YM Food Ltd

Whenever I need to shop for Chinese groceries, I tend to go with T&T despite the relatively higher prices compared to markets in Chinatown, Crystal Mall and Richmond.  Blame it on convenience factor and in the end, predictability.  However, since we were already in Richmond, I decided to brave the Public Market for once. Thinking back, I don't think we've ever really shopped at the Market.  We've only been here for eats and that was a long time ago.  While perusing the meats and other items for hot pot, I came across YM Food Ltd which featured Chinese BBQ.  There and then, I decided to try them out since I really didn't think I'd be back anytime soon. Reason?  The parking lot.  Heck, when has there ever been a good experience in an Asian mall parking lot???

Anyways, I decided to go for the big 3 starting with the Roast Pork. It was fairly lean, hence it wasn't exactly fatty and moist.  However, the skin had a decent colour and was crunchy without being hard.  Next up was the BBQ Pork which featured a nice bark where it was "stiff" in texture while exhibiting sweetness.  The meat itself was a little dry, but the overall texture was not chewy. With an appealing roasted colour, the BBQ Duck was, in my mind, prepared beautifully.  The fat was nicely rendered while the skin was not soggy.  The meat, including the breast, was super moist and flavourful without being salty. Not bad.  Not bad at all.  I wouldn't put it in the same class as HK BBQ Master, but really, there are not a lot that qualify.

The Good:
- Decent BBQ
- I asked for 1 pound and I got more or less that

The Bad:
- Parking sucks (but that is a given right?)

Congee Noodle King

Believe it or not, my first ever post on this blog was Congee Noodle King.  Yah, not the most exciting place, but hey, I like the food there.  And much like the first post, the same crew was here for this re-visit.  After all these years, Milhouse, Lionel Hutz, Polka King, Emilicious, Gordo Gadget Girl, Mr. Blueberry and Sweet Tooth (along with Polka Dot), have continued to stuff their faces on my food adventures.  Kinda nostalgic and brings a tear to my eye...  Wait, I think that was just some dust on my contact...  So what's so good about CNK?  Well, as the name implies, they specialize in congee and wonton noodles.

As such, Gordo and I decided to split both of those aforementioned items. I gave the Wonton Noodles a try first and yes, it was as good as I remembered.  Now, we've been back to CNK quite a few times since 2008, and I have to say the noodles were spot on every time.  As exemplified in the picture, the all-shrimp wontons were large and texturally on point with a pronounced snap.  The noodles were chewy while the soup was flavourful (with hits of sweetness and shrimp shell) and clean.  A very solid bowl of wonton noodles.  Onto the Preserved Egg and Salted Pork Congee, it also did not disappoint.  It was thick and remained mostly so until the last drop.  There was no absence of ingredients with large chunks of preserved egg and tenderized pork slices.  The pork itself was not really all that salty though.

As a side, I decided to add a plate of Assorted Offal which included tripe, brisket and tendon atop boiled lettuce.  I found the tripe to be too soft, but then again it was late in the day, so it could've been sitting around.  The tendon was good though while the brisket was quite meaty and slightly chewy.  Flavourwise, there was depth since the stuff had been sitting in the braising liquid for quite some time.  Milhouse, being the health conscious person that he is, got a side of Salty Donut to go with his congee.  I took a sample and it was obviously not fried to order (but I wasn't expecting it to be either) and was a quite dense.  It was no longer that crunchy either.  But when dunked into the congee, it really didn't matter too much.

Polka King (in a cameo appearance) and Polka Dot shared 2 items including the da lang portion of the Sweet & Sour Pork.  Exhibiting a shade of radioactive red, the pieces of pork were meaty and fairly moist  The exterior was crunchy in spots while the sauce was mostly sweet.  At least there wasn't too much sauce though.  They also had the Seafood Fried Noodles which was topped with an appealing array of ingredients.  Polka Dot found the noodles a bit bland while the cornstarch gravy was slightly thick and a bit slimy. Although the seafood was cooked quite well. The fish and scallops were cooked perfectly and still moist in the centre.  The squid, on the other hand, was a bit chewy. The Shanghai bok choy was a bit stringy and were cut into slightly too large pieces. One half of the noodles were crispy and surprisingly not burnt.

Lionel Hutz ended up with the Rice Noodles with Brisket. He thought it was okay where the texture and firmness of noodles was fine.  The taste and texture of the meat was okay, but he has had better. Moreover, the vegetables seemed to be fresh.  Mr. Blueberry went for the Yeung Chow Fried Rice which exhibited good wok heat.  It had crunchy shrimp and was well seasoned.  He thought it was exactly how it should be.  And really, most of the food was predictable and more than acceptable, especially for late night eats.  In fact, I find their wontons to be some of the best in the city.  Definitely a solid choice for congee, noodles and Cantonese fare any time of the day.

The Good:
- Reliable eats
- Good wontons and congee (like the name says)
- Open late

The Bad:
- Service is lacking in attentiveness

Hyoga

Even since I started blogging in 2008, I've been fortunate to meet some really cool people who share the same passions.  To think of it, none of it wouldn't have happened if I didn't commit myself to taking pictures of everything I eat!  Recently, I was contacted by Ricky Shetty, who runs the blog daddyblogger.ca.  Essentially, he documents the trials and tribulations of being a dad.  Very cool, since most blogs out there are mommy-run and related.  Good to see a dad in action!  Anyways, he wanted to meet up as a form of networking and since he mentioned lunch, I was game. I suggested we try Hyoga on Kingsway because it is one of the rare Japanese joints that is run by actual Japanese people.

We got a few things to share starting with the Assorted Sashimi. Although small in portion size, it made it up in quality and presentation.  We liked how it was served atop an ice ring, which kept the slices cool as we ate. It consisted of 2 pieces each of hamachi, ika, hokkigai, salmon and tuna.  The nice sheen and neutral smell indicated freshness (as fresh as flash frozen fish can get).  Next up was the Fire Red Dragon Roll consisting of unagi tempura and cucumber on the inside with smoked salmon, avocado on the outside finished off with a spicy mayo concoction.  The roll wasn't exactly large in size, yet again, it was constructed with care.  I found the sushi rice to have a nice chewy texture with a hint of vinegar and sweetness.  There was just enough crunch from the unagi for a textural contrast.  However, there was far too little unagi to make any impact.  

Lastly, we shared the Pork Okonomiyaki which was large and quite thick.  Hence, it was on the denser side and slightly lacking in moisture.  However, it was panfried well with plenty of body and meatiness.  I would've liked to see some pickled ginger to go with this though.  From the items we tried, it was pretty clear that the food was legit (Ricky lived in Japan for a year).  Give it a try when you're in the area.

The Good:
- Real Japanese food (for those who care)
- Food made carefully
- Friendly people

The Bad:
- Some items are a little pricey
- Super small restaurant 

Pho Sunrise

It's no secret that I love Pho.  Heck, I love Vietnamese food in general.  And what's not to like?  Usually plentiful tasty food at low prices.  Therefore, it is a regular cuisine of choice while I'm with friends, family and alone.  In fact, it is one of my go-to destinations when I'm dining all-by-myself (think Eric Carmen).  Yes, the casualness and relative affordability are determining factors.  Now, good Vietnamese food is not really all that hard to find in Vancouver and Surrey, but not so much everywhere else (especially out further in the burbs).  Hence, I was intrigued with Pho Sunrise as it is located in a mall complex in White Rock.  Yah, Pho and White Rock doesn't roll off the tongue that much, but hey, gotta try to know right?

To get a good handle on the food, I decided on 3 items to the utter shock of the waitress. I explained that I was very hungry (which was true).  I started with one each of the Spring and Salad Rolls ($5.25).  Despite the use of a wheat wrapper, the spring roll was actually quite good.  It was crisp, hot and packed full of moist pork.  I liked the sweetness of the onions and the slight hint of fish sauce. As for the salad roll, the rice wrapper was a pleasing texture of chewy while soft.  On the inside, there was there was sprouts, lettuce, vermicelli, ham and shrimp.  Nothing was amiss, but I would've liked to see some basil.  The dipping sauce was sweet while lacking in peanut flavour.

My first entree was the Pho Dac Biet (Small $6.95) which was chock full of meat and chewy noodles.  I found the steak to be slightly chewy due to some gristle while the brisket and tendon were tender.  The broth was light and mostly sweet.  I liked the modest use of MSG, but in the end, it was in need of more depth. Lastly, I got the Lemongrass Chicken and Fried Egg on Rice ($9.50).  The rice itself was a bit clumpy and dry, but the runny egg yolk did help its cause.  The chicken exhibited a nice char and smokiness while being slightly dry.  It did have a good lemongrass hit though.  Believe it or not, I almost finished all the food to the bewilderment of the waitress.  It was not bad considering the location of the restaurant.

The Good:
- Super friendly staff
- Decent pricing given its location
- Clean and modern

The Bad:
- Pho broth on the lighter side

Winner of Lay's Do Us A Flavour Contest

Just a quick note.  Since the original winner of the Lay's Do Us A Flavour contest did not claim their prize.  I drew a new winner and it is Jodelene W!  Please email me at admin@shermansfoodadventures.com to claim your prize!  Congrats!

Local Public Eatery

Okay, this food adventure has been 3 years in the making.  Yes, I've had Local Public Eatery in my back pocket for late night eats, especially after those really late hockey games on Friday.  And really, 3 years is a long time!  Think of it, we didn't have the HST (actually, we don't have that anymore), Lindsay Lohan was drunk (wait, she still is...) and Luongo was the Canucks' goalie (oh yeah, he's still here).  Fine, nothing has changed.  One thing that did transpire was the fact everyone agreed to go visit the Local Public Eatery.  And despite the parking difficulties of the area, we all managed to find parking spots.  We even scored a few in their tiny parking lot!

Much like its parent company, Joey Restaurant Group, the menu at Local Public Eatery has a little bit of everything for everyone.  We started with the Baja Fish Tacos ($4.50) consisting of fried battered-fish, shredded lettuce and pico de gallo.  The fish was crunchy while there was a hint of spice from the diced jalapenos.  This was a decent taco, but we would've liked to see more fish. Next up were the Gyoza ($5.00) severed on sesame soy. We liked how there was a nice sear on the bottom of the dumpling, but since it was sitting on the plethora of sauce, it became a touch soggy (should've served it bottom up).  Despite this, these were pretty decent for a non-Japanese restaurant.  The dumpling skin was thin while the filling had a balance flavour and appealing texture.  Not that we didn't like the sesame soy sauce, but it could've benefited from some acidity.

We also shared the Fully Loaded Nachos with pulled chicken, beans, sour cream, avocado, Jack cheese, olives and jalapenos.  For $18.00, we found this far too expensive for the portion size.  There was actually nothing amiss with the product as the chicken was really moist and flavourful while the rest of the components were good as well.  Yet, there was not $18.00 worth of food here (taking into account for overhead, staff and all that jazz). Something that caught our eye was the Poutine ($4.00) with Quebec cheese curds and miso gravy.  At first, I was not that impressed with the gravy, but as I dug into it, the flavours were actually impactful with a mild saltiness. Couldn't really determine how good the cheese curds were because they had all been melted.  As for the fries, they were a bit too skinny.

In terms of the "bigger" dishes, the Mac n' Cheese ($12.00) with a mix of 4 cheese and panko crust was decent.  The sauce was definitely creamy and cheesy (in a somewhat processed cheese way).  The pasta was not too soft while the panko crust added a nice crunch.  We found the Tuna Club ($16.00) to be rather interesting as it was served on crunchy grilled bread.  Somewhat like a tuna melt except with lettuce, tomato, smoked bacon, avocado and cheddar, I found the bread to be so crunchy it overshadowed the soft, lightly seared tuna.  I personally would've liked to see softer bread.  Other than that, it was a good combination of ingredients.  Lastly, the Deluxe Burger ($15.00) with smoked bacon and aged cheddar was fantastic.  We liked the medium-rare hand made patty as it was moist and meaty.  The bun poppy/sesame seed bun was soft, yet crunchy due to being grilled.  Along with the smokey, crispy bacon and aged cheddar, this was a satisfying burger.  In the end, we were had few complaints with the food at Local Public Eatery.  Sure, there are elements of "chain restaurant" food, but it did the job for late night eats.

The Good:
- All around decent non-threatening eats
- We got good service
- Lively atmosphere (which was just the right decibel)

The Bad:
- Despite the parking lot, parking in the area sucks
- Late night specials were priced right, but some of the other items were not

Yolks Breakfast

My kids love breakfast, plain and simple.  They can eat it for lunch and dinner as well.  They would eat it in a house, maybe not with a mouse, here or there and anywhere.  Well, maybe not green eggs and ham, but you get the idea.  So I ended up delaying my visit to Yolks food truck until I could include the them.  On a warm and sunny spring day, we headed into Downtown for some egg action.  Being the popular food cart that it is, the lineup went slowly, but they were doing the best they could.  That gave me plenty of time to think about my order.  In the end, I couldn't help myself and got one of almost everything. 

The kiddies shared the Double-Smoked Bacon ($6.95) with one poached egg, aged white cheddar and arugula on a toasted English muffin.  As evidenced in the picture, the muffin was toasted crunchy with an appealing char.  The bacon was crispy while the egg was somewhat runny.  They loved the sandwich and dusted off their halves quickly.  But that was only an appetizer of sorts as my son quickly moved onto the Buttermilk Pancakes ($6.95) served with whipped cream and syrup. These mini-pancakes were super fluffy while still displaying a nice colour.  We liked how the syrup and whipped cream were served on the side. 

In addition to her half of the sandwich, my daughter practically ate a whole skewer of Lemon-Truffle Hashbrowns ($2.75).  We were literally fighting with her over these.  The smell of truffle oil was intoxicating while the considerable lemon hit really packed a wallop of flavour in every bite.  It also didn't hurt that they were fried beautifully crisp either.  Viv ended up with the Portobello Mushroom ($6.95) with one egg and Hollandaise on an English Muffin.  The Hollandaise was rich and creamy, however, Viv thought it could've used a touch more lemon.  Otherwise, the sandwich exhibited the same great qualities as the other one.

Last and surely not least, I had the Chicken & Waffles ($8.95) which was fantastic.  Sandwiched in between 2 fluffy waffles were crunchy fried boneless chicken pieces (both dark and white meat).  There was just enough syrup to add sweetness without being overwhelming.  We thought the gravy could've been more rich and impactful though.  Now, it is pretty obvious that we liked the food at Yolks.  But the best gauge is from the kiddies, as they finished their food in record time while praising the food as they ate.  Awesome.

The Good:
- As simple as breakfast can be, they made it interesting and good
- Friendly people
- Good flavours

The Bad:
- A little pricey, but worth it IMO
- Limited operating times in Downtown