Tangent Cafe

Ah yes, the backup plan.  I had none.  Yes, epic fail once again as I suggested we head to Kishimoto on Commercial for some eats after our league game on Friday.  A few problems though - we had a table of 8 and it was around 8:00pm.  If you are familiar with Kishimoto, the chances of us getting a table were as good as Christy Clark winning her riding.  Wait.  She didn't win her riding...  Okay, that meant we didn't get a table.  Hence we walked across the street to Tangent Cafe because there was no lineup.

One look at the menu and I was utterly confused.  Vancouver Smoked Meat Sandwich and Mee Goreng???  Okay, I wasn't expecting that.  Oh well, we were hungry and really didn't care.  So Gordo and I decided to share a few thing beginning with the Roti Canai with curry chicken dip.  The roti was surprisingly good with a crisp exterior giving way to a chewy and light interior.  It was not greasy or heavy either.  Although the curry chicken dip had some creaminess to it, the flavours were too mild in our opinion.  Next up were the Sambal Green Beans with tofu.  We found the beans to be cooked all-the-way-through, yet still retaining a crunch.  The flavours were not typical, yet was impactful with a nice kick.  We disliked the wild rice though as it was too dry and rubbery.

Continuing with Malay cuisine, we had the Mee Goreng with chicken.  Again, the flavours were not familiar to us as we've had this dish before in a Malay restaurant.  It was more soy than sweet, but it did have a nice heat level.  The noodles were a bit too soggy for our tastes while the chicken leaned towards overcooked.  Onto a North American dish, we had the Tangent Burger consisting of a chargrilled patty with diced bacon cooked into the patty, sautéed mushrooms, lettuce & cheddar. We found the burger patty to be fairly moist and not greasy.  The soft bun had a slight chewiness that held up nicely to the wet ingredients.  We substituted Truffle Fries for $2.00 more and they were really crispy with a good amount of truffle oil and Parmesan.

Polka King and Polka Dot graced us with their company (it's been a loooooong time) and tried the featured item being the Wild Sockeye Salmon with mango salsa, roasted veggies and rice.  As evidenced in the picture, the salmon was pretty much overcooked and dry atop more dryness being the rice.  The veggies were good though as well as the tasty mango salsa.  Polka Dot remarked if they had put more of the salsa on top, it would've helped with the dry salmon. Ginseng went for the Beef Rendang and again, it was not similar to any other version we've had before.  It was more like a coconut curry than a rendang.  Normally, there would be a wealth of spices including ginger, galangal, lemongrass and star anise.  We didn't get any of that.  The beef was tender, but was slightly dry.

Gadget Girl foolishly ordered the Beet Salad, not because it wasn't any good, but what she really wanted was a burger.  Alas, she wanted to play it healthy and longingly eyed our food. In the end, she did like her salad as it was large, fresh and full of ingredients.  She particularly liked the fresh Mandarin orange slices.  Milhouse went for the Caprese Panini and as you can see, they didn't skimp on the ingredients (tomato, bocconcini, basil, salami and balsamic reduction).  He liked it as there was no absence of flavour, but it could've been toasted a bit more.  In the end, everyone was just happy to hang out and grab a bite to eat.  In terms of the strange mix of cuisines, there were some hits and some definite misses.  We didn't expect complete authenticity, hence we let some things go.  With reasonable pricing, we didn't go away displeased either.

The Good:
- The service we got was friendly and as good as it could be on a busy Friday
- Okay pricing will all things considered

The Bad:
- Don't expect authentic Malay
- Proteins (except for the burger) could've been prepared better

Sushi California (North Road)

Sushi California has been on my revisit list for quite some time, partly because I only got takeout previously and that they had renovated as well.  I tried awhile back but it was not meant to be because there was a lineup out the door and the parking lot was jam-packed.  Now that is a common occurrence as there are roughly 20 parking spots for 3 restaurants in the tiny corner mall.  Why is the place so popular?  Well, it follows the same formula as Sushi Town and Sushi Garden - big portions and low prices.  However, much like the aforementioned restaurants, don't expect super authentic nor carefully made eats either.

We started with an order of the Spicy Salmon Sashimi.  It was piled high with a mix of crunchy cucumbers and a relatively mild spicy sweetness.  The salmon itself was decent being buttery, yet still firm.  If I had to do a comparison, the one at Sushi Town is bigger in size and had a more impactful dressing.  And as per usual of late, I got an order of the Deluxe Chirashi Don.  As you can see, there was a substantial amount of sashimi on top including amaebi, tobiko, salmon, tuna, hamachi, hotate and hokkigai. They were all decent while the rice was chewy with a hint of sweetness and vingear.  This was surprisingly good.

Onto a couple of rolls, we tried the Rainbow and the Double Spicy Tuna.  The rainbow was a little different than typical versions since it only had tamago in the middle.  There was very little sashimi on the outside as well.  I guess for $6.00, we weren't expecting a whole lot.  If you can imagine, the roll was pretty "blah" because of the lack of ingredients.  Fortunately, the spicy tuna roll had a double dose of tuna on the inside and out topped with tempura bits.  Tasting similarly to the spicy salmon sashimi, this was a more substantial and tastier roll than the rainbow (cheap too at only $4.00). For the kiddies, we got them the Tempura Udon which was devoid of all the "additions" that many non-Japanese run restaurants employ.  Hence, the udon was simple with a relatively bland broth.

In addition to the side tempura, we got an extra order of Ebi & Yam Tempura. Despite the heavy layer of batter, the tempura was still relatively light and crunchy.  It wasn't overly oily either.  This revisit to Sushi California was pretty much what we had expected - large portions, reasonable prices and okay eats depending what you order.  With those expectations, then our meal was pleasant enough complete with surprisingly good service (despite what others have said).

The Good:
- Large portions
- Cheap
- Okay service (at least what we got)

The Bad:
- Depending what you order, it can be okay or not okay
- Crammed seating
- Stupid parking lot

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)