Jule's Cafe

Sometimes, we need to step back and really re-think the price of restaurant food as we know it.  Sure, most smaller Asian joints are good value, hence no real issue there.  But for your typical chain restaurant, it has slowly crept up to some lofty numbers.  Most items cannot be had for less than $12.00 and many are between $15.00 - $20.00.  I know, there is overhead such as food costs, staffing, rent, advertising and so on.  But what if you just wanted to get some decent food for under $10.00 (how about under $6.00)?  Oh and the place is not a dive nor located in a sketchy area?  Well, we were about to find out as we visited Jules Cafe after Sunday hockey.

Since Jules is an "order-at-the-counter-first" operation, it was imperative we found a table.  So as we were waiting for the first available seat, I looked over the menu.  The low prices encouraged me to order not one, but 2 meals.  I started with the Eggs Benny since it was the most interesting breakfast item. The hollandaise sauce was almost like a foam where it was super light and frothy.  Flavourwise, it was not very rich as you can imagine.  I did pick out some lemon and a touch of butteriness, yet it could've benefited from more zip.  As for the egg, it was poached nicely with a very runny yolk.  The English muffin could've been toasted a bit more in my opinion as it became quite mushy with sauce and yolk.  The fried hashbrowns were golden brown and crispy with a soft potatoey interior.  For my next course, I had Jule's Bacon Cheeseburger which looked, at first glance, like any other diner burger.  Oh how wrong I was.  One bite in and it was super moist and light.  The homemade patty was not greasy and just barely cooked.  The house-cut fries were golden in colour but ultimately were soggy.  And if you were wondering, I did finish both dishes.

JuJu, not to be outdone, had 2 dishes as well starting with the French Toast.  It looked appealing and was ultimately quite good.  There was enough egg to coat both sides of the bread without making it soggy.  It was moist though with a dusting of cinnamon and icing sugar.  I personally would've preferred that it was browned a bit more on the outside for some textural contrast and flavour.  For his second act, he had the Grilled Hot Dog with a side of fries.  As you can see, they weren't messing around with this hot go as it was split and fully dressed with a considerable amount of grilled onions on top.  This was pretty standard except the onions could've used more time on the pan.  The large mound of house-cut fries were the same being not crispy enough.

Milhouse totally wimped out and ordered only a Super Traditional Breakfast consisting of 3 eggs, 3 slices of bacon, 3 sausages, hashbrowns and toast.  It was carefully prepared where the scrambled eggs turned out soft and fluffy.  After it was all said and done, we were amazed at the prices combined with decent food quality.  The people were super friendly while the place was well-kept.  We realize that the operational costs of this cafe is far less than some other restaurants, but you really can get decent grub for cheap - if you look for it.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Decent eats
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Decent eats, but don't expect to be blown away either (remember the low prices though)
- Expect to wait for a table

Sushi Bay

Normally, Japanese restaurants (non-Izakaya) are never in our repertoire for late night eats.  Most, if all, close quite early which kiboshes any hope from escaping the dreaded late-night greasy Chinese eats (or greasier burger).  However, with an early game looming, it was our chance to hit up Sushi Bay on Kingsway.  Well, that idea died before it even had a chance.  Our game was delayed by 45 minutes because of a scheduling error at North Shore Ice Sports.  In the age of computers, how does one double book a sheet of ice???  Anyways, we waited for our next early game to finally make it out to Sushi Bay.  Some were not familiar where it was actually located, to which I answered, "it's near the ol' Consumer's Marketing".  That drew a few crickets, as the place has been closed for a looong time...

Milhouse, Emilicious and I decided to share some items starting with the Agedashi Tofu.  This was pretty straightforward with lightly fried tofu which was soft on the inside.  It was dressed ever-so-lightly with a mild tentsuyu broth.  Nothing amazing, but solid nonetheless.  Next was another bowl of Chirashi Don (yes, I seem to be ordering this a lot lately).  It was a pretty substantial portion for the price featuring vibrant-looking sashimi (Atlantic & Sockeye Salmon, Tuna, Tako, Ebi, Amaebi, Tamago and Hokkigai) which was equally pleasing to eat.  As for the sushi rice, it was chewy and nicely seasoned.  We decided to share a couple of specialty rolls including the Rainbow and the Double Dragon.  As you can see in the picture, the rolls were full of ingredients and minimal rice.  Moreover, the avocado was aesthetically-pleasing and ripe.

Onto some cooked food, we had the Gyoza, which were not very gyoza-like.  There was quite a bit of greens combined with the ground pork.  Hence, it was more like a Korean mandoo.  Despite the visuals, it wasn't as crispy as the colour suggests.  Lastly, as the picture clearly illustrates with the bright sheen, it was greasy.  The last item we shared was the Yam and Prawn Tempura.  It was "alright" as the batter was a bit dense, yet ultimately still crispy and not as heavy as it appeared.  Yet, due to the amount of batter, it did affect the texture of the ebi. Lionel Hutz and Truditini ordered enough food for 4 people for themselves including an assortment of Nigiri (Tobiko, Unagi and Inari).  They were neatly prepared with a good rice-to-ingredient ratio.  Again, the decent sushi rice only added to the already good nigiri.

They went on to share a plate each of the Atlantic and Sockeye Salmon Sashimi (but I'm not going to talk about it much since we already had a Chirashi Don).  The slices were large (yet not in an unmanageable size) and nicely textured.  They also got a Beef Teriyaki.  If you haven't already made the comment in your mind, the large amount of sprouts made the dish look funny.  In fact, there was far too much of it compared to the beef.  It was pretty tender though with a minimal amount of sauce.  They also got Sushi Bay's version of the Awesome Roll consisting of imitation crab, avocado, cucumber with BBQ salmon, tobiko, bonito flakes and green onion on top drizzled with special sauce.  The roll was quite large and an excellent value for $6.95.  Pretty standard stuff, but could've used more sauce.

Another roll worth mentioning was the Hockey Pucks on Fire because we had just played a game.  Ironic yes and also quite tasty.  It contained spicy salmon and imitation crab wrapped in seaweed with no rice and deep fried.  With the combination of sauces, the roll was zesty and crispy. After our meal, we all agreed that the value was definitely apparent with good portions at low prices.  Sure, the stuff ain't completely authentic nor was it the best sushi we've ever had.  But Sushi Bay is better in comparison to other similarly priced places.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Good portions
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Although friendly, service can be over-stretched
- Not completely authentic, if that bothers you

Sura

It seems that "getting a good deal" is something that is harder and harder to come by.  Sure, we can merely go for a bowl of Pho and consider a good value, but is hardly a deal anymore.  So when Whipping Girl mentioned that there was this great lunch set meal at Sura, I was skeptical.  Korean food AND in Downtown?  Yah, what kinda deal were we looking at?  Apparently there are 2 set meals with one being $15.00pp and the other $20.00pp.  Okay, that doesn't seem like much of a deal price-wise, but please stay with me.

We went for the $20.00 menu and it started with a Green Salad.  Hey, it was a green salad.  And in the words of Forrest Gump, "that's all I have to say about that".  Right behind it was the Dong Chimi, which is a type of kimchi in a brine.  The veggies were crisp, pickled (of course) and a bit spicy.  A refreshing way to start the meal.  Arriving at the same time, we got the Tang Pyeong Chae.  Consisting of mung bean "noodles" (not really noodles, but I'll call them that here) and a bunch of julienned veggies, this was dressed in a nice sesame vinegar dressing.  Good textures and properly seasoned, I could've eaten more of that, but...  then the Japchae was placed on our ever-shrinking table space.  This was a well-made Japchae with chewy noodles with just the right amount of veggies and tender meat.  It was not greasy and balanced in flavour (not too sweet).

Next, we got 3 dishes of Banchan including Kimchi, Kong Jang and Cucumbers & Carrots with black sesame.  The kimchi had a nice crunch, yet could've been spicier in my opinion.  I liked how it wasn't too salty.  I enjoyed the soy beans as they had a nice bite with a rich sweetness.  The cucumbers and carrots were okay, not as crunchy as I would've liked.  However, there was a nice sesame hit, which I personally love.  On a side note, they had asked us during the meal if we wanted a refill of the Banchan - very attentive and generous.  Now, with almost no room left on the table, they crammed the Jeyuk Bulgogi onto the edge.  Their attempt at artistic plating may have seemed weird, but the pork was prepared quite well.  There was a good ratio of meat to veggies where the pork was moist, spicy and sweet.  The depth-of-flavour was apparent as well.  We both received a bowl of rice to go with this and the rest of the meal.

Yes, this was only halfway!  Next time, we swore to get a bigger table because the Kimchi Pancake was practically on top of other plates.  Not sure why they used such a big plate...  Despite being on the softer and wet side, the doughy pancake had a wealth of flavour thanks to the kimchi.  I felt it was quite greasy, but what Korean pancake isn't?  The scallion/veggie-to-pancake ratio was good as there was crunch in every bite.  Moving alone, we had the Galbi Jjim, or beef short ribs.  We found these to be quite sweet from the marinade and the accompanying glaze.  The meat was definitely tender while slightly dry at the same time.  With that being said, it was not hard to chew at all and each piece was meaty.

Even before we could even dig into half of our food, the Sweet & Sour Fried Fish arrived.  Man, was this a large portion considering the amount of food we already had on the table!  This was an appetizing dish with crispy battered fish dressed in a thick spicy sweet and sour glaze.  There was a nice contrast between the crunchy thick batter and the flaky moist fish.  I'm usually not a huge fan of this type of dish, but I liked this one. Now, I didn't really like the Squid Salad though.  As you can clearly see in the picture, it was super hard to find the squid.  At first, we didn't even know what the darn thing was.  Far too many greens on the plate and little-to-no squid made this a fail.  And even when we found the squid, the pieces were so small, we didn't get a sense of the dish.  The only thing we could pick out was the nice spice.

You think we were done?  No way, there was more!  Next we had their version of Bossom.  Instead of being wrapped in a leaf, the pork belly was atop a slice of pickled daikon and topped with what we believed was doenjang. First off, the pork belly was cooked just right as it was melt-in-our mouths tender, yet the fat and skin had a gelatinous texture.  The combination of acidity, saltiness, spice and sweetness created a balance of flavours.  After that, we had a classic being the Tang Sooyuk or Korean-style sweet & sour pork. Unfortunately, the pork was far too lean and hence was really dry when fried up.  The exterior was crisp and not greasy, but the dense pork killed the dish.  Too bad really since the sauce had a nice tartness to counteract the intense sweetness.

Mercifully, since we were full and the table had no room left, our last dish was the Doenjang Jjigae or fermented soy bean paste and vegetable stew.  Bam!  There was the intense flavour that hit us when we took a sip.  The combination of the salty paste, dried anchovies, garlic and onions created a firestorm of flavour.  That was a great end to the savoury part of the meal as we had one last thing being the Rice Punch.  A light refreshing way to end a glutinous meal.  All this was had for $20.00pp and to think the $15.00pp meal is practically the same. This, my friends is what you call a deal.

The Good:
- More hits than misses with the food
- We got good service
- The lunch special set meals are a great value

The Bad:
- Even with a bigger table, there still isn't enough room for all the food
- Great value, but they could've staggered the food a bit, as we were overwhelmed

Kami Japanese Restaurant

When Gawa Sushi opened up in North Delta, I was wondering if we would finally have a decent Japanese restaurant that was an alternative to Minori (good, but small portions), Akari (okay, but pricey), Nordel Sushi (ew...), Tokyo Express (average) and Hatto (double ew...).  Nope, Gawa just provided the same mediocre stuff.  *sigh*  Wait, what's this?  Kami Japanese at Strawberry Hill?  With a snazzy dining space and fusion menu, I was a bit skeptical.  My first visit consisted of a Chirashi Don (yes again...) and it was pretty good.  It was a large portion of chewy flavourful sushi rice topped with lots of nicely textured sashimi. That inspired me to do several return visits just to make sure.

On my second visit, I had Combo C (bottom right clockwise, there was Ebiyonnaise, Reno Roll, Sashimi, Nigiri and Spicy Love Roll). The Ebiyonnaise featured a airy and crispy batter where the shrimp had a light snap.  The drizzle of lemony mayo was flavourful and garlicky.  Cut into big slices, the Sashimi was not overbearing to eat since each slice was not too thick.  There was nothing amiss with the raw fish as the textures were good and the flavours were clean.  With the Nigiri, there was a good fish-to-rice ratio.  Again, nothing wrong with the salmon, toro and ebi.  The rice itself was not bad having a mild sweetness and slight vinegar hit.  Texturally, it was chewy and only slightly gummy.  The Spicy Love Roll, lived up to its namesake as the buttery soft tuna on top had a kick while the tobiko provided a nice pop.  The inside was essentially a dynamite roll consisting of ebi tempura, imitation crab and avocado.  I liked how they used a minimal amount of rice as the roll was not very heavy.  Lastly, there was the Reno Roll which included cream cheese, avocado, imitation crab and salmon which was battered and deep fried.  The drizzle of house sauce was similar to teriyaki being sweet and savoury.  I'm not a huge fan of cream cheese in sushi, but this was just enough. I also got a Chicken Don and it was decent.  The rice was chewy while the veggies on top were not wet.  The chicken had a nice charred flavour and was sufficiently moist.  My only wish would be more sauce. 

On another visit, I tried the Assorted Tempura which was plated with effort and care.  In the end, it was a nicely executed dish where the tempura batter was uniform and light.  It was crunchy all the way through and not greasy at all.  Each piece was carefully cut and were cooked just right.  The ebi had a light snap and was naturally sweet.  Only complaint was the dipping sauce, it was a tad too sweet.  In addition, I tried their Katsu Don which had the same chewy rice as the chicken don.  There was enough sauce to flavour the entire bowl, yet didn't drown the rice either.  It was sweet with some savoury elements.  Unfortunately, the katsu was on the drier side and the exterior was not crisp in the least.  

Lastly, I had the Chicken Yakisoba and it was pretty saucy, but not excessively.  With the amount of sauce, the noodles were really sweet and slightly wet.  But I did appreciate the touch of tartness which cut through the sweetness.  There was lots of moist chicken throughout.  After 3 visits, I've developed an appreciation for Kami, not because it is outstanding, but because it is better than the rest in the area (combination of price, quality and decor).  And sometimes, that is all that counts.

The Good:
- Above-average eats
- Modern decor
- Friendly people

The Bad:
- They did say fusion, so don't expect super-authenticity
- A bit higher priced that other Japanese restaurants in the area (except for Akari)

26th Annual Canadian Festival of Chili & BBQ

There is no other way to say it, but I love Chili.  There is also no other way to say it, but it can be an airy and bloated experience as well.  But I braved that reality and accepted the responsibility of being one of the judges in the 26th Annual Canadian Festival of Chili & BBQ out in Langley at the Cascades Casino (parking lot).  With over 30 participants, I was going to need some Pepto or some alone time on the porcelain throne (TMI?).

We were there to judge CASI (Chili Appreciation Society International) Chili which can only be Texas-style chili.  They don't mess around here because this type of chili must adhere to strict guidelines (no beans or any other material other than ground or cubed meat).  So with scoring card ready, some palate cleansers (carrots and celery) and a whole lot of spoons, we set forth to try 16 different Texas-style chilis.  We were given specific criteria to look for in a good chili such as smell, consistency, texture, taste and finish.  Hey, they don't mess around!

Essentially, there were 2 versions of the Texas-style Chili - ground and cubed.  The ground meat type is the one most people associate with chili and as simple as it may seem, getting the texture right is important.  I found that most of them were quite moist with a good meat chew.  Some were spicier than others while some were more mild, yet still flavourful from the addition of more cumin.  As for the cubed type, depending on the size of the cut, it was almost like a stew.  Naturally, this version would offer up some more meat texture and more chew as well.

After 16 samples, most of us braved the Home-Style Chili cook off where there were no rules.  Hence, there were a host of ingredients including corn, chickpeas, mushroom and of course various beans.  Some were quite interesting and stretched the definition of chili.  I found the several versions of chili verde a nice departure from the usual.  I personally like spicy food and found that some were too mild for my tastes.  But then again, my stomach would probably disagree vehemently.  At the end, we had sampled 18 of these home-style chilis.

Don't worry if you missed the chili competition because on June 23rd, 2013 (that's today), the BC BBQ Championship runs from 11:00am to 2:00pm with pork butt, brisket, chicken and ribs competing in order on the hour.  So what are you waiting for?  Make your way down to Cascades Casino in Langley for some Sunday meat action!

Cassia Cupcakery

Despite its popularity, I've never jumped on the cupcake bandwagon.  Sure, I'm not a huge fan of sweets, but that doesn't mean I don't mind having my cake and eat it too.  Besides, my daughter loves cupcakes and that automatically makes me obliged to buy them. So I finally decided to check out Cassia Cupcakery after numerous inquisitive near visits.  Yah, I drive by it all the time and never felt the urge to stop and find parking.  I did this time...

Similarly displayed like Cupcakes and with familiar flavours, I was hoping that Cassia would woo me over to the cupcake world. I picked up some minis including (from top and clockwise) 2 Red Velvet, Lemon, Vanilla with Chocolate Frosting, Cookies and Cream and Pink Vanilla.  Okay, let me cut to the chase.  For the price I paid, I expected, at the very least, good cupcakes.  Sadly, these were far from moist and the flavours were quite weak.  I didn't enjoy the frosting as it was heavy and sweet.  On the positive side, they did look pretty.

I also got 2 full-sized cupcakes to make everything fair.  Both were chocolate with the one on the left being Peanut Butter and the one on the right being Strawberry White Chocolate (I think...  not sure because I couldn't even eat a bit of the frosting).  Being bigger cupcakes, they were not as dry, but they were hardly moist.  The frostings were just too cumbersome to eat.  And to think that I thought Cupcakes were hard to swallow.  I take that back.  Alas, not only did this visit to Cassia Cupcakery not woo me over, it turned me off.

The Good:
- They're pretty
- Vegan options

The Bad:
- Cake dry
- Frosting heavy and greasy