The Boss (Chinatown)

It goes without saying I love to eat.  Yet there was a time when I had a ferocious appetite.  Yes, even more so than now...  In my teens, I could down 4 Big Macs easily or even a whole Church's 10 piece.  When it came to Asian food, I remember dusting off a plate of rice, noodle and a whole dinner combo at The Boss to the shock of my parents and their poor pocketbook...  Gosh, thankfully my kids don't eat that much yet...  So to do a bit of reminiscing.  JuJu and Kaiser Soze joined my for a visit to The Boss after our last Sunday hockey of the year.

In an attempt to relive my youth, I decided to tackle a lunch combo and another dish.  I started off with a bowl of "Borscht" and a roll (I chose a mini-pineapple bun).  The use of "borscht" is a loose association when dining at a Hong Kong-style cafe. Don't expect beets nor sour cream, instead think vegetable soup.  And that it was being hearty with lots of veggies and a very mild tomato broth.  For my main, I had a choice between 2 items and I ultimately went for the Baked Seafood Rice because my Chineseness prescribed that I pick the best value item.  On that note, why did I park in front and use pay parking when I could've gotten free parking from the parkade?  Did I lose my mind?  I digress...  Anyways, the fried rice base was topped with plenty of well- prepared seafood including fish, shrimp, scallops and squid.  Being more goopy then creamy, the starch-thickened sauce was mild and did the job in providing moisture.

My second dish was the Fried Vermicelli with Duck and Pickled Vegetable.  Interestingly, the plate of food was noticeably bigger in portion compared to the Metrotown location.  It exhibited good wok heat where there was caramelization of flavours.  There was an adequate amount of duck meat, but it was a bit light on the pickled veg and soy.  Hence, the flavours were too mild bordering on bland.  Not to be outdone, JuJu had 2 dishes as well starting with the Fried Satay Rice Noodle with Beef.  A little on the greasy side, the plate of noodles was also a good portion consisting of tender beef and just cooked peppers.  The flavours were good with the sweetness of pineapple and the slight spice from the thick sauce.  However, we detected a bit of curry which may or may not have been intentional.  Don't get me wrong, we liked the taste, but we were just not sure it was a mistake (leftover flavours from the previous dish in the wok, or it was supposed to have curry in it).

Ironically, his second dish was Chicken Curry with Rice.  The dark hue of the sauce gave intentions of spiciness and bold flavours.  Alas, it was actually quite mild with a certain level of sweetness.  It had a good consistency and an appealing taste.  The chunks of chicken were surprisingly moist while the fried potatoes did they job.  Kaiser Soze ended up with the Baked Ox-Tongue on Rice.  He offered some of his tongue and I bit.  Uh.  It was moist with a bit of chew and was bathed in a tomato sauce which exhibited more tomato paste than ketchup.  Therefore, it wasn't as sweet with more of a tang.  Remarkably, The Boss has not changed much from years past.  The menu items are all still there and tasting very much like they did before.

The Good:
- Decent portions
- Decent eats across the board
- Food comes out quick

The Bad:
- Service is pretty basic
- Can be quite busy

Pelican

There I was, happily sleeping in on a Sunday morning since I had played late night hockey the night before.  Awakened by a phone call, Viv announced we were going to Dim Sum at Pelican with her mom.  #$)#)$*#)$* honestly?  It was already 11:15am.  Has the MIL ever gone for Dim Sum last minute on a Sunday at that time?  Lineups and the MIL.  I'd rather have my nose hairs plucked out with rusty tweezers.  Oh, it gets better...  Not only was the MIL at her obnoxious and inappropriate best, she managed to enrage the whole table where we were all arguing amongst ourselves.  Who needs Syria to create World disorder when the MIL is around?  Makes Kim Jong Un look like your best fried (a la Dennis Rodman).  Anyways, despite all the turmoil, I still managed to take pictures and eat.

We started with the Gai Lan which were blanched just enough that it was cooked while retaining a nice crunch.  My son was happy to see the Shrimp Spring Rolls and I decided not to tell him what the green stuff was (wasabi).  I crossed my fingers and he ate it.  The shrimp was okay with a slight snap being well-seasoned. Despite this, I personally didn't like it because there was far too much grease.  Continuing with shrimp, we had the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) that featured a soggy wet wrapper.  The filling was soft and mushy while the bits of shrimp were alright.  However, the whole thing was severely under-seasoned.

Strangely topped with a sweet chili sauce, the Stuffed Fried Silken Tofu was served almost ice cold. They obviously had prepared this dish far in advance and didn't bother warming it back up.  Didn't matter though as the shrimp mouse was mushy and really, the sweet chili sauce did not go with the tofu as it was too sweet.  At least the XO Fried Daikon Cake was served hot (I guess we were luckier this time).  Although a bit firm, the cubes were crispy and not overly greasy (probably soaked up by the cake).  The wok toss in the XO sauce (dried shrimp & scallops, chili flakes, garlic, oil) added the necessary flavour and spiciness.

Onto the next set of dishes, we had the  Phoenix Talons (Chicken Feet).  Sadly, these were not prepared properly as the skin was dry and chewy.  Furthermore, the cartilage underneath was chewy and lacking.  At the very least, it was seasoned nicely with lots of garlic and peppery notes.  As for the Bean Curd Skin Roll, it was not exactly that great either.  First of all, the bean curd skin was too lightly fried, hence, it was soft and lacking in texture.  Second, the meat filling was dense and chewy.  Lastly, it was as if they forgot to season the entire dish because both the filling and sauce were bland.

Predictably, I had to get my one token offal dish being the Tripe and Tendon.  The tendon was cut into large pieces which were soft while retaining their shape.  The same could be said about the tripe as well. There was no lack of seasoning especially the use of black pepper.  Unfortunately, the large pieces of cracked pepper were not enjoyable to eat.  Equally peppery, the Beef Short Ribs were properly tenderized being easy to chew while retaining some texture.  Interestingly, despite the obvious peppery flavour, the dish itself was under-seasoned.  Hence, it was spicy without any savouriness.

Arriving mid-meal rather than at the end and thankfully not at the start, the Egg Tarts were really, really flaky.  Naturally, that meant that they were buttery as well in taste (or lard...) and aroma.  The custard was smooth and silky without being heavy on the sugar.  Next, we had the dreaded Shanghainese dish in a Cantonese restaurant being the Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings). Surprisingly, these contained a decent amount of soup, however, it was rather greasy.  The dumpling skin was thick while not overly dense and the meat filling was moist and loose.  Naturally, the flavours were not close to what it should be, but we expected that.

Lately, the kiddies have been on a Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice) kick, so of course we ordered some.  Egads!  This wasn't executed particularly well either.  The rice was dry where the filling was equally so.  The meat was mealy and mushy at the same time while a general lack of seasoning made us wish for soy sauce.  The Sui Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) was not really all that interesting either being quite loose.  The meat was chewy with no bounce texture.  On the other hand, the bits of shrimp were okay though with some snap.  Flavourwise, it did taste pretty good though with a meatiness tempered by sweetness.

Back to a good item, the Beef Meatballs were large and exhibited a mouth-pleasing bounce texture.  There would've been a good balance of flavours except they were too heavy-handed with the cilantro as it dominated all of the other seasonings.  Continuing on with good food (yes, the meal was inconsistent), the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll featured plenty of shrimp which had a slight snap.  They were decently seasoned as well as being accented with flowering chives.  As for the rice noodles, they was buttery soft while still maintaining some elasticity.

Mercifully (because of the food and the MIL), our last dish was the Crystal Noodles with Spareribs.  Chewy with a nice elasticity, the crystal noodles were very good.  The well-seasoned garlicky spareribs provided the necessary flavour for the dish (albeit overly salty).  Texture-wise, the ribs were chewy with a slight bounce.  Interestingly, this is where the MIL exclaimed that the noodles were made of tapioca starch...  Uh, they're made of mung bean...  She then claimed to know that and proceeded to argue with everyone again...  This was our cue to leave...

The Good:
- Large portions
- Okay pricing
- Dim Sum available late night

The Bad:
- Dim Sum below average
- Crowded seating
- Service subpar

Pho Don

Generally, when it's late (like past 1:00am), there are only a few places that are open outside of Downtown except Denny's and Knight & Day). However, near the corner of Hastings and Renfrew, there has always been an option for early morning eats.  Through its many iterations, we've seem to use it as a last resort.  Gone is Gourmet Castle and enter another Vietnamese joint called Pho Don.  This was our eating destination after Friday hockey.

As usual, I ended up sharing some items with various people at the table (which is a great strategy to sample more food!).  I tried the Salad Roll first and it was well- constructed being tightly wrapped but not overly so.  The shrimp had a nice meatiness while the vermicelli still had a chew.  I liked the dipping sauce as it was a good balance between peanut and hoisin.  As much as the Spring Roll was made with a wheat wrapper instead of rice, it was good though. It was hot, crunchy and not too greasy.  The filling was a little loose, but was nicely seasoned.  I also shared the Chicken Banh Mi and that was a bad decision.  The bread itself was okay being crunchy and only slightly dense, but the chicken was very strange.  It was sliced up, and wok-tossed with onions and a goopy sweet sauce that made the whole sandwich wet.  Furthermore, the carrots and daikon were not pickled enough (or not at all), hence, there was no acidity.

Doing my best impression of a pinch eater, I shared some of the BBQ Chicken Wings with Gordo because Emilicious couldn't eat anymore. These saucy wings were mostly moist and meaty.  The sauce itself was rather sweet with not much impact.  The chicken skin was decently rendered from the deep fry. For my main, I had the Bun Bo Hue that included 2 pieces of pig's feet (too bad there was no pork blood though).  I found the soup base to be mildly spicy with a nice aromatics, in particularly dried shrimp.  There was plenty of ingredients including tender brisket and flank.  This was a decent version in my opinion.  Emilicious ended up with the Pho and the broth was on the lighter side.  It was far from salty where it exhibited a mild sweetness from the daikon.  Meats were similar to my bowl of noodles where they were tender.

Gadget Girl and Polka King (gasp, he exists!) both had the Lemongrass Chicken with rice and spring roll.  The skinless piece of chicken was sufficiently tender with a modest amount of seasoning.  Gadget Girl was a bit indifferent with it, but in the end she thought it was decent.  And really, most of the stuff was alright, especially considering it was late night.  Staff were friendly too which is a definite plus.

The Good:
- Open late
- Nice staff
- Clean and renovated

The Bad:
- Decent, but nothing to set it apart
- Parking lot has the narrowest spots ever

Tasting Plates West 4th Edition

Walking food tours and Vancouver fall weather go together like sugarless gummy bears and bowels - a painful experience.  Curse those gummy bears!  However, for my invite to Vanfoodster's Tasting Plates West 4th Edition, the skies couldn't have been any bluer.  With a stroke of good luck, the weather cleared up despite a week of wet and coldness.  I met up with Miss Y, Grace, Alvin, Sean, Adrian & Jeremy, Amy and Diane for a whole lot of food along 4th Ave. which didn't included sugarless gummy bears...

We hightailed it to The BiBo as our first stop because they were doing a pizza making demonstration featuring their wood burning oven.  We were served 2 different pizzas including the Margherita and Ortolana.  The margherita, being the standard was simply tomato sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil.  Unlike the last time I was here, the crust was appreciably less wet and exhibited a nice chewiness.  The ortolana consisted of eggplant, zucchini and red pepper.  Naturally, it exhibited more moisture due to the ingredients. As a bonus, we had their Baked Pizza Bread with tomato sauce and fresh basil.  These were pillowy soft with just the right amount of tart sauce and Parm.
 
Heading up the block, we visited Romer's Burger Bar next. Admittedly, I was a bit apprehensive after my recent meal at the Kerr Street location.  Fortunately, the brioche bun used for both burgers was a bit more moist. I gave the Magic Mushroom with Angus beef, portobello, caramelized onions, Boursin and wild baby arugula a go first.  I've had this burger before and it was more or less the same.  The meat was neither moist nor dry while the mushrooms were plentiful and sauteed nicely.  Next up was the So-Cal Free Range Turkey with avocado, Soleggiatti tomatoes, red onion, organic watercress and chipotle aioli.  Naturally, the patty wasn't the juiciest, but it wasn't too dry either.  I liked the spicy kick of the aioli.

We ditched Alvin (he was still waiting for his food) and made our way to our next destination which was Las Margaritas. Gosh, I hadn't been there in ages due to a mediocre experience.  It started off nicely with the Tortilla Chips.  They were light and crispy, however, the overprocessed salsa was not my cup of tea.  We were served 3 items including the Cochinita Pibil Tostada, Chicken Taquito and Scallop Ceviche. (clockwise from the bottom right).  I liked the tostada but there was a bit too much lettuce for my tastes.  Despite that, it was crunchy and the roasted pork had an almost smoky quality to it while the pickled onions added the necessary acidity. The taquito was crisp and the addition of fresh guacamole was a welcomed buttery moisture (is that a legit description?  LOL).  With a nice buttery texture, the scallop ceviche was a little light on the acidity, but it did have a nice spice level.

Walking across the street, we went to Doner Kebab.  Presented on a lovely Royal Chinet plate, there was a selection of eats including Pita Bread, Tabouleh, Hummus and Falafel. Not that it is uncommon, but I would've liked my pita bread warmed up as it was cold and stiff.  That was partially alleviated by the smooth hummus.  I would've liked a bit more garlic and lemon though.  The falafel was fantastic as it was crunchy, hot and moist inside.  Miss Y wanted a palate cleanser, so we went to O5 Rare Tea Bar next. We were treated to Jamaican Candied Hibiscus Flower, Ghorka Kombucha Tea and a Premium Fresh Ground Matcha Shot.  Interesting in texture, the chewy flower was quite sweet.  With 3 choices of kombucha, I liked the Golden Curls the most as it had a pronounce fizz.  Matching its dark green hue, the matcha shot was rich and smooth.

Sauntering over to Jacksons Meats and Deli next door, we were presented with a really large Finnochio Sausage.  No, it didn't grow like Pinnochio's nose (er...), but it was meaty and licoricey from all the fennel.  I would've liked it grilled, however, I'm sure they prepared it this way due to the event.  It didn't stop there though.  We had 2 more samples including the Split Pea & Jackson's Irish Ham Soup and Braised Short Ribs.  I thought the soup was quite good with a understated richness.  It was smooth and mild where the ham added the necessary saltiness.  My favourite had to be the short ribs as it was fatty and soft.  The slow cooked meat was soaked in a impactful braising liquid which had depth and enough seasoning.

Waddling over to our last 2 stops, we ended up at Culprit Coffee Co first. Along with my Espresso Macchiato, there was a plate of gluten-free goodies including baguette with house-made Raspberry Chia Jam, White Chocolate and Honey Pecan Brittle Cookie with Maldon Sea Salt and a Chocolate Raspberry Financier.  Loved the jam, hated the baguette as it was "wet" textured.  The cookie was fantastic being crunchy and sweet with just the right amount of salt.  The financier was no slouch either as it was fairly moist and only semi-sweet.  Our last stop was the Guanaco Food Truck.  From their selection, I had the Chorizo Pupusa with Fried Cassava.  I really liked the cassava as it was super-fried, which was a good thing as it was crunchy.  The pupusa was not bad being soft and full of meat.  At this point, I was in a food coma, much like all the other Tasting Plates I've been to.  Sure, there were some things that were better than others, yet for the early bird price of $28.00 or $30.00 for 6 pack, it's a good value.

*All food and beverages were comped, but not gratuities*

The Good:
- If you get either the early bird or group pricing, it's a good value
- Lots of different things to try
- Good social event

The Bad:
- Weather dependent
- Some spots can be really packed or cannot handle the volume of customers
- If you do not buy the discounted tickets, well naturally it decreases the value.

Surrey Food Bank

Having a food blog where I chronicle my daily eating adventures is an example of how lucky I am as an individual.  Unlike some of the less fortunate, I don't worry about my next meal or whether I have a place to sleep at night.  Instead, I eat some of the best food that Vancouver has to offer.  This post has been a long time coming because volunteering at the Surrey Food Bank has been an annual event for myself.  I truly believe we must remember the ones that aren't as lucky.  These people are just like you and me.  They hold down a job, have a family and are contributing members of society.  However, with the high cost of living in Greater Vancouver, there are times when a bit of support is needed.  In fact, many people are only a pay cheque or two away from needing assistance.

Being a non-profit, charitable organization, the Surrey Food Bank relies on donations of money and food to operate.  With no government funding, it can be quite challenging at times when demand is high.  Hence, we can all help by donating food, money and our time.  But food is only one component as there is a need for toiletries and most importantly diapers and baby formula.  Since there are no actual corporate donations for formula, the food bank must purchase a stockpile to service their clients. Again, as mentioned above, the clients of the Surrey Food Bank are regular folk who must provide proof of address (Surrey not including South Surrey/White Rock but with depots in Delta, Newton and Cloverdale) and proof of low-income.  With all the expenses such as rent, phone, transportation and clothing, there is generally not a whole lot left for food.

So what can you do to help out?  Simple, you can volunteer at the Surrey Food Bank, donate directly, do food/fund drives or third-party events.  Even the smallest donation can make a difference.  As we go about our busy lives, it is easy to forget those who are less fortunate than us.  I hope all of us can take a minute, remember how lucky we are and possibly do something to make a difference.

Dempster's DIY Sandwich Contest

Ah yes, the sad ol' sandwich.  I remember you.  Back in my Elementary years, I would be so hungry just before lunch hour to only take a look in my bag and see a...  ham and cheese sandwich.  How boring and ultimately not very tasty.  Dempster's intends to change that with the DIY Sandwich Contest.  For me, I'm putting in an entry that combines some of my favourite ingredients between 2 slices of bread.

If you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, check out this link on Youtube for a lesson on sandwich building. Or better yet, get some inspiration from Instagram or take a look on Twitter.  For myself, I wanted to an Asian take on the plain ol' sandwich.  I pickled some sliced cucumbers with vinegar and sugar, shredded some iceberg lettuce and made some srirracha sesame oil mayo with a side of hoisin sauce.  I sliced up some BBQ duck breast and roast pork (removed the crackling and chopped it up).  Put it altogether on Dempster's Signature Homestyle Sesame white bread.

Oh yeah, the fattiness of the pork and duck with the crunchiness of the cracklings were accented nicely by the acidity and sweetness from the cucumbers.  Add a bit of aromatics and spiciness from the mayo and the added sweetness from the hoisin, we had a tasty sandwich.  Not sure if it will win, but I ate the whole thing.  Why don't you try to make your own epic sandwich?