skip to main |
skip to sidebar
On the heels of declaring Tacofino's Tuna Ta Taco as one of my top 40 things to eat in Vancouver, it was only fitting to visit their store out on Hastings. With a relatively early hockey game on Friday, we were able to hit it up before closing (which also meant we didn't have to wait in line!). With a fairly large contingent of 8 people, not having to wait was great as the seating is mostly communal. Since sharing on a full length table would be difficult, Gordo, Emilicious and Milhouse ended up splitting a few items with me while we ignored the rest of the table... LOL...
We started with the house-made Tatar Tots with chorizo verde, cheddar curds, queso fundido and kimchi crema. For $10.00, we found this to be smallish in size despite the interesting array of toppings and condiments. Disregarding the price, we found these
tatar tots to be fantastic. They were slightly crispy pillows of mashed potato goodness laced by ingredients that offered up a wide range of complimentary flavours. The green chilis added spice and tartness while the crema was cooling. The chorizo contributed a bit of meatiness and the cheese curds were well, cheesy. Next up was the Brussel Sprouts ($7.00) with bacon, cotija cheese, masa bread crumbs. These were much spicier than we had expected, however, I personally liked the kick that lingered after the first bite. Although the sprouts were tender, they retained a pleasant crunch. Bringing the whole thing together was the smooth and creamy cheese as well as the saltiness of the bacon.
Onto what we were really here for - the tacos... Predictably, we ordered a bunch of their popular Fish Tacos. Now some might think that $6.00 is a bit steep for a fish taco, 
but rest assured, these were of a decent size and most importantly, are money. The large piece of ling cod was fried beautifully where it was just cooked and flaky. The batter was thin, crispy and light while the rest of the ingredients - shredded cabbage, chipotle mayo and salsa fresca - married well together with a certain brightness and spice. Now drum roll please for one of my top 40 things to eat in Vancouver - the Albacore Tuna Taco. We actually got 3 of these and only one turned out right. The other 2 featured fully cooked tuna, which lessened the enjoyment of the taco. However, the one that did work out was fantastic as usual. The still-rare piece of tuna was accented by soy, sesame, wakame, ginger, salsa fresca and wasabi mayo. The Asian flavours were powerful enough to add flavour, yet at the same time, not overwhelm the delicate piece of tuna. Unlike the one served from their food cart, this was served with only a light dusting of cabbage. It could've benefited from more for textural and visual purposes.
Moving away from fish, we had the Skirt Steak Taco which featured pickled veggies, cilantro and black garlic mayo. The steak itself was cooked a nice medium-rare. Predictably, it wasn't exactly tender, but it wasn't tough either. There was a good amount of char and seasoning. I liked the crunch from the veggies as well as the acidity, particularly from the pickled onion. The spice of the pepper added a good kick while the mayo provided some moisture as well as sweetness. Staying with meat, the Pork Jowl Taco was dressed with cabbage, pineapple, fried shallots and sriracha. The pork cheek was seared crispy on the outside while the meat was fatty and full-flavoured (a touch salty though). The sweetness of the pineapple cut through some of the heaviness whereas the modest amount of sriracha added just enough heat. I loved the fried shallots for their texture and aroma.
With 2 more meat tacos on the menu, there was no choice but order those as well. The Gringa consisted of pork al pastor, cheddar curds and kimchi in a fried tortilla finished with chipotle mayo. The crunch from the fried tortilla was a nice contrast to the cheesy, shredded pork mix. The kimchi added even more crunch, yet was too mild for my tastes. It could've been spicier. Our last meat taco was the Chicken Karaage with avocado and black chili oil. The chicken was moist with only a light crispiness on the outside. The flavours were balanced with only the slightest hint of spice. This could've benefited from some acidity, maybe from some lemon. And just to change things up, I decided to get the Crispy Potato as our lone vegetarian taco. Hidden underneath the cabbage, queso fresco, cheddar and salsa fresca was essentially a potato mash. Hence, the fried tortilla was essentially for texture. This was decent for a non-meat taco. At the end, we were pretty happy with our eats, despite the spending a good amount of money. We thought the food was good, but I'm sure some will find it expensive.
The Good:
- Well-prepared food
- Interesting eats
- A good hipster scene (if that is your thing)
The Bad:
- Can be seen as a bit pricey
- Can get busy where seats are at a premium
Congrats to Suzie M for winning the prize pack giveaway from Lay's. Even if you didn't win, don't forget to enter the Lay's Do Us A Flavour Contest and submit your original flavour for a new Lay's chip flavour. As for Suzie, please email me at admin@shermansfoodadventures.com to claim your prize!
There are times when I just don't know what to eat. Yes, as crazy as it sounds, I had no cravings whatsoever for lunch. Seeing how I didn't have a lot of time, I settled on fast food, but I had no urge to visit anywhere that started with Mc or ended with King. Hence, I briefly considered Wendy's with their salads, but in the end, I didn't want to spend $9.00 for it. Subway came into play, but I had that the week before. And really, I didn't want to go back to Nordel Kitchen because it ain't any healthier than the aforementioned fast food joints. Finally, I settled on Nando's partly because I had an Entertainment coupon burning a hole in my pocket. Now, there were actually a couple of them where I settled on the whole chicken dinner. Yes, I got a whole family dinner for myself...
It included Garlic Portuguese Buns which, in my opinion, were too chewy for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, I love Portuguese buns especially for making tasty sandwiches, but I want my garlic bread to be either soft or toasted, not in between. Moreover, for garlic bread, there was not a whole lot of flavour either. Onto the star of the meal, the Flame Grilled Chicken with a hot spice level. Consistent with this location, the meat was moist and juicy, even the the breast. It was indeed spicy and dressed further in Peri-Peri sauce. The flavours were smoky and the extra packets of Peri-Peri sauce ensured a wallop in every bite.
For my 2 sides, I went for Peri Fries and Spiced Rice. Frankly, I've never liked the sides at Nando's. The fries were not crispy enough in my opinion being rather generic. Even with the spicier option, I didn't find them that flavourful. As for the rice, it wasn't any better. It was dry, bland and unappetizing. Whatever the case, the chicken was good (especially this location as I find other places make it very dry). Nando's can be a bit expensive, especially without a coupon, but the chicken is pretty good.
The Good:
- Nicely grilled chicken (at this location)
- Spicy (just the way I like it)
The Bad:
- Can be pricey
- Sides are weak
Okay, I must admit a guilty pleasure. Wait, I have a lot of guilty pleasures... Well, this is one of them and yes I can't only have one... If you haven't guessed it (by the title of the post!), it's Lay's chips. So when they recently approached me to run a contest, they didn't have to ask twice. It's the Lay's "Do Us A Flavour" contest where they are looking for inspiration. I'm sure some of you have already seen it on Facebook. So, go ahead and think of the most interesting and delicious flavour. You don’t have to be a foodie, chef or flavour expert to enter the contest (which ends April 15th, 2013 at 10:00pm ET). If you’re passionate about a flavour, you can enter for a chance to win $50K plus 1% of your flavour’s future sales (after voting period) if crowned as the flavour champion. In addition, I have a prize gift pack to help you on your quest for potato chip greatness. It includes:
- An assortment of Lay’s potato chips
- Lay’s cutting board
- Do Us a Flavour Apron
- Oil & Vinegar set
- Lay’s Flavour shaker
- 2 Ramekins
- Recipe organizer
- Lay’s Potato sack
- Do Us a Flavour™ Spices
So leave your first name and last initial for your chance to win this gift pack that hopefully will inspire you to create the winning chip flavour. I will draw a winner on Monday, March 25th and it will ship directly to you from Lay's (open to Canadian residents only). Congrats to Suzie M for winning the prize pack!
For a city with a significant Filipino population, Vancouver is sorely lacking in Filipino restaurants. Now, I have speculated about this phenomenon before with indications that home cooking trumps eating out. For myself, that is not an option, therefore, eating out would be my main access to Filipino cuisine. Rich Guy and Rich Gal (she's Filipino) often ridicule my desire for Filipino eats because they can get all the Filipino food they can handle, yet are not really all that interested in eating out at any Filipino eatery. I guess I rest my case??? So my latest Filipino food adventure brought me to the Surrey location of Cucina Manila. Think of it as a Filipino version of their next door neighbour - Top King's.
So with all the food on display, one can make their own combo which includes steamed rice
and a choice of 2 items excluding the bigger ones such as Bangus and Crispy Pata. Of course I couldn't resist the Crispy Pata, so I added it to my order. Assuming it had been sitting there for awhile, I wasn't expecting really crunchy skin. And yes, it was on the chewy side, but it wasn't terrible. The meat underneath was sufficiently moist with a nice layer of gelatinous fat. Dipped into the vinegar, I ate the whole thing easily. After dusting that off, I tackled the combo, which included the classic Adobo. It was a mix of chicken and pork where the latter was definitely better. It was soft and fatty. On the other hand, the chicken was dry and chewy. I did like the flavours though as there was enough tartness. The sauce was on the greasier side, which I expected, but not something I personally prefer. Lastly, I had the BBQ Pork which was a touch dry, but flavourful in a sweet charred way.
Unsatisfied with only one visit, I went again going with the combo and adding a separate item. This time it was the classic Pancit. I found this one to be loaded with lots of ingredients such as carrot, red pepper, cabbage, onion, shrimp, pig's ear and green onions. So much so, there was very little noodle. As for the noodle, it was a pleasant chewy texture and mildly seasoned. For my combo, I selected the Adobong Pusit and Pork Binagoongan. Unlike the other times I've had it, the pusit was mostly tender and slightly chewy. I found the dish appetizing as there was a nice vinegar hit within the mild sweet onion sauce. While I was taking pictures of the Pork Binagoongan, oil splashed everywhere. Yes, it was really, really greasy. Again, not unexpected though. Despite this, the shrimp paste was pungent while the pork was tender. I needed all of the rice to balance out the saltiness (which I liked). 
However, I would've liked to see some spice to counter the salt.
With my 2 visits to Cucina Manila, I concluded that the food, although not great, is decent considering it is premade and relatively inexpensive ($10.00 for 2 items and rice). I'm not sure why the ratings on Urbanspoon are so low because it wasn't terrible. I guess the one thing that stuck in my mind is that the cashier lady should've smile a bit more...
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent selection
- Food is fine for what it is
The Bad:
- Food is on the greasier side (but to be expected)
- Cashier-lady can come across as unfriendly
For awhile there, I totally forgot about Cafe Gloucester. Hey, with the construction of the Canada Line, I'm sure more than a few people avoided the business along the Cambie corridor. Somewhere down the line (sorry for the pun), Cafe Gloucester experienced an ownership change and for the longest time, I wanted to do a return visit. As one of the original "upscale" Hong Kong-style cafes in town, they have always prided themselves for their good food and equally good service. So to avoid the dreaded "Dim Sum at Tung Sing Chin again" with my in-laws, I suggested we head to Gloucester instead. So to refresh your memory (or if you have no clue what a Hong Kong-style cafe is all about), the food here is a mishmash of Chinese food and a Chinese interpretation of everything else. That's 
right, when you would normally use tomato sauce, think ketchup. Or where you'd find cream, try starch (or flour) thickened milk. Or better yet, imagine breakfast sausage replaced by a hot dog wiener. Yes, all this can be found at a HK-style cafe...
So when you look the picture of the vegetable soup, it really was Borscht. But... it's not beet red nor is there any sour cream! Not at a HK-style cafe! It was vegetable soup with some worchestershire. That's all. Deal with it. The borscht was actually the starter for the Mini-Mixed Grill which was Viv's choice. It consisted of a pork chop, ham, egg and a skewer of shrimp on a bed of spaghetti (or rice), veggies with a side of sauce (black pepper in this case). This was pretty solid with a large not-too-dry pork chop, a popped sunny side egg and cold-water shrimp. I liked the black pepper sauce as it was rich and flavourful with a good consistency. There
seemed to be some black bean in it too which might've explained the full-bodied flavour. In addition to this, we shared the Duck & Preserved Vegetable Vermicelli as well. I found the rice noodles to be a bit too dry, but there was plenty of peppers, onions and sprouts to make up for that. It was flavourful with a nuttiness probably due to the high wok heat.
We also had the classic Pork Chop Baked Rice which, as you can tell, consisted of a large pork chop with lots of sauce. However, we found the sauce far too sweet with very little savoury elements. The pork chop was thick, tender and crispy on the outside, but we felt there was far too much onion underneath. While we were at it, why not have another standard item on any HK-style cafe's menu? Enter the Baked Seafood Rice with an obscene amount of "cream" sauce with seafood and again, far too much 
onion. I'm not sure if they realized that partially-cooked slivers of onion overpower seafood. It doesn't enhance it. Other than that, the seafood was fine while the sauce was typically thick and not really that creamy. Oh let's not stop there right? How about the Spaghetti Bolognese? Yes, it would make most Italians cry because I'm pretty sure they would not make it like this. However, this one was good though with a meaty, thick sauce that featured a licorice hit from star anise.
Back to something more Chinese or Chinese-style Indian that is... was the Curry Chicken. The sauce was coconut milk based, hence it wasn't starchy. There was enough spices to create an impact and not too much sugar, so it wasn't a sweet curry. This was pretty good. "Not bad" is probably the best description of our re-visit. Most items were prepared properly, except for the overuse of undercooked onions, and service was above average
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Above-average service
- Comfortable digs
The Bad:
- Slightly more expensive than other HK-style cafes
- Good, but is it better than less costly places?
It's no secret that I love meat. Hence, I seek it out like a car seeks out an accident in Richmond. Places like steakhouses, rib joints, Brazilian rodizio and Korean BBQs are right up my alley. However, there is one more genre that I haven't truly explored very much - Persian food. Sure, it shares similarities to other middle eastern grub, in particular Afghan cuisine, but there are differences. Hence, I headed up to Persian food central, the North Shore, with Rich Guy in search of meat. And where did we end up at? Well, the most well-known one of them all - Cazba. This place prides itself on large portions at reasonable prices. Hey, that is exactly what I like, as they say in Chinese - Peng, yau leng (cheap, but good!).
Before our food arrived, we were present with Pita & Raw Onion. Huh? You might ask... Well, it is to use as a wrap with the meats. However, I'm not too keen about the raw onion part, so we merely used the pita for the Hummus ($5.00) that we ordered as an appie. It was fluffy and smooth, yet maintaining some bits of texture. There was a definite garlic hit as well as a lemony tang finish. As for our meats, the Joojeh Kebab (Chicken $8.95) hit the table first. It was served with Basmati and saffron rice along with a grilled tomato. Exhibiting a beautiful char (while not burnt) on the outside, the inside was moist and juicy. There was just enough seasoning to add flavour without being salty.
Next up was the Chenjeh Kebab (Sirloin Steak $8.95) which was a healthy portion. Naturally being sirloin, it wasn't exactly super tender, but it wasn't chewy either. Again, there was just enough char and the right amount of seasoning. Lastly, we shared one last item being the Baghali Polo & Lamb. At $7.95, this was a fantastic value with a decent-sized lamb shank which fell-off-the-bone. I would've liked to see more seasoning with the meat though. Yes, we did finish all the food and were pretty stuffed. However, it would be more than enough for small eaters. Hence, at the prices they charge, Cazba is both peng, yau leng.
The Good:
- Well-executed proteins
- Inexpensive
- Good portions
The Bad:
- Although service was friendly, it was a bit hard to flag down somebody
Posts
On the heels of declaring Tacofino's Tuna Ta Taco as one of my top 40 things to eat in Vancouver, it was only fitting to visit their store out on Hastings. With a relatively early hockey game on Friday, we were able to hit it up before closing (which also meant we didn't have to wait in line!). With a fairly large contingent of 8 people, not having to wait was great as the seating is mostly communal. Since sharing on a full length table would be difficult, Gordo, Emilicious and Milhouse ended up splitting a few items with me while we ignored the rest of the table... LOL...
tatar tots to be fantastic. They were slightly crispy pillows of mashed potato goodness laced by ingredients that offered up a wide range of complimentary flavours. The green chilis added spice and tartness while the crema was cooling. The chorizo contributed a bit of meatiness and the cheese curds were well, cheesy. Next up was the Brussel Sprouts ($7.00) with bacon, cotija cheese, masa bread crumbs. These were much spicier than we had expected, however, I personally liked the kick that lingered after the first bite. Although the sprouts were tender, they retained a pleasant crunch. Bringing the whole thing together was the smooth and creamy cheese as well as the saltiness of the bacon.
but rest assured, these were of a decent size and most importantly, are money. The large piece of ling cod was fried beautifully where it was just cooked and flaky. The batter was thin, crispy and light while the rest of the ingredients - shredded cabbage, chipotle mayo and salsa fresca - married well together with a certain brightness and spice. Now drum roll please for one of my top 40 things to eat in Vancouver - the Albacore Tuna Taco. We actually got 3 of these and only one turned out right. The other 2 featured fully cooked tuna, which lessened the enjoyment of the taco. However, the one that did work out was fantastic as usual. The still-rare piece of tuna was accented by soy, sesame, wakame, ginger, salsa fresca and wasabi mayo. The Asian flavours were powerful enough to add flavour, yet at the same time, not overwhelm the delicate piece of tuna. Unlike the one served from their food cart, this was served with only a light dusting of cabbage. It could've benefited from more for textural and visual purposes.
Moving away from fish, we had the Skirt Steak Taco which featured pickled veggies, cilantro and black garlic mayo. The steak itself was cooked a nice medium-rare. Predictably, it wasn't exactly tender, but it wasn't tough either. There was a good amount of char and seasoning. I liked the crunch from the veggies as well as the acidity, particularly from the pickled onion. The spice of the pepper added a good kick while the mayo provided some moisture as well as sweetness. Staying with meat, the Pork Jowl Taco was dressed with cabbage, pineapple, fried shallots and sriracha. The pork cheek was seared crispy on the outside while the meat was fatty and full-flavoured (a touch salty though). The sweetness of the pineapple cut through some of the heaviness whereas the modest amount of sriracha added just enough heat. I loved the fried shallots for their texture and aroma.
With 2 more meat tacos on the menu, there was no choice but order those as well. The Gringa consisted of pork al pastor, cheddar curds and kimchi in a fried tortilla finished with chipotle mayo. The crunch from the fried tortilla was a nice contrast to the cheesy, shredded pork mix. The kimchi added even more crunch, yet was too mild for my tastes. It could've been spicier. Our last meat taco was the Chicken Karaage with avocado and black chili oil. The chicken was moist with only a light crispiness on the outside. The flavours were balanced with only the slightest hint of spice. This could've benefited from some acidity, maybe from some lemon. And just to change things up, I decided to get the Crispy Potato as our lone vegetarian taco. Hidden underneath the cabbage, queso fresco, cheddar and salsa fresca was essentially a potato mash. Hence, the fried tortilla was essentially for texture. This was decent for a non-meat taco. At the end, we were pretty happy with our eats, despite the spending a good amount of money. We thought the food was good, but I'm sure some will find it expensive.
