Dim Sum @ Lougheed Wonton Restaurant

About 5 years ago, we had randomly stumbled upon Lougheed Wonton Restaurant in its original location. You see, they used to be in the plaza on the corner of North Road and Cameron. We were actually at the Dollar Giant and walked over to try it out. We ended up eating there quite a few times. Both Dim Sum and dinner were more than acceptable at a reasonable price. Although the place was small, the service was hurried and sparse. Then all of a sudden, the plaza was bought-out and slated for demolition. Now a restaurant with no home, they had to relocate. At first, there were rumours that they would buy out Yan's Garden and relocate there. But it never materialized. In fact, Yan's went on to expand and do its own thing. Therefore, if you were wondering why a restaurant on St. John's in Port Moody is named Lougheed Wonton Restaurant, this is why. We had visited the place immediately after it moved and the dinner was okay. The place is definitely bigger, if not in need of a serious cleaning. Service once again was hurried; yet friendly. For reasons unknown, we have totally disregarded the place as a source of Dim Sum even though I pass by it daily. We have ended up going as far as Coquitlam to Kam Ding and Poco to Rainbow Butterfly. So when Viv asked what we were doing for lunch on Sunday, I thought it was about time we returned to try out their Dim Sum.

Reminiscent of my youth when my parents would take me out to Dim Sum every weekend, it seems like we take our kids to do the same as well. Great, now my kids will think that eating out so often is normal. The cycle continues... But I doubt my son would continue writing this blog since all he eats are carbs! Anyways, unlike last time at Chong Lum Hin, we didn't park in front of a sex shop. Rather, it was a consignment store. No need to explain what "adult toys" are to my son this time. Lucky for us, we had arrived just before the rush. This place is nuts on the weekend! Mind you, not everyone was having Dim Sum. There were quite a few tables eating crab, Peking Duck and even lobster! Wow... Extravagant lunches! We couldn't order those dishes even if we wanted to. The kids would not be impressed. Instead, we started with the Soya Fried Noodles. As evidenced in the picture, the noodles were really wok-fried. So much so, it was nearing the point of burnt. But no harm, no foul and the noodles were alright, if not messily prepared. Another kid-friendly dish was the Chicken & Mushroom Congee. We really wanted the prawn congee instead since they were all one price. Hey, the Chinese in me took over. Get the most expensive item for the same price! Anyways, it was a no go. My daughter insisted on chicken. As for the congee itself, it resembled something I'd make at home. That means it was very much home-style where it was not really all that flavouful while being chunky thick. The chicken was decently tender and there were big shiitake mushrooms throughout. Of course, we got a Salty Donut to go along with the congee. That and my son absolutely loves it. He also loves beaver tails and spring roll wrappers. Hmm... something about fried dough... Darn carbs again! This was indeed freshly-fried and not too oily. Not as airy as we would've liked; but it was good nonetheless.

Onto the most important items of all - Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) and Sui Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumplings). As for the haw gow, they were big and full of shrimp with the desired snap texture. However, there was a slight fishiness to the taste. It didn't ruin the dish; but it was noticeable. The dumpling skin was perfect though. Slightly chewy and not too thick. The Sui Mai were okay, if not a bit too fatty. I realize that there must be a certain amount of fat for flavour and texture; however, there were big chunks of fat that could not be chewed readily. Despite it tasting pretty good, the big fat chunks ruined it for me. As mentioned, we had ordered the salty donut. For some reason or another, they brought out the salty donut rice noodle roll. Despite not ordering it, they tried to talk us into taking it. Since we already had the pan-fried noodles and a Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll coming, we took a pass. It was comical to see them trying to hawk the darn thing to every other table. As for the one we did order, the shrimp were big and crunchy. The noodle itself was also quite good although being slightly on the thicker side. Not sure if it was just bad luck; but our rice noodle roll was appreciably smaller than the other ones we saw at neighbouring tables.

One of Viv's favs is the Deep Fried Eggplant with Shrimp Mousse. These ones were perfectly cooked with the eggplant still retaining its structural integrity (I bet you didn't think I would use that term in a food blog!). There was a decent amount of shrimp mousse and they didn't overdo it with the amount of black bean sauce. Seems like we always get the BBQ Pork Buns; yet the kids rarely eat it. Why do we order it then? We end up taking it home all the time. I guess that is our breakfast for the next day! As for the buns, they were not bad. They were fluffy while the BBQ pork wasn't too fatty. We did find the filling to be on the sweeter side though. At this point we decided to order 3 more items and it took quite a long time. However, the server did warn us of this. At this time, the restaurant became super packed and the available staff were working really hard to keep up. Dishes were not cleared and the teapot was not refilled. I think they might need at least one more worker, maybe a bus boy to collect dishes and stuff. So as for the 3 dishes, the Beef Short Ribs were a complete miss. These are normally quite tender. Sadly this was not. They were extremely chewy and frankly not worth eating. We did like the garlicky peppery flavour though. The Phoenix Talons (aka Chicken Feet) were passable. A tad on the over-steamed side, there was very little in the way of anything underneath the fried skin. Once again, the flavour was quite good though being garlicky. Our last savoury item was the Bean Curd Skin Rolls which are actually fried bean curd sheets wrapped around pork and veggies. These rolls were in dire need of moisture. The filling was pretty dry while there was not much sauce at the bottom of the plate. The rolls would greatly improve with the addition of more moisture or possibly more veggies in the filling.

The Egg Tarts were not really the last dish we had for our meal; but I just couldn't talk about it in the order we received it. For some reason, talking about dessert at the start of a blog post seems odd... Besides, it seems like Dim Sum is a free-for-all where dessert shows up first. Yes, they are far too busy to ever expedite food in their proper order. Despite the use of puff pastry for the tart shell, it was still not that flaky. Furthermore, the filling was a tad runny. It was a bit bland; but that is a whole lot better than too sugary. I would say that these were pretty average egg tarts. In fact, the Dim Sum as a whole was pretty average. Of course we shouldn't expect too much considering we were having Dim Sum in Port Moody. One thing that works against this place is the lack of staff. Granted they are trying their very best while maintaining a cheery disposition; yet it is quite frustrating waiting for something as simple as tea. I guess if one was not too picky, this would not be an issue. But it took us almost 2 hours to finish our meal due to waiting. I'll let you be the judge of whether that is a good thing or not.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- No other Dim Sum within a country mile
- Servers are friendly despite being completely overwhelmed

The Bad:
- A bit dirty
- Severs overworked; thus there really isn't any service
- Average food

Hong Sushi

Generally, I'm not a huge fan of getting food to go. Hey, it's nothing against take-out. Especially with kiddies sometimes, it is the best way to eat. However, pictures just don't look too sexy in Styrofoam. Hence, I often take a picture of the food and then get it to go afterwards. Often, this elicits strange looks from the restaurant staff; but do I have much shame left? Well, Mijune does ask complete strangers for samples of their food... That is truly shameless. Anyways, there are times where I really have no choice. Take Hong Sushi for instance. Not only are they predominantly a takeout joint, they do not have actual cutlery and plates. Rather, everything is made of plastic. Sure, they have 2 tables; but it is not a place you would necessarily sit down to eat. With that in mind, it was the perfect place for me to pick up some dinner after a tough day at work.

For the first time, I placed my order over the internet via YummyWeb. It seemed to work out pretty well, especially when I really didn't want to name every piece of nigiri in my order. Approximately 5 minutes after my internet order, I get a call from the restaurant informing me that everything is ready for pickup in 15 minutes. Of course, after I picked up the stuff and brought it home, I did my best to be a food stylist. I know, I know. Don't give up my day job. At least I tried. Better than being scrunched up in a Styrofoam container! So the first thing we ate was the Black Dragon Roll. Consisting of spicy salmon, cucumber and ebi tempura on the inside and salmon and avocado on the outside, this appeared to be a well-constructed roll. However, I found the rice to be fairly dry and hard. It did have a nice vinegar taste though. The rest of the roll wasn't too bad. For me, other than the maki sushi, the sashimi is a must when I eat Japanese food. I got an order of the Assorted Sashimi which included salmon, tuna, tai, amebi, chopped scallop, tako, hokkigai and saba. The pieces were very generous in size and pretty decent in quality. The salmon and tuna were okay; but we found the tai to be very chewy. Also, the tako was cut quite haphazardly. However, I'm not even going to begin comparing with "better" Japanese sushi bars here. It is acceptable for the price.

Of course, I always get Nigiri as well since I always seem to order it. I got one piece each of the tai, salmon, tuna, unagi, chopped scallop and inari. Pretty much the same as the sashimi - big pieces and did the job. Once again, the tai wasn't so good. At least it was consistent. For the kiddies we ordered a Chicken Yakisoba. Wow, this was very oily. They had placed a paper towel underneath to soak up the oil and that didn't even do much to help. The noodles had a nice chewy texture while the veggies were crispy and vibrant. The chicken was okay too. But the whole thing needed quite a bit more flavour. It was oily and bland. Not a good combo. Lastly, we got an order of the Prawn Tempura. There was way too much batter on them, especially on one side. A clear indication that they sitting at the bottom of the frying basket where the dough collected. Didn't do it for me. It was not a particularly memorable Japanese meal for us; yet at the same time, it was convenient, inexpensive and good value for the money. So, take it for what it is. A neighbourhood Japanese restaurant that doesn't do any more or any less.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Generous portions
- Convenient web ordering

The Bad:
- Food is so-so
- Take-out only (a few seats), if that matters to you

Kitchening with Carly

Okay I admit it. I'm not much of a dessert guy. Call me the typical male. I don't mind. Hey, I like savoury snacks to go with my beverage. Sweets? If I have room afterwards. So when I was invited to a tasting with Mijune that would mainly be based on Macarons, I went in with no expectations. Only recently gaining popularity in North America, Macarons originate from France. Thanks to Vandelay, I've had the pleasure of enjoying Macarons by Pierre Hermé. His macarons are arguably the best in the world. What sets his apart are the flavourful and rich fillings. Over here, there are a few decent choices such as Thomas Haas and Paul Crouteau. There is another source for good Macarons in the GVRD and one would never guess where. The place? Kitchening with Carly. Who?

A trained educator who has traveled to France for patisserie training, is now teaching others how to cook. And yes, she makes some pretty good Macarons as well. That is what Mijune and I were here for. To eat, taste and provide feedback pertaining to her unique creations. So without further adieu, let's get to the sweets! The first one we tried was the Vanilla Bean with Lavender Butter Cream. Okay, lemme be honest here. I'm not a huge fan of lavender. I don't like it in ice cream and I don't like it in my sweets. So, despite the Macaron itself being visually appealing and of a nice texture which melted in my mouth, the flavour was not my favourite. I did like the intense vanilla flavour though. Next up was the Raspberry with Creme de Citron and Italian Meringue. I liked the flavour with this one. It's worth mentioning that Carly takes some risks here by actually flavouring the Macaron itself, which is usually only tinted with colour. We honestly didn't know it was raspberry until we read the description; but it was pleasing with the light creme de citron. The meringue was pretty; yet detracted from the eating experience.

For me, I'm a sucker for salted caramel. So I liked the Natural Almond with Rosemary Salted Caramel and Vanilla Creme. The intense flavour of the salt on top of the Macaron really hit my tastebuds. I only wished that there was a more uniform saltiness rather than only the middle. Something completely out of left field was the Toasted Coconut and Curry with Mango Jelly. I give Carly full marks for being daring and creative. But in the end, this was my least favourite. I really wanted to like it. However, the mango jelly was too wet and ultimately made the Macaron soggy. Furthermore, the curry totally overwhelmed any mango flavour. Now onto my favourite, which was the Espresso with Avocado Cream. For me, I like bold flavours, and this one delivered. With a generous sprinkle of espresso on top, this Macaron packed a wallop in each bite. The avocado cream was somewhat lost; yet I could still enjoy the smooth creaminess after the initial coffee hit.

My second favourite happened to be the Cocoa with Dark Chocolate Chili Ganache. Another bold flavour combination, I really appreciated the thicker filling (which is more traditional) and the sprinkle of chili flakes on top. Dark chocolate and chili, what's not to like? Well, maybe a tad more spice would've been better; but it was a good combination nonetheless. Now before we had tried the Macarons, there was this Lemon Tart... Oh alright, I'll admit it. If there is any dessert that I do crave is a lemon tart. I like citrusy things and this fits the bill. First of all, I loved the radiant yellow colour of the tart due to the use of organic free-range eggs. I also liked the smoothness of the filling and the nice balance of tart to sweet. There was a layer of almond cream in between the lemon custard and the crust to prevent the crust from getting soggy. It worked; but I didn't taste the cream, which was probably the intention anyways. Served on the side was a frozen raspberry jam which was not sweet at all. Unlike a coulis, this jam had seeds and it was almost a welcomed textural surprise.

Talking about surprises... I really didn't know what to expect when we met up with Carly. Unknown to me at first, now permanently etched into my mind. Her creativity and risk-taking is admirable. I would definitely classify her as an up-and-comer with loads of potential. If this is only the beginning, I am looking forward to what lies in the future. It is worth noting that the Macarons are still being refined as I am writing this blog post. What we tried were a work-in-progress. With that in mind, I'd keep an eye on Carly, you'll be hearing lots more of her soon enough.

Campagnolo

Ever since Gigi (Ho Yummy) told me about her experience at Campagnolo, I was a bit hesitant in trying it out. You see, she implied that it could be a Filet-O-Fish meal. Now, if you have no clue what I'm talking about, you can refer to this post. Essentially, it stems from the fact that after a unsatisfying meal at the former Feenie's, Costanza and I went to McD's for some Filet-O-Fish. From then on, any meal that lacked enough "food" became a Filet-O-Fish meal. Despite the fear of not-enough-food, I've always had it on my radar. Originally, Viv and I had planned to visit Campagnolo in late January. Vandelay was nice enough to grace us with a $100 gift cert and hey, I wanted to used it ASAP! However, Chris & Sarah (Eating is the Hard Part) were going to be in town the following month and Kim had earmarked Campagnolo as the restaurant we'd all dine at. Well, no probs, we could postpone our meal for a month. After all, the more the merrier! And it became even merrier with the presence of thebinster as well. He initiated much thoughtful discussion that really got me thinking. Actually it hurt my brain. I can't do food and think too hard at the same time. LOL...

Since Campagnolo does not take reservations unless you have a group of 8 or more, we had to arrive just as they opened at 5:00pm to ensure a table. I made sure we got the corner table away from most people since there would be 3 cameras flashing away. Yes, the food paparazzi... Looking over the menu, there wasn't much doubt as to what Viv and I wanted to try - the $45.00 "alla famigla-style" meal. Similar to La Quercia, it offers up a few dishes from everything section of the menu for the whole table to share. Only caveat is that you need 3 or more diners. Hey! We do have that! Now it didn't take much convincing for the others to buy in and off we went into a mad rush of never-ending food. From the Antipasti section, we were first presented with the Beet Salad consisting of shaved celery and radish, beets, olive oil, ricotta and mint. Especially with the celery, there was a pronounced fresh and crispness to the salad. In fact, even the beets has some bite, which was a welcomed change. The mint added another level of refreshing; yet the salad as a whole was very mild. Next up was the Beef Carpaccio with salsa verde, herb & lemon focaccia. Unlike most other beef carpaccios I've had, the meat was not exactly melt-in-your-mouth. There was a little bit of chew left, which was not necessarily a bad thing. It was still very tender. The texture actually gave it some body. A squeeze of lemon in combination with the salsa verde, Parmesan and herbs resulted in a veritable flavour explosion. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, the texture of the beef was necessary for it to hold up to the multitude of flavours. For our last appie, we were served the Crispy Ceci. A signature dish of sorts, it consists of fried chickpeas, chilies, mint, citrus and arugula. I quite liked the fried chickpeas. I can imagine myself popping these as snacks with a cold beer while watching a hockey game. They were crispy, flavourful and nutty. As for eating it in a restaurant, it was a bit awkward to eat with utensils.

As an interlude, we got a cutting board with 3 types of Salumi including Saucisson Sec, Soppressata and Chorizo. A little bit tart and full of flavour, my favourite was the saucisson sec. I found the chorizo to be only mildly spicy while the soppresseta was peppery. A nice little bite before we headed off to the pizzas. We started with the classic Pizza Margherita with fior di latte mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil. The crust was not exactly thin while not thick either. Somewhere in between, it was nicely brown with some crispy portions. It was slightly chewy and held up well to the fresh ingredients. Lots of flavour with hits of fresh basil, this was a very good pizza margherita. Next, it was the Pizza Carbonara topped with smoked provolone, bacon, cremini mushrooms, onions and a whole egg. Either it was the time between finishing off my slice of the first pizza or it was soggy to begin with, the crust on this one did not hold up to the ingredients. Despite this, it didn't really matter because I still liked the pizza; but not as much as the margherita. This ended up to be a mild tasting combination despite the bacon. Well, much like a carbonara pasta, the flavour profile is not supposed to be bold flavours anyways. Dependent on what slice you got, the flavours were different, as in my case. I got the slice with the egg and all I tasted was egg (although I love egg, so that didn't matter much).

Now onto the pastas... At this point we were amazed that anyone could eat more food. So, the first one I tried was the Linguine with BC mussels, white wine, lemon, butter and parsley. I found this pasta to be textbook. The pasta was al dente while the flavours were simple. Garlicky and buttery with a touch of wine and lemon, I enjoyed it. Next up was the Tagliatelle with pork ragú, basil and pecorino romano cheese. Right away, the first thing I noticed about this pasta was the significant "porkiness" to it. For me, I love that since it is a natural umami flavour. Combined with the cheese, this ended up to be quite a flavourful pasta. The tagliatelle was al dente; yet for me personally, it could've been even more so. Our last pasta was the Ricotta & Spinach Gnudi in a simple tomato sauce with fresh basil and cheese. These balls of "filling" are named as such because they are essentially "nude" without the pasta. Hence, we are only eating the insides of a ravioli without the ravioli. These soft little nuggets were lucky recipients of the outstandingly fresh tomato sauce which had a prominent fresh basil flavour. I liked how the tomato sauce did not have to rely on excessive salt to achieve flavour. I also enjoyed that it was just tangy enough without being too acidic. The only thing I didn't like was the texture, it was a ball of mush.

Now onto the meats starting with the Polderside Chicken with black lentils, parsnip and red Swiss chard. The roasted chicken with the skin-on was moist and juicy. The natural sweetness of the chicken and the jus provided all the flavour needed in this dish. For me, I liked the black lentils as they provided a nice chewy textural contrast to the soft chicken. Up until now, it could be argued that the meal could be seen as practically flawless. Of course, by virtue of stating this, you know what is coming next... The Red Wine Braised Beef was somewhat of a flop. Atop soft polenta and accompanied by kale, marrow and salsa verde, the beef itself was a little dry. That in itself was not a big deal since it was a lean piece of shank; however, the main issue with this dish was the lack of flavour. The braising liquid was too thin and lacking in depth, which in turn didn't add much to the already mild polenta. Moreover, there was not enough salsa verde to make any impact. I did like the kale though, it was cooked perfectly and was probably the most flavourful item on the dish.

Our last meat dish for the meal was the Fresh Fish of the Day, which happened to be trout. It was served on a bed of farro, golden beets, sliced radish and topped with salsa verde. The trout itself was prepared perfectly being moist and flaky. Much like the braised beef, this dish suffered from blandness. Once again, there was not enough salsa verde to make much of an impact. Now, in addition to our 3 appies, salumi, 2 pizzas, 3 pastas and 3 meat dishes, we also got 3 sides. My personal favourite was the Broccoli with anchovies, garlic and chillies. I particularly enjoyed the fact they included the broccoli stems. That, in my opinion, is the best part since it has a bite to it. The still crisp, yet completely cooked, broccoli was absolutely delicious due to the perfect marriage of the salty anchovies, garlic and cheese. In some ways, it tasted like a salty Caesar salad. Next was something that looked very familiar... The Fried Cauliflower Florets with fresh bacon and parsley could pass as Najib's Special at Nuba. Appearance-wise they are similar; but the taste was slightly different. The unmistakable aroma of cauliflower emanates from the very first bite. For me, that is a very nice aroma. Add bacon and yes, I loved it. It was soft while still maintaining a nice crunch. Another excellent side. Okay, for our last side dish, we were presented with Smashed Potatoes with lemon, lemon zest and chives. Cooked, smashed, then pan fried with the lemon, these were some tasty taters. The combination of the caramelization from the pan fry with the lemon zest and seasoning made these spuds a bit different from the ordinary.

Okay, at this point we had a lot of food left on the plates. I mean, we all love to eat; but honestly, this was a lot of food! Of course, we didn't even get to the desserts yet! And yes, we had 3 desserts to share. I got to try the Chocolate Panna Cotta first. It rested a piece of shortbread and topped with chocolate ganache. Orange segments, hazelnuts and mint were served on the side. Texturally, it was a bit heavier than a typical panna cotta. Attribute that to the chocolate. It really wasn't sweet at all (even with the ganache), in fact it had a slight bitterness to it (due to the use of dark chocolate). The accompanying orange was a natural compliment (like Terry's Chocolate Orange) while the hazelnuts added a textural contrast.

I gave the Apple Tart a try next and this was served atop puff pastry, topped with pastry cream, caramel and sugar crumble. This dessert had all the classic flavours such as the tart apples, sweet caramel and crunchy crumble; however, it was only okay for me. Maybe it was too normal? It wasn't bad per se, it was a tad dry and unexciting. Mind you, the last dessert I got to sample was probably the best of the bunch. The Pear Bread Pudding was excellent. Each moist piece of bread was slightly sweetened with a vanilla pear sauce. The aromatic pears on top was what put it over the top. It was finished with a dollop of vanilla creme fraiche. This is another example where a dessert doesn't have to be very sweet to be absolutely delicious. Wow. That's all I have to say about this meal. For $45.00 each, that was a tremendous amount of food. For 6 people, we got 2 each of the appies, 1 salumi plate, 2 pizzas, 3 pastas, 1 chicken dish, 1 trout dish and 2 braised beef dishes, 1 each of the sides and 3 desserts. Did I need a Filet-O-Fish afterwards? No, what I really needed was a bottle of Pepto. Now quantity is one thing, quality is another matter. The meal started off strong and got even stronger as we reached the meats. It fizzled out a bit there and then was rescued by the excellent sides. The desserts were pretty good despite my indifference with the apple tart. Naturally, not everyone can justify spending $45.00 per person, so there is also a $35.00 option that doesn't include the meats. Seeing how this meal went, I think the $35.00 version would suit most people just fine. For all the items we tried (and that was a lot of the menu), most were very good and hence, I would no doubt gladly return for another meal sometime.

The Good:
- On average, very good food
- Excellent service (but they did witness our inccesant picture-taking)
- The sharing menu is a good value

The Bad:
- The proteins weren't bad; but paled in comparison to everything else
- No reservations, and it gets packed (which is good for them!)

Habit

*Restaurant now closed*

"No Chinese". That's what Gadget Girl firmly stated when queried about the eats after hockey for Friday. Hey, I have no qualms with that sentiment. As I have stated over and over again, wonton noodles after hockey is fine and dandy; but it is hardly the first choice. In recent months, wonton noodles have been our only choice. All of our games are after 11:00pm. Terrible for our sleeping patterns and murder on our dining plans. Our original destination was 5 Point; but that was kiboshed since the response from the hostess regarding a table for 7 was "slim-to-none". Furthermore, the place is darn loud and dark. Don't know about you, I like to see and hear the people at my table. What we didn't have was a backup plan. Looking across the street, Emilicious and I briefly entertained the thought of Kwong Chow Congee & Noodle House. Nah. Gadget Girl would kill us. She may look sweet and innocent; but we know better! Luckily for us, only 5 blocks away lay Habit Lounge, sister restaurant of The Cascade next door.

We sent Emilicious out first to snag a seat while I waited for Gagdet Girl. She drives as fast as a Corolla on #3 Road. However, it was frickin' cold, so I hightailed it to Habit and merely relied on leaving her a message. Much like always, when we finally settled in, I waited for everyone to make their decision before I made my order. Hey, no duplicates! My standard response? "I'm having what you're not having!" The one item that really stood out was the Habit Poutine. A artery-hardening concoction consisting of crispy fries, cheese curds, braised beef and jus, this was a fan favourite. There was so much beef and cheese, this was more filling than all the entrees we ordered. I really liked the squeaky cheese curds, there was a good mix of slightly melted and "as-is" pieces. The ample and tender braised beef gave the poutine body and richness. However, the jus ended up to be quite light and watery which made the entire thing a bit soggy. As if this wasn't enough food for me already, I also ordered the 2nd worst-dish-for-my-health in the Pork Belly. Consisting of a large piece of pork belly atop a white bean casserole with braised kale, this was another heavy dish. There was good and bad regarding the pork belly itself. It was quite tender on the inside with a bit of the fat being rendered. However, the exterior was a little tough and overdone. The braised kale was perfectly cooked as with the beans.

Milhouse was debating whether to have something healthy vs. something cholesterol-ladened. Well, the Habit Burger with Pemberton Meadows beef & Fraser Valley pork, bacon and caramelized onions was too enticing to pass up. Make no bones about it, this was one big burger. He could barely fit it in his mouth. He remarked that the patty was moist while the bacon and onions complimented each other. The "healthier" option that he didn't order was the Steelhead Club. Gadget Girl ended up with it instead. The dish was nicely plated and very colourful consisting of a pan-seared steelhead trout, avocado, tomato, lettuce, red onion and cucumber yogurt. The trout was perfectly cooked being moist and buttery soft.

Sweet Tooth was hungrier than usual. She ordered the Squash Gnocchi and ended up skipping dessert! The horror! Well, the gnocchi itself was naturally sweet, so I guess it was "dessert-like"? Although the gnocchi was pillowy soft, the slightly crisp exterior created a nice contrast of textures. The accompanying parts of the dish consisting of mushrooms, zucchini, corn, kale, shaved Parmesan with sage brown butter was what really brought it all together. Emilicious went for something we thought was simple which ended up to be complex. The Grilled Cheese consisted of aged white cheddar and brie with an option to add truffle oil. Naturally, she said yes to the truffle oil. Oh boy. We could really smell and taste the oil. The combination of the brie and the earthiness of the truffle oil made for a very strong taste. Emilicious felt a bit overwhelmed by all of the components and commented how heavy it was. For me, I liked it as it is. Mind you, I only had one bite.

Silent Bob had the Chicken Club and man was it large. I had to slouch down to take this picture since there was not other angle possible. Lots of tender chicken combined bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and avocado, it was much like the burger - very tall. Overall, most of the food was solid with generous portions at reasonable prices. I think Milhouse summed it up best, "we got good food, great ambiance and it costs less than Cactus Club". Enuff said.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced considering everything
- Good portions
- Laid-back ambiance

The Bad:
- Mostly heavy-items on the menu
- Food is generally not bad; but could use a few tweaks