Grand Palace

Henderson Centre can be considered a contradiction or paradox. Why? Well, considering that Coquitlam has one of the largest Asian populations in the GVRD, it is completely confounding that an Asian mall would not work. The place makes a ghost town look busy. It appears that there is only 20% occupancy and even that, there has been more turnover. On the bright side, the parking lot is a joy to park in since there are so many spaces for so few customers. Maybe it should be their slogan: "Park anywhere you like, even across lines and at a 45 degree angle, we welcome spatially-challenged drivers". Anyways, Kirin, one of the cornerstones decided to close up shop awhile back. Now, with many of the same employees and the same setup, Grand Palace has taken up residence in the empty building posing as a shopping mall. Have the owners ever considered doing some sort of "no rent" promotion to get tenants? I digress...

Naturally, we wanted to check it out to see what has changed. Well nothing really. The staff are the same and so is the decor. The huge lineup for Dim Sum is still there too. Okay, then was it really only a renaming of the place? We'd need to check out the food to make a proper assessment. Much like any other Chinese restaurant, making a reservation doesn't really mean a whole lot since we had to wait for our "reservation". Oh well, at least it was only a 20 minute delay. Acceptable in Chinese Dim Sum reservation terms... So we ordered a bunch of stuff and of course a relatively sweet items shows up first being the Sweet BBQ Pork Bun. It was pillowy soft with a sweet BBQ pork filling which was meaty and saucy. The extra sweet topping on the bun made this taste like a dessert. Onto the savoury items, we had the Haw Gow (shrimp dumplings) and Sui Mai (pork & shrimp dumplings). The rice flour skin on the haw gow was a touch chewy while the shrimp filling was a disaster. It was in little bits and worst of all, there were veins all over the place! Not only was it gross to look at, the grittiness with each bite was unappetizing. It also didn't help that the whole thing was under seasoned either. Fortunately, the sui mai were much better, it had a good texture consisting of bouncy pork and shrimp. These large dumplings had a good mix of ingredients including a good ratio of pork and pork fat. However, it was predominantly sweet and probably could've used more salt.

Moving along, we had the Beef Meatballs which were large, firm and meaty. It could've stood for more tenderizing for that desired bouncy texture. However, the addition of a good amount of water chestnuts provided a nice little crunch in each bite. Flavourwise, they were quite mild. Okay, whenever I talk about Shrimp Rice Noodle Rolls, it goes into a discussion about textures of the shrimp and noodle. However, I need to start it off by saying that they must've dropped the shrimp in a vat of salt because they were unbearably salty. You know that stinging sensation when you put a teaspoon of salt on your tongue? Well, this was it. There must've been some mistake in the prep. Other than that snafu, the shrimp had a nice snap while the rice noodle was thick and dense.

In complete contrast, the shrimp in the Fried Bean Curd Skin Rolls were not salty at all. Yes, I know that they don't use the same shrimp in these dishes, which further reinforces the belief that they messed up the batch of shrimp for the rice noodle rolls. The bean curd skin rolls were crispy, but the crispiness was compromised somewhat by the generous amount of filling. The whole thing was not greasy, but could've benefited from more seasoning (seems like a trend eh? except for the rice noodle roll of course). Onto a favourite of mine, the Pork Spareribs. If you don't notice any black bean in this version, that would be correct - neither did I. Hence, it was more garlicky than salty and there was some flavour from the peppers on top as well. Most of the pieces were meaty and only slightly chewy. These were not bad.

Moving onto the Stuffed Eggplant, the shrimp mousse filling had the right bounce texture, yet it was bland. Compared to the shrimp in the rice noodle roll, this was bland. Hence, the entire dish was lacking flavour including the sauce. Furthermore, the eggplant soaked up quite a bit of grease which was not pleasant, as well as the mushy texture. Okay, the eggplant was pretty mediocre, but the Salty Donut was just plain wrong. For those who are familiar with it, you'll immediately notice that they sliced the donut and fried it in pieces. Hence, it was hard and really, really oily. I realized that for a restaurant to freshly make a donut might be too much trouble, yet it is no excuse to butcher the product in this manner. Just don't offer it then. The texture was so wrong, my son (who loves this) didn't want to eat it.

What he did eat was the Chicken Rice served in the usual hot pot (even though it is not an "actual" hot pot rice). Despite not being prepared over a flame, the rice was chewy while not being too hard. Of course no rice crust would form due to its preparation, but all-in-all, the texture was good. The deboned dark chicken meat was moist while not being all that flavourful. The accompanying sweet soy somewhat alleviated the problem. Finally, Dim Sum is not complete without an order of offal (at least for me...). So we got the Honeycomb Tripe which looked quite appealing in large pieces. The texture was spot on with the tripe being soft while retaining a slight chew. Moreover, the tripe was prepped properly where there was no gaminess. There was a noted level of spice but curiously bland at the same time. Probably a lack of salt?

As you can already ascertain, there was some seasoning issues with the food. Generally, there was a lack of flavour in many of the dishes, yet curiously salt-crazy with one particular dish (although it was probably a one-off). Now with all that being said, the food was acceptable (with a few that were terrible). In fact, considering the lack of competition nearby, I can understand the constant lineup. Besides, nothing can be perfect and there are so many variables when cooking food. At the very least, we didn't go away unhappy as the service was quite good.

The Good:
- Accommodating service (but they need more servers though)
- Nice dining space
- Some decent items

The Bad:
- Inconsistent seasoning
- Some real bad dishes
- It ain't cheap

James on Hastings

Awhile ago, I had visited Luda and had some of their specialties including the crab. I had promised to take my parents there eventually, but then all of a sudden, it changed hands and became James on Hastings. Apparently, the place changed hands, but not the kitchen staff. And before we could make a reservation, there was a kitchen fire. With the place back in business, we finally made it out there as a family. Another more important reason we visited James on Hastings was the fact my son wanted Peking Duck. That's right. The same son who doesn't like anything willingly wanted to eat roasted duck skin??? Yah, go figure. He also likes fried chicken skin, roast pork cracklings and so on... Maybe he's Chinese after all...

So yes, we did start with the 2 courses of Peking Duck (after the daily soup). It arrived glistening with a beautiful colour, crispy texture and nicely rendered fat. There was also a fair amount of moist meat attached to many of the slices. The only thing that brought this dish down was the doughy and thick crepes. The second course was the Duck Lettuce Wrap. There was no absence of duck meat in the stir-fried filling. The root veggies were still crunchy while the entire dish was neither greasy nor salty. The lettuce cups were extremely large which was good and bad. Lots of lettuce to do the wrapping with, but kinda sloppy at the same time.

The drum roll please... for one of their signature dishes - the Live Crab in House Special Sauce (aka curry crab). Normally, it is not a great idea to overwhelm the delicate texture and flavours of crab with too much seasoning and spice. However, in this case, the crab was able to stand up to the various ingredients. As for those ingredients from what I could gather, there was garlic, green onions, dried shrimp, curry, shallots, cilantro, black pepper, chili oil, sugar (most likely palm), soy and black vinegar (I could be wrong on a few). It was a good combination of sweet, salty, tart and spicy. For a set menu, the crab was pretty large and meaty. Another house specialty is their Famous Soy Chicken, which we ordered as an addition to our set menu. The half-chicken was quite meaty where it was sufficiently moist throughout. The soy cooking liquid penetrated the skin into the meat resulting in a flavourful chicken. However, the skin itself was pretty salty since it took the brunt of the flavours.

Moving along to yet another specialty was the Soft Spareribs in Chef's Special BBQ Sauce. Considering that the ribs had plenty of cartilage and were mostly end pieces, they did a good job in braising it. It was moist and tender practically falling apart. The tendon and cartilage portions were pretty much like jelly and were super easy to eat. Flavourwise, it was quite sweet and could've benefited from more balance. The one dish we didn't really care for was the Beef with Fresh Mango & Asparagus. The good parts of the dish were the beef, which was tender with a slight chew, and the nicely cooked asparagus. The mango, on the other hand, was reduced to a mush and unappealing. The whole dish was too saucy and sweet. It was starch-thickened, but then it was merely a sweet goopy mess. We wanted to like it, yet it just lacked balance.

Our last dish was the House Special Fried Rice. There was a lack of colour because we chose to omit the green onions. The rice was pretty dry, which afforded a nuttiness. It was neither greasy nor salty. There was only a modest amount of BBQ pork and shrimp which made the rice pretty plain to eat. It could've benefited from more ingredients and salt. Overall, we were satisfied with our meal, yet we definitely had our favourites and not-so-favourites. The Peking duck was surprisingly good (except for the crepes) and of course their signature crab rocked. However, everything else was pretty standard. It's not like we didn't like the chicken or the ribs, they were good. Just not "wow". And honestly, there are not many "wow" things in general anyways. If you pick the right dishes, James on Hastings is a solid choice for Chinese eats.

The Good:
- Tasty crab
- Good service
- Some interesting dishes

The Bad:
- Some of their signature dishes are a bit pricey

Galaxy Bakery

From as early as I can remember, the standard grab n' go breakfast at my house was Chinese buns and pastries. The Cha Sui Bao and I had some good times together - from school mornings to snacks, I must've consumed thousands of the BBQ Pork Bun. The same would be for the classic Dan Tat or Egg Tart. Oh and let's not forget the Gai Mei Bao or Cocktail Bun with its sweet coconut filling. Ah... the memories. Then I hope I can be forgiven for continuing the tradition with my own kiddies. It is a weekly ritual of buy a box of these buns and pastries (looks more like bags now since many places charge for boxes). However, to make things interesting, I've been seeking out many other bakeries that are not named Maxim, Pine House or St Germain.

The latest place on my Chinese buns adventures (that can be taken the wrong way eh?) led me to Galaxy Bakery (there is another location on Fraser). Of course we got the basics including the aforementioned BBQ Pork Bun. One look inside and it yielded a decent amount of filling which wasn't too wet. A good amount of lean BBQ pork in a well-balanced sauce laid within an airy soft bun. This was a decent BBQ pork bun, if not a bit small. Essentially the same bun without the filling while adding a sweet sugary topping, the Pineapple Bun was also decent. For those unfamiliar, this bun does not contain any pineapples whatsoever. The name is derived from its appearance where the sugary-buttery topping resembles the outside of a pineapple. If you are still a bit confused, I don't blame you. It doesn't look like a pineapple to me either.

The Egg Tart is another one of those classics found at Chinese bakeries and Dim Sum restaurants. This particular tart had a nice flaky shell which was cooked all the way through - possibly a bit too cooked. The slightly browned ring around the custard part of the tart was a bit rubbery which began to somewhat separate from the shell. Other than that, it was not too sweet and the rest of the custard had a nice consistency. One of my daughter's favourite items is the Chicken Pie. This one was stuffed solid (literally) with chicken and starch-thickened sauce. Not much in the way of other ingredients. The consistency of the filling was a bit stiff and there was a good amount of thickened sauce. The pastry was buttery and stood up to the wet ingredients. Galaxy Bakery does the job and is an alternative to Maxim's down the street. However, I'll say it again, I prefer Karmony further down Victoria.

The Good:
- Stuff is not bad
- Prices are pretty standard

The Bad:
- Not better or worse than the immediate competition

Ladner Sushi

If you ever take a look at Urbanspoon's top 100 restaurants in the GVRD, for some reason or another, it includes this little Japanese restaurant out in Ladner. Maguro is its name and being good where it is located is its game. That's right, the fact that there are very few other competing Japanese restaurants make it by default, "the best in Ladner". Now if we had to compare it to a place such as Octopus' Garden or Ajisai, it wouldn't even come close. With that being said, it is above average. So when I heard from a local that there was another Japanese restaurant to rival Maguro, I needed to see for myself.

And really, I did go by myself... Imagine that, no one willing to join me for a meal in Ladner. What? Is it really that far away? I guess so for most people eh? For me - will travel for food. So the best thing to do while eating alone is to get something that is most representative in one tidy package. That happened to be Lunch Bento Box C which included tempura, chicken teriyaki on rice, spring roll, 4 pcs of nigiri (salmon, tuna, tai and ebi), ebi sunomono and miso soup. I found the tempura to be slightly greasy while still crisp and light. The teriyaki chicken was moist and fried nicely. The rice had a bite and the typical sweet sauce was conservatively drizzled on top. I'm not going to comment on the spring roll for obvious reasons. The fish for the nigiri was good and the rice was okay being slightly on the stickier side. It did have some flavour, but was not very impactful. Lastly, the sunomono had an nice balance of sugar and vinegar.

Even after the box, I thought I needed to try one more item and for some odd reason, I went for the Ramen. Yes, not a ramen joint, why order ramen? I took this into account when eating it. The noodles were actually good having a bite. The soup was not full of depth, yet it did have plenty of flavour though. The pork was terrible though since it was chewy and obviously freshly cooked for the ramen. I will cut them some slack though. For the things I did try, the pork in the ramen withstanding, the food was more than acceptable, especially for Ladner.

The Good:
- Friendly staff
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- For those who care, not that authentic (yet Maguro has the same issue)

Cray Kitchen and Bar

*Restaurant is now closed*

Okay, here we go. Another crawfish adventure... After the epic fail of a meal, otherwise known as Crawfish King, I had a difficult time convincing anyone from my softball team to try out GVRD's other crawfish joint. I would enthusiastically mention after our games to no avail. The responses ranged from ignoring me to nervous indifference. Alas, it seemed like a monumental task to convince anyone to eat at Cray Kitchen and Bar, even though they have nothing to do with Crawfish King. Finally I had a taker, in fact 3 takers. Herbie the Lovebug, Lana Banana and their sidekick agreed to the task. In fact, Herbie the Lovebug was stuck in neutral regarding this meal. Generally, he doesn't prefer eating with his hands and also, the perceived value just wasn't there. To be fair, all these types of restaurants, whether it be Crawfish King or the Crabpot in Seattle, are never places one should visit for a cheap meal. You pay for the experience. Whatever the case, we made a reservation for 7:15 on a weekday. Turns out the novelty of the crawfish thing was still in full force as the place was packed. Originally, we were offered the table right at the front door, but it really couldn't accommodate 5 people without creating an obstacle for others to cross. So we had to wait for a different table at the back which didn't become available until 8:00pm.

We decided to get a good amount of food since a boil isn't exactly a filling experience (all those shells). In addition to our Southern boil, we started with some Fried Oysters. For $9.99, it was an unimpressive basket of food. Yes, we do realize that oysters (especially certain types) are quite expensive. But 5 small little oysters for $10.00? If they do intend to serve these types of oysters, then I suggest they "prop" them up with either shredded lettuce or a bunch of fries. Hence, it would at the very least look like more. Size withstanding, the oysters were actually quite nice being fresh and just cooked. Seeing how we were already getting potatoes for our boil, Herbie thought that fries would be somewhat redundant. So he suggested we get an order of Onion Rings. Again, for $6.99, it was a meager amount. They were thick and fried crisp. Not bad. Pretty typical onion rings.

Now onto the main event - the Southern Boil! We got 5 lbs. each of the Crawfish and Shrimp in a the everything mix in medium. We added 3 potatoes, 3 corn and 12 slices of andouille sausage. Everything came a little at a time, which was welcomed since our table was really small. Moreover, that ensured our food would be hot and fresh. The crawfish came in various sizes (which is normal) and were cooked nicely. Viv and I thought these were "muddier" than the ones we had at Crawdaddy a few months ago. Not that the restaurant can necessarily control this, it was just an observation. We liked the spice level as well as the abundance of garlicky flavour. The "sauce" was very powerful. So much so, we had to get a side of Bread to soak it up. We would've preferred that it wasn't grilled since it was a bit too crunchy. Just give us a baguette and we'd be happy. Compared to Crawfish King, the sauce was much less greasy, which made it easier and more enjoyable to eat. As for the Shrimp, 4 bags were perfectly cooked where the shrimp had a nice snap and were super sweet. However, one bag was woefully overcooked. The meat was literally mush. For a moment, we considered the chances of it being spoiled, but since the shrimp are usually frozen fresh from the source, that shouldn't be the case.

The 3 Potatoes were pretty decent in size and were nicely prepared. They were in one piece with no disintegration, yet were nicely soft inside. The Corn was sweet and the niblets still had a pop. Lastly, they served the Sausage on the side (mixed with sauce) because it would be easier for us to find. Good idea, but then again, the whole point is to have them cooked with the seafood (can't win with either way). They were good though, with a slight spice and a nice snap. They were a touch overdone with some of the edges being hard. Okay, to compare this experience with Crawfish King, it wouldn't even be fair because nothing could be worse. However, as a whole, the meal was pleasant enough. The service was friendly and attentive while the food was okay. To be fair, this type of eating will never be "cheap" due to the lack of competition and high raw material costs. So don't expect to leave spending under $30.00 each. But if you must dine this way, Cray Kitchen is a better option than Crawfish King.

The Good:
- Although a bit sparse at times, service was really friendly and efficient
- A different way of eating

The Bad:
- An expensive way of eating
- Some of the tables are a bit small for all the food on the table

PNE Eats 2012

Like many Vancouvrites, my yearly schedule always includes a visit to the PNE. It's not so much that I really need to reload my supply of Sham Wows or mops, rather, I go for the food. Of course, there are the usual places such as Whales Tails, C-Lovers, Curry-in-a-Hurry and the lot. However, over the years, there have been more and more different food options. In particular, the "anything-you-can-put-in-a-deep-fryer" variety. Back in 2009, I tried the fried Jelly Belly as well as the fried Oreos with the latter being better. I was all set to head to the PNE with food on my mind when they came a-callin', literally. I was invited to sample some of their new hot items with other media on a rainy morning. But before that, I am literally going to get ahead of myself and fast forward to the end of the media tour where we were craving something savory after sampling only sweets.

Since we were right next to the BBQ stalls, I headed over to Smokin' Babes, where they were serving up big racks... Er... Anyways, this was the continuation of my BBQ mission from last years PNE where I was only able to hit up 3 of the 5 vendors. I went for their $22.00 platter which included 4 pork ribs, pulled pork and brisket. Sadly, this was my least favourite as the meats were really dry, especially the brisket. The sauce was zesty, tangy and sweet, which was quite appetizing, but that didn't help save the stringy pulled pork. The ribs were slightly better as they were fall-off-the-bone, yet hardly tender. If one likes a drier BBQ, this would be it. The very next day (I'm really out of chronological order here...), I went and tried out the last stall being Smokin' Guns. Unlike everyone else, they did not have any brisket. Rather, they had a beef and pork rib combo for $23.00. I added a pound of pulled pork for $6.00. This meat monstrosity was my favourite of the bunch. The pulled pork was moist, not oversauced and tender. And the sauce was a good balance of sweet and smoky with a hint of spice. The pork ribs were moist, well charred and had a nice bark. The same could be said about the beef bones as they were not dry at all, yet had a nice exterior bark which was chewy and smoky. Only downside was the big pool of oil from the all the meats especially the pulled pork. I realize there should be fat, but this was a bit unappetizing.

A visit to the PNE would not be complete without a simple fry bread called Whales Tail (or elephant ear, beaver tail or a interpretation of bannock). My son loves it only with Parmesan. He was wanting another once he finished. There is something about a piece of fried dough which soaks the paper towel it is on... But hold on, he can't just eat fried bread... So we picked up a plate of Perogies from Hunky Bills (yah, much healthier eh?). These fried carb-heavy dumplings were oily, sweet (from the onions) and buttery. The dousing of sour cream and side of sausage qualified it as fair food. I'm glad we did a fair bit of walking as I could feel the calories pile up.

Okay, back to the media event... Meeting up with some of the regulars (Sean, Kevin and Alvin), we set out towards the Showmart to sample Monkey Butter. This is a small business originating out of Vancouver producing an all natural peanut butter in an array of gourmet flavours. I got to sample the Bacon Peanut Butter and I could really taste the difference. It was not too sweet, a bit runny and very peanutty. As Michelle (from the Georgia Straight) stated, it could've been heavier on the bacon. Heading out from the Show Mart, we made our way to a familiar vendor - Pennsylvania Dutch (where I had the fried Jelly Belly and Oreos). This year, they put a spin on their funnel cake by adding maple and bacon (hmm... a bacon theme going on here). Of course, the funnel cake was as good as it has been in years past being crisp and light. The addition of maple syrup and what appeared to be Costco bacon bits, contributed a sweet and salty slant. I also got to sample their new item which was the Fried Wagon Wheels. Predictably sweet and gooey inside, it reminded me a of a fried smores. Definitely not a diet food (am I repeating myself?).

Around the corner, we were led to a brand new vendor, Powers Chocolate, which featured 2 chocolate fountains where skewers of fruit and treats were covered in silky dark and milk chocolate. I sampled both the chocolate-covered strawberries and the peanut & chocolate covered mashmallows. I liked how the chocolate didn't rely on sugar for flavour. Rather, it was not too sweet and had a nice sheen, indicating it was higher quality. I was surprised that even the marshmallow covered in chocolate wasn't overly sweet either. From a newbie to a classic, we headed over to La Casa Gelato for some samples. Although I have certain preferences for gelato in Vancouver, there is no denying the popularity of La Casa at the PNE. We sampled 2 of their new offerings in Durian and Maple Bacon. Durian is an acquired taste which I can most accurately describe as having a fruit gaminess. It is definitely sweet and aromatic, but can be off-putting to some. As for the Maple Bacon, it was more maple than bacon (what's with the maple bacon theme?).

Lastly, we stopped at Granny's Foods that were offering Fried Cheesecake and the interestingly named Fried Kool Aid. The cheese cake was wrapped in a tortilla of some sort and fried. The result was a partially melted cheesecake. It was creamy and full of cream cheese flavour though. As for the fried Kool Aid, think of them as Kool Aid flavoured fritters. Interesting to say the least. Well there you have it, another year of the PNE and an another year of eating really healthy food... I guess the indulgences go hand-in-hand with the PNE. Much like car accidents and Richmond...

54th Ave Cafe

With the realization that my concussion will keep me out of hockey for the forseeble future, I have to turn to other activities to fill the void. Seeing how I had not touched a golf club in a year and the fact that Polka King was coming out to play, I was ready to hack it up. Yes, that is the same Polka King who was a regular on my food adventures before he was imprisoned... er... I mean married. Ultimately, I did hack it up, but I had fun and there were eats to be had afterwards. Shockingly, Polka King was able to join us for food! Did he finally take a stand? No, apparently, Polka Dot was out with the girls and he was a free man... for a couple of hours. Did I just hear a whip? Since we were pretty hungry, we ended up going somewhere close which was 54th Avenue Cafe. I was nervous though since there hasn't been anything good said about the place. One thing I do know is that I don't have anything good to say about the parking lot. Can they make it any tighter?

Completing our foursome for golf and eats was Hans and Frans (yes, they are brothers). Hans had the Hainanese Chicken which was dry and chewy with little flavour. However, the ginger and onion was pretty good (with mostly ginger). The rice was properly cooked, yet, it was merely plain rice. For me, the whole point of Hainanese Chicken is to have chicken oil rice on the side. This is where the rice is pan-fried in the chicken oil (rendered from the poaching) and then cooked in the chicken broth with ginger. This was a huge disappointment. Polka King went for the Yeung Chow Fried Rice which was a decent portion with lots of shrimp. It was cold-water crunchy while the BBQ pork was lean and plentiful. The rice was not greasy bordering on dry. That wasn't a problem though since fried rice should be chewy and somewhat dry. The one issue with the fried rice was the lack of seasoning. It was bland.

Frans opted for the Black Pepper Chicken Steak. It was a huge portion consisting of 3 whole deboned legs that were nicely panfried. The meat was moist and juicy. There was a good amount of sauce, but it was very mild and didn't have a huge hit of pepper. For myself, I went for the "build-your-own-noodle" with the Flat Rice Noodle in Fish Broth. I chose fish filet and ox tongue for my 2 meats. The fish broth, to me, was a bit odd. It had a somewhat sour finish to it and really didn't taste like fish. Furthermore, the fish filets were more like fish chunks. They were okay in texture though. On the other hand, the ox tongue was overcooked and practically melted in my mouth. Normally, there should be a slight resistance, rather than mushiness. And how likes mushy tongue in their mouths anyways??? Er... So our visit to 54th Ave Cafe pretty much summarizes what others have said - the food is average-to-poor. For us, it was edible, but there was at least one issue with each of our dishes. Their low prices is probably their one saving grace. As for the service, it was not bad for us, so no issues there. The bottom line is we are not clamouring for a return visit anytime soon.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Convenience (with tight parking lot and all)

The Bad:
- There is just something off with every dish