Yianni's

I do occasionally refer to Urbanspoon for ideas as to where to eat. Now, I generally try not to read too many of the reviews because it might possibly influence my opinion. Therefore, I look at the "like" percentage. Now, that is where there is an inherent problem. With that type of voting system, where it doesn't require someone to actually write an accompanying review, it basically screams out "manipulation". Hence, many "highly-rated" or even "lowly-rated" restaurants could be the result of ballot-stuffing (AKA - the owner or friends of the owner voting positively). I'm not sure if this was the case with Yianni's in New West, but that was one of the reasons we chose to eat at the place for lunch (the 80%+ rating).

Meeting up with Slick, Big D, Head Case and Smiles for lunch, we intended to put a good dent into the menu. We did like the feel of the place though, as it had an open front where the sunshine and fresh air flowed into the spacious dining room. For me, I went for the Moussaka because Slick and Smiles both ordered the Roast Lamb. No duplicates! Wait, there was a duplicate... The agony! Anyways, I cannot say it in any other way - the Moussaka sucked. It had to be one of the worst versions I've ever had. First, it was a really small portion, even for lunch. Second, the bechamel sauce on top was hard, dry and barely there. I actually had to chew through the sauce (and that wasn't merely referring to the top of it either). The meat underneath was overseasoned with too much allspice, however, it was moist and tender though. Even the tzatziki was not good. It was thin and was predominantly flavoured with dill. No cucumber or garlic hit.

As for the Roast Lamb, it was an okay portion for the price, yet it was not as moist as we would've liked. The piece I tried was rather stringy. There was flavour, mostly with the tomato sauce on top though. Big D had the Calamari and it was not that good either. Although the batter was crispy, the squid practically had no texture. It was far too soft and was completely overwhelmed by the crunch. On the positive side, it was seasoned quite well. Too bad it had to be dipped into that watery tzatziki. And finally, Head Case had the Lamb Souvlaki which was a smallish portion. The lamb flavour really didn't come through as he thought it tasted more like beef. The texture was nice though, tender and easy to chew with a nice char on the outside. Like me, he really didn't get the tzatziki as it didn't resemble tzatziki. So there you have it, so pretty "meh" Greek food bordering on "less than meh". We went away confused as to the 80% rating on Urbanspoon.

The Good:
- Pleasant service (although there was only one server)
- Nice ambiance
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Small portions
- Below average food

Sushi & Roll

For me, authenticity when it comes to food can be a double-edged sword.  On one hand, a restaurant can be viewed as legitimate and respected by those who seek out authenticity.  However, it can also be very bad for business, especially when the majority of their potential customers neither care or even know what authentic looks and tastes like.  As I've stated over and over again, restaurants are in the business of making money.  They are not there to satisfy a few food bloggers and/or authenticity aficionados.  Therefore, as much as some people loathe places such as Sushi Garden and Sushi Town, they have their loyal following who crave good portions at low prices.

Joining the fray is Sushi & Roll which is another Korean-operated sushi joint in the same vain as Sushi Garden and Sushi Town.  Located in the heart of Whalley, it strives to serve up acceptable food in large portions and at reasonable prices.  We started with the Spicy Salmon Sashimi which looked a lot like the one you'd find at the aforementioned sushi joints.  The large mound of salmon and cucumber were only slightly inflated by the daikon underneath.  We found the salmon to have a bouncy texture which was pleasing. However, the fish itself was a little bland, but then again, there was sauce (which was only mildly spicy).  Next was the Ebi Tempura which arrived fresh from the deep-fryer.  The batter was light and crisp, not sporting too much grease.  For the shrimp itself, it was cold-water crunchy, yet a bit bland (due to the rinsing I'm sure).
 
Resembling more like a Korean Gunmandu, the Gyozas were okay.  The filling had a decent amount of greens and was on the denser side.  There was a good amount of onion flavour as well as pork.  If we looked at these as merely dumplings, they did the job, but for those who seek authenticity... yah, these were not gyozas.  Onto our first roll being the Awesome Roll (sounds a lot like Sushi Town eh?).  The inside had imitation crab meat, cucumber, avocado, masago and mayo while the outside was salmon, green onion, mayo, masago and bonito flakes.  The rice had a nice texture, yet lacked flavour.  A pretty good roll for $6.95.  Next up was the Mangodise Roll.  It was comprised of mango, cucumber and imitation crab meat in the middle with ebi on the outside as well as mango sauce.  The sauce had quite an impact but for the mango pieces themselves, we could've stood for more. But for $4.50 (on special the day we went), we weren't that concerned.

Lastly, we had the Yakiudon which arrived on a non-sizzling cast iron plate.  This is pet peeve of mine - why serve it on a hot plate if it ain't hot?  Anyways, the noodles were wet while the predominant flavour was sweet.  There was too much red pepper too.  The chicken was moist and tender though. I'm not trying to be anti-climactic here, but the meal was pretty much predictable.  It was almost a carbon copy of meals we had at Sushi Town and Sushi Garden (but possibly with a bit more care put into the food).  So yah, it ain't authentic, but it sure is inexpensive and the portions are pretty good too.

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Good portions
- Service is pretty decent

The Bad:
- For those who care, not authentic
- Cooked items are not as good as the raw

Hart House

Although revisits to restaurants have never been a high priority, there is one that I've been itching to do.  Early on in the life of this blog, I went to Hart House during Dine Out.  It was a so-so experience which probably wasn't completely representative of their regular menu.  I really thought that it was not a fair assessment.  However, with so many great places to eat in Vancouver, the return visit got lost in the shuffle.  Then suddenly, a Hart House Groupon appeared, which I quickly snapped up.  It was almost as surprising to see this as the one with The Pear Tree.  I ended up making a reservation for a Friday, which I would later find out was the same night as the Hot Chefs Cool Jazz event at EBO!  Okay, this meal better deliver because I was missing out!

Starting the meal off, I had the Seafood Trio consisting of Ponzu Salmon Tartare, Crispy Calamari and Seared Scallop with squash puree & crispy sage. I found the tartare to be buttery with just enough ponzu to flavour, but not to overwhelm.  The crostinis were a nice eating vessel since they were a crunchy contrast to the soft salmon.  The crispy, tender, yet slightly chewy calamari lived up to its namesake with a peppery kick.  The thick tzatziki underneath was a nice match.  However, the star of the slate plate was the beautifully seared scallop.  Crisp and browned on the outside while buttery soft and barely cooked on the inside, I wished there was more than just one.  The squash puree appeared to have some seafood essence (which we're guessing was lobster) which added a subtle sweetness to the scallop.  My mom had the Dungeness Crab Salad with avocado cream, radish and sun-dried tomato oregano vinaigrette. Hidden beneath the micro greens was a puck of fluffy crab.  And it was all crab, no filler.  They were in big pieces being naturally sweet and fresh.  The avocado cream was smooth and did nothing to take away from the delicate crab.

Viv had the UBC Beet Salad from their 2-Course Harvest Menu (for $32.00).  It consisted of pickled beets, honey beets, poached apples, chevre, pistachios and baby watercress.  She loved the beets as they still had some texture despite being soft.  She is not a huge fan of goat cheese, so I was given the task of eating it all (but I liked it!).  My dad had the Autumn UBC Squash Veloute (from the Harvest Menu as well).  With the addition of toasted almonds and maple cinnamon beurre noisette, the soup benefited from some additional sweetness and different flavours. For my main, I went for the Duck Leg Confit with goat cheese hash, savoury cabbage and grainy dijon Spaetzle with a warm bacon vinaigrette on top.  I thought this was a pretty well-executed dish. The skin was nicely rendered and super crispy while the duck meat was dry in spots.  I liked how the meat was not salty where it allowed the other ingredients to be noticed, especially the bacon vinaigrette.  It was the salty acidic hit that provided balance to the sweet cabbage and plethora of creamy goat cheese.  I loved the spaetzle as it had a bite while still being fluffy.

Predictably, my mom went for the only lamb offering on the menu being the Grilled Lamb Sirloin with house made Harissa, broccolini, Cannellini beans, haricot vert, artichokes and tomatoes. More often than not, a lamb sirloin can be somewhat chewy if it is of poor quality or not prepared properly.  That was not the case here.  The meat was super moist and tender.  It was grilled a perfect (yes, it was perfect) medium-rare.  We didn't find it particularly gamy, however, the harissa helped in that regard with a mild spiciness.  Viv had the 48-Hour Sous Vide Beef Short Ribs with squash puree, roasted root vegetables, small onions and braising jus.  The pieces of short rib were melt-in-our mouths soft while at the same time being meaty.  There was depth-of-flavour from the sauce which was balanced by the sweet puree.  

My dad had the Pan-Seared Arctic Char with braised red cabbage, cauliflower puree, fingerling potatoes and crispy brussel sprouts.  A crispy sear on the skin side gave way to a moist and flaky flesh which was only mildly seasoned so it didn't overwhelm the fish.  The fried brussels sprouts were really good and we forgot they were brussel sprouts.  For the kiddies, we ordered them the Pork Shoulder Pappardelle (with arugula, pine nuts, shaved Grana Padano and braising jus) to share.  What you see in the picture is a half-portion, since they split the dish into 2 plates. The shredded pork shoulder was rich and delicious while the sauce was silky and slightly sweet. Although the pasta was al dente, the whole dish had very little flavour. We did get some bitterness from the wilted arugula and savouriness from the cheese, yet in the end, it needed salt. Lastly, we got a side of the Truffle Parmesan Fries, which arrived in a very large portion.  These fresh-cut, double-fried spuds were really good.  They were crisp and full of essence and flavour.  We couldn't stop eating them.

Finally, we made it to dessert where my mom went for her standby - Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee with a cocoa meringue. I liked how it wasn't overly sweet with a rich smooth custard.  The burnt sugar topping was just the right thickness.  Overall, a solid effort.  Viv had the Caramlized Lemon Tart (which I had my eye on as well) with nut tuille, orange caramel and Mascarpone cream.  I found the lemon curd to be rather stiff in texture.  It was quite tart though which was counteracted by plenty of sugar.  The crust was moist and could've benefited from a softer curd. For myself, with the lemon tart already claimed, I had the Autumn Fruit Trio consisting of Pumpkin Cheesecake, Chocolate Cardamom Panna Cotta and Banana Beignets.  The pumpkin cheesecake was slightly stiff, yet still creamy and smooth.  There was a noticeable nutmeg hit and I liked the fact it was not too "pumpkiny" since I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin.  It was not too sweet either, which suited me just fine.  The panna cotta was also a bit dense.  It had a noticeable cardamom hit which made it a touch herbal tasting in combination with the bitterness from the chocolate.  The best part of the trio was the banana beignets.  They were warm and soft with just a touch of banana. 

Okay, I'm gonna admit it - we were pretty surprised with our meal at Hart House.  We weren't expecting the consistent level of execution with the majority of our dishes. It appears that the new Executive Chef, Alana Peckham, had put her stamp on the new menu.  The proteins were nicely prepared as well as the sides.  Furthermore, the service was attentive and courteous.  I'm glad I spotted the Groupon and am also glad we made a return visit.

The Good:
- Nicely executed proteins (and veggies as well)
- Quaint setting
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- Food is good, but the menu could be more innovative (although that contradicts Chef Peckham's philosophy, which is to make it simple and classic)

One More Thai

As soon as one "Thai" restaurant closed on Scott Road, another opened up not too far away.  I put Thai in quotations because Crystal Elephant Range was not an authentic Thai restaurant.  On that note, we must remember a restaurant is in business to make money and that is why most of the time, it serves to appeal to the general public (not the small percentage of authentic-craving food aficionados).  The new Thai restaurant is One More Thai, now occupying the space of the former Ming Shing (which wasn't very good).  Since Snake Eyes and I were on the prowl for food, it seemed like a good idea to hit up the newly opened restaurant.

Now unlike many other Thai restaurants, One More Thai doesn't have inexpensive lunch specials.  In fact, all of their lunch offerings are over $10.00.  However, the extras included with each meal are extensive. Case in point, all 3 of entrees included Green Papaya Salad.  Now this was essentially a green salad with some julienned green papaya and ground peanuts on top.  This was unlike any other green papaya salad I've ever seen, which clearly identified the place as not being very authentic.  If we take that out of the equation, it was fine as a salad.  Everything was crisp and crunchy while the dressing had some Thai flavours, in particular, fish sauce and chili.  For one of our entrees, it included a Tom Yum Soup.  In a general sense, the soup was alright since the usual flavours were present such as galangal, fish sauce and kaffir lime, but it could've been spicier.

For the other 2 entrees, an order of Roti which looked suspiciously like the Malay version, was included.  Whatever...  we had already established that we weren't dealing with authentic Thai food anyways. The outside of the roti was very crispy while the inside was doughy and probably needed more cooking.  We liked the dip though as it was spicy and aromatic.  The first entree to arrive was the Pad Thai.  It looked more like a Chinese stir-fried noodle with its large pieces of chicken and completely incorporated ingredients.  Flavourwise, it had a tinge of sweet chili sauce and ketchup (but not overly so) and a decent amount of spice.  I would've liked to see more tang (in the form of tamarind), some pickled turnips and pressed tofu.  It was a pretty large portion though.

We also got a Beef Red Curry which arrived with a pleasing colour.  The curry itself had a nice consistency and a decent amount of spice and aromatics.  The peppers were nice, but we would've liked to see more bamboo shoots.  As for the beef, it was tenderized with baking soda, hence it compromised the flavours.  Again, that was a Chinese cooking technique.  Lastly, we had the Chicken Green Curry which was pretty decent with plenty of ingredients (except there was no eggplant).  The sauce had the typical flavours of a green curry paste and coconut milk.  Now if you can probably guess, the food at One More Thai is pretty much a hybrid of Chinese and Malay with Thai.  For me, I can accept that if the food is decent providing good value.  In that case, One More Thai achieves that.  For those who cry foul at any opportunity that something is not authentic.  Well, then you best move along...

The Good:
- Good portions
- Despite slightly higher prices, the value is still there
- Friendly proprietors

The Bad:
- Not authentic (if you care)
- Lack of parking (lot is always full)

Sushiholic

When Sushiholic originally opened, I merely dismissed it as another wannabe Japanese restaurant. Hey, it is pretty hard to get excited about most of the "Japanese" joints in Vancouver because they are practically indistinguishable from each other. Think of it, even the name makes one wonder... Yet, as time passed, there was one glowing review after another. That prompted me to put it on my "to do " list. Unfortunately, due to its early closing time, I was never able to make it with my hockey team. And since it is not open for lunch on Sundays, we couldn't try it out after morning hockey either. Therefore, I had to enlist the help of Rich Guy, who is always there as a dining companion.

The Tuna & Salmon Sashimi arrived nicely plated and exhibited a nice sheen.  The textures were pretty good while the flavours were slightly bland.  I found the slices to be okay in size being neither too small nor too large.  This was a good start to our meal. Next up was the Sushiholic Roll which consisted of imitation crab meat, 2 ebi tempura, cucumber, tobiko, crunchy bits and spicy tuna with smoked salmon, mayo, wasabi and unagi sauce. This neatly constructed roll had a multitude of flavours with a good hit of sesame oil.  The tempura bits and ebi were crunchy which was a good compliment to the soft sushi rice.  Despite this, the rice was more than acceptable, yet it could've benefited from a bit more flavour.

We also had the Awesome Roll because of the name.  Yah, it would be awesome... n'est pas?  It was basically a souped-up California roll with imitation crab meat, avocado, cucumber, masago, with baked salmon and fried yam slivers on top. Due to the softness of the ingredients combined with soft rice, the whole thing was pretty smooth in texture.  The fried yam was a necessary addition for both visuals and crunch. On the topic of crunch, we got an order of the Assorted Tempura. This was a fairly healthy portion which majestically covered the plate (not sure if healthy was the right adjective though).  The batter was quite thick, but crisp nonetheless.  It was served piping hot which probably alleviated the thick batter issue.  Despite all
that batter, the tempura was not greasy.  I liked the ebi as it was of a good size and had a nice snap.

Onto some filler aka carb-heavy dishes, we had the Chicken Yakisoba.  With an obvious shiny sheen, it screamed out greasy.  Yet it was sizzling on the hot cast iron plate indicating good pan frying and caramelization.  The flavour wasrich (sweet and savoury) with a noticeable tang. With large pieces of tender chicken and a considerable amount of veggies, it overwhelmed the noodles somewhat. Yet, the noodles still stood out enough due to its al dente texture. Lastly, the Chicken Don was probably our least favourite dish of the meal.  Although it wasn't bad per se, it was a let down of sorts after all of the relatively decent dishes we tried.  The chicken was tender while the rice had a nice chewiness to it.  However, there was absolutely no flavour.  It was as if they forgot to add sauce other than the small drop on top of the chicken.  Hence, the rice had no sauce which meant no flavour. Ultimately, this was the only dish that was sub-par.  Everything else was above average and despite not satisfying the "authentic" crowd, Sushiholic offers up decent food at an inexpensive price.

The Good:
- Generally well-constructed food
- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:
- Not a whole lot of seating

Original Joe's (Broadway)

Once again our late night Friday after hockey eats hinged on Gadget Girl. You see, she doesn't particularly like traveling to unfamiliar places in the dark. That sounds fair enough. However, that does make our eating destinations shrink to a few options. Particularly if we eliminate Asian food. Yes, she prefers non-Asian late night eats that are centrally located and are not in Downtown. Oh, and the music can't be too loud either. And probably the Earth, Moon and Sun have to be in alignment as well... If that is giving you a headache, imagine trying to figure a suitable option! Finally, I suggested Original Joe's (yes, cringe if you like) as a place we could go. In fact, Milhouse did cringe and was very apprehensive about going. His last experience there was not a very good one. He even went as far as to state that Original Joe's is one of worst chain restaurants out there. Wow. Milhouse is usually not that picky. Were we in for a disaster???

Well, turns out the music was pretty loud, but I liked it, so no big deal... at least for me! LOL... Milhouse ended up with the Cajun Chicken Cheddar Burger served on brioche. He thought the butterflied chicken breast was relatively moist in some places with a good char. The "some places" is relevant because it was thin in some and thick in others. That meant the meat would have different amounts of doneness. He thought the burger had good flavour and the fries were fantastic (crispy fresh cut). I decided to share 2 items with Gordo starting with the Five Cheese Tortellini. The menu stated it was whole wheat pasta, yet it was pretty soft and we didn't even notice it. In fact, the pasta was overcooked. Despite that, the sauce wasn't bad. It was a creamy tomato which didn't lack flavour as it was creamy and peppery. It did lack a tomato zestiness due to the cream.

For our second item, we had the Rustica Pizza consisting of Italian sausage, four cheeses, banana peppers, roasted red pepper and cracked pepper. For what it was, the pizza was decent. The crust was thin and crunchy with plenty of toppings. It was certainly cheesy with a good amount of spice from the peppers and the sausage (which was meaty and not too fatty). The sauce itself was zesty too which made the whole pizza quite impactful. No, it wasn't as good as some of the Neapolitan pizzas I've had lately, but that would be an unfair comparison. Gadget Girl went for the Spinach Salad. Yes, a salad. Hey, she wants to maintain her girlish figure. Who could blame her? In addition to baby spinach, there was red onions, mandarin orange slices, candied almonds, feta and dried cranberries with a balsamic berry vinaigrette. Nothing much to complain about here. Stuff was fresh and the flavours/textures worked. However, we were a bit perplexed by the wedge of banana bread. There was nothing wrong with it (in fact, it was moist), yet it didn't seem to go.


Off to the sweeter things, Apu had the Original Dirt Pie where the cookie dust acted at the dirt. Now if you're wondering why there are TWO slices of ice cream pie, this was not a double order. In fact, this was ONE order! Uh... Good value yes, good for you, no. I helped myself to some because I figured Apu had more than enough. It was pretty much an ice cream cake (much like the ones found at Dairy Queen). It was decent if not too large. Sweet Tooth was a bit under the weather and the only thing that could make her feel better was some Chocolate Therapy Cake. It was essentially a moist lava cake surrounded by far too much whipped cream and drizzle. The cake itself was good though. And really, we were okay with the stuff we had at Original Joe's. No, it wasn't mind-blowing, but it wasn't as bad as other people have made it out to be. It's a chain restaurant that serves standard stuff, which is fine for late-night eats.

The Good:
- Party atmosphere (if you like that)
- Diverse menu
- Okay for late night eats

The Bad:
- A bit loud for some
- Okay food, just okay...