Guu with Otokomae

I love the Canucks. Yes, even though they have given me my fair share of disappointments over the years, my support for them is unwavering. I do go to the occasional game here and there; but due to my busy schedule (and the freakin' expensive ticket prices), I haven't been to many games lately. Hey, the stadium was still GM Place the last time I watched a game. In fact, it was courtesy of Rich Guy. He had invited me to watch a game in his brother's private suite. Now you can see why his brother has the nickname of Richer Guy! Last week, Rich Guy had invited me again to a game; but I was unable to go. Fortunately for me, he asked me to go again and I jumped at the chance. Apparently, Costanza and Toolman jumped at the chance too. Ah, nothing like watching a Canucks game from a suite. The private washroom is worth it alone! However, who really orders stuff from the menu? $80.00 for a prime rib sandwich??? Uh, no thank you very much. I can get a whole prime rib at that price. Consequently, we left our eating until after the game.

Since we were in Downtown, we headed over to Guu with Otokamae in Gastown. Wait, aren't there closer locations to Rogers Arena? Yup, but I've been to every Guu in the GVRD except the one in Gastown. Now it is complete... Since we didn't have an actual dinner, we were quite hungry. So we ended up ordering 15 dishes. Our server was giving us the funny face when I got to about the 11th dish while ordering. I guess he assumed we were here for a snack. Well, Izakayas are not technically meant for dinner since it is supposed to be an after work drinking establishment with some small bites.

We started with the Sashimi Salad and it looked big due to the large amount of spring mix and daikon underneath the fresh slices of salmon, tai and scallop. The garlic dressing with wasabi mayo added nice flavour to all of the components without being overwhelming - a nice start to the meal. From healthy to no-so-healthy were the Japanese Yam Fries with honey mayo. Unlike the common yam fries we are accustomed to, these ones were appreciably thicker and less crunchy. The outside was still somewhat crispy while the inside was noticeably smooth yam. Thus, there was a nice textural contrast within each fry. The honey mayo was nice; but personally, I would've like to see a dip with some zing (with some balsamic or acid). Rich Guy loves Beef Tataki, so it was natural we order it. In fact, he merely looked at me and I already knew. It's like ESP or something. Maybe he's just predictable, much like his aversion to cheap food... This was a textbook version of the dish with lightly seared beef served in thin slices topped with ponzu, garlic chips and green onion. I like this combination of flavours the best, unlike some other less authentic Izakayas that employ a vinaigrette of some sort. The only negative in this case was the slightly chewy beef.

When I spotted Eel & Egg on the fresh sheet, I thought we should give it a shot. It's basically a breaded piece of eel topped with a half-boiled egg and teriyaki sauce. Texturally, this worked because the soft egg was a nice contrast to the crunchy eel cutlet. However, I personally wasn't all that convinced of the flavour. Let me rephrase that, the lack of flavour. Since the eel was fried, it got lost in the breading. The egg had no inherent flavour of its own and the modest amount of teriyaki sauce didn't have much impact. Meh. Okay, call us crazy; but we decided to give the Crab & Shrimp Dumplings a try. I know, this is an Izakaya, not a Dim Sum joint. However, it just seemed so interesting to us, especially since they were steamed in a bamboo steamer exactly how it would be at Chinese Dim Sum. They weren't bad per se; but there were some issues. First, the dumpling wrapper was too thick, resulting in a gummy product. Furthermore, I didn't taste or see much crab. Sure, there was plenty of shrimp and good shrimp at that (crunchy and sweet, slightly overcooked), just not much in the way of crab. Well, crab is pretty delicate anyways and it can get lost if it is overwhelmed by other components. I think the thick dumpling wrapper aided in that respect.

Another dish selected by Rich Guy was the Saba with Garlic Herb. It turned out to be a pretty large fillet of grilled mackerel with garlic chips, dill, soy and olive oil atop a bed of peppers and onion. Naturally, mackerel will never turn out to be buttery soft such as black cod; however, it was prepared nicely since it was still quite moist. I'm not a huge fan of mackerel; yet this was not bad. Despite the large amount of aromatics and flavouring agents on the cast iron plate, I found the fish to be surprisingly bland. On the topic of bland, it was quite disappointing to find that the Grilled Beef Short Ribs to be lacking in flavour. Maybe because it was only seasoned with salt and pepper? On the menu, it states that it's very tasty with the green onion oil. No one at our table thought it was very tasty. Furthermore, the short ribs were cold and very chewy. We've definitely had better elsewhere.

Not to worry, the meal got back on track in a hurry with the Duck Breast which is braised in red wine and soy topped with a blueberry and mango sauce. It's amazing how a place like Guu can outdo many finer establishments in terms of preparing a duck breast. As they say, we eat with our eyes and if the presentation is any indication, the dish was excellent. Perfectly cooked and uniform looking, the meat was moist and tender. The accompanying sauce was neither too sweet or too savoury - it let the duck have its day. Costanza really wanted Ebi Mayo. It's his favourite dish. He likes it so much, he wanted to order two. Our server looked at him weird and this was on top of him already wondering why we were ordering so much. We only ended up with one in the end. Although we liked this version of Ebi Mayo, it certainly pales in comparison to the one at Hapa. The liberal use of tempura batter added too much to the shrimp and thus partially obstructed the natural texture of the shrimp. The chili mayo had a nice kick though which is always welcomed.

Another fish dish, guess who ordered it? Yes, Rich Guy. He and his rich tastes... This time it was the Maguro Tataki. As you can see in the picture, very nice tuna, lightly seared topped with a light ponzu dressing, garlic chips and green onion. The natural sweetness of the tuna really shone in this dish and the little amount of ponzu provided a slight acidity and saltiness as an accent. Next up was the Spicy Ika Garlic. Beautifully presented as a town of fried squid, this was one of my favourites of the entire meal. Although the squid had lost much of its crispiness due to being tossed in a spicy tomato sauce, the moisture-soaked batter made for an interesting texture. A little chewy while still easy to eat, the squid was very flavourful and spicy (not too much so). I could've had a few orders of this with a few beers. Alas, I didn't, even though I wasn't driving. That new .05 limit keeps me on my toes!

When dining at an Izakaya, it is often prudent to get some "filler" dishes just to ensure satisfaction. We never did order a rice or noodle dish; but we did get the Okonomi-Yaki. It's often called a Japanese pizza or pancake. Whatever the name, it usually consists of flour, cabbage and some sort of seafood and/or meat (squid in this case). The whole thing is pan-fried and topped with wasabi mayo, tonkatsu sauce, bonito flakes and nori. The one we had here was very soft, almost falling apart when we picked it up. Personally, I like this texture more than it being stiff. The large amount of toppings and sauce made it messy to eat, but it was delicious. A good combo of sweet (predominantly), savoury, slightly spicy and tart.

Alright, whenever at Guu, I get the Takoyaki or affectionately known as octopus balls. I know what you are thinking, and not it's not a bunch of ball-less octopi left as a result of this dish. Rather, it is bits of octopus combined with a flour mixture then pan-grilled in a mold. The ones here are deep-fried and topped with tonkatsu sauce, wasabi mayo, bonito flakes and dried seaweed. Good as usual. Last dish of the night was probably our least favourite - Maguro with 5 Colour Sauce. It's a combination of chopped tuna, avocado with mango sauce, wasabi mayo, sour cream, teriyaki sauce, yuzu pepper sauce topped with seaweed, radish sprouts and crispy wonton skins. Even the crispy wonton skins couldn't hide the mushiness. There was just too much going on here, too muddled and over-ambitious. However, a typical Guu experience is not like that and in fact, is very good for the price. No different this time around. Solid eats, reasonable prices, friendly loud staff along with good friends. Good times.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- All around good food
- This location is actually quite comfortable

The Bad:
- Maybe a little less refined than Kingyo and Hapa, but it is less expensive too

Rainbow Butterfly

*Restaurant is closed*

The state of Dim Sum in the Tri-Cities area can be summed up in one word - pathetic. Other than a few places, it is a Dim Sum wasteland of sorts. Kirin, by default, is the go to place. Of course this may not be everyone's first choice; but there is very little in the way of competition nearby. Sure, there used to be Maple Garden near the Brick. That is long, long gone. And yes, there are/were some on Anson Ave as well. Those come and go, with Kam Ding being current one. When I used to live in Coquitlam, Dim Sum would mean "driving to Vancouver or Richmond". Oh, and don't lump Hon's into the equation, that is not a true Dim Sum restaurant. So while we were out with the kiddies at Coquitlam Centre, we briefly considered eating at the food court. Okay choice when you got kids in tow. However, we wanted something more interesting. How interesting? Try Dim Sum in Port Coquitlam. Okay, please don't laugh. Ever since we got really good Dim Sum out in Langley at Luxe, anything is possible. As we passed every conceivable chain restaurant while driving down Lougheed Hwy (it's like this in the burbs!), I really began to wonder if this was a good idea. Yet, as I turned onto Oxford, I noticed the line of Bimmers and Benzs pulling into the parking lot.

Walking into the place, it is quite obvious that it has changed hands a few times. It's got this mix of decor including a former sushi bar and North American decor. Quite comfortable with the booth seating; but makes for a tight squeeze when it comes to Dim Sum service. Moreover, there was a substantial lineup too. I wanted to leave; but Viv talked me into staying. Turns out it was a good idea, the food was not bad. And about that food, we started with the Haw Gow. I found that the dumpling skin to be slightly overcooked. However, as it sat there and cooled, it tightened up and was not bad. The shrimp filling was crunchy; yet quite sweet. On that note, we found the Sui Mai to be more sweet than savoury as well. I could definitely taste the pork, which was not necessarily a bad thing. Texturally, it was mostly soft with a few bits of chewy pork and crunchy shrimp. Not bad, just a bit too one-dimensional in the flavour profile. Sweetness continued into the next dish which was the Szechuan Green Beans. Normally, this dish is quite spicy and savoury with a touch of sweetness. However, this version was far from spicy. In fact, it was very sweet. Despite this, I didn't mind the dish, if I thought of it as something other than Szechuan. The beans were oil-blanched nicely so they were still crisp. I also liked the addition of crunchy pickled radishes. Nice texturally and flavour-wise. I didn't care for the julienned pork. It was not necessary.

From too sweet to lack of flavour, we have the Pork Spareribs. In terms of the meat itself, it had a nice chewiness to it without being tough. Furthermore, the ribs were not fatty or oily. Thus, it was really too bad that there was almost no seasoning whatsoever. All we could taste was pork. Not that again is not necessarily a bad thing. However, there was no garlic, peppers or black bean flavour to be found. One of my favourite dishes that we normally do not order is the Fried Bean Curd Skin Rolls. Viv is not a big fan of it and really, if I ate all 3 of them, I would lose most of my ability to eat anything else. But I went ahead and ordered it anyways, knowing full well I'd be taking leftovers home. Well, after trying one of them, I probably wished I didn't order it after all. Once again, the main flavour I got was sweet. Generally, the starch-thickened sauce should be a good mix of savoury and sweet. It is based on oyster sauce, so saltiness should be a given. But the flavour wasn't the biggest issue here. Rather, it was the texture of the pork inside. It was pretty dry and almost mealy. Not very pleasant to chew. Furthermore, there was a lack of veggies to provide the necessary textural contrast. Normally, there are a good amount of wood ear mushrooms, carrots and celery. There was a minimal amount here.

As if there was a sale on Rogers Sugar, the Honeycomb Tripe was also pretty sweet. In fact, it had a sweetness with depth. Believe it or not, I didn't mind this since it went well with the soft tripe. Also, there was a discernible garlic flavour. It was possibly slightly too soft; but I didn't mind it since it still had a bit of chew left. Nothing worse than overly chewy tripe. Can't eat it. Viv spotted some people having the Pan Fried Taro Cake and it was massive. Suffice to say we got an order. Thickly-cut while still soft, these were good. Nicely browned (well, 2 of them at least) and full of taro and Chinese sausage, these had good taro flavour.

Now for a dish we just don't find much of anymore - Deep Fried Shrimp Toast. As the name suggests, we got a mix of prawn mousse and pieces of prawn atop bread, then deep-fried. In this case, there was a considerable amount of sesame seeds on top. The sesame seeds provided a nuttiness to an otherwise one dimensionally-flavoured dish. Toast was crispy and the shrimp mixture was sweet while exhibiting a nice bounce. I love shrimp toast, too bad it is so darn oily. Continuing onto our 9th dish... Yes, we were hungry and well, we had lunch for tomorrow too. Okay, the Beef Meatballs. Often ridiculed since many people refer to to them as "beef balls" which scare away those who don't know what it is. They are merely pureed beef usually tenderized with baking soda and mixed with starch, water chestnuts, green onions and/or cilantro. Typically, the desired texture is one that is somewhat "bouncy"; rather than moist or chewy. These ones were indeed bouncy and had a nice balance of flavours being not too heavy on the greens.

Dim Sum is not complete without an order of Rice Noodle Rolls. We ended up getting both the beef and the shrimp. For some odd reason, instead of the typical 3 large shrimp per roll, there was a combination of shrimp mousse and shrimp. Not something that I am used to; however, it was not much of a detriment to the final product. The rice noodle itself was slightly on the thicker side; yet was still soft and easy to divide with chopsticks. The beef was pretty good too with essentially the same meat as the beef meatballs. Finally we get to dessert. I'm not a huge dessert person, so these were mostly for the kiddies. We started with their favourite, the Egg Tarts. Served fresh from the oven, these were hot and flaky. Maybe not as flaky as others I've had; yet these were still very good. The filling was custardy and not too sweet. And as evidenced from the picture, these were baked nicely with good colour.

Last dish was the Steamed Custard Buns. We normally do not order these; but since our Portland trip, our son has discovered that he likes them. And in this case, it was no different. He willingly ate the bun and quite quickly I must add. So fast, I didn't get to try them. From handling them, I could tell the bun was soft. Beyond that, the kiddies seemed to like them a lot, so we'll leave it at that. Overlooking some issues, specifically the overuse of sugar, the food was more than acceptable. Take into account that the pricing for most dishes is only $2.75, we have ourselves a winner out in Poco. Pleasantly surprised is the only thing we could think of as we left. I could definitely see myself returning if we were in the area. A good, less-expensive alternative to Kirin.

The Good:
- Very affordable
- Good portions
- Despite some issues, decent eats (Dim Sum)

The Bad:
- Restaurant is small, long waits during peak times
- Place is not designed for Dim Sum, space is at a premium

New Lakeview

In the grand scheme of things, I'm not sure that my activity schedule was really all that well thought out. You see, we had just returned from Portland at around midnight on Friday. Then we had to wake up the following morning to do the whole PNE thing with the kiddies. Well, that really wasn't that bad. After all, there was lots of eating to be had! The problem is... I had promised to play a hockey game that night as well. So with the limited amount of time between returning from the PNE and heading off to hockey, I shoveled some Vietnamese takeout into my mouth. Now with legs feeling like Jello, I took to the ice and luck would have it, the game was a bit one-sided. We got outshot by a ratio of 2:1. Now my legs were really feeling it! Not all was lost though because Betaboy promised he'd go eat with me afterwards. That was the deal if I played goal for him tonight. Yes, it was my "gentle" persuasion to get people out to eat. Joining us were ChunkyLover69 (See: Simpsons) and Max Power.

Since we were playing at Moody Park, we headed over to New Lakeview. Only up the block, it was a natural choice. Well, not really... A bunch of people opted to head to the Market Crossing Boston Pizza. 2 problems with that. It's not on the way home for us and honestly, BP sucks. Paying $17.29 for a plate of overcooked pasta with bland, watery sauce is plain lunacy. I don't care how big the portion is. Oh and Bolognese sauce does not have green peppers! Sorry, just me ranting. So, the main draw with New Lakeview are the low prices and large portions. As evidenced by Max Power's Combo A dinner (for only $8.95), it can feed 2 people. Loaded with Chicken Chow Mein, Sweet 'n Sour Pork and Chop Suey, this would put any Manchu Wok or Panda Express meal to shame. ChunkyLover69 had the Brisket Rice Noodles and it was alright. The broth was somewhat weak while the brisket was dry. However, the large portion made up for it.

Betaboy and I shared 2 items starting with the Chicken & Lettuce Fried Rice. This was also on the bland side and the rice was quite dry. However, for fried rice, dry is certainly much better than wet. Lots of chicken in the rice too. We also shared the Fish & Tofu Hot Pot. We got this because the table next to us had it. It looked absolutely huge and stuffed with lots of fish and tofu. Indeed it was a lot of food and very garlicky as well. However, the fish was tad "fishy". Not that they would use fresh fish anyways... And that really says it all about the food here. Mostly okay; but certainly not outstanding. But considering the prices and huge portion sizes, it makes up for some of the deficiencies. Taking into account its location, there is really not much around that can compete; thus, it will most certainly have a steady stream of repeat customers.

The Good:
- Freakin' large portions
- Cheap
- Open late

The Bad:
- Food is okay, but not great
- It's a dive

Hotluck

*Restaurant is closed*

About a month ago, our hockey team tried to eat at Hotluck after the game. I emphasize "try" because we had arrived at roughly 9:55pm. Hey, no problem right? The placard in the front window clearly states they close at 11:00pm. Nope. When we tried to enter the restaurant, we were promptly denied. "No, we close" was the broken English answer. Huh? Close a full hour early? WTF? Honestly. I really, really cannot stand restaurants that make up random hours based on their own convenience. Yes, I do understand that the staff have their own lives too. But, what is the point of having any posted hours at all if they are not followed? Much like Poco Ocean, it's a crap shoot. Hey, what kinda job can you go in if you feel like it? Wait, I forgot about politicians... Anyways, Viv and I were looking for eats around Metrotown and ended up at Hotluck. Hey, at least they were open this time.

We ended up ordering their Hotluck Pot combo which included 2 predetermined appetizers, soup and rice. The soup was a pretty standard "lo foh tong" or old fire soup, which really means a soup that has been boiled for a long time. We got carrot, daikon and pork soup. Not bad, moderately seasoned with nice big meaty chunks of fatty pork - my favourite part of any lo foh tong. One of the appetizers was the Pickled Daikon and Carrots. To me, that is not really an appetizer. It's more of a throw-in. Whatever, it was pickled and crunchy. The second appetizer was the Szechuan-Style Spicy Pea Curd. I liked the flavour, it wasn't too spicy and there was a nice vinegary kick. The pea curd itself was a bit hard to eat since it was very soft. For the main event, the Hotluck Pot arrived in a very big bowl. Packed with cabbage, celery, seaweed, lotus root, wood ear mushrooms, chiyote, peppers, bean curd stick, tripe, pork, chicken and ham, this was not regular-sized dish. We asked for medium and even at that, it was very spicy. Normally, Viv and I can eat pretty spicy; but this was tongue-numbing. I can see how some people who really like it hot enjoying it; but for us, I found that it was slightly overkill. We could not taste any of the individual components. With that being said, the dish was cooked quite well. Veggies were crunchy and meats easy to chew. Although, we were a bit troubled by the really large pool of chili oil at the bottom of the plate.

Okay, I'm probably basing everything on personal tastes here. As mentioned, I'm sure there are people who will like the tongue-numbing spiciness of the food here. However, for me, it was all I tasted. Hey, I've eaten my fair share of Szechuan cuisine and it can be more balanced than this. Furthermore, the prices seemed a bit high in relation to what you get. Don't get me wrong here, the food was alright and there is nothing inherently wrong. Probably just not on my list of re-visits anytime soon.

The Good:
- If you like spicy food...
- Portions seem good
- They don't skimp on flavour

The Bad:
- If you don't like spicy food...
- To think of it, it's kinda pricey
- Food is greasy

Katana-Ya

Here it is. The last meal before heading off to SFO. After nearly 4 days of endless eating, it has come down to Katana-Ya Ramen. We really wanted to try this since the first night; but late night eats never came to fruition. Chalk it up to being too full. Or maybe we are collectively just getting too old. Sleep over eating? What has this world come to??? Honestly, I wasn't even aware of this place until we noticed a fairly large lineup every night as we walked back to our hotel. Generally, when there is a long lineup, it is either very good, has big portions or both. The fact that we heard people speaking Japanese in the lineup made it extra attractive. Despite a rich breakfast at Brenda's Soul Food and then lunch at L'Osteria, I met up with Kim at Katana-Ya for a second lunch or extremely early dinner. At first, it was only me in the lineup. I had put my name on the list hoping he'd arrive by the time a table opened up. No dice, 2 people had already been seated and Kim hadn't arrived yet. Out of pure luck, as I saw him strolling up the block, the only window seat in the whole restaurant became available. Score! Natural light for our photos! Right there, I had a premature “foodgasm”. Yah, and we hadn't even eaten yet!

As I calmed down, we quickly figured out what to eat and ended up starting with the Mixed Seafood Salad. A selection of tuna, salmon, black cod, hamachi, tai, tako, ika and ebi atop spring mix and onions, this was a nice looking salad for the price. Other than the salmon and tai (which were fishy and texturally strange), the seafood was what it was supposed to be. The dressing was a bit heavy on the shoyu; but went well with the components nonetheless. We also decided to try out the Hawaiian Roll consisting of tuna, salmon, butterfish and unagi. The rice was slightly on the gummier side while exhibiting some vinegar hits. Not great; but not bad either. The components were fresh resulting in a satisfying roll. Of course we could not eat here without giving the Ramen a shot, so we got the most expensive one being the Katana-Ya Ramen. There was a lot going on with this bowl of ramen, it included pork, fried gyoza, chicken karaage, corn, wakame and egg. We went for the rich shio broth and it was indeed heavy, especially on the fat. It wasn't exactly full of depth; yet it was flavourful enough without being too salty. The noodles were slightly chewy; however, we would've liked to see more “snap”. All-in-all, a very decent ramen. With that being said, we agreed that Hokkaido Ramen Santuoka is better for the same price.

Just for kicks, we added the Curry Katsu. Wow, when it arrived, we were taken aback at the portion size. More than enough for one person. Unlike some other Japanese curries I've had, this one was more spicy and curry-like. In fact, it exhibited much less sweetness that is typical of Japanese curries. Personally, I liked the thick spicy curry. Lots of carrots and potatoes along with a large, perfectly fried pork cutlet. The rice itself was not bad exhibiting some chewiness. Well done, I'd order this again. My goodness, 3 meals within 4 hours of each other. Oh well, at least I did a lot of walking. Was the Ramen worth lining up for? For me, if the lineup is short, sure. If it was crazy long, then maybe not. Bottom line is that all we ordered was solid and well- portioned. Nothing wrong with that.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Pretty decent eats

The Bad:
- The washroom is almost as big as the dining space
- Not expensive; yet not cheap either

L'Osteria Del Forno

While relaxing in my hotel room after a filling breakfast at Brenda's French Soul Food, I decided to call up TS/JS. Hey, I had 3 hours to kill before meeting up with Kim at Katana-Ya. Turns out that they were about to head up to North Beach via the famous San Francisco street car. It was a nice day, so I decided to tag along. Besides, I haven't been on a street car for 20+ years. Now I know why I haven't. I got stuck with hanging onto the side which is both uncomfortable and slightly dangerous. I think the person behind me almost lost her camera and arm as another streetcar passed by. When they say stay close to the car and not stick your arms out, they mean it. We ended up taking the wrong car and ended up at the Wharf instead.

Looks like another walk to the next eating destination. We ended up walking up Columbus until we got to North Beach. With the help of my iPhone, we determined that L'Osteria del Forno would be that destination. Good thing too since I would've walked past it otherwise. Ain't technology wonderful? Except when it crashes whilst talking to someone!!! Yes, my small iPhone pet peeve. In terms of what we ordered, I let the girls do the choosing. I wasn't all that hungry anyways after Brenda's French Soul Food and an impending visit to Katana-Ya later. My only request was to order as light as possible. Thus, we started with the Burrata Mozzarella alla Panna with arugula. Heavenly. That is what I would describe the fresh mozzarella. Simply presented with EVOO, it was texturally pleasing. The arugula provided some bitterness as a contrast. TS/JS really enjoyed this dish and so did I! Another light dish in the Insalata Rustica consisting of tuna, white beans, celery, oregano, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This was very mild, possibly a bit too mild. We all agreed that there needed to be more acid in this. Nice textures, no impact in the flavour department though.

Now onto their specialty - thin crust pizzas. We ordered 2 small to share starting with the Pizza Margherita. When it arrived, something struck me as being odd. The crust looked too uniform. It was almost like it was in a mold while it baked. The crust was indeed quite crispy and decently thin. In fact, it was not bad at all. Only thing - it wasn't blistered or even burnt. Maybe I was expecting something different? The Margherita was very mild and I didn't get too much in the way of basil even though I could see it. Maybe some fresh basil would've helped? I know I'm being a bit hopeful here; yet I really wanted to see buffalo mozzarella. Guess not.

The Pizza Salsiccia had a bit more impact in the flavour department. The portabello mushrooms offered up earthiness and body while the Italian sausage gave the pizza some saltiness and depth. Maybe I'm just a sucker for meat pizzas... Finally, TS decided to have some sausage. Okay, I'm not being gross here, she really wanted the Salame di Cioccolato or Chocolate Salami. It consisted of bittersweet chocolate and French butter cookies. It was not too sweet (hence, bittersweet) and the crunchy cookies were a nice textural contrast. A nice, sharable dessert to end off the meal. Nothing blew us away; but everything was solid and the Burrata was just plain tasty. Pizza threw us for a loop; yet it was good to eat and that's all that matters right?

The Good:
- Quaint place
- Decent eats
- Service was good for us (despite other negative comments)

The Bad:
- Not expensive; but not cheap either
- Pizza wasn't bad; yet the crust was not what we expected