Frasers Bistro & Lounge

"Come on, join me for food...". That's what Mijune proposed one random night. Well, joining Mijune for food is quite common to tell you the truth. She can out eat me any day... This random meal had something to do with a tweet from Jeremy eluding to meeting up for dinner at Fraser's Bistro in Surrey. Alright, I'm up for this. As I have said over and over again, there is very little love given to Surrey in terms of its culinary scene. Fair enough. There are really not a whole lot of "fine dining" places in Surrey itself; but there are lots of places to eat. Fraser's Bistro isn't exactly fine dining; but it comes pretty close. Now, intention and reality are mutually exclusive, so we'll have to see if it can live up to it.

Apparently, Jeremy used to work there and we were going to do a menu sampling of sorts; yet at the same time, pay for our own meal. Joining us were his brother and Mary from Mary in Vancity and her husband. We started with a shot of Gazpacho consisting of tomato, cucumber and red onion. I found this to be quite refreshing and appetizing. There was a decent balance between sweetness and acidity with a touch of spice. Only complaint would be the slightly gritty texture. Next up was Calamari with a red pepper aioli. On the bottom rested mesclun greens tossed in a buttermilk dressing. The fried squid itself was tender on the inside with a slight bite while pleasingly crisp on the outside. I would've preferred less salt in the batter thought. I loved the red pepper aioli, it was slightly spicy and went well with the squid. In fact, it want well with the buttermilk dressing as well. I guess they intended for the two to balance each other out. In actuality, it did accomplish that; but there was a tad too much dressing and made the greens limp.

After that, we moved onto a pasta teaser (we had more pasta coming later). We tried the Ravioli stuffed with goat cheese, sundried tomato, caramelized onion. The pasta itself was made with butternut squash while laced with a sage brown butter and basil. This little bite was extremely buttery. Not in a bad way though. The sage brown butter was tasty and it did compliment the pasta itself. However, I felt that the sun dried tomato was overwhelming and masked the other components. Maybe a bit less would've maintained a better balance. We were presented with 2 plates of Mussels next. The one pictured was the Thai Coconut Curry. I found the broth to be quite thick due to the copious amount of coconut milk. There was actually a nice kick from the red curry and it went well with the sweet, plump mussels. As a sauce, the broth would've went well with a bowl of rice; but in the end, it could've been a little less thick because it was too heavy for a seafood dish. As for the fresh cut fries on top, they were not as crispy as I would've liked. I'm pretty sure they didn't use Kennebec potatoes; hence they turned out to be on the softer side. For those who don't like it too crisp, they worked fine as a dipping device into the flavourful broth.

Next, we moved onto 2 pizzas. The Italian Sausage and Mushroom was actually quite good. I liked the zesty flavour from the combination of sausage and fresh tomato sauce. There was a modest mix of shiitake and button mushrooms which did add the usual earthiness to the already flavourful pizza (that is only if there were mushrooms on the slice). While not a Neapolitan pizza, the thin, crisp crust was good in its own ways. Our second pizza was the Tomato, Boccocini, Basil and Red Peppers. I thought this pizza was a little heavy on the cheese and short on taste. Hence the crust was not as crisp as the other pizza. I did like the red peppers, they were sweet; but then again, the basil-pesto-like sauce did not provide any impact. I call it a "pesto-like" sauce because it sure looked like pesto, albeit a pale one. However, it wasn't particularly pesto-like in flavour. The menu says it is basil; yet if this was the case, then it would've been much more effective if they added fresh basil on top of the pizza.

Continuing our tour of carbohydrates, we were presented with 3 different pastas starting with the Smoked Salmon Fettuccine with capers and goat cheese. I found the sauce to be very creamy while not being too heavy at the same time. There was the right amount of smoked salmon where it did not overwhelm the rest of the pasta. The pasta itself was cooked properly being al dente. The item that made the most impact was the capers. There was only a modest amount of them; but they added a nice zip that helped balance the richness. The next pasta was the Lamb Farfalle which consisted of shredded lamb, spinach, pine nuts and lamb jus. Once again the pasta was done right. There wasn't much lamb jus; yet there was still adequate flavouring which was not gamy. The lamb itself was a tad chewy while the spinach was wilted just enough. It retained a vibrant colour and did not even get close to being mushy. The roasted pine nuts were naturally a nice addition in terms of texture and well, nuttiness. Our last and probably the best of the 3 pasta was the Mushroom Ravioli. Stuffed with mushroom laced in a thyme cream sauce and more mushrooms, this was a rich offering. Curiously, it wasn't as earthy as one might expect with so much mushroom. No matter, it was still good being more subtle than in-your-face.

After the fairly heavy pastas, we were presented with an interlude of sorts - a shot of Roasted Corn Chowder. Despite being a small portion of a larger soup, this had to be hands down the highlight of the night. This soup had it all. It was savoury, sweet, creamy, smoky and spicy. This had a certain Indian flair to it as there was a pronounced curry hit to it. I could have had many bowls of this. With my taste buds still singing, 2 salads arrived. Now, whenever one orders a Caesar Salad, it almost seems a bit boring. Well, especially at chain restaurants, it does become quite generic. So I wasn't exactly expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the dressing was made in-house. It was well-balanced in terms of saltiness and acidity. The freshly shaved Parmesan added a nice nuttiness. But the one thing that really set this salad apart was the fried capers. Texturally and flavourwise, it made the Caesar something better than the usual. While the Caesar was good, the Grilled Portobello Mushroom was not. I normally love grilled portobellos, they are so "meaty" and mushroomy (is that a word?). But for some inexplicable reason, the portobello was marinaded in far too much vinegar. Not only did it destroy the natural flavour of the mushroom, the texture became very unappetizing as well. That was really too bad since there were nice grill marks which could've tasted great if it weren't for the over-acidic marinade.

After our salads, we proceeded to the meat dishes. As they arrived all at once, there wasn't really an order to it all. So I quickly snapped photos of everything and started with the House Smoked Duck Breast with spätzle. The duck wasn't exactly tough per se; but I thought it was sliced too thick which made it appear to be chewy. In fact, I found the texture to okay and the meat itself exhibited plenty of smoke flavour. One thing I did find chewy was the skin. It was not rendered enough or prepared in a way that was easy to eat. Rather, it was akin to gnawing on undercooked bacon. Not pleasant in texture nor taste. The spätzle was dry and lacking flavour. I did not enjoy it. I wasn't exactly sure about the composition of the accompanying sauce since it was predominantly sweet. It may have been some form of berry reduction? On the topic of sauces, I didn't know what to think about the demi-glace that decorated the plate with the Certified Angus Grilled NY Strip. The steak itself was tender and cooked nicely medium rare. No issues with the quality of the meat nor its execution. However, the demi-glace tasted like water-down HP Sauce. I guess the tang resulted from the red wine while I was not sure where the graininess originated from. It was far from silky and far from being balanced. That really detracted from the nice steak. On the other hand, the asparagus and fingerling potatoes turned out quite well.

Our last protein was the Seared Halibut. The fish itself was prepared properly being flaky and moist. However, it was severely under-seasoned. Even the sauce couldn't bring the fish to life. About that sauce... I'm not sure what it was. It was slightly sweet and not much else. It didn't have enough acidity or salt to properly flavour the fish. The side of rice was also bland and a bit dry too. It's really too bad since all the proteins were cooked quite well whereas the sauces were weak. If they can work that out, the dishes would be more successful. Finally after all these dishes, we ended up with a dessert sampler which consisted of 3 items. The first one I tried was the Bailey's Creme Brulee. At first glance, the torched sugar topping had a pleasing caramel colour and was the right thickness. Once inside, I found the custard to be quite smooth and predominantly sweet. I could detect the Bailey's while the real vanilla was not evident until I got to the bottom of the ramekin. Not a bad attempt.

Next dessert was the Lemon Upside Down Cake. For me, I'm a sucker for anything lemon when it comes to dessert since I really enjoy the tartness. However, there was none of that evident in this cake. It was moist though and served warm. So on that level, it was a good cake. Yet, for me, a lemon dessert is not a lemon dessert without the tartness. The last dessert was what we categorize as an "epic fail". When I first took a bite of the Cheesecake, something immediately dawned on me. I couldn't find the words; but I knew something was absolutely wrong. I deferred to Mijune who declared it as "curdled". Ah yes, thank you, that was the right term. You see, there were bits of cream cheese strewn throughout the cheesecake. So very, very wrong. Honestly, I didn't even know what kind of cheesecake it was. It was brownish in colour; but did not taste like coffee. Neither did it taste like any discernible fruit. I really didn't know what flavour they were trying to go with this and add in the incorrect texture, this was a really bad cheesecake. I'm sorry to be so blunt; but there is not other way of putting it. In fact, this illustrates my argument that a restaurant is only capable of what it is capable of. Despite the announced presence of Mijune and myself, the food was what it was. The sauces for the entrees need some work, as with the desserts (especially the cheesecake). Now, to be fair, we tried almost everything off the menu and there were indeed some high points. The pizza was not bad considering this is not a pizza joint. Furthermore, the pastas are more than acceptable. It also must be noted that the more casual dishes, such as the calamari were very good. Despite some execution issues, I must give Frasers Bistro kudos for attempting this type of food, particularly given its location.

The Good:
- Pizza, pastas and casual items were good
- Not too expensive
- Kudos for them trying to be different than all the other restaurants nearby

The Bad:
- Certain execution issues such as the sauces and the cheesecake
- Not a bad per se; but their location doesn't scream out "fine dining"

Mis Trucos

* Restaurant is now closed*

Normally, I have a fairly long queue of posts that will keep me going even if I suddenly fall into a large crevasse. Consequently, there are some musings that don't seem to jive with current events. Very rarely do I post something right away. However, I felt the need to write this post almost immediately to not seem too dated. You see, the Canucks are in the playoffs against the hated Hawks once again for the third straight year. This time around, they built up a 3-0 games lead and seemed destined to finally exorcise some demons. Now, if you haven't been a Canuck fan for long, you have a big surprise waiting. You see, the Nux are cursed. Whenever something good happens, it is followed up with despair and anger - much like a visit to Richmond. Ever since they went up 3-0, they dropped 2 consecutive games in blowouts. Game 6 was in Chicago and honestly, it was too nerve-wracking to watch. Well, not really, I wanted to watch it; but we had existing dinner plans at Mis Trucos. I had purchased a Living Social coupon a while ago which essentially gave us 2 tasting menus for the price of one.

So off we went, Viv and I, down to this lil' tapas place on Davie. Naturally, the place was deader than Charlie Sheen's career when we arrived. Hello, Nux game! No matter, we had the place to ourselves and the food came out fairly quickly starting with the Crispy Bread Wild Prawn with citrus aioli. We really liked the crunchy "toast" wrapped around the perfectly cooked prawn. The prawn itself was not particularly flavourful; but the binding agent (egg) along with the chives provided the necessary flavour. The aioli was indeed citrusy and tart. A nice bite to begin the meal. Next up was the Seared Salmon with preserved lemon and arugula pesto. I took a sample of the pesto immediately and it was nutty (from the pine nuts) and mildly flavourful. I then proceeded to combine everything together into one bite and the diced red peppers gave a nice pop in texture and sweetness while the preserved lemon added a hit of saltiness and some zing. I would've liked a tad more acidity to liven up the dish though. The salmon was slightly dry; yet not totally overcooked.

As we finished up the salmon, a bowl of Mixed Seafood Stew in a fennel, paprika and lobster broth was presented to us. The smell of lobster immediately filled the air and I dug in right away. I would describe this broth as more rustic than refined; yet that suited me just fine. There was a very faint fennel taste which Viv liked since she's not a huge fan of it. The seafood consisted of salmon, halibut, squid, scallop and crayfish with red peppers, fennel and fingerling potatoes. Everything was cooked relatively nicely and we enjoyed the stew to the last drop. Our carb dish came next being the Housemade Tagliatelle with housemade chorizo and wild mushrooms. This was a very good pasta. It was very al dente, which is very good for a fresh pasta. But the star of the show was the chorizo. It was meaty and sufficiently spicy that it helped flavour the rosée sauce. Combined with the ample amount of mushrooms and a pronounced presence of garlic, this was not lacking in flavour.

For our last savoury dish, we were presented with a Honey-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with celeriac puree, roasted leek and arugula salad. The pork was barely (and if you look closely, somewhat pink) cooked and that suited me fine because I hate overcooked pork. I found the honey glaze to be too sweet; yet it was tempered by the wonderful vinaigrette with the peppery and bitter arugula. The roasted leek was perfect. It added a nice herbiness to the dish while the celeriac puree was texturally pleasing. For dessert, we were served a Vanilla Pannacotta topped with a pear compote and candied almonds. I dug right into the silky pannacotta and it was pleasing in texture and taste. It wasn't too sweet which let the pears stand out. However, the candied almonds were far too sweet. We liked the textural contrast with the crunch and all; but a little less candied sugar and just nuts would've suited this dessert fine.

When it was all-said-and-done, we were satisfied with our meal. Of course the coupon helped, otherwise this would've been $70.00 before beverages, tax and tip. Not exactly cheap; yet the food was pretty good. I guess it depends on personal preferences if this would be considered worth it or not. Price withstanding, we did like the food and the portions were alright. As for the Nux game, I made it back for overtime... where they lost. Sucks. Now onto game 7. I still have faith; but I'm going to lose my appetite. Well, not really...

The Good:
- Food is pretty tasty
- Quaint dining space
- The service we got was good (albeit there was only one other table at the time)

The Bad:
- If you're a hungry person, not sure if this would necessarily fill you up; but this is a tapas place
- Menu is limited
- The dining space is quaint; however it is tight

Congee Noodle House

Early on in the life of this blog, I did a post on Congee Noodle House. Prior to that, I had been to the place many, many times in the past. However, the day I visited it with my camera (my point & shoot), only Milhouse had joined me for eats. Thus, that particular post was lacking both in good pictures and variety of food. Being a bit OCD, it has been bothering me for the longest time. Every time I look at the post, the quality of the pictures pains me. I've had it in the back of my mind that I needed to go back. Yet, that opportunity never materialized due to many factors (including the fact there are newer places to visit). Tonight, our intention was to give The Whip a go. Don't worry, we're not into S&M, although maybe Mijune might be interested... Rather, the Whip is a late night spot on 6th at Main. We arrived to find that the place was not only very busy, it was loud... from the outside. Not that we don't like good music; but we really wanted to have some conversation. We just didn't feel like yelling to each other. That is usually reserved for times on the ice. Hence, the opportunity to revisit CNH presented itself. Only 3 blocks away, it worked out for everyone. Well, maybe not Sweet Tooth, she loves dessert and CNH is not exactly a hotbed of sweets.

Despite being midnight, CNH was pretty busy itself. Not unexpected though since the place does have solid eats. Well, due to its namesake, I naturally ordered the Wonton Noodles. Much like every other time I've been here, the wonton noodles does the restaurant's name justice. With thin, chewy noodles in a mildly flavourful broth, this is as good as you'll find in town. As for the wontons, they are solid; yet not my favourite. There is a good amount of big crunchy shrimp with a some pork. I'd prefer a shrimp-only wonton; however, that is a personal preference. Milhouse did me a favour and ordered the Preserved Duck Egg & Salted Pork Congee. Although I didn't have any, it was exactly like its always been. Thick, properly seasoned with depth and full of ingredients, it also represents the restaurant with pride. The good thing about the congee is that it remains thick until the last spoonful. He added a side of Salty Donut (what's with his love for salty things? Polka King does call him salty-wet all the time though...). I'm sorry to say that the donut sucked. It was really chewy and not crisp at all. If it wasn't dipped into the congee, it would be basically inedible. Not freshly fried would probably be the reason for this. For my offal urge, I got a plate of Assorted Offal as a side dish. Buoyed by a large amount of lettuce underneath, the tripe was slightly on the chewy side while the tendon was perfectly soft. On the other hand, I found the brisket to be extremely chewy and dry. All of the components were seasoned properly. With that in mind, I still used a large amount of their hot oil as a condiment. If that wasn't enough food already, I got a plate of the Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice. My intention was to bring this home as takeout; but I got it plated first. LOL... For picture's sake! I found the fried rice to be lacking in flavour. There was a total lack of salt and the small amount of salted fish didn't help the cause. Texturally, the rice was fine being dry, chewy and not oily. Also, there was a bevy of tender diced chicken. Milhouse (he of the salted fish expertise or was that salty wet?) thought it was indeed bland.

Sweet Tooth didn't find any desserts, so she only had a small plate of Fried Tofu tossed in salt and peppers. Normally, anything fried is oily; yet this was extremely oily. Looking like an absorbent sponge dropped in a deep fryer, each piece was oil-soaked. Furthermore, we found it to be unusually salty. Perfect for Milhouse I suppose... Apu had the Beef Brisket Noodles. Much like my order of offal, the brisket looked dry and hard. However, similar to my bowl of noodles, his was perfectly chewy once again. Bear, who joins us in a cameo appearance, had the BBQ Pork Lo Mein (or dry-tossed noodles). Naturally, the noodles are chewier in this application. If you wanted it softer, the side of soup can help adjust it. As you can see, the BBQ pork has a good colour and according to Bear, the dish was decent. Hey, most of the food here at Congee Noodle King is more than decent. As for its closely related sibling, Congee Noodle King, I find it to be slightly better. Yet, it is like splitting hairs. They're both good and the food does their name justice (unlike some other places with wonton in their name...). And you gotta love that they're open until 2:00am.

The Good:
- Solid eats, especially the congee and wonton noodles...
- Inexpensive
- Open late

The Bad:
- Some of the stuff is a bit greasy
- Parking sucks

Yummy Wonton House

"I visited Yummy Wonton House and it sucked!" exclaimed Potman (make your own conclusions with that nickname) in the locker room prior to hockey on Wednesday night. Wow, that is a really bold and damming statement. I quickly asked why he thought it sucked. Well, he had a plate of fried noodles which were subpar. Fair enough. Probing a bit further, it appears he hadn't tried anything else. I quickly defended Yummy Wonton because I still believe they are one of the better places to find Chinese food out in North Delta. Sure, it doesn't compare to Richmond; but not many places do. Curious to see if his comment had any credibility, I decided it was time to visit Yummy Wonton again. I've been there not too long ago for Dim Sum and it was more than acceptable. Yet, I haven't had their regular food for almost 2 years.

So I didn't only visit Yummy Wonton once, I went back 2 times to completely make sure and also to try enough items to make a fair assessment. For my first visit, I got a bowl of Preserved Egg & Salted Pork Congee to start. The congee itself was decently thick with a good amount of ingredients. I found the taste to be balanced neither being too salty nor sweet. One thing I didn't like about the congee was the pork. It was fresh slices of pork rather than being brined in salt. Not a huge problem; but I really prefer salted pork. For my main, I had the BBQ Pork and Shrimp Fried Rice. As it arrived, the dish looked impressive with lots of properly cooked shrimp and meaty pieces of BBQ pork. Much like the first time I had this 2 years ago, the rice was a perfect texture being chewy and dry. The rice was pretty good, if not a tad too salty.

On my second visit, I ordered the Chef's Wonton Noodles. Hey, their name is Yummy Wonton, let's see if they can back it up! If you're wondering why I didn't order the regular wonton noodles, it's because of cost. It is a whopping $6.90! $6.90!!! Sorry, that is too expensive in my books. So I chose the lunch special which was a more respectable $4.00. It included one piece each of shrimp, fish and scallop. As with last time, the wontons were comprised completely of shrimp. You have to give them props for doing so. The wontons were actually quite good; but I wish they would de-vein the shrimp. The noodles were slightly past al dente and the soup was okay (probably a bit too salty). I also got an order of the Stir-Fried Snow Peas with Beef since a bowl of noodles is not enough... for me at least! Hey, this was a nicely wok-fried dish. The snow peas, carrots and celery were still crisp and vibrant. The beef was plentiful and properly tenderized. I liked this dish; but I found it to be too greasy. So my revists to Yummy have confirmed what I've known all along - it is decent Chinese food for North Delta. Sure, it ain't great Chinese food; but honestly, we're not talking about Richmond here. Hence, if you have reasonable expectations, then the food does the job.

The Good:
- Most of the dishes I've tried are prepared in a relatively authentic way
- Lots of choice, including Dim Sum
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Of course there is better... not around here though
- Slightly expensive (regular menu prices)

The Poor Italian

Located on the corner of 1st Ave and Rupert, lies a storefront that has been the home of many failed restaurants. It just seems like they don't succeed here. Whether it be the actual location, local demographics, lousy restaurants or bad feng sui, nothing lasts here. The latest to tempt fate is The Poor Italian. A joint-venture which includes Tony Parsons, The Poor Italian is nothing but. Rather, it is pretty close to fine dining, if not so already. Will it work at this corner of failure? Well, so far it has been doing alright. In fact, last summer, I attempted to visit the place with my softball team to no avail. The place was booked solid. Hence, it has taken me this long to finally dine here. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Rich Guy is in town. Not only is he open to eating out practically all times of the day, he has the moola to pay for it too!

So there we were, a romantic dinner between us. Yah, it looked a little odd; but honestly, who really cares anyways? Us, with our Diet Cokes enjoying a meal to candlelight... Yah, the camera made us even dorkier... After perusing the menu, we were deciding on some appetizers; but our attention kept focusing on the Antipasto Platter for 2. A massive plate consisting of 24-month Prosciutto, White Anchovies, Pickled Onions, Tuscan Chicken Liver Pate Crostinis, Parmesan, White Bean Salad, Cornichons, Caprese Salad with a Balsamic Reduction, Bruschetta, Smoked Salmon, Grilled Zucchini, Grilled Eggplant, Roasted Red Peppers, Olives all drizzled with EVOO. The highlight of the platter was definitely the prosciutto and liver pate. The prosciutto was predictably salty due to the aging; but the fat helped balance it. The chicken liver was really smooth and had an earthy quality to it. It was excellent with the crunchy crostini. Not to sound boring; but the rest of the platter was good due to the quality ingredients and textbook execution.

For my main, I went for the Crab Risotto. Packed with lots of crab meat, including a few large pieces of leg meat, there was a nice balance of flavours. It was cheesy; but overly so. I could still taste the sweetness of the crab and the pop of the sweet peas. I thought the consistency was good, not being clumpy nor too wet. However, the rice itself could've been cooked just a tad longer since it was a bit underdone. Originally, Rich Guy went for the special, which was Penne in a prosciutto, sundried tomatoes and basil ragu. The pasta was perfectly al dente with a beautiful ragu that was thick and rich. The sauce had it all - salty, sweet and tart.

By now, we were pretty full and really had no room for dessert. However, our server sweet talked us into it. So, we shared an order of their Cannoli. We thoroughly enjoyed these. The fried pastry dough was surprisingly light and very crisp. It is not house made; however, they said that they will be house-made eventually. The ricotta filling was not very sweet and also quite light. There wasn't really any distinguishing flavours present; but it was still a very solid cannoli. Better than the one I had at Cioppino's actually. I would say all-around the food at The Poor Italian is pretty solid, at least for the items we did try. Service was attentive and pleasant while the interior decor is inviting and classy. It definitely gives me an excuse to revisit it sometime to experience some of the other offerings.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Excellent service
- Classy establishment

The Bad:
- Pricey

Laziza Modern Mediterranean

Getting an invite for a restaurant tasting is not anything new. I get them all the time. However, one of the most recent invites caught my attention. It didn't have anything to do with the restaurant or cuisine. Believe it or not, it had everything to do with the PR representative. You see, the name was very familiar and distinct. In fact, I've heard this name over and over again among some of my friends; yet I've never met this person. To me, I was curious. Curious to see if this was indeed the same person. Naturally, being the goof that I am, the first thing I do when I finally meet this infamous person, I totally embarrass myself. "Hey, are you the same person as my friends have been talking about?"
"Uh, yah", she replies looking at me strangely like I was some crazed stalker. Alright, smooth I am not. I better stick to talking about food. Oh and yes, I was invited to the media tasting at Laziza Modern Mediterranean restaurant on Davie. In actuality, Laziza is a "Lebanese" Mediterranean restaurant in the same vein as Nuba.

For the first time, I met Rachel and Oliver from Trails of Breadcrumbs. It was nice to share a table with them and shoot the breeze about food and photography. Naturally, we snatched the only window seat for the excellent lighting. Arriving first was a Babaganoush garnished with pomegranate seeds. Texturally, this was a winner since it was a nice balance between being smooth without being over-processed. When eaten without the pomegranate seeds, the babaganoush was very mild-tasting. I would've liked to see a bit more smokiness and slightly more lemon. But when eaten with the pomegranate seeds, it did add the necessary flavours which helped liven up the dish. Reminiscent of a Vancouver favourite at Nuba, the Crispy Cauliflower was prepared a bit differently. There was a batter on the cauliflower which made it much crispier than the one at Nuba. However, it wasn't as pungent due to it. For me, I like both renditions and I would chalk it up to personal preference if one had to decided between the two.

Next up was the Saffron Prawns. Beautifully grilled and exhibiting plenty of natural prawn sweetness, these were accented by a saffron aioli. The aioli was actually quite flavourful while being subtle at the same time. Just enough to compliment the prawn without detracting from it. Speaking of perfectly cooked, the Seared Scallops were done just right. With an appetizing colour and just barely cooked (and I mean barely), the scallops would've been good on its own. The orange reduction along with the orange rind helped liven it up. It didn't really add a tonne of sweetness; rather it provided a light bitterness. That actually helped accent the natural sweetness of the scallops. Originally, Mijune was supposed to attend this tasting as well; but was too busy. Too bad really, if she had know there would be sausages, she'd be all over it. She loves her sausages! The Maqanik Lamb Sausages were very tasty and meaty. Sauteed with lemon and capers, the natural lamb gaminess was still quite prominent. Not in a bad way tough, it merely made its presence known despite the other competing flavours and spices. In fact, there was a nice blend of spices which accented the lamb without detracting from it.

The next 2 items were salads and I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of greens. So maybe that is why I didn't show much enthusiasm for either. However, I didn't mind the Beet Salad with mesclun greens, beets and feta cheese tossed in a aged balsamic vinaigrette. A pretty standard salad with familiar flavours and ingredients. Nothing special about; yet nothing particularly offensive either. Now I can't be as kind to the Fatoush Salad. Consisting of crispy pita chips, meslun greens, tomato, cucumber and peppers tossed in lemon olive oil, it was a very difficult salad to eat. The pita chips were far too large and thick. A fork didn't suffice and neither did a spoon. The chips were crispy to begin with and ultimately met a soggy demise part-way through. Much like the beet salad, other than the pita chips, there was nothing really wrong about it. In fact, I really liked the dressing. They did not hold back on the acidity, which really livened up the ingredients.

After the leafy green interlude, we returned to the proteins in the form of the Stuffed Chicken Prawn. As the name suggests, this was essentially tiger prawns wrapped in chicken breast meat and topped with saffron sauce. Once again, the prawn was cooked perfectly and exhibited a pleasantly strong prawn flavour. The chicken breast meat was as moist as white meat can be (which is a tad dry; but still tender). Yet, the thing that really shone here was the lovely saffron sauce. Similar to the saffron ai0li, there was an understated sweetness and aromatic flavour from the saffron. The subtleties of the sauce was a nice compliment to the mild ingredients. However, a squeeze of the provided lemons helped intensify the flavours. On the topic of flavours, the Lamb Chops were absolutely fantastic. These little "Popsicle" lamb chops were reminiscent of the one at Vij's without the sauce. They were grilled up perfectly with a nice colour and extremely tender meat. Very little chewing was required. The best part of these lamb chops was the wonderful seasoning which included rosemary and thyme. Add some fresh mint and the flavours were a natural fit that came out clean.

For our last dish, it arrived in an attractive tagine. The Chicken Bedovin consisted of sauteed strips of chicken breast with dates, apricots, figs, prunes, walnuts and honey. This was all served over a bed of perfectly cooked cous cous. With a squeeze of the grilled half-lemon, the predominantly sweet ingredients were tempered by the the acidity. This dish had it all, sweet, tart, savoury and a bit of spice. Ultimately this dish was a fitting end to a surprising meal. Yes, I know they brought out their "A" game since it was a media tasting; but I'll say it again - a restaurant can only be as good as it can be, no matter the situation. Hence, I will have to say I rather liked the food here. Overall, it was well-executed and the flavours were understated; yet appetizing at the same time. I would gladly return to Laziza on my own dime for sure.

*Note: This was an invited dinner where all food was comped*

The Good:
- A little different than the regular
- Well-executed proteins
- Moderately-priced menu

The Bad:
- The flavours were good; but could've been stronger in some dishes
- I would mention the parking; but I got a free space right away... ;)