there are not many seats for 6. Well, the table we got was not really for 6; but we made it work.

Apu decided on the White Chocolate Cheesecake. He really liked the smooth richness of the cake itself. I had a taste and it was indeed quite good. It wasn't too sweet and there was a pronounced cream cheese flavour. It was nice that there was plenty of strawberry sauce on the plate as well. It's too bad the portion size was quite small. Gadget Girl had the Apple Pie and she didn't even finish it. It wasn't that it was too big; rather it was way too sweet. Not a good balance of flavours. For myself, I went for the "lightest" dessert they had in the Berry Trifle. It was indeed quite light with layers of strawberry, Grand Marnier-soaked cake and fresh whipped cream. Nothing amazing; yet enjoyable to eat nonetheless.

Emilicious and Milhouse decided to share both the Chocolate Gateau and the Chocolate Mousse Cake. Originally, they wanted the Chocolate Pudding Cake; but they ran out. Both of them really like chocolate, so they liked the cakes off the bat. The hazelnut cream with raspberry jam provided a nice deviation from the chocolate; but it was not enough to make up for the dry cake. The mousse cake turn out to be the better of the 2 with the same rich chocolate taste; but being moist. I also got to try this cake and it was pretty good. I found that the layers of mousse helped lighten the cake somewhat. I say somewhat because it was still fairly rich due to the copious amount of dark chocolate. I found that it was a little less sweet than the gateau, which had jam.

As desserts go, Sweet Revenge is alright. There were some good points mixed in with some not-so-good. It's just one of those places that people associate with dessert and will go there because of that. I'm not much of a dessert guy; so I'm not particularly that picky about my sweets. So Sweet Revenge would be a viable option when you want to do the late-night dessert thing.

The Good:
- If you pick the right one, desserts are pretty decent
- It's got a charm to it
- A decent selection

The Bad:
- Good, but not great
- Very small place, you'll be friends with the table beside you (or share a table)

The Thirsty Penguin

Once again, I am stuck in the position of deciding whether to blog about a meal or not. You see, the Thirsty Penguin is not your typical restaurant. It resides in the North Shore Ice Sports complex and if you weren't there already, it is unlikely you'd go there specifically for a meal. So the scenarios that might lead someone to eat there include: playing hockey, watching hockey, waiting for child to finish hockey, skating, figure skating lessons or your car broke down nearby. So what is the value of this blog post you might ask? Hey, I asked myself the same question too! However, as some of my teammates have reminded me, food is food. I blog about food and I guess this counts too (much like the time at Boomer's).

Normally, even if I have a hockey game at the rink, I would rather leave in search for good eats. After all, the single most used equipment in the kitchen would be the deep fryer. Although, fried tasty bites go best with beer on tap! The reason we all stayed for eats was all due to Gadget Girl. She had a large amount of money to spend at the Thirsty Penguin due to bonus from the league. Thus, we all got a portion of the money for food. Hey, it's free food! On that note, I'm sure we'll have the haters that will now point out that since my food was free, I have no right to criticize it. Yah whatever. I pose this question: if you get a free order of dumplings; but they are all raw, do you eat them and smile like everything is okay? Well, if you do, then have fun with the "runs"! Free or not, if it ain't good, I'll say it.

So my strategy was to not order anything fried since I've been eating terribly of late. That left only a few options, which included the salads and sandwiches. I decided on the Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich with a bowl of Thai Curry Soup. Although the meat itself was a bit chewy, I found the sandwich quite pleasant to eat. Essentially more of a Reuben than a smoked meat sandwich, there was sauerkraut and cheese. About the soup... It was interesting. It had elements of curry and coconut; but didn't taste like any Thai curry I've had before. To be fair, if I just looked at it as a regular soup, it wasn't too bad; but definitely bland for a curry. Holmes and Silent Bob had the Grilled Chicken Wrap. Nothing out-of-the-ordinary with this offering. They remarked that the veggies were fresh and crisp. Furthermore the chicken was decently moist.

Emilicious had the JD Burger, which should not be confused with the one at Cactus Club. The fries were pretty much your generic frozen type. The burger itself was pretty average. Emilicious didn't end up finishing it. Milhouse inexplicably had the Fish n' Chips. When he got it, he was regretting it already since the 2 pieces of fish were really small. He thought the fish were overcooked and rubbery while the batter was not very good. Serves him right though. This place is neither a seafood joint or British... Apu went for a pub classic which was the Beef Dip. It was your typical beef dip; but it appears to me that there is a severe lack of meat. I must give kudos for using real roast beef though. He indicated that the dip itself was not greasy. Mr. Blueberry went for the Mushroom & Swiss Burger. For some reason or another, this one turned out better than the JD burger. Look at it, lots of mushrooms and real Swiss. Nothing wrong with that. The patty was a little less charred as well. Once again, it was accompanied by those pesky generic fries.

Boss Woman went for the Meatlover's Pizza. It sure looked pretty good. I was surprised at the amount of toppings and cheese. She confirmed that it was indeed good with a decent crust. Well, despite my inherent preconceptions about these types of establishments, the Thirsty Penguin seems to have changed their menu to the point that some of the food is actually alright. Naturally there are much better places to eat. However, most people would eat here because they are stuck at the rink. With that being said, at the very least, the food is edible and not very expensive.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Generally decent portions
- You get to watch free rec hockey

The Bad:
- The food is decent; but honestly mediocre at best
- Not the greatest place to hang out unless you have to
- There is service if you want it; but it's spotty

Pho Hot

Everywhere you look in Vancouver, it doesn't seem very difficult to find some Pho. This is especially true in East Vancouver where there seems to be one on every block. Now, as we move farther away in the burbs, there are less and less options. This is especially true in North Delta. One of the few Vietnamese Pho joints out along the Surrey/North Delta border was a little place called Pho Dat Phu. Yah, I'll admit it. I was attracted by the name. Much like Pho Bich Nga and Pho T&A, I get amused easily by the unfortunate (or fortunate) names of the restaurants. One day, I realized that Pho Dat Phu had closed and there seemed to be renovations taking place. Then a little bit later, there was an advertisement in the window stating that "Pho Hot" was opening soon.

Father D and I decided to give it a try on their opening day. With a fully renovated interior and a semi-open kitchen, the place definitely looks inviting. Furthermore, the washrooms have also been completely redone. The menu itself is now quite extensive and we took a sample from almost every section. We started with the Spring Rolls. These babies came piping hot on a plate accompanied by picked daikon and carrots. We were a little bit dismayed that they didn't use rice flour wrappers; but overall, they were still good. The filling had a nice meaty texture while the roll itself was crunchy. I ended up getting the Special Pho which has every conceivable meat such as rare steak, flank, brisket, tripe and tendon. I'm not sure if it was because of opening day because the large bowl of pho was quite substantial. There was easily enough meat for 2 portions. One thing that was a strange about the Pho was the noodles themselves. Rather than the thin rice noodles we see at every other Pho place, these were the thicker kind you'd normally use for Pad Thai. I felt that it was more difficult to eat and a bit heavy. I did like the soup though, there was a distinct meat flavour while not being too salty. I think if they change up the noodles, the Pho would be solid. Also, it's nice that they use limes rather than lemons.

If a bowl of Pho wasn't enough, I gave their Banh Mi a try as well. The bread was crusty while being slightly dense. I liked that there was an ample amount of meat; but there was a predominant fish sauce flavour. With the addition of pate, that would provide some balance as well as adding another flavour component. Father D went for the Grilled Chicken with egg, shredded pork and pork chop on broken rice. He's a big eater; yet even he could not put a dent into this dish. On a huge bed of rice, which could barely be seen through the ample amount of meat, lay perfectly cooked chicken and pork. He remarked that there was a good amount of flavour and charring. We're not sure if the portion size is reflective of their grand opening. If they continue to offer these portions at the same prices (and some tweaks, such as the noodles and the pate on the banh mi), there is not much nearby that can compete.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Friendly and attentive service
- Clean (possibly due to being new)

The Bad:
- Rice noodles in pho are too large
- Banh Mi needs pate