Ji Sushi

*Restaurant is now closed*

Boy, we haven't done AYCE Japanese for the longest time. I guess it is for the best since it is generally not the best way to experience the cuisine. At the same time, it does serve a purpose and as long as expectations are reasonable, it can be okay. Well, the purpose this time was Kaiser Soze's birthday. After Sunday hockey, we decided to treat him for lunch. In this case, he could eat as much as he liked while our costs were controlled. LOL... We're cheap! The nearest one we could think of was Ji Sushi out on Broadway at Cambie. Located in the former Rasputin, Ji Sushi doesn't really have a "lunch" AYCE. Rather, it is referred to as "Happy Hour". For $11.95, the AYCE menu is pretty limited, yet okay considering everything.

Milhouse, JuJu and I arrived before Kaiser Soze and Beebs, but that didn't stop us from ordering food. Poor etiquette yes. 3 hungry men after hockey = no etiquette. Now things didn't get off to a great start. Something as simple as Miso Soup should be at the very least be decent. Not this one. It was cold. The Gomae was okay though. The spinach had a nice texture while the addition of sesame seeds was welcomed. The dreaded "sauce" was pretty sweet though. Again, something as simple as a Green Salad should be minimally edible. Well, the lettuce was fine but the significant pool of water at the bottom not only washed out the flavours, it just looked plain wrong. The Ebi Sunomono was a bit sweet, yet otherwise okay.

Moving onto the Beef Teriyaki, it was clumpy and dry. There wasn't too much sauce which didn't help things texturally, but at the very least, it wasn't too sweet nor salty. The Chicken Teriyaki was tender and fried crispy on the outside. Pretty typical AYCE version of the dish. Next up were the Chicken Katsu and Tonkatsu which seemingly looked the same and tasted like it had the same sauce (which didn't resemble Tonkatsu sauce in any way). Both were overcooked, yet very crunchy. On the topic of crunchy, the Chicken Karaage was crisp while juicy inside. They were well-seasoned too. As for the Gyoza, they were decent. The dumpling skin was not too thick and was fried up nicely. The meat was a bit loose though. The Fried "Scallops" (pollack), were good for what they were, yet the Fried Gyoza were essentially fried wontons without much filling.

The Nigiri, Cones and Maki Sushi were pretty average with bland rice (which had a decent texture though) and thinly cut fish. I guess the best description would be "passable". The Tempura was thickly battered and overcooked. Not sure why Gordo ordered the Beef Udon, but it was alright, but the soup was tasteless. Yet, at the end of the day, it was an AYCE Japanese lunch and we should not expect too much. At the same time, there are acceptable AYCEs and not-so-good AYCEs. This would fall into the latter.

The Good:
- Service is okay
- Cheap

The Bad:
- Food is below-average

Ken's Chinese (ChineseBites Dinner)

Another Thursday means yet another ChineseBites meal. Hey, I ain't complaining. A comped meal is nothing to laugh at, especially when you are allowed to order whatever you want. That was the case at Ken's Chinese, where, in addition to featuring their signature award-winning dishes, we were let loose on the menu. Personally, I think that is the best way to evaluate the food at a restaurant since most people order what they want (rather than a predetermined menu). Actually, the ultimate method is just to try EVERYTHING on the menu (actually, we practically did that at Kibo), but alas, Mijune wasn't around... As usual, the eating crew consisted of myself along with Kevin, Rick, Alvin, Grace, Romina and Janice as well as our host Raymond.

We started with their CRA-winning Golden Dungeness Crab which was fried and then tossed in a coating consisting of salted duck egg yolk. Certainly an interesting visual and an even more interesting taste. The best way to describe the flavour would be an egginess with an underlying mild saltiness. Definitely not a flavour explosion, more like a slow rumble. It was certainly prepared nicely and fine to eat, but I'm not sure if I would classify it as a winning dish in my opinion. Next up was their other CRA dish being the Lobster with Konyaku Hot Pot. This was an almost perfectly prepared dish (nothing is perfect remember!). The lobster was meaty and fried just enough with a well-balanced sauce that had the right mix of salty and sweet. On the other hand, the sauce was a touch greasy and I really couldn't understand why adding some konyaku could make this another CRA-winning dish. Still, bottom line - it was a tasty offering.

Getting past the signature dishes, we were able to sample quite a few items off their regular menu. The first to arrive was the Free-Range Chicken. The chicken was mostly moist and tender with the trademark chewiness consistent with this type of poultry. I found it to be on the saltier side which meant it was fine eaten plain (without the condiment). The skin was a beautiful golden yellow and was gelatinous and appealing. There was also a nice layer of gelatin beneath it. Something that one would not necessarily associate a typical Chinese restaurant was the Grilled Rack of Lamb with Black Pepper Sauce. You see, Ken's also doubles as a Hong Kong-style cafe of sorts because they offer an array of dishes which are consistent with that type of restaurant. Now, if you look at the picture, I can honestly say that it was plated far nicer than what was shown in the menu picture. The lamb was fantastic. It was moist and tender with a nice caramelizing sear on the outside. I suspect that the lamb was tenderized, yet it didn't compromise the end product. The black pepper sauce was peppery and full of flavour.

The dish that I had my eye on and proceeded to order as my choice, was the Stewed Pork Hock with Peanuts. This arrived with an attractive shade of brown which looked rich and full of depth. The pork hock was moist and the fat was gelatinous. It lived up to its appearance with a rich flavour of brown sugar sweetened dark soy. Normally, I am not a huge fan of peanuts in any of my food, but these worked here. They had a soft texture and soaked up the stewing liquid. Another similar item was the Stewed Oxtail which was less successful in my opinion. The biggest issue was that the whole dish was not prepared in one shot. Rather, the oxtail and veggies were combined with the sauce after the fact. Hence, the carrots and peppers were still quite firm and did not take on any of the flavour properties of the stewing liquid. Interestingly, the cubed daikon was pretty salty and was obviously boiled before being added. The oxtail itself was in large pieces and could've used a touch more stewing. It was not chewy or hard per se, it just didn't detach from the bone as easily as I would've liked.

The most sinful dish of the meal was the Dong Bao Yewk or stewed pork belly. Naturally, the darn thing was super fatty, yet due to its preparation, the thing melted in our mouths. And I really mean that. The slow and low braising process rendered the fat into something that was easily eaten and forgotten as to what it was. The sauce was a good combination of rich sweetness (from the use of brown sugar) and saltiness (from the soy sauces) with a definite hint of rice wine. On that note, the sauce could've been even more rich (but that might not be possible considering the amount of time it is required to do so). Now for our next dish, it was all me. Really it was. When we were looking over the menu, I noticed that they had the prototypical "choose your meats" mixed grill meal a la HK-style cafe. Of course, I was drawn to the Ox Tongue... I asked if anyone wanted any tongue and that drew the usual snickering and weird looks. I was serious though and I requested an order of it with a serving of tongue for everyone! Laced in the same black pepper sauce as the lamb, the tongue was moist and tender. Oh yes it was... I took charge and offered it to everyone. Too bad it wasn't a beurre blanc sauce, then it would've been French tongue!

Romina was a bit worried with the high meat content of the meal and ordered our only vegetable dish being the Four Seasons Green Beans. The beans were still crunchy laced with enough tender ground pork, garlic, chili flakes, preserved vegetable and seasoning to create an impact. Lastly, we had the Dried Scallop and Salmon Roe Rice. The rice was pretty dry with some hard pieces. The copious amount of dried scallop added both flavour and aromatics (yet there could've been more seasoning). Interestingly, I enjoyed the regular items more than the signature dishes. That's not to say they weren't good though. All-in-all, the food was mostly properly prepared and seasoned.

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

The Good:
- Generally good execution
- Lots of variety, including HK-style cafe options
- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:
- Is it just me, or are the CRA signature dishes overrated?

Cora Breakfast & Lunch

Usually going out for breakfast and eating healthy cannot be used in the same sentence. Take Denny's Lumberjack Slam for example: 2 buttermilk pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 bacon strips, ham steak, hashbrowns and toast. Or if you even just kick it down a notch, try The Red Wagon's Crisp Pork Belly with 2 eggs, home fries, Hollandaise and toast. Defibrillator better be nearby! So when Cora Breakfast and Lunch finally made it out to the Westcoast, it boasted healthier eating for the first meal of the day. Or in my case, the second meal since I would've eaten something just past midnight...

So Cora started out as a little diner in Montreal serving healthier breakfasts and the concept apparently took off and now we see 130+ locations across Canada. The one in Coquitlam has been around since last year and I finally got the chance to check it out. Being a kid-friendly establishments, I dragged the kiddies out for this food adventure. For my meal, I selected the Sunshine Panini with ham, egg and Swiss rolled in a crepe and pressed. Served on the side was a massive pile of fruit which included strawberries, pineapple, honeydew, Asian pear, kiwi, cantaloupe, black grapes and banana. The crepe panini was stuffed full and I particularly liked the barely cooked yolk. My son ended up eating half of this. The significance? He hates everything, so it must've been good right?

Viv went for the Eggs Benedict with ham which was also served with plenty of fruit and roasted potatoes. The eggs were soft poached with a runny yolk and were completely smothered by a thick Hollandaise sauce. It tasted rich and had only a slight tartness. It was a so-so Hollandaise in my books. The roasted potatoes seemed to have an underlying flavour of rosemary and olive oil (which the potatoes were probably coated with). They were soft, yet could've used some more colour and "roasting". My son picked the French Toast off the kid's menu which was topped with... yes, fruit. He didn't eat the fruit, but dusted off all of the French toast. It was soft and not too eggy.

My daughter had the Kid's Breakfast with scramble eggs, 2 sausages and roasted potatoes. This was pretty standard except the portion of egg could've been larger. After it was all said and done, the meals at Cora were relatively more healthy than most other breakfast joints. I mean, there are still unhealthy elements, but the addition of fruit and the use of roast potatoes does help. By virtue of using so much fresh fruit, the prices reflected it. So eating at Cora ain't cheap. On the other hand, the kid's menu is reasonable where nothing is over $6.00 (includes beverage). If we compare to places like Denny's and IHOP, I would personally visit Cora instead. Yet, at the same time, I would visit other independent breakfast joints ahead of Cora.

The Good:
- Lots of fresh fruit (if you like healthy stuff...)
- Really kid-friendly
- Good portions

The Bad:
- Pricey for adult meals (but reasonable considering the amount of fruit used)
- Service was friendly for us, but our coffee and tea was never refilled

Broken Rice

As mentioned in previous posts, I am always on the lookout for new restaurants. So much so, I often do a double-take whilst driving if I spot something interesting. Yes, some men almost get whiplash from checking out chicks while I get that from drooling over new signage and awnings. So many months ago, I did spot a new Vietnamese joint out Hastings in North Burnaby. It had an attractive stone exterior with a "higher end" looking neon signage. There was a big "coming soon" banner on the outside which seemed to adorn the place for an eternity. Then it suddenly opened in early August which meant I was chomping at the bit to give it a go. I was thinking of bringing the family, but with a more "deluxe" fusion menu (which doesn't include a traditional Pho), it appeared that I needed a different group of diners.

Never fear, I just had to give the call out to the people who never fail me - my hockey team. Originally, we were supposed to head to Indochine (ironically somewhat similar), but when Polka King proclaimed he could join us for eats, we did everything in our power to accommodate him, including Eastward for food. This was the perfect storm of events which led us to the Broken Rice. As mentioned, the food offered here is not your typical Kingsway Pho joint. They do have one Pho, but it is a deconstructed version which does not even come close to resembling a traditional one. Ironically, we started with the pretty standard Spring Rolls. These were mostly crunchy (nice that they used rice flour wrappers) and had a meaty, oniony filling. These were not out of the ordinary, however, when we added some of the fresh mint into the bite, it brought some brightness.

Next up was Uncle Hing's Chicken Wings with butter and garlic. These were very flavourful with big hits of fresh chopped garlic, butter and some spice from the jalapenos. The wings were moist and juicy. They were no longer crispy due to the amount of "sauce". We also got a order of the Cassava Fries with house aioli. These reminded me of the ones from Vij's except slightly less crispy. Due to the nature of the cassava root, the fries were starchy and dense. With a dusting of seasoned salt combined with the aioli, this was not bad. Gadget Girl decided to go for the spring rolls as well (all to herself) and a Broken Rice Chicken Salad as well. It was a concoction of shredded chicken tossed with diced white and red cabbage, carrots, pickled daikon, herbs, crushed peanuts and ginger vinaigrette on a palette of crispy sticky rice. For $9.00, this was a pretty small salad, yet it was interesting and plated nicely.

For myself, I had the Pork Belly which was neatly served in a little pot along with rice, marinated boiled egg and fried mashed cassava. This was pretty good as the pork belly was uniform in shape (which indicates a slow and low braising method) and moist. The fat melted in my mouth and the belly itself had a good meat-to-fat ratio. The braising liquid had a good balance of flavours and exhibited plenty of depth. Both Polka King and Bear had the traditional Clay Pot Rice. Reminiscent of the one found at the former Saigon Restaurant (now long gone), this version was more neatly constructed. There was a good amount of tender chicken (dark meat), julienned carrots, ginger, bamboo shoots, cilantro and caramelized onions on top of the chewy, nutty broken rice. There was the requisite rice crust at the bottom as well. The flavours were good with a hit of sweetness, the aromatics of lemongrass and fish sauce.

As if this wasn't enough food, Polka King also ordered the Tamarind Duck. At first, I thought he was either pulling a Mijune or making up for lost time. In actuality, he was taking home some food for Polka Dot. I guess he would get a smack down otherwise... For me, this was the best dish at the table. On the menu, it stated that it was crispy duck finished with a red wine tamarind reduction. The duck skin wasn't exactly crispy, but it was nicely prepared where it didn't require a whole lot of chewing. The duck itself was tender with only the slightest amount of chew at the edges. The tamarind sauce was sweet, tart and syrupy good. The beans were crunchy with a nice mix of sweet and salty while the black rice was a touch soft.

Milhouse went for another Vietnamese classic in the Bo Luc Lac (or Shaken Beef). Each morsel of beef was tender and moist. There was a good caramelization from the wok toss (hence the name shaking/shaken beef). The usual flavours were there in the soy, fish sauce and sweetness from sugar. The menu said it would be served with tomato rice, but alas, it was just plain white rice. Lastly, Emilicious had the Steamed Fish, which was Snapper, topped with a sweet ginger glaze and scallions served on a bed of cellophane noodles, wood ear mushrooms and lily blossoms. I found the fish to be slightly past done. However, the combination of ingredients made up for it. I liked the crunch of the woodear and the gingery and syrupy sauce on top. As you can clearly see, most of the food at the Broken Rice is not what you'd expect from a Vietnamese restaurant. In general, we enjoyed it, but were concerned that the price point might scare off some customers. Their prices creep incredibly close to many of the near-fine dining bistros in town and it remains to be seen what the paying public will think of it.

The Good:
- Generally on point food execution
- Great service
- Interesting combination of classic and modern Vietnamese food

The Bad:
- It might seem pricey to some
- Food expedition is uneven and slow

Pallas Athena Greek Kouzina

Coquitlam??? That was the shocked response of both Emilicious and Gadget Girl when Polka King mentioned where he planned for the team to eat after Friday hockey. Yes, that would be a huge stretch considering that we don't even eat in North Vancouver after hockey (and we play in North Van!). So this needed a bit of convincing. Well, the fact that Polka King has stopped coming out to eat with us was a mitigating factor. Since he got married to Polka Dot and moved into Coquitlam, we see him as much as a proper lane change in Richmond. So it would be a favour of sorts to head into Coquitlam for some eats. Turns out that it was the biggest turnout of the year as Emilicious, Gadget Girl, Polka King, Polka Dot, Ginseng, Zac-Attack, Apu, Manjula, Groundskeeper Willy, Milhouse, Gordo along with Viv and the kids all attended. We ended up at Pallas Athena Greek Kouzina as Polka Dot had a good experience there recently.

For the kiddies, I tried to go for some "different" items for them to experience. I figured crunchy squid would appeal to them. The Calamari was a decent portion. However, the batter was extremely dense and overly crunchy. Thus, the pieces of squid were a bit lost because too much effort was used in breaking down the hard exterior. The one saving grace was the thick tzatziki. It was nicely texture and had a nice hint of lemon. My daughter only had a passing interest in this dish. So I figured that fried cheese would work with my son and he did eat it to my surprise. The Saganaki was a contrast in textures, which was the whole point. The exterior was crisp while the inside was chewy and gooey. I liked that it had a lemon zing to it, but that didn't help mask the over abundance of salt. The accompanying pita bread was good though. It was soft in the middle and slightly crisp on the outside.

My Roast Lamb (as I always order in a Greek restaurant) was not as moist as I would've liked. It wasn't tough per se, but there were some hard parts and it did require some effort to chew. In terms of flavour, it was pretty nice with a good amount of rosemary and lemon. The lemon roast potato was soft, yet could've benefited from a touch more tang. The rice was a bit pale, but it has a nice slightly chewy texture. It was a bit one note in flavour and that note was not too strong. Viv had the Chicken Souvlaki which was a healthy portion of meat. It was well-seasoned with an attractive and tasty char. She pretty much echoed my sentiments about the sides except for the green beans. She hated them as they were woefully overcooked and mushy.

Both Polka Dot and Ginseng had the Dolamades and they were not bad. The grape leaves were soft to chew yet weren't mushy. The filling was moist yet not that impactful. Neither was the sauce, not much in the way of tang nor saltiness. Ginseng thought the side of rice was a bland for her liking. Zac-Attack had the Lamb Souvlaki (not pictured) where the meat was moist and tender. It was perfectly grilled and in large pieces. He thought the tzatziki was a very nice compliment. Polka King and Polka Dot shared the Scallop Souvlaki which was a bit disappointing. Despite the appearance of big juicy scallops, they were in fact quite rubbery (due to being overcooked). However, at the same time, there was a lack of grill marks or charring which in turn resulted in a lack of flavour as well. Much like everyone else, they thought the sides were not bad except for the mushy beans. They also shared a Calamari, which Groundskeeper Willy had as well, and thought that the batter was too crunchy. This echoed our sentiments as well. However, on a previous visit, the batter was not as crunchy and thick. Therefore, we can only surmise that this might have been a one-off due to the many orders of food we put in at the same time.

Gordo went for the Seafood Fettuccine which arrived in quite a bit of sauce. Despite this, his pasta was not soft. The sauce was creamy and well-seasoned. The scallops and shrimp were cooked nicely having the right textures. Not a true Italian pasta, but then again, we were in a Greek restaurant! Milhouse went all out and had the Chicken & Ribs. The ribs were fairly moist despite its appearance. The meat fell off the bones being well-seasoned and moist. He wasn't a big fan of the chicken though as it was overcooked and noticeably dry. Furthermore, there wasn't a whole lot of flavour either. As you can ascertain, there were some issues with a few items across the board. Yet, the food was okay enough that it could be considered a decent meal. Considering our large group, it would be unreasonable to expect perfection (and that never occurs anywhere anyways). One thing we did notice was that our water glasses were not refilled very often. In fact, mine was never refilled and we were the only table there for the latter half of our meal.

The Good:
- Relatively decent food
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Some items were overcooked
- The service wasn't bad per se, but it wasn't attentive either

Dragon House

While doing my research for late night eats on the computer, I stumbled upon Dragon House. A quick look at its location and it didn't seem to ring a bell, especially since I drive by that area often. Even a quick peak at Google Street View and all I got was an Indian restaurant. Well, apparently it does exist. Driving by late one night, the place was bustling with activity. Late night spicy Szechuan eats? Not sure how that would "sit" with everyone. After our weekly Friday night hockey game, I suggested to the group that we give it a go. The promise of Szechaun beef noodles seemed to seal the deal. Yes, I realize that there are many more than that in terms of representing Szechuan cuisine, but Milhouse, Gordo and Emilicious aren't exactly fans of super spicy food.

With that in mind, we kept the extreme spicy dishes to a minimum starting with a mild one being the - Beef Pancake. We loved how they grilled it so it wasn't overly oily on the outside. Instead, it was crisp and pleasing visually. The beef filling was moist and flavourful with a sweet onion slant. I've had many version of this dish where the meat is bursting with oil, yet this one did not have this problem. A few drops of vinegar really brought the pancake to life. So our next items were their specialty - Skewers. We had 2 each of the Lamb, Pork and Beef. The spice level was pretty mild since the rest of the gang requested it. Not it wasn't devoid of flavour by any means. There was still a kick and well-seasoned. The meats were moist per se, yet they weren't too dry either. The lamb was super fatty though.

Now these were the smaller skewers which were about $1.00 - $2.00 each. There were much larger ones going for around $3.00 - $5.00. The one that caught Milhouse's eye was the Bacon-wrapped Fish Balls. Yes, that drew a reaction from all of us and he insisted we try the balls. I asked if they would be "salty"... due to the bacon... Well, they weren't salty. In fact, for something I didn't have high hopes for, it was pretty tasty. The bacon was fried up crisp and the mayo/spicy seasoning really completed the flavours. Who doesn't like mayo on their balls? One dish I insisted on trying was the Double-Cooked Pork (no, not more balls!). I really liked their version as the sauce consisting of black beans, chili oil, chilis and soy hit my tastebuds with authority. It wasn't too spicy (again, we requested medium). If I was here by myself, I would've asked for a few notches higher. The entire dish was cooked with plenty of wok heat where the caramelization of the ingredients was visually evident as well as a smoky flavour. The pork was fatty and tender (a touch dry from the cooking), however, the dish could've stood for more of it.

Now for the dish that lured everyone here in the first place - the Szechuan Beef Noodle. When we started to eat it, the Szechuan peppercorns started to do their thing and the numbing sensation settled in. I liked this spicy flavourfulness while others were yearning for the milder Taiwanese version. Wimps! Anyways, the hand-pulled noodles were the best part. They were chewy and fresh. How fresh? They were made-to-order. The beef was fairly tender, but since they were in small little bits, there were some drier portions. We also got the Fried Noodles with Lamb and Cumin (insert joke here). Hey, nothing like lamb and cumin eh? And yes, there was a definite cumin hit (get your minds outta the gutter!). The noodles were chewy while completely covered in grease. The lamb was tender though and with a decent amount of spice coupled with the copious amount of cumin, we enjoyed this dish nonetheless.

This was supposed to be the last of our dishes, but somehow Milhouse became fixated on the Frog Legs. Was he watching Sesame Street in the morning and had Kermit on his mind? Whatever the case, we had it as an add-on. The legs were fried and tossed in red chili peppers, sesame seeds, salt and fried Szechuan Peppercorns. The legs were moist while the batter was soft and greasy. There was some spice, but it really wasn't as bad as it looked. Ultimately, we never requested a higher spice level, so the meal could've been hotter. For most of the group, the flavours were fine. We were pretty satisfied with the food, especially for late night.

The Good:
- Plenty of flavour
- Okay pricing
- Open late

The Bad:
- Greasy
- Tight seating