Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen

Suddenly out of the blue, Miss Y texted indicating she wanted to go out for eats.  I pondered for a few seconds...  Okay!  I'm not even sure why I spent any time thinking about it. Pretty lady and potentially good food - how can I say no?  So interestingly, we didn't have a destination in mind and we literally drove down Kingsway from Edmonds all the way to Fraser Street.  Nope, nothing interested us until we found Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen.

Naturally, we started with the Cha Ca which was accompanied by rice noodles, veggies and pickled daikon/carrots.  I liked the texture of the fish cakes as they were soft while exhibiting a bouncy chew.  Loved the flavours too as I could really taste the herbs.  Arriving in a broth that could be only described as muddy or rustic, the Pho Dac Biet tasted better than it looked.  There was a meatiness to it where the MSG was not the most prominent flavour (but it was there though).  I wasn't able to pick out any of the usual flavours such as anise, charred onion and ginger.  The noodles were al dente and the meats were plentiful and really tender.

Being ambitious, we also had the Lemongrass Chicken and Fried Egg with Rice.  The thick deboned thigh was super juicy with big hits of lemongrass.  There was a good char, yet the skin was not rendered enough being quite fatty.  Although we had enough food already, I couldn't help ordering the Grilled Black Cod.  I had to do a double-take when I noticed it was only $9.95.  For the price, we got a big black cod steak that was fried beautifully.  It was fatty, moist and flaky.  The skin was crispy and a textural delight.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal except for the lackluster pho broth.  Good eats at the always reasonable pricing of this type of Vietnamese restaurant.

The Good:
- Well made eats
- Common to this type of restaurant, reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Pho broth a bit murky and one-dimensional in flavour

Maguro

I had originally visited Maguro during the early stages of blogging and declared that the food was pretty decent for Ladner, if not the GVRD in general.  Looking back, I now cringe at such statements because I had only a limited cache of Japanese restaurants in my blog.  So there was no choice but to head back to see if my initial assessment was on the mark or completely bogus.  

I started with the Appetizer Sashimi. The well-sized slices looked and tasted fresh (as much as flash frozen fish can be).  There was a nice sheen which translated into a natural sweetness.  The presentation was pretty clean and appetizing in my opinion.  I thought the portion size was good for the price.  They didn't skimp on the wasabi either.  Next was the Appetizer Tempura which was also a healthy size where the batter looked a bit thick, yet ultimately it was light and crispy.  Inside, the ebi exhibited a buttery snap while the veggies retained a bite despite being cooked through.  I liked how the sweet potato was sliced thin enough where it wasn't dense.

For my main, I tried the Katsu Don which featured a large pork cutlet atop chewy rice.  I found the meat to be slightly tough, but the crunchy exterior coating made up for it.  The tonkatsu sauce was quite potent with a significant Worchestershire sharp hit.  I wasn't a huge fan of the large amount of slivered white onions underneath as they were not cooked enough and the resulting moisture made the bottom of the dish wet. On another visit, I gave the Spicy Tuna Tataki a go.  It consisted of 4 thick slices of nicely charred tuna doused with a sesame vinaigrette, spicy sauce and bonito.  I thought the slices could've been thinner, but in the end, it was meaty and quite good.  The sauce was a bit much, but I did like the acidity.

For my requisite maki sushi, I tried their Woonia Roll constructed of spicy chopped scallop and avocado with deep fried halibut cheek topped with tobiko on the outside.  A drizzle of unagi sauce and spicy mayo added some moisture and zip.  I wanted to like this roll as the mild flavours were accented by the sauces.  Also, the crunch from the fried cheeks was a good textural contrast.  However, there was far too much rice, which was a bit gummy, that made the roll quite heavy.  So these 2 "revisits" pretty confirmed what I initially thought - Maguro is the best in Ladner but would be average everywhere else.

The Good:
- Decent eats for Ladner
- Efficient staff when not busy

The Bad:
- Decent eats for Ladner, but there is obviously better elsewhere
- Sparse service when busy

The District

Although we play hockey every Friday in North Van, it would be a miracle that we actually ate there afterwards.  Could it be the lack of options?  Nope.  Were people afraid of wildlife in the area?  LOL no...  Maybe it was the fear of driving up hills?  Nah... Oh I know, it was the shock of not experiencing poorly parked cars and/or drivers that had the inability to shoulder check or use their blinkers (like in a place that is located South of Vancouver...).  No not really, but it sounds good though.  No matter the reason, it was up to me to suggest we head to the District for late night eats.

For me, I decided to begin my late night feasting on some Mushroom Soup which was more brothy than creamy.  It was thick though with some texture (not completely pureed), peppery notes, noticeably woodsy essence as well as fresh thyme.  It could've used a bit more salt though. Unfortunately, there was significantly-sized thyme twigs that diminished my eating enjoyment.  Emilicious ended up with the French Onion Soup where all of the components were there including the crouton and plenty of melted cheese.  There was a sweet onion hit, but once again, it could've used more salt.

Before my main, I shared the Steak Tartare with Emilicious.  As stated on the menu, it was prepared with steak tenderloin, quail's egg yolk and seasoning.  I found the meat to be smooth, melt-in-my-mouth consistency.  However, I would've liked to see more yolk for the amount of meat and a touch more bite.  Otherwise, it was good.  For myself, I tried their Blue Cheese and Bacon Mussels served with patat friet.  The modest portion of mussels were plump and buttery which were accented by a slight blue cheese sharpness.  I didn't really get a whole lot of bacon though and the amount of broth was far too minimal to be useful.  The side of patat friet was fantastic being crunchy and light.

Gordo went for the #13 Burger made with a tenderloin and sirloin patty, tapenade & caramelized white onion mayo.  The house-ground patty was thick and moist which was flavoured mildly by the accompaniments.  It came with a whack load of their fantastic fries which was more than I could say about the small cup that came with my mussels.  Sweet Tooth, who got burned at the now-closed 3 Lions by their pathetic beet salad went back to the well and ordered the Warm Beet Salad.  It was comprised of red and golden beets, sauteed red onion and spinach topped with a fried goat cheese ball, candied walnuts and a balsamic drizzle.  This was a substantial portion with well-textured beets.  There was a good balance of sweetness and acidity to the dish, but not enough salt.  The fried goat cheese was crispy and a nice compliment.

Milhouse opted for the Oven Roasted Chicken and Brie Sandwich with sun dried cranberry mayo and house-made tarragon & rosemary preserve.  He thought the chicken was sufficiently moist while the rest of the ingredients added both sweetness and aromatics.  But a bit more salt would've made the flavours more balanced.  So if you were paying attention...  Bueller, bueller, bueller...  You would have noticed that a pinch of salt here and there would've made the flavours sing.  Other than that, the food was decent enough.

The Good:
- Open late
- Nice vibe (not too quiet, not too loud)
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Food needs a touch more seasoning (ie. salt)
- A little on the pricier side

Noodle Canteen (New West)

"What's this?", I queried after spotting a flyer for Noodle Canteen in my junk mail.  Another fast food noodle joint in the same fashion as Noodle Box and Wok Box?  As much as I am indifferent towards the 2 aforementioned spots, they will never be a priority to revisit.  My issue isn't necessarily against the food as they don't really appeal to the authentic-seeking crowd anyways.  The main reason I'm indifferent is that I can just go down to any Asian joint and get better for cheaper.  But seeing that I want to try everything, I paid Noodle Canteen a visit anyways.

With 2 locations in the lower mainland, Noodle Canteen is a New Zealand chain of cooked-to-order fast Asian food.  As I made my way into the place, I was startled by the fact that the staff were Chinese (they spoke mainland Chinese).  Not that it really matters (because anyone can be trained to make any type of food), but it seemed to legitimize the place somewhat (strange but true).  Currently, they have a special (for dinner only) where their Hot Box is only $6.20.  Okay, before you get the wrong idea, the hot box doesn't involve smoking up in one's car. Rather, it is a fried egg noodle dish consisting of roast pork, chicken, beef and fresh veggies in a Thai chili sauce.  I opted for pretty hot and it did have a nice kick.  The still chewy noodles were the beneficiary of good wok heat where the flavours were caramelized.  Their other special is the Honey Chicken Noodle ($6.00) with egg noodles and veggies.  The noodles were pretty much the same without meat and spice.  The battered chicken on top was moist but overly sweet in my opinion.  With thick egg noodles, the Garlic Prawns was the mildest item we tried.  It actually bordered on bland.  On the other hand, the noodles were chewy and the large prawns had a nice snap.

For the kiddies, I thought the Combination Noodles would be a good idea since it only consisted of egg noodles, prawn, beef, pork, chicken and veggies in oyster sauce.  Once again, the dish was very similar to the first 2 yet without spice.  I found the beef to be a little on the drier side though while the BBQ pork was pretty good.  Probably the best noodles of the bunch was the Hokkien Mee made with thick egg noodles, roast pork, shrimp, bean shoots, onion, bak choy and spring onion in dark soy and mild chili sauce.  Again with good wok heat, the flavours were intense (savoury and some sweet) with a touch of spice.  With a bevy of ingredients including the same meaty BBQ pork, snappy shrimp and crunchy veggies, it was full of textures and flavours.  As you can see, the thing that sets Noodle Canteen apart is that the food most resembles Asian food (in a no-nonsense and unsexy manner).  It may not be great food, but decent for a quick meal.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Good wok heat
- No-nonsense, made-to-order food

The Bad:
- By virtue of trying to represent so many different Asian cuisines, some things are lost in translation

Fish on Rice

Really?  Fish on Rice???  Yes, really.  There was a time when we would frequent Fish on Rice for the quantity, and of course not the quality.  We'd suffer through the bad service and the questionable washrooms just to get our fill of mediocre Japanese food.  I put a stop to that as I just couldn't eat bad sushi anymore.  However, for ol' times sake, Costanza and I decided to drop by for lunch, just to see what was going on at Poisson on Riz.  Of course, we ended up getting the AYCE menu.

  The first item to arrive was the Salmon Sashimi (which is limited to 6 slices per person for lunch). It was sliced as if they used a mandolin. Yet, to be fair, at least they offer sashimi at no extra charge.  The fish was slightly below average, being quite soft and mushy (although it tasted fine without any fishiness).  We got an assortment of rolls including Dynamite, House and California.  These were haphazardly constructed, especially the California Roll (as you can clearly see in the picture). The good thing was there wasn't a whole lot of rice.  That was doubly good because the rice was not very good.  It was dry and not really all that sticky. Suffice to say, there wasn't a whole lot of flavour going on either.  At least the filling was acceptable.   

Next was the Ebi Sunomono, which was surprisingly good for an AYCE.  The noodles were firm and chewy while the dressing was balanced between sweet and tart.  On the other hand, the Gomae was pretty typical for this type of menu consisting of a sweet, candy-like dressing.  The spinach was okay though being cooked just enough. Since Costanza is no fan of head, I mean Salmon Head, I ate it all by myself.  It was okay, grilled up with a nice char.  The meat was a little dry though.  We got a few pieces of Nigiri and the dry sushi rice didn't help things, but it was edible.  As for the Chicken Karaage, it was not very good.  The batter was fat too thick and mealy.  Despite the visuals, it wasn't all that crispy while the meat wasn't all that juicy either.

The Gyoza appeared to be fried up nicely, but in the end, it was all colour with no crispy texture.  The wrapper was thick and doughy while the filling was dense and lacking in flavour. Not particularly Japanese, the Shrimp Toast was a bit weird as it was coated with tempura batter and fried.  Hence, the bread became wet and unappealing.The shrimp was a bit slimy as well.  On the other hand, the Tempura was pretty good with a non-greasy and light batter.  The veggies were cooked just right.  The Agedashi Tofu was typical for an AYCE being pretty bare while sitting in a sweet dashi.  Despite being lean, the Tonkatsu was served crispy and hot.  The meat wasn't exactly moist, but it was sufficiently tender.

Arriving in purposeful serving vessels, the Oyster Motoyaki were quite heavy. Of course the mayonnaise based sauce would be greasy and rich, but this one was almost egg custard-like.  With that being said, it did taste okay and the oyster was of a good size.  And about those serving vessels, they are a lot more hygienic than reusing shells.  The Beef Short Ribs were a surprise, not only because they were pretty good, but because they arrived in the number as requested.  I can't tell you how many times we have ordered stuff elsewhere to only get half.  Anyways, the ribs were tender and charred nicely.  It was on the sweeter side, but good nonetheless.

Heading into our last 2 items, we had both the Beef and Chicken Teriyaki.  Not to sound boring, but the beef was pretty typical of AYCE being a bit dry, but easy to chew.  I liked how it wasn't oversauced.  The chicken was fried up moist and tender, but the skin was not crispy at all.  Of note, the wood planks underneath the cast iron plates looked like they needed replacing.  Moreover, Costanza almost puked after visiting the gross washrooms.  But if cleanliness is not an issue, the food was passable (except for the sashimi) considering the price.  Remember this is AYCE and thus, can only be compared to other AYCE (NOT legit Japanese restaurants). As for the service, unlike past visits, it was acceptable.

The Good:
- AYCE menu had a good selection for the price
- For what we had, the cooked items were passable
- We didn't get yelled at or ignored, so service was okay

The Bad:
- Washrooms are horrid
- Raw stuff below average
- Can never confuse AYCE with good Japanese food

Zako's Deli

*Restaurant now closed*

For something seemingly so "Canadian", it is pretty difficult to find places to get good Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwiches in the GVRD.  Sure, there is Dunn's in Downtown, but if you really think of it, there are not a whole lot of other choices, unless you want to head out to Estrella's in Langley (remember, I'm talking about the real thing, not some supermarket deli smoked meat...).  There is one that I knew of and finally got a chance to try - the place is Zako's Deli.

For some odd reason, I got the Steamers which were 2 hot dogs with coleslaw on top.  Yes, since my eating companion was already having the smoked meat sammie, I had to try some thing different. Well...  these were 2 hot dogs...  Since they were called steamers, I was a little confused why the bun was not steamed (or steamed poorly).  Not sure what I was thinking...  Anyways, I also had the Poutine which was a bit disappointing as the cheese curds had no squeak to speak of.  The fries were okay but not a crispy as I would've liked.  The gravy was thick and mild. 

You didn't think I'd try Zako's without a Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich right?  I got one to go and really, the meat was just alright.  I found it almost too tender where there was a lack of meatiness.  It did taste okay though with the usual brining spices without being too salty.  Overall, I thought the everything was okay but nothing I'd rush back to revisit.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Friendly owner and staff

The Bad:
- Stuff is okay, but there is better (such as Estrella's and La Belle Patate)
- Better get takeout, it's a small place

E2 Cafe

Trick or treating in a mall, seems like all the rage in the last few years.  Well, it is guaranteed to be dry and the chances of tainted candy are small - pretty much a parent's dream come true.  Well, we once again braved the hoards at Lougheed Mall.  But wait, this was only round 1...  We headed into the neighbourhood for round 2 later.  But not before we headed across the street from the mall for eats at E2 Cafe.  Formerly Lulu Cafe, E2 is a typical Hong Kong-style cafe.  Unfortunately they are located in a parking lot that is about 20 parking spots short.

With both of our orders, it came with a bowl of soup.  I decided on the Cream of Mushroom while Viv had the Borscht.  The cream soup was pretty typical being floury thick rather than creamy.  It did taste okay though with a balance of flavours.  There was only a few slices of mushroom to be found though.  Despite being overly sweet, the borscht (Chinese bastardized version that is) exhibited depth, body and plenty of tomato flavour.  Furthermore, it was not devoid of ingredients.  The kids ended up sharing a Build-Your-Own-Noodle - udon in original fish broth with ham and fish tofu (in addition to the standard ingredients such as shredded Napa cabbage, mushroom and bean curd skin).  The broth wasn't exactly silky nor exhibiting body, however, it was not bland either.  The noodles were still chewy and not much to say about the toppings as they were store-bought (like all other places).

I ordered the 3-Item Meal consisting of beef steak, ox tongue and fried basa filet.  For my starch, I selected spaghetti and my choice of sauce was black pepper.  I wasn't a huge fan of the steak as it was completely cooked.  On the other hand, the tongue was moist and tender (mmm...  tender...).  The star of the plate was the fried basa as the fish was flaky and soft while the breading was really crunchy and not greasy.  This was fried as well as one could expect.  As for the black pepper sauce, I liked it (despite being a bit too thick).  There was plenty of spice and garlic within the thick sauce.   Viv decided on the Baked Pork Chop Rice which was an impressively large portion.  Although it was doused in sauce, the pork chop was juicy and still super crispy.  As for the sauce, it was mild with only a bit of tang (from the diluted ketchup).  The rice was pretty good as it was wok fried and retained a good chew. 

As part of our meals, we had a choice of drink.  Viv had the Mango Milk Tea with coconut jelly.  Yikes, if we had known that it would be that sweet, we should've jacked her dad's insulin stash.  This was not very good.  I went for the Iced Tea (w/o sugar thankfully) and it did the job.  And really, E2 essentially did the job and was a decent value.  Sure, there is better to be found in Richmond.  Yet, we were very far from Richmond (thank goodness...).  Service wasn't bad per se, but not overly enthusiastic either.

The Good:
- Large portions
- For what we had, the food was decent

The Bad:
- They are cursed with a crappy parking lot
- Too much sugar in their bubble tea