Joi's Chinese Seafood Restaurant

*Restaurant is permanently closed*

"Uh, Dim Sum?", nervously questioned my dad when I suggested we do so while we were in Bellevue. I can't blame him as his only experience with Chinese food down there was back in 1997 at Noble Court. That left a bad taste in his mouth, which he still remembers to this day. I assured him that Chinese food has come a long way since then. Having just recently visited Top Gun and being satisfied with the quality of the eats, I thought we'd try out Joi's out in Downtown Bellevue. Previously Koi's, the name change had not been reflected in the menu nor the parking signage as of yet. And about that parking... The onsite parking lot must've been designed to fit only Smart cars or Fiat 500's. My SUV took up 2 spots and I tried my darnedest to make it fit into one. So if you want to avoid this problem, park in their alternative lot instead.

We had arrived pretty early, so it was easy to get a table in the spacious and clean dining room. With push carts patrolling the aisles, we were pretty much able to get most of our food immediately. Let's start with the basics shall we? The Haw Gow were a bit on the smallish side, yet were more than acceptable. The dumpling skin was a touch chewy while the shrimp filling had the necessary snap texture. Flavorwise, it was seasoned just enough with a hint of sesame oil. We certainly couldn't have haw gow without Sui Mai (well, at least I can't), so that was a given we'd get an order. These were also quite good with a decent amount of snappy shrimp. The pork was slightly bouncy with some moist pieces. A noticeable amount of shiitake mushrooms added to the good balance of sweet and savory.

Moving along to another staple of Dim Sum was the Beef Rice Noodle Roll (and the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll, not pictured though). The rice noodle itself wasn't too thick, yet was still slightly gummy and chewy. The beef filling was both plentiful and done properly. The texture was smooth and had a rebound quality while having just the right amount of green onion. As for the shrimp rice noodle roll, the shrimp filling was a bit meager, but did exhibit a good snap while being mildly seasoned. With a close relation to the beef rice noodle roll, the Beef Meatballs were pretty good as well. The meat was a touch moist, yet still exhibited some chewiness and bounce. Again, there was the right amount of greens mixed into the meat where it added some brightness without being overwhelming.

A little on the sparse side in terms of quantity was the Black Bean Spareribs. Whenever you can see the bottom of the plate before even a single piece is never a good thing. Anyways, as you can clearly see, the dish was rather greasy as evidenced by the pool of oil. Despite the lack of content, most of the pieces were meaty and attached to bone, not cartilage. The meat was on the chewier side, yet not difficult to eat by any stretch of the imagination. In terms of flavour, it could've benefited from more black bean and garlic. Onto the Loh Mei Gai (or sticky rice), it was a bit wet. I really didn't mind because I really can't stand dry and hard sticky rice anyways. I guess the overload of ingredients (ground pork, shiitake mushroom, Chinese sausage and chicken) in the middle helped contribute to the moisture.

At this point, we noticed a new push cart being employed on the floor and quickly realized it contained dessert tofu. We flagged down the young lady and ordered a bowl. Nothing particularly interesting about the dish (and no picture either), but something bizarre happened at the table next to us. They had also ordered the dessert, but the young lady proceeded to put a heaping spoonful of green onions on it (and without simple sugar either). We believe she mixed up the dessert with the other item on the cart, which was Preserved Egg and Salted Pork Congee. Suffice to say, the people at the table were thoroughly confused and judging by their reaction, didn't like the green onion unsweetened tofu dessert! Fortunately, the congee (without green onion) was not bad. It was thick and smooth all the way to the last spoonful. There were some ingredients to be found, but they were in little itty bitty pieces. I liked the pork as it was tender and slightly salty. There was a considerable MSG flavour which I didn't particularly care for.

Dim Sum would not be complete without some offal (it would make Chris Cosentino proud...). So we got an order of the Honeycomb Tripe. There was a good amount of tripe crammed onto the small sauce plate in the bamboo steamer. It had a good chewy, but soft texture which was not gamy (which meant they had rinsed it properly). I liked how there was a good balance between salty, sweet and spiciness. Lastly, we got an order of the Egg Tarts which were also pretty good. The tart shell was flaky and buttery while the egg custard was on the sweeter side. At the end of our meal, my parents were pretty impressed with the overall quality of the Dim Sum considering we were not in Vancouver. If I had to chose between Top Gun and Joi's, it would be literally a toss up. The food is pretty comparable as well as the parking.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Clean and spacious dining room

The Bad:
- Lots of staff, but everyone seemed to busy to help
- Main parking lot is terrible

The Crab Pot (Bellevue)

I believe there are 2 types of fads - general fads and personal fads. A personal fad (could be an obssesion too)? What the heck is that? My recent fascination with boiled seafood dumped on the table seems to have hit a "fad-like" level. Ironically, it started off with a crappy experience at Crawfish King (Richmond location). Undeterred, I went to Crawdaddy in San Jose and more recently, Cray Kitchen in Vancouver. And just prior to our cruise out of Seattle, we headed over to the Crab Pot for more messing eating. Okay, before the haters start leaving rude comments, I realize that this ain't the cheapest way to eat nor am I ranting about Crawfish King... But, this was a good way to compare and we wanted to go for the experience as well.

The adults at the table (yes, that included me despite what Viv thinks!) shared the Westport (for $25.95pp) which included clams, mussels, shrimp, dungeness crab, snow crab, Andouille sausage, corn and potatoes. We got a Sourdough Loaf to start. Although it was served cold, the bread was still quite nice with a chew on the outside. Now I read many complaints about how the food is not enough for the price. Okay, I would beg to differ. C'mon, how much food do 4 people really need? We struggled to finish everything and in fact, left some potatoes and sausage on the table. Sure, the shrimp and mussels were overcooked, but not so much that it was inedible. The crab and clams turned out fine. I guess they might look into staggering their preparation of the variety of seafood. The potatoes were soft while not falling apart. The sausage was in small slices and became hard after the cooking process. It would've been nice for larger, thicker pieces. The corn was slightly past done, but it was still plump and sweet. The spicy seasoning salt on the outside worked well with the sweetness of the seafood.

My daughter had the Fish n' Chips which was a decent portion for $5.00. The batter was crunchy (and I mean crunchy) and stayed that way to the last bite. The fish was firm and flaky while the fries were crisp. My son decided to to be boring and had Chicken Tenders at a seafood joint. They were more like chicken filets more than anything being moist and crispy. Overall, we had a good experience at the Crab Pot. Was the food perfect? Of course not. They do overcook some of the seafood and yes it isn't the cheapest way to eat, but it was fine for what it is. At the very least, we were full and didn't think we were ripped off or anything. One thing they might want to look at is the staffing. Not that they weren't nice and all, but our server was nowhere to be found in stretches.

The Good:
- For those who want a different experience
- Not particularly inexpensive, but we didn't find it outrageous either

The Bad:
- Some of the seafood was overcooked
- Where did our server go?

Bob's Burgers & Brew

Normally, whenever we head to the Seattle Premium Outlets, it would not be complete without a visit to Eagles Buffet in the Tulalip Casino Resort. Okay, it isn't amazing food, but for the price (especially for lunch), it does the job. However, this time around (on our way to our Alaskan cruise leaving out of Seattle), we decided to hit up Bob's Burgers and Brew. Yes, it is a chain restaurant, but Viv had tried it out last time and it was acceptable. It was amusing that my dad remarked how there weren't any Asians eating at Bob's. I quickly exclaimed that, "They're all at the buffet!". LOL...

My parents shared a Beef Dip which was split nicely onto 2 plates. Funny how we initially assumed that one plate represented an entire order. That alone was enough food for one person. The roast beef was tender, yet had this "Arby's" thing going on where it looked more like ham. The dip itself was pretty generic. For their side, they had the Clam Chowder which was thick and flavourful. It wasn't creamy per se, but it was fine for what it was. Viv decided on the Fish Burger. When it arrived, we were shocked to see 2 large fried pieces of cod. Look at the picture... There was easily twice the amount of fish one would find at Red Robin. The fish itself was fried up crunchy where there was no softening of the batter up until the last bite. Sufficiently moist and flaky, the large pieces of fish barely stayed within the confines of the soft bun. A chunky tartar sauce was served on the side. She had the Split Pea & Ham Soup as her side and it was thick, salty and full of ham.

For myself, I went for Bob's Bonanza Burger because it was the biggest, baddest option on the menu. When it was placed on the table, a large pool of oil began to form as it dripped from the overhanging bacon. Yah, this was a heart-stopping collection of 2 large beef patties, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, cheese and lots of mayo. This was a messy, run-down-your-arm burger which could've benefited from a bit less grease. It seemed like they poured the butter from the sauteed mushrooms onto the burger as well as the bacon grease from the pan as well. I liked the burger despite this and the beef was slightly dry. My son inexplicably chose the Kraft Mac n' Cheese. Dude, I can make that at home for less than $1.00! Anyways, it was predictable and the fries on the side were actually quite good being crispy and light. My daughter had the chicken strips and they were, well... chicken strips. As you can see, the food ain't fancy here nor is it very imaginative. But Bob's offers up predictable food for a reasonable price. Did the job for us this time.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Predictable food
- Good service

The Bad:
- Predictable food
- Greasy

Pachamami Sabor Latino

*Restaurant is closed*

As much as some parts of Surrey are pretty homogenous in terms of food diversity (see: Scott Road), King George Highway is another story. From one end in South Surrey all the way into Whalley terminating at the Patullo Bridge, almost every cuisine is represented. Mixed amongst every conceivable chain restaurant, one would find Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Korean and of course Indian cuisine. However, we can add one more -Spanish. Honestly, I wasn't expecting a place such as Pachamami Sabor Latino opening up shop on KGH near 80th Ave. Furthermore, I was taken aback when they were offering a lunch buffet for $7.99.

As always... a buffet would never be the best way to experience the food, but for the price, I was game. As I walked into the brand new restaurant, I noticed it was clean, tastefully appointed and welcoming.  Similar to Sunny Noodle House, the chef did the cooking, cleaned the tables, served the customers, made coffee (which is included) and tended the till.  Maybe it was a good idea to have the buffet after all...  The first thing I tried was the Chicken Quinoa Soup.  Well, it was basically a chicken soup with lots of celery and chicken.  Flavours were mild and slightly sweet.  As for the main part of the buffet, it featured items such as Green Salad, Pasta Salad, Onion & Tomato Salad, Picante de Gallina (Spicy Chicken), Saice (Ground Beef), Rice, Majau (Rice with Shredded Beef), Black Beans and Chancho al Horno (Roast Pork).

The one thing that stood out was the Chancho al Horno.  It was moist and fatty with a nice bark.  There was a mild roasted flavour with only a subtle hint of seasoning.  I thought the Picante de Gallina was nothing but.  Although the meat was moist and tender (being dark meat), it was pretty bland.  The Majau was not mushy nor hard (even sitting in a chaffing tray) and was flavourful due to the meat. The Saice was pretty much seasoned ground beef.  It went well with the plain white rice.  Lastly, there was some store-bought Coffee Cake for dessert.  It was pretty typical.  As for the rest of the food, most of it was decent with the roast pork being the highlight. Considering the buffet goes for the low price of $7.99, this is a buffet worth trying.

The Good:
- Inexpensive buffet
- Friendly chef/server/barrista/cashier
- Clean and tidy

The Bad:
- Flavours could be more impactful
- Since there is only one person there (at least when I went), service is sparse

Firepots

*Restaurant is closed*

It seems, on the surface, that I don't do a lot of cooking.  Au contraire, I actually do love cooking and do so quite often.  However, there are times when it just ain't practical to do so.  Now, going out to eat is all fine and dandy (since I do a lot of that anyways), but it isn't the healthiest option most of the time.  Therefore, I look to Japanese restaurants, Pho joints and sometimes wonton noodles.  I know, I know, there are bad things to eat at these places too as well as the sodium content, but they are better choices than fast food.  This time around, we thought hot pot would satisfy the somewhat "healthier" criteria.  And besides, it's like cooking your own food anyways. Now, not an AYCE place either because that defeats the purpose of eating healthier.  So, we ended up at Firepots, which features individual hot pots, much like Gokudo Shabu Shabu in Richmond.

Now, unlike Gokudo Shabu Shabu, Firepots doesn't offer up pork's blood or tripe.  Rather, their appeal is to a much broader clientele.  Their menu is simple: pick a broth, pick a meat, pick some veggies, pick a noodle and various sauces.  Each item is priced a la carte, so if you don't watch it, it can get up there.  For myself, I had the Fire-Roasted Meat Broth with Lamb, Shiitake and Oyster Mushrooms, Shanghai Bak Choy, Ramen Noodles (which looked more like Shanghainese thick noodles) and a selection of sauces). Viv had the Satay Broth, Chicken, Sui Choy and Vermicelli.  We found the portions to be modest for the price.  

There was nothing amiss with the ingredients as we found them to be fresh and vibrant.  The meats were tender as well.  My broth was on the saltier side and it wasn't as flavourful as the name would suggest.  With all the food you see in the pictures (except for my veggies), the total before tips was more than $31.00.  Compare this to Shabu Shabu (which costs around $10.00 and Posh (which costs only $15.88 for AYCE), this was not a good value.  Too bad really since the concept is okay and the food and service wasn't bad.

The Good:
- Service is attentive and friendly
- Food quality is decent
- Comfortable surroundings

The Bad:
- The a la carte pricing is too high
- Broth is salty and in need of more distinguishable flavours (considering it does cost $4.00)

Cactus Club (Coquitlam)

Recently, I participated in the Chevy Spark event where we drove one of those micro cars around doing a semi-Amazing Race sort of challenge. Boy, it was pretty embarrassing asking complete strangers to help us with our tasks! What? Who wouldn't want to be photographed filing their nails??? Yah, imagine asking some random person to do that! In the end, we finished last due to a time-consuming detour. No matter, we all were winners because everyone got some gift cards and lunch at Dockside. However, Viv and I scored (no, not like that!) since we won a $150.00 gift card to Cactus Club. Well, I guess I scored because that would be a reason for a foodgasm. So what to do with it? Go eat of course! We gathered up the family including the grandparents and high-tailed it to the Coquitlam Cactus Club. Technically, we are closer to the Brentwood location, but the lack of parking and the long lineups were not something we wanted to deal with. Honestly, there is not even remotely enough parking for both Cactus Club and Boston Pizza at that location (even if most of the cars there are for Cactus Club... LOL). Although Cactus Club does not give the appearance of a kid-friendly joint, there were pencil crayons and colouring sheets for them.

We started with 2 appies being the Thai Wings and Dry Ribs. I remember when Cactus Club would have their wing special and we'd go nuts with several dozen for each person. At times, the wings would be moist and sometimes it would be fried far too long. I guess with Chef Feenie at the corporate helm, consistency has gotten better (we've had the wings a few times in last little while and they have been good) as the Thai wings were crispy on the outside and still sufficiently moist on the inside. I wouldn't classify them as juicy, but for non-Asian prepared chicken wings, these were not dry at least. The Thai glaze was just barely clinging on each wing (which is the right amount) and had a nice balance of sweet, spicy and salty. The Dry Ribs lived up to their namesake and were pretty dry on the outside. They were not that dry on the inside where there was some meat juices (or was that fat) flowing still. They were pretty typical, but did the job and went well with the Ugly Ale.

For my main, I went for one of my standbys whenever I'm at Cactus Club being The Burger. A Rob Feenie creation, it consisted of a seasoned certified Angus chuck patty, aged cheddar cheese, cured bacon, sautéed mushrooms and red pepper relish. It may not sound like anything that interesting (and in fact, it isn't), but it was a solid burger nonetheless. The patty was substantial and moist while the bacon was thick and all of the other ingredients were fresh. My dad had something lighter in the Fish Tacos. I've had these before and again, a very solid offering. Let's not get into the authenticity debate and where we can get these cheaper. For what they are, they are prepared nicely. The fish was not wet while the fresh ingredients kept it light.

Viv had the Shortrib Sandwich with caramelized onions, beef jus and Emmental cheese on toasted sourdough, which was pretty much consistent with the other times I've had it. Essentially an upscale beef dip, the shredded short rib wasn't exactly moist (a bit dry this time), but it was easy to chew. When dipped into the "gravy", any dryness issues were alleviated. Yet another sandwich I've had before was the BBQ Duck Clubhouse with pan seared chicken and crisp prosciutto on pecan fruit bread. As like last time, the meats were a bit dry and chewy, so it wasn't the easiest thing to eat, but the flavours were nice - sweet and salty.

My mom had the biggest meal of the bunch being the Four Mushroom Sirloin consisting of a 7oz Certified Angus Beef with shiitake, portabello, button and crimini mushroom demi. The sauce was flavourful, woodsy and rich. It went well with the creamy mash potatoes. As for the steak, it was not as tender as we would've liked. Yes, we realize that sirloin is generally not as tender as striploin or tenderloin, but this was a bit too chewy for our tastes. It was prepared a perfect medium-rare though. For the kiddies, they split an order of Chicken Tenders with honey mustard dip and sea-salted fries. Please note that the picture is only a half-order since they literally split it in half (even the odd numbered chicken strip). The chicken was moist while the panko breading really made it crunchy. Despite not appearing to be a kid-friendly establishment, they did a pretty good job accommodating the kiddies. In fact, we had a good time at Cactus Club (it didn't hurt that most of it was paid for either...). Despite my aversion to chain restaurants, I will say it and say it again, Cactus Club does a good job (even though it ain't cheap).

The Good:
- Generally good eats
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- Pricey
- Food was pretty good except some proteins were either dry or chewy
- Menu could use an update

TacoFino Cantina

As most people can see for themselves, food carts are the latest rage in the Vancouver food scene (among other fads...).  The variety, accessibility and sometimes good value (some are way overpriced) allow people to experience various types of food in one shot.  Not satisfied with a filling wrap from Mangal Kiss, I made my way over to TacoFino (another recommendation by Whipping Girl) for 2nd lunch (Merry and Pippin would be proud...). Originally from Tofino, hence the name, the good folks here serve up California-style fish tacos.  So for those seeking authentic Mexican fare, better best move along.  For me, I don't really care, as long as it tastes good.

I went for 3 starting with the Fish Taco consisting of a piece of tempura battered ling cod with chipotle mayo, shredded cabbage and salsa fresca on a fire toasted flour tortilla. This was money. First of all, the fried fish was super crispy yet still moist and flaky inside. The crunch didn't stop there because the tortilla was crispy as well. It held up well to the ingredients. I really liked the Tuna Ta-Taco as well. There was no shortage of barely seared sesame-soy albacore tuna in a soft corn tortilla. There was a mix of wasabi-ginger mayo, shredded cabbage, mango salsa and wakame salad as well. On my first bite, I got a good hit of sesame oil from the soy as well as the wakame salad. The bits of jalapeno added a nice spicy zing. The basically rare tuna acted like a blank textural canvas for the other flavours.

Lastly, I decided to try a non-fish taco being the Pork Gringa with melted cheese, sour cream and mango salsa. Although this was not bad, it paled in comparison to the 2 fish tacos.  I found the meat to slightly dry.  The sauce had plenty of depth, spice and flavour.  And who could complain about the plethora of melted cheese?  Okay, once again, Whipping Girl was right.  Why do I even doubt her?

The Good:
- Fresh ingredients that work well with each other
- Vibrant flavours and textures

The Bad:
- A little pricey for the size, but then again, every other food cart is charging more