Dream Sushi

Another weekend and another set of softball games. 3 at least and possibly a 4th (if we made it to the finals). The day started off on the wrong foot (or hamstring) since I was pretty sore from the hockey game on the previous night. I was able to make it through the game with considerable discomfort. In order to last the day, I needed drugs. No not that type of drugs; but legal ones. As we headed off for lunch, my intention was to grab some muscle relaxant and Tylenol. Well, that wouldn't be necessary since Bear whipped out his stash and began explaining what each pill was about. Wow. To think I knew Bear... Turns out he's a pusher! Well, it benefited me because I felt pretty good after the medication.

So this was just before our lunch at Dream Sushi, which was conveniently located not far from the softball field. Yes, the place is Chinese-run, for those authenticity-seekers. Again, it doesn't matter if the food is good. Just because it is Japanese-run, doesn't mean it is automatically good. Trust me, there are a lot of authentic Chinese restaurants in town that are not very good. So the reason we ended up here was due to my cousin recommending the place. Word is that the portions are generous and the food is decent (for a Chinese-run Japanese restaurant that is). For myself, I decided to go for the Dinner Set and started with the Salmon Sashimi. Well actually I started with a miso soup and green salad; but honestly, there was not much to say about them. Now the sashimi was another story. It was actually quite good. Arriving in large slices, the texture and appearance were good. The sashimi was surprisingly sweet and flavourful.

Next to arrive was the Tempura consisting of one piece each yam, green bean, mushroom and squash. It was fried up nicely with a crisp exterior which was lightly battered. It was not greasy and each item retained its texture. I liked how they added grated daikon into the tempura dip. For my main, I had the Chicken Curry which had a surprising kick. I say surprising since Japanese curry is usually more sweet than anything. It was indeed on the sweeter side; but it almost appeared to have some form of Chinese-influence. The pieces of chicken were tender and plentiful while the rice was the desired chewy texture.

To change things up a bit, I decided to share a Peking Duck Roll with Wendal (no, not Clark). And as the name suggests, the roll consisted of duck and cucumber in the middle with a piece of Peking duck skin on the outside then drizzled with mayo and teriyaki sauce. In terms of flavour, the roll wasn't too bad. There was duck flavour and sweetness. However, it would've been even better if the sauce was hoisin (or at least a stronger hoisin presence). The skin on top was not crispy at all, which was a bit disappointing since that is the best feature of Peking duck. I'm pretty sure it was BBQ duck, not Peking duck since they neither have the facilities or really the time to make Peking duck. What they should have done was torch the skin on top of the roll. Moreover, we found the rice on the gummier side. As for Bear, in between trying to push drugs, he ordered the Spinach Gomae to start. It was a freakishly large portion that could've easily made 3. It was the typical non-Japanese version with the sesame dressing on top. With that in mind, it wasn't too bad. There was plenty of roasted sesame flavour without too much sweetness. The spinach was a bit chewy though.

Inexplicably, both Judes and Milhouse ordered the Miso Ramen. Despite what you think, the surprising thing about it wasn't because this was not a ramen joint. Rather, it was really warm outside. Hot noodles on a warm day? Well, I've done it before and I guess that's what they do in South Asia... Besides, it turned out to be actually decent since there was realistic expectations. Considering that there is a "ramen" joint across the street that isn't impressive bodes well for the ramen here. I tried some of it and the soup base was quite flavourful with a rich miso taste. It wasn't bursting with meat flavour by no means; but decent nonetheless. The noodles were perfectly al dente as well; however, the chashu fat was a tad chewy. The weird-looking egg would make most ramen connoisseurs cringe; yet it was good in its own ways.

Sienna decided to order the Tuna Maki and it arrived on the same plate as Wendal's Spinach Maki. As you can clearly see in the picture, there is much more filling that rice. Too bad the rice was gummy like the Peking Duck Roll (of course it was, same rice!). Hot Chocolate (who we referred to as Hotter Chocolate since she had a new sexy hairdo) went for the Chicken Udon. Not the most interesting of selections; yet it was quite good with a flavourful broth and al dente noodles. She remarked that there was lots of tender chicken as well. As evidenced in the food, there are some authenticity issues here. Yet, does it really matter? I mean, most people that visit this place are happy with the value and overall food quality. Who are we to tell them otherwise?

The Good:
- Large portions
- Reasonable prices

The Bad:
- The place is tiny

Stan's Pizza Joint

I'll admit it. Despite the many pizza choices available in my neighbourhood, I get lazy and just settle for Domino's. I'm not dissing Domino's, it is just not very creative. I'd much rather do Hot Oven instead. Another option that I finally got to try was Stan's Pizza Joint. It actually took a birthday party for me to sample the pizza. Seeing how we were at Confederation Park, Vandelay ordered pizzas from Stan's (which is nearby). Despite sampling from the 6 different pizzas he ordered, I was not quite satisfied. You see, by the time I got to the pizzas, they were cold. We were too busy riding the miniature train over and over. Hence, I really needed to sink my teeth into some fresh slices to get the full meal deal. So a bit later, Viv and I ended up ordering 2 pizzas and some pasta from Stan's.

I noticed that they had pulled pork as a topping and immediately jumped on that. At least that was something interesting. Thus, for our first pizza, we had Pulled Pork and Tomato. The pulled pork was sufficiently tender and meaty while not over-seasoned. As mentioned, it was a nice departure from the typical toppings found at most pizza joints. We found the crust to be pretty standard a la Gigi's, Sunrise Pizza and the sort. It was not heavy nor thin, it was somewhere in between and not greasy. We liked how it was brown and crisp on the bottom. For our second Pizza I went for Pepperoni and Sausage which was again pretty typical. However, the ample amount of cheese (which wasn't too greasy) and liberal application of meat made for a good pizza.

Now to get a sense of their other offerings, I tacked on a few orders of their Lasagna and Meatballs. As for the lasagna, it was again pretty typical of a pizza joint offering. The noodles were intermingled with a meaty tangy sauce with plenty of baked cheese on top. Now the meatballs were another story. These were, without a doubt, the worst meatballs I've ever had. And I've eaten a lot of balls! Uh... As you can clearly see in the pictures, the meatballs were burnt. These things were basically inedible. I mean for heaven's sake, they already killed the cow once, why freakin' murder it again??? Honestly, for the person who prepared these and decided to pack it up for a customer to bring home needs a cooking lesson. It is totally inexcusable to serve food that cannot be chewed and digested. Man, these meatballs bring back memories of Kawawa! Okay, meatballs aside, the pizzas were pretty decent and the 2-topping mediums for $7.99 were a good value. The lasagna was okay too considering the price. But it is really too bad the only thing we can take from this meal was the terrible meatballs.

The Good:
- Pizza is decent
- Specials offer good value

The Bad:
- Worst meatballs we've ever had... can't believe they served them!
- Really, how can any cook or chef bring themselves to serve inedible food???

Feastro the Rolling Bistro

Long before the food cart craze hit Vancouver, the gourmet food truck, where one could find mobile restaurant quality food, was already in existence elsewhere. I had already encountered something similar in San Francisco, where Spencer on the Go was offering gourmet French food. It's been on the Food Network, so it definitely has a following. Now, we have Feastro the Rolling Bistro direct from Sunshine Coast. Setting up its new digs on Thurlow at Cordova, it strives to offer up gourmet food from a catering truck. It is definitely different than most of the other Vancouver street food offerings since it isn'texactly cheap, but the quality of ingredients are high.

With that in mind, I went for Steve's Famous Seafood Chowder which was a rich and creamy concoction consisting of fresh shrimp, scallops, salmon, tuna and oysters served with grilled baguette. The bowl of chowder was so thick with cream and fresh seafood that I could literally stick the spoon in the middle and it would not ever tip over. The thick chowder benefited from the ingredients and had a sweet seafood essence further heightened by plump corn and dill. Although it was not cheap, it was certainly worth the money. I actually didn't hog the whole chowder to myself. I ended up sharing that and a plate of Salmon and Chips with Viv. The salmon was moist and sweet with a crunchy breading that was not greasy. However, the fries were completely oil-logged and not visually appealing. It didn't go down well either. I'm thinking that this may have been a one-off (should've gotten the yam fries instead). Love the subtle tartar sauce though.

Of course we couldn't visit Feastro without one of their tacos. Okay, lemme get this straight first - the tacos here are their twist on the Mexican specialty. Don't expect Al Pastor, Carnitas or my personal favourite, Lengua here. No need to flame them though, they are not a Mexican taco truck and never claim to be. With that in mind, the most interesting one we came across was the Prawn & Grilled Prosciutto Taco. And as the name implies, it consists of the aforementioned ingredients accompanied by organic greens, sour cream, salsa and crispy green onions. I thought the taco was quite pleasant with a nice sweet snap from the prawns and the saltiness from the prosciutto. Despite the appearance of a soft taco, the whole thing held together as we ate it.

Marshmallow decided to go for 2 different tacos, which was a relief for me! Her first was the Sockeye Salmon Taco on a bed of mesclun greens and topped with mango salsa and crispy green onions. She remarked that the salmon was moist and flaky which was complimented by the sweet salsa. A light and refreshing taco. However, I really couldn't get how little actual fish there was in this $8.00 taco. Lastly, her son had the Steak Taco, also on a bed of greens topped with some type of onion marmalade, sour cream and crispy green onions. The boy was sure hungry and attacked it like a neanderthal. Well, it was for the better since the meat was slightly chewy. Other than a grunt of "good", I wasn't sure of the final verdict. However, for the items we did try, they were quite good (fries withstanding). In fact, I can see why they are the "rolling bistro". The food is a cut-above most other cart offerings. With that though, there are higher prices. But I guess you do get what you pay for.

The Good:
- Quality ingredients
- It's pretty gourmet for street food

The Bad:
- Pricey
- Tacos are not very big for the price, especially the fish

The Oakwood

There are certain locations where restaurants seem to turn-over like a turnstile. One that comes to mind is the corner of Thurlow and Smythe which has seen the likes of Piccolo Mondo, Saveur, Corner Suite Bistro Deluxe and currently Ensemble. Another less known location is the one that housed the former Tatlow's and recently closed Cabin. Now The Oakwood attempts to succeed where the others have failed. Advertised as a Canadian Bistro, The Oakwood has a simple menu that focuses on house-made locally sourced products. Their meats are organic and seafood is Ocean Wise. This in turn is reflected in the food prices, but as the old adage goes, you pay for what you get. Originally, I had wanted to visit this place in the summer when it first opened. It was convenient due to its close proximity after our Monday night softball games. Doh. They are not open on Mondays! So I had to resort to convincing the Friday night hockey team to travel from North Van all the way to Kits for grub.

I did eventually get them to go, although I had to drive them all in my car. A small price to pay for some late night eats that didn't involve wonton and congee (mind you, with the price of gas, it was not really a small price!). Lionel Hutz had already driven there earlier and as we began to take a seat, he indicated that the general manager remembered him. Turns out that Amy Wheatley, formerly of Bin 941, recognized him and myself from our visit a couple of years back. Wow, that's what I call a good memory! So when we finally got down to ordering, Emilicious and I decided to share some items starting with the All Canadian Poutine consisting of house-smoked brisket, fried russet potato, cheese curds and gravy. We could really taste the smoked flavour of the beef which gave out an almost burnt essence (in a good way though). The meat was sliced thin and very tender. The fries were crispy, yet a touch dry. The gravy was slightly salty, but not in a bad way though. The cheese curds were pretty good, not really squeaky, but at least they were not melted mozzarella.

For our second item, we tried the Shortrib Pie made with stewed beef, carrots, peas,
rosemary crust and Parmesan gratin. Although the portion size didn't look all that large, the pie itself was very rich and was deceivingly filling. The shortrib was moist and meaty while not fatty. It had lots of meat flavour with only the most subtle of seasoning. In addition to sharing these 2 appies, I had no choice but to order The Burger. Why? Because they grind the meat to order, hence the beef could be cooked the way you like it. I asked for mine to be medium-rare and it was uneven (well, it was medium-rare on the top of the patty). Since the meat was not cooked to a crisp (like most other places), it was moist and juicy. Also, it had a good beefy flavour which made the burger very hearty. Along with the house ground AAA shoulder, there was
buttermilk fried onions, house smoked cheddar, pickles (they looked house made too), tomatoes and sprouts. I really enjoyed the large slice of smoky cheddar as well as the crunchy pickles. The crispy onions added some texture and sweetness as well. The one thing I wasn't that fond of was the bun. It was a bit on the doughy side.

Since I had already gotten a taste of their fries in the poutine, I opted for a side of the Oakwood Waldorf Salad. Oh wow, this was a really good bowl of greens. Usually, I'm as excited about salad as crossing the Oak Street bridge Southbound... However, their Waldorf packed a punch with ingredients such as smoked bacon, blue cheese, apple, walnuts, grapes, frisee and pepper creme fraiche. Not a traditional Waldorf, yet infinitely more flavourful with the blue cheese and big chunks of fried bacon. Boss Woman and Lionel Hutz both had the Fish 'n Chips consisting of beer-battered cod, jicama slaw and house-made tartar sauce. They remarked that the fish was flaky and moist while the batter was crispy and light. The tartar sauce was pretty typical in their minds. Lionel indicated it was quite balanced and creamy. I did get to swipe a taste of the coleslaw and it was pretty unique. The jicama added a different texture akin to water chestnuts. It was refreshing, especially with the right amount of acidity. The spice level of the slaw was a welcomed surprise as well. Gordo ended up with the Ricotta Spinach Ravioli served with stewed mushrooms and tomatoes, brioche, olive cream cheese and frisee. He remarked that the dish was filling despite being only one ravioli. The pasta was slightly past firm while the filling was mild. However, the stewed mushrooms and tomatoes were over-salted.

At this point, we weren't intending on ordering any dessert, but Amy decided to surprise us with one each of the 3 desserts on the menu. So yes, we got 3 complimentary desserts. The most interestingly plated item was the Baked Apple Dumpling with vanilla ice cream. Think of it as a apple pie/turnover hybrid. The crust was actually decently flaky while the apples were tart and had some bite left. However, we all thought it could've used a bit more sugar. With that being said, when eaten with the ice cream, it somewhat alleviated the problem. It was too bad the ice cream was not creamy at all (it was icy). The second dessert was the Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with maple cream. Most people at the table enjoyed this cake for the semi-sweet chocolate with only a hint of hazelnut. However, for myself, I thought the cake was a touch dry. If it were more moist, it would've been perfect. Lastly, we had the Raspberry Panna Cotta with lemon buttermilk foam. Most people found this dessert to be rather tart, but I thought it was bang-on. I loved the double-dose of tang from the raspberry and lemon foam. Very refreshing and bursting with flavour. In the end, we were generally pleased with our meal. Of course the service was good due to the fact that Amy was there, so I can't really comment on that further. In terms of value, the prices are on the higher side, yet it is not far off from a place such as Cactus Club or Earl's. Portions were acceptable and the food was above average. Being open late is a bonus too, especially for our group, who are a bit congee-shy these days.

The Good:
- Simple, focused menu
- Some interesting items
- Fairly comfortable seating area

The Bad:
- A bit pricey
- Some items need a bit of refinement

Favor Eat

What's with the name of these places in the Crystal Mall food court? Want Want Hot & Spicy? Favor Eat? Or how about the Korean place that doesn't even have an English name on its storefront (oh and with some of the most expressionless service I've ever seen too). Whatever happened to typical names? Well, I'm sure most of them the English variant of an Asian name. Except for the Korean place... How can you not have an English name??? What are we supposed to do then when we refer to the place? Do we start making clicking noises like Swahili? Anyways, the place I'm blogging about is actually Favor Eat, which really doesn't make a whole lot of sense in the English language either. Whatever... For those who are unfamiliar of the place, it is a Taiwanese Beef Noodle stall.

I've actually had the Beef Noodle a few times and have finally decided to blog about it. For a food stall, the TBN was quite good. The broth was not exactly bursting with flavour, but it ain't bad though. The beef was tender while the good amount of pickled mustard greens added some acidity and crunch. Noodles held up well to the soup. For a little variety, on an another visit, I had the Noodles with Meat Sauce. A variation of Ja Jeun Mein, this was quite bland. The whole thing was dry and lifeless. At the very least the noodles were pretty good being chewy (even after sitting in the container for a bit). In the end, I think I should stick to their TBN next time. I guess this post serves to inform others to concentrate on the TBN. I really guess then that "Favor Eat" has a meaning after all... I did everyone a favor by warning them not to eat the other noodle dish I had...

The Good:
- Decent TBN for a food stall
- Prices are reasonable

The Bad:
- Other item I had was not as good

Chong Lee Market

The Banh Mi is such a versatile food item. Think of it. Much like a sandwich, it is portable and accessible. Unlike a sandwich, the Banh Mi has remained relatively inexpensive. It's true. The humble sandwich has been elevated to "gourmet food" status which ultimately means $10.00+ for one is the norm. Look at places like the Dirty Apron, Meat & Bread and Big Lou's. Now I'm not slagging those places; rather, I believe that their sandwiches are worth the price they charge. They are delicious, unique and generally a decent size. However, when we look at a Vietnamese sub, it is also delicious, unique and decent in size. The one thing that sets it apart is the price (oh and the ambiance as well I guess). You can get one for around $3.00 - $3.75, which is substantially less expensive than not only gourmet sandwiches, it is cheaper than most sandwiches period (think Subway, Sandwich Tree, Skyway etc...). In terms of versatility, the Banh Mi is more than a quick lunch or even dinner (eat more than one), it can be a snack or even breakfast. In all honesty, whenever I need a quick bite, I stop by a Banh Mi shop. Much better than McD's or a bag of chips.

That was partially the reason I stopped by Chong Lee Market. I was in need of a snack and Viv was in need of lunch. Generally, I'm not that fond of parking at Chong Lee since the lot is not exactly user-friendly. The spaces are only suitable for a Honda Fit. Whatever, I found a space and besides, it wasn't the first Tuesday of the month (it gets crazy in there!). I decided to get 3 subs - Special, Cold Cut and Meatball. Honestly, there is not much difference between the Special and Cold Cut. Both seemed to have nearly the same types of meat, pate and other ingredients. Whatever the case, both were pretty decent. The bread (which appears to be supplied by Ba Le) was crunchy and not too heavy. There was a strong pate and Maggi sauce taste which gave plenty of flavour. As for the Meatball, it was not as flavourful as I would've liked, it could've used more onions. Yet again, it was also decent where the meat was moist and not too fatty. Hey, not the best Banh Mi I've had; yet it did the job. Hey! And it wasn't on Kingsway either!

The Good:
- There is parking, albeit dangerous for the health of your car doors
- Inexpensive

The Bad:
- As mentioned, your car is in the line of fire in this parking lot
- Banh is okay; but there is better

Whole Foods (Cambie)

"So when are we having Thanksgiving Dinner?" queried my mom earlier this week. Well, I was thinking of Thanksgiving Day itself, but my plans suddenly changed. Why? In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I received at $100.00 gift card from Whole Foods. Apparently, they wanted me to try their products, specifically items related to Thanksgiving. Well, they didn't have to ask me twice! Synonymous with high-quality natural and organic products, Whole Foods is one of the most socially responsible companies in North America. For me, I haven't had much of a chance to shop at Whole Foods since I don't live near any of their GVRD locations. In my mind, I categorize it within the same group such as Urban Fare and Meinhardt. However, on a more in-depth look at the store, it is obvious that Whole Foods is larger and has more choice. However, there is no denying that Whole Foods is not exactly a cheap place to shop at. As the ol' adage says: "you pay for what you get". If your budget allows for it, the stuff at Whole Foods is all about quality.

So on a weeknight, I made my attempt at doing a traditional turkey dinner with all the fixins'. Yup, it was ambitious, but I had help. For those who are a bit too busy to do everything themselves, there are pre-constructed dinners that can be ordered online for pickup within 48 hours. The 2- day advanced notice is so that they can brine the turkey. For me, I merely picked up a JD Farms fresh turkey and 4 prepared sides and some gravy. Of the 4 sides, the most interesting was the Maple-Glazed Brussel Sprouts because none of us actually like brussel sprouts. But what the hey, I've had some versions that I haven't minded and these did look good. They were slow roasted with shallots and glazed with maple syrup topped with pine nuts. We liked that they undercooked the sprouts. This prevented them from going mushy when reheated. However, they were a touch too sweet for our liking. The one surprising side was the Roasted Winter Squash. Normally, it is a mild and sweet dish, but this one came with a considerable kick. In fact, it was fun watching everyone's reaction. I was quite happy with the spice level because it totally livened up the nicely textured squash.

Moving onto a turkey dinner necessity, we had the Mash Potatoes. Personally, I love when the skin is left on and this was the case here. This was more of a potatoey mash rather than creamy (although there was heavy cream in it). It went well with the turkey gravy which was quite mild and tasted very natural. Of course any Thanksgiving dinner isn't complete without stuffing. In this case, it was a Fruit and Herb Stuffing with apples, cranberries, nuts, carrots, celery and onions. With large pieces of moist bread, this was yet again another fresh and natural tasting item. I guess it helps that it didn't come out of a box eh? Loved the addition of fruit to the mix that added sweetness to the savoury elements. It was not over-seasoned nor over-moistened, so it crisped up nicely in the oven. Lastly, as I walked past the bakery section in the store, I couldn't resist and picked up a small Pumpkin Pie. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin. I do like carving them, but eating, not so much. With that being said, I looked at the pie objectively and came to the conclusion that the crust was flaky and light while the filling was well-spiced and smooth in texture. A good pumpkin pie... for those who like pumpkin pie!

Normally, I would make a turkey dinner from scratch and wouldn't bother picking up prepared food. However, I can see the value of this option, especially for those who are busy or don't want to go through the trouble. Besides, the stuff at Whole Foods is top-notch (and I didn't need to blog about it for people to already know this) and fresh. And no, I am not saying this based on my comped turkey dinner either. I actually spent over the $100.00 by $40.00 (although I did buy a whole turkey and some cooked items to go). But one thing is clear, if you got the cash, Whole Foods has some pretty good stuff.

The Good:
- Quality products
- The store is sure nice
- Lots of choice

The Bad:
- Pricey