Wah Lun

At times, when I ponder (and I do ponder sometimes), it appears that I closely follow Rafiki's (Lion King for those who don't know) mantra of "look beyond what you see" when it comes to restaurants.  It's almost like I ignore what is right in front of me, much like the drivers in the Crystal Mall parking lot. Hence, it has taken me a good 3 years to have Dim Sum at Wah Lun again, despite being only a short 5 minute drive from my house.  If memory serves me correctly, the food was pretty good last time, but the service...  not so much (I think they were looking beyond what they could see).

I guess this visit was a good gauge to see if they stepped up the service or not.  Again, we ordered too much starting with the Special Baked BBQ Pork Buns.  These were soft and pillowy with a sugary top. The BBQ pork was lean while dressed in a sweet sauce.  The slivers of onions were too raw which took away from the flavour. These were similar to the ones I had at Grand Dynasty.  Next up was the Stuffed Eggplant with Dace Shrimp Puree which was soft, yet slightly crisp.  The puree was bouncy while relatively bland.  The "black bean" sauce didn't help matters as it had no black bean flavour to speak of nor any real saltiness.

Onto the most important part of the meal, according to the kids, was the Garlic Prawn Spring Rolls. These were lightly crisp and minimal on the grease.  The prawn filling had a good snap while seasoned by plenty of garlic (yet lacking in salt). I had to wrestle one away from them because they didn't have any intention in sharing.  Now that was their most important dish, for Viv and I, it was the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumpling). These were large and filled with big pieces of shrimp exhibiting snap and moisture.  However, there was very little seasoning much like the previous 2 dishes. The skin was chewy and a touch thick.

Another kid's favourite was the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice).  It was soft and slightly wet.  This was probably a result of the good amount of ground pork filling.  Again, everything was there and the textures were mostly on point, but it sorely needed more salt, soy or whatever to flavour it.  Something that didn't lack in anything was the Beef Rice Noodle Roll.  It was soft with a contrasting elasticity.  There was a plethora of tender beef with a slight bounce. With a balanced amount of greens and sweet soy, the rice noodle roll was just plain good.  But then again, it was probably the beneficiary of the added soy sauce.

Continuing on the same theme, we had the Beef Meatballs next. With a similar mix, there was just the right amount of greens.  Furthermore, the texture was just right being bouncy and airy.  However, it was not a flavourful as the rice noodle roll due to the absence of soy sauce.  Also relatively bland, the Sui Mai were large and light in texture.  Considering that, the dumplings were airy and loose.  In fact, the pork was more fatty and mousse-like rather than meaty.  It was as if they put the blender on max, which eliminated any meat texture.

Onto some offal, we had the Five Spiced Beef Tripe.  The evenly sliced pieces were soft with some chew.  There was a tinge of gaminess which was not completely masked by the five spice.  Continuing on with the same theme, the flavours were mild with only the smallest hint of spice.  As for the Chicken Claws with Satay Sauce, it was not exactly a well-executed dish.  Each claw was bony and dry with crunchy cartilage.  They were not plump and moist at all.  And yes, there was a general absence of flavour despite the colour of the claws and the promise of satay sauce.

Our last dish was the Steamed Spareribs with Pumpkin.  Really, I should've just pressed the repeat button and this post would've written itself because the ribs were flavourless.  It was as if they didn't put any seasoning in the marinade.  But then again, they were soft with a slight chew, so they did do some sort of marinade.  Whatever the case, it was really unfortunate about the seasoning issues because the food was not bad.  And to top it off, the service was more than acceptable.

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Textures were mostly right
- Service we got was decent

The Bad:
- Lack of seasoning

Ming Kee Kitchen

Call me crazy or whatever you want to call me... (I'm sure people do).  But I have this lingering hope that I will find good Chinese food at small little takeout joints.  That hope is quickly becoming more like a delusion than anything else.  Yet, I trek on, calling them to place my set meal dinner orders which include the veritable spring rolls, wonton soup and fortune cookies for a reasonable price.  This time around, it was Ming Kee Kitchen out on Canada Way.

The meal didn't start off well since they forgot to omit the green onions out of the Shrimp Fried Rice.  We were quite annoyed when picking out the little bits for the kids.  Other than that snafu, the rice itself was chewy and somewhat moist.  The wok heat was okay where there was some caramelization of flavours.  The large cold-water shrimp were a nice touch.  I tried my best to stay away from the set menus as they were loaded up with North American Chinese food, so I decided to try the Peking Pork Chops.  This was a poor attempt where the pork chops were chewy and not properly tenderized.  Furthermore, the batter slid off each piece becoming a clumpy mess.  As for the sauce, it was okay with the typical sweet & sour thing going on, but it was lacking overall impact.

The Braised Fish & Tofu was equally disappointing with thin and mushy pieces of fish.  I'm not exactly sure what type of fish they used as it was obliterated by the cooking process.  My best guess is sole, but if that was indeed true, that would be the wrong fish to use in this dish (because it is too delicate and thin).  Flavourwise, it was pretty bland due to the plethora of fresh veggies (which watered down everything).   The best dish of the meal was the Broccoli & Beef.  The broccoli was vibrant in colour and crunchy in texture while being well-seasoned.  Although the beef was the typical tenderized version you would find at most Chinese restaurants, it was still easy to chewy with a meatiness to it.

For my son, we had to get an order of the Fried Prawns.  These were pretty typical with a thick tempura batter.  It was too thick though since it was rather doughy inside and only slightly crispy outside.  The shrimp was of a decent size where it was more meaty than exhibiting snap.  I found them quite greasy, but the tangy sweet & sour sauce helped alleviate it.  Since I had spent $49.00, we got a bonus dish being the Honey Garlic Chicken. Er...  I should've refused this dish as it was not good at all.  The pathetically small pieces of chicken were dry and overly inundated with batter.  The sauce was a bit watery and was mostly sweet with very little garlic flavour. We didn't end up eating much of this dish. As you can probably guess, the food was pretty "meh", even for this type of joint.  Despite this, my search continues...

The Good:
- Okay pricing
- Pretty friendly over the phone (yah, I know I'm stretching here)

The Bad:
- Portions are modest
- Overall, food is "meh"
- Awkward location

Speed's Neighbourhood Pub

Sometimes pubs get a bad rap.  Sure, many of them serve the main purpose of offering beverages without much regard for food.  Then there is the gastropub that attempts to fuse inebriation with elevated pub fare.  Yet, if one was under the influence, wouldn't most food taste good?  I mean, if everyone suddenly became 100% more attractive, what does that say about one's judgement in general after several drinks?  Kickin' it ol' skool, Zamboni Guy and Princess Leia joined me in a visit to Speed's Neighbourhood Pub in Ladner.

When I say ol' skool, try to imagine somewhere Billy Joel would play the Piano Man complete with the same type of clientele including the old man making love to his tonic & gin... If you don't get that reference, Youtube it...  Hey, that was before my time too!  Anyways, Zamboni Guy ended up with the BBQ Burger complete with sauce, crispy bacon and lotsa pickles.  It was a fairly average offering where the meat wasn't too dry. Although we applaud them for doing house-cut fries. They were not crispy enough though.  Princess Leia had the ever-exciting Chicken Wrap.  And as such, it was pretty standard.  At least the chicken was still moist while the veggies fresh.

For myself, I had the 2 PC Halibut & Chips.  For halibut, it was mighty flaky and moist.  It was almost cod-like.  I found the batter to be someone moist (with an infusion of dill), yet crispy enough on the outside.  Again, the fries were fresh-cut, but not particularly crunchy.  It could've stood for a double-fry job.  Okay, remember when I mentioned the gastropub?  Well Speed's ain't it.  You'll probably need to down a few for the food to be considered tasty.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Friendly enough service

The Bad:
- So-so food
- Decor needs a refresh

Zipang Sushi

With my ongoing mission to revisit restaurants, it brought Grace and I to Zipang Sushi out on Main Street.  After attending We Day at Rogers Arena, we were both hungry and deaf from all the cheering and yelling.  Nice to see such positive enthusiasm from so many youth though! Since I had already devoured a burger and fries, we felt sushi would be the best bet for an early dinner.

Delicate and crisp, the Assorted Tempura was ultimately affected by the amount of oil on the bottom of the plate.  Therefore, the top pieces were good being cooked just enough while coated with some of the thinnest batter I've seen.  The same couldn't be said about the carrot which was unfortunately the recipient of the oil slick - it was soft and greasy.  Attractive in colour and exhibiting a nice sheen, the well-prepared Assorted Sashimi was really good.  I particularly like the hamachi as it was sweet and mild-flavoured, rather than being fishy (as it sometimes can be).

For our maki sushi, we had the East Meets West and the S.S.S. Roll.  As the name implies, the EMW roll consisted of unagi and avocado with prosciutto on the outside (should've been named East Meets Italy).  The rice itself was decently seasoned while a touch gummy and dense.  Ingredients were good, yet the prosciutto was a little weak.  As for the S.S.S. roll, it consisted of shrimp, scallop and salmon. Nothing particularly exciting about the roll, but it was solid nonetheless.  With quality ingredients, it was pleasant to eat.  Lastly, we had the Sake Kama which was grilled up nicely.  Of course the meat around the fins was buttery and soft while the collar was more cooked.  Much like my last visit (which was a long time ago), Zipang Sushi delivered in freshness, presentation and taste.

The Good:
- Delicately prepared food
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- A tad more pricey than "value" joints
- Limited seating

Sushi Royal House

Awhile back, we had visited Bentei Sushi out in North Burnaby and came away thinking, "what the heck was that???".  Then Viv had tried out their Grandview Hwy location (without me???) and it was pretty much the same.  Now that location has become Sushi Royal House, but with Bentei Sushi still plastered on the windows and on their receipts.  In fact, on this visit, Viv noticed it was the same sushi chef.  Merely a name change?  I guess we'd have to see...

If it wasn't obvious before, with a continuous feed of Hyuna on the flat screen TV, the place is Korean-run. Still can't listen to her version of Gangnam Style (wait, I can't stand the song in general!).  Anyways, we started with the Starry Night Roll consisting of avocado, tempura shrimp, imitation crab with spicy tuna on top.  We found the roll to be a bit haphazardly prepared with things falling out and a bit messy looking.  The rice was on the harder side with very little flavour.  That was somewhat alleviated by the spicy tuna and drizzle of 2 sauces.  Next up was the Prawn Tempura, which was fried up crispy.  It was mild on the grease with a relatively thin batter.  I found the ebi to be more meaty than cold-water crunchy.

Awkwardly and not really all that appealingly plated, the Assorted Sashimi was pretty average.  The tuna was really cold and a touch icy while the salmon was pretty bland.  Nothing was terrible yet it wasn't exactly a joy to eat either.  I guess the "flat" presentation didn't help matters either.  As for our filler items, the Oyako Don was a pretty typical non-authentic version packed with various veggies.  This essentially doomed the rice as it added far too much moisture where the rice became super soggy.  Moreover, it was pretty flavourless and the really chewy chicken didn't help matters.

Lastly, the Beef Yakisoba was decent.  Although it was lacking in overall flavour, the dish wasn't greasy and the noodles were still chewy (they were stuck together though).  The thin slices of beef were on the drier side. In the end, we didn't hate our meal, yet weren't all that enthused either.  Considering our total bill was North of $60.00 (with tax and tip), one could eat at many better Japanese restaurants (or better value Korean-run spots such as Sushi Town and Sushi Garden).  Therefore, it is not much of a surprise that the place was not busy on a Saturday.

The Good:
- Friendly server
- Lots of Korean pop music

The Bad:
- Not great value
- Food isn't good enough to compete

Sun Yee

*Restaurant is now closed*

Sometimes, there is no other way to describe things but to be rather blunt.  And no, I'm not going to rant and rave about Richmond...  Although it is rather fun...  Instead, there are restaurants that are not very sexy.  Sun Yee would fit that description with its "easily ignored" yellow awning, drab interior and 70's washrooms.  Yet, sometimes we have to look at substance instead of glitz.  Hence, this is where we met up with Costanza, Elaine and all the kiddies for dinner one night.

In actuality, Gordo and I had visited the place once after hockey, but due to the limited amount of dishes we had, I never blogged about it. Well, we didn't have this problem this time around as we ended up with the "choose your dishes" Dinner for 6 which included soup, bonus tilapia, rice and dessert.  To begin, we were presented with the Daily Soup which was Herbal Chicken Feet.  Yes, it looked more like a crime scene from Chicken Run, but I did like silkiness of the soup despite being bland.  Our first dish was the Honey Peach Prawns which were drenched in a sweet mayo glaze.  The prawns had a nice snap and were still crisp on the outside.  Not sure about the peach as I'm not a huge fan of cooked fruit.

Next, we had the Peking Pork Chops which were thick and juicy.  They were properly tenderized being soft while maintaining a bite.  However, the batter was too thick and became gummy when contacted with the sauce.  The sauce itself was too sweet and the barely cooked onions didn't benefit the dish.  Instead of getting an extra hit of sweetness and aromatics, all we got was raw onion taste.  Bubbling and sizzling, the Satay Beef & Vermicelli Hot Pot was flavourful with only a hint of spice.  Due to the amount of liquid, the vermicelli ultimately became quite soft.  As for the beef (where there was lots of it), it was also soft where it was over-tenderized.

Moving along, we got the Broccoli and Beef.  Much like the aforementioned hot pot, the beef was also pretty soft.  However, it was probably cooked a touch less which meant there was some chew left.  The broccoli was vibrant and still crunchy.  Although the dish wasn't exactly lacking in flavour, it could've benefited from some garlic.  As part of the meal, we were presented with a complimentary Steamed Tilapia.  As much as I'm not a fan of that particular fish, they did a relatively good job preparing it.  Normally, tilapia has the texture of overcooked mushy fish, but in this case, it was somewhat flaky while the belly portion was fatty and just cooked.

Although the Steamed Pork Patty with Salted Fish is often considered a home-style dish, I generally do not hesitate to order it in a restaurant.  The effort it takes to hand-mince the meat is a real turn-off, so I let someone else do the work!  I liked this version as the pork was moist, loose and not overly fatty.  There was just enough salted fish for flavour while it wasn't stingingly saltly.  Surrounded by shrimp chips, the Crispy Chicken featured a nicely coloured crispy skin.  The meat was a little on the drier side, yet was not completely chewy either.  There was a general lack of seasoning which meant the side of wok salt was necessary.  Suffice to say, we didn't even finish half of the food we ordered, partially due to our silliness, yet mostly because of the portion size.   As unsexy as it is, Sun Yee serves up okay food for a good price.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Large portions
- Acceptable

The Bad:
- Acceptable, but not great
- Decor and washrooms have seen better days (but that's not what you are paying for)