Tip Thai

Meeting up for eats with Nikita has always been a treat. She is pretty much game for anything (if it is gluten-free of course) and anywhere. Hence, when I suggested we head to PoCo to try Wilbur & Sebastian's, she readily accepted. When we arrived, it was epic fail on a grandiose scale. Not only was the place closed for vacation, I had no backup plan! Hence, the only option was to drive into Downtown PoCo and search for eats. We quickly parked and surveyed the available options. Well, we didn't try very hard since we were pretty darn hungry. Therefore, we spied a tiny restaurant across the street called Tip Thai. I quickly looked it up on Urbanspoon and found out it had a 90% rating. Of course that could be misleading, yet it was a start.

And to start... we had the Tom Kha Kai which is a soup consisting of chicken, coconut milk, mushroom, cilantro, fish sauce, galangal, kaffir lime and lemongrass. This was pretty fragrant with hits of lemongrass and galangal. I would've liked to see more coconut milk, yet it was enjoyable nonetheless. In addition to the regular menu, there were lunch specials for only $6.99 that included salad and fried wontons. Seeing how Bluebeard and I would not be satisfied with only 4 dishes, we went ahead and got 5 including the soup and a dessert. The first to arrive was the Pad Thai. Thankfully this was not the ketchup-laced version. I have nothing against it per se, but I do prefer the tamarind kind. This one had a pronounced fish sauce hit with plenty of wok heat. It needed more zing in the form of more tamarind and pickled turnip. I'm sure they kept it safe for mass appeal.

Next up was the Stir-Fried Cashew Nuts with Chicken. Again, there was plenty of wok heat which helped caramelize the ingredients. Hence, there was depth of flavour while the veggies maintained their crunch. They did add too much palm sugar though. As per usual, we went for some curries as well starting with the Beef Red Curry. When it arrived, something was odd about it. Those chunks... were they sweet potatoes? No, they were actually golden squash. We'd never seen this before in a red curry and Bluebeard & Nikita have been to Thailand too! Whatever the case, it wasn't bad since we don't mind golden squash. As for the curry itself, it was a bit thin in flavour. It was mostly coconut milk with little spice. It would've been nice to see some bamboo shoots as well. The beef was pretty good though, being in large tender slices.

We also got the Chicken Green Curry which was coconutty as well with obvious hints of shrimp paste and fish sauce. It was pretty mild with tender pieces of chicken and vibrant veggies. Lastly, we had the Pad Kra Pao with Beef. As you can see in the picture, the veggies were vibrant and there was not an excessive amount of liquid.  Hence, the flavours were caramelized while the veggies remained crisp.  The slices of beef were tender much like in the red curry. While we were there, the place was pretty much full for lunch.  At $6.99 for the specials, we could see why.  Overall, the food was pretty good, especially being in PoCo.  There is better Thai food around, but you'd have to go into Vancouver to get it.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Flavours are mild (appealing to the masses)
- Small place, don't bring lots of people

The Blog Turns 4!

Oh my.  4 years already?  Except for a little blip for about 2 months, I've been blogging away everyday.  Boy, time flies when one is chewing...  In these 4 years, I've met some really cool people who share the same love of food as I do.  I've also learned a thing or two along the way.  Much like the last blogiversary, I intend to do this as long as I am able.  Life is definitely busy and food ain't cheap.  I will continue to maintain the original mandate of this blog - as a journal of my eating where my opinions are unbiased, good and bad.  I thank all the loyal followers because it would be lonely blogging to myself.  I never imagined that this little blog would actually have the impact it has had.  Thanks again for your support and as a little treat, I'm going to hold a draw for a $50.00 gift card to the restaurant of the winner's choice.  Just leave a comment with your first name and initial of your last.  I'll do the draw in a week's time. Cheers!

Golden Pita Lebanese

Most of us are familiar with certain "hidden" restaurants that are only known to locals or those who are diehard eaters. I use the word hidden because they may not necessarily be visible from the street nor are they in a normally high-traffic area. Furthermore, some of these only exist to serve the lunch crowd. For me, I generally have my eye out for places to eat, so I seek out these hidden gems. Then I really have no idea how I could've missed Golden Pita (out at Lougheed Mall) all these years. From the times I visited the liquor store and more recently, Dollar Giant, what was I looking at??? A restaurant right in front of my eyes and I conveniently chose to ignore it?

Ignore it no more as Big D suggested I give it a go. Fine, so with no eating companions for lunch, I did the eat-by-myself routine once again. Sure, no one will notice the guy at the window with the big DSLR taking a picture of his Falafels...  Anyways, these were not bad. They were dense (like many falafels are), yet not overly so. There was a good balance of spices while the exterior was really crunchy.  Of course a plate of falafels would not be enough food...  So I also got the Beef Plate which included a veggie pocket, wara' inab tabbouleh salad, humous, tzatziki and pita bread.  The meat was moist and flavourful while the rest of the items were well-prepared.  I particularly liked the veggie pocket as the pastry was soft while the filling had a nice mixture of veggies including sweet corn.  On another visit, I had the Beef Shawarma and it consisted of fresh ingredients, tender beef and a great mixture of flavours.  I'm keeping the description short because of the next item...

I went back one more time to try their famed Chicken Rocket.  You know when someone raves about a particular food item and they give out this "foodgasm" face?  Well, Big D did just that.  It was a bit disturbing, but I got the idea.  Bam!  Yes, that's how the flavours hit me like a luxury SUV running a stop sign in Richmond. The combination of roasted chicken, onion, sumac spice, humous, tahini sauce, tomato, pickled turnip, feta cheese and hot sauce wrapped in a baked pita was more flavourful that I could imagine.  Depending on what was in each bite, there was the immediate hit of the hot sauce (I got spicy), then the tartness from the turnip and finishing off with the sumac spice, sweet onions and roasted chicken.  The humous brought the whole thing together.  Furthermore, since it was baked, the pita was crispy on the outside which added more texture.  I would definitely order this again.  In fact, as you may have already noticed, I keep going back to Golden Pita for eats...  That basically says it all.

The Good:
- Solid eats with good flavours
- Great people, super-friendly

The Bad:
- Not expensive, but not cheap either
- Small place, best to keep your party small 

Greekfella's

Quite awhile ago, I spied a Greek restaurant on one of the rare occasions I drive along River Road in Delta. I think I was avoiding the Patullo Bridge since there was an accident (as if that doesn't happen ever). I kept it in the back of my mind, but never had a burning desire to eat there. Besides, there isn't a whole lot of literature on the place. But like most restaurants, I'd get to them sooner or later.  Finally, it was due to Supreme's insistance that she treat me to dinner that I finally had an opportunity to eat at Greek Fellas.  You see, I helped her install some lights on her car (she has the same car as I) and felt the need to treat me to food.  And since she lives out in North Delta, it seemed like a good spot to meet.  Ip Man and Ninja tagged along, but they were a little confused about our eating destination.  I don't blame them...  If you Google map the address, you'd wonder why too.

We were presented with some Greek Salad to start.  It only consisted of tomato, cucumber and feta which suited me fine because I'm not a huge fan of raw onions and peppers in my salad. It was pretty good being fresh and only lightly dressed with vinegar and olive oil. Next was the Calamari which arrived in a modest portion. The fried morsels were an attractive golden brown which in turn resulted in a crispy exterior. The breading was not greasy and actually kinda light. The squid itself was tender without being too soft. There was still a bite. Furthermore, it was well-seasoned. The tzatziki was thick and tasty. For myself and Ipman, we had the Roast Lamb. For some reason or another, his portion was larger (which I took a picture of instead of my own). The lamb had a nice roasted flavour and richness. The meat was fall apart tender and moist. There was a good amount of seasoning which as not salty. The lemon potato was a touch stiff, yet still easy to eat. It had a good balance of acidity. The rice was a touch soft, but was not bad. 

Supreme and Ninja had the Prawn Souvlaki which was quite good. It was grilled nicely where the shrimp retained a sweet snap. Again, it was only a modest portion, considering the price. And that is the one problem I have with the place.  The food in general is surprisingly good considering its low-key existance.  However, at prices that are around $20.00 per entree, it effectively takes itself out of the hidden-gem category.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Good service

The Bad:
- Pretty expensive
- Strange location

Nooch Snack & Chill

Okay. Here was the scenario. I needed some lunch and I felt like heading over to Richmond. That's right. Richmond. Woah dude, how about your car? It's like new, you're just asking for trouble... Well, I was intending on meeting Choobee and JoJo, who were already in Richmond. Now, there are ways to keep the risk to a minimum. First, stay away from #3 Road. Second, find a place with a spacious parking lot. Third, don't eat Chinese food. By employing that strategy, it decreases the chance of door dings, accidents and parking spot conflicts. Now that is easier said than done because most of the best eats (that are Asian) are near #3 Road and involve challenging parking lots.

So after tossing several ideas around, we decided to head out to Nooch Snack and Chill near the new Ikea. Alright, that would work. It satisfied all of our criteria and hopefully the food would be good too. Since both of them decided to go for sandwiches, I went for something different with the Spaghetti Bolognese. Before that, I had the Butternut Squash Soup (which was the Soup du Jour). This always reminds me of Jim Carey in Dumb & Dumber asking the waitress what is the Soup du Jour. She replies, "it's the soup of the day". And he responds, "mmm, that sounds good, I'll have that". In fact, this soup was not bad. It was a touch thick and clumpy, but it tasted good. I could definitely make out the nutmeg and there was an underlying spice as well.


The Spaghetti Bolognese wasn't exactly a true version of the dish, but then again, I did not expect as much. The pasta was al dente while the sauce was like any other typical meat sauce. The onions and carrots were not cooked down, therefore the sauce was a bit chunky and the meat was a bit chewy. It was okay. JoJo opted for the Tuna Melt with tomato and cheddar. Although it wasn't exactly exciting, the melt was solid. There was ample tuna with crunchy bits with a liberal amount of melted cheese on top. Now, the favourite of the bunch was Choobee's selection of the Italian Sausage Panini. Yes, there were the usual jokes about that... She did look happy eating it. Nestled inside crispy bread was meaty sausage, onions, peppers and mozzarella. The sausage was not fatty and had a nice flavour. The onions and peppers both added sweetness. Although we weren't necessarily "wow'd" by anything we ate, the food was generally solid, especially for a lunch joint. Prices are okay, service is friendly and the place is clean. Bottom line - it did the job.

The Good:
- Friendly service
- Okay pricing
- The place is clean

The Bad:
- Food is pretty ordinary

Pacifico Pizzeria Ristorante

Meeting up with Whipping Girl for lunch in Downtown usually means good eats. Think of it. We could practically go to any restaurant in Downtown. That's quite the selection. However, it didn't work out this time around. Typical Vancouver weather. A torrential downpour of sorts kiboshed our grandiose plans for terrific eats. Rather, we simply went somewhere closeby to her office. We settled on Pacifico Pizzeria located in the former Downtown location of Lombardo's. For a lunch hour, the place was surprisingly empty. Was it the rain? Or was it some other reason? We would soon find out...

To get a sense of the menu, we decided to get 2 of the pizza lunch specials (which comes with a choice of mini-pizza with salad or soup). The first was the Margherita. When it arrived, we realized that it was not classic Neapolitan style pizza. Generally, that would not be an issue if the pizza was good for what it is, yet it was pretty disappointing. The crust was dry and tasteless, while the tomato sauce was pretty bland. We kept looking at each other in amazement. For a pizza joint, this was not exactly what we were expecting. Hey, maybe the Salsiccia would be better. After all, there was spicy Italian sausage, peppers and red onions at play. Well, it didn't turn out as we had hoped. It was also pretty mild considering all the toppings. Combined with the same flavourless dry crust, we didn't end up eating much of it. We really didn't even feel like packing it up to go.


Lastly, we had the Chicken Parmigiana with linguine from the regular menu. This was relatively more successful than the pizzas. The chicken was dry with a crisp exterior. The tomato sauce was light and very mild. As for the linguine, it was tossed in pomodoro sauce which was not bad being fresh, yet mild once again. Well, if you have been paying attention, that pretty much summed up our meal - uninspired flavours. We were actually pretty surprised how mediocre the food turned out to be. Maybe we're getting spoiled by all the new dynamic Neapolitan-style pizza joints opening up in town.

The Good:
- Comfortable open dining space
- The service we got was pretty good

The Bad:
- Food lacked flavour
- Pizza crust is bland and dry

Chung's Fish n' Chips

Ever since Uncle Hebert's closed up shop over 6 years ago, there has been a void of fish n' chips in Ladner.  Sure, there's Sharkey's, but it just ain't the same.  Imagine my surprise when I noticed a new fish n' chip joint while randomly driving by one day.  Located not too far from the former Uncle Herbert's, Chung's Fish n' Chips can be easily missed with its temporary signage (and I mean really temporary!). Walking into the new, clean restaurant, I was warmly greeted by the staff. I decided to start with a Clam Chowder since a plate of fish n' chips is never enough right?  The creamy Clam Chowder was reminiscent of Campbell's Chunky Soup.  Now that is not an insult.  I actually like that version of the soup.  This one was super thick, clammy and full of ingredients.  

For my main, I went for Cod, Halibut & Chips. The first thing I noticed was the extremely thin batter.  Second was its unique taste. There was a zing.  Upon further inspection, the batter was riddled with lemon zest.  Something definitely different and welcomed (in my case).  With the zing already built into the batter, I didn't mind the creamy mild tartar sauce. Since the batter was so light, it was not as crispy as I would've liked.  Contributing to the moisture was the flaky, tender cod.  It was fried perfectly.  As for the halibut, it was naturally more stiff, but with that being said, it was slightly overcooked.  The fresh cut fries were very light and crisp.  So much so, they were probably too airy.  If they were served on its own, I would declare them to be some pretty darn good fries.  But they didn't seem to go with the fish.  I'm probably used to the starchier, denser fresh cut fries we normally see with traditional fish n' chips.  With that being said, I thought their version of fish n' chips to be above average and I would certainly entertain the possibility of a return visit.

The Good:
- Super light batter with lemon zest
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Thin batter can get moist quickly
- I liked the fries, but for some reason, they don't scream out fish n' chips