Western Lake (ChineseBites Dinner)

Another ChineseBites dinner... What a chore... Yah right. I know I'm fortunate to sample some of the best Chinese dishes in the city. Our most recent meal saw us visit one of my favourite restaurants - Western Lake. They manage to accomplish what most Chinese people seek when spending their hard-earned money: "peng, yau leng". Translated, it means inexpensive, yet good. Here you will find some of the best Dim Sum in town regardless of price point. As for dinner, the portions are large and the food is above-average at a reasonable price. That would probably explain the constant lineup out-the-door for both Dim Sum and dinner services (tip: make sure you make a reservation or the wait can exceed an hour).

For our ChineseBites dinner, the usual crew was present including Kevin, Rick, Alvin, Grace and new members, Queenie and Melody. We started with a Wintermelon Soup that was eerily reminiscent of the one I had at Top Cantonese recently. Since this was an invited dinner, I'm sure they amped up the ingredients as this soup was far superior. It was packed with shrimp, straw mushrooms, chicken, duck, Virginia ham, scallops, Basa, crab and dried scallops. Lots of ingredients which helped flavour the broth (which was quite delicate and mild). This was a soup that ate like a meal. Next up was a dish, Egg Whites with Shrimp, that was also quite familiar. We had something similar at our first ChineseBites dinner at Golden Swan. Again, this one was the better version. So much so, Rick went back for seconds (he was not a fan of the Golden Swan version). The egg whites were fluffy and seasoned lightly with a touch of sweetness. The shrimp had a nice coldwater snap as well as exhibiting a natural sweetness of its own. Underneath the egg whites was stir-fried pea shoots which were tender while maintaining a bite. They were not greasy at all. Oh and I'm sure that is not how they usually plate it...

I'm not sure what strawberries have to do with crab, but they sure like using it as a garnish. Anyways, the Fried Crab with garlic, black bean, green onion, dried scallops & shrimp, chilis and salt was really good. If you can imagine, the combination of the aforementioned ingredients would combine to offer up aromatics, saltiness and spice. Hence, this crab not lacking in any flavour. Now for the first dud of the meal. Well, partial dud that is. The Black Pepper Beef Tenderloin with fried milk was actually a solid dish except for the milk. It was dense, cold, gritty and bland. The batter was pretty thick too. Maybe they fried this far too early? As for the beef tenderloin, it was mostly tender with a mild pepperiness.

Okay, back to the good food with the Honey Walnuts and Salad Mayo Prawns. At first, I was concerned with the amount of mayo drenching the prawns (it reminded me of something else, but due to the suggestiveness of it, I'll refrain from saying it). In the end, the amount of mayo did not compromise our eating enjoyment. The large prawns had a nice snap and were sweet. The mayo sauce was also pretty sweet, hence combined with the honey walnuts, the whole dish was sweet (yet that is how it is). And there are those sliced strawberries again! Inexplicably, we went from one prawn dish to another in the Sauteed Prawns (not that we were complaining!). These were deep fried, then wok fried in a sweet chili sauce. The combination of ginger, onions and cilantro added a good amount of fragrance and flavour. Although the prawns were cooked nicely where they retained a good snap, the shells were too hard to eat and had to be peeled.

Then the most sinful of the dishes arrived... The Braised Pork Belly served with steamed buns enticed us with its artery-hardening persona. There was a good amount of sweet sauce on the plate (looked like a hoisin/oyster sauce mix) which could've used more savouriness. The pork belly itself was pretty good with a melt-in-our-mouths texture. The meat itself was moist as well. I really liked the steam buns as they were soft and went really well with the belly. Probably my favourite dish was the Roast Chicken. It arrived with in an aesthetically-pleasing and rich soy colour. The chicken was moist, juicy and slightly chewy. The skin was not only good to look at, it was super tasty (in a sweet soy manner) as well which helped flavour the chicken.

Our last dish was the obligatory carb item being the Fried Rice with dried scallop and seafood. The rice was dry and chewy (which was a good thing) with a some really awesome egg nestled within. The texture and appearance of the strands of egg were very appealing. The dried scallops added a nice salty seafoodiness to the dish. Okay, I must point out the obvious - the dishes were plated extra well for our hosted dinner. However, that should not overshadow the fact that the portion sizes and quality of food at Western Lake are generally quite good on any other night with any other patrons (I've had dinner here independently). Western Lake may not have the name like the big boys in town, but it most certainly holds its own at a reasonable price.

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

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Good portions
- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:
- Dining room is small and cramp
- Service isn't bad, but it certainly is hurried

Chaise Lounge

Meeting up with my softball team during the game (since I can't play due to my concussion), I noticed that there were 3 identical bats. Last year, I bought an Easton Synergy Speed since I was so impressed with its power after I had tried it out. Apparently, Silent Bob and Milhouse were impressed with it too and they each had bought one as well. Now we have matching shafts! Er... Anyways, the team was stressing out prior to my arrival because they didn't know where to eat. Oh, how I love these guys, letting me be in control of their eating destinies... Oh yeah, they're great people as well... LOL... Originally, we were thinking of something in Richmond and possibly spicy. But not everyone wanted spicy nor anything Asian - more like something that was middle-of-the-road. Oh I see, for one of the few times, we were seeking out something average. Average food eh? We could go to a chain restaurant, but that would just seem like a cop out. Therefore, I suggested Chaise Lounge out on Main Street.

Although the place looks spacious from the outside, it was actually a tight fit for all 11 of us. No matter, it worked and we were hungry. It was pretty packed for a Monday night, which would probably explain the lack of staff. The one waitress was doing her very best to greet, seat, clean and serve while keeping a cheery disposition. We applauded her for not being completely frazzled. Despite being incredibly busy, she still attended to the little things like replacing dirty cutlery and bringing us condiments. Due to our hunger (and I'm not sure why I was hungry since I didn't play softball), Milhouse, Judes and I shared 3 appies ($19.oo if you get 3) which included Potato Skins, Dry Ribs and Calamari. We really liked the Potato Skins. They were large and had a nice layer of soft potato. These were fried up perfectly crisp without being incredibly greasy. A good amount of melted cheese and crisp bacon lined the inside. With a dollop of sour cream, these were money. The Dry ribs were pretty typical in easy-to-manage pieces which were actually quite moist. They weren't as crisp on the outside as much as we would've liked though. Moreover, the ribs could've benefited from a touch more salt. The same could be said about the Calamari as well. The batter was pretty bland and even a generous dunk into the tzatziki, there was a lack of flavour. On the positive side, the batter was crunchy and not oily. However, the squid was a bit chewy. We did like the addition of fried peppers though.

For myself, I had the Lamb Shank, which was reasonably priced at $16.00. In fact, everything on the menu was very inexpensive (especially since the place is not a dive either). Although the meat was fall of the bone, it was a bit dry and stringy in parts. This could've been due to cooking or reheating it at a too-high temperature. Now with that being said, it was still sufficiently tender. Moreover, the sauce was quite good with a hint of red wine and the sweetness of onions. The mash potatoes were more starchy than creamy, yet it was house-made with moist chunks of potato. The side of veggies were a bit inconsistent with the red peppers being perfect while the zucchini being mushy. Boss Woman ended up with the 3 pc Fish & Chips which again was a good value at $13.00. However, it was pretty mediocre. The fries were of the frozen generic variety which were not very crispy. As for the fish, which was cod, it was fried up nicely being flaky and moist. However, the batter was a touch thick and full of grease. The tartar sauce was pretty creamy with not many distinguishing flavours. Gyoza King had the Roast Chicken and it was okay. The dark meat was moist and tender while the white meat was a tad dry. That is pretty normal for a non-brined roast chicken. The skin was nicely rendered except it was not crispy. The chicken was seasoned enough that there was enough flavour on its own. Again, the veggies were okay except for the mushy zucchini.

Milhouse went for the Prime Rib Sandwich which was majestically plated with a tonne of onion rings on top. Despite being sliced thin, the piece of prime rib was a healthy portion. I got to try a piece and it was moist and tender. The onion rings were pretty generic, but at the very least, they were fried up crispy. Dark Helmet had the Prime Rib Dinner and it was essentially the same as Milhouse's sandwich except with the usual sides. LuLu Bomber had probably the best deal of the day being the 8oz NY Steak with mushrooms, baked potato and veggies for $11.00! Yes, that is not an error, it really was only $11.00. Bam Bam also had the same meal and although it was a great value, the quality of the steak wasn't the best. It was a bit chewy and had some gristle. But let's get real here, what does one expect for that price anyways? And they wholeheartly echoed these sentiments because you get what you pay for.

Judes and Bear both had the Burger which was a really large patty on a nice Ciabatta bun. However, the meat was quite dry and chewy. For Bear, he had the Jalapeno Cheddar which added a kick to the burger, but since Judes had the Classic, it was not that flavourful. Okay, with certain execution issues aside, we were all satisfied with our meals. Why? The reasonable prices helped realign our expectations. Considering that each dish was roughly $5.00 or more less expensive than a chain restaurant, we experienced some of the best average food we've ever had. And that is not a bad thing.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Decent decor
- Friendly service (too bad there was only one server)

The Bad:
- Average food
- Tight seating
- Our server was great, but she was definitely overextended

Columbus

Alas, my softball team made it to the finals (which they generally do) to only lose in the deciding game. Much like last year, the opposition was far too strong (which makes one wonder what they heck they are doing in a rec division anyways...). They put in a good effort, but more importantly, they were hungry after 6 games over 2 days. We threw out several ideas as to where to eat and eventually settled on something really close to Gordon Park (where they were playing) - Columbus Restaurant. Tucked inside the Killarney Market shopping complex, the decor is stuck in a time warp a la 1979. And just like the day before at Tokyo John, they did not have A/C. Great. On one of the warmest days of the year too. Now I see why large groups of people frequent chain restaurants...

Serving a mix of Italian and Greek food, think Gigi's, Sunrise Pizza and Neighbours as comparable restaurants. As a group, we decided to share a bunch of items starting with the Calamari. These were fried up crispy and light with squid that was on the chewier side (which was not difficult to eat though). We liked the inclusion of the tentacles because they offered up a totally different texture. Although the tzatziki was thick and flavourful (especially big hits of lemon and cucumber), the calamari batter itself was not seasoned enough. We also ordered a pizza called "Everything but the Waitress". Um, I'm going to leave this one alone and refrain from commenting... LOL... Anyways, it was all the toppings on one pizza. Despite that, the crust remained crunchy throughout and amazingly, the whole thing was not greasy. Furthermore, this was achieved with a plethora of cheese on top. Naturally, with all the ingredients, the pizza was flavourful without being overly salty. Moreover, there was just enough zesty tomato sauce.

The first of our entrees to arrive was the Veal Parmigiana accompanied by nicely prepared asparagus and house-made wedges. The meat was moist and tender with a slightly crisp exterior. The tomato sauce was once again zesty and tart. The freshly fried wedges were not as crispy as they appeared, yet they were a welcomed change from generic Sysco fries. For me, I suggested we try the Roast Lamb and it turned out to be a poor decision. If you look at the picture, it is pretty obvious that the lamb was stringy and dry. It might've been moist at one point, however, due to the passage of time and the reheating process, it became chewy. Flavourwise, it was okay with plenty of seasoning (on the outside at least). The bed of rice was a little strange though. It resembled a poorly-made risotto. It was sticky, wet and chewy all at the same time. As for the Greek salad, they used balsamic, which only ensured that the whole thing looked dirty. Interestingly, the dish did not come with potato nor pita bread.

Lastly, we shared the BBQ Ribs which were beyond fall of the bone. It was so soft, it melted on contact. Not horrible, but it could've exhibited more texture (parboiled less). The thick, sweet BBQ sauce was laid on thick and had a bit of tang. As you can see, there were some hits and some misses. We were pretty hungry (wait, I didn't play any softball...) and it did the job. I'm not sure if we would clamor to do a repeat visit, but the pizza was pretty good though (for that kind of pizza).

The Good:
- Pizza is surprisingly solid
- We got decent service

The Bad:
- Entrees are a bit hit and miss
- No A/C

Tokyo John

Watching my softball team play in the year-end tourney was as excruciating as watching someone parallel park in Richmond. It's because I couldn't be a part of the action, much like the parallel parking job (sometimes I want to get out of my car and just park it for them). However, my sole consolation was getting to eat with them afterwards! Bah. Who cares about the softball anyways? It only serves to delay dinner... Seeing how I had just eaten at U & I Thai for lunch earlier in the day, I had spotted Tokyo John across the street. I've always been intrigued by the place because of its 90% rating on Urbanspoon. Now of course I've already ranted about how the voting system is flawed, but c'mon, that is a pretty high score! So I suggested we head there for eats since the park they were playing at was only blocks away. Well, the experience didn't start off on the right foot as their A/C system was inadequate for the warm day. We were literally sweating sitting at our table. Furthermore, they seemed a bit annoyed at our large group.

We ended up ordering our own things because it would've been hard to share at our long table. Furthermore, one table could not be moved, so Lulu Bomber, Gyoza King, Bam Bam and Pebbles sat apart from us. Now that didn't stop me from going over there to do my thing. Pebbles decided to try their Real Crab Sunomono. She was disappointed that the whole thing was served warm. That was not pleasing in temperature or flavour. Since it was warm, it was sweeter than if it were cold. Too bad since the rest of it wasn't bad. Her next appetizer, which I had in my order as well, was the Prawn Tempura. This was served hot and crisp. It wasn't greasy, but the batter was quite thick. Hence it was pretty crunchy even when found in many of the rolls we had ordered. The ebi itself was nicely textured and of a reasonable size. As expected, Gyoza King ordered the Gyozas and to his dismay, these were not well-executed. First of all, the filling was a bit gritty and loose. Yet worst of all, they were so fried (and look at the picture, they were fried), that the oil began to seep into the centre. Therefore, it was a greasy mess which was not appealing at all. Furthermore, the dipping sauce was missing spice and tang.

I had the good fortune of sitting beside Dark Helmet who consistently and graciously shares his food. So I got to sample the Spinach Gomae which was okay. The spinach was blanched properly where it was tender while still having a bite. The syrupy sweet dressing was kept to a minimum while the roasted sesame seeds added a nutty aromaticness. He also added an order of the Spicy Salmon Sashimi which arrived in a modest portion. I guess we can never expect Sushi Town portions everywhere else right? For some reason or another, the spicy dressing was not very spicy. In fact, it was not very flavourful either. Combined with the bland-tasting salmon, the whole dish was lacking impact. At the very least, we could chew and digest the salmon because the Short Ribs weren't as easy. Bear loves short ribs and can be considered a connoisseur. Well, he was an annoyed Bear as he could barely (sorry for the pun) break down the meat. It was so chewy that he was getting tired eating it.

For myself, I went for something with a little bit of everything in a Deluxe Dinner Bento Box. As seen in the picture, there was Tempura, Wakame, Chicken Teriyaki, 3 pcs California Roll, 3pcs Dynamite Roll, Tuna & Salmon Nigiri and Salmon and Tuna Sashimi. This may have sounded like a lot of food but it really wasn't. It was fairly expensive at $17.95. As mentioned, the tempura wasn't bad except the batter was a touch too thick. The wakame had a nice chewy texture with a good amount of sesame oil. I wasn't a huge fan of the chicken teriyaki as it was overcooked and dry. The rolls weren't too bad with the rice being slightly gummy and not very flavourful. In terms of the raw fish, the tuna was too mushy while the salmon was pretty standard, if not bland. While we were eating away, Dark Helmet was presented with an order of Zaru Soba. Huh? He didn't order that nor did anyone else. He stated that he ordered "Saba" and the server apologized and took it away. Inexplicably, another staff member brought the dish back and we had to go through the whole charade again. I guess our party was too big and they were getting a bit confused... Anyways, the Saba was pretty typical if not a touch overcooked and mostly bland.

Okay bland is one thing, but how about watery Tonkatsu Don? Yes, Bear's and Boss Woman's order of Don was not only watery (and I mean a pool of water at the bottom of the bowl), it was lacking in flavour. Furthermore, the piece of pork was really thin and fried a bit too long. This was an extremely poor attempt. So much so, Bear could even eat the rice. At this point, I revealed to him the 90% rating on Urbanspoon. He was totally shocked. How can that be? The food was mediocre-to-poor. Who were these people voting??? We had a party of 14 and no one thought highly of the experience. So it ain't only me! Makes one wonder if you can really trust the ratings on Urbanspoon...

The Good:
- Um... I'm not sure...

The Bad:
- Lack of execution
- Poor quality
- Weak A/C

Lucky's Doughnuts

More than ever, I am beginning to believe that Vancouver is a "fad-crazy" food town. There was the Bubble Tea explosion in the 90's and more recently - Ramen, Izakayas, Macarons, Gourmet Burgers, Food Carts, Neapolitan Pizza and Gourmet Donuts (not necessarily in that order). I suppose one of the major contributing factors is the large Asian population, in turn leading to a high percentage of Asian restaurants. Hence, anything new (and especially if it isn't Asian), it will be considered "special". Case in point, look at the Mac Shack and Crawfish King/Cray Kitchen. A restaurant dedicated to mac n' cheese has been around in NYC for awhile, but it seems so "different" here. Same with the Southern boil. Sure, we don't have any up here, but it is suddenly the "it" thing because of its scarcity. You wouldn't get the same craze say in Medford, Oregon if there was suddenly an Xiao Long Bao joint.

So when Cartems starting offering a Bacon Maple Donut, it drew ooohs and awwws despite being available at Voodoo and Rocket Donuts for a very long time. Yes, they are not located in Vancity, but this is just reiterating my original point. We are drawn to fads as much as Kim Kardashian is drawn to a camcorder. So off we went to investigate Lucky's Doughnuts, the latest entry in the gourmet donut fad, located inside 49th Parallel Roasters Cafe. Since Viv, the kids, Marshmallow, Sexy Nurse and Postman were all present, it was decided to get a variety of donuts to eat in. My son had the Chocolate Old Fashion and it was mildly sweet. For me, that is perfect since I don't like overly sweet desserts. It was chocolatey yet not as much as the visuals would imply. The cake donut wasn't as soft as it looked either, it was a touch chewy. Postman thought it could've used a touch more sweetness, which I would agree in this case.

As for the Lemon Donut, I apologize for the picture as I didn't get a chance to open it up before snapping away. You see, my daughter wanted to eat it immediately. She actually didn't end up finishing it as the lemon filling was tart and tasted like fresh lemon juice. Good for me, not really for her. So she hijacked my Bacon Apple Fritter instead. Actually, she picked off the bacon bits and apple chunks, leaving me a plain fritter... Luckily I had taken a few bites before that. Again, it wasn't as sweet as it looked (which was a good thing) and it had a firm texture. The exterior was a touch chewy and slightly crunchy. Naturally, the apple and bacon combo worked well together, but there could've been more of both.

Viv decided to go for their coffee and featured donut combo for $4.00. It happened to be the Pistachio Orange Honey. We thought the donut was more glutinous than cake-like. Not a bad thing per se, just an observation. The pistachio and orange really came though with a salty floral quality to it. After awhile, I noticed Viv had a hard time finishing her coffee. It turns out she wasn't really a huge fan of it. There was this vinegary finish which she didn't like (which I'm sure some people do like). At this point, we only had mild enthusiasm about the donuts (especially Postman, who is a food connoisseur in his own right). However, when he bit into the Glazed Donut, his opinion changed for the better. The glaze was sweet, yet not overbearing while the texture of the yeast donut was airy and slightly chewy. He liked this one the most. Marshmallow had the Plain Cake Donut which was pretty much the same as the other cake donuts without any glaze. Therefore, it was less sweet while still being chewy in a gluten-sort-of-way. All-in-all, the donuts were pretty decent with some highlights. They're not exactly cheap but we didn't mind them.

The Good:
- Carefully made gourmet donuts
- Nice hipster place to eat your donuts

The Bad:
- Expensive
- Good, but not that good...

Suzette's Deli

For me, there are generally 3 types of restaurants: the ones that everyone knows about, those that are local gems and ones that only serve a specific purpose. The latter of the 3 include lunch spots that are not open for dinner nor the weekends. Hence, they are only frequented by the people who work nearby. For me, I do have a particular interest in these joints because there could be something interesting. That is the case with Suzette's Deli. Located in a business park next to Home Depot in Burnaby, it is the epitome of a local lunch spot. However, they serve one item that is slightly more interesting than the typical turkey on whole wheat (they do have that too...). Seeing how I was at Home Depot anyways, I made the quick walk across the street to Suzette's. I didn't drive over because there are only 2 parking spots for the place and they are usually occupied.

Upon walking into the place, I was greeted by a nice young lady who appeared to the daughter of the Korean couple who run the place (son was on cash). They were all very nice and efficiently pumping out the orders for customers. I noticed that they had some Asian options as well. Hence, I gave the Chicken Curry a go. It was a typical starch-thickened yellow variety. It was not spicy at all and actually quite bland considering what it could've been. The veggies were cooked nicely being soft yet not falling apart while the chicken was sufficiently moist. When mixed with the chewy rice, it was a good value meal.

The Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich was something definitely different from the run-of-the-mill stuff you get at lunch sandwich spots. It was somewhat thin, but there was still enough meat. The edges were a bit hard (due to sitting in the warming display case), but the rest of it was still crispy. When sandwiched in between 2 slices of soft bread along with the other ingredients, it was an enjoyable lunch. I got a side of Chili, which was thick and full of veggies along with meat and kidney beans. It was on the sweeter side and didn't have much in the way of heat. By virtue of being a lunch spot, I was not expecting anything mind-blowing. And in the end, it wasn't. Yet, it was decent and inexpensive. I guess we can't expect anymore than that.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Good portions
- Friendly owners

The Bad:
- It shouldn't matter to 90% of their customers, but there isn't a whole lot of parking
- Again, it should matter to most of their customers, but there are not many places to sit

Dollar Meat Store

The last time I was in Chinatown in search for meat, it led me to the corner of Gore and Keefer. No, not that kinda "meat"! This is a food blog! Rather, I was continuing my search for the best Chinese BBQ. I figured if I was going to check out the BBQ meat scene in Chinatown, I needed to visit the Grand Daddy of them all out on Pender - Dollar Meats. Wow, this place brings back huge memories. I remember as a kid, I would marvel at all the cured meats hung on the wall and all the raw meats sitting there without refrigeration (and flies all around too). Is that safe? Well, walking into the place, nothing has changed - literally. It was like a time warp and I was transported back. Wait, my back still hurts and I have a huge mortgage. No, I really didn't go back in time. Darn!

So as per my MO, I went with the big three meats starting with the standard, the Roast Pork. Since they use the whole hog at Dollar, it really depends on your luck what type of meat you get. I got mostly the shoulder for this order and it was sufficiently moist, if not salty. The roast pork was a bit more "rustic" than you would find at a place like HK BBQ Master. The crackling was thin but still crunchy. This was an above average roast pork. As for the BBQ Pork, it was not exactly moist nor was it dry either. If you are a BBQ pork connoisseur, you can tell from the picture that the pork still has the barely cooked texture which would be almost hard similar to boiled meat. There wasn't a huge hit of flavour either, rather the centre tasted like "pork". Yes, that sounds funny, but BBQ pork should take on the properties of the sweet marinade.

Lastly, the BBQ Duck was pretty meaty yet on the paler side of the bbq skin colour continuum. The layer of fat underneath the skin was quite minimal while the meat was mostly mosit. The duck was slightly salty at the thigh, but that is not unusual since the marinade collects in that area. Bottom line? Dollar Meats continues to churn out the same stuff they always have. Nothing more, nothing less. It fall somewhere in between HK BBQ Master and Top King.

The Good:
- Pretty predictable stuff
- Standard pricing
- Nostalgic store

The Bad:
- It does the job, but nothing more than that