Cibo (Spring Into Lamb Tasting Menu)

I'm a lucky guy.  I know it.  Not only did I get invited to try the Spring into Lamb tasting menu (with Nk' Mip wine parings) at Cibo...  I was invited by Mijune as a guest.  Food, wine and a pretty lady - see what I mean as in lucky?  No, not that kinda of lucky!  Get your mind outta there!  I think Viv might be reading this...  Anyways, for the month of April, Cibo is featuring a lamb tasting menu for $69.00 and for $59.00 more, you get wine pairings for every dish.  Recently, Faizal Kassam returned to take over the reigns of the kitchen, where he had worked a few years ago. My last visit to Cibo was during that time and I found the food to be quite good.  As such, our expectations were pretty high.

We started with the Crispy Lamb Belly with salsa verde.  Initially, I thought we were being served polenta since I would've have never guessed that they would bread a lamb belly and fry it.  In the end, this dish didn't work for me.  The belly itself was chewy, salty and not "belly-like".  Furthermore, the salsa verde was too sour in my opinion. I appreciated the thought behind this dish because the breading would've acted as a contrast to the soft belly (which it wasn't).  Honestly, I would've been happy with a confit belly on its own.  Paired with this dish was Nk' Mip Pinot Blanc 2011. I found it to be smooth going down with a bite at the end.  It was a nice light wine that helped cut through the fattiness of the dish.

Next up was the Lamb Loin Carpaccio with smashed peas, fresh ricotta and crispy rosemary.  The peas were sweet with a bit of texture remaining while the fresh ricotta was airy, creamy and flavourful.  The lamb itself was seared lightly and went well with the compliments, yet the meat itself was sinewy. Not sure if this was just bad luck, but it prevented the dish from being excellent.  A glass of Nk' Mip Pinot Noir 2011 accompanied the dish. I found it to be a full-bodied wine with a definitive oak and peppery notes.  For me, it was possibly a bit strong for the delicate lamb, but by itself, it was a good wine.

Onto our favourite dish of the meal, the Anolini of Minted Ricotta with Tuscan lamb braise and ricotta salata was nearly flawless. The tender morsels of melt-in-our-mouths lamb were bathed in a rich reduced braising liquid.  The resulting sauce was full of natural meaty flavour which was balanced.  The pasta itself was al dente despite its thinness. It was filled with the same fantastic fresh ricotta. Pair with this was a glass of Nk' Mip Quam Qwmt Cabernet Sauvignon 2009.  For me, this was a strong wine with plenty of bite throughout and with a slightly vinegary finish.  I wasn't a huge fan of this, but then again, I'm not partial to stronger wines.

And yes, more lamb, in the form of Roast Leg of Lamb with new potatoes, cipollini onions, rosemary and honey.  Resembling more like a tenderloin, the leg meat was prepared beautifully.  It had a nice natural flavour on its own, yet was further accented by the sweet onions.  However, we felt there needed to be a demi of some sort to bring the dish together since the potatoes were dry while the lamb looked a bit lonely on the plate.  We were poured a glass of Nk' Mip Mer'r'iym 2009 to pair with this dish.  This red was in direct contrast to the other ones we had since it was fruity and light.  Definitely a good pairing with the leg of lamb.

For dessert, we were served a Pine Nut Semifreddo with crunchy orange bits, chocolate and mint. This was fantastic in my opinion.  The semifreddo was creamy and light (as it should be) with just enough sweetness.  It could've benefited from more pine nut, but that would be nitpicking.  The crunchy orange-flavoured bits were a textural and taste delight.  This was paired with the Nk' Mip Qwam Qwmt Riesling Ice Wine 2011.  Naturally, it was super sweet with noticeable fruity notes. Overall, I found the meal to be decent, but not without flaws.  The lamb belly was a fail in my books, yet the rest of the dishes were either very good or a component or two away from being very good.  It's obvious Executive Chef Faizal Kassam has talent.  Besides, I enjoyed the food he had a hand in preparing the last time I was at Cibo.  As for this tasting menu, a few tweaks are needed to make it complete.

*Note: This was an invited dinner where all food was comped*

The Good:
- If you like lamb...
- Some well-executed components

The Bad:
- Some tweaks are needed
- A tad pricey 

Peaceful Restaurant (Main Kitchen)

Sometimes things happen due to dumb luck. On our way to Tasting Plates Ultimate Desserts, we spotted something completely strange on 5th Ave.  Occupying the former location of Benkei was a brand spanking new location of Peaceful Restaurant.  Yes, the same one that was featured on Triple D's.  With that in the back of our minds, we returned there for an early dinner after downing copious amounts of sweets.  Upon walking into the place, we noticed that the original crew (father and daughter) were manning this new location.  Apparently this will serve as the "main kitchen" which will supply the other locations (yup, another one is on its way in Kits...).

We decided to get some of their more famous items starting with the Beef Roll.  For me, this is the best in town and they didn't let us down (hey that's poetic!).  The pancake was light, crispy and only the slightest of greasiness.  Inside, there were soft slices of beef shank which were accented by hoisin and scallions.  Next, we had the Pan Fried Dumplings (aka Potstickers) which were fried up nicely with a golden brown bottom which was crisp.  The dumpling wrapper was neither too thick nor thin and was easy to eat.  I liked the filling as it was moist, flavourful and had a good amount of greens. Something that caught my eye was the Spicy Pork and Garlic Stems which was really well-executed.  The slices of pork were thick while super moist and tender (with just enough fat).  Contrasting that texture was the crunchy garlic stems.  All of it was caressed (no big pool at the bottom of the plate) in a savoury, garlicky and spicy sauce.

Of course we could not visit Peaceful without having a couple of noodle dishes (since they make them fresh on-site).  We started with the Blade Cut Stir Fried Moo Shu Noodles.  These were a touch soft yet still with some resistance.  There was just enough sauce which was balanced between savoury and sweet.  I liked the crunch of the wood ear mushrooms and the tender julienned pork. On the flip side, the egg was overseasoned.  Lastly, we had the Szechuan Beef Noodles.  The broth had some depth while being only mildly spicy.  Loved the pickled vegetable as well as the accompanying bean sprouts and spinach (which added some interesting textures).  However, the star of the dish was not the noodles, it was the beef.  These cubes melted-in-our-mouths.  It was as if they sous-vide it (but they didn't).  The noodles were good as per usual.  And as per usual, the food was solid on this visit to the new location of Peaceful.  Loved the copious amount of free parking too.

The Good:
- More modern digs
- Lots of free parking around
- Solid eats

The Bad:
- Still small and thus, there will be a wait when the location is more well known

Tasting Plates Vancouver *Ultimate Desserts*

Once again, I was invited to another Tasting Plates adventure.  This time around it was Ultimate Desserts.  Great, I'm not a sweets guy...  What the heck was I going to eat?  For those unfamiliar with Tasting Plates, it is a self-guided food tour of various restaurants and establishments. Despite my affection for savoury foods, I went in with an open mind and brought Viv along too.  Oh and much like at Noodlemania, we met up with Alvin and Sean.  At our first location, Rocanini Roasters, we were given a sample of their coffee as well as a Kind Bar.  The coffee was aromatic, but had a sour finish to it. I know many people love this type of coffee, yet I personally like something smoother. The Kind Bar was okay, pretty typical nut + fruit + chocolate concoction.

After this, we hightailed it over to Industrial Ave to hit up 2 places in one spot beginning with Beta 5.  We were presented with an assortment of goodies including a choice of Cream Puff including Salted Caramel, Passion Fruit and Vanilla.  I went for the Salted Caramel and it was fantastic.  The thin layer of choux pastry was light and crispy while the filling was the classic salt-amped up sweetness of caramel.  Viv preferred the passion fruit because it was less sweet. Next, I sampled a Vanilla Pot de Creme while Viv went for the Citrus Pannacotta (Sean had the Campfire Treat).  Of the two, I liked the vanilla with berries as it was less watery and had a familiar classic flavour combination.

Taking a 20 foot stroll over to Vancouver Pie Hole, we were presented with 3 generous portions of Maple French Toast Bacon Pie, Key Lime Pie and Bourbon Pecan Pumpkin Pie.  By far, my favourite was the Key Lime partly because I'm biased, but also due to the fabulous crust which was crunchy and not heavy.  The key lime portion itself was creamy, rich and had just the right amount of tartness.  From there, we ventured into Downtown to visit an ol' favourite - Bella Gelateria.  We were given 3 flavours to try and once again, the portion was ample.  It consisted of Chocolate Scotch, Limoncello Cheesecake and Toasted Pecan.  My favourite of the bunch was the Limoncello Cheesecake because it was refreshing and surprisingly not too heavy.

Onto our next stop, WE. Coffee Roasters, the thought of stopping for ramen at Santouka crossed our minds (but we didn't have time...).  Instead, we sampled coffee and a small sample of a waffle with choice of fruit.  I had the Panama Don Pachi Geisha.  This was a smooth coffee that went down easy. Then we crossed the Burrard Street Bridge to visit The BiBo where they presented us with 3 items consisting of Tiramisu, Chocolate Brick and Chocolate Pizza.  I've had 2 of these desserts before and I must say they have perfected the Chocolate Pizza.  The crust was crispy, chewy and really went well with the Italian Nutella filling.  Sorta like a crispy crunchy chocolate bar, the chocolate brick would be good as a snack.  The Tiramisu was creamy, not-too-sweet and not watery (like last time).

Onto our last 2 stops, we headed over to Trees Organic on Arbutus.  Unlike the last time I sampled their wares on a food tour, they presented us with 2 large squares each of their NY Cheesecake and Marzipan.  The texture of the cheesecakes was creamy and rich, which was way better than the ones I tried at their Gastown location.  I liked how they were not very sweet either.  Our final location was a curious one being Bob Likes Thai Food. As such, the dessert was a bit off-the-beaten path being the Tub Tim Krob.  It was a refreshing combination of water chestnut, jackfruit, coconut, pomegranate, palm sugar, coconut milk and bee hive.  By now, we were wanting to head over to VGH for some insulin shots, but instead headed for dinner (yah, really, even though we were stuffed).

*Note: This was an invited dinner where all food was comped*

The Good:
- Generally large portions (maybe too big?  nah...)
- Relatively close proximity of venues

The Bad:
- Insulin anyone?
- If you chose to drive, parking could be an issue at some locations

Friend's BBQ

Not too long ago, I noticed that Mui Garden along North Road had closed.  That was somewhat of a surprise since they are quite well-known for their Curry Brisket and Free-Range Chicken.  On a personal level, I never thought those 2 items would qualify as a "must eat" in Vancouver, but they did have their die-hard followers nonetheless.  Anyways, Friend's BBQ Restaurant has replaced it and we decided to give their "pick your own meal" for 4 a try (and one additional item as well).  Included in the meal was soup, plain rice or fried rice and dessert ($53.95).  One thing I noticed on the menu was that each additional a la carte item was a surprisingly high $14.50.  The soup of the day was Carrot Soup (regular and green).  It was quite mild tasting with only 2 small pieces of pork.

The first dish to arrive was the BBQ Plate which featured BBQ pork, roast pork and BBQ duck.  Despite the visuals, the duck and the pork were a bit pale and not particularly appetizing to look at.  However, the pork crackling was crunchy and airy.  On the other hand, the pork was a touch dry.  I found the BBQ duck a bit salty (although we were given the thigh) while the BBQ pork had a nice flavourful bark and was moist. The Shrimp and Eggs was a nicely prepared dish where the eggs were barely cooked and silky.  As for the shrimp, they were crunchy and of a decent size.  There was a proper amount of salt in this dish.

Our additional item was the Shredded Duck Vermicelli, which arrived with no duck.  We had to send it back.  When we did get to eat it, the noodles were still chewy despite the moisture.  It was an acceptable dish, yet needed more salt and possibly a touch of spice.  As an observation, they didn't seem particularly fazed with the error.  More on that later...  For our veggie dish, we selected an item that carried a $3.00 surcharge being the Stir Fried Pea Tips.  The pea tips were a little "old", which made them a less tender and a touch stringy.  They were prepared nicely though with good wok heat (no pool of water at the bottom of the place) and plenty of garlic.

Onto a meat dish, the Peking Pork Chops were in a radioactive shade of red.  We found the pork far too thin which made them dry and chewy.  As for the sauce, it was too neutral to have any impact.  There was not enough tang nor savouriness.  The colour was deceivingly flavourful.  Okay, the BBQ Pork Fried Rice arrived almost an hour after we had ordered.  What ultimately happened was a comedy of errors and lack of care by the staff.  Not only did we have to remind them we were waiting for it (as we already finished practically all of our dishes), they gave it to another table when it was ready.  Then when it finally arrived, there were green onions in it despite our constant nagging to exclude it.  We felt that they didn't really care we waited an hour for fried rice and naturally nothing was done with the bill.  I realize this is a Chinese restaurant, but I'm done with that excuse.  If the food was spectacular or a good value, I would entertain the notion of letting the mistake(s) go, but neither was the case here.

The Good:
- Only Chinese BBQ in the area (and it's alright)
- Some okay dishes

The Bad:
- Parking lot sucks
- Service is okay, but doesn't take proper responsibility with mistakes
- Food is average and priced too high

Nordel Kitchen

Whenever I mention the words "Manchu Wok", it elicits 2 types of responses.  There are those who are okay with it or those who would rather listen to Gangnam Style on repeat for a month than eat there.  For me, I don't mind it, if I have reasonable expectations going into it. I do realize the blasphemy since I'm Chinese, but really, I don't consider it to be authentic, so it doesn't bother me.  And to be completely honest, I do crave that style of Chinese food once-in-awhile.  Hence, I made my way to Nordel Kitchen in search of large portions, low prices and blasphemous (according to some people) Chinese food.  Formerly Hang Lee Wok, nothing much had changed, other than the name and possibly a smaller selection of items.

I decided on the Super Combo consisting of 3 items plus rice or noodles.  I went for Fried Rice which exhibited a lot of wok heat.  Maybe a little too much as some of it was burnt.  On the other hand, the rice had a nutty flavour and was texturally pleasing.  The Gai Lan with Beef was decent where the veggie was crunchy while the beef was properly tenderized.  The Sweet & Sour Pork was pretty average where the meat had a pleasing chewy texture.  However, it was pretty soggy and not all that flavourful.  The Sesame Chicken was okay as well with a nice sesame oil hit while being moist.  On another visit, I went for the Fried Noodles instead.  They were standard and did the job.  I had the Dry Pork which was crispy on the outside, yet relatively juicy on the inside.  However, there was practically no flavour to it (needed some salt).  The Spicy Chicken with Vegetables had a surprising heat level which featured proper textures for all the components.  Lastly, the Orange Chicken was pretty much the same as the sesame chicken except for a hint of tang. I tried going back a third time to try their BBQ Pork (as it is made in-house), but they never once had it ready for lunch.  Finally, I was able to try the pork many attempts later.  Not sure if it was really worth it, but it was lean and moist due to the wok toss in diluted and sweetened soy sauce.  Nothing that memorable here.  However, if you want a whack load of food for cheap (which is passable), then this is for you.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Cheap
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Limited selection
- Some things are not ready for lunch

Sushi Tang

Sometimes, I believe my planning should be more comprehensive.  Case in point, I was intending on going for some noodle action at Pho Chung Nam only to discover they were randomly closing early for the day.  Well, without a backup plan (and really, I have no excuse for not having one), I had to scramble for eats.  Walking around the corner on 6th, I spotted Sushi Tang.  Okay, I was kicking it ol' skool with no Urbanspoon review.  No, I didn't even check it on my phone.  I was going to take my chances at this Korean-run Japanese restaurant (oh and yah, again, it doesn't matter who runs the joint, the food does all the talking).

I decided to start with an order of Ebi Tempura. It was one of the lightest I've ever had. When I picked up each piece, I had to do a double-take as I thought I wasn't holding anything.  As a result, the batter was super easy to eat and airily crispy.  The ebi had a cold-water crunch, yet was a bit bland. Moving on, I had one of their Bento Boxes which featured sashimi, California roll and piece of tonkatsu. I was pleasantly surprised with the Sashimi as it was sliced and plated nicely.  Each piece had decent flavour and texture.  I especially liked the Sockeye Salmon.  I wasn't huge fan of the half piece of Tonkatsu as it was stone cold.  As for the sushi, it was decent where the rice was a touch dry with a hint of vinegar.

On a subsequent visit with Gordo, I went for another fried shrimp dish in the Ebi Mayo.  This was an interesting interpretation as the mayo was a bit goupy and really sweet.  The ebi was fried nicely though as it was crispy and light with a slight bounce.  I went for a different Bento Box this time around opting for the Beef Teriyaki rather than Sashimi.  Interestingly, the beef was not on a bed of rice, rather it was only a modest amount of bean sprouts.  Hence, there was a heck of a lot of meat  It was a bit clumpy though and a touch dry, however, with the plethora of sweet teriyaki sauce, it was moist.  Gordo went for the most expensive box being the Business.  It consisted of a whack load of sashimi, 2 pcs nigiri, chicken teriyaki and takoyaki.  Again, the sashimi was decent, but the nigiri were hopelessly small.  The chicken teriyaki was pretty standard while the takoyaki was of the fried variety.  Overall, Sushi Tang did the job with little fanfare.  Nothing that I would be clamouring back for, but okay for a quick lunch.

The Good:
- Friendly service
- Okay for what it is

The Bad:
- Nothing terrible, but nothing outstanding either