Gourmet Castle

*Restaurant is now closed*

To be honest, Milhouse and I had visited Gourmet Castle a little while ago; but for some reason or another, I didn't feel like doing a post about it. Maybe it wasn't all that interesting? I've actually been here many times in the past before it had changed hands (more than once). The food here was never the big draw; rather, it filled a void for late night eats. So now I've decided to write a post because we paid a return visit recently with the hockey team after Friday hockey. Fate would have it, we ordered some of the same dishes again. I guess we can see if they are consistent, whether it be good or bad... Okay, the real reason we chose Gourmet Castle was due to the immanency of snow. None of us wanted to go real far if we had to navigate through the first snowfall of the year.

When we arrived, it was almost too funny that there were no Asians in the restaurant despite it being a Chinese joint. Meh, it didn't matter to Milhouse and I. We eat anything. Moreover, the food was actually acceptable the last time we ate here. In fact, Milhouse ordered exactly the same dish as last time. Guess what it was? If you guessed Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice, you have been reading this blog too much... LOL... The first time we had it, the rice had a nice chewy texture and the entire dish was not oily. A good amount of tender chicken and crisp lettuce as well. One problem - the salted fish was dry and didn't provide enough flavour to the dish. This time around? Same thing. So at least they are consistent. Gordo ordered the Curry Brisket on rice, which I had last time. For the price, this is a substantial amount of food. The Chinese curry was typically not spicy and slightly sweet. Knowing this, it was decent. Lots of tender brisket and veggies to go along with the sauce. And just like last time, there was just not enough sauce for the rice. Once again, consistent (whether it is good or bad). Bear went for the Black Bean Chicken Chow Mein. Much like the curry, it was overflowing. Really large portion. For me, it didn't look so good; but Bear assured me that it tasted better than it looked. He opted for the fried noodles instead of the soft version. The noodles were crispy and not too oily; however, he didn't like how they cut them into small pieces. Hard to eat. For some reason or another, Sweet Tooth had a plate of Salt & Pepper Dry Ribs. Pretty normal as a appetizer at say... Cactus Club; but kinda weird in a Chinese restaurant. To think of it, I guess it is only a matter of perception. Nothing amiss with this dish, pretty standard.

While everyone was enjoying their own plate of food, Boss Woman, Polka King and myself shared the Dinner for 3 (with choice of dishes, complimentary appetizer, daily soup and rice). For our appetizer, we opted for the Jellyfish rather than the Empress Chicken. We particularly liked the nice "snap" in the nicely-sized strands of jellyfish. However, I felt that it would have benefited from more seasoning, in particular, salt and/or soy. There was no need for anything else since there was enough sesame oil and chili flakes. Portion-wise, this was more than enough for 3 people. For our first main dish, it was almost a given it would be the Scrambled Eggs and Shrimp. Both Boss Woman and Polka King love this dish. In fact, I believe that Boss Woman could live on this alone. The dish here was pretty good and extremely large. If you think I posed the shrimp so it would make for a good picture, think again. This was consistent throughout the dish. Lots of big shrimp (more like prawns) nestled within the mostly fluffy scrambled egg. I say mostly because it could've been cooked just a smidge less. The large shrimp were fantastic being crunchy and sweet.

Trying to eat a bit healthier, Polka King suggested we order the Gai Lan with Chicken. Typically, this dish has sliced tender beef or seafood rather than chicken slices. Despite the apparent healthiness of sliced chicken breast, I much prefer beef since it has a much stronger presence. With that in mind, the gai lan was still cooked correctly. It was crisp and just barely cooked. Good colour and texture. The dish could've used a bit more seasoning; but it wasn't a big deal. Now the next dish was a venerable explosion of flavour. My choice of dish was the Satay Beef Vermicelli Hot Pot. With a good amount of satay, pineapple, peppers and onions, there was a mix of spicy, sweet, savoury and acidity which made for some tasty vermicelli underneath. It arrived bubbling hot with lots of tender beef. Once again, this was a very large hot pot, more than enough food for 3 people. The meal for 3 cost us $36.00 before tips and taxes. Not exactly cheap; but considering the portion size and that the food was actually decent, we felt it was a good value.

It's interesting that I hesitated to blog about this place. I suppose it has a lot to do with my past experiences here, which have been less than stellar. Sure, the food is still hit and miss; but there are some good items to be found here. If you order the right stuff, it can actually be satisfying for a reasonable price. And really, that is all we can possibly hope for when there is not much else open at 3am in the morning.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Reasonable pricing
- Open until 4am!

The Bad:
- Food is still hit and miss

Chop

A sad day has beset us. Rich Guy is heading back overseas. That means my random eating adventures with him have to be put on hold until the new year. It's like a part of me has died like the golden amber leaves that are slowly departing the rain-soaked limbs of a Maple tree. You might as well rake 'em up and shove them into a clear plastic bag to be picked up from the curb. That's how I feel. Okay, enough wallowing in my own despair. It's pathetic I know. So as a last hurrah, I offered to drive him to the airport. Of course we'd have one more meal prior to that! Vandelay was able to escape daddy duties for one night and join us. Seeing how we do Izakaya every time, it was time for a change. However, it is a little difficult to escape Asian cuisine in Richmond. So the choice of restaurants ended up with Chop, located in the Sandman Inn. Operated by Moxie's, Chop tries very hard to be a high-end steakhouse. Inevitably, there will be comparisons with The Keg. However, by walking through the doors, you get the sense that Chop comes from the Cactus Club, Earl's and Joey's school of restaurants. From the attractive staff to the blinged out decor, it has trendy written all over it.

We were able to score a table despite the place being hopping for a Friday night. Unlike my usual mantra of looking for value, sometimes I do get impressed by style. After all, as I keep mentioning, there are times when good ambiance, service and decor trumps cheap eats. In terms of style, Chop does it well, including the washroom complete with leather chaise and large flat screen TV. Not sure if I'd necessarily want to hang out in the washroom in order to stimulate my senses though. After a visit to the washroom, we got down to ordering. For the purposes of trying as many things as possible, we got the Chop Platter. It consisted of Tuna Pillars, Steak Bites, Fire-Roasted Chicken Wings, Saratoga Chips and Lobster & Prawn Fritters. For $35.00, dare I say it was actually a decent value? There was a lot of food on the plate. We'll start with the positives first. The Steak Bites were our favourite by far. Essentially steak trimmings, there were super tender and flavourful. We surmised that they must've been brined and then deep-fried to achieve this. We didn't care, they were money. Second favourite were the Fire-Roasteed Chicken Wings. Presented on a long skewer, these were also quite moist with a very crispy coating. Slightly sweet and a touch spicy with a bourbon glaze, these actually really good. The Saratoga Chips were very crunchy (a la kettle chips) and served with 3 dips. As for the Tuna Pillars, it was a piece of ahi tuna wrapped in sesame noodles and ginger phyllo pastry. It was served with mango salsa and wasabi aoili. The tuna itself was fresh; but the doughy wrap destroyed the whole thing. It just became a mushy, chewy mess devoid of any real texture. It did taste okay, especially with the mango salsa. Nice combination of sweetness and some kick. But the biggest fail of all were the Lobster & Prawn Fritters with red pepper aoili. I was actually looking forward to these. C'mon, lobster and prawn! However, the fritters themselves were far too doughy with very little in the way of lobster nor prawn. I understand that would be impossible since those are 2 very expensive ingredients. In that case, make the fritters smaller or use a batter than is lighter. I had to resort to picking out the small bits of seafood at the end since they were so hard to eat.

Vandelay decided to have 2 appetizers as opposed to an entree. The first one was the Coconut Lime Mussels. We liked how the mussels were big and plump. Perfectly cooked as well. I was on the fence with the broth consisting of shallots, garlic, lime and coconut cream. It was indeed very creamy and coconutty. However, I didn't get much else. The second appy was the Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio with shaved Grana Padano Parmesan, red onions, capers, EVOO and herb crostinis. Nothing wrong with this dish, a textbook carpaccio. Tender and properly seasoned, it was good. For my main, I went for the 9oz Top Sirloin served with mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies. I requested medium-rare and as you can see, it was perfectly executed. I was really happy with the steak, it was moist and very easy to chew. However, I would've preferred more flavour, somehow it came across as a bit bland. The grilled zucchini and beets were perfectly cooked as well with some bite left. The mash potatoes were more potatoey than creamy; but that suited me just fine.

Rich Guy had the 12oz Prime Rib with Chop cut fries and seasonal veggies. He too asked for medium-rare and once again, it was perfect. Nicely marbled and being tender as well, this was a decent prime rib. Yet, once again, it was not as flavourful as we would've like. Initially, the first few fries were very good. I have to admit they were good for chain restaurant fries. However, as we got closer to the bottom, the fries didn't retain their crispy texture becoming a bit limp. They went well with the 3 dips though.

Alright, I'm not afraid to admit it. The meal at Chop was pretty decent. In fact, some parts were quite good. Sure, there were some misses as well; but nothing is perfect. I was actually surprised at the quality of food because I had heard otherwise. Sure, there is an inordinate amount of bling and style; yet, it is intentional. Judging by the clientele, they seemed to be enjoying themselves and their food. Now, on a personal level, I found the prices to be on the higher side. I'd be completely happy going to The Keg instead. I don't need a big screen LCD in the washroom. Then again, if you do and are willing to pay, Chop fits the bill.

The Good:
- They spent a lot of money on decor, ambiance and the bling
- Food is actually pretty decent
- Although a bit sparse at times, service was friendly

The Bad:
- Pricey
- For some people, it could be a little over the top
- As mentioned, service was friendly albeit spotty

Taqueria Vallarta

Flexible eating. That can mean a lot of different things. It could represent the variety of food someone eats. It also can mean eating anytime anywhere. Or in this case, it meant changing plans on where to eat. It was our original plan to meet up at Pizza Delfina for a "snack" before our dinner at Incanto. However, it seemed that I was the only person to show up. A bit concerned I made some phone calls. Turns out no one wanted to go! Gasp... What has this world come to? I had no one to eat with? The horror! There was a backup plan of sorts as I was able to track down TS/JS and Grayelf who were nearby in the Mission. Well, at least I thought it was nearby. What seemed like a short walk ended up to be a 12-block brisk jog. I finally made it to 24th & Folsom... from 18th & Guerrero! Oh well, I built up an appetite of sorts. Apparently, they were doing the grand tour of the Mission nibbling on various things. Okay, here goes my flexible eating to the test. We stopped off at Taqueria Vallarta first for what else? Tacos.

At only $1.50 each, we find it a relative bargain compared to the ones we get up in Vancouver. As a comparison, the ones from La Taqueria cost $1.00 more. The choices were quite diverse. We ended up getting one each of the Lengua, Buche, Al Pastor, Carnitas, Suadero. I originally wanted Tripita, but they were all out! Well, at least they had tongue... I offered TS some tongue and she willingly accepted it. Surprising... It was moist though! According to the menu, Buche was stated at pork neck. However, to me at least, it did not have the look or texture of pork neck. Upon further research, it is pork esophagus. Good thing too, I'm not sure the rest of the table would've not eaten it if they knew it wasn't pork neck. For me, the winner was the Suadera or tender beef. It was tender and quite flavourful.

As for the others, they were alright. Nothing much to say other than they were not dry. Depending on your personal tastes, the condiments were available for customization. One could pile on as much or as little onions, cilantro, radish, lime and salsa as they want. For me I went conservatively so I could taste the meats. Honestly, for $1.50 this was a nice "snack". They were good, as authentic as I've ever had and cheap. A great combination in my books.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Meats were not dry
- Lots of interesting choices

The Bad:
- Kinda divey, if that matters to you, adds to the charm in my opinion
- Some communication issues

Pearl Castle

As you know, Thursday hockey is an exercise in frustration. It's not that the hockey annoys me in any way. Rather, it is the lack of late night eating companions afterwards. For some reason or another, they feel the need to go home and sleep. Pffttt... What is wrong with these people??? Aren't they hungry? Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. Thus, I offered Gordo a ride to hockey with the expectation I foodnap him for eats later. To execute my sinister plan to the max, I convinced Milhouse to play as well. Thus, I had not one; but two eating partners. Now, as much as there are late night eats in Richmond, the well gets a bit dry when it comes to weekdays. Thus, we headed to Pearl Castle even though I've visited it previously. However, this time we were going to sample more than their drinks.

Unbeknownst to us, they blocked off the Sexsmith entrance to the shopping complex and lets just say if I didn't stop to make sure, my car would have a new "chain" design on the front hood. C'mon folks, if you are going to put up a barrier, make sure it can be seen! The same almost happened to Milhouse! Fortunately the Lambo in front of me didn't hit the chains, would've been an expensive repair. And on a side note, what the hell is a 20 year-old doing with a Lambo anyways??? Now Pearl Castle is known for their drinks. I've had them before and they are indeed quite good. With that in mind, I went for the Passionfruit Slush with coconut jelly. Gordo had the Strawberry with pearls and Milhouse begrudgingly ordered the Chocolate. You see, the dish he ordered was so spicy, he needed a drink to counteract it. He wasn't that happy about spending $8.00 for a drink, no matter how good it is.

As mentioned, Milhouse had something spicy, in the Spicy Kimchi Fried Rice. Boy, did they mean it. It wasn't hot at first; yet as I chewed, it got spicier and spicier. The rice did taste as advertise; but we found it to be quite wet. Not a desirable quality in a fried rice. For me, I started with the Fried Chicken Knees. Yes, I like the cartilage portion of the chicken leg. What can I say? Can't accuse me of not trying to get my calcium. Sure, I could just drink milk. However, what fun is that? Despite the large amount of batter used in this dish, it was quite light and flavourful. It was very crispy with a balanced amount of saltiness and pepper. My main dish ended up to be the Seafood Hot Pot, which came with a bowl of rice, sa cha jeun (satay sauce) and a lychee jelly cup (???). I assumed from the start that there would be not a lot of seafood in the hot pot. I assumed right. There were 2 shrimp, 1 oyster chopped up, some squid and plenty of sliced fatty pork, tofu and cabbage. Despite this, it was pleasant enough to eat, if not a bit boring. I did actually like the broth, it was quite flavourful in a "light" kind of way.

For Gordo, it was all about what Taiwanese joints are known for - the House Special Beef Noodle or TBN. He thought it was pretty good with al dente noodles and a nice tasting broth. Could've used more depth; but fine nonetheless. Beef was quite tender too. Only problem? He didn't think there was enough of it. Maybe he was just hungry? Anyways, my thoughts about Pearl Castle is plain and simple. I would not go here normally to eat; but for late night, it does the job. However, I would come here for the drinks though. They are indeed good.

The Good:
- Large selection of drinks, most of them are good
- Open late
- Clean and inviting

The Bad:
- Food is okay, not the main draw here
- Some drinks are quite pricey

Globe@YVR (Christmas Day Brunch)

Other than Asian restaurants, specifically Chinese, there are not a huge amount of options in terms of brunch on Christmas Day. For as long as who knows when, we would go out for Dim Sum if we wanted eats on the 25th. This time around, we figured something different was in order. But where? Ah, hotels! They are open year round including their restaurants. Seeing how we had already done the Burnaby Hilton, Hotel Vancouver, Waterfront and Pan Pacific already, there are only a few left which offer up a respectable brunch buffet. After perusing different menus, we settled on Glove@YVR. Normally quite busy, Vancouver International was quiet on a Christmas morning. With barely any cars on the road in Richmond, it was like Superstore late on a weeknight. Easy to navigate and frustration level at a minimum. The cool thing about Globe is the view of the domestic departure terminal. Nothing like plane-watching while dining. It's interesting to see planes at their gates moving along in an orderly fashion. This is probably the only place one would find any semblance of traffic order in Richmond.

Normally, the brunch buffet is not as elaborate as the holiday themed spreads; however, there are elements which are similar. Regularly, the buffet goes for $26.00. Today? $62.00. We'll get to the expensive stuff later. We were seated right next to what you'd normally find at this type of buffet - the Breakfast Station. Here you got Bacon, Sausages, Roasted Tomatoes, Sauteed Button Mushrooms, Hashbrowns, Mini-Pancakes and Eggs Benedict. Hey, the bacon was lean and crisp while the sausages were large and juicy (too easy of a joke, gonna leave it...). As for the Eggs Benedict, this was done in a traditional style with English muffin, Canadian back bacon, poached egg and Hollandaise. The free-range eggs were poached perfectly while the Hollandaise was not heavy with a nice hint of lemon. To the immediate left of the breakfast station sits the Omelet Bar. It is attended full-time by a chef who makes omelets to order. The available ingredients include tomatoes, peppers, cheddar cheese, asparagus, red onion, scallions, mushrooms, bacon, ham, sausage and shrimp. Pretty similar to any other omelet bar at a number of hotel brunches. Maybe this is wishful thinking; but I would like to see more interesting ingredients used. Could it be due to cost? Demand? Or any other logistical reasons? Whatever the case, I normally do not go for an omelet for the sole reason that it is a "filler" item. Yes, the Chinese in me takes over again. Go for the seafood, ignore carbs, veggies and the sort. However, I was going to be a rebel this time. In front of my parents no less! I got an omelet. Well, I shared it with Viv... LOL...

I ended up with an omelet with asparagus, ham, shrimp, mushrooms and cheddar cheese. I watched as my omelet was being made and I was impressed with the skill of the chef. As you can see in the picture, the omelet was cooked perfectly. It was fluffy and soft with no overcooking whatsoever. To the right of the hot breakfast items was the Fresh Fruit and Cereal Bar. In addition to a selection of prepackaged cereal and milk, there was a selection of pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, whole oranges, apples and bananas. Rounding out the selection was yogurt and hot oatmeal with various toppings. Moving onto the Salads which were incidentally located on the other side of the restaurant. I liked this setup since it prevented any bottleneck. Everything was so spread out, it never seemed like I was lining up for anything. Furthermore, everyone moved along in an orderly fashion. A very strange sight for any restaurant in Richmond. This station was quite extensive consisting of Mesclun Greens with a choice of French Dressing, Soy Balsamic Dressing of Anchovy Dressing, Salad Niçoise, Caesar Salad with Condiments, Smoked Duck Breast Salad with Watercress, Apple and Hazelnuts, Char Grilled Asparagus with Truffle Cream and Chives, Slow Roasted Red Beets with Pea, Honey Sherry Vinaigrette, Oven Roasted Seasonal Mushrooms with Rosemary, Oven Roasted Sweet Potato with Turkey Bacon and Sage, Maple Sherry Vinaigrette, Classic Gazpacho, Greek Salad with Feta and Rosemary, Caprese Salad with Pumpkin Seeds, Basil Purée and Walnut Oil, and Black Olives with Roasted Garlic and Thyme. The highlight from this section for me was the Smoked Duck Salad. Viv thought the duck was rather salty; however for me, it was perfect since it provided all the flavour for the salad. The duck reminded me of a thicker proscuitto.

Now for the star of the show, the Seafood! This plate of goodies saw more action than Ron Jeremy. I gotta give it to the staff for keeping it fully stocked with fresh seafood. You might be wondering why this is generally served cold. Reason being is that seafood gets nasty when overcooked; hence if it is cold, it cannot cook no further. This section consisted of what you see in the picture (Prawns, Plump Mussels, Manila Clams and Dungeness Crab) in addition to Shrimp Cocktail with Spicy Gazpacho, Poached Salmon and Smoked Salmon. I liked all the seafood (overcooked salmon withstanding), especially the dungeness crab legs. They were very meaty and sweet. Love these way more than King Crab legs. The mussels were incredibly plump which were bathed in an excellent lemon butter.

To the immediate right of the seafood was the Hot Food Station. The first item was the Lobster Bisque. It was quite a pale looking soup that did not have a lot of impact. Sure, I could taste the lobster; but it was neither rich or had any depth. It was merely thick and sweet. My dad thought it was rather fishy too. In the next couple of chaffing trays were veggies (Mashed Potato, Brown Sugar Butter Yams & Brussels Sprouts). I skipped it. There were 2 more trays which consisted of Squid Spaghetti with Garlic Basil Rosé Sauce and Fruits De Mer Grilles with Thyme Butter Sauce. Going against the no-carb policy, I got a ramekin of spaghetti. Of course it was far from al dente (buffet, what can you expect?). The squid was excellent though being tender while not mushy. The rose sauce was not exactly that impactful. It did taste okay though. The mix of halibut, salmon and prawns was actually pretty good except for the overcooked salmon. Curiously, the halibut turned out to be decently moist. The beurre blanc sauce was very mild, allowing the seafood to shine.

Moving onto the Carving Station, there was Sage Butter Basted Tom Turkey, Cranberry Preserves, Giblet Gravy, Roasted Corn and Pine-nut, Foccaccia Stuffing, Clove Studded Honey Roast Ham Leg and Tarragon and Garlic Rubbed Alberta Prime Beef Top Side Roast with Yorkshire Pudding. Although the beef wasn't the desired prime rib, it was tender and full of flavour. A clear indication of high-quality aged meat. I didn't end up trying the ham since I had already made a roast ham a few days before (which I ate for many more days after). Viv tried the turkey and it was moist since it was a combination of both breast meat and dark meat.

The Desserts were located in 2 separate stations (fruit already mentioned at the Breakfast Station). There was a table with various cakes and cookies. Directly across was the chocolate fountain with strawberries, marshmallows and honeydew on skewers. A plate of Christmas cookies rounded out the table. I only gave a few desserts a try since I was incredibly full from trying almost everything. The general consensus was that the desserts were decent. Nothing that really stood out; but nothing that made us want to spit it out either. In terms of the brunch buffet as a whole, it had some high points and some lows as well. The breakfast items were good, as with the seafood. Most of the hot food was pretty average while the carving station was respectable. Desserts did their job and we got great service throughout. As mentioned, their regular brunch is much more scaled down and less expensive. Given that we dined on Christmas Day, the prices will naturally be inflated.

The Good:
- Excellent service
- Relaxing atmosphere with an interesting view of the airport
- Solid breakfast items (which is their regular brunch anyways)

The Bad:
- Unless you were here already (staying at hotel or flight), parking is not validated for brunch
- Specific to this particular Christmas Day brunch only - the hot food was mediocre

Seoul House Korean

*Restaurant is now closed*

Okay, I often eat out in Whalley despite its dubious reputation. Honestly, if you look at all the development taking place, this will be a very different place in the future. Alright, with that being said, there are some restaurants that still look quite dodgy. So much so, I'm a tad nervous to try them. Last time, it was nice that fellow bloggers accompanied me to Fireside House of Cheesecakes. This time around, Toolman was nice enough to join me in trying out Seoul House Korean (which was recommended by JuJu, who happens to be Korean). With an exterior that resembles an abandoned Asian supermarket, we were not even sure if it was open.

Yes, it was open and actually decently busy. We were greeted by a friendly Korean woman. Toolman and I wondered if she thought we were Korean. Both of us could pass off as such. Too bad we weren't because a good portion of the menu was written exclusively in Korean! Thus, I had to essentially order in Korean (which is completely laughable). We really wondered if the staff thought we were poor excuses for Korean people who didn't know the language. That happened to me before at Jang Mo Jib at their old Kingsway location. The server was slightly annoyed at me ordering in English and not understanding what she was yakking at me about. I'm a bad Chinese person who looks Korean... Sorry...

So we started off with the complimentary Banchan (actually we didn't, it showed up much later; but whatever...). Pretty good in my books. A little bit different variety than we are used to. We had Pea Curd, Kimchi, Wakame and Mustard Greens (?). For our first dish, we had Japchae. Pretty good portion for the price, although there seemed to be an inordinate amount of veggies to noodle ratio. Not too oily and nicely seasoned, this was good. Doing my usual Korean dishes (well, and the fact we couldn't read half of the menu), we got the Dolset Bibimbap. As you can see from the picture, the veggies were colourful and plentiful. The rice was on the mushier side; but some of it became drier since it cooked some more in the hot stone bowl.

For our last dish, I didn't remember the Korean name and I also didn't have time to Google it either. Thus, I had to ask for it in English which was somewhat of an exercise with the server. Her English was as good as my Korean... We did figure it out. That being the Pork Bone Soup. The bowl arrived packed to the brim with tender pork and a slightly spicy broth. The broth itself could've used a bit more depth, all I could taste was spice. But honestly, I'm nit-picking here. The food is pretty solid and inexpensive. We didn't try the Japanese food for obvious reasons and based solely on the Korean food, Seoul House is a good option in Whalley.

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Friendly, if not slow service
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Exterior looks uninviting
- Food takes awhile
- Didn't try the Japanese food... I guess that was a good decision?