Mountain Shadow Inn

The Mountain Shadow Inn... Wow... I haven't seen you in ages! 15+ years in fact... I still remember the cheap burger and brew deals which really hit the spot after a long day listening to boring lectures. The carefree days where we could schedule all of our classes into 3 days and have 2 off to do... whatever! Stay out really late... on a Wednesday night! Spend all of my hard earned money on my... car... Completing 25 page essays the night before... Okay, back to reality. Those days are long gone and so are the cheap burgers. I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to return. What makes it even stranger is that the Mountain Shadow Inn is only a stone's throw away. Well, it is finally time to revisit an ol' friend and just like an ol' friend, it hasn't changed much.
Like a winter chalet of sorts, the place has its charm.

We started with the Calamari and unlike many typical versions, this one was very flavourful since it was marinated in lime, ginger and cilantro. It was crisp and peppery exhibiting a slight chew while still being easy to eat. The flavour quotient was further raised with the chili aioli. There were a lot of flavours going on here and we really liked the heat. Initially, I was in no mood for a burger since I've had so many in the past couple of weeks. My appetite and health were not too anxious for more greasy meat. However, when no one decided to go for a burger, I had to take the hit. C'mon, it's a pub! I got to try the burger! And especially one that was so tasty according to the description. The Peppercorn Burger boasted a peppercorn dressing with pepper jack cheese, bacon and an onion ring on top. When the darn thing arrived, it was massive. I was pleasantly surprised at the use of a brioche bun considering the venue. I love brioche and that suited me fine. One bite into the burger revealed a peppery sauce that leaked all over the place. Perfect, that's how a burger should be - messy. With all of the aforementioned ingredients, the burger had flavour and lots of it. I got spice, sweet, savoury and smokiness in every bite. The meat itself wasn't dry nor juicy; but the abundance of ingredients and sauce made the burger moist. Very satisfying indeed. As a substitution, I got the Poutine. This was an okay poutine with crisp fries and gravy. However, the cheese was all melted and it was not cheese curds.

Viv had the Braised Beef Shortrib Sandwich consisting of 5-hour braised beef, truffle oil and Swiss cheese on a French baguette. Although the shortrib was moist and tender, I found it to be somewhat lost in the dense baguette. However, this was somewhat alleviated by the "beef dip" type of presentation. But then, the dip made it soggy. I guess there was no middle ground. At the end, I would've preferred the sandwich to be just a sandwich with maybe a softer or airier bread. She got Yam Fries as a substitution and they were not as crisp as I would've liked them to be. Rounding out the dishes at the table were the Steak Sandwich and Pulled Pork Sandwich. Usually, a steak sandwich is a steak sandwich. Nothing incredibly interesting really. However, this one was prepared well. The steak was tender and cooked beautifully. Furthermore, the fried onions on top really added texture and a level of sweetness. As for the pulled pork sandwich, it was surprisingly good as well. The meat was properly sauced and thus not being dry. The sauce itself was more on the sweet tangy side rather than being smoky.

Surprising. That's how I would categorize this latest visit to the Mountain Shadow Inn. Although I have always remembered that the food here was decent, I really liked how they changed up the menu to include some interesting items. I wouldn't say the food was anything that would win any culinary awards; but for a pub, this is more than acceptable. Also, the prices are reasonable for what you get. My only other wish is to relive my youth again since the places brings back memories. Wait. Much like the Pepsi commercial, I think I'll just stay in present time. It seems to be working for me...

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Solid eats all around
- Service we got was good

The Bad:
- Menu is a bit limited

Mongo Bongo

Trying to eat slightly healthier is not as easy as it sounds. Yah, yah, I know there is salad; but honestly... The chances of me eating a salad for lunch are as good as Lady Gaga trying to cover herself up. Although that meat dress did look appetizing in a beef carpaccio-kinda of way... So the usual choices other than salads, sandwiches and wraps are the less-bad-for-you sushi or soup noodles. However, there is another popular option that I will group into one - grilled-to-order food such as U-Grill, Kojo Japanese and many variations of Mongolian Grill. Now, I used to like U-Grill until I looked at what I got for the price. When merely placing veggies on my plate and then realizing that it will ultimately cost me $15.00, then it seems like a rip-off. I'd much rather take my chances at the predetermined ingredients at any of the Japanese fast food teppanyaki.

However, the best value lies in Mongolian-type grill joints. Forget the all-you-can-eat. Just take their regular deal and it is generally enough food for one person. And that's what I did at Mongo Bongo in New West. I grabbed a bowl and filled it as much food as I could for $8.00. The one thing I liked about this place was the frozen meat. It was flat, not curled up like some of the other Mongolian grills out there. This way, I could put more in the bowl with less wastage of space. In fact, I put so much, I really didn't feel the need to stuff it anymore. As I said, one bowl is more than enough food for one person, especially since rice and soup are included. I really didn't end up eating most of the rice since I got a bunch of noodles and it was carb on carb. Only get the rice if you had loaded up on meat.

So the deal here is to load up on meats (chicken, beef, pork), noodles and veggies. After that, there is an array of sauces and flavourings that you can add to your heart's content. Pass the bowl to the grill master, write down your name, table number and then wait. Once ready, the fresh-off-the-grill plate of food will be served to you. Compared to my last visit to a Mongolian grill (at King Mongolian Grill), Mongo Bongo is considerably cleaner and more modern. There is an ample amount of staff, who are both efficient and friendly. Much like Chinese hot pot, this type of food is not rocket science. It relies heavily on the freshness of the ingredients and the punch of the sauces. In both cases here, it was good. The one tip for those who like their food saltier, just make sure you're not shy with the sauces. Experiment a bit, mix them up and try new combinations each time and if you go for the AYCE option, you can do that in one visit. In addition to the freshness of the ingredients, the final variable is the grill master. To cook different items at the same time at high heat can be challenging; but it worked out pretty good where the veggies were still crisp while meats were cooked all the way through. No complaints.

The Good:
- Ingredients are fresh and the display is well-maintained
- Clean and comfortable digs
- Food was cooked as good as it could be

The Bad:
- I know this is nit-picking, but the soup was far to salty

Wing's Garden

*Restaurant is now closed*

North American Chinese food. We throw that term around quite often; but what is it really? Well, it could mean things like Egg Foo Yung and Fortune Cookies - neither exist in authentic Chinese food. It can also refer to various versions of certain popular dishes such as Sweet & Sour Pork, Chicken Chow Mein and Fried Rice. There are people who would not eat this type of Manchu-Wok food even if it was the only choice. Hey, it's personal preference, I won't argue that. However, I don't mind it sometimes. Naturally, my expectations are altered to fit with the food. Hence, I won't ever compare it to authentic Chinese food. So with that in mind, I paid a visit to a little Chinese restaurant out on 72nd near King George Hwy called Wing's Garden. This is your typical hole-in-the wall Chinese restaurant that serves mostly the locals. Take-out is the dominant choice here since there are only a few tables and the place has the ambiance of a tire shop (and smells like one too).

Again, I was here for the food, not the view. I ended up doing the "combo" thing and went for plate that included Sweet & Sour Pork, Chicken Chow Mein and Pork Fried Rice. The one thing I really liked about the S&S Pork was the lack of radioactive colour. Furthermore, I found the sauce to be well-balanced with a good zing. The pork was crispy and in good sized chunks. The chow mein was naturally the Americanized version; but it was more than acceptable with tender strips of white meat and properly cooked noodles. The fried rice was not bad. It was chewy and a nice caramelized flavour with plenty a good amount of non-fatty BBQ Pork. It could've used a bit more seasoning though. I also got another of their daily specials which was the Singapore Fried Flat Rice Noodles. This was actually a very well-executed dish. The noodles were soft while still being intact and the curry seasoning was bang-on. There was plenty of just tenderized-enough beef as well.

Not satisfied by the sample size of my visit, I returned a couple of weeks later to try a few more dishes. Surprisingly, the Black Bean Fish on Rice was very good. Perfectly fried, the big pieces of Basa were moist and flaky. Furthermore, the black bean sauce was sufficiently savoury without being salty. The only thing I didn't like was the overly hard rice. For my second dish (which I mostly packed up) was the Satay Beef Fried Flat Rice Noodles. Similar to the Singapore rice noodle except with different veggies and sauce, it was mostly good. Once again, the noodles were cooked properly without being too oily as well as the tender beef. However, I found the sauce to be lacking. It was a bit bland being that it was satay. It could've used both a bit more spice and salt. However, this was probably the only dish that could've been better. For such a little hole-in-the-wall, the food is surprisingly good at Wing's. It doesn't hurt that the prices are rock-bottom cheap either. Sure, there is the usual North American Chinese food (which is decent by the way). Yet, the other dishes I tried were very good, freshly made and cheap.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Food is surprisingly good
- Good portions

The Bad:
- Best to get takeout, the dining room smells like the auto shop next door

Mega Sushi

Much like lil' corner grocery stores, there seems to be a small Japanese restaurant in every neighbourhood. Depending on your location, there could be many small Japanese restaurants within one block. In the Lower Mainland, it seems that the majority of Japanese restaurants are not even Japanese-run. Most are Korean or Chinese-run. In fact, one of the most busiest, Samurai Sushi, is run by Vietnamese. For those who are not really picky about their Japanese food, many of these places fit the bill. Of course there are "real" Japanese restaurants to be found; but they are far and few in-between. So for no apparent reason other than to eat at a random small Japanese restaurant, we drove all the way to the end of Austin in Coquitlam to visit Mega Sushi. I'm sure there are those people who will wonder why I drove all the way out here for such an insignificant restaurant. Well, I am attempting to eat everywhere, so certain sacrifices must be made.

We started off with the Assorted Sashimi. Attractively plated and equally fresh, we were surprised with the quality. Not the best sashimi we've ever had; but not bad considering where we were. The salmon was probably the best part. It had a fresh texture and there was a discernible sweetness to it. I liked the tako; however, it could've been sliced just a tad thinner. For our specialty maki, we got the Tuna Tataki Roll. This was essentially a California roll with tuna tataki on top. Seeing how this was practically a full order of tuna tataki, the price tag of $7.95 was very reasonable. We found the sushi rice to be somewhat wet. Not sure if it was the rice itself or the copious amount of sweet chili sauce doused on top. That somewhat ruined what was a good roll. It dominated the flavour profile. However, the tuna tataki itself was prepared very well.

Since the place is Korean-run, we were not surprised to see that the Oyako-Don looking different. It was a messy mix of sprouts, nori, green onion, somewhat cooked egg and chicken. Not authentic; yet tasty nonetheless. Lots of flavour and ingredients eliminated any chances of a scoop of plain rice. By virtue of all the toppings, the whole thing became a bit wet in the end though. Having a lot of things in my oyako-don is one thing; but I am personally not fond of too many ingredients in my Udon. In addition to a mix of veggies, they added tempura bits in the Udon. I have never liked that because it gets soggy and goupy. I like my udon plain with a fish cake or two, that's it. So I was not a huge fan of this. Especially since the broth was predominantly sweet as well. The accompanying Tempura was good tough. The batter was crisp and light despite the visuals. I especially thought the ebi was good since it was meaty and cooked perfectly.

As we were finishing up our meal, the server suddenly presented us with a complimentary order of Wild Sockeye Salmon Sashimi. Were they being nice? Was it my camera? I tried to be as discreet as possible... Whatever the case, the sashimi looked good and it was good. A nice rebound texture and natural sweetness ensured that we would like it. Now if we look at Mega Sushi as a "Japanese" restaurant, there might be some issues considering that both the udon and oyako-don were not typical. So for those authenticity-seekers out there, it's best to move along since this place will only infuriate you more. But if you are not too picky and really don't give a damn about who owns and runs the place, Mega Sushi is a decent neighbourhood Japanese restaurant that offers up more than edible food at a reasonable price. Moreover, we found the service to be attentive and friendly. And that wasn't only for us either.

The Good:
- Reasonably priced
- The sashimi is more than acceptable
- Service is pretty good

The Bad:
- Some items lack authenticity (if that bothers you)
- Not a very big place

So Hot So Pot

Finally. The rain stopped long enough for us to get a softball game in. Too bad I never had the opportunity to break in my new first base glove. You see, I had no choice but to get a specialized glove for the position I play. Our shortstop, Silent Bob, has an arm that can rifle the ball at me which can potentially break a hand. Up until this season, I've been using an infielder's glove and let's just say I'm not going to play with fire anymore. The problem with a new glove that has not been broken in is the stiffness. The chances of me dropping a ball just increased threefold. Of course, to some of my teammates, that is no different than usual. Hey, I can't help it if I got food on my mind. For all I know, the softball being hurled at me resembles a really large takoyaki! So despite a short bench and a couple of dropped balls (on my part), we were able to eek out a win.

With the game out of the way, our focus turned towards food. Seeing how the weather has been rather chilly for May, we decided to utilized the last remaining cold days for hot pot. With our close proximity to Richmond, we headed in that direction searching for a boiling pot of broth. The first thing that came into my mind was So Hot So Pot. Located at the East end of Alexandra along restaurant row, the name elicited many giggles. Yah, the name is easy to ridicule; but honestly, what Chinese restaurant has a "normal" name??? Anyways, as we walked into the place, we were pleasantly surprised how modern and spacious it was. We've had our fair share of hot pot experiences in less-than-clean environments, so this was a plus. We were seated at a spacious round table and quickly ordered our food. Once again, much like every other hot pot joint out there, the broth is an extra charge. Thus, it is really a good idea to go in a big group to split the costs. We decided to get half Chicken Broth and half Satay. The chicken broth was a bit weak while the satay was predominantly peanutty.

Everything pretty much arrived at once, so I was busy snapping photos while everyone had to wait. Boss Woman was impatiently asking if I was "done yet". So if the photos look sub-par... blame her! One of the standards of Chinese hot pot is fatty beef. In this case, it was labeled as Marbled Beef. Whatever the case, beef with fat and sliced thin is usually buttery soft and delicious. In this case, it was good. Another popular items these days is Pork Jowl or cheek. The meat is fatty; yet at the same time, it exhibits a gelatinous-like chew. This was no different here. Then arrived a dish that no one wanted to touch other than Boss Woman and myself. Pictured in this plate of offal was Beef Stomach (honeycomb tripe), Pork Intestine, Beef Tripe (bible tripe), Beef Tendon and Pork Kidney. The 2 types of tripe were prepped correctly so they were easy to chew once cooked. The intestine was pretty much the same except for one really chewy piece. The tendon was also soft and easy to eat while not falling apart either. The kidney was cleaned properly so it didn't exhibit much gaminess.

Next dish consisted of Beef Balls, Cuttlefish Balls, Shrimp Balls, Fish Tofu, Wontons and Chive Dumplings. As with many places these days, all of the meatballs are fresh, not frozen. The good thing about this is that they cooked quicker. The bad thing is they are harder to put into the broth as they stick together and to the plate. We shouldn't complain though, fresh is better than frozen. Mind you, I'm sure some of the raw ingredients were previously frozen anyways... The wontons were pretty much typical pork wontons while the chive dumplings were well-received all around. Something that caught our attention on the menu was the Xiao Long Bao. Nothing special about it really; but we've never boiled XLBs before. Normally, a good XLB has a thin dumpling skin; thus boiling them would result in a disaster. Well, of course these had thicker skin and therefore, they stayed intact. By just looking at them as a regular dumpling, they were actually quite good. The meat had a nice texture and meaty taste.

When the plate of Oysters & Mussels arrived, it drew a reaction. Maybe it is foreshadowing a different type of "reaction" from eating them? Ahem. I'll leave that to your imagination. The actual response was to the size of the oysters. They were really large. Even after cooking, they had not shrunk by much. We were pleased at the freshness of them as well. As for the mussels, they were your typical frozen New Zealand green lip variety. We also got some White Shrimp and these were the imported frozen, then defrosted variety. Nothing wrong with that considering the price we paid. We weren't expecting live spot prawns! There were some other items we had and they were more than acceptable. After all, hot pot is pretty simple - fresh ingredients = good hot pot. The service we received was not bad considering the nearby competition. Everyone left happy and really full.

The Good:
- Spacious and clean
- Service we got was good
- Parking lot actually has space

The Bad:
- Much like any other hot pot joint these days, the price can get up there if you add stuff (like sauces and broth)

Gain Wah

Way back when, the place for Chinese food was in Chinatown. If this statement makes you want to LOL and possibly ROFL, I don't blame you. Believe me, prior to the explosion of Chinese restaurants outside of Chinatown starting in the mid-80's until now, the go to joints were Ming's, Kam Gook Yuen, Hon's (original location on Main Street), Park Lok and the ol' Hong Kong Cafe. If you are reading this and only have a glazed confused look on your face, you are probably under the age of 20. For me, I still remember the prime rib dinner served by really old waiters at the Hong Kong cafe. Their pound cake was money as well. Dim Sum was only available at places like Ming's and Pak Lok where the lineups would put anything now to shame. Then we had the wonton noodles at one of 3 locations of Kam Gook Yuen. Another classic is Gain Wah. I remember visiting this place a lot when I was a wee one. And honestly, I don't think I've been back since. So when we finished up Sunday hockey at Brit, it seemed like as good as any time to do a revisit a few decades later.

Kaiser Soze was elated at this proposition since he doesn't believe that food should cost an arm and a leg. Well, with most Chinese restaurants, we should be talking about kidneys and livers rather than arms and legs... JuJu isn't too picky with his restaurants and was okay with the idea as well. He decided to carpool with me down to Chinatown since parking can be an exercise in frustration. Kaiser Soze decided to drive himself. Fate would have it, I spotted a parking space nearly in front of Gain Wah. However, it was across the street. No matter, we're in Chinatown and I'm Chinese! So I pulled a U-turn into the space. Hey, when in Rome... Of course Kaiser Soze drives by shortly afterwards. Apparently I took his space! Serves him right for not carpooling with us! LOL... Upon entering the restaurant, it is clear that not much has changed. Totally ol' skool, this is the antithesis of modernism. Hence the prices are cheap and portions are large.

I started with the classic Wonton Noodles. Talking about ol' skool, these were pork wontons with no shrimp. With reasonable expectations, they were okay. The meat had a nice bouncy texture while it might benefited from more seasoning. The noodles themselves were perfectly chewy and sat in a decently flavourful broth. This can't compare to the more fancy wonton noodles offered in Richmond; but it does the job at $4.00. Unsatisfied with only a bowl of noodles, I also had the Offal Congee consisting of liver, kidney, pork and stomach. The congee was modestly seasoned (which means less or no MSG) and not really too thick. I found the meats to be overtenderized; hence not having much texture at all. On a positive note, they were cooked properly, so they weren't chewy (but I guess it wouldn't be due to the tenderization). Seeing how Viv probably needed food too, I got an order of the House Special Chow Mein to go as well. I got them to plate it first, so I could take a picture. I tried some too before I packed it up. This was pretty much your typical fried noodles topped with sauce. I found the noodles to be not too greasy and perfectly fried. The sauce was the pretty typical starch-thickened variety. Enough flavour and enough well-cooked ingredients. This can be considered a good value dish.

JuJu also ordered something for his wife being the Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice. Again, we got them to plate it first prior to packing it up. I sampled it and found the rice to be underseasoned despite the salted fish. I usually like my fried rice to be dry (due to day old rice and a hot wok); however, this was a bit too dry. This was a decent attempt at this dish; yet hardly a memorable one. For himself, JuJu had 2 items just like me. He started with the BBQ Pork and Wonton Noodles. Similary to my bowl of noodles, it was a pretty standard, if not unexciting offering. To change it up, he also got a Fish & Tofu Hot Pot all for himself (and a bowl of rice). Sadly, this was not good. The fish was both overcooked and of poor quality. It was very dense and difficult to chew. On the flip side, the fried tofu was fantastic - silky on the inside and chewy on the outside. Furthermore, the sauce had depth and a garlicky hit while not being salty.

Kaiser Soze went for something that I would normally order for myself - the Brisket and Tripe Noodles. Essentially the same as the wonton noodle except for the change in protein, it was also quite good. The brisket and tripe were soft and flavourful. Similarly to me, he also got a Minced Beef Congee. Since the congee base is exactly the same for all the different varieties, it was just like the offal congee. Not exactly that thick nor that flavourful. The minced beef was sufficiently tender, so he enjoyed it nonetheless. Although Gain Wah is still quite popular among the locals, it was walking into a time warp. The decor and food haven't seemed to change in the last couple of decades. And being such, I much prefer Congee Noodle House/King. However, if you just wanted ol' skool greasy spoon Chinese food on the cheap, Gain Wah is your place.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Friendly service
- Retro, if you like that

The Bad:
- Food is so-so
- You don't come here for the ambiance

McRib @ McDonald's

McRib. Wow, I haven't seen you in awhile. You return every now and then; but for only a brief visit. I remember back in the day, there would be a bonus hand-warmer that would accompany you. As your box clearly states - an old friend is back. However, I'm not sure what type of old friend comes slathered in BBQ sauce and you'd want to eat them. Well... I'm sure that is not a stretch for some people. And what is with you? You're merely a formed pork patty that has been pan-fried, slathered with BBQ sauce topped by onions and pickles on a bun. Why do I crave you so? I'm not sure what I was thinking when I was a little one; but right now, as an adult, you taste strangely like a breakfast sausage patty with a BBQ sauce in need of some smoke. Well, at least you were free, courtesy of McDonald's Canada. I gotta give it to them though. They didn't take offense to my indifference towards their new 1/3 pounders...

Back to the McRib... Is it nostalgia? Or do I put you high up on a pedestal much like the girl I was infatuated with in high school... Whatever the case, I look forward for your return every now and then. People may laugh. People may scoff. People may shill. I don't care. They don't understand. I grew up with you. And as the box states, it is a love affair. A strange one at that. With your fleeting existence, I really think it is a fling more than anything else. Now for a real affair, I much rather caress a Filet-O-Fish. Ah yes, I cheat with you very often. In fact, Viv doesn't mind. She sometimes joins in! I visit you often. Especially when my actual meal did not "satisfy". You complete me when I'm longing. Longing for fulfillment. Yah, you are fast food. Again, people will laugh. People will judge. And people will want to ridicule you. Don't pay attention to them. They are haters. They are food snobs. You complete me when I'm hungry. You had me at tartar sauce...