Chutney Villa

Normally, when I get an invite from a restaurant, it would either involve myself eating alone or possibly inviting one guest. Sounds about right because what can one expect (most independent places don't have deep pockets)? However, some types of cuisines call for more than 2 people to fully appreciate the diversity of the menu. Of course, any type of food can be shared, if you really wanted to, but some are just meant to be shared. Chinese, Italian, Japanese and Indian immediately come to mind. There are too many to list them all. So when I got an email inviting me to try out the food at Chutney Villa, it got me thinking. You see, I rarely if ever, get an invite from an Asian restaurant. Therefore, I don't often have this dilemma: eating all by myself and ending up trying like a couple of dishes (which I can't finish anyways). That just wouldn't be right or fair to the restaurant. I certainly couldn't write a blog post that would be reflective of the food. So I did something that I've never done before - ask if I could bring a few more guests. Not only did they think it was a great idea, they thought only a few didn't cut it. Thus, I got a grand total of 6 more people to eat with me. Who to invite though? Well Mijune was a no-brainer because she could bat clean-up. I got Viv since she would've killed me otherwise. Miss Y was game and so was Mijune's sister and boyfriend.

For those who are unaware, Chutney Villa is a Southern Indian/Sri Lankan restaurant. Okay, what's the big deal? Well, most of the Indian restaurants in the Lower Mainland are Northern, in particular representing the Punjabi region. Hence, we get the usual naan + rice + curry (such as butter chicken, tandoori chicken and lamb rogan josh). Southern Indian food features more seafood and of course the dosa. Therefore, it is less about the curries and more about other things that we normally do not associate with Indian food. To start things off, we were presented with an array of appetizers. The first one we tried was the Manga Thenga Sundal which consisted of onion, coconut and chickpeas. This was an aromatic and sweet concoction which I liked but did not love. It probably had something to do with my bias towards non-meat dishes. Viv liked this appie the most, so I guess it depends on personal preference. With that being said, it was pleasant enough to eat though.

Now for my favourite appie - the Nandu Puttu which was a mix of crab, coconut, ginger, mustard seed, fennel seeds and onion. I absolutely loved this dish (yes, because there was meat as well). The fluffy crab was sweet and well, crab tasting. There was some spice to go along with the crunch of the seeds and aromatics of the shredded coconut. I could've eaten the whole thing myself it hadn't been for the gazillion other dishes that were served. Moving along, we had the Chicken 65 next presented on a cast iron plate. This was a combination of fried chicken morsels with red onion, pepper and basil. They used dark meat which resulted in a moist and flavourful nugget. It was only mildly spicy and it took on the aromatics of the peppers and onions. The Aachi Varuval (fried cauliflower in a peppery rice & lentil batter) was something I really wanted to compare with Nuba's crispy cauliflower. Alas, this would be like comparing apples to oranges. However, I couldn't get it out of my mind since the ones here were a touch dense due to the heavier lentil flour. Other than that, it was still crispy and the cauliflower had a stiff texture (which is good, mushy is not what you want). Our last appie was the Era Varuval or fried spiced prawns. These did not have any batter on them other than the spice rub which resembled tandoori while at the same time saltier. I actually found these to be overly salty. Mijune didn't think so since she has a higher tolerance to sodium. Other than the salt content, I like the prawns. They had a nice snap and were very flavourful. A squirt of lime brought a bit of balance to the flavours though.

By now, I was pretty full from just the appetizers! Then a a big plate of Paratha (South Indian-style of course) showed up. Much like a roti, this was our carbs that went with the upcoming main dishes. By appearance alone, the paratha was appealing with a nice crisp exterior that was beautifully browned. It was chewy in a good kind of way and had a underlying sweetness. Onto the mains, we were presented with the Chicken Biryani consisting of 3 chicken drumsticks and a hard-boiled egg nestled in perfectly cooked rice. The rice was chewy and hit the sweet spot between dry and moist. I found the flavours to be slightly muted except for the strong aromatic coconut hit. Although there was plenty of chicken, it was slightly dry. As for the egg, it was overcooked with a dark ring around the yolk.

Arriving on a large platter was the Madras Lamb Curry. This could've been ordered a la carte or as a Thali (which you see here). Along with rice and papadum, there was pachadi (which is similar to raita), sambar, side veg, rasam, dessert and vadai (hidden underneath the papadum). As for the lamb curry, it was like a visit to flavour town where the lamb was moist and tender with a spicy and zesty kick. The masala exhibited many layers of flavour including ginger and of course cumin. Something we don't see much in Northern Indian cuisine is seafood, but for the South, that is a different story due to their proximity to the ocean. Hence, we got some blue crab in what they call the Deluxs Special. The crab was laced with black pepper, fresh coconut, fennel, chillies & curry leaves. There was a lingering spice which was quite pleasant (and not stinging). We also sensed a good deal of ginger which also added another layer of flavour. Now the spices were good, but since the crab was obviously not live, the flesh was soft and not that fluffy. That hindered my appreciation for this dish somewhat.

We'd already had lamb, but then we were presented with something a bit more "mature" with the Mutton Devilled which is a Ceylon (Sri Lankan) specialty consisting of mutton with red onions, red pepper and spices. Since the meat is from sheep, mutton is typically tougher than lamb. However, they did a good job cooking the meat here where it was tender. Big hits of cumin and peppers complimented the mild heat of the spices. With all this meat, it was time for a vegetarian dish in the form of eggplant. Yet another Ceylon specialty, the Katrika Pall Curry consisted of eggplant with coconut milk and subtle spices (the most obvious being turmeric for the colour). The curry was smooth and indeed mild. There were the usual flavours combined with the rich coconut milk. I liked how the eggplant was cooked all the way through without becoming a mushy mess.

Now Southern Indian cuisine wouldn't be complete without a Dosa would it? We were presented with a Masala Dosa stuffed with potatoes, peas and carrots. Sambar was served on the side. For those unfamiliar with a dosa, it is a rolled rice and lentil flour crepe usually filled (or can be eaten plain) with potatoes or a meat curry. The dosa here was pretty good where the crepe was crisp and light. The filling was pretty standard with soft potatoes laced with spicy curry. By now, I was lolly-gagging my way through the meal. However, Mijune was eating away like she had been stranded on an island for the last month. Wilson! Wait, that's Tom Hanks... Anyways, to my utter surprise, we were presented with the Chicken Kothu Rotti. I looked at it with confusion. I've never had this dish before, but Mijune apparently had - as she took time away from her chewing to explain it to us. She described it as their version of the Chinese "Gon Chow Ngau Ho" (stir-fried rice noodles). Naturally, it wasn't exactly the same thing, but we got the idea. Instead of noodles, they used shredded Paratha with egg, chicken and spices. I found it to be dense and doughy, yet in a good kind of way. There was a good balance of sweetness to go with the savoury and spice.

As we were eating, I had made the comment that since we had the vadai, the only thing missing was the Idli. I should have kept my mouth shut, as they heard me and voila, an order of Idli (with a side of sambar) showed up on the table. These rice and lentil flour steamed cakes are reminiscent of Chinese steamed rice flour buns. These were fluffy and nicely prepared. Normally, one would dip the idli into the sambar much like grilled cheese into tomato soup. However, I like putting chutney onto mine. We were actually supplied with 4 different Chutneys at the beginning of the meal (hey their name is Chutney Villa after all!). Clockwise from the bottom, we had the coconut, apple, spicy onion and peach. I really liked the coconut as it was spicy, gingery and aromatic. Also, this is the one normally served with an idli. My second favourite was the spicy onion as it had a kick and curry hit. The sweet chutneys were good, but for me, I liked the savoury-spicy ones more.

Lastly, we had dessert in the form of Gulab Jamun, Mango Ice Cream and Kesari. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of gulab jamun, so I didn't have any. Therefore, I'm going to focus on the most interesting one in the Kesari, which is a combination of flour, ghee (clarified butter), cashews and sugar. The orange tinge is thanks to some food colouring. This was doughy in a buttery way and bearably sweet. The roasted cashews helped with texture and added a nice flavour (although, I'm not a huge fan of doughy sweets). After all these dishes, we were pretty satisfied with most of them. Naturally, if I had come here myself without the invitation, it would've been unrealistic to try so many dishes. With that in mind, there were very few things we didn't like as a table. The food was both flavourful and interesting since we don't get a whole lot of Southern Indian food in Vancouver. *Please note the meal was comped*

The Good:
- Something a bit different from most other Indian restaurants
- Flavours were varied and balanced

The Bad:
- As with any meal, some things were better than others (but that is normal)
- Although the flavours were pretty good, we could've used a touch more spice

Pho Linh

After attending the Pulled Pork Competition at the BC Home & Garden Show where we were tortured by the sights and smell (without being able to actually try it!), Viv and I were starving. So without further ado, we hightailed it outta there in search of eats. Whenever we are short on time and still want something tasty (that does not have a drive-thru), we always turn to the standby - Pho. And where would we find such a thing? Duh. Kingsway of course. However, while we took the turnoff from Main onto Kingsway, I remembered Pho Linh near Hime Sushi, so I took an immediate left onto Broadway.

We got one each of the Salad Roll and Spring Roll to start. As much as these items can be rather cliched in terms of Vietnamese food, we were pretty happy with them. The salad roll was rolled tight where the filling did not fall out, yet not squished at the same time. We liked how the shrimp was seasoned and that added an extra punch of flavour. One thing we would've like to see was Thai basil mixed in with the greens. We thought the spring roll was even better. Before we even ate any, the use of rice wrappers made it legit. They were fried up golden brown and were crisp. The best part was the filling. It was moist, not-gritty and full of flavour. There was good hits of fish sauce and onions. It tasted good on its own, even without the nuoc mam cham.

Viv went for the Pho Dac Biet and for a small bowl, there was no absence of noodles and meat. This could pass for a large bowl in some places (Vietnamese Restaurant and Phố Hoàng Tung come to mind). The soup was on the lighter side, however, it wasn't without flavour (seemed light on the MSG too). It was pretty balanced. The meats were plentiful and tender as well. Since Viv had the Pho, I resorted to ordering something different in the Bun Bo Hue. When it first arrived, I was a bit skeptical since the "spiciness" seemed merely plopped on one side of the bowl. However, one taste of the broth and there was a definite lemongrass hit and a decent amount of heat. I really wasn't expecting that. You know how some places where it is hard to differentiate between a regular beef broth and the bun bo hue broth? Not here, it was obvious. Now, I'm not saying this is the best I've ever had, but it was pretty good for what it was. Again, there was plenty of meat and a good amount of noodles (wished there was a pork knuckle though). The one complaint we had about these bowls of noodles was the temperature of the broth. It could've been hotter.

For no other reason other than we just had to try a rice dish, we also ordered the Lemongrass Chicken on Rice. Once again, the portion size was pretty good and the chicken certainly had lemongrass flavour. The meat was a bit flat which in turn made it slightly dry in spots, but it wasn't too bad. There was some char on some parts, yet we could've stood for more. The rice was prepared properly being neither too wet not dry. As you can ascertain, the meal as a whole was pretty good. It wasn't the best Vietnamese we've ever had in town, but it is certainly above-average. Coupled with the personable service and reasonable prices, Pho Linh is a place we would probably make a return visit.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Good portions
- Good service

The Bad:
- Much like many other Vietnamese restaurants, things are haphazardly placed and there is no ambiance at all
- At night, the place is kinda dark (sorta nitpicking here)

Oscar's Pub

Generally, I tend to ignore most of the emails I get from Groupon, Living Social and the lot. It's not because there aren't any good deals to be found, I'm just not confident I'll remember to use them. Furthermore, there have been a few issues I've encountered in the past which leads me to believe some restaurants were not equipped to handle the extra volume and/or didn't specify the conditions clearly on the discount itself. Therefore, I am very cautious in my coupon purchases. With that in mind, I'm pretty sure I threw all those considerations out the window when I hastily purchased 2 Groupons to Oscar's Pub late one night. I figured it would be a great place for the hockey team to meet up after our Friday night game. So I immediately shot out an email to everyone suggesting this. I hoped for a good response. Otherwise, I'd be stuck with $60.00 worth of food all for myself! Well, fortunately, everyone was on board since it was a convenient location, we planned to meet up right after the game. Problem being... I forgot my camera! There was only one solution - go home and get it. Believe it or not, I still made it there before everyone else. What are they doing in the locker room anyways??? A long hot shower? I'd rather not know...

Usually Bear is the last to make it out of the locker room, but he was actually the next person to arrive, so maybe he was just hungry. After all, this was the first time we've seem him all Winter. Must be his annual hibernation thing. As such, he had 2 items starting with the Brisket Stuffed Yorkies. This is seemingly becoming more and more popular, especially in gastropubs. These consisted of Yorkshire pudding stuffed with slow roasted beef brisket and horseradish aioli. Housemade au jus was served on the side. We found the brisket to be quite dry and even with a good dousing of the wonderful au jus, it didn't seem to help the cause. When I first spotted Bear's second item, I was confused as to what it was. Apparently it was a Guinness Stew of some sort. By looking at the colour, it resembled the filling of a chicken pot pie than anything else. It was surely thick and chunky, but it was also bland and had no depth. Sweet Tooth did order a dessert, but before that she had the Chicago Steak Bites topped with Dijon mustard. These were simply prepared with cracked black pepper and salt. Despite its nicely seared appearance, the actual meat was tough and chewy. It required quite the effort to eat. Either it needed less cooking and/or more tenderization. On the other hand, the simple preparation with just a drizzle of Dijon was tasty.

Ginger wasn't too hungry and in fact was more interested in the barely sandwiches. Thus, he went for something small in the Scotch Egg with chorizo sausage and ranch dressing. As evidenced in the picture, the egg was perfectly cooked. The sausage added some spice which was cooled down with the ranch dressing. It was on the oilier side, but then again, it was fried. Ginseng ordered something healthier (in a pub no less) with the Westcoast Bowl consisting of Oregon shrimp, cucumber, nori, avocado, sprouts, sriracha chili, sushi rice and wasabi dressing. From its appearance, the bowl looked substantial and fresh. Indeed it was vibrant in both colour and taste. However, the sushi rice underneath was not very good. It appeared to be day-old and suffered degradation in the fridge. With that being said, we did cut them some slack because I'm sure they don't go through a lot of sushi rice.

Milhouse went for his pub standby in the Bangers and Mash. However, this was not your typical version of the traditional English dish. This one consisting of 2 chorizo sausages, beer kraut, kale, a potato croquette and caramelized onion jus. Yes, this was definitely "different" and he pretty much concurred that was the best description. The individual components were good with a crispy croquette and flavourul chorizo. For myself, I had the Buffalo Chicken Burger which was fantastic. The main protein, which was the buttermilk fried chicken breast, was moist and juicy. Although the crispy coating was crunchy and tasty, it really didn't adhere to the chicken and slid off with each bite. The combination of pickled celery, hot sauce, blue cheese, chilli aioli, lettuce, tomato and red onion created a flavour explosion. There was no absence of spice and with the blue cheese, it definitely recreated the hot wings experience in a kasier bun. As for the fries, they were pretty crispy despite its dark appearance.

I actually shared my burger with Emilicious because she indicated she wanted to split her Ulitimate Burger with me. How could I turn that down? Her burger was a combination of a 6 oz beef patty with slow roasted brisket, bacon, blue cheese, LTOP and horseradish aioli. This was a substantial burger that could've been a whole lot better. The beef patty itself was dry and full of chewy non-meat pieces which made it unappetizing. Furthermore, the brisket was dry (just like in the yorkies) and that made it difficult for the to other components to compensate. On the plus side, the yam fries were fried perfectly. Interestingly, the Mini-Burgers were significantly better. Gordo liked his burgers partly because the beef patties were hand-formed. Hence, they were different than the one in the Ultimate. Makes me think they should make all their burgers with the same meat then.

Lastly, Sweet Tooth couldn't possibly have a complete meal without dessert right? So she had the Chocolate Brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce. For a pub, this was a decent attempt. The exterior was crisp while the inside was chocolatly (not in a dark chocolate way though) and sweet. Any lack of refinement was completely made up by portion size and value. This could've easily passed for 2 orders. Well, we had reasonable expectations going in and Oscar's essentially met them. I wouldn't say there was anything that stood out nor was there anything completely inedible either (well, the stew thingy wasn't that great though). It did the job for what it was for a reasonable price.

The Good:
- Decent value
- Pretty good service

The Bad:
- Food is so-so
- Interior is a bit tired

Jade Dynasty

Taking things for granted... That's a pretty normal phenomenon. We do that with our spouses, family, friends, pets, possessions and in Richmond, our safety. For me, it is Rich Guy. Generally, when he comes back from the Philippines, he is a consistant eating companion. Now that he is back for good, I haven't eaten with him for months. Yes, I have taken him for granted. So much so, he had to initiate a food adventure this time around! Actually, what he really wanted to do was to buy a Chinese Cheongsam for his daughter. On my suggestion, we headed to Chinatown to my go to place for Cheongsam (I have a go to place for this?!?!?) which is KK Boutique. Conveniently located across the street from our eating destination - Jade Dynasty.

From the outside, the place looked super-shady with the typical tacky yellow-red awning and pictures of various dishes. On the inside, it was surprisingly clean and spacious. Shockingly, their washroom was rather decent considering the restaurant's location. Like many Dim Sum services these days, we were presented with an order sheet. We proceeded to mark off 8 items to which our server reminded us that we ordered a lot of food. We acknowledged her concerns, but little did she know that we could actually do more! The first item to arrive was the Stuffed Eggplant. These could've been fried a touch less as the outer layer of shrimp and eggplant were getting dry and leathery. However, on the inside, the eggplant was fine while the shrimp was slightly chewy. We weren't impressed with the black bean sauce as it had more colour than taste.

Next came the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll which was very good. The rice noodle was soft and just a touch thick, yet exhibited a desirable elasticity which ensured that it didn't fall apart when picked up. There was plenty of medium-sized shrimp which had a good snap texture, however, they seemed to lack seasoning for some reason. I do realize there was sweet soy on the plate, but the shrimp needed to be seasoned as well. Okay, we did it again. We ordered Xiao Long Bao in a non-Shanghainese Dim Sum meal. So we had low expectations. Even with that, these XLBs were terrible. First of all, they were far too big. Stuffed inside the overly thick and doughy wrapper was some pretty chewy, sinewy, fatty meat. There was no soup to speak of as well. The only good thing was the good amount of ginger flavour. Serves us right for ordering these.

Thankfully, the Haw Gow was pretty good. The dumpling skin was a touch thick while still exhibiting a nice texture and elasticity. The whole shrimp inside was crunchy with little in the way of filler (which would explain why it was quite loose as well). The Sui Mai was even better in my opinion. Although being on the sweeter side, there was just the right amount of seasoning where we could still taste the pork, shrimp and shiitake, yet at the same time, not have one component overwhelm the other. The best thing of all though was bounce texture of the meat and the snap of the shrimp. This is what sui mai should be like. For some reason or another, we decided to get a large bowl of Chicken Congee as well. "Home-made looking" was probably the best way to describe it. It was very white and not really all that thick (probably more like watery). However, that was the only home-made part of it since it was very flavourful in an MSG kind of way. On the other hand, there was a significant ginger and onion presence also. Furthermore, it was loaded with large pieces of de-boned chicken leg meat which was moist and tender with all of the skin and fat removed.

Rich Guy and I had a difference of opinion when it came to the Pork Spareribs. He found them overly chewy and over-seasoned while I thought the shortcomings were not too significant. I did agree that the meat could've been tenderized a touch more and also they should have been less aggressive with the MSG. However, as a whole, the portion was pretty generous and most pieces were of the rib variety which meant less fat and cartilage. Also, I could really taste the mix of black bean, garlic and peppers which is not always the case with this dish. Lastly, and I mean really lastly (as it took awhile from the spareribs to this dish), the Panfried Daikon Radish Cake arrived. These were some pretty large cuts of radish cake as you can clearly see from the thickness and the fact they barely fit onto the plate. We found them a touch dense and slightly dry. However, the panfry was decent and they apparently didn't use much oil (which would be another explanation of it being dry as well). There was large chunks of daikon and plenty of Chinese sausage which added a nice flavour. I didn't even need to drench it into hot sauce. To our server's surprise, we had dusted off all of the food except 2 of the XLBs (for good reason). Despite the XLBs and some minor issues with the food, the Dim Sum was above-average at a fairly reasonable cost (considering the portion size). We wouldn't normally hit up Dim Sum in Chinatown since that would mean going to Floata (ew...), however Jade Dynasty is a viable option (especially ever since Kam Wai ceased their restaurant operations).

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Okay pricing
- Surprisingly clean considering where it is located

The Bad:
- Some issues here and there regarding the food (but nothing is perfect anyways)
- Parking can be a headache

Brioche

Last time when Whipping Girl and I went for lunch at the Greedy Pig, we had actually considered picking up some items from Brioche as we walked by. In fact, we even went in with the intention of doing so. However, common sense prevailed and we decided to not eat anymore. What? Not eat more food? What is wrong with me? Well, we just had shared 3 sandwiches a soup at the Greedy Pig... I know, maybe I'm off my game or something. Stop eating, how crazy is that??? Well, we were determined to return someday, especially considering it is one of Whipping Girl's regular lunch time options. So on a rainy Vancouver day (wait, isn't that any day?), we headed over there for some grub.

Luckily we were early because the places gets packed quickly. Being a small restaurant, that would also mean a lack of seating too (there is a secret dining area in the back though). This is further complicated by the fact one orders from the counter first and then has to look for a table. As we ate our lunch, there were many who left not wanting to wait for a seat. For some odd reason, we both ended up with vegetarian items. What? First, we had stopped eating last time after the Greedy Pig and now we abstained from meat? What has the world come to??? What's next? The Maple Leafs winning the Stanley Cup? Wait, that's going a bit too far. So back to the food. Whipping Girl started with a Salad consisting of mesclun greens, cucumber, tomato and feta. Now for me, a salad is usually a salad unless there is some interesting ingredient. Well, the ingredients were fresh and typical, but the dressing was very tasty. It was like an Italian dressing but not. There was a good combination of spices and acidity which even made me like it.

For her main, she had the Spinach, Feta, Mushroom and Mozzarella Pizza. It's pretty obvious from the picture that there was a good amount of cheese on top which in turn made the pizza quite tasty (in addition to the other toppings and zesty tomato sauce). The crust was a bit different as it resembled soft focaccia bread. For myself, I decided to start with one of their featured soups being the Crab & Shrimp Bisque. This was not as rich and creamy as I would've liked. In fact, it was tart and in a way, like a creamy tomato soup. The shellfish aroma and essence was very slight, overwhelmed by the acidity. I did enjoy the fact it was not salty though (which some bisques can be).

As aforementioned, I had a vegetarian dish being the Eggplant Parmigiana. Although the portion size seemed rather small, it was rich and filling. The eggplant was nicely textured where it retained some integrity despite being soft. There was just enough tart tomato sauce where it didn't become a soggy mess, however, the whole thing was quite salty. By virtue of using Parmesan, that would be a given, but this was a bit too much. To counteract the sodium, we got 2 desserts to go (because there was a burgeoning lineup). The Tiramisu was not really sweet nor was there a tonne of distinguishing flavours. With that being said, I didn't mind it either. The mildness suited me just fine as with slightly stiffer texture. The second dessert was the Pear Torte which was laced with big slices of tender aromatic pear. Only semi-sweet and quite dense, this was a pretty heavy dessert. Strangely, even though there was nothing that appealing about it, I kept picking at it and eventually finished it.

While I though the food from Brioche was pretty decent, it left me somewhat confused. More than a few people have raved about the place, yet my experience was pretty average, if not slightly above average. Maybe I need a larger sample size to more adequately make up my mind about the place. I'm game for a revisit and maybe I'll try a few more items just for good measure. I'm sure Whipping Girl will be more than happy to join me.

The Good:
- Food is decent
- Service is friendly
- Nice vibe

The Bad:
- Lack of seating (although there is another dining area in the back)
- Not sure if I had high expectations, but I was expecting more?