Neptune Wonton House

Seemingly out-of-reach for our Friday night eats due to distance, Neptune Wonton House was destined to remain on my "to-visit" list. Sure, we've made it out to Richmond before after Friday hockey, but with gas prices these days, the premium paid to drive out there just doesn't seem worth it. However, never fear when Gordo is near. You see, Gordo has taken up Thursday night hockey in Richmond. Yup, the same group I occasionally play for at 10:15pm. Generally, I've never gone out to eat after this particular pick-up hockey session. But that was about to change... Gordo, the ever-so-willing eating partner was famished after hockey. I'm not sure if I was equally hungry or not, yet I would never let an eating opportunity pass!

So Neptune Wonton, we were finally about to see how your wontons stack up to the rest in Richmond... So I went ahead and ordered the Wonton Noodles, not specifying whether I wanted all-shrimp or shrimp-pork mix. I guess the default was the mix. Not a complete epic fail, but a partial fail on my part. Personally, I'm more of a fan of all-shrimp wontons. Despite this, I thought the shrimp & pork wontons to be decent. They were large and full of whole shrimp with the desired snap texture. I found the pork to be mushy, which slightly detracted from the overall texture. The noodles were cooked nicely being chewy until the last strand. I found the soup to be very light while pleasant at the same time. Of course I wouldn't forget about ordering a congee, so I went for the classic Preserved Egg & Salted Pork Congee. Much like the wonton soup, the congee was also conservatively seasoned. I'm sure there are some who appreciate this since it is usually an overload of MSG that makes a congee base taste good. However, when I go out to eat, I expect it and actually prefer it. Moreover, the congee started to get watery part-way through. On the positive side, there was lots of preserved egg and shredded pork. Too bad the pork wasn't salty.

Gordo opted for his ol' standby - Curry Beef Brisket on Rice. As evidenced by the picture, this was a large portion with big chunks of moist and tender brisket. The curry was pretty creamy and resembled more of a Chinese-style Portuguese sauce hybrid. Think Mui Garden curry and you get the idea. Now, unsatisfied with the fact I did not get to try the all-shrimp wontons, we returned on another Thursday after hockey. I tried to convince Snake Eyes to join us and he balked. Something about getting up for work... Wimp! So, I ended up ordering the All-Shrimp Wonton Soup. Figured I had already tried the noodles... Once again, the wontons were large. These were filled with whole shrimp which once again exhibited a nice snap. They were only lightly seasoned, where I could taste the natural sweetness of the shrimp. The only thing that bothered me about these was the amount of pork fat used as a binding agent.

Of course I wouldn't only order one item right? So I took a shot at Milhouse's favourite dish - Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice. Too bad he wasn't there to try it. Oh right, too late for hockey, interrupts his beauty sleep. Well, in the end, he didn't miss much because the rice was bland. If this was salted fish fried rice, I wouldn't have known it. Might as well have called it chicken fried rice because there was plenty of tender chicken pieces and the rice itself was chewy. Lastly, Gordo got something unexpected in the Shanghai Fried Thick Noodles. We weren't expecting authenticity here since Neptune is a Cantonese restaurant, but what was with the red cabbage??? The color was all wrong and so was the flavour. Well, there wasn't much of it really. A lack of dark soy resulted in a lack of depth. The ingredients were prepared properly, it's just the flavours were off. As you can see, the food here is pretty much hit and miss. Stick with the regular stuff and it will be a satisfying late night meal. Go for something they don't specialize in and it can be an adventure.

The Good:
- As their name suggests, the wonton noodles are pretty decent
- Open late

The Bad:
- Not totally convinced with their other food offerings

Aphrodite's Organic Cafe & Pie Shop

"You want to go where???", exclaimed Rich Guy as I was in the middle of suggesting Aphrodite's for some brunch. A slight hesitation in his voice was followed by curiousity. Luckily he was getting his car serviced at MCL (of course it was) and he was somewhat in the area. Hence, the excuse of "being too far" could not be used. Naturally, when he found out it was a quaint pie shop as well, he was even more hesitant. Not manly enough for him I suppose? Oh c'mon, we're comfortable with our sexuality right? Besides, what era are we living in anyways? What's the problem with 2 dudes brunching and sharing a slice of pie?

Arriving first, I snagged a window seat and proceeded to order a Chai Latte to start. Well, I'm not about to go into detail about it because I'm not a Chai connoisseur. What I can say is that it was not too sweet and very smooth. A good start to our meal. Rich Guy arrived shortly after and ordered the same drink. We had a bit of difficulty choosing from the menu since everything sounded quite good. Finally, I had to resort to "asking-the-waitress" trick. Her recommendation? The Sausage Frittata which incidentally, was predominantly loaded with veggies. The thing was packed with caramelized onions, grilled zucchini, goat cheese, sausage and beets. Although it was not aggressively seasoned, the frittata had enough inherent flavours emanating from the quality ingredients. The natural sweetness of the onions went really well with the savoury sausage. Interestingly, the frittata played second fiddle to the outstanding toast served on the side. It was so airy and crisp. The house-made peanut butter only further enhanced the experience.

Rich Guy went for his usual in the Benedict. However, this one was more interesting since it was an Albacore Tuna Benedict. Due to the mild flavour of the tuna (which was a nice medium-rare), this in turn was a subtle offering. Even the Hollandaise was on the lighter side, except there was a pleasant lemon hit. The free-range eggs were poached perfectly medium as Rich Guy requested. Despite being breakfast hours, we couldn't leave Aphrodite's Organic Cafe & Pie Shop without a slice of their specialty... Mijune would be proud... So we ended up sharing a slice of Apple Pie a la mode. Interesting how they did a nice cinnamon double-heart thingy on the plate... As for the pie, the apple filling was neatly prepared with the perfect consistency. Hence, the crust was flaky and not soggy anywhere. I would've personally liked to see more zing, otherwise, this was a very solid slice of pie. In fact, our experience here was pretty good. I wouldn't go as far as saying "we can't wait to go back", but I would go back nonetheless.

The Good:
- Quality organic ingredients
- Carefully prepared food
- Quaint dining space

The Bad:
- I know it is organic, but the prices are pretty high
- The dining space is quaint, but cramped at the same time

Manchu Wok

Okay, go ahead. Hurl out the obscenities. Hang on, let me save you the trouble - what the heck are you doing Sherman??? Manchu Wok??? What's next? New China Kitchen? Hmmm... That sounds like an idea... Okay, the reason I'm blogging about Manchu Wok is not because I've run out of ideas. Rather, due to the fact I mention it so much in my posts, I felt it would be a good idea to do a whole post dedicated to one of the most well-known North Americanized Chinese food court outlets. Honestly, if one went in with the right expectations, Manchu Wok could actually be alright. As much as I enjoy authentic Chinese food, I do the occasional meal at Manchu Wok and I accept it for what it is. Now, in a perfect world, if there was a Kent's Kitchen in every shopping mall, I would probably choose it over Manchu Wok, not necessarily that it makes better sweet & sour pork; but it has a wider range of items to choose from. Hey, one can only take so much fried meat in multi-coloured sauces.

After a few unsatisfying Americanized Chinese meals, I have a new found appreciation for Manchu Wok. No joke! Due to the generally high-turnover, the food is usually (and I say usually) fresh. Yes, they do take shortcuts which in turn makes their food greasy, but with KFC flanking them on one side, you really can't win anyways. These 2 separate meals from Manchu Wok yield crispy veggies, moist meats with plenty of flavour. Yes, my ancestors are probably rolling over right now... And yah, I'm sure some people are rolling their eyes. I frankly don't give a damn. I accept it for what it is and no, I really do not mind eating it. You can't hate something because everyone else wants you to.

The Good:
- You know what to expect, which is generally decent eats
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Yes, it's true, this is not real Chinese food
- Heavy on the sodium

Dinner @ The Roc

*Restaurant is now closed*

For some reason or another, I seem to associate the poignant line of "Welcome to The Rock" (a la Sean Connery) to The Roc Chinese Restaurant. Much like the way I always ridicule Alexander Semin during hockey pools and associate #Winning with Charlie Sheen, these jokes get a little tiring with everyone. I can't help myself. So here we go again... Welcome to The Rock! Yet this time, The Roc has moved for the 3rd time to its current location on the corner of Cambie and Marine Drive. Formerly Four Seas Restaurant, The Roc is pretty familiar with the same crew and same menu, albeit with slightly higher prices. Call it the "Westside" effect...

As mentioned, The Roc has moved several times. My first visit was over 10 years ago at their location on Kingsway near King Edward (it is Pho Thai Hoa now). The one thing we will always remember are all the times when we would all meet up for cheap Dim Sum there. They then moved further East on Kingsway and were closed for awhile since the buildings next to it burnt to the ground. Unlike these previous locations, the new one is more spacious and there are actual parking spots to be found. In fact, both my parents and I found parking right in front (which would've been impossible at the 2 former locations). As I walked into the place, the owner-lady immediately recognized us. Good memory, since we haven't been frequenting the place in the last 6 years.

Given this class of Chinese restaurant, there was the usual "pick 'em" dinners. We went for the dinner for 4 which included choice of 4 dishes, complimentary crab, rice, soup and dessert. The Daily Soup consisted dried bak choy, carrots and pork bones. I liked how the soup came out steaming hot. Furthermore, it didn't seem too saturated with salt nor msg. Then something strange happened, we actually got a complimentary crab that was neither small nor emancipated. Was it due to the fact the owner-lady knew me? Whatever the case, we were pleasantly surprised with the Crab with Cream Sauce. As mentioned, the crab was meaty, fresh and flavourful. The sauce was not necessary creamy, it had the typical starch-thickened texture. They could've eased up with the fried starch coating, but that wasn't a huge issue.

Next, we had the Stir-Fried Gai Lan with Beef. The gai lan was vibrant and crunchy while the beef could've stood for more tenderizing. Flavour was good though and there was evidence of good wok heat (no pool of water on the plate). Sticking with our usual dishes, we got the Seafood & Tofu Hot Pot. I'm not sure if the pot was all that hot, but the ingredients were pretty good. The fried tofu was silky, the shrimp and scallops were cooked perfectly while the pieces of basa were moist and flaky. The squid could've stood to be less cooked. As for the Peking Pork Chops, these were a partial fail. The pork chops were over-tenderized, so there was barely any texture. To further compound the problem, there was far too much sweet sauce which made the dish soggy. Edible, yes. Good, not so much.

Our last dish was the Scrambled Eggs with Shrimp. This was a large portion with plenty of cold-water shrimp mixed within the fluffy eggs. Well, mostly fluffy eggs that is, there were some clumps here and there. Other than that, the dish was properly seasoned and went well with our rice. All-in-all, a decent meal at a decent price. Considering its new Westside digs, The Roc still doesn't put much of a dent into our wallet. Of course there is better Chinese food to be found nearby, but not at the prices they are charging. We'll need to drop by for Dim Sum in the near future, their prices cannot be matched by any of the other Chinese restaurants in the Neighbourhood.

The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Large portions
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Sparse service
- Decor is a bit dated

Baci Ristorante

The work staff party. Oh how I look forward to it. Not. Especially when it's not even my workplace! Hey, I have no problems with the people. In fact, Viv's co-workers are very nice and I have a blast with them. However, the whole schmoozing thing is not really my cup of tea. And especially just returning from Black Friday 2 hours prior! I was more tired than Charlie Sheen after a night of #winning. The last thing I wanted to do was party. As a good husband, I obliged and we made our way to Baci on Hastings. Incidentally, Viv has recently been here and thought it was decent. Well, we'll see how decent it is! Keep in mind that this was a large party. Despite the fact most of the items in the group menu are available on the regular menu, keep in mind this was an atypical visit to the restaurant.

We had a set menu which allowed us to choose our mains. Everyone started with a salad with a simple balsamic and EVOO dressing. Then we were all presented with a Penne mid-course. The pasta was al dente and bathed in a mild rose sauce. To kick things up a notch, I sprinkled some Parmesan and chili flakes to make my own Penne Arribbiatta of sorts. After those additions, it was very good. For my main, I had the Basa Fillet with lemon butter sauce. I realize that basa isn't exactly an expensive fish, yet I actually like the texture. Call it a softer version of cod. This one was pan fried perfectly where it was moist while having a nice crust on the outside. The garlic white wine sauce was fantastic with tartness while still be quite balanced. All of us got the same accompaniments due to convenience (which we totally understand). The broccoli was cook right being still crunchy while the roast potato was soft on the inside. The orange glop on the plate was a mix of carrots and rutabaga. Despite several strange faces made by other diners after they found out it was rutabaga, it was actually quite good. Nice texture and sweetness.

Viv, being the meat-eater that she is, went for the Vitello alla Parmigiana. Well, I actually wanted it myself, but for variety purposes, I went for the fish. The piece of veal was quite substantial and fried up nicely. The outside was crisp while there was very little in the way of mushy spots. The meat itself was fairly moist. It could've been a touch more juicy, yet it wasn't too bad. We liked the marinara sauce, it had a nice consistency with a good balance of tartness. I liked this more than the fish I ordered. Doh! The other meat option was the Pollo alla Baci (or chicken breast with brandy and mushroom cream sauce. Some people remarked that the butterflied chicken breast looked like a heart. For me, it looked like someone's rear end. No matter, the chicken was moist while the sauce was flavourful and rich. Nothing amazing while solid nonetheless.

For the vegetarian option, it was a Risotto with the same accompanying vegetables. To me, this didn't look like a lot of food. Furthermore, the risotto was pretty average. Nothing terrible, yet at the same time, nothing memorable. I guess forgivable since they were super busy? Obvious from the picture that the risotto remained in a clump and didn't spread. Lastly, we were all presented with Tiramisu for dessert. I liked the lady fingers were soaked while not being drenched. I personally can't stand "wet" tiramisu. I didn't get a big espresso hit and the flavours were pretty mild. However, I thought it was good tiramisu based on the textures. This was a pretty solid end to a decent meal considering the circumstances. For such a small kitchen, we were pretty impressed with the overall quality of the food. Was it awesome? Of course and we weren't expecting as much. For a large party, you merely want food that is decent. Baci was able to do that and based on Viv's previous visit, they may not be my first choice, but they're decent enough.

The Good:
- Consistency, even though we had a large group
- Live music

The Bad:
- Gets pretty loud in there due to the live music

Mr. Zhang Karaoke & Restaurant

In a moment of brilliance (or maybe just common sense long overdue), I decided to park in the Burnaby Library parking lot instead of the circular hell otherwise known as Crystal Mall. Yes, I know there have been many who have pleaded for me to do this so that I could maintain my sanity whilst shopping. So on my leisurely jaunt from the library, I walked past a new restaurant that caught my eye - Mr. Zhang Karaoke Restaurant. Okay, several things in the name made me ponder. First, Mr Zhang... Right, the same place that used to be on Victoria Drive. Second, Karaoke Restaurant??? Okay if they say so... Well, the very next week, I suggested to the family that we go try it out. And just like the previous week, I once again parked at the library. So peaceful... No congestion, no pie shaped parking spots, no one stealing my spot and most importantly, no Corolla taking 10 minutes to park.

As I walked into the restaurant, the one thing that I immediately noticed was the extremely tight seating arrangements for the larger tables. You either have to be really thin or like to be squashed against a wall. For us, we just let the kids sit in those spots. And for the kiddies, we got them an order of the Seafood Rice Noodles in soup. This was a pretty large portion consisting of perfectly al dente noodles. There was plenty of ingredients consisting of basa, imitation crab, fish tofu and one prawn. I liked the soup base since it took on all of the seafood flavour and as a result was naturally sweet. Since the place is a Szechuan joint, we decided to go for some spicy items starting with the Szechuan Chicken in Spicy Sauce. Arriving piled high and doused with a peanut-based sauce, we felt this was good value. Despite being whole pieces of chicken with bone attached, it wasn't terribly hard to eat. The chicken itself was not dry and with the addition of the sauce, it was actually quite moist. We would've liked to see more heat, yet it was still a well-balanced dish.

Now I realize that a Szechaun restaurant is not the best place to order Xiao Long Bao. However, I had read a review on Yelp! that stated the ones here were pretty good. OMG. I should've taken that review with a grain of salt. Heck, I should've grabbed the whole box of Windsor. These had barely any broth while the gritty filling had far too much in the way of greens (flavour was okay though being meaty). The dumpling skin was somewhat thick at the top as well. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt though because they are not a Shanghainese restaurant. With marginal XLBs, we weren't holding out much hope for the Potstickers. Although our suspicions were pretty much correct, I found them to be relatively better than the XLBs. The dumpling skin was on the thicker side while not overly so. The filling was once again full of greens, but it wasn't so much an issue here since it works better with a potsticker than an XLB. One other thing that I personally didn't care for was their sweet black vinegar. It goes well with steamed crab, but not dumplings.

Now back to a Szechuan dish in the Eggplant with Spicy Sour Sauce. And like just on cue, this was good. Hmmm... Szechuan dish good in a Szechuan restaurant... The eggplant was oil-blanched perfectly being soft, yet not mushy. Despite the oil-blanching, the dish wasn't overly greasy though. We found the sauce to be a good mix of salty, sweet, tangy and spicy (although once again, we could've done with more heat). They asked if we needed a bowl of rice to go with it and really we should've had order to take advantage of the good flavours. However, we didn't because we had already ordered the House Special Chow Mein. Don't let the simplicity of the dish fool you, the flavours were good. Moreover, the noodles were al dente and the crunch from the veggies really worked. Generally, most of the food did work out except for the 2 Shanghainese dishes. That is forgivable since those are not their specialty. Therefore, if you order the right dishes, it can be a good experience at Mr Zhang's. Not sure about the karaoke though!

The Good
- Reasonable prices
- Decent eats if you pick the right items

The Bad:
- Seating is not really all that comfortable if at a big table
- Stay away from the XLBs

Maria & Maria Cafe

*Location closed but owners are looking for a new storefront in the future*

As I was driving along 82nd on my way to Costco, something caught my peripheral vision. Smack dab in the middle of auto repair shops was something that made me smile - a new restaurant! I ground to screeching halt and pulled into the first parking spot available (actually there are very few spots around). Maria & Maria Cafe eh? Well, considering where it was located, I fully expected a run-of-the-mill sandwich shop purely existing for the local businesses. As I walked into the place, the minimalistic decor was interrupted by the warm greeting from 2 friendly ladies. Much to my surprise, this place serves Filipino food as well! Finally. A break from the regular stuff nearby. Don't get me wrong, I love Indian food, but to have something different in this area is an achievement. Much like finding something other than Chinese food in Richmond or car turn signals that work too...

Looking through the menu, there are the usual breakfast choices as well as sandwiches and wraps. I wasn't interested in those since there was the Filipino menu on the wall. Incidentally, that wall is covered with comments from customers. It's very cool that they really want to connect with their patrons. I ended up going for the Lechon Kawali or fried pork belly with garlic rice and fried egg. The crisp pieces of pork belly were fatty, of course, and heavily salted. By itself, the salt content stung, but eaten with the rice, it was just right. And about that rice, it was beautifully flavoured by the fried garlic on top. Mixed with the 2 runny over-easy eggs, it was a tasty concoction. Simple, yet infinitely more interesting than most offerings I've had lately.

The following week, Hot Mama tagged along for return visit. Upon my arrival, the 2 ladies remembered my name and welcomed us warmly. Once again, I referred to the menu on the wall and decided on the Bangus with garlic rice and fried eggs. Bangus is another name for milkfish, but in this case, my order looked more like a pomfrit. No matter, it was fried fish of some sort. Since the fish was fried to practically a crisp, there was no need to fear bones or even the head. The whole thing could be eaten just like that. Once again, mixed in with the runny eggs and tasty rice, it was an interesting meal. Hot Mama, being the conservative eater, had the Chicken Wrap and it was more or less your typical wrap.

On a third visit, I merely had what they had prepared that day, which happened to be Pancit and Chicken. The pancit was very flavourful, if not a touch dry. I liked the mixture of meats they put into it though. As for the chicken, it resembled a pot pie as they described. It was very creamy and the components were cooked perfectly. Loved the addition of Chinese sausage, it gave the dish a unique taste. Some forgettable veggies and plain Siopao completed the plate. Hey, it ain't blow-your-socks off food, at the very least it is different and served by 2 ladies that can't help but make one smile.

The Good:
- Something different in a sea of the same
- The 2 ladies there are super friendly and personable
- Inexpensive

The Bad:
- Limited menu of sorts
- Minimalistic decor and limited seating