Volcano Sushi

The dreaded backup restaurant. You know, the one that you have to settle for because Plan A was an epic fail. It's those types of places where you always keep in your back pocket if nothing else comes to mind. That was the case when the hockey team tried to visit Via Tevere on its opening week. Imagine the hostess' reaction when I requested a table for 12 considering the place was packed. I'm surprised she didn't just laugh at me. Well, maybe she was laughing inside, but she held it together. The chances of us getting a table before they closed was as good as Sean Avery getting a hot blonde girlfriend. Wait... Scratch that. What gives with that anyways? I digress. So we made an executive decision to grab eats somewhere else. Lionel Hutz chimed in with a nearby place called Volcano Sushi.

Yah, most of us were pretty familiar with the place. Formerly Wonton Noodles, Volcano Sushi cannot be missed while driving down Hastings due to the flaming awning (no, it's not on fire). Fine, we decided it was close enough and with a bunch of hungry people, we weren't going to be really that choosey. With a brief cameo appearance, Polka King joined us for eats. It probably had a lot to do with Polka Dot's presence (I guess she could keep an eye on him). Along with Gordo and Sweet Tooth, we decided to share some grub. The first item to arrive was the Gyozas. If they called these anything but gyozas, they would have been some really good dumplings. Unlike typical gyozas, the filling consisted of pork, shiitake, cabbage and carrot. Normally, there is only cabbage, pork and onion. With all that being said, the dumplings were fluffy with a moist filling and a thin wrapper.

Since we had 5 people sharing, the best bang for the buck was one of their sushi combos. We went for the largest one being the Titanic. Ominously named, this consisted of sashimi, nigiri and choice of 2 specialty rolls. As evidenced in the picture, the Sashimi was vibrant and aesthetically-pleasing. Nothing wrong with the salmon, tuna, toro, hokkigai or Ika, yet the ebi was not as buttery as we would've liked (but that is nit-picking). As a result, the Nigiri (sockeye salmon, tuna, Atlantic salmon, chopped scallop, ungai, tako and ebi) was good as well. We did notice the rice was strong on the vinegar by itself, but it was okay when combined with the fish. The texture was slightly gummy. The best thing about the sushi platter was the 2 fried ebi heads. I absolutely love head! Er... Luckily for me, no one wanted any, so I got head twice! Uh...

Anyways, for our 2 specialty rolls, we got the Dragon and Vancouver. I would say that both rolls (if ordered a la carte) are not bad for the price ($8.95). Pretty standard stuff really. The rolls were neither offensive nor memorable either. For a filler dish (if we actually needed one), we had the Oyako Don. The rice itself was prepared nicely being chewy with the right amount of moisture. However, everything else was way too salty. The vermicelli was soft and salty while the chicken and egg were salty as well. We could've done without the plethora of fatty chicken skin as well. Lastly, we had the Assorted Tempura which was quite greasy with slightly thick batter. It was okay.

Emilicious had the Chiraishi Don which had a decent assortment of sashimi. Naturally, it was on par with what we had in our platter. She was a bit more sensitive to the vinegary sushi rice than we were. She was pretty indifferent with her food. In the end, Volcano Sushi did the job for a reasonable price. Sure, it ain't great Japanese food, yet it is acceptable. I guess that is all we can hope for in a backup restaurant.

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Seating arrangements are somewhat tight
- Service is a bit slow

Novo Pizzeria and Wine Bar

After our good experience as Via Tevere, we were still craving Neapolitan-style pizza. Seeing how there were not many left for me to try, we headed over to the former location of Incendio, which has now become Novo Pizzeria and Wine Bar. This time around, it was the softball team, not the hockey team (although Milhouse, Lionel Hutz and Bear are on both, just like me). With a fairly large group, it looked to be a good way to try many different items. Thank goodness too, if it were only myself and Mijune, we'd be trying the same amount of food for the both of us! Now, despite the absence of Mijune (who has joined us for meals before), I still did the "share food with more than one person routine" to get more variety.

So I shared a Calamari with Chill first and it was pretty good. It was crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. The batter was a bit crumbly though. We particularly liked the gremolata on top as the lemon zest provided a nice bitterness. The dip was mild and slightly greasy. Dark Helmet (use the Schwartz!) decided to try the Sicilian Meat Balls (hmmm... how ironic... "my Schwartz is bigger than your Schwartz!) consisting of currants, pine nuts, reggiano and marinara. The pine nuts were a nice addition to the moist meat balls. The meat was slightly loose and seasoned quite well (the cheese added another layer of saltiness). That and the full-bodied tomato sauce (with good freshness and zing) made for a flavourful dish.

Milhouse, Boss Woman and Bear were nice enough to share several dishes with me starting with the Gnocchi, which were pan fried with warm sage butter. These were dense and doughy. I generally like it more dense, but these could've stood to be less so. However, the wonderful pan fry add a nice crisp texture while adding a smokiness/nuttiness from the butter. There was just enough sage for flavour without being too herby. For our second pasta, we had the Sausage Orecchiette with Swiss chard, fennel pollen and toasted bread crumbs. The orecchiette was perfectly al dente and laced with plenty of meaty sausage. The fennel pollen really came through and complimented the sausage. There was some spice, which added another layer of flavour and welcomed crunch from the toasted bread crumbs. We liked this pasta a lot.

Being a pizza joint, we naturally had some pizzas to share as well. The first to arrive was the Calzone. Unlike a typical calzone, it was open-
face (which meant it was a pizza... duh...) consisting of buffalo ricotta, Italian sausage, fiore di latte and marinara sauce. As the picture suggests, there was good leoparding which added a nuttiness to the crust. However, I felt the dough wasn't salted enough. Furthermore, the crust could've stood to be less soft (I realize that the middle should be soft, but the entire pizza was on the softer side). With that being said, the pizza itself was fine as a whole. In fact, the outer crust was chewy and smoky/nutty. We also had the Prosciutto & Arugula pizza (not pictured) and it was pretty much the same except not as soft. It probably had something to do with the drier ingredients.

Bubbly ordered a pasta for herself being the Fettuccine Bolognese. This was a healthy portion with lots of slow-cooked moist meat. I found the pasta to be past al dente and quite soft. There was plenty of sweet onion hints in the bolognese, yet not much in the way of any tomatoness. Despite all of its shortcomings, it was not a bad plate of pasta. Chill went for something totally different from everyone else with the Grilled Chicken Focaccia. When I asked Chill about it, his response: "it is a chicken sandwich...". Yes, I saw that and no, that wasn't very descriptive. It sort of reminded me of our meal at Pied-a-Terre. I was able to squeeze more information out of him this time around. The chicken was moist will the other ingredients didn't wilt. The focaccia was grilled nicely being crisp on the outside while still soft on the inside. Ultimately, everyone left satisfied with their meals. Nothing was particularly outstanding, yet nothing was below-average either. Therefore, that would qualify as a decent restaurant experience overall.

The Good:
- Attentive service
- Nice dining space
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Pizza dough could be seasoned more
- Pizzas could be more flavourful

Re-Up BBQ (Westminster Quay)

Back when Re-Up was a single small food cart off to the side of the VAG (Vancouver Art Gallery for those who were thinking otherwise!), I remarked that their pulled pork sandwich was good except that it lacked something. That something was a real BBQ/Smoky taste since it had been vacuum-packed, reheated and then served. Hey, not much they could do about it since a food cart is pretty restrictive as to what can be done (especially their tiny and shiny little cart). Well, Re-Up has finally opened up an actual food stall in the River Market at Westminster Quay. They have also expanded their menu to include other meats and sides.

I mentioned this to Whipping Girl in hopes she would join me for lunch. It wasn't meant to be as she flatly declined. And she wonders why I begin to forget her sometimes! Never fear because Rich Guy was near. Literally. I gave him a last minute text and he was actually not too far away. he hightailed it over to the Quay in order to meet me for lunch. Now that's a dedicated eater! Dedicated is one thing, but as many of you know, he likes the "finer" things in life. Hence, he was a bit taken aback at the food stall/basic seating arrangements. For me, I could even eat in a washroom if needed, so it didn't bother me (well, maybe not Chinese restaurant washrooms though...). To get a taste of everything they offered, we shared the 3 Meat Platter (with the addition of ribs to make it 4 meats) which included Chicken, Ribs, Pulled Pork, Brisket and 2 sides (Chili & Biscuit). This came out to $30.00 + $2.00 for the extra ribs.

Starting with the positives, the BBQ Chicken leg was smoky and relatively moist. By virtue of being dark meat, it was not dry. The large buttermilk Biscuit was also pretty good being crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The Chili was a nice combination of beans, red pepper and corn which made for a multitude of textures and flavour. It had a nice sweetness and kick. The addition of cilantro sour cream really added a brightness and cooling effect which tempered the spiciness. As for their signature item, the Pulled Pork, it was smokier than the one I had at their food cart, yet also drier. I did enjoy their BBQ sauce which exhibited a good balance of tart, sweet and spicy.

Now for the bad... The Ribs had a really significant bark on them which was good and problematic at the same time. Where the bark was not too thick, it was tasty and had a nice chew. However, at the end of the rack, the bark was so thick, it was inedible (which meant one full rib was wasted). If we didn't look at that part, the ribs were okay. What was less than okay was the Brisket. It was really dry and a bit mealy. Part of the problem could be the cut, as it was quite lean. If there wasn't a good amount of BBQ sauce on it, it would've been difficult to eat. When we initially went to pick up our order, we were a little confused at our plate since it didn't look like $35.00 (including tax) worth of food. However, after we finished, we were full, so I think the plate they use is far too small and it makes the amount of food look miniscule. As for the BBQ items, some were good while the rest were unimpressive. I had high hopes and it ended up to be mostly so-so.

The Good:
- Balanced BBQ sauce
- Good chili

The Bad:
- Meats are pretty dry (except for the chicken)
- It's a food stall, tables are hard to come by when busy

Olympia Pizza

It was poor planning on my part. We had just finished up our Friday night hockey game and I suggested we go try out Chewies in Kits. Let's see, small restaurant. Friday night. Non-existent parking in the neighbourhood.... Equals a 2-hour wait AND money in the meter (which was going to waste since we going to leave). Seeing how this would not work out for us, we quickly hightailed it to another eating destination. But where? For some reason or another, I was not at the top of my game. You see, I've been lazy and well, there were no backup choices... Well, except for one - Olympia Pizza. Yes, it ain't the sexiest of choices. However, the food is predictable and the place has been around forever. So we made our way over and had to pay the meter AGAIN. Do the meter maids really check at 9:00pm at night all the way out there anyways???

Whatever, we fed the meter anyways and headed into the restaurant. Someone suggested we share everything to which I gleefully agreed to. We started with the Calamari which arrived on a large plate. We found it to be pretty good with tender squid rings in a light and crispy batter. It wasn't oily at all and properly seasoned. The thick tzatziki had a good combination of lemon and garlic with the cucumber. Next up was the Keftedes which arrived in a healthy portion with classic Greek accompaniments - rice, potatoes and salad. These were rather flat which probably led to the meat being dry. Despite this, the "meatballs" were seasoned nicely with a good onion hit without being salty. There was a good char and caramelization on the outside. The rice had a good bite and was not in any way soggy while the roast potatoes were soft with a noticeable lemon zing. However, the outside of the potato was quite hard.

Naturally, being the lamb-lover that I am (wait, that didn't sound good...), we had the Arni Psito (roast lamb). Again, It arrived as a pretty large portion with a good layer of fat on the outside. This probably helped keep the meat moist and tender (which it was). The meat fell off the bone and had the soft lamb texture that makes roast lamb yummy. Furthermore, the meat was well-seasoned (not salty though) with good hints of garlic. Onto another classic Greek dish, the Moussaka was slightly out-of-balance. As evidenced in the picture, there was a fairly thick layer of bechemal sauce on top. We felt there should have been a bit more of the other ingredients (layers of eggplant, potato and ground beef). Now that didn't mean it didn't taste good though. Once again, it was well-seasoned (bordering on salty). The bechamel had a nice consistency while the eggplant was nice and the beef was moist.

Lionel Hutz thought it would be nice to try something different in the Greek Ribs which were marinated in lemon and spices then charbroiled. As expected, this was not the fall-off-the-bone version. They were a bit dry with a chewy texture. It was still easy to eat though with a pronounced lemon pepper kick. These were alright, but definitely different. For variety purposes, we decided to go for the large Olympia Lasagne featuring a rich layer of sour cream. This was indeed a large portion with lots of melted cheese baked on top. The lasagne was typical of these types of restaurants with a wet meat sauce in between layers of soft pasta. I liked the sour cream as it added a certain richness to the dish. Moreover, it somewhat alleviated the good amount of salt (which was quite a bit).

Lastly, we split a medium Meat Lover's Pizza (yes, this was a lot of food for 6 people). Where is Mijune when you need her? Again, much like the lasagne, the pizza was pretty typical for a restaurant like this. The crust was crunchy and semi-thick. As for the abundance of meat toppings and cheese, the whole pizza became very greasy. Furthermore, it was salty as a result from the different types of meat. We weren't huge fans of it. As for the rest of the food, it was not bad, especially for late night. We've had better elsewhere, yet it was exactly what we expected and I guess that is not a bad thing necessarily.

The Good:
- Pretty standard fare, no surprises
- Service was decent
- Portions were good

The Bad:
- Not cheap
- Very well-seasoned food, sometimes being salty

Crepe Delicious (Coquitlam Centre)

It's pretty clear that I'm not exactly a sweets guy - that includes little treats to full-on desserts. I mean, I don't mind the occasional macaron or lemon tart. It's just that I much prefer snacking or nibbling on savoury bites. Give me an appie platter and a cold beer and I'm happy. So imagine my apprehension when Crepe Delicious contacted me about trying out some of their offerings. I asked myself: "self, would this even be a worthwhile experience?". I took a look at the menu and there were some savoury choices as well... Oh fine, why not, I'll give it shot. Now, unlike some people (Mijune), I cannot eat 4 desserts, let alone one all by myself. So I brought the whole family, including the kiddies.

My daughter (who is aspiring to be mini-Mijune) had the Tuttie Frutti without the Nutella. The crepes were freshly made right in front of our faces. Therefore, they were naturally fresh and warm. I wouldn't classify the crepes as the super thin variety, but they were not rubbery. I also wouldn't say they were fluffy either. The best way to describe them would be somewhere in between (still very easy to eat). The fruit was fresh and if we hadn't excluded the Nutella, there would've been some extra sweetness to balance off the tartness of the strawberries. We also had a savoury crepe being the Mediterranean consisting of tomato, lettuce, peppers, red onion, black olives, mozzarella, feta & Greek dressing. If you can imagine, it was like eating a Greek salad of sorts (without the cucumber) within a crepe. Okay I guess, but I much prefer dessert crepes (if I actually had a preference for desserts that is...).

Lastly, I had the mother-of-all-crepes in the New York. It was literally a slice of cheesecake with Nutella and strawberries in a crepe topped by dulce de leche. To say this was sinfully sweet would be an understatement. The cheesecake was pretty standard being NY-style (naturally). It was a bit difficult to eat in terms of getting everything in one bite though. In the end, we were pretty satisfied with the items that we tried. Their crepes were consistent and nothing was out-of-the-ordinary (pretty standardized because it is a chain).

The Good:
- Crepes are relatively light
- Lots of choice
- Ingredients are fresh

The Bad:
- Pricey

Teemway BBQ & Fresh Meat

It seems like that we've been settling for T&T BBQ as of late. I say "settling" is because we all know that T&T is never the first choice for anything, yet it is definitely the most convenient. Take their groceries for instance. If the items are not on sale, they are generally more expensive than most other stores. Look at the baked stuff, it is acceptable while not great (expensive too!). Their cooked food can best be described as average (not as good as Kent's or Top King). Lastly, their BBQ'd meats are serviceable, but really do not hold a candle to such big boys like HK BBQ Master and Parker Place Meats.

So for the next little while, I will resist the urge to be lazy and actually visit random Chinese BBQ joints in hopes of finding the next "gem". First up is Teemway BBQ & Fresh Meat out on Victoria Drive. I decided to go for 3 meats including the Roasted Pork. Now by virtue of using various parts of the pig, it is hard to compare head-to-head with a place like HK BBQ Master because they use strictly the belly. With that being said, the pork at Teemway was more than acceptable having a crunchy crackling and well-seasoned meat. Since it wasn't the belly meat, it was naturally less moist and fatty.

I wasn't a huge fan of the their BBQ Pork though. It was pretty bland and extremely dry. To be fair, the 2 pieces of pork were lean, so it would naturally not be very moist. However, even with that in mind, the pork was almost chalky in the centre. Furthermore, there wasn't enough "sauce" to keep the exterior moist and flavourful either. Lastly, I got half a BBQ Duck and it was fairly plump. There was plenty of meat on the bones and it was well-seasoned. The meat was a tad dry, yet not terribly so. The skin was slightly shriveled (and I took the picture as soon as I got into the car). For the items I tried from Teemway, it wouldn't necessarily make me want to escape the convenience of T&T since the stuff was pretty comparable. Yet, much like T&T, the BBQ items are serviceable and would be a decent option for those living nearby.

The Good:
- Pretty standard stuff, so it does the job
- Not particularly expensive

The Bad:
- Meats are slightly dry
- BBQ pork could be better

Summer of Love (Presented by Swallow Tail)

Ever since my first experience at the original Swallow Tail Supper Club, I look forward to their special events. The last time, I was invited to their Secret Supper Soiree, which involved moving from location to the next. This time around, I was invited to their Summer of Love dinner which featured an Iranian meal served in the yoga studio at Che Baba. Prior to entering the studio, we met at Robson Park and sat on beach blankets (which we had to bring ourselves) for our first course.

Robin led the procession which included a violinist. Our first item was Iranian Flatbread stuffed with feta, basil, mint and tarragon. The bread was a little dry, but the cheese helped provide some moisture. I liked the combination of herbs which offered up some unique flavours. Not a bad start, but hardly exciting. After that, we were ushered into the yoga studio which was converted into a dining room where we sat on the floor. Authentic yes, comfortable, no (especially for the tall men around me). As we entered the studio, we were presented with a drink consisting of Gin with sage flower and elder flower petals. It was a light and refreshing beverage. Any other drinks (including wine) were extra charge, which is both normal and expected at an event such as this.

After some introductions, the first plates of food came out. We started with Iranian Basmati Rice (Lubia Polo) with beans, cinnamon and pork (at least I thought it was pork). Even from the very beginning, we got very little information as to what we were eating. We were given bits and pieces here and there, but no formal explanation (that we could hear at least). The rectangle thing that you see on top of the rice is "tah-deeg" which is the rice crust at the bottom of the pot. The rice dish was pleasant, but we only got 2 small orders of it to share among 6 of us. The half Meatball (Kufteh) on top of the rice was only one of 2 that we received for the whole table (that would mean we got only one entire meatball for 6 people). It was moist and had a good meaty texture while being soft. There was a combination of herbs, beef and what I believe were nuts or split peas.

Served on the side was Cucumber Yogurt Dip (Maast-o Khiar) which was refreshing. Then we got one, count'em, one small bowl of Eggplant and Tomato (Mirza Ghassemi). This was fresh-tasting with slight tartness. The texture was quite nice though. It was a bit strange to eat this without any bread. For our last savoury dish, we were presented a small dish of Tomato & Cucumber Salad (Salad Shiraz). Not much to comment other than it was crunchy and vibrant with a touch of tartness. We actually got 2 of these for the whole table. Throughout dinner, we requested for more food since we were hardly satisfied. The 3 other tables around us had the same issue. Not only did we not get anymore food, it was difficult to even get our water glasses refilled.

Lastly, we were presented with Saffron Rice Pudding (Sholeh Zard) for dessert. This was not to my liking, nor was it for many other people as well (since many were left uneaten). There was nothing wrong with the flavours as it was quite mild and only semi-sweet. The texture was far too stiff. It appeared that the pudding was made too long in advance and it had hardened. At the end, we were served some Tea which was accompanied by rock sugar (which one would put in their mouth while drinking the tea). Okay... I'm sad to say that this dinner was not up to the usual high standards. We've come to expect innovation, creativity and customer satisfaction from Swallow Tail. This did not happen here. Sure, I was comped, yet it still wasn't a great experience. For those around me, they had paid $79.00 each for this. The feedback I got was one of disappointment. The excuse we heard for the lack of food was due to one table re-ordering early (and essentially consuming all the food). Even if that is the case, that is not our problem and plans should have been in place to make sure people had enough food. Furthermore, the service was slow and unorganized. It is understandable that there are a lot of logistics involved in running a pop-up restaurant, but the bottom-line is that the customers have to go away happy. This was not the case. Now, by writing this "not-so-glowing" post may eliminate my chances at further invites from Swallow Tail. However, if this is direction they are moving towards, I may not want another invite.

*Note: This was an invited dinner where all food was comped*