Sang Thai

Normally, I don't head out to PoCo for eats.  It is a curiousity that I would travel to Richmond instead when the distance is nearly the same.  Yes, imagine that.  But when it comes to meeting up with Rich Guy, it suddenly becomes convenient since he lives in the neighbourhood.  He was craving Indian food, so we decided on Namaste just on the Western edge of PoCo.  Pulling into the strip mall, I quickly realized that Namaste was no more.  Instead it was Indian Star (which I thought was located in New West).  Then Rich Guy called asking where the heck Namaste was located.  That was when I looked across the street and noticed "Dim Sum".  Yah really?  But the place is named Sang Thai!  And it serves Vietnamese food too???  Thai, Vietnamese and Dim Sum in one restaurant?  That appeared to be a veritable food orgy!  Perfect, we chose to eat there.

Formerly Pearl Castle, the place is indeed a Thai restaurant, in decor and menu items.  But then they decided to throw in some Vietnamese items as well as Cantonese Dim Sum.  The place is Chinese-run, so we weren't expecting authenticity at all.  But to be fair, we were going in with no prejudices.  The food would do all the talking.  To get a sense of the menu, we got one dish each of Thai and Vietnamese along with Dim Sum.  We started with the Pad Thai which had the appearance of Chinese stir fried noodles.  One taste and it was really sweet with only the slightest hint of tartness.  We resorted to adding hot sauce which somewhat brought the flavours into balance.  I liked the al dente noodles as well as the tender chunks of chicken (which were very moist in a Cantonese-type of way).  There was pickled turnip, tofu, sprouts, eggs and peanuts, so it wasn't completely a Chinese stir fry.  If we didn't look at it as a Pad Thai, it wasn't too bad.

Next up was the Lemongrass Chicken with Rice.  It was another stirfry that featured moist "bouncy" Cantonese-style chicken with veggies, garlic and only a hint of lemongrass.  Again, if we looked at it as a non-Vietnamese dish, it was fine for what it was.  The chicken was plentiful, the veggies were crisp and there was no absence of flavour.  It just wasn't Vietnamese.  Onto the Dim Sum items, we had the classic Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) first.  Surprisingly, they were decent with large whole shrimp.  They had a nice snap and were deveined. However, the shrimp were rather bland and in need of seasoning, in particular, sesame oil and white pepper.  The rice flour dumpling skin was a tad thick, but it didn't kill the dish.  Unfortunately, the Sui Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumplings) were not as successful.  The pork was chewy and stiff while being underseasoned as well.  There was no shiitake mushrooms to add that Earthy hit, which the dumpling desperately needed.  On the bright side, the shrimp was good though.

Onto the Black Bean Spareribs, we were happy to see there was actually black beans in the dish.  Therefore, the dish didn't lack flavour.  The spareribs themselves were the good pieces being attached to the bone.  The meat was on the chewier side, but there was a good bounce texture.  The button mushrooms underneath were a nice addition.  At my urging, we had the Honeycomb Tripe (which I ate all by myself).  It was a healthy (ironic I know) portion which looked promising.  However, it was a tad too chewy and could've used more cooking.  Flavourwise, it wasn't bad with a decent hit of garlic and sweetness.  Lastly, we had the Gai Lan and it was fine being crunchy and not overcooked.  Okay, the meal wasn't as scary as we thought.  Of course being a 3 cuisine restaurant, compromises needed to be made, such as authenticity.  For us, we didn't really care because our expectations were low anyways.  Not surprisingly, the strongest part of the meal was the Dim Sum (relatively-speaking).

The Good:
- A lot of choice I suppose
- Nice decor
- Service we got was good

The Bad:
- For those seeking authenticity, move along, nothing to see here...

Golden Sea City

My quest (among many) to try every Dim Sum service in the GVRD has led me to Richmond. Huh? You see, I have exhausted practically every Dim Sum joint in Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and Coquitlam. That meant, I finally needed to start conquering the bastion of Dim Sum in the Lower Mainland. Avoid Richmond no more, I needed to go headstrong into this quest and to accept the possibility of some door dings.  Thankfully, we arrived early to our eating destination, Golden Sea City, and snagged a corner spot.  Hah!  Only one side of my car was exposed to swinging doors!  Wait...  I guess the other side was prone to a sideswipe! Aiya!  I can't win!

Having gone through several iterations, Golden Sea City is not a fancy place compared to its many counterparts in Richmond.  Therefore, pricing is a bit lower (but not by much) and the decor is lacking. We didn't really care as we were hungry and all I could think about was my poor little car...  All alone out there...  with those scary luxury SUVs...  As for the food, we started with the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumpling) where the skin was a touch too thick.  The shrimp filling was okay, yet could be more bouncy as there was not much snap.  There was also too much pork fat as a filler and the flavours reeked of MSG.  We found the Sui Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) to be better than the haw gow.  Despite being modest in size, the meat was in big chunks which retained a pork texture while exhibiting a slight bounce.  There was enough shiitake mushrooms to make an impact while the shrimp were whole and had a nice snap.

Also exhibiting a nice snap was the shrimp filling in the Spring Rolls.  With a modest amount of filling, these rolls were crispy and not-too-oily.  There was plenty of garlic to flavour the shrimp. However, we found the shrimp to be both sparse and in small pieces. And on the topic of pieces, there were some pretty lousy ones in the Pork Spareribs. Some were almost completely comprised of fat.  Furthermore, the portion size was pretty small.  On the positive side of things, the meat had a bite while being moist.  There was a good garlic hit with minor hint of black bean.  Up next were the Beef Meatballs which looked like a cross between 2 different meats.  You see, the process of making these meatballs involves grinding the meat down and adding baking soda to achieve a bounce-like texture. The duo-tone appearance was due to a poor mix job where some of the meat received much more love from the baking soda than the other.  And due to its overall softness, there was probably too much baking soda in general.  With that being said, the flavour was okay while the addition of water chestnuts added a nice crunch.

Another strangely-textured dish was the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll.  There was nothing particularly wrong with the rice noodle itself as it was thin and soft with a little bit of resistance.  In that respect, the rice noodle roll was prepared nicely.  It was the shrimp that was not right.  It was downright mushy.  Either it was not rinsed enough with cold water or it was just not very good shrimp.  Furthermore, there was far too much MSG and salt used where we couldn't even taste the shrimp.  The texture issued continued with the Chicken Rice Hot Pot.  Although there was a plethora of boneless dark meat atop dry & chewy rice (which is not necessarily a bad thing), the chicken itself was over-tenderized which meant it really didn't have much texture at all.  Moreover, there was quite a bit of sugar in the marinade as the chicken was pretty sweet.

And on the topic of sweet...  Do you see a pattern here?  The BBQ Pork Buns were filled with lean pork that was bathed in a really sweet sauce.  The actual bun itself was not as fluffy as I would've liked either.  Not terrible, but definitely could've been better.  Now for the usual offal dish of the meal being the Tripe and Tendon.  The tripe was tender still exhibiting some chew while the tendon was soft, yet maintaining its shape and texture.  The dish was sweet and garlicky which we enjoyed.  Lastly, and not really the last dish we ate (but I'll talk about it here because it is dessert), we had the Egg Tarts.  Judging by its nicely baked appearance, there was some high hopes.  Thankfully, it delivered with a flaky shell and soft sweet custard.  These were good.  At the very least, the meal ended off on a good note.  I know I am being a bit picky here, but there was some issue or another with practically every dish we had.  Some textures were off as well as some flavours (a bit too much MSG). Moreover, service was pretty average or indifferent (but that is normal for most Chinese restaurants). Hence, with all the great places to grab some Dim Sum in Richmond, Golden Sea City would only serve as a backup plan.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Decent-sized parking lot

The Bad:
- Mediocre Dim Sum
- Textural and flavour issues

Afghan Bakery & Fast Food

I love Afghan food.  Hey, it probably has something to do with the meat - there's lots of it!  However, that becomes a bit of a problem for me since there are not many Afghan restaurants in town.  In fact, there are less than 5 actual Afghan restaurants in the GVRD period.  Too bad I don't live in Fremont, California because it houses the largest Afghan population in the North America.  Mind you, I'd miss the rain in Vancouver...  uh... So I've already been to Afghan Chopan (another location opening up in Downtown), Afghan Horsemen and the defunct Khyber Pass.  All were not bad taking into account the locations and lack of competition.  There was one more that I once tried visiting (Afghan Bakery & Fast Food), but got distracted by another new restaurant nearby.  This little non-descript place on 104th in Whalley apparently serves up full-blown Afghan dishes.  With only enough seating for one party, it is mainly a take out joint.  

So I finally made it out there again where I decided to get a couple of dishes to go including the Kabuli Palaw,  It looked very appetizing with plump raisins, glistening carrots and rice.  Hidden within the firm long grain rice were morsels of fatty lamb.  The rice itself wasn't too sweet despite the carrots and raisins.  In fact, it was quite mild except for the lamb flavour. The pieces of lamb were tender and it was like striking gold each time I found one. Continuing on with even more lamb, the Lamb Shank for $11.00 was a steal since it could easily be plated at a sit-down restaurant where it would be priced much higher.  The lamb was relatively tender and moist (with a few drier spots).  The addition of hot peppers really amped the flavours of both the lamb and the rice palaw.  A sprinkle of spices (appeared to be coriander and cardamom) on top really added to the flavour profile of the dish.

Not satisfied by only one visit, I made my way back for some more eats.  I got an order of the Mantu to start (yes, I was hungry, wait, I'm always hungry!).  These dumplings were filled with lots (and I mean lots) of onion.  I thought the onion-to-meat ratio was a bit off.  Despite this, the dumpling skin was soft, yet not mushy, while the flavours were good.  I asked for spicy and there was a good level of heat to go with the yogurt. For my main, I had the Lamb Kebabs (yes, it appears I only eat lamb here) and they were fatty and somewhat tender.  A few pieces were chewy with some gristle. However, fat is sometimes added for flavour, so I'll have to assume they did that here. Lastly, I got some Afghan Bread to go and when heated up at home was pretty good.  If you show up around 2:30pm, they'll have some baked fresh and ready to go. Hey, Afghan Bakery ain't much to look at, but I do believe we have a hidden gem on our hands...

The Good:
- Good portions
- Reasonably-priced
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Well, not really a sit-down restaurant (one table)

Pasta Amore

I'm sure you are all familiar with that token restaurant located in a business park or plaza. You know, the one that services all the hungry workers nearby who either a) don't have enough time to go somewhere far for lunch or b) are too lazy to go anywhere else. Many of them are only open for lunch and furthermore, are pretty unexciting (think Sandwich Tree). There are some that are bucking the trend and offering something a bit different such as 2 Chefs Richmond. Yet most go about their business relying on the local lunch crowd. So for the longest time, I thought Pasta Amore was one of these lunchtime spots.

But wait a minute, it is actually open for dinner... Looking on the net, there was next-to-nothing about the place. I needed to satisfy my curiosity, just like my curiosity as to why is Justin Bieber so popular... Hence, we grabbed the kiddies and convinced them that they wanted Italian food for dinner. Despite looking like any other industrial park restaurant, the inside of Pasta Amore is relatively decent. As we walked in, the staff (looks like a family-run place) warmly greeted and felt welcomed. We started with an order of the Garlic Bread and the kiddies loved it. It was crisp, garlicky and not overly greasy. However, it was a bit small for the price though. For our pasta dish, at my son's request, we got the Penne Claudio. This was made with a creamy tomato meat sauce which was balanced and there was just enough clinging onto the penne. The penne itself was al dente. My son gobbled up this willingly and that in itself meant it was good. In fact, we liked it too.

We decided to try on of their pizzas with the Funghi, which had pepperoni on it as well. For this type of thin-crust pizza, it was above-average. The crust was crunchy and nicely charred while the tomato sauce was light. There were plenty of mushrooms and large slices of pepperoni on top. Trying to sample an item from each section, we also got the Veal Parmigiana with a side of penne. We liked how the veal was an actual piece of meat rather than a cutlet. It was moist, tender and crisp on the outside. There was just enough tart tomato sauce on top with a nice layer of baked Mozza/Parm on top. The side of penne was al dente with a pretty typical tomato-based meat sauce. At the end, they were even nice enough to send out a little treat for the kiddies in the form of homemade ice cream. As you can already tell, we were hooked with the excellent and personable service. The food itself was okay considering that our expectations weren't very high. This is classic example how a good attitude and genuine care about the customer can elevate a dining experience.

The Good:
- Personable service
- Homey dining space

The Bad:
- Without a coupon, it can get a little pricey
- Food is not particularly modern

Pinkberry (Metrotown)

After our version of the Atkin's diet at Afghan Horsemen, we needed something refreshing to wash it all down.  The thought of dessert waffles was briefly entertained, but that would've been the Mijune diet.  So we ended up heading to a well-known froyo chain out of the US that has recently invaded the Canadian market - Pinkberry. Since we were on Granville Island, I suggested we head to the West Van location, but no one seemed too enthused.  Hence, we headed to the Metrotown store arriving just before closing.

Costanza and Elaine went for the Mango Froyo. It was not exactly smooth as it exhibited some iciness. However, it did offer up a wallop of flavour in the form of tart and sweetness. Add in a variety of toppings (as much that can fit) and this was froyo that ate like a meal. The little juice pearls were a nice little surprise. Viv and I ended up sharing a medium since any order includesThe Coconut Froyo was not as aromatic as I would've liked because the tartness was> the dominant flavour.  However, it was refreshing and not-too-sweet.  It wasn't overly icy either.  We loved the variety of toppings and especially liked the soft fresh mochi. So is Pinkberry worth the money?  The answer is: if you got the cash and enjoy froyo, then yes.  If you feel the need to spend the money on something else, then no.

The Good:
- Variety of toppings which are unlimited (granted if they fit in the cut without spilling over)
- Not too sweet

The Bad:
- Pricey
- A bit icy

Afghan Horsemen

It's no secret that Vancouver is known for its culinary diversity...  in Asian food.  When it comes to every thing else, there are a decent amount of Greek and Italian restaurants, but not much else.  One particular cuisine, that is as rare as a safe lane change in Richmond, is Afghan food.  One could literally visit all the Afghan restaurants in less than one week.  And some stretch the genre.  I've been able to blog about Afghan Chopan in Surrey and the now defunct Khyber Pass, yet not the granddaddy of them all - The Afghan Horsemen.  Hey, I've been here several times in the past, but that was way before this blog existed. 

Since Afghan food is best when shared, Viv and I met up with Costanza and Elaine for some carnivore-action. To get a taste of everything, the best course of attack was to get a couple of their platters.  We got one each of the Horsemen's Special Platter and Kebab Platter Delight.  To start, we were presented with Whole Wheat Pita Bread accompanied by Humus and Sabzi Mast and Salata with Feta Cheese.  The pita was served soft and warm, yet I wasn't a huge fan of the humus nor the sabzi mast. I didn't find them all that flavourful.  The humus was garlicky and had some texture, yet there was little else.  The sabzi mast was very mild, but it was smooth.  The first platter to arrive was the Horsemen's Special Platter consisting of Boneless Chicken Shish Kebab, Lamb Shish Kebab, Lamb Shoulder, Baked Rice, Baked Eggplant, Dolmah (cabbage roll), Pakawra (batter fried potatoes), & Chaka (sour cream & yogurt dip). 

Oddly enough, when the Kebab Platter Delight arrived, it appeared to have almost double the amount of meat of the other platter.  Therefore, we were perplexed that it was only $4.00 more.  Whatever the case, the lamb was moist and exhibited a nice roasted appearance and flavour.  It was fatty and gelatinous with a nice bark.  The kebabs were nicely charred and moist (except the beef was slightly dry).  The rice was a disappointment as it was bland (where there weren't enough sweet raisins or carrots).  Texture was okay though.  We found the potatoes to be crunchy with kick, yet very greasy.  Usually, it is about here that I might compare Afghan Horsemen to another restaurant.  Well, the only other equivalent is Afghan Chopan, which is probably a bit better due to more developed flavours.  However, Afghan Horsemen is still okay considering they are the only large Afghan restaurant in Vancouver proper.

The Good:
- Unique dining experience
- We got good and attentive service
- If you like meat...

The Bad:
- Can be an expensive meal depending how much you order
- Flavours seemed to be underdeveloped
- Greasy

Minato

A long time ago, Viv and I had some mediocre Japanese food at Minato. I think that was like over 10 years ago. If you could imagine, we were in no rush to return. Hence, the decade-long wait to visit it again. So why did we come back? Well, we were looking for a Japanese restaurant near Oakridge that would accommodate 6 people comfortably. I'm not sure how we ended up all the way down on the corner of Broadway and Oak because it ain't close to Oakridge! And why did we need to be close to Oakridge? Well, that is where the Lego Store is located! Yes, I...  er... my son really loves Lego, especially Ninjago. Thus, we've spent a fortune on the stuff. So much so, my son has nowhere to put it in his room. But I really want that Epic Dragon Battle... er... I mean he really wants it. Really! Oh, there is Viv rolling her eyes again.

Okay, so with low expectations, we went ahead and ordered a bunch of things. The first to arrive was the Spicy Tuna. Despite not looking particularly appetizing, it wasn't bad. There was a lot of sesame-peanutty flavours going on in addition to the spiciness. The portion was a bit small while the fish was pretty average. That would pretty much describe our plate of Sashimi as well. Again, not looking particularly aesthetically pleasing, it more or less did the job without anything to remember good nor bad. We weren't huge fans of the Tai though. It was very hard to chew (yes I know it is generally not the most tender of fish).

We got one each of the BC Roll and a roll I have no name. For some reason or another, I neglected to jot it down and it doesn't exist on the menu! Well, as you can see in the picture, it is a dynamite roll with spicy tuna on top. Didn't really matter what they were because the sushi rice was pretty average. It was on the gummier side and was pretty bland. Not horrible sushi rolls, yet not great either. The Assorted Tempura arrived with 3 large ebi. Despite being crispy and hot, I found the tempura batter to be over-aggressively applied. Hence, it was quite the chore to eat it. At least it wasn't greasy. The Tonkatsu Don was a fail in our books. Although it was a fairly large portion, there was not much to like about the dish. First of all, the rice did not benefit from any sauce penetrating the surface of the pork chop. Therefore, the pork chop was super salty and sweet while the rice was plain. The pork chop itself was not tender at all. It was as if they never tenderized the meat.

With that dish not appealing to the kiddies, it was fortunate we also went for an order of the Yakiudon. This was actually not too bad considering that the colour looked a bit off. This could've been partially attributed to the lack of sauce. Now the absence of moisture wasn't all bad since the noodles didn't become too saucy or wet. But then again, the whole dish got kinda sticky and starchy. There were lots of moist chicken and the noodle to vegetable ratio was good. This was probably the best item we had for the meal. Now that probably says it all about Minato. If a yakiudon is the best part of a meal when there are so many other things to eat (especially sushi and sashimi!), then that is not really a good thing. This is probably the reason why Viv and I haven't been back for over a decade. Minato benefits from their location as it is a convenient place during weekday lunch hours. With so many businesses around, including Vancouver General Hospital, it can afford to be mediocre and still survive. For me, there are so many better choices around.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Convenient for the lunch time crowd
- It's edible

The Bad:
- Mediocre Japanese food (or AKA Chinese-inspired Japanese food)
- Lack of parking (for those who drive there)