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We all know that Kingsway is often known for its bounty of Vietnamese food and similarly, the wealth of Korean food along North Road. Hey, if you want hand-pulled noodles, head to Broadway or take a stroll down Robson for some ramen. Quietly, Cambie Street has become a hub for HK-Style Cafes of sorts. First we had Gloucester, then Corner 22 (more Taiwanese though), continuing with the opening of Copa Cafe. Now we can add Soho Tea Room which makes it 4 within 5 blocks.
This post contains 2 visits because the first time, Choobee and I were not able to put much of a dent into the enormous menu. On my first visit, I gave the the Lobster Bisque a go. It was somewhat rich, but more tomatoey than creamy. But it was not bad since it was not overly salty. I enjoyed the lobster essence as well as the bits of nicely cooked meat. Choobee insisted I try the Chicken Filet with Mushroom & Lemon on Angel Hair Pasta and it was loaded with ingredients and a nice hit of real lemon. I found the chicken tenders to be slightly too large, but then again, it was probably intentional to keep its juices. As much as I appreciated the generous amount of ingredients, there wasn't enough pasta (which was al dente by the way).
Choobee went for the Singapore Laksa Hot Pot with Chicken which was served with rice, pickled veggies and some meat/bean sprout stirfry. Naturally, this was a thin (not enough coconut milk) and relatively less pungent version of laksa (with very little lemongrass or lime), but the individual components (seafood) were cooked correctly. Lastly, we shared the Honey Toast Box with condensed milk topping. This was a large dessert which took 20 minutes to arrive (as warned on the menu). It was pretty good with crunchy toast segments sweetened with honey. With 2 large scoops of ice cream, multi-coloured mini-marshmallows, fruit and a wafer stick, we could not finish it.
On my second visit, it was with my hockey team, so we did mange to put somewhat of a dent on the menu. I went for the Jumbo Mixed Grill which included chicken steak, pork chop, ox-tongue, sausage, bacon, wings and a fried egg. Of all the components, the only 2 items that could've used improvement were the pork chop (which was dry) and the bacon (which was not crispy enough). Included with the plate of meat was a choice of spaghetti or rice, sauce (black pepper in this case), soup (borscht or cream) and garlic toast. I wasn't a huge fan of the borscht, not because it wasn't really borscht, but it was lacking in ingredients and was quite bland. I did like the black pepper sauce as it was impactful.
Milhouse, by the power of my suggestion, had the Crispy Salt & Pepper Chicken on Rice. It's sorta like a Jedi mind trick when I state I want a certain dish and then say its okay that someone else orders it. Ah yes, "these were the chicken nuggets he was looking for...". And those nuggets were indeed crispy, salty & peppery. The chicken meat was moist and juicy, however, I never can understand how it goes with plain rice. Gordo, didn't fall for my mind tricks and independently ordered the Szechuan Beef Rice Noodles in Soup. As exemplified, the beef was rather fatty and only somewhat tender. He found the soup mild in spice and generally lacking in flavour. The flat rice noodles were not too soft nor clumpy. Ultimately, he was indifferent with it.
Lionel Hutz ended up with the Curry Brisket with Rice (boy, he really likes brisket... orders it every time!). He remarked that it was sufficiently tender while bathed in a coconut curry which was not spicy nor "curry-like". But it was fine for a HK-style version. The potatoes were fried a bit too much and did not integrate with the sauce very well. Gadget Girl opted for the House Special Fried Crispy Chow Mein and it was a pretty typical version consisting of baby bak choy, bbq pork, chicken, shrimp, scallop and squid bathed in a starch-thickened sauce. She thought the noodles were crispy enough, but the sauce itself was a bit bland. The individual components were fine except for the soggy bak choy.
Emilicious initially wanted the Laksa Hot Pot, but I guess our server didn't hear her correctly and brought out a bowl of Laksa instead. Predictably, it wasn't a real Laksa per se, but it did have components that appear in a Laksa. Once again, it was thin and lacking in the pungency department. As per usual, Milhouse went for a Chocolate Slush with pearls. It was a large portion that was relatively smooth, but a bit watery and lacking in flavour. The pearls were chewy and soft though. Well, there you have it - a decent HK-Style Cafe (with lots of Taiwanese influences) with a diverse menu smack dab in the middle of other similar restaurants.
The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Decent eats
- Lots of choice
The Bad:
- Even with a parking lot in the back, not a whole lot of parking around
- Many items lacking flavour
As mentioned before, Ladner does not have a diverse culinary scene, but for some reason or another, there are 4 Japanese restaurants. And although none of them would be mistakened for authentic Japanese food, they more or less do the job. I've been to Maguro, Go Go Sushi and Ladner Sushi and all of them are pretty typical of Japanese restaurants in the GVRD. The last one that I haven't been to is Mt Fuji Sushi. It seemed like a good place to meet up with Bubbly for lunch (since she lives in Tsawwassen). However, much like a recent meetup with Miss Y, Bubbly did not show. I waited and waited for half-an-hour and there I was sitting there all alone, with my food and camera. Well, it turned out she had to cancel and messaged me via Google Talk (???). Oh well...
Anyways, I still had to eat! I started with the Surprise Roll, which was neatly constructed and plated. My first impressions were pretty good as nothing seemed to be amiss. I did take a sample of the rice independently and it was a touch gummy and not really all that flavourful. But not a bad roll nonetheless. The Katsu Don was interestingly plated on a, well, plate. Since I was only armed with a pair of chopsticks, it was a bit hard to eat the last few bites of rice. Spoon anyone? However, the pork cutlet itself was crispy where the sauce hadn't penetrated. I found the meat to be on the drier chewy side, yet it didn't make or break the dish. The rice was chewy in texture and each grain was discernible. There was just enough sauce to flavour all of the components. I thought this was a good effort on their part.
On a subsequent visit, I had the Assorted Tempura and it was carefully prepared. Each piece was just cooked (veggies not completely soggy) and lightly crisp. However, the ebi was a bit soft for my liking. In order to sample the sashimi, I went for the Chirashi Don which was not attractively plated. In fact, some of the slices of fish were haphazardly prepared. Overlooking that, the sashimi was above average including sweet hotate and tender tako. The sushi rice underneath had some vinegar and sweetness while being a bit sticky. In the end, these 2 visits were above average and definitely more than acceptable for Ladner.
The Good:
- Decent for Ladner
- Nice people
The Bad:
- Seating is a bit tight
There we were, my son and I, traveling aimlessly down Main Street. Well, not really... It was after getting haircuts (which were matching by the way, LOL), we were hungry with no real ideas as to where to eat. Pathetic, I know. So I had just passed King Edward when I noticed that a Vietnamese restaurant had replaced Honolulu Cafe. Interestingly named Tonkin and with a grand opening discount, I made an immediate left turn into a parking spot. Hey, I'm Chinese - I couldn't pass up a discount AND a free parking spot. It's against my upbringing. So walking into the place, with all the various choices of tables, my son points to the one right in front of the window. It was a strange half-booth facing the window which was horrible for pictures!
Oh well, whatever, a happy kid in a restaurant = I can eat in peace. We started with the Banh Mi Dac Biet which featured dense, yet crusty bread. The ingredients were plentiful and complimentary. I particularly liked the impacful amount of pate. So many places either omit it or merely smear a minimal amount. In addition, there was no absence of fish sauce which added even more punch to an already flavourful combination. As for my bowl of Pho Dac Biet, it was served in a modern square bowl. The broth was meaty, dark and rich. It was not really all that sweet, rather it was more savoury. There was no absence of meat, but the rare steak was somewhat chewy.
Lastly, we had the Grilled Chicken on Rice. Being chewy and moist at the same time, the rice was very good. However, the chicken was dry and bland with no real distinguishing flavours. To my son's dismay, the fried egg had a completely cooked yolk (which kinda defeats its purpose). Despite the poor rice dish, the other 2 items we had were pretty good. Not bad.
The Good:
- Friendly people
- Okay pricing
The Bad:
- Food is not bad, but not outstanding either
It was a dark and stormy night... No, I haven't suddenly morphed into Snoopy typing atop a dog house. However, I think the lowering of my car may have earned me the dog house with Viv... Anyways, it really was a dark and stormy night after Friday night hockey. Hey, look at the picture if you don't believe me. Wait, we live in Vancouver, why wouldn't you believe me? So with that being established, what better than to hit a pub (St. Augustine's in this case) for some comfort food of sorts and a barley sandwich on the side, naturally... With that in mind, I did get a nice beer (similar to a Rickard's Red) to start which went well with my food.
About that food, I decided to split The Burger with Gordo. It consisted of a half pound fresh beef patty, sautéed mushrooms, cured bacon, apple wood cheddar, leaf lettuce, tomato, red onion, dill pickle and caramelized onion with miso aioli. This thing was large with a moist well-charred patty. Lots of fresh produce along with crisp bacon all on a nicely toasted bun. The side of fresh cut fries were crispy and light. Gordo and I also shared the Pulled Pork Tacos with salsa, guacamole and pickled onions. The pork was in large chunks being meaty and spicy. It wasn't particularly saucy, but that was a good thing since we were eating tacos, not a sandwich. We thought the pickled onions really brought the whole thing together.
On the topic of pulled pork, Lionel Hutz ordered the Pulled Pork Nachos... for himself. The monstrosity was comprised of hand-cut tortilla chips with black beans, corn, fresh salsa, sour cream, guacamole and of course pulled pork. Again, it was spicy which really added lots of flavour, yet the pork did not noticeably moisten the crunchy chips. For the first time since we had visited the now closed Three Lions Pub, Sweet Tooth had a Beet Salad consisting of candied walnuts, goat cheese fritter and arugula with citrus vinaigrette. And unlike that last experience, it was a good salad for $10.00. Everything on the plate did what it was supposed to do with the highlight being the goat cheese fritter - it was crunchy and cheesy.
Milhouse didn't go for a burger this time and decided to do something a bit healthier in the Turkey Meatloaf with whipped potatoes, tomato jam and fried brussel sprouts. I was able to sample the meatloaf and I found it mealy and very light. The tomato jam was impactful while the fried brussel sprouts were good. Lastly, we shared a couple orders of the Peanut Turtle Blondie. This was not very good our opinion. It was dry and quite bland. We didn't get much sweetness nor anything else. It was really too bad our meal ended on that note since most of the other eats were more than acceptable, especially for late night.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Lively atmosphere
The Bad:
- Quite the tight squeeze in there
- Decent eats, but not Earth-shattering
As much as I rave about the Indian food in Surrey, I give very little attention to it in Vancouver. Well, that is partly due to my inherent biases. Many of the Indian restaurants outside of Surrey and Main Street cater to the general population. Hence, the spice level can be quite mild even when requesting "spicy". Hey, I get it. I've said it before numerous times - a restaurant is not in the business of appealing to a small percentage of diners. Rather, to turn a profit (and to stay in business), they must produce food that the locals want to eat. So for those who complain that "it's not authentic" or "this is a poor excuse for <insert cuisine> food", please keep in mind they are probably not catering to you.
And that's what I kept in the back of my mind when I joined Costanza and Elaine for eats at Raga out on Broadway. We started with an order of Samosas served with coriander and tamarind chutneys. These were fried up really crunchy while not greasy. The potato and pea filling was flavourful with a touch of spice. However, the chutneys were the star of the show. For our second appie, we had the Fish Pakora which were moist on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside. They were spicy with a good amount of salt as well. We liked how the batter was light in relation to the piece of fish.
Because Costanza is such a fan of Sienfeld (really, go figure...), we had to order the Mulligatawny Soup. For some reason or another, this was not like any version of Mulligatawny we've ever had. This one tasted predominantly of lemon and did not exhibit any thickness or classic flavours. It was essentially a thin, lemon soup with pieces of dry chicken. Suffice to say, we didn't like this version. No soup for us! Off to the mains, we had the classic Butter Chicken which was more tomatoey than creamy. Although we asked for medium, it was extremely mild, yet salty at the same time. The large chunks of chicken were very moist and overall, the butter chicken was decent with all things considered.
Next up was the Fish Korma which was smooth, nutty and mild. Although the fish was nicely prepared, the sauce was rather bland (yes I realize that it shouldn't be super-charged flavourful, but it was too mild even for what it is). It was a bit too creamy and heavy where we could only eat a little bit of it. Probably our favourite curry of the bunch was the Prawn Curry which had a good level of spice. There was also a pleasant tang as well as a wonderful zestiness. The prawns were a bit overcooked though being slightly rubbery. We realize that prawns are expensive, but this dish was mostly sauce with limited ingredients.
Our order of Naan was a little pale for the most part. There was some nice charring on some of the edges, but we would've liked a bit more uniformly. With that being said, the naan had a nice chewy texture. The accompanying side of basmati rice was prepared properly being chewy and on the drier side which was perfect for being sauced. Our last savoury dish was a half order of the Tandoori Chicken. Surprisingly, not only was the dark meat moist, the white meat was equally so. In addition to be well-marinated, the chicken exhibited a noticeable smokiness which was welcomed. A little more charring on the outside was one thing we would've liked to see.
We decided to share 3 desserts including the Rasmalai, Kheer and Kulfi Faluda. They were almost uniform in colour and appearance, they shared many characteristics. All three had milk, pistachios and almonds which made them milky sweet with a nutty accent. The Kulfi differed since there was a noticeable cardamom hit. Honestly, it was hard to have a lasting impression when all of them tasted roughly the same. Not their fault, we just happened to order them. In general, we found the food at Raga to be decent, considering it's located in Fairview (not exactly the hotbed of Indian food). I personally like Indian food in Surrey more, but then again, not everyone goes out to Surrey for food either. Moreover, the prices are on the higher side, but that is again a reflection of its location and operating costs.
The Good:
- Friendly people
- Acceptable eats for its location
- Comfy dining space
The Bad:
- Pricey
- Generally mild flavours but salty at the same time
While surfing around Facebook, I often look at pictures of food people post. Yes, that does not sound like much of a surprise. However, one thing that really caught my attention was the Mac n' Cheese Poutine that Sean posted from Smoke's Poutinerie. Sadly, his description wasn't exactly flattering (they used Kraft Dinner). Of course that didn't deter me from finding out for myself how bad it really is. So I met up with Vandelay at the Granville location. At first, we were impressed with the variety.
I got the Smoked Meat Peppercorn Poutine. When I popped the top off the take out box, I was hugely disappointed to see several slices of deli smoked meat staring at me. So instead of a smoky meatiness, all I got was slimy, wet and salty slices of meat. That was really too bad since the gravy was actually quite good. It was thick, rich and peppery. There was a proper amount which caressed each cheese curd evenly. As for the cheese curds, they were good and squeaky. We found the fries to be a shade too dark and dense.
As for Vandelay, he got the Steak Peppercorn Poutine as well. We didn't plan on having the same gravy, but the counter person got confused with our order (I originally wanted the Montreal Poutine). Hence, the only thing different about his order was the meat, which was not bad. It was tender and moist, but seemed a bit distant from the entire poutine. It was kinda plain and really needed something to tie it into the entire dish. Well Sean was right. For a place that specializes in poutine, they use far too many pre-packaged ingredients where the overall product is sub-par.
The Good:
- Lots of variety
- Cheese curds are good
The Bad:
- Over-reliance on pre-packaged ingredients
- Fries are overcooked and dense
If one was ever in Richmond... They might want to take transit... Kidding aside, if one was in Richmond, there would never be a problem finding a HK-style cafe. There are so many to choose from. However, when one leaves Richmond (where they could get back into their car), the choices become thin, especially outside of Vancouver. Moving even further East, it gets downright pathetic in terms of choices for HK-style cafes. Consider Coquitlam, where there is a large Asian population, and you'll find less than a handful of them. I've already been to Copa and it was "okay", so that meant I had to visit the other one, being Westwood Cafe.
I met up with Rich Guy, since he lives in Coquitlam, to find out if there were any good eats to be found there. Well, it didn't start off great with the Borscht. It was very pale and not very flavourful. It was lacking in tartness and overall impact. This was part of his 2-item meal consisting of Chicken Steak and Fried Fish Filet. The chicken steak was fried up crispy on the outside while dry and chewy on the inside. This could've benefited from a slight dusting of flour or starch. The fried fish was good though with a crispy exterior while being moist inside. The mushroom sauce was mild and did the job.
I went for the Baked Spaghetti Bolognese and it wasn't particularly attractive where the meat sauce was dry and very dark. After a quick taste, it was in fact crumbly and dry. It was particularly sweet with little in the way of any tomato and no carrots. We shared one more item being the Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice. It was not too greasy where each grain of rice was discernible and chewy. The good wok heat ensured a nuttiness and no excess moisture. There was no absence of saltiness to the dish from the combination of the fish and seasoning. However, this was probably the only complete dish we had. Everything else was pretty disappointing. Oh well, back to Richmond we come...
The Good:
- Friendly people
- Lots of choice
- Not much competition for them
The Bad:
- Below average food
- Decor is a bit tired
Posts
We all know that Kingsway is often known for its bounty of Vietnamese food and similarly, the wealth of Korean food along North Road. Hey, if you want hand-pulled noodles, head to Broadway or take a stroll down Robson for some ramen. Quietly, Cambie Street has become a hub for HK-Style Cafes of sorts. First we had Gloucester, then Corner 22 (more Taiwanese though), continuing with the opening of Copa Cafe. Now we can add Soho Tea Room which makes it 4 within 5 blocks. 
This post contains 2 visits because the first time, Choobee and I were not able to put much of a dent into the enormous menu. On my first visit, I gave the the Lobster Bisque a go. It was somewhat rich, but more tomatoey than creamy. But it was not bad since it was not overly salty. I enjoyed the lobster essence as well as the bits of nicely cooked meat. Choobee insisted I try the Chicken Filet with Mushroom & Lemon on Angel Hair Pasta and it was loaded with ingredients and a nice hit of real lemon. I found the chicken tenders to be slightly too large, but then again, it was probably intentional to keep its juices. As much as I appreciated the generous amount of ingredients, there wasn't enough pasta (which was al dente by the way). 
Choobee went for the Singapore Laksa Hot Pot with Chicken which was served with rice, pickled veggies and some meat/bean sprout stirfry. Naturally, this was a thin (not enough coconut milk) and relatively less pungent version of laksa (with very little lemongrass or lime), but the individual components (seafood) were cooked correctly. Lastly, we shared the Honey Toast Box with condensed milk topping. This was a large dessert which took 20 minutes to arrive (as warned on the menu). It was pretty good with crunchy toast segments sweetened with honey. With 2 large scoops of ice cream, multi-coloured mini-marshmallows, fruit and a wafer stick, we could not finish it.
On my second visit, it was with my hockey team, so we did mange to put somewhat of a dent on the menu. I went for the Jumbo Mixed Grill which included chicken steak, pork chop, ox-tongue, sausage, bacon, wings and a fried egg. Of all the components, the only 2 items that could've used improvement were the pork chop (which was dry) and the bacon (which was not crispy enough). Included with the plate of meat was a choice of spaghetti or rice, sauce (black pepper in this case), soup (borscht or cream) and garlic toast. I wasn't a huge fan of the borscht, not because it wasn't really borscht, but it was lacking in ingredients and was quite bland. I did like the black pepper sauce as it was impactful.
Milhouse, by the power of my suggestion, had the Crispy Salt & Pepper Chicken on Rice. It's sorta like a Jedi mind trick when I state I want a certain dish and then say its okay that someone else orders it. Ah yes, "these were the chicken nuggets he was looking for...". And those nuggets were indeed crispy, salty & peppery. The chicken meat was moist and juicy, however, I never can understand how it goes with plain rice. Gordo, didn't fall for my mind tricks and independently ordered the Szechuan Beef Rice Noodles in Soup. As exemplified, the beef was rather fatty and only somewhat tender. He found the soup mild in spice and generally lacking in flavour. The flat rice noodles were not too soft nor clumpy. Ultimately, he was indifferent with it.
Lionel Hutz ended up with the Curry Brisket with Rice (boy, he really likes brisket... orders it every time!). He remarked that it was sufficiently tender while bathed in a coconut curry which was not spicy nor "curry-like". But it was fine for a HK-style version. The potatoes were fried a bit too much and did not integrate with the sauce very well. Gadget Girl opted for the House Special Fried Crispy Chow Mein and it was a pretty typical version consisting of baby bak choy, bbq pork, chicken, shrimp, scallop and squid bathed in a starch-thickened sauce. She thought the noodles were crispy enough, but the sauce itself was a bit bland. The individual components were fine except for the soggy bak choy.
Emilicious initially wanted the Laksa Hot Pot, but I guess our server didn't hear her correctly and brought out a bowl of Laksa instead. Predictably, it wasn't a real Laksa per se, but it did have components that appear in a Laksa. Once again, it was thin and lacking in the pungency department. As per usual, Milhouse went for a Chocolate Slush with pearls. It was a large portion that was relatively smooth, but a bit watery and lacking in flavour. The pearls were chewy and soft though. Well, there you have it - a decent HK-Style Cafe (with lots of Taiwanese influences) with a diverse menu smack dab in the middle of other similar restaurants. 
