Rainier Provisions

Once a wasteland of boarded up stores, the edge of Gastown is quickly becoming hip again.  Thanks to Heather Group, we now have Salt, Judas Goat, Irish Heather, Shebeen, Salty Tongue, Bitter, Fetch, Penn and Everything Cafe.  Now, Sean Heather`s expansion in Gastown bordering the Downtown Eastside continues with Rainier Provisions, which is part retail store and part casual restaurant.  Occupying where Prime Time Chicken used to stand, the place employs a spartan decor combined with affordable prices.

Meeting up with Vandelay, Rich Guy and Rich Gal, we wanted to see if this latest offering would leave any lasting impressions. I started off with a bowl of Mushroom Soup served with crusty bread.  It was a thick concoction which was curiously devoid of rich mushroom flavour despite its appearance and thickness.  With that being said, it wasn't bad either where there wasn't a lot of salt dumped in to mask the natural flavours.  For my main, I had the Fresh Sausage consisting of Italian bangers with salsa verde, steamed broccoli with slivered almonds and Lyonaisse potates.  The sausages were meaty and processed until it was tender.  I would've liked them to be cooked with more imagination rather than looking merely boiled.  The salsa verde added the much need tang to the lifeless sausages.

Vandelay had the Porchetta with the same sides and condiments as my plate.  This was hands-down the best item we had.  The pork was moist and gelatinous (from the fat) while the cracklings were crunchy.  The sauce was on the saltier side, but that didn't make or break the dish.  Rich Guy had the other roast of the day being the Roast Beef served with the same sides again in addition to Yorkshire pudding and horseradish.  Sadly, the roast beef was chewy and dry.  Even the flavourful gravy couldn't save it.  Rich Guy was not very happy with the dish.

Rich Gal had the Fish Pie containing local cod and vegetables, bound with fish veloute, under puff pastry cap. She thought it wasn't bad with sufficiently moist fish in a creamy sauce.  I tried it and thought it was fishy and bland.  The puff pastry on top was my favourite part.  As you can ascertain, the food at Rainier Provisions was pretty average at best (with the roast pork being the highlight) - fortunately the prices are quite reasonable.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Food is pretty average

Thai New West

Lunch with Big D has become somewhat of a chore lately.  You see, we've done the North Road Korean food thing and it has become increasingly difficult to find good eats nearby.  Well, why not go further West in to New Westminster?  Yes, New West is not exactly a culinary hotspot, but then again, there are quite a few restaurants within its city limits.  There has to be something relatively good right?  And really, I have had decent eats in the past, why not again?  So at his suggestion, we hit up Thai New West on Columbia.

We ended up sharing 3 lunch specials much like the time we visited Go Thai down the street.  Next time, we should just do 4 since we never have a problem finishing the food.  Each special was accompanied by a Spring Roll.  They were crispy while not greasy.  The filling was a bit dry though which made it a little hard to swallow.  We tried the Pad Thai first and it was pretty mild with a pronounced sweetness that at first, we thought was ketchup (however, this is not the case, maybe there was a lot of palm sugar?).  Therefore, it neither had any tang or real depth of flavour. We would've liked to see a bit of spice too (but I guess they are appealing to the lowest common denominator).  The textures were okay though. 

Next up was the Basil Chicken. There was no absence of palm sugar as it was pretty darn sweet, but in then end it did taste good though.  Nice wok heat leading to a full-bodied flavour.  The chicken was sufficiently moist while the veggies crisp and vibrant.  As for the Green Curry, it was also mild (not much coconut milk essence nor shrimp paste, yet did have a pleasant flavour).  It was on the thinner side.  When combined with the rice, the flavours were washed out.  From our meal here, it is pretty apparent that they are appealing to the masses, hence the food is mild bordering on bland.  With that being said, it wasn't bad either.

The Good:
- Modern dining space
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Flavours are very mild
- Service is okay, but only one staff member makes it challenging

Palki

In the GVRD, there are certain areas that feature specific cuisines.  We have Chinese food in Richmond, Korean along North Road, Vietnamese on Kingsway, Indian food in Surrey and in North Van, Persian.  But wait a minute.  Palki Indian Cuisine?  Okay, call me picky, but I've had some pretty average Indian food outside of Surrey.  It's not that they don't try to make "real" Indian food, but the local clientele dictates what they serve.  Last year, I had already tried their Commercial Street location and came away satisfied.  I recently got an invite to try their North Van setup and was treated to a variety of food including their made-to-order curries.

We first started with some appetizers including the one order each of the Chicken and Prawn Pakora.  The chicken was intermittently crunchy and not-too-greasy while being moist in the middle (it was white meat).  As for the prawns, they exhibited a nice snap but were not as crunchy.  These were sweet with a slight spice.  Next, we were presented with a platter of Veggie Samosas which were crunchy, light and minimally greasy (since the wrapper was quite thin).  The filling was loose and not heavy with a mild mix of spices. Served on the side was a sweet and spicy tamarind chutney and mint chutney.

On a separate dish, we had some Meat Samosas which were probably packed with too much filling.  It was rather dry and crumbly.  It was almost as if it needed to be greasier. I liked the sweet onion flavour in addition to the spices, but the peas were pretty hard and dense.  The veggie samosas were our favourite in comparison.  There was one dish that was not part of the original plan, which was the Curried Mussels.  There was nothing inherently bad about the dish, but it wasn't exactly outstanding either.  The mussels themselves were cooked just right in a spicy and nutty sauce.  But the copious amount of salt overwhelmed everything.

Moving onto the main event, we had the standard, the Butter Chicken. All of our curries were served in their own chaffing dishes which kept them warm throughout our meal.  The butter chicken was balanced between cream and tomato where there was a definite heat (we requested spicy).  However, on a personal level, I could've done with even more.  The big pieces of white meat were moist and tender.  One of my favourite dishes arrived next, being the Lamb Rogan Josh. I thought the lamb itself could've been a bit less dry, but it was hardly chewy.  Again, there was a good spice level and depth of flavour.  Again, it was a bit heavy on the salt.

Probably my favourite of the bunch was the Saag Paneer. Unlike a palak paneer, this one was made with broccoli in addition to spinach.  The best part was the paneer as it was buttery, soft and light.  Smooth with little bits of spinach, the creamy sauce was mild and was a perfect compliment to the cheese. Continuing on with another vegetarian offering, we had the Aloo Gobi.  The potatoes were fork tender while the cauliflower was slightly more firm.  The spice level was noticeable while the predominant flavour was ginger.  This was a nice break from the previous heavier dishes.

Our last saucy dish was the Prawn Goan Curry.  It was spicy and aromatic (from the coconut).  Again, there was a pronounced ginger flavour as well.  The prawns were cooked just enough so they retained a snap while exhibiting their natural sweetness.  Our last savoury dish was something I've never had before being the Chicken Hariyali.  Similar to chicken tikka, but marinated with ginger, garlic and spices, it took on a rich green hue due to the use of cilantro and mint.  For me, I could pick out ginger once again which still came through even though the dish was spicy. Although the chicken was moist, I personally prefer the classic tandoori chicken or chicken tikka more.

We were served rice, papadoms and Garlic Naan on the side.  I really liked the Garlic Naan as it was charred well relatively evenly throughout. Hence there was a crunch and nuttiness to the bread.  Once past that, it was chewy and soft with a good hit of garlic.  We finished off this feast with 3 desserts consisting of Gulab Jamun, Rice Pudding and Kulfi Ice Cream.  Personally, I've never been a huge fan of gulab jumun, but this one wasn't too sweet. The kulfi ice cream was not bad, yet I didn't get much in the way of cardamom.  Overall, with the amount of dishes sampled, the meal could be considered good.  The spice level and quality of food is pretty good for North Van and more so.

The Good:
- Legit flavours (assuming you ask for spicy)
- Nice dining space

The Bad:
- Some items were heavy on the salt
- Spice level was good, but personally I could've done with spicier

Meditalia Gourmet Kitchen

As you may have already noticed, I get on these personal food fads.  In other words, I seem to focus on a particular type of food for a period of time, then get bored and eventually moving on - much like Tiger Woods and his women.  Um...  Bad analogy.  Viv, you didn't just read that...  Anyways, after my great experience at Donair Affair (how ironic of the name...  uh...), I decided to try out Meditalia Gourmet Kitchen.  Sure, they serve Gyros here, not Donairs, but you get the idea.

Much like last time, I picked up a Lamb & Beef Plate consisting of meat doused with plenty of sauce atop chewy rice.  Completing the order was hummus and tabbouleh salad.  I found the chicken a bit dry but the liberal amount of sauce helped matters.  The hummus was quite good being smooth and flavourful with hints of garlic and a good amount of olive oil.  I wasn't so fond of the cold, right-out-of-the bag pita bread though.  I picked up a Chicken Gyro as well and the darn thing was massive.  Yes, more massive than usual.  Lots of crisp produce doused in the same tzatziki and hot sauce.  The chicken was a touch dry, but it didn't make or break the gyro.

Lastly, I got 3 Falafels which were pretty forgettable.  Due to being prepared in advance and sitting in a warming tray, then reheated, they were soggy and not at all crispy on the outside.  But despite this, the rest of the food was decent and well-priced.  The nice people who run the place add to the positives as well.  I personally prefer Donair Affair more, but if I'm in Newton again, Meditalia is a viable option.


The Good:
- Large portions
- Well-priced
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Soggy falafels
- Meat is a bit dry

Orange Blossom

I'm not ashamed to admit it.  Sometimes I indulge in Westernized Chinese food.  Yes, it can be seen as sacrilegious, but really, food is food.  No prejudices here.  Well, maybe I won't set foot into a PF Chang's...  or will I?  Yah probably.  This time around, I knew a long work day would require take out since cooking was out of the equation (also, I ran out of propane, so no BBQing!).  So I stopped by Orange Blossom on my way out.  Formerly King's Choice, this is your typical take out Westernized Chinese joint.  However, rumour
has it that the food is actually decent, especially for North Delta.  Considering the state of Chinese food in the area, that is not a stretch.

I ended up getting the Dinner for 4 ($40.00) which included 6 items.  Starting with the Spring Rolls, they were a bit soft (even after throwing them into the toaster oven to crisp them up), probably from being packed full of veggies.  I liked how they placed a paper towel underneath to soak up the residual oil because there was lots of it. The surprisingly large order of Fried Prawns were okay.  The batter was a bit dense for my tastes, but when reheated, it was crispy.  The prawns themselves had a meatiness to them and were not mushy.  Again, the paper towel underneath was welcomed.

I found the Sweet & Sour Pork to be meaty while still tender with just the right amount of fat.  The sauce had a noticeable tang which gave way to sweetness, a nice balance in my opinion.  As for the Beef Chop Suey, the veggies were crisp and vibrant.  The slices of beef were tenderized just enough so there was some remaining texture.  There was a modest amount of starch-thickened sauce which was a bit garlicky and not in the least salty.  Love the fact they do not use MSG.  The Chicken Chow Mein was soft while not being mushy.  The ample amount of large chunks of chicken were moist and tender.  Again, the dish was flavourful without being overly seasoned.  

The same could be said about the BBQ Pork and Shrimp Fried Rice.  It was seasoned just enough that it could not be seen as bland, yet not salty either.  The shrimp were cold-water crunchy while the finely diced BBQ pork was not fatty.  I liked the ample amount of fluffy egg which added a nice texture to the rice.  It was on the drier side though.  Overall, this was more-than-acceptable for take-out Westernized Chinese food.  Definitely an option out in North Delta.

The Good:
- Mostly well-executed dishes
- Friendly people
- Reasonable-pricing

The Bad:
- Some dishes were a bit greasy
- Purely take-out, only a few counter seats (not really a bad though)

Soho Tea Room

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