The Spud Shack Fry Co.

"What is your favourite food?" is a question that I am asked often.  Even before I started blogging, my answer (without hesitation) would be "a good serving of fries".  Huh???  Fried potatoes is your favourite food???  Yes, I would take that over lobster if you can believe it or not.  Now I'm not talking about frozen McCain fries nor any generic versions offered up by Sysco or GFS.  I'm talking about "frites" made preferably from Kennebec potatoes and fried more than once.  Better yet, serve it up with some form of aioli or other mayonnaise concoction.  Most people have heard of Belgian Fries, Fritz and La Belle Patate, but there is a new player in town called The Spud Shack.  Unlike the aforementioned joints, The Spud Shack is somewhat hidden and almost an afterthought, especially for those who don't venture out of Vancouver.

For myself, I decided to make the effort out to the New West Skytrain platform in search of good frites.  My plan of attack included the one piece Cod & Frites with a side of chipotle mayo.  There was an ample amount of crispy frites which were potatoey soft inside.  As for the piece of tempura-battered fish, it was flaky and just barely cooked.  The batter wasn't exactly thin, yet not thick either.  It was crunchy while a touch greasy.  I found the tartar sauce quite mild where I would've liked to see more tang and pickle/onion crunch.

I also added a medium order of the Montreal Smoked Meat Poutine.  Although I would've preferred cubed pieces of meat, the rest of the poutine was fantastic.  Starting with the same great frites, there was a good amount of legit squeaky cheese curds (which were only slightly melted).  The amount of rich gravy was perfect as it caressed all the frites, without drowning them. So how about that...  A hidden gem of sorts in a Skytrain station.  Good frites, surprisingly decent fish and solid poutine.  I hope there will be a location in Burnaby someday...

The Good:
- Solid frites
- Real cheese curds for the poutine
- Surprisingly decent fish

The Bad:
- Not particularly easy to visit or find if you're not on foot or traveling by train
- Mostly take out, not many seats

Sushi Nanaimo

There I was.  Caught between a rock and a hard place.  No, I wasn't in a parking lot fighting for a space on #3 Road in Richmond (although that would be quite the pickle..).  Rather, I was given the task of organizing lunch with the following criteria: gluten-free but not vegetarian, kid-friendly, not expensive, not Asian and within Vancouver.  Argh...  Seriously?  Okay, I'd rather be fighting for that parking spot with nothing but my fragile body...  Apparently, they do that in Richmond too...  Anyways, I was able to remove the "non-Asian" stipulation out of the equation when Herbie the Lovebug relented in his demands.  So I ended up suggesting Aki, yet they were not open for lunch on Sundays (pretty common for authentic Japanese restaurants).  Hence, I resorted to a Korean-run Japanese restaurant out on Nanaimo simply named Sushi Nanaimo.  Now, don't let the generic name fool you, the place is very popular with the locals as it does its best "Sushi Garden" impersonation.

Luckily we arrived before noon as the place was quickly hopping with a lineup out the door.  Taking advantage that Nikita, Bluebeard, Lana Banana and Herbie the Lovebug were all hungry, I went ahead and ordered too much food.  Like that would be a surprise...  To make things simple, I got the Tray C consisting of Nigiri (3pcs each of Salmon, Tuna, Ebi, Hokkigai and Chopped Scallop) and Maki Sushi (Dynamite, Red Roll, Chopped Scallop, Mangodise and California).  For $35.95, this was a lot of food which was actually decently prepared.  As you can see, they didn't merely hack up a bunch of seafood and slap it randomly on rice.  There was a certain neatness and order to the presentation. The sushi rice was a touch dry, but acceptable with a hint of vinegar.  As for the rolls, everything was pretty typical with the red roll having a considerable sesame oil hit.  Next up was an order of Wild Salmon Sashimi.  Although cut a bit strange in my opinion, the fish itself had a nice sheen and was naturally sweet.  I liked the buttery smooth texture with a nice bite.

So far so good, until we had the Tokatsu-Don...  At first glance, there didn't seemed to be anything wrong with the dish.  Look at it.  It was large portion with a big tonkatsu on top caressed by egg.  Yes, the pork cutlet was fried nicely and it was sufficiently tender.  Furthermore, the egg was both plentiful and fluffy.  And, there was enough sauce to properly flavour the rice.  So what's wrong you might ask...  Well, if the rice underneath was supposed to be waterlogged and soggy, then it would've been a solid Don.  But since that is not how one makes a tonkatsu-don, it was a fail. Seeing how the Yakisobi was the daily special at $6.95, we got one of those too (with chicken).  Unlike everything else so far, this was a more modest portion served on a sizzling hot plate.  The noodles were al dente and properly sauced while the chicken was plentiful and moist.  However, the whole dish was quite greasy.

As evidenced in the pictures, the portion sizes were very generous and it got even more generous with the King Chicken Katsu.  At $7.50, we weren't expecting much, however, the darn thing was massive and took up more space on the table than J-Lo's derrière.  Compared to the one I got at Gawa Sushi, this was easily 2.5x bigger.  What made it even better was the fact it was fried beautifully.  The cutlet was crunchy, yet juicy inside (despite being rather thin).  Although it looked like an aftermath of a Peter North flick, there was just the right amount of sauce and mayo.  Lastly, we had one each of the Vegetable Tempura and Prawn Tempura.  They were served hot and crispy.  The prawns were pretty big and even though the batter was a touch heavy, it was still light.  Despite some pretty big eaters at the table, we struggled to finish the food (and we didn't).  We all agreed Sushi Nanaimo is a fabulous value considering that the food is above-average.  Yes, we realize it is not an authentic Japanese restaurant, but we really didn't care either.  We weren't looking for authenticity anyways.  What we got was decent eats, big portions at low prices.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Large portions
- Decent food

The Bad:
- Service seemed a bit confused
- Gets busy and the place ain't that big either

Mai's Vietnamese Restaurant

Once again, the dreaded "I forgot I bought a Groupon" phenomenon hit us.  For some reason or another, I didn't remember buying one for Castle Fun Park which was going to expire at the end of the month.  Great.  I had to shoehorn a visit to Abbotsford into our busy schedule.   It's like Lindsay Lohan trying to schedule some sobriety into her life... Don't get me wrong.  I love Castle Fun Park.  In fact, we used to go there for some late night fun back in the day.  However, Abby is just a bit far for some mini-golf and batting cages.  But my son absolutely adores the place, so off we went to redeem the Groupon.  Once we were finished, we briefly entertained the idea of eating locally, but Viv suggested we head closer into town for food.  Hence, we stopped at Mai's Vietnamese just off Hwy 1 near 200th.

Much like many of the newer Pho joints in the GVRD (in particular, the burbs), Mai's is an original restaurant from the ground up.  What I mean is it isn't a former Italian or Greek restaurant (or even a former 7-11).  We started with the Fried Chicken Wings which were dark and really crunchy (a touch too much batter).  The meat underneath was not a moist as I would've liked, but the sweet and tangy sauce partially made it up for. Predictably, we had a bowl of Pho as a baseline of sorts. As the hot broth met my lips, the burst of sweetness was very strong.  Not much in the way of meatiness, but there was the usual Pho flavouring agents.  This was a decent broth.  In terms of the noodles, they were plentiful and al dente.  The meats were generally thin and tender, but the flank was somewhat dry and crumbly.  

I had the Bun Bo Hue and it was not as fragrant as I would've hoped.  Moreover, it was actually quite mild altogether with very little spice, yet at the same time, I did get a hit of shrimp paste.  The noodles were a touch softer than I would've liked.  There was plenty of meat though, but missing the pork knuckle and blood.  The kids shared the Lemongrass Chicken with Rice.  It came neatly plated with 2 well-charred pieces of white meat on top of chewy rice.  I could understand the use of breast meat, especially since they are trying to appeal to the local clientele, yet personally, I found it dry and lacking in flavour. Ultimately, we were pleased with our meal despite the fact, we could get cheaper and better in Surrey.  But we were not in Surrey, so Mai's did the job in a clean environment complete with great service.

The Good:
- Clean
- Very good service
- Okay eats

The Bad:
- A touch pricey
- There is better in Surrey, but we were not in Surrey 

Pho Century

Ginseng and I go way back. In fact, all the way back to high school, albeit she is 3 years younger.  Hence, it is always a pleasure to hang out with her, the few times she is able to join us for late night eats after Friday hockey. So when she indicated it was possible for her to grace us with her presence, we made accommodations.  You see, our usual MO is to travel deep into Vancouver for food (although I live in Burnaby, what gives?) which effectively makes it inconvenient for some, including Ginseng.  So we decided to head to the location of Pho Century on Kingsway at Sperling. Actually, now it is the only location as the other one has closed

Emilicious wanted to share a Spring Roll with me and I eagerly accepted (this does not sound right, I know...).  When it arrived, we were glad they had used rice flour wrappers (something about the appearance and texture). The filling was a tad loose, but that in turn made the spring roll somewhat light.  Flavourwise, it was mild with hints of fish sauce and sweet onion.  While we were sharing a spring roll, Ginseng and Milhouse split a Salad Roll.  Yes, it was a veritable food orgy...  The salad roll was neatly constructed with a nicely textured rice wrapper.  Pretty standard with no complaints.  Lionel Hutz, who is quite indifferent when it comes to Pho, went for the Banh Mi Dac Biet.  Within the toasted and airy baguette, there wasn't a whole lot of meat.  Therefore,the sandwich lacked substance and flavour.  Compounding the problem was a lack (or very little) of soy or Maggi sauce.  In the end, he still thought it was fine for $3.95.  Besides, we were not at a Banh Mi joint anyways.

Moving onto the main event, I went for Rice Combo #4 which included BBQ lemongrass chicken, fried egg and Vietnamese ham.  This was neatly presented with all of the components prepared with care.  I particularly liked the chicken as it was really juicy with a barely-cooked consistency.  There was a good level of charring where the meat exhibited plenty of flavour from the marinade.  The ham was sliced thick and it was moist with a bit of bounce.  Lasty, the rice was chewy without being dry.  For Ginseng and Emilcious, they both went for Pho and I thought to myself, I can't just sample it, I need a bowl of my own!  Hence, I also got a Pho Dac Biet. Yes, I am a glutton, so sue me!  Wait, Lionel Hutz was around...  better not...  I found the soup on the sweeter side with not much in the way of meatiness.  The noodles were al dente while the meats were thin and tender.  A decent, if not, standard bowl of Pho.  "Pretty good" was the sentiment from the table, although I thought the non-Pho items seemed to be better than the Pho itself.  Loved the fact it is open late too, so it provides an alternative to Pho Hoa.

The Good:
- Cooked items are prepared with care
- Prices are okay
- Open late

The Bad:
- Pho is not the draw here
- Smiles are not free here

Twin Bridges

Sometimes there are restaurants that are generally ignored by most people because of their operating hours and/or location.  The good ol' lunch spot in an industrial park lives out its lonely existence only to serve those who work nearby.  However, there are gems to be found that actually serve up more than the simple sandwich or pasta salad.  Case in point, 2 Chefs Richmond offers up a menu that screams out restaurant rather than a default lunch joint.  Also, there is Rod's in Burnaby that tries to offer up something different in gourmet burgers (but ironically, I prefer their sandwiches more).  The most recent lunch spot I hit was Twin Bridges out on Annacis Island.

Hot Mama and Zamboni Guy joined me on this food adventure which featured a "nicer" than most industrial complex restaurant decor.  Inexplicably, Hot Mama did her best Miss Y impersonation and had the Wonton Noodles.  Suffice to say, it sucked.  From the chicken bouillon broth to the undercooked noodles, these wonton noodles would've been best left in its uncooked state. Zamboni Guy went for something safer in the Bacon Cheeseburger.  This was fairly straightforward with a relatively moist patty.  Nothing to write home about, but it did the job without any complaints.  

For myself, I had something a bit different in the Schnitzel Club with a side of fries.  This thing was absolutely massive and barely fit into my mouth (okay, no sick jokes here!). As you can see, the cutlet was decent in size.  It was fried up crispy while still moist in the middle.  Add in crispy bacon, tomato, lettuce, mayo and properly toasted bread, it was a solid sandwich.  Although a bit generic, the fries were crispy with a good amount of potatoey goodness.  With this sandwich alone, I'd consider coming back, just stay away from the wonton noodles...

The Good:
- Nicely renovated interior
- Cheery staff

The Bad:
- Stay with the basics

Pho Extreme Xe Lua

Not long ago, there was a 24-hour Pho joint named Kim Penh Xe Lua on Broadway at Cambie.  I had visited it on several occasions because nothing else was open. For me, I thought the food was acceptable but hardly memorable.  Hey, what can you expect at 2am in the morning???  While on one of our very early morning food adventures after Friday night hockey (should it be called Saturday morning hockey?) at Kim Penh Xe Lua, the owner stated they were moving across the street.  And so they did, into the location formerly occupied by an AYCE Japanese joint.  So on another Saturday morning hockey game (yah, that's what I'll call it from now on), we headed over to their new digs and apparently new name (Pho Extreme Xe Lua).

We started with the Spring Rolls which sported a rice paper wrapper.  The small rolls were dense and only slightly crunchy while exhibiting a mild flavour.  It was pretty average.  For myself, I went for a large Phnom Penh Dry Rice Noodle and it was not really all that large.  The one thing that really annoyed me with this dish was that all of the ingredients were stone cold.  The crab stick and fish balls were seemingly just removed from the refrigerator.  Very unappealing in texture and taste. I hate cold sticks and balls!  Er... The noodles were okay though, being slightly chewy, however, I found the sauce quite salty.  Yes, I see the irony with cold, salty sticks and balls...  In fact, the Pho that Milhouse and Sweet Tooth were munching on was equally salty and very sweet.  I'm thinking too much MSG here.  Despite that, the noodles were good and the meats were sliced thin and tender.  Milhouse went for the extra large size and it didn't seem like much more food than the large.

Lionel Hutz had the Beef Stew and it was yes, salty as well.  He did remark there were other distinguishing flavours including a hint of spice.  The beef shank was really fork tender and moist.  Gordo had the Curry Chicken which was very flavourful as well, yet lacking in curry flavour.  The chicken had been braised to the point it was falling off from the bone.  He really wanted more rice than they had provided though.  Seeing how my noodles were not very substantial, I had the Special Sub as well.  Although dense, the bread was sufficiently crusty.  However, I would've liked to see some butter mayo and pate as the whole thing was rather dry.  There was only a splash of Maggi sauce to go with the sliced ham and pickled daikon and carrot.  This was a pretty average banh mi that was missing critical elements.  As you can clearly see, the food is passable, but not much more than that.  However, as stated, what can one expect from a 24 hour joint.  We were just thankful to eat food that didn't come from Denny's or Knight & Day...

The Good:
- Open 24 hours
- Good selection of eats
- Passable

The Bad:
- Only passable
- Not sure about the large and extra-large, sure didn't seem like it

Kimbab Cheonguk

Continuing our weekly assault on North Road restaurants, specifically hard to pronounce Korean joints, Slick, Big D and I made our way to Kimbab Cheonguk. Tucked in one of the many strip malls, this place is well-known for good value as well as tasty eats. Now, if you are a Korean cuisine novice, this might be a confusing place because the menu does not give any English descriptions of the food.  However, there are plenty of pictures.  So if you are good at picking out ingredients from photographs, than take the plunge!  For us, we are pretty well-versed with Korean fare.  In fact, Big D is married Korean, so he could be considered an honorary Korean! 

Now, the first thing one would notice about the place is the big pot of tea at the table.  Nope.  It ain't tea.  Look at the picture.  Yes, that was Soup pouring out of the spout into the metal cup. And it was hot and tasty too!  Now when I mentioned good value, I wasn't kidding.  Look at the Kim Bop.  That's 2 large rolls for $5.90!  And they were good too with a good balance of ingredients (sorta like the Korean version of a futomaki) and decently textured sushi rice. The Al Bap (Stone Bowl Rice) was fantastic in appearance with the plethora of tobiko on top.  Once mixed, the rice had a little of everything from sweet, salty, tangy and spice (when hot sauce was added).  I particularly like the rice crust as it was crunchy while not hard.  It really want well with the pop of the tobiko as well as the bite from the pickles.  I would gladly order this again.  

We also got an interesting dish I've personally never had before - Jang Teo Kook Bab, which consisted of rice, sprouts, scallions and beef in a savoury broth.  I found it quite flavourful with a meatiness and depth.  The meat was moist and with the addition of rice, it was filling. Lastly, we tried the  Mandoo Gook which was mild and full of big dumplings filled with glass noodles, meat and veggies.  The dumpling skin was soft while still maintaining its shape and integrity. At this point we were pretty stuffed and all for under $30.00 (excluding tip and tax).  Definitely one of the best values in town (if you like Korean food that is).

The Good:
- Cheap
- Good food
- Friendly people

The Bad:
- Limited and not very descriptive menu
- Limited seating