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Rising from the ashes of the North Delta location of Sammy J Peppers comes another Indian Restaurant. Like Richmond needs more Chinese restaurants and luxury SUVs, Pinch of Spice joins a roster full of Indian restaurants along Scott Road. To be fair, not many of them sport trendy decor and ambiance, except for Tasty Bistro down a few blocks. Now flash and dash is one thing, the question is the food any good? Joining me to see for ourselves was Mr. Talkative.

Hitting the table first was a complimentary basket of Papadums with cilantro chutney. These were crispy and when dipped into the chutney, we were treated to a cool brightness. For our first dish, we had the Crispy Prawn which was not served with a sweet chili sauce as described on the menu. Whatever, we dipped it into the cilantro chutney instead. Each piece was pretty crunchy and plenty flavourful with a pinch of spice (ironic I know...). However, they were fried too long as the meat was rubbery and chewy.

Naturally, we had to try the Butter Chicken and it was pretty good. This version rode the fine balance between tomatoey and creamy. There was no denying the richness of the dish, yet there was just enough tomato paste in there to provide a counterbalance of tartness. The default spice level was mild while not being completely wimpy either. Although the chicken was sufficiently moist, it could've been more so. Next, the Lamb Curry was pretty rich and full of depth. With a nice consistency and noticeable spice (still mild though), there was no absence of punch. The chunks of lamb were super moist.

Lastly, we had the Mutton Rogan Josh (even though it was in the goat section) and this was probably our favourite. There was a good hit of spice including ginger and onions. It was also quite rich and fatty. As for the Naan, they were chewy and had a good elasticity while the underside was crispy and blistering. In reference to the accompanying picture, the Naan was pretty decent as it was blistered and plenty crispy on the bottom while soft and chewy inside. As much as the service was pretty green, the food was more than acceptable. Pinch of Spice offers up credible competition to the trendy Tasty Bistro up the street.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Modern decor (old Sammy J's)
- Friendly people
The Bad:
- Service is still a bit green and slow
- More expensive than most other Indian restaurants around
*Restaurant is closed*
I'm sure you've heard about Fresh Local Wild - a popular food truck usually located on the corner of Burrard and Pender in Downtown Vancouver. If not, Google it and you'll find that Guy Fieri has graced them with his presence. With that kind of notoriety, it comes as no surprise that Chef Josh Wolfe opened up a B&M location in Yaletown. Replacing the mediocre BBQues, Good Wolfe Kitchen & Bar offers up reasonably-priced fare amongst pricier establishments.

Viv, myself, Elaine and Costanza decided to hit up the place to see for ourselves. We started with the Squid with lemon, pepper, chili, ginger, green onion and fresh piquant. Light and crispy, the batter encased tender pieces of squid which still exhibited a bite. There was no absence of seasoning with a slight spice and plenty of acidity from the lemon. Next, we tried the Steelhead Pastrami accented with house maple mustard, chervil and caraway seeds. Whatever it lacked in quantity, the overall execution made up for it in spades. Think lox except made with trout and a richer flavour. In this case, there was just enough salt which was nicely contrasted by the mustard. The texture was buttery soft without being mushy.

Continuing on, we had the Artichoke Dip consisting of marinated chokes, kale crisps, chevril and Philly bechamel. Underneath the obstruction, aka kale crisps, was a creamy concoction that was somewhat gamy. We figured they used goat cheese in the dip. It was seasoned just enough while the aforementioned kale crisps were good, but there was just too much of it (making it hard to get to the dip. We didn't like the bread as it was far too dry and hard. Lastly, we shared the Terrine and Steak Tartare which was a significant portion with a generous cut of terrine along with tartare and speck. We found the terrine to be mild and firm in texture with bits of foie. As for the tartare, it was mostly tender with some chew. The bits of onion provided both crunch and zing. We found the flavours to be balanced until the end where it finished with some spice.

Onto the mains, I decided to go for the mainstay being the Fish & Chips. The fish was light and moist with a thin, crispy batter. The modest side of fries were somewhat crisp and plenty salty. I would've liked to see them more crunchy considering the dark hue. The accompanying tartar sauce was smooth with the crunch of pickles which added the necessary acidity. Costanza went for the 1lb Mussels Pasta consisting of fresh pasta, garlic, basil and white wine cream. The best part of this dish was the mussels as they were plump, buttery and all open. Despite the nicely al dente pasta, it wasn't blessed with a lot of flavour since the sauce was far too thin. It was mostly bland except for some mild hits of garlic.

Viv opted for the Braised Beef Cheek which was expertly prepared. It rested on country-style risotto with natural jus. The ample portion of beef cheek was gelatinous and fork tender. There was a naturalness to the flavour, but we would've preferred a touch of salt anyways. We found the risotto to be creamy, yet a touch overdone. The natural jus was exactly as advertised as we could really taste the meatiness with a touch of red wine. The best dish of all was the Coq au Vin with bacon, spatzle, little veggies and Gewürztraminer. The Cornish game hen was beautifully executed where the meat was really moist while the skin was nicely rendered and crispy. The sauce was creamy and only lightly kissed by the Gewürztraminer. The side of spatzle was dense and buttery while really crispy on the outside.

For dessert, we had the Lemon Cake with rosemary sugar, lavender and whipped cream. If we ignored the actual cake itself, the dessert was fresh, tart and aromatic. The lavender and zest were both impactful components. However, the cake was taken straight from the fridge where it did not have time to warm up. Hence, it was too dense. We gave it some time and at the end, it wasn't bad. Lastly, we tried the "Apple Crisp" which was elevated by the use of fried bread pudding accompanied by bits of apple and small dollops of ice cream. This was freakin' fantastic as the bread cubes were crunchy and moist. Add in the tartness and crunch of the apples and the sweetness of the ice cream, this dessert had it all. Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Good Wolfe, especially considering the reasonable pricing. Definitely a place that is worth checking out.
The Good:
- Well-priced
- Decent portions
- Above-average food
The Bad:
- Flavours are a bit mild, more seasoning wouldn't hurt
There are times when I get asked why my pictures of restaurants do not match the time of day when I visited them. Simple answer - I went back to take that picture because it was either too dark or I merely forgot. Yes, I am that crazy and committed. So when I pulled into the parking lot to get an exterior shot of Ming Kee on Canada Way, I looked over to Viva Sue Pizza. Boy, I haven't been back in so long. Last time, I was suffering from the stomach flu and decided that since things were going out anyways, I should eat as bad as possible (that included McD's and Beard Papa!).

So that one thing that I remembered about Viva Sue's pizzas is the generous amount of cheese on top. I got a small Pepperoni Pizza for the kiddies and if I hadn't told you what was in it, one could easily mistaken it for a cheese pizza. Underneath the thick layer of surprisingly non-greasy cheese was large slices of pepperoni which hid the tomato sauce. Yes, their pizzas are hearty! The crust was more bread-like, which I didn't mind. A bit tart, slightly sweet and somewhat zesty, the tomato sauce took its position in the background. I got a medium Ham & Pineapple for myself and Viv and it was just as cheesy with large slices of ham. Pretty typical, but again, with lots of cheese.
For good measure, I added a Baked Lasagna with garlic bread. And you guessed it, with lots of cheese on top. Naturally, the lasagna was the typical "take-out pizza joint" style (without Ricotta nor cottage cheese), but it was okay. The noodles were not overdone while the sauce was plenty meaty. Despite over 4 years between visits, Viva Sue was exactly I remembered it - a very cheesy experience.
The Good:
- Lotsa cheese
- Lotsa toppings
- Nice people
The Bad:
- Unless you mind it, the pizza is heavy and can be greasy
- Awkward location to get in and out of
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?
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
*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
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