Tivoli's

Picking a place to eat is not as simple as it sounds, especially when kiddies are involved. This was the situation when Viv wanted to take her brother and sister-in-law out for their birthdays. Due to time limitations, the restaurant had to be located nearby as well. Add in that it couldn't be an el cheapo joint nor too busy, then we really had a problem on our hands. I literally took an hour to try to figure this out. Finally, I took the easy route and choose a hotel restaurant. Yes, it is not the most creative place to eat generally, but it is kid-friendly. And especially in this case, the place was deader than Charlie Sheen's career. Tivoli's, located in the Executive Hotel tucked in behind Boston Pizza and Cactus Club on Lougheed, is generally not the first place people would consider as a dine-out option. Apparently, on this Saturday noon-hour, we were the only people who chose it as an eating destination.

No matter, that meant we got the whole place to ourselves. The kids could do whatever they wanted and the seats posing as people would not care. Did this empty restaurant concern me a tad? Well yes. But our fears were somewhat alleviated by the Chorizo & Grilled Chicken Pizza we ordered as a starter. The crust was thin, only slightly crisp and a bit doughy in parts. On the other hand, the toppings was where it was at. There was a plethora of mild chorizo, tender chicken and cheese which made every bite a flavourful one. There was just enough balanced tomato sauce to compliment the rest of the ingredients. Not bad for $12.00. As for the other appetizer, it was met with indifference. On the menu, the Calamari sounded interesting, but in reality, it was just a bunch of things (red pepper, jalapenos, snap peas and asparagus) coated in tempura batter and fried. Therefore, the squid got lost in the amount of batter. If they had just used a light dusting of flour, it would've been better. In terms of the 2 accompanying dips, we liked the lemon chipotle aioli more than the bland tzatziki (although it did have some lemon notes to it).

For her main, Viv had the Jambalaya consisting of chicken, chorizo, mussels, really small shrimp and fried squid. I found the rice to be on the dry side, yet there was no absence of flavour. The proteins were prepared properly except the tiny shrimp were overcooked. I went off of the menu and had their feature for October which was in honour of Oktoberfest with the Schnitzel. Cooked in peanut oil and served with a side of mayo, this could've passed for a dish found at a Hong Kong-style cafe. Unlike some versions of schnitzel, this one was really moist and juicy. The pork was super tender and the exterior was mostly crispy except in the middle. I guess that was the result of the juicy pork. On the menu, it indicated that there would be German fries on the plate. As you can clearly see, there was no relation to anything German with the French fries. I guess we can just call them Euro fries... With that being said, the generic fries were very crispy and I enjoyed them.

Girl Smiley went for the Prime Rib Beef Dip and there was a considerable amount of meat sandwiched within the French bread. She remarked it was moist and tender (being that it was roasted prime rib). The actual dip was pretty standard fare though. Guy Smiley opted for the BBQ Chicken Clubhouse with one of the biggest pieces of chicken I've ever seen in a clubhouse (reminded me of Claim Jumper). This sammie was loaded with the aforementioned BBQ chicken breast, Agassiz pea shoots, tomato, Emmental cheese and back bacon. The chicken breast was cook perfectly moist while the rest of the components made this something more than a typical clubhouse. I attempted to take care of their baby daughter (my niece) as they ate. However, I'm not sure why she was trying to gouge my eye out the whole time! Actually, while she wasn't doing that, she was trying to stick her finger down my throat. Did she think I needed to purge?

Anyways, back to the whole reason we ate here - for the kiddies! Although they don't have an explicit kid's menu, there are kid options. My son had his go-to item in the Grilled Cheese with fries. Although this was a pretty typical version of grilled cheese, it was prepared properly with buttery bread and real cheddar. I actually stole a bite and it was pretty good. Once again, the fries were crisp and the kiddies liked that too. My daughter also had her preferred kid meal of choice which was the Chicken Strips with fries. There is not much to talk about here since it was your typical Sysco-type chicken strip. They were fried properly and served piping hot. And the reality of it all is that Tivoli's served its purpose well. The kiddies were comfortable with the food and the environment. Service was attentive (cuz we were the only ones there!) and our food was above average. Nothing particularly ground-breaking nor exciting though. Pretty much the epitome of a hotel restaurant.

The Good:
- Food is decent
- Service (what we got) was friendly
- Comfortable dining space

The Bad:
- Pricey
- Although food is decent, nothing sets it apart

Okoman

So here we go again. My son's skating lessons have started up and we've decided to return to Moody Park Arena. We had taken a brief hiatus for the summer and prior to that, we had given 8 Rinks a shot. Bad idea. Not only was the student-instructor ratio not very good, the whole thing seemed like a disorganized mess. They kept losing my son's progress report, as if he wasn't there. But then again, he is kinda short, so it's like he wasn't there I suppose. Anyways, we returned to the program that seemed to work the best and back to Moody Park we would go. This time around, my daughter would be taking the introductory class simultaneously. Nice. Kill 2 birds with one stone! Seeing how the lessons end at 6:30pm, there was no way in the world we'd be able to get home and cook in time. Yup, that means a food adventure! I wasn't really all that inspired by the eats around Moody Park, so we headed all the way back to the Lougheed Mall area to try out Okoman.

Yet another one of those "see-all-the-time-but-never-stop-to-eat-at" restaurants, Okoman is just steps away from Japolo Sushi. I often wonder how so many Japanese restaurants can co-exist in such a small area... The one that I immediately liked about the place was the semi-private booth seating which was good for kiddies and picture-taking! So we started with an order of Salmon Sashimi which was absolutely humungous. The slices of fish were easily twice the size of most other places. The fish itself wasn't bad. The texture was firm and it was as fresh as previously frozen fish could be. The Appetizer Tempura, that we got for the kiddies, was pretty decent as well. The batter was a bit strange looking on the ebi (probably too watery, thus the smooth texture), but it was crisp and light nonetheless.

We got one specialty roll which was the Red Dragon consisting of ebi and imitation crab on the inside with spicy tuna, tempura bits and sauce drizzled on the outside. The roll was alright. I mean, the rice was actually pretty decent being chewy and not dry, however, the spicy tuna had a very strange texture. It was sorta gummy and sticky. The obscene amount of sweet sauce on the outside was surprisingly not too bad though. For the past year, it seems like my son has turned his back from the regular udon in soup. All he wants now is Yaki Udon, which we did end up ordering. This was a pretty standard version with just the right amount of sauce and nicely textured udon. The chicken was cooked well with good caramelization as well. However, the veggies to udon ratio was way off. There was at least 2 times the amount of veggies than noodles. For us, the dish felt unbalanced as a result.

Our last item was the Katsu Don and it was a fail. Despite the massive pork chop on top of properly cooked rice, the meat itself was not good. It was overcooked and very chewy. Either the cut of meat was too lean and they cooked it too long or they didn't tenderize it. Sure, tenderizing is a shortcut, but the meat here was hard to chew. From this meal, it was pretty obvious that Okoman's main draw are the large portions combined with reasonable prices. In terms of overall execution it is a touch hit and miss. If you are not too picky about your food, then Okoman is alright in terms of overall value.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Reasonable prices
- Service we got was pretty good

The Bad:
- Food is hit and miss, especially the cooked stuff
- Service is a bit sparse

Rocket Donuts

There was a time when Rich Guy and I would take the leisurely drive down I-5 to Burlington for some Krispy Kremes. Yes, I realize it was more of a curiousity rather than finding the best donut. Ever since we got a location in North Delta, the draw is no longer there. The next novelty donut shop that hit our radar was Top Pot out of Seattle. Yum-O! Ah yes, this is Rachel Ray's favourite... Boy we are suckers for the Food Network eh? After that, I found myself going as far as Portland for some unique donuts. Yup, it was no other than Voodoo Donut - as seen on The Amazing Race and No Reservations. Hype? Absolutely, but the bacon maple bar was well worth the drive. Crispy bacon... on a donut. Genius!

Wait a minute. I don't need to drive that far! Little did I know, right under my nose was a place in Bellingham called Rocket Donuts. Looking for the place sans GPS (since my new car doesn't have it), it was not really all that hard to find due to the large rocket in front. On the inside, the decor has a diner feel to it despite being a donut shop. Then in the display, there it was... the Bacon Maple Donut. Boy, I haven't had one of these since my visit to Voodoo Donut. Yes, it is a novelty item, but trust me, bacon and donut do go together. In fact, I kinda like this one more. The yeast donut was soft with a slight chew while the maple glaze was sweet, yet not overly so. There was plenty of perfectly cooked bacon on top which was meaty, not fatty. Salty and sweet. Yum.

Now we wouldn't have only one donut would we? It's like going to Dim Sum and having only one dish. Or better yet, heading down to the states and buying a stick of gum. Wait, that is merely what people claim to have purchased while crossing the border... Do they really get away with that? Anyways, we tried some of their cake donuts such as the Coconut, Chocolate Glazed and Sprinkles. What I liked about their donuts was that they looked neat and carefully prepared. I wouldn't say the cake donuts were any better than some of the other good donuts shops along the Westcoast. However, I wouldn't hesitate to say they weren't any worse either. And considering that Rocket Donuts is located in Bellingham, that can be considered a real gem.

Now for good measure, we also tried their Breakfast Sausage Burrito. Although it was obviously per-prepared and merely warmed up for us, it was pretty darn good. Within the soft flour tortilla, there was fluffy eggs, tasty sausage and cheese. A dollop of salsa and this was a satisfying breakfast. But honestly, the story here are the donuts and they are mighty fine considering that we didn't need to drive to Portland or Seattle to get them.

The Good:
- Carefully made donuts
- Lots of choice, including smaller donuts
- They have other breakfast options as well

The Bad:
- They don't come cheap

Market Buffet (Skagit Valley Casino)

Ever since The Outlets in Burlington has arisen from the dead, we have paid fewer visits to The Premium Outlets in Tulalip. However, much like Tulalip, Burlington and nearby Mount Vernon are not exactly hotbeds of culinary excitement. Hence, our expectations are never really that high. That is the case with the Eagles Buffet in the Tulalip Casino. The food really ain't that good, but considering the price and location, it more than does the job. For those who balk at the stuff there, trust me, I know that the Chinese food is laughable and yes, I also know that most of the food is cooked beyond recognition. Again, we need reasonable expectations... Then you could fully understand our thought process behind trying out the other casino buffet at The Skagit. Besides, don't they specialize in buffets in the USA anyways?

Market Buffet, which is located in the casino, is only short drive up the I-5 from Burlington. So this was to be our "interesting" lunch. Now interesting doesn't necessarily mean good though. But $9.95 for the lunch buffet, we weren't holding out for too much. Thank goodness our expectations were reasonable because a lot of the stuff looked quite suspect. We did start with the Salad Bar first and it was pretty basic. The veggies were good though, so not much to complain about. However, the prepared salads were another story. I found that they were far too sweet. The carrot salad especially since it tasted like marshmallows.

Directly adjacent to the salad bar was a selection of soups and a completely random offering of Saag Chicken with rice. Now I completely understand the meaning of a buffet, especially one that caters to a wide range of diners. So when the Saag Chicken was blander than plain tofu and didn't resemble saag in appearance either, it was understandable. Now understandable is one thing, but the fact that it wasn't very good is another. For me, it seemed like they tried to make butter chicken, failed, then added some chopped spinach after the fact. Making a right turn to the next section, we found a mishmash of stuff which included Burgers, Hot Dogs, Fries and BBQ Pulled Pork. We didn't go for the burgers nor the hot dogs because the kiddies weren't with us and frankly, those are filler items. Granted, some people like hamburgers and hot dogs, so that is only a personal opinion. As for the pulled pork, it actually had a nice meaty consistency and was only marginally dry. The sauce was not very good though, it was a cross between marmalade and candied BBQ sauce. The fries reminded us of the ones found at Costco, which incidentally is not necessarily a bad thing.

Taking a turn towards the main hot food sections, we found a variety of items including Roasted Chicken, Liver & Onions, Smoked Sausage, Spaghetti, Green Beans and Mac 'n Cheese. Surprisingly, the chicken wasn't half-bad. Granted, I took the drumstick which would naturally be more moist and flavourful, but give it to them that it was so. The liver was overcooked and really, this was expected. The one thing that was kinda gross was that the flour coating was separating from the liver and making a goopy mess. Viv hated the sausages, they were too salty. Um... I'm gonna refrain from making a joke here in fears of Viv reading this... So... the Spaghetti was still toothsome, but not really due to the cooking, rather, it looked to be sitting there for awhile. Furthermore, there was not enough sauce to keep it hydrated. The green beans were okay, not terribly overcooked and they were seasoned. Mac 'n Cheese wasn't very cheesy nor was there enough sauce.

Right next door to this selection of food was Salmon, Brussel Sprouts and Rice. Salmon was dry, but acceptable, while the rice was hard and dry. The brussel sprouts? They were brussel sprout. Enuff said. The last of the hot food consisted of Turkey with stuffing and gravy, Garlic Bread, Acorn Squash, Bannock, Gravy, Corn, Mashed Potatoes and Pork Tenderloin. Despite its messy appearance, the turkey mixed with the stuffing and gravy was actually not bad. Other than the gravy being too salty, the turkey was not too dry. I liked the bannock, but didn't eat too much since it was filling. We really didn't care for the pork, it was super dry and the sauce was sweet as candy.

In the center of the buffet was the Dessert Section which included a decent selection of sweets. Nothing really stood out and by then, I was not motivated to eat anymore. In summation, Market Buffet serves only one purpose and that is to provide food for people who don't really care about taste or execution.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Decent selection

The Bad:
- Food sucks
- Smokey inside

Dinner @ Dynasty Seafood Restaurant

1941. That was the year we saw the attack on Pearl Harbour, Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak begin and end, the first Jeep was built and Mount Rushmore was completed. Also, that was the year that both my father and father-in-law were born. Yes, that makes them both the ripe ol' age of 70. With such a significant milestone, going out for dinner is a must. For my father-in-law, we all decided that a good Chinese meal would fit the bill. Despite my suggestions on a few restaurants in Richmond (yes, you heard right...), it was decided we would eat in Vancouver. Trying to go for more of an upscale establishment, we settled on Dynasty. We've been here for Dim Sum in the past, but that is never a good indication of what dinner service would be like. Usually, there are 2 separate chefs who handle Dim Sum and dinner.

We ended up ordering the mid-range set dinner menu which would normally be seen at a wedding or baby one-month. We started with the requisite Appetizer Platter consisting of mock goose, fried fish cakes, smoked fish, marinated jellyfish and cucumbers & brisket. The one word to describe this platter would be "sugary". The smoked fish was very sweet while the texture was a bit soft. The jellyfish was good, not being watery and having the right amount of seasoning. The fried fish cakes had a nice bounce texture, yet the big chunks of pork fat was not that appealing. The mock goose, or shiitake wrapped with fried bean curd skin, was sweet as well. It did have a nice chewy texture though. Although the cucumbers in the "salad" were crunchy and flavourful with some kick, the fatty pieces of meat were not.

Next up was the Stir Fried Scallops & Prawns on a bed of broccoli. This was a well-prepared dish with vibrant crunchy broccoli florets and big scallops and prawns. The dish was very mildly seasoned, yet that was understandable since the scallops and prawns have a natural sweetness of their own. The ever-so-popular Stuffed Crab Claws arrived next and these were executed very well. The exterior was lightly crisp and not-too-oily while the shrimp mousse inside had the desired bounce texture. My only gripe would be the blandness of the mousse itself. I do realize that the sweet n' sour sauce would somewhat help to alleviate this problem, yet it should not depend on it. Now for somewhat of an official announcement. After careful consideration and reflection, I have personally chosen to not eat Shark's Fin Soup anymore. However, I am not going to preach about it. People can do whatever they want, this was just a personal decision. Therefore, I can only go off of what others at my table thought about it. As you can clearly see, there was a heck of a lot of shark's fin. Furthermore, they didn't skimp on the crab and chicken meat either. As for the soup base, it was silky smooth and exhibited depth from the consume. A well-balanced shark's fin soup.

Next up, we had the Crab and Lobster in consume. Okay, I gotta get this off my chest first (and it ain't my pathetic amount of chest hairs... TMI?). These were 2 of the puniest crab and lobsters we've ever had in this type of dish. Either they were clients of Jenny Craig or they belonged in a circus act. Both were skinny and small. Nothing particularly wrong with the preparation, although the lobster was a bit overcooked. The sauce was a touch salty. For our fish course, we had the Stir-Fried Basa atop baby bak choy. Unfortunately, this was an uneven offering. The bak choy was perfectly executed being crunchy while fully cooked. However, the basa was overdone and in fact, falling apart. As you can clearly see in the picture, most pieces were in little bits. This also could've been the result of too much tossing in the wok. Arriving next was the Sea Cucumber with shiitake mushrooms and pea shoots. Unlike the usual preparation of this dish, which has the sea cucumber sliced into pieces, it came whole. That made for an interesting picture though. Look at it. Doesn't that look absolutely phallic? I wouldn't blame someone who has never eaten sea cucumber before not wanting anything to do with it. It reminded me of the time I ate with some people who had never tried it. They had originally looked at the menu and thought they were getting veggies. I had to explain that it was not a form of cucumber, rather it was a sea slug of sorts... Give them kudos for eating it. So, to retain its shape without melting way braising, compromises had to be made. Hence, the sea cucumber was more "stiff" than usually prepared... ahem... That wasn't exactly to my liking because I like it soft. OMG. I'll stop now.

If you are familiar with this type of banquet menu, you know that the fowl dish was next. We ended up with the Fried Chicken with lotus root chips. The chicken skin was crisp and rendered down while the meat was sufficiently moist and well-seasoned. The lotus chips were something a bit different and I give them kudos for that. The original rice dish for this menu was their Pumpkin Seafood Rice and I got them to substitute it with the Lovebird's Rice. Why? Well, the last time we had the pumpkin rice, I thought it was pretty awful. As for the replacement, the actual name in Cantonese if carried over to English would not be Lovebird's Fried Rice. Rather, it would be Ying Yang Fried Rice. Normally, the red and white sauces would be presented much like a ying yang symbol. Overall, the rice was fine, but honestly, did they really need to put so much onion on the red sauce side? That's all we could taste. And that pretty much sums up the dinner we had here. It was alright, yet for the price, we were expecting more. Service was top-notch as usual though.

The Good:
- Really attentive and friendly service
- Validated parking
- Classy dining room

The Bad:
- Food does not warrant the price

Tentatsu

"My mom wants us to meet up with her for Dim Sum at Fortune City", exclaimed Viv in a passing statement. Uh... really? Fortune City again??? Um, why can't we eat somewhere else? Didn't she mention something about Japanese food? As you can clearly ascertain, I was not that enthused about a return visit to Fortune City. And it did not have anything to do with trying to avoid Viv's mom either! So once again, I was entrusted with finding an alternative dining destination. Apparently everyone looks to me when they need a food suggestion. Well duh, I realize why, but it ain't as easy as it sounds! We had to take into account the location, kid-friendliness and the possibility of decent eats. Hence, I threw out the idea of Tentatsu on Hastings near Nanaimo. Yes I know, another Chinese-owned and operated Japanese joint... Don't be a hater - let the food speak for itself before passing off judgement...

As for the food, it was pretty apparent by looking at the menu that it would be a pretty good value. Case in point, the Spicy Roll Combo set us back only $9.95. Look at it. It was 3 full rolls of 8 pieces each! I mean it ain't awesome sushi, yet for the price, it was more than acceptable. The rice was actually quite good. I'm not sure if it was a good day or what, but it had a nice consistency. As for the the rest of the rolls, it was pretty typical spicy tuna, spicy salmon and spicy California. To get a good selection of sashimi, we decided to the motherlode of sushi combos with the Party Deluxe Sashimi. They decided to plate it in a majestic-looking boat, however, it took up the entire table. Definitely form over function much like a convertible during the Winter months here. The boat consisted of salmon, tuna, hokkigai, tako, tai, amaebi and toro (spelled taro on the menu...). The sashimi was vibrant and fresh tasting. Some pieces could've been prepared better though. Otherwise, no complaints here.

For our token specialty roll, we opted for the Vancouver Roll that consisted of unagi, tamago, avocado, cucumber and more avocado outside with tobiko drizzled with mayo and unagi sauce. For me, this was similar to most caterpillar rolls found at other Japanese restaurants. It was pretty good and I liked the fact it wasn't dripping with sauce. A touch heavy on the rice though. And no visit to a Japanese restaurant would be complete for the kiddies without tempura. We ended up getting the Assorted Tempura which came with the usual stuff like sweet potato, yam, broccoli, ebi and mushroom. The batter was slightly thick, yet it was still crispy and didn't feel heavy.

When I asked my son what he wanted to eat, it was once again Yakiudon. For some reason, he has shied away from udon in soup. Oh well, so we got the Chicken Yakiudon for the umpteenth time this year. This was a fairly large portion with a very good noodle to vegetable ratio. I hate how some places have more veggies than noodles (and so does my son since he hates veggies). Flavourwise, it could've used a touch more seasoning (or sauce in this case), but it was far from bland. It was slightly wet and the chicken was a touch dry. A pretty average yakiudon in my books. I guess this was the reason both my son and daughter decided to not eat it when it arrived at our table. Are their tastes becoming that fine??? Thank goodness we predicted it and ordered an Oyako Don just in case. Apparently they were both in the rice mood rather than noodles. On that note, there was a good amount of vermicelli (or glass noodles or mung bean noodles or whatever you want to call it), which meant they were still eating noodles in some shape or form. Yes, these 2 are helping with the grey hairs for both Viv and I... Oh and the oyako don was both large in portion and properly sauced.

Lastly, for no explicable reason, the Gyoza arrived. Isn't this supposed to be an appetizer? Ah, the joys of food expedition in an Asian restaurant - pure randomness... Anyways, these were good. The dumpling skin was quite thin and inside, the filling was not gritty and well-seasoned. Not sure if these were made in-house or not, but it didn't matter, they were cooked up perfectly. In the end, Tentatsu actually exceeded my expectations. I wasn't really holding out much hope since many of the supposed Japanese restaurants I've been to lately have been either mediocre or poor value. The food as a whole was pretty good and the portions were very good considering the price. Service was quite sparse despite being friendly, yet that was due to the restaurant being completely full and bustling with activity. That is a clear indication they are doing something right here.

The Good:
- Food is above-average
- Portions are large
- Prices are low

The Bad:
- Service is sparse
- Seating can be tight depending on the table you get