Bombay Se

Often, certain low ratings on Urbanspoon and Yelp make me ponder.  Hey, I've been to that place before and it wasn't that bad... What gives?  Makes me appreciate the blog Food Rebuttal as they visit all of the nasty places (with sometimes a different take).  So for my recent re-visit to Bombay Se, it was a form of Food Rebuttal since their rating is a lowly 56% (at the time of this post).

I've had both the regular menu and the buffet before at Bombay Se.  This visit was the buffet as I bought a 2-for-1 coupon. Although attractive in appearance, the Butter Chicken was pretty average.  The sauce was too thin in consistency and taste.  It was neither creamy nor tomatoey, rather, it was very mild and watery.  The pieces of chicken were on the drier side as well. Granted, this was a buffet version of the dish, so I'll cut them some slack.  I did like the Saag Lamb as the spinach was creamy and silky.  The pieces of lamb were sufficiently tender while the flavour was also quite mild.

I really liked the Fish Pakora as each piece was thick which in turn ensured it would be flaky and moist.  Yet that did not compromise the crispiness of the exterior.  It was light and only marginally greasy.  They were also well-seasoned.  The Naan was served table-side where it was pretty decent where the bottom was crisp and charred while the rest of it was soft, pillowy and chewy.  Not a huge fan of the Daal as it resembled soup with little-to-no-flavour.  Meh, yah the 56% does seem about right for the food we got at Bombay Se.  To be fair, it was the buffet, so the a la carte dishes could be better.  But for now, I would look elsewhere for an Indian buffet considering that are so many along Scott Road.

The Good:
- Spacious and nicely appointed
- Friendly staff
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Food is meh, at least for the buffet
- Only an elevator up to the restaurant, no stairs?

Sagano

Abbotsford?  What the heck was I doing out there?  And grabbing AYCE Japanese?  Did I lose my mind?  Well, I probably lost my mind some time ago, so we are well past that.  However, the reason for being this far into the Fraser Valley was the result of attending the Christmas Show at the Tradex.  We made our way into town and decided to try Sagano, which was closed the last time we craved Japanese in Abbotsford (yes really...).  And the AYCE came about because it was actually cheaper than ordering a la carte (and all of the items we wanted were on the AYCE menu including specialty rolls).

So after nervously marking down my selections on the order sheet, we waited for our fate.  The first wave consisted of Miso Soup, Green Salad, Spinach Gomae and Ebi Sunomono.  The gomae was decent with tender spinach topped by a light drizzle of sweet (with a touch of salt) sesame dressing.  The sunomono featured chewy noodles with a balanced dressing.  Next was the Sashimi consisting of salmon and tuna along with some Nigiri.  Although not sliced particularly well, the sashimi was alright.  With a nice sheen and smell, there was no overly mushy items nor fishiness.  The sushi rice for the nigiri was on the firmer side and mild tasting.

Next, we had the Chicken Udon, Beef & Chicken Teriyaki and Gyoza.  The pieces of chicken in the udon was super moist while the udon was chewy.  The soup was more like chicken broth than typical udon broth.  Both teriyaki dishes were pretty typical of AYCE with a sweet glaze.  The meats were moist though.  The same could be said about the gyoza as it was standard with a relatively thin skin and a pork & cabbage filling.  As mentioned, they had full versions of their specialty rolls on the AYCE menu and we got the Dragon Roll consisting of ebi tempura and cucumber with unagi, avocado, tobiko and mayo on the outside.  Not a bad roll, but heavy on the rice.

Moving along and thinking about the hockey game later on, we had the Tonkatsu, Chicken Karaage, Fried Gyoza and Agedashi Tofu.  Not a huge fan of the tonkatsu as it was razor-thin while the wings were crispy and juicy.  The fried gyoza was nothing out-of-the-ordinary whereas the agedashi tofu was pretty lonely without any dressing to go with it (it was crispy though).  For the kiddies, they kept reminding us that the Tempura had not arrived yet.  When it did, they attacked it like wild animals.  Everything was cooked right while the batter was crunchy.  We found it a bit greasy though.

For no good reason, we got another specialty roll being the Canuck (possibly because the game was on the TV at the time?).  It was made up of spicy tuna on the inside with salmon tempura and bonito on the outside.  Again, the amount of rice made the roll heavy and the slightly dry salmon didn't help matters.  I much preferred the Dragon Roll.  For dessert, we got Mango and Green Tea Ice Cream.  The friendly owner-lady gave the kids some lollipops as well.  Hey, for Abbotsford, this was a solid AYCE complete with friendly service.  Much better choice than places such as Sui Sha Ya.

The Good:
- Decent food quality considering it's in Abby
- Friendly service
- Good variety for AYCE

The Bad:
- Not Japanese-run if that matters to you
- Rolls a bit heavy on the rice

Tapioca Cafe

*Restaurant is now closed*

It is not often that I visit a restaurant over and over again without blogging about it.  Whenever I eat, I get this urge to pull out my camera.  However, for 4 straight visits to Tapioca Cafe, I not only didn't take pictures, my camera was not even present.  Sure, I had some anxiety over this, but with Mijune as my eating partner each time, I was too interested in chatting than actually taking pictures.  Finally, with the 5th visit, enough was enough - it was time to blog.

Due to the fact I had just finished hockey, my appetite was bigger than usual (if you can believe that).  Hence, I ordered a bunch of food where Mijune merely picked at it here and there. As for drinks, I went fo the Lychee Slush (with very little sugar) and Mijune had the Black Sesame.  Both were exactly how we like it and with enough flavour despite the low sugar.  Much like the last 4 times, the Chicken Nuggets were very good.  With a light crispiness and juicy interior, there was much to like about them.  Furthermore, there was no chicken skin, which usually makes it fatty and gross in my opinion.  It was not very pepper nor salty though, but there was definitely 5 spice.

The most surprising dish was the Fried Fish Cake.  Sliced thin and fried until they resembled potato chips, we couldn't stop eating them.  They were a touch greasy, but super crispy.  Moreover, the ample seasoning had a bit of everything including salty, peppery, 5-spice and a hint of curry (and MSG).  We also ended up with the Kimchi Fried rice where plenty of ingredients hid underneath.  That ensured a spicy crunch mixed in with julienned pork and frozen veggies.  I found the rice to be a touch soft, yet still exhibiting good wok heat.  There was no absence of flavour here.

Lastly, I got the Taiwanese Beef Noodle and by looking at the picture, the portion size was as large as it looked.  Packed with mostly al dente noodles and tender morsels of beef, this was another solid offering.  The soup wasn't exactly super meaty, yet it was not bland either.  I could taste some other flavours beyond the first sip.  Pretty decent place in my opinion and consistent too since this was my 5th visit.

The Good:
- Got our drinks right
- Decent eats
- Spacious

The Bad:
- If you come during peak hours, the parking lot tends to get full
- Service is not bad, but a bit slow

Ramen Izakaya @ NanChuu

Lately, it seems that I'm reliving my youth whether it be intentional or situational.  The intentional would be slapping on 18" rims and lowering my car (Viv still rolls her eyes about this...).  Situational would be Hapa Izakaya's 10th Anniversary party (which was fun) and hanging out with Miss Y.  The latest adventure saw us not only go out for late night eats, but to do something I hadn't done in 10 years - Karaoke...  What's next?  Back to clubbing in the wee hours of the morning or growing out a mullet (hey, it looked good!)?

So before the butchering of great songs (on my part), we headed over to NanChuu where a slight transformation took place when they introduced ramen (with the closing of G-Men Ramen nearby). We started with the Ankimo which was generous in portion size and silky in texture.  There was the distinctive taste of the sea and natural sweetness.  Next was an order of Tuna Yuuke topped with the requisite quail's egg yolk.  It was served with a side of nori.  When mixed, the tuna yuuke was more flavourful than I would've imagined.  Being a bit salty, it hid the natural flavours.  Yet, it was still good with the silkiness from the egg.

The Beef Tataki was a bit disappointing as the meat was sinewy and chewy. In fact, we already expected that by the visuals on the plate.  If we overlooked the texture, the meat itself was seared properly (with a beautiful colour) while the side of ponzu was nicely balanced with a good zip. Our order of Takoyaki was properly dressed with the right amount of mayo, sauce and bonito flakes (as in not over-sauced).  Each takoyaki was fluffy featuring barely chewy pieces of octopus.  Nothing particularly amazing about the dish, but it was pretty standard and prepared properly.

For me, a visit to an Izakaya is not complete without an order of Ebi Mayo.  In this case, the ebi had a good snap while being meaty at the same time.  The batter was mostly crisp except for the part that was drenched in chili mayo.  I could've done with a little less mayo, but it was still good having a touch of spice.  And of course we couldn't leave without trying a bowl of ramen.  In this case, we tried the Miso Ramen with egg, corn and butter.  The noodles were still chewy while the soup base was silky and somewhat salty.  With the addition of butter, it was even more rich and a bit creamy.  With a beautiful yolk, the egg was good as well as the fatty slices of chashu.  This was a decent bowl of ramen.

For good measure, Miss Y wanted a bowl of rice and decided on the Nori Ontama Don (Poached Egg & Seaweed Sauce on Rice).  As simple as it was, the rice was nice being chewy and somewhat dry.  The runny egg added the moisture while the seaweed afforded a mild flavour from the sea.  It was a good compliment to the other dishes.  Overall, we enjoyed the food at NanChuu including the ramen.  Definitely a step above some of the other "modified" Izakayas in Richmond.

The Good:
- Tastes and looks like a Downtown Izakaya
- Ramen is solid
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Not the most comfortable of seating arrangements (but that is pretty normal for Izakayas)
- Somewhat limited menu

JDR's Cafe

Alright.  What if I told you about a restaurant where you can buy lottery tickets, have a donut and a salad roll whilst drinking bubble tea.  And what if this restaurant is located in Tsawwassen?  Yes, all of this can be had at JDR's Cafe and no, this is not a joke.  I'm not even sure how to categorize this place.  But Bubbly convinced me to pay it a visit and ironically, to give their bubble teas a go.

Well, to be completely frank, I really shouldn't have ordered any bubble teas.  I ended up with a Strawberry Slush with pearls and a Mango Slush with coconut jelly.  One sip of the strawberry and whoomp there it is...  instant high blood sugar.  Insulin anyone?  It tasted like liquid candy much like the strawberry on a Pocky stick.  The Mango didn't fare any better resembling a more potent version of instant mango pudding.  Far too sweet and far too artificial tasting.  It makes Bubble World taste like the best stuff on Earth in comparison.

Fortunately, I ordered a Viet Chicken Sub to go for kicks and it was actually pretty good despite my reservations (and the fail of the bubble teas).  The bread was toasted nice and crisp while the grilled chicken was moist and flavourful.  Add in some pickled daikon and carrots (which were a touch too sweet), mayo, jalapeno and cilantro, it was a flavourful sandwich.  I was planning on going back to try their breakfast, but really, that wouldn't have been interesting anyways.  Let's just say I won't be returning anytime soon for the bubble tea...

The Good:
- Cheap
- Friendly people
- An eclectic mix of stuff

The Bad:
- If you consider sugar and food colouring a tasting drink

Wah Lun

Wow.  It is very rare that I visit the same restaurant twice within the same week.  However, this was the case as we popped by Wah Lun for dinner with the family.  At least it was for dinner, not Dim Sum like last time.  For those unaware, there are usually 2 different chefs for Dim Sum and dinner, hence, the food quality for either are mutually exclusive.  And yes, that is my justification for doing 2 visits so close to each other.

We started with the complimentary order of Poached Free-Range Chicken which was roughly more than a quarter.  If we went for the 4 course menu, it would've been half a chicken.  I thought the skin was nicely done as it was gelatinous with a layer of gelatin underneath.  Flavourwise, the chicken was well-seasoned while retaining a natural sweetness.  We appreciated that the minced ginger condiment was easy on the green onion.  As for the Daily Soup, it consisted of pork, carrots and herbs.  It was very flavourful which led me to believe that a good amount of MSG was in there.

For a small lil' Chinese restaurant, the Peking Duck was surprisingly good.  With a rich hue and a crispy texture, each piece of skin benefited from the courtesy fat scrape.  Hence, when wrapped in the slightly dry pancakes, it was not heavy to eat.  As much as they were super generous with the shrimp chips underneath, there was actually too much of it.  The second course was the Duck Lettuce Wrap.  There was decent enough wok heat to caramelized the ingredients (which remained crunchy) while the addition of diced Chinese sausage added both aromatics and the necessary saltiness.  I wasn't a huge fan of the way they hacked up the lettuce though as there were holes everywhere (lead to huge epic fails of ingredients leaking all over the place).

The Peking Pork Chops was easily the least successful dish of the meal.  As it hit the table, the unappealing pale reddish colour was a clear indication that there was not enough Worcestershire sauce added.  Hence, it tasted more like a sweet & sour sauce.  Furthermore, the pork chops themselves were a touch dry while the batter had become soft and clumpy.  However, that was the only poor dish as the Seafood & Tofu Hot Pot was bursting with ingredients.  The prawns had a nice snap while the fish was moist and flaky.  The squid could've been a bit more tender, but it wasn't horrible.  We liked how there wasn't too much moisture in the dish and when there was, it wasn't salty.

For our vegetable dish, we had the Gai Lan with Beef.  This was well-prepared with crunchy vibrant stalks with tender slices of beef on top.  There was a minimal amount of moisture on the bottom of the plate. Lastly, for dessert, we had Mango Pudding in the form of small koi.  These were actually better than most powdered mango pudding offerings.  There was actually some tartness, but no, there was no real mango to speak of (as with everywhere else).  For the price we paid, the food was pretty decent and well-portioned.  I'm not sure why the rating for Wah Lun is that low, but it might have to do with their previously indifferent service.

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Good portions
- Decent

The Bad:
- The service we got was okay, but not exactly warm and fuzzy either
- Tables are set close together

Jollibee

My son loves skin.  Alright, before you call child protection services on me, I will clarify...  He loves crispy skin such as Peking duck, roast pork cracklings and fried chicken.  For a kid who is as adventurous as a vegan at a Texan BBQ, he sure loves the crunchy stuff.  Hence, while we were at Southcenter in Tukwila, it seemed like a good idea to hit up Jollibee.  For those who are unaware, Jollibee is a fast food chain out of the Philippines which is famous for their fried chicken.

Okay, let's get right to the meat (sorry for the pun) of the meal with the 3 PC Spicy Fried Chicken with 2 sides (corn & fries).  With one bite into the crispy and greasy chicken, the juices ran down my hand.  It was so tender and moist - an indication of a good brine.  But the best part was the spiciness.  It hit my tongue with force but had a nice sweet, almost BBQ-like finish.  Dunking it into the mild gravy helped temper the spiciness.  The fries were pretty crispy with a starch coating.  Not really fond of the corn though since it was a bit tough.  As much as they are famous for their fried chicken, I had to try their Aloha Burger.  It was a pretty simple concoction of beef patty, lettuce, bacon, cheese and pineapple, however, I liked it.  The bun was super soft and while the beef was well-done, it was not overly dry.

My daughter insisted on the Spaghetti with ham, sausage, beef and cheese. It was a predictably sweet with barely any zing due to the use of banana ketchup.  The pasta was not too overdone.  A great spaghetti for kids, but an acquired taste for adults familiar with the American version. Her order came with a regular piece of fried chicken and it was also a recipient of a good brine.  Juicy and flavourful.  We also tried the Pancit Palabok (Fiesta Noodles on the menu) it was saucy, slightly seafoody, savoury and sweet.  For a fast food joint, with prepared ingredients, this was was a decent version with layered flavours and enough meat.  Overall, the meal was enjoyable, but the star was and will always be the spicy fried chicken in my opinion.

The Good:
- Juicy and flavourful fried chicken
- Decent value
- Something different if you haven't tried it

The Bad:
- Compared to an actual Filipino restaurant, the rest of the food is average, but then again, it's fast food...
- Long lineups at this location