Fortune Garden

After a crazy visit to Seattle for Black Friday, I swore to not go out on Boxing Day here in Vancouver. Even after purchasing a few items off Futureshop and NCIX on their online Boxing Day sales, I still held steadfast on the notion of sleeping in on Boxing Day. Well, I did end up sleeping in. But Viv suggested we head out anyways... and with the kids! Okay, it wasn't that bad since we weren't going to visit any big box stores nor the mall. Seeing how it was almost time for lunch, I suggested we head out for some Dim Sum first. We decided on Fortune Garden since we had just talked about it. You see, Viv and I were across the street at McD's a week prior and remarked that it has been at that location forever (in one shape or form). It was about time we paid them a visit considering the last time I was here, my age was in single digits.

Being a Szechuan restaurant, we decided the Szechaun Beef Noodle was a must try. It arrived first and it was hit and miss in one bowl. We really liked the beef, since it was super tender and not overly fatty. The thin noodles were al dente, yet gooey for some reason. The soup was pleasant enough, not lacking flavour per se, but it was not in the least spicy. So much so, my daughter ate it without complaints. This was an okay bowl of noodles which could be a whole lot better. We then proceeded to some Cantonese Dim Sum items starting with the Haw Gow (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings). For a Szechaun joint, these were pretty good. Although the dumpling skin was a touch sticky, the shrimp filling had a good snap and was seasoned just enough that it didn't overwhelm the shrimp.

As a filler of sorts, we got the Pan-Fried Daikon Pudding Cakes. I use the word "filler" because it essentially fills up your stomach, which means you order less. Not sure why we did this since it was only Viv and I with the kids. And no, we didn't finish it. It was not bad though. A touch on the stiffer side, yet fried until crisp on the outside, there was enough slivers of daikon and Chinese Sausage for flavour. From the
subtle-tasting back to Szechuan, we got the Spicy Wontons. I wouldn't necessarily have called these bland, but it wasn't as impactful as I would've liked. Sure, there was chili oil as you can clearly see in the picture. I guess we could've just used a bit more. I'm pretty sure they make this dish to appeal to as many people as possible. Thus, someone could easily asked for it to be prepared spicier. As for the wontons, they were pretty standard pork wontons which more or less did their job (as a blank canvas for the spicy oil and soy mixture).

Now drumroll... Yes, it is the ever-so-ordered Soy-Fried Rice Noodle Rolls. Although I am completely indifferent about this dish, my son can't do without it. These were pretty typical. The texture was about right where it was chewy while soft at the same time. They were quite greasy though and could've stood for more browning. Also, for some odd reason, there was no accompanying sauces such as the usual hoisin and sesame. Onto something that my son wouldn't even considering eating (which is not a stretch because there are many people who are probably in the same boat) was the Phoenix Talons or otherwise known as Chicken Feet. For those unfamiliar, these are first fried, then tossed in an oyster-based sauce with garlic and peppers, then steamed. What makes a good chicken feet dish? Well, first of all, the skin should be in one piece and not shriveled up and peeling (yes, not a great gastronomical description). Furthermore, the gelatin underneath the skin should be intact since that what makes this dish so good. This was more or less the case here and it was surprisingly decent.

Another decent offering was the Steamed Black Bean Spareribs. Despite its compacted appearance, the meat was tenderized enough so it was easy to chew. Yet, there was still plenty of meat texture left. For those sparerib connoisseurs, you will notice from the picture that the pieces were good quality. There was a minimal amount of cartilage and fat while most were actual rib pieces. Although there was not a whole lot of black bean itself, the rest of the seasonings (such as the peppers, chili flakes and garlic) made up for it. Okay, we decided to get the Xiao Long Bao even though Fortune Garden is a Szechuan restaurant. We were expecting an average attempt and it was pretty much bang-on. The dumpling skin was on the thicker side and the amount of soup was pretty meager. The meat filling wasn't too bad though. It was not gritty and had some good meat flavour. It could've used some more ginger though. But then again, I'm not going to be too hard on them since they are not a Shanghainese restaurant.

Lastly, we added an order of the Vegetarian Spring Rolls because they didn't have the Chinese Donut. My son was pretty annoyed since he was expecting the latter. In the end, he was happy he got something deep-fried and crispy. These were very crunchy and a touch oily. The shredded cabbage and carrots remained crisp inside. Not sure what type of clientele they are hoping to attract, but the inclusion of sweet plum sauce as a dip was not exactly what we were expecting. Worcestershire sauce please! Whatever the case, the food in general was alright and did the job. Not necessarily anything special enough to compete with the big boys and many of the Dim Sum joints in East Van. However, considering its location where there are not really all that many choices (Szechuan Chongqing and Dynasty), it is no wonder it still exists to this date.

The Good:
- Service was above-average
- Food is serviceable

The Bad:
- Food is alright for the area, but there is better elsewhere
- Szechuan items are watered-down to satisfy a wider range of customers (well, bad for us that is)

The One Spot Soup House

On a recent holiday visit to Herbie the Lovebug's house for dinner, we were discussing great places to eat (of course we would!). While Herbie was proudly showing off his pics from his dinner at Per Se in NYC (Thomas Keller's place) on his iPad, he mentioned another restaurant in town he thought highly of. Oh? Something on the same level as Per Se? Could that be? In Vancouver??? Turns out that Herbie has restaurant ADD and was onto a different type of restaurant. Rather than the a Michelin 3-star establishment, he was referring to a dive known as "the Chinese character for soup" dot com. For those who can't read Chinese characters or were already annoyed at the "artist formerly known as Prince", the English name of the place is the The One Spot Soup House. Herbie was excited that they offered real hot pot rice that had the classic rice crust on the bottom of the pot.

After dropping off our son at Costanza's house for a sleepover, Viv and I head over to 湯.com to see for ourselves. Okay, the place is the true definition of a dive. No decor whatsoever and with Costco chairs and a few tables, this was it. No matter, if the food is good, who really cares? As the name of the place suggests, we went for the Herbal Chicken Soup to start. Presented in its own clay pot with paper sealing the top, the soup was served boiling hot. There was definitely a herbal flavour to it, in this case "Ching Bo Leun". The meat itself was quite tough, but it was meant for flavour more than anything. With a sprinkle of salt, the soup was pretty satisfying especially for a cold, wet day. After this, there as a long wait period of about 20 minutes because every order of hot pot rice is made from scratch.

We ended up getting 2 hot pot rice and each came with a complimentary soup (which was good) and a small container of pickled daikon and carrots. Viv went for the Chicken Hot Pot Rice with shiitake mushrooms and Chinese preserved sausage topped with a few stalks of yau choy. The hot pots average around $7.00 and for the amount of food, it is a fair price. There should be enough to satisfy one person. Back to the hot pot, there was plenty of moist, tender chicken atop the perfectly chewy rice.A bottle of sweetened soy sauce was provided at the table if needed. We were quite conservative with the soy since the chicken had sufficient seasoning already (especially combined with the Chinese sausage).

For myself, I had the Pork and Preserved Vegetable Hot Pot Rice. I added a salted duck egg as well. They weren't stingy on the meat as it was a thick patty almost totally covering the rice. The meat was smooth, bouncy and tender. The bits of preserved veggie added some zing and saltiness to the moderately seasoned meat. I particularly liked that the meat wasn't overly fatty either. But the real treat was at the bottom and sides of the hot pot. The "fan gew" or rice crust was crunchy and nutty. Very aromatic and texturally pleasing to eat. If someone wanted to point out that these type of hot pot rice at Dim Sum restaurants usually costs less, the reason is that they are normally steamed, not over a flame. Furthermore, these here have not been sitting around, they are made-to-order and it shows in the final product. Certainly not the most sexiest food out there, but it is something comforting and
inexpensive.

The Good:
- Fair pricing
- Prepared fresh
- Lots of choices

The Bad:
- The decor makes wonton noodle joints look luxurious
- Service is friendly, but sparse

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

Lunch with Vandelay can be dangerous at times. You see, he loves to eat (possibly more than me!) and when he does, he goes all out. When he eats ramen, it can only be the fatty pork. If it is a smoked meat sammie, it has to be full fat. And when he has pork belly, there is no wastage at all, the whole thing goes in his mouth. For people who really know food, Vandelay is doing it right. But if we look at healthy eating, this would be the complete antithesis. Hence, whenever I'm out for eats with him, it sets me further back if there is a blood test on the horizon. So I suggested to him that we should eat "healthy" for once. How about Shizen Ya? They serve good-for-you Japanese food right? Vandelay reluctantly agreed and as we were walking up Nelson, our attention took a sharp detour to the left. What's this? A new restaurant right next to Relish? Oh no, here we go again... We went from healthy eats to non-healthy in a blink of an eye. Curse you Vandelay!

Apparently, there is now a Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ in Vancouver. With over 700 locations worldwide, this is a serious chain restaurant. As such, we would naturally go for the BBQ, but first, we had a few appies. Incidentally, all of them were fried. Curse you again Vandelay! So we started with the Spicy Salmon Volcano which was a whipped salmon and spicy mayo concoction sitting atop fried sushi rice. I would say the best way to describe it was "interesting". I wasn't really fond of the fried sushi rice. It was a touch too hard and gummy. The salmon "mousse" on top was slightly spicy and sweet. Up next was the Fried Calamari with chili mayo dolloped on the plate. This was good. The squid was tender and still moist while the batter was crispy and light. Dipped into the chili mayo, it was a pleasant experience (not sure if this is the right way to describe it, but we were indeed feeling pleasant...).

For our last appie, we had the Chicken Karaage which consisted of boneless dark meat pieces. These were fried up perfectly crisp while the meat was moist and juicy. There was a proper amount of salt which added enough flavour. After our fried food tour, we then proceeded to the fatty meat portion of the meal. Curse you Vandelay! We settled on the Meat Lover's set meal which included rice, soup and salad. The meats on the plate consisted of Toro Beef, Chuck Kalbi and Bistro Harami. We thought the portion size for the price was fair especially considering the quality of the meat. When cooked on the BBQ, the meats were tender and properly seasoned. Probably the best thing going for them are their super hot and effective BBQs. It may look like Korean BBQ, but believe me, these are some of the most powerful and even-temperature table BBQs I've ever cooked on in a restaurant. No dead spots and barely any meat sticking to the cooking grate. Furthermore, the ventilation worked well in dissipating the large amount of smoke emanating from the BBQ.

Hey, the meal was good. Nothing Earth-shattering, but solid nonetheless. Healthy? Well, that would be up for debate wouldn't it? Curse you Vandelay! Other than the awesome BBQs, the most memorable thing was the service. It was super-attentive to the point of being almost intrusive. Yet, we'd take that over crappy service any day.

The Good:
- Super attentive service
- Really good BBQ equipment
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- A little pricey (but similar to other restaurants of this ilk)

Hai Phong

Every year, it seems like we do the same things around Christmas time. Like clockwork, we made the trek out to Metropolis to get Santa photos with the kiddies. However, while we were in the long lineup (even before Santa arrived for his morning shift), it quickly dawned on us that we really should be somewhere else. Why? Well, it was a glorious sunny day and the following week would not be so glorious. Hence, it would probably be the best day to do the Stanley Park Christmas train. Seeing how it was already 11:00am, we made an executive decision to ditch the Santa lineup in favour for the Christmas train lineup. So we high-tailed it Downtown, making it to Stanley Park in 30 minutes. Viv jumped out of the car to encounter a lineup spilling out beyond the front gates. What parents do for their kids... We ended up getting the tickets for 8:30pm and considered ourselves lucky since as we left, the lineup stretched far into the parking lot. There must be a better way to do this!

Now with the kiddies complaining of hunger and Viv frozen from standing in line for an hour, the only solution in my mind was Pho. Quick, hot, cheap and accessible - that was the plan. Viv queried where and I confidently stated we would drive down Kingsway and find our way. Hai Phong ended up as our eating destination partly due to Kaiser Soze (he kept raving about it all summer). So what's so special about this place anyways, especially with all the other Vietnamese joints nearby? The thick menu consisting of items not normally found in the run-of-the-mill Pho joints was a clue. With dishes that are similar to Phnom Penh and Mui Ngo Gai, one could technically eat here for weeks on end and not have a bowl of Pho. But guess what Viv had? Yes, a bowl of Pho Dac Biet. Oh well... It was a fairly healthy portion with tender meats and a fragrant broth that had a slight spice at the end. Noodles were al dente as well. Solid bowl of Pho.

For myself, I had the Dry Noodles (which are very similar to the one you'd find at Phnom Penh). As you can see, they weren't shy about loading it up with shrimp, pork stomach, tongue, quail egg, pork and liver. There was just enough sweet soy underneath to wet the noodles while not taking away from their chewiness. Pretty good size for a small order. Of course a small bowl of noodles would never satisfy my appetite, so I got an order of the Lemongrass Chicken and Pork Chop on broken rice with fried egg. Sometimes, the lemongrass is an afterthought with this dish. Not here, lots of fragrance and flavour, in addition to the nice char on the meats. The deboned chicken thigh was super moist while the pork chop really needed more tenderization. The broken rice was perfect in texture, a touch dry and chewy.

For the kiddies, we got them the kid's Pho Ga which came with 2 quail eggs (but Viv stuck the one from my dish into it to make it 3). The chicken was super moist while the broth was light while flavourful at the same time. The kiddies liked it and that made us happy. Normally, a visit to a Vietnamese restaurant does not elicit much excitement nor any huge desire to do another visit right away. However, the stuff at Hai Phong was unique and good enough for us to think about returning.

The Good:
- Large and diverse menu
- Decent portions
- Food is above-average

The Bad:
- Service is good, but can be extremely sparse when busy
- Tables are tightly packed

Zest

New Year's Eve. Boy, the last time we partied hard was in 1999. No kidding! Not sure if we partied like it was 1999 though. I think we ended up at this warehouse South of Marine Drive somewhere in Vancouver. It was this makeshift event which was alright I guess. All I remember was I had to walk like 10 blocks in the cold because there was no parking and a lot of confetti when the clock struck midnight. I think shortly after that, we just stopped partying. At least that is what I remember. Well, not much has changed since then because when you got kids, party is defined by how many balloons you ordered from the dollar store. So when Snake asked if Viv and I would be interested in joining him and Snake Charmer for dinner on New Year's Eve, that intrigued us. So much so, we actually convinced my parents to look after the kids. Yes, we got to go out on NYE! Well, not to party of course, just a nice dinner.

Initially, Snake was hoping to try the Omakase at Octopus' Garden after reading my post. Alas, it was not meant to be since they were closed until the New Year. As an alternative, I suggested Zest since they had an Omakase too. Furthermore, Richer Guy was so impressed with the place, he called me out-of-the-blue to tell me about it. We considered doing the Omakase, but in the end Snake and I opted for the Dinner Course menu while Viv had the Tasting Course and Snake Charmer did a la carte. As part of our meal, Snake and I started with the Sashimi Salad. The salad consisted of a bed of mesclun greens topped with sashimi which included 2 pieces each of sockeye salmon, red tuna, albacore tuna and hokkigai. The fantastic soy ginger salad dressing was served on the side. The best part of the salad was the sashimi (which it should be) since it was vibrant, fresh and sweet. A great start to the meal. Snake Charmer actually ordered the full-sized version and really enjoyed hers as well. As an FYI, the tasting-sized salad was not considerably smaller.

As for Viv, she had the Spinach Gomae to start. Notice how there was not a goopy mess-of-a-salad dressing on top? Yes, the typical way of doing it for most "Japanese" restaurants is to merely plop a massive amount of sweet-as-candy sesame dressing over blanched spinach and call it gomae. Surprisingly, Snake Charmer (who is Japanese) said she really doesn't mind that version. Okay, I guess we are being picky then? Anyways, for me personally, I prefer toasted sesame over lightly dressed spinach. The one here at Zest was somewhat of a hybrid. It did have the toasted sesame seeds on top, yet also had a sesame miso dressing that was quite sweet. It was conservatively used though and it had a rich sesame flavour. Combined with perfectly blanched spinach, this was an above-average gomae. For Viv's next course, she was presented with an alternative form of Seafood Sunomono. Rather than a dressing, it was laced with a vinaigrette gelee. Intermingled with the gelee was 2 large pieces each of Dungeness crab leg meat, hokkigai and ebi. The crab meat was a real treat since it was fresh and sweet. Underneath was some wakame which was a textural contrast. We weren't convinced with the gelee though since it was quite strong with a alcoholic (sake?) aftertaste.

Snake and I were presented with the Hassun platter next which consisted of the chef's choice of assorted appetizers. The first of 4 was the Green Beans with black sesame and miso dressing. The green beans were blanched perfectly where they were cooked while still having a crunch and a vibrant colour. The dark black sesame dressing was very rich being sweet and aromatic. I love black sesame and this was perfect with the beans. Our second appie was the Tuna Tataki with a jalapeno dressing. In addition to being aesthetically-pleasing to look at, the tuna was seared ever-so-slightly and evenly. Hence, the texture of the tuna was not compromised. It was sweet, soft and was accentuated by the surprise of spicy jalapenos. On to the 3rd appie, we had the Snapper Carpaccio with was dressed with
mustard soy. By now, it was expected to be fresh with a nice sheen and this did not disappoint. The fish was sweet and acted as a canvas for the flavourful dressing. The dressing was sweet as well while balanced with a slight bite from the mustard. Lastly, we had something they affectionately called Creamy Parts of Crab. Well, one look and what we really had was the "crab guts, brains or whatever you want to call that is in the head". Hey, that didn't phase us since that is probably the best part of a crab! And yes, there was some creamy parts combined with the usual textures which are slightly similar to an overcooked oyster. Flavorwise, it was sweet with a pleasing bitterness. Yum.

Our next course was the Tempura consisting of 2 tiger prawns, yam, green onions and shiitake mushroom. Okay, I'm going to put myself out there and say that this was some of the best tempura I've ever had, especially the tiger prawns. They were perfectly cooked where there was a crunch and snap when I bit into them which released a wealth of flavour. The natural sweetness and prawn taste was very strong and I really didn't even need the dip. Furthermore, the batter was so very light and crisp. Perfect. For Viv's next course, she had the Fluffy Chili Prawn which was described as beer-battered
prawn served with organic fresh green and
delicious home-made creamy chili sauce & aioli dressing. These were indeed fluffy. Thankfully, that was expected since they weren't very crispy by the time the the sauce began to soak in. Otherwise, I would've wondered about a soggy fried item. The sauce was spicy as advertised. Not burn-your-mouth hot, but there was a kick. Once again, the prawns were very high-quality having a nice snap.

For our mains, Snake and I had a choice. He went for the Beef Rib Eye Steak while I had the other one being the Grilled BC Wild Sablefish. As described on the menu, Snake's ribeye was a 34
days dry-aged Pemberton Meadows Natural Beef
rib eye steak grilled with red miso butter sauce. Underneath the meat lay a wonderful mix of shiitake and enoki mushrooms. The beef was super moist and tender with a good char on the outside. The miso sauce was sweet and silky. I liked the beef, but honestly, the Grilled BC Wild Sablefish was my personal favourite. Since it is such a forgiving fish due its high fat content, it really is hard to mess up a good piece of sablefish. However, I've seen it done and it ain't pretty. So I have to give them props for absolutely nailing the preparation here. The fish was beautiful with its seared skin and buttery appearance. As I dug into it with my fork, I knew I would love this dish. It was flaky, melt-in-my mouth and flavouful.
As for Viv, her menu had no choice of main, so she had to have the Honey Garlic Chicken Sautee. Described on the menu as Maple Hills
Farm chicken thigh sautéed with perfectly
matching honey garlic sauce, this was better than I expected. I love chicken, don't get me wrong. It is just that chicken can be boring sometimes due to the lack of inherent flavour. However, they corrected this by added plenty of pop in the cooking and the sauce. The chicken was moist and tender with a good sear. The sauce was luxurious, sweet and impactful. Despite this, I still loved my sablefish the best... But then again, she didn't have that choice! Onto our last course, Snake and I were presented with an assortment of Nigiri consisting of amaebi, hamachi, Spanish mackerel, sockeye salmon and uni. The sushi rice was on the chewier side, yet well done in our eyes. It had a nice bite with a pleasing flavour of its own. As you can clearly see in the picture, the raw seafood was high quality and well-prepared. Naturally sweet and with all the right textures, we were happy. Viv was presented with a 5 piece plate of nigiri as well. Hers included one piece each of tobiko, tuna, snapper, salmon and hamachi.

Snake Charmer ended up ordering 2 specialty rolls starting with the Dragon Roll. This was a pretty standard version consisting of BBQ eel,lettuce and cucumber with avocado and tobiko on top. Finishing the roll, it was drizzled with sweet unagi sauce. We felt the roll was pretty solid and honestly, there is only so much one can say about a pretty common roll. The rice was good while the ingredients were top-notch. However, the sauce was pretty sweet and it was the predominant flavour. Her second roll was the Rainbow Roll which consisted of avocado, cucumber and real crab topped with slices of tuna, salmon, hamachi, ebi and white fish. Again, the same could be said about this roll where everything was fresh with the good sushi rice which in turn meant the roll was pretty good. I could taste the natural flavours of the ingredients more in this one since there was no heavily sweetened sauce like the dragon roll.

Curiously, Viv's less expensive tasting menu included a choice of ice cream for dessert while the more expensive dinner menu did not. I was pretty full, so I passed on dessert while Snake ordered the same Mango Ice Cream that Viv had. Well, not much to comment other than it was good mango ice cream that was smooth and had a mild mango flavour. I really should have ordered their creme brulee or something, but I was pretty stuffed. In the end, we were pleased with our meal and felt that the food warranted the higher prices. Although we didn't have the Omakase, the 2 tasting meals and Snake Charmer's a la carte choices gave us a good indication of what Zest is about.

The Good:
- Quality ingredients and careful preparation
- Cozy and classy room
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- It ain't cheap
- Room is cozy but the table configuration is kinda weird

Sushi Kaku

Let's see here... A random sushi restaurant that looks pretty sketchy located near a Skytrain station. Oh and it is sandwiched in between a Megabite Pizza and a Subway. What are the chances of finding "good" sushi here? Is this a rhetorical question? Let me throw in one more thing. The Skytrain station is Production Way/SFU. Right, a mass of University students who are usually in a rush and not necessarily in search of "gourmet" food. That is why Sushi Kaku has probably survived all these years. I remember getting takeout from this place 5 years ago and it wasn't that great. I truly thought that time would finally catch up with them. Nope, 5 years later and they're still here!

So while I was in a rush, it seemed like a good idea to try the place out again. So I got a couple of things to go starting with the Salmon and Tuna Sashimi. With fairly large slices of fish, yet at the same time, not cut particularly well, this looked okay appearance-wise. It was in fact okay, specifically the salmon. It had a good texture which was neither mushy nor chewy. Tastewise, it was fine as well, with no fishiness and a touch of sweetness. As for the tuna, not so much. It was mushy (not in a good way) and it had a slight tinge of fishiness. In addition to my sashimi order, I also got a combo which included a California Roll. From its appearance, the rice looked rather gummy. Taking a sample, and my suspicions were right. The rice was indeed gummy and bland. Furthermore, there was very little in the way of avocado in the roll. Pretty average maki sushi.

Lastly, I had Teriyaki Chicken with rice flanked by a green salad and orange slices. From just eyeballing the chicken, I could tell it was dry. Yup, it was dry. The worst part though was the sauce. It resembled a Chinese sweet sauce rather than teriyaki. This could've passed for sesame chicken. Okay, I'm gonna stop here. As you can probably guess, the food here is pretty average at best. Yet, let's get real. They are not catering to me nor anything who really wants good Japanese food. Otherwise, they wouldn't be located where they are. Hence, they have their customers and will continue to do so.

The Good:
- Food comes out quick
- Okay pricing
- Conveniently located for transit-users

The Bad:
- Food is pretty meh
- Decor, what decor? (nah, people get takeout anyways)