skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Eat Your Heart Out is an event that runs from February 18th to the 23rd. Six restaurants in the Tri-Cities area are offering $35.00 three-course meals that benefit Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation. $10 from each meal is donated directly back to the ERHF. These restaurants include The Boathouse, St. James's Well, Mr. Mikes Steakhouse, Onyx Steakhouse & Lounge, Staint St Grill and Browns Socialhouse. I was invited to the kick-off event on the 17th to check out some of these restaurants. We met at Port Moody City Hall where we were treated to drinks before we hopped aboard trollies that would shuttle us to each of the locations.
Our first stop would be The Boathouse at Rocky Point. We were treated to a plate consisting of Lobster, Shrimp and Salmon. I thought the lobster was a touch on the softer side with a combination of natural flavours and enough seasoning. The shrimp had a buttery snap while also kissed with plenty of salt. I found the salmon to be still moist despite being cooked all the way through. It was sauced with a zippy lemon thyme beurre blanc. At Mr Mikes, we were served a plate consisting of a dried cranberry and feta salad, AAA Sirloin Steak and mashed potatoes. This was a bit small considering I could eat the steak in 2 bites. It was cooked medium and was mostly tender. It had plenty of natural meat flavour whereby the gravy on the mashed potatoes was a bit too salty.
Our last stop was St James's Well where we had the most substantial offering consisting of a Mini-Slider, Parmesan Fries, Ribs and Crab & Salmon Cake. I liked the acidic and sweet mango pineapple salsa on top of the crab & salmon cake. The cake itself was rather dense and hard, but it did taste good though with a hint of curry. I found the ribs to be meaty and sufficiently tender with a sweet smoky BBQ sauce. The mini-slider was pretty typical with a soft airy bun. After this, we were taken back to city hall where we were treated to a variety of desserts. At each location pop was on the house while one alcoholic beverage was complimentary with each ticket. If you are in the Tri-Cities area or even if you are not, support a good cause and eat at the same time!
*Note - this was an invited event where all food was comped
The Good:
- Support a good cause
- For the kick-off event, the trolly transportation was nice
- Drinks are included (with one alcoholic beverage)
The Bad:
- Most of the items we tried were not on the actual 3-course menu
- The sampler at Mr. Mikes was kinda small, but it's for charity right?
When a restaurant has been around forever, it usually implies that there is either good food or something is amiss in the Universe. Take Floata for example, they are very far away from being respectable in terms of food and service, but they continue to survive (yes, I am aware they do banquet and tourist business). Ironically, right across the street is a run-down Hong Kong-style cafe named Gold Stone, that has been operating for 20+ years. Since we were in Chinatown anyways, we decided to see why it has stuck around.
We decided to start with a classic HK-style cafe staple being the set lunch including choice of soup (Cream of Ham & Corn in this case), choice of bread (Pineapple Bun) and choice of drink (Lemon Iced Tea). The large bowl of soup was very starchy and floury which made it slightly less appealing. The pineapple bun was served warm and fluffy with a firm sweet topping. For the main dish, we had the Chicken and Mushroom Spaghetti. "Gross" would be the best way to describe this dish as the noodles were sticky and chewy. The minimal sauce was too thick and tasted mainly of cheese.
The lack of sauce was consistent with the Baked Pork Chop Rice as well. Sure, there was a layer of bland, over-watered down ketchup on top, but it was very thin. Even after we scraped it off, there wasn't nearly enough for the mound of very dry rice underneath. The pork chop itself was meaty and not dry, but it was hardly moist either. Fortunately, our third dish was decent being the Vermicelli with Pork & Pickled Vegetable. It was still toothsome with a starch-thickened sauce which added both moisture and seasoning. Viv didn't like the peppers in the mix, yet I thought it provided an extra layer of flavour. Of note, it was a fairly large portion.
For my son, he didn't want any of it and decided on a Bacon & Egg Sandwich. Served on the usual soft white crustless bread, the egg was not too overcooked while the meaty bacon could've been more crispy. Whatever the case, he liked it. However, as a whole, the food that we tried was pretty mediocre. Considering their prices, I would much rather walk up the block to Main Street and hit up The Boss instead. In the end, this visit did not help me answer my aforementioned question.
The Good:
- Decent portions
- Fairly decent service (if not sparse)
- Large restaurant with plenty of seating
The Bad:
- Food is mediocre
- Prices are not exactly cheap (other than the specials)
Okay, I couldn't resist. Really, I couldn't. There it was staring at me - enticing and cheap. Before you (and especially Viv) think I was making a bad decision, what I was staring at was a Travel Zoo deal that would give me the choice of 2 appies, 2 entrees and 2 desserts at the Revel Room for $45.00. Hence, I didn't pass up the deal and bought it. So unlike my other expired coupons, Viv and I decided to strike when the coal was still hot. We went the very next day.
Viv started with the Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad which looked legit. As much as the tuna was still rare in the middle, the sear was probably 30 seconds too long as the exterior cooked portion was too thick. However, it wasn't that bad when we ate it and in fact, could've been somewhat alleviated by a thinner slice. In terms of the other items on the plate, we liked the deviled egg as it provided something different than the usual with a creaminess and slight spice. The beans were crisp and vibrant while the potatoes were soft, yet not mushy. There was a good amount of vinaigrette which ensured that the salad was not bland. For myself, I had the Duck Confit, Pear & Brie Quesadila with red onion compote. The duck itself was sufficiently moist where the rest of the ingredients afforded a certain mildness. However, with a dab of the compote, the flavours were much more balanced with an acidity and sweetness.
For our mains, Viv had the Jambalaya of shrimp, andouille sausage and smoked chicken with creole rice, red & green peppers. It was served with herbed corn bread. This was a fairly large portion which featured a low rumbling of spice and not an over-reliance of salt. The sausage was meaty and not dry while the shrimp were cooked just right. A decent jambalaya which was somewhat marred by the serving temperature as it was luke warm. What a shame. I decided on the Ribs with White Cheddar Mac n' Cheese. The ribs were fall off-the-bone, yet the meat was almost dehydrated in texture. On the other hand, the plethora of sauce helped matters. It was smoky, zesty and plenty tart. I really liked the side of sauteed kale (in place of collard greens) as it was still toothsome and loaded with lemon and seasoning. As for the mac n' cheese, it was flavourful especially from the Applewood smoked bacon.
For dessert, Viv had the Bourbon Vanilla Cheesecake with Chantilly Cream and fruit coulis. I liked the overall flavour of the cheesecake as it had this background savoury element to it while still be plenty cream-cheesy. However, there were bits of cream cheese throughout the slice which I didn't mind, but is a clear indication it wasn't blended enough. Lastly, I settled on the Dessert Sampler with lemon square, pecan square and dark chocolate torte. For lack of a better work, all three were average at best. I found the lemon square to be overly dense and sweet while the chocolate torte to be the best of bunch being only semi-sweet and with a decent texture. Overall, we couldn't really complain about the price (due to the coupon). The food in general was okay with dessert being the weak point.
The Good:
- Nice Gastown vibe
- We got friendly service
- Drinks were good
The Bad:
- Food is so-so
Generally, I'm not one for restaurant revisits (unless I didn't get a large enough sample size, the place is plain awesome or it's been awhile). However, with Polka King agreeing to head out for eats after hockey, we would move heaven and earth. In fact, we would help him remove that ball & chain attached to his ankle too... LOL. Anyways, if that hasn't already gotten him in trouble, we decided to head to The One due to its proximity to his house.
Milhouse went for the standard being the Noodles with Beef Flank. It was a deceiving portion as there was much more noodles than it appeared. These were chewy and didn't soften up too much as time passed. The beef was tender, if not a touch on the drier side while the soup was pretty typical (which was flavourful and slightly meaty). There could've been a bit more pickled veg though. Polka King decided on the Curry Beef with all the little sides. He seemed to enjoy it as it was thick and relatively flavourful if not very mild in flavour. The meat was fairly moist.
For myself, I had the Spicy Tripe Hot Pot and really, it wasn't spicy at all. In fact, the broth was mostly sweet lacking in depth. However, there was a decent amount of bible and honeycomb tripe mixed with beef meatballs, Napa cabbage and glass noodles. I found the honeycomb tripe to be easy to eat while the bible tripe too chewy. I liked how the noodles did not soften too much retaining a chew. As a side, I had the Chicken Nuggets which were pretty decent. The meat was juicy inside with a light crispiness on the outside. There was a definite 5-spice thing going on, but I would've liked it more peppery though.
Lionel Hutz had the Satay Beef Noodles which were more salty than spicy. I found the noodles to be al dente while a touch wet. Although the beef looked dry, it was actually decently moist. For his drink, he had the Pineapple Slush which arrived sky-high as it usually does at The One. Could it be that makes up for something? Wait, that is stereotype right? I don't need a drink like that to make up for anything! TMI? Anyways, it was not very sweet and bordering on bland, but this is how we like it anyways. It was smooth and had a touch of pineapple essence. Our server showed us the technique of sharing it by placing a plastic cup on top and hence, removing half of the drink. Overall, this visit to The One was pretty much like all my previous meals (I've had many without blogging about it). The food is decent enough while the portion sizes are fairly good. Can't really complain, especially for late night eats.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Open late
- Large drinks
The Bad:
- Yes, there is better, but not in Burnaby this late (maybe Pearl House)
- Service is okay, but kinda sparse
Sometimes the search for newer and better doesn't necessarily yield positive results. Take for instance the Banh Mi. When one thinks of a Banh Mi joint, 3 often come to mind - Ba Le, Tung Hing and Kim Chau. So it is not always a bad thing to go back to the well and remind oneself of how good they really are. That was the thinking as I pulled up to Tung Hing... with a large tree branch wedged beneath my car - darn lowering (I hope Viv doesn't read this)!
So I picked a bunch to go including the House Special was packed with 3 kinds of meat which were sliced thin enough to eat easily enough. With a generous slathering of pate and butter mayo, the sandwich was not lacking in moisture. Whatever the case, the fresh baked baguette was really good as it was airy in the middle with a crusty exterior. This was better than the last time I was here. However, I found the pickled veggies to be rather muted. I wasn't a huge fan of the Meatball Sub as it more resembled a onion-meat sauce than a meatball per se. Hence, it was predominantly onion tasting with very little meat texture. Rather, it was starch-thickened saucy and made the bread overly wet.
Onto 2 more sandwiches, the Lemongrass Chicken consisted of mostly tender chicken pieces which were flavourful but lacking in lemongrass hit. Rather, it was salty with not enough char. Lastly, the Garlic Sausage was candy sweet and garlicky. In fact, the flavours were so intense, the other ingredients didn't seem to matter, including the pickled veggies. For me, I would stick with the house special unless you want variety. However, the freshly baked bread is so good, it makes all of the sandwiches better. Tung Hing may not be the best Banh Mi in town, but it is still up there.
The Good:
- Fresh baked crusty bread
- Decent size and amount of ingredients
The Bad:
- Pickled veggies need more zip
- Meatball sub wet and lacking in meat
As we were on our way for lunch at Laksa King, we noticed a new Pho joint on Hastings nearby. By no coincidence, we traveled back to try the place out the very next day for dinner. The people there seemed pretty nice while the fresh decor was a nice relief from some other Pho joints that feature what seems to be decades-old dining rooms. However, what about the food?
Even before I asked the question, I knew that my son would want the Fried Prawns wrapped in spring roll wrap. These were not bad with a really crunchy exterior giving way to shredded taro, pepper and a whole prawn (which was somewhat meaty and had a slight snap. As for his other favourite item, at a Vietnamese restaurant, is the Banh Mi Dac Biet (but without the peppers and pickled veggies). He ate it happily, but for me, I thought the bread was too dense and chewy (it was crusty on the outside though). There was an adequate amount of pate and meat which slightly offset the dense bun.
For myself, I got the Bun Bo Hue and it was a pretty decent portion. I found the soup base to be relatively spicy but lacking in shrimp paste and depth. The meats were not bad while the pork knuckle was a treat. The noodles were a touch soft though. The next bowl that arrived was Viv's Pho Dac Biet. Again, the broth was lacking in depth but had a lot of MSG in it. It was on the sweeter side where it exhibited very little natural meat flavour Like my bun bo hue, the meats were tender while the noodles this time were al dente.
For our last dish, we had the Lemongrass Chicken, Pork Cake and Fried Egg on Rice. This was a decent amount of food, but unfortunately, the chicken was rather hard and dry. It did have a good hit of flavour though. As for the egg, it was cooked all the way through which wasn't defeated the purpose of a sunny side. We felt the food as whole was okay, but with some many other choices around, Le Pho wouldn't be at the top of my list.
The Good:
- Decent portions
- New place, nice and clean
The Bad:
- So-so food
- Service was nice but a bit confused
Generally, Dim Sum on the Westside of Vancouver can be an expensive proposition (for example, Peninsula in Oakridge). No, you won't find $2.50 dishes nor push carts. Rather, you will usually see prices North of $4.00 per dish minimum and service that can sometimes be downright snooty. So when Tai Tung opened up on Granville Street, I was intrigued if they would stick to their East Van roots or assimilate into being another Westside Dim Sum establishment.
So after paying probably too much money for Fly Over Canada (my son loved it though), we headed over to Tai Tung because this was as close as we'd get to Marpole (really!). We started with the Beef Meatballs which exhibited a significant dried orange peel essence. There was a good mix of greens while the meat had a firm bounce. I'm not sure why they put a bunch of peppers underneath though as the flavour did not go at all. Next, we had the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll filled with smallish shrimp which were only mildly crunchy. When still hot, we found the rice noodle to be thick and sticky, but when it cooled down, it was better.
With a more pronounced snap, the shrimp in the Haw Gow were in large pieces. There was a noticeable sesame oil hit, however, that was about it as the dumpling was pretty bland. Furthermore, the dumpling skin was slightly thick and doughy. Okay, we actually ordered the Xiao Long Bao despite the usual low expectations considering it was Cantonese Dim Sum. To be frank, it was pretty average at best. The skin was doughy while the meat filling was soft and loose. There was some soup to be found, but it resembled and tasted like fat more than anything. Also, we weren't sure why they put green onion in the filling either. Again, I'll forgive them as they are not a Shanghainese joint.
With big pieces of crunchy shrimp (with plenty of flavour), the Sui Mai was on point. The pork was a mix between processed and whole pieces. It was somewhat firm with a bit of bounce. There was definitely more sweetness than savoury and for some odd reason, they used dried orange peel as a seasoning agent as well. At the very least, it wasn't offensive. We found the Bean Curd Skin Roll to be quite good with a nicely fried exterior where it was slightly chewy. The meat filling was a firm with plenty of crunchy shrimp. In terms of flavour, the filling was meaty while the sauce added savouriness and moisture.
For the kiddies, we had to get the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice). When we opened up the lotus leaf, we could see every grain of glutinous rice. That didn't mean it was dry though as it was sticky and moist. For once, we could actually taste the lotus leaf essence penetrating into the rice. The plethora of ingredients ensured there would be another layer of meaty goodness. And of course we had to get the Shrimp Spring Rolls as well since my son would have a fit otherwise. These were crunchy with only a modest amount of shrimp filling which had a nice snap while being well-seasoned. One thing we didn't like was the greasiness of the spring roll as the bottom was soaked.
Onto another kid favourite, we had the BBQ Pork Buns. Despite having a fluffy soft exterior, the pork filling was far too sweet. It was like eating candied pork (wait, that doesn't sound that bad in retrospect...). Although the pork was lean, we didn't like that it was chopped into little bits. On the other hand, the pieces of Pork Spareribs were a good mix of meat and bone portions. There was a meaty chew with some bounce texture where the overwhelming flavour was of pork with not much in the way of garlic nor peppers. Normally, I do not order the Chiu Chow Dumplings, but I wanted to change things up. They were not bad with a chewy dumpling skin that was still moist. The filling was pretty typical with peanuts, dried shrimp, pork, cilantro, pickled radish and water chestnut. We also got some Steamed Spongecake but the kids got to it before I could snap a photo. It was pretty fluffy with a rich brown sugar hit. That was a decent end to an acceptable Dim Sum service. Of course the prices were not exactly cheap as the bill came out to over $70.00 but again, we were on the Westside.
The Good:
- Fairly okay service
- Nicely appointed dining space
The Bad:
- Pricey
- Does the quality justify the price? You be the judge
Posts
