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When I used to live in Downtown, I would pass by Villa del Lupo on my walk to work. In my mind, Viv and I were going to eat there sooner than later. Fast forward 16 years, 2 children later and still no Stanley Cup for the Canucks, we still had not visited the place (in fact it changed to Lupo). However, the day finally arrived as Costanza picked the place for his birthday dinner. Unfortunately, we went the same night at the monster trucks, which meant a parking nightmare, or was it? Luck would have it, I found a space less than a block away. The parking gods must've had pity on me for all those times I had to navigate Crystal Mall...
Once seated in one of the many cozy rooms (maybe a bit too much so as our table was quite small), we decided to share some appies including the Burrata with heart of palm and tomatoes. We found the burrata to be creamy and smooth with a light stringiness. The acidity from the tomatoes added a nice balance. Next up was the Pork Belly Toscano with apple mostarda. The pork belly was rich, moist and not stringy while the fat was gelatinous without being fatty (for a lack of a better description). I found the crackling to be on point being crunchy, yet not too hard. Sticky and sweet, the apple mostarda featured whole mustard seeds. As for the green disc underneath the quail's egg, I didn't really get to try it, so I can't comment on it.
We decided to get an entree version of the Crab Ravioli in a tarragon cream sauce. We found the pasta to be al dente while the crab filling to be fluffy and sweet. The cream sauce was fairly rich with a nice acidity and enough tarragon. I liked that they were conservative with the sodium as well. Costanza covertly added another item as we were eating away. So much so, the ladies were wondering where the Foccacia Bread came from. Well, it was a smart move, especially since it was only $5.00. Straight from the oven, the bread was crunchy on the outside while chewy inside. It was well-seasoned with a nice pesto, salt and a generous drizzle of EVOO. We really should've ordered 2 of these.
Onto the mains, Costanza had the Branzino and prawns with a medley of veggies and roasted fingerling potatoes. I found the sea bass to be nicely prepared being moist and flaky with crisped skin. It was well-seasoned, but would've benefited from more of the lemon vinaigrette. As for the veggies, they were vibrant and crisp while the potatoes were not devoid of flavour. Elaine went for the Short Rib Brasato braised in Chianti Classico & tamarind. This was also accompanied by veggies and fingerling potatoes. We found the short rib to be sufficiently tender while being a touch stringy. There was no mistaking both the Chianti and the tang from the tamarind which brought the dish to life.
Viv ended up with the Grilled Quail a la Liguira with marscapone polenta. The quail arrived in a beautiful roasted hue where the skin was nicely rendered. As for the meat, it was not dry while being mildly seasoned. I'm not familiar with Liguirian cuisine, but I do know that it was the origin of pesto. Hence, it was no surprise that the stuffing was herbaceous and moist. Saving the best for last, I had the fantastic 1/2 Lobster Risotto. This has been the best risotto I've had to date. It consisted of chewy, al dente arborio rice which was cooked through and spread evenly on the plate. Exhibiting a cheesy creaminess, it benefited from the sweet pop of the corn and peppers. There was a noticeable background acidity which brought balance. As for the lobster, it had a buttery snap with the unmistakeable aromatics.
For dessert, we shared the Cannoli and Raspberry & Chocolate Terrine. I liked the thin and crispy outer shell which encased a creamy ricotta filling that was spiked with lemon zest. There were bits of dark chocolate strewn inside which added texture and bitterness. On that note, everyone else didn't like the overly tart and bitter filling. For myself, I was fine with it (call it a difference of opinion). As for the terrine, the raspberry was refreshingly light and balanced in flavour while the layer of chocolate added crunch and bitterness. Overall, we thought our meal at Lupo was solid with a few stellar dishes, such as the Lobster Risotto. However, it definitely comes at a price.
The Good:
- Solid eats
- Attentive service
- Charming house
The Bad:
- Pricey
- Small tables
Normally, I'm not one to visit Fatburger. Hey, I have nothing against their food, but really, the prices are a little steep. Consider that a regular Fatburger combo will set one back $12.50 plus tax, it suddenly becomes pretty expensive for a family. Therefore, I have not eaten there for over 5 years. However, with the February special for $20.00 (2 Fatburgers with cheese, fries, drinks and 2 red velvet donuts), Viv and I made a visit. Funny how we can spend a fortune eating at a fancy restaurant, but get all worked up about a pricey burger...
I gotta admit the Fatburger was pretty good. With a relatively juicy patty (and fatty), there was no issues with moisture, considering all of the we ingredients as well. I liked the use of real cheddar as well as the soft toasted bun. So Viv decided to get a salad with her burger which was all wrong in my eyes. Consequently, I had to make up for her poor decision by upgrading to a Poutine as a side. The cheese was all melted and really, it wasn't squeaky curds anyways. The gravy was really thick and somewhat salty. The fries were good tough being crispy and fluffy inside.
To be blunt, I hated the Red Velvet Donuts as they were greasier than a kitchen floor in a Chinese restaurant. Yes, they were crispy, but ugh, the oil just dripped from the darn things. Oh and that icing... too much and too sweet. A week later, I noticed a Groupon for Fatburger and yes, I returned again (I'm Chinese, I love a discount...). The burger was exactly the same (consistent at least) and I decided on regular fries since Viv didn't go for a salad (have to maintain the grease continuum). They were fried golden and crispy. Okay, these 2 visits were an eye-opener for me. I discovered I actually don't mind Fatburger, but not the prices. Is there another coupon out there?
The Good:
- Moist patties
- Fries are decent
- The service we got was good
The Bad:
- Pricey
- Greasy (hence the name Fatburger?)
Gosh, the New Ruby, I've almost forgotten about you. Situated in one of the endless strip malls along Scott Road right next to a laundromat, your 70's red decor has probably not changed since it first went in. Oh and how can I forget the cheap combos (for only $5.95!) that include such classics as radioactive red sweet n' sour pork and authentic chop suey (an oxymoron of sorts). Sure, the food ain't gourmet, but it fills the tummy. With those memories, I dragged Miss Y, Hot Mama and Zamboni Guy out for some North American Chinese fare.
For myself, I went for something that was somewhat "more Chinese" being the Scrambled Eggs & Shrimp on Rice. By the looks and taste of it, there was more starch-thickened sauce that scrambled eggs. However, it did taste okay with buttery little shrimp nestled in a mild-tasting thick sauce. I wasn't a huge fan of the peas as they were quite hard. Miss Y ended up with the Black Bean Beef on Rice and it was pretty flavourful. The black bean sauce was dark and not overly diluted. Hence, there was a rich saltiness that went well with the peppers and onion. As for the slices of beef, they were tender with a slight chew.
Zamboni Guy ended up choosing 2 items for $5.95 and went for the Broccoli Beef as well as the Sweet n' Sour Pork (Hot Mama had the S&S Pork with rice). A great value for the price as the plate was pretty darn full. The re-fried pork was a touch on the drier side, but had a nice crunchy exterior (even with the sauce). The sauce was not overly radioactive in colour this time around and exhibited a nice balance between sweet and sour. The beef was the same as Miss Y's dish while the broccoli had a nice crunch. There was decent wok heat to the dish as well. Yes, the food at the New Ruby ain't gonna win any awards nor be relocated to Richmond. However, it is cheap and filling where the food is acceptable for the price.
The Good:
- Cheap
- Large portions
- Friendly people
The Bad:
- It's North American Chinese food for those snobs out there
- Decor reminds me of Bruce Lee movies
It was a blast meeting up with Ned Flanders at Kao's where we had interesting food and conversation. He did his best Asian impersonation and cut me off at the pass when it came time to pay. Naturally, that bugged me for the subsequent week, hence I had to treat him back. He had mentioned that the beef noodle at Accord Food House in Burnaby was one of the better ones he'd tried and encouraged me to join him. However, when I arrived, I could barely find the place because it was no longer Accord. Rather, it has become Bow Bow Cafe. Interestingly, the Chinese name remained the same.
Inside, it didn't seem any different and in fact, the menu on the wall seemed to suggest it was the same owners. We went ahead and tried to order a Beef & Tendon Beef Noodle, but they insisted it couldn't be done. Finally, it was agreed upon I'd pay extra for a side of tendon which was actually served on a separate plate. Wow, when they mean they can't, they really can't! I found the soup to be fairly meaty in flavour without an overuse of salt. There wasn't any pickled vegetable which meant that there was a lack of acidity. As for the beef shank, it was tender enough to chew while still maintaining a meat texture. We found the tendon to be very well-executed since it retained its integrity while still being soft. Furthermore, the braising liquid had penetrated through ensuring plenty of flavour.
For kicks, I suggested we try My Grandfather's Chinese Spaghetti (just because of the name). Well, it was essentially the same noodles as the previous dish, but dressed in a light tomato sauce with somewhat chewy beef and shiitake mushrooms. It wasn't exactly HK-style like as there wasn't a huge ketchup hit, but it was certainly not acidic enough to be a true pasta sauce. What especially caught me off guard was the shiitake as it really didn't go. Whatever the case, it was edible and I'm sure that's how Grandpa made it. For me, I really liked the Sliced Chicken with sesame sauce. I thought the sauce was elevated by the addition of ginger and chilis where there was a slow rumble of spice and the acidity of the ginger balanced the rich sesame. As for the chicken, it was fairly tender for free-range and the skin was nicely gelatinized.
Lastly, we had the Spicy Wontons which were pretty good in my opinion. First of all, the wonton wrapper was moist while exhibiting a gentle elasticity. Second, the filling had a slight bounce texture and was mild enough to not interfere with the sauce. And about that sauce, it was a pleasant spicy thanks to the chili sauce and chili oil with only small amount of soy. Overall, the food at Bow Bow was decent at a fairly reasonable price. Interestingly, there was an automatic 10% service charge added to the bill. It didn't bother us (since it is quite reasonable), but for some, it might be an issue.
The Good:
- Pretty decent eats
- Reasonably-priced
The Bad:
- Wow, that's one small dining room with equally small tables
- Automatic service charge might bother some people
While at my niece's birthday party, Shenanigans queried whether I would join him and some friends for dinner at Sockeye City Grill. Sure, why not? I hardly pass up an eating opportunity. Wait... Isn't it located in Richmond? And all the way out in Steveston too? Geez, the distances I travel for food. At the very least, for a weekday evening, there would be little in the way of traffic. Therefore, the risk to my car's health was at an all-time low for Richmond. I think my car was smiling inside.
With 5 other diners, we were ensured to have a good variety of dishes. Furthermore, all them insisted to share their food with me... Looks like I'm gonna eat with them more often! To start things off, Kikidee had the Prawn Caesar which looked pretty standard as it hit the table. In reality, it was pretty typical, but wasn't overdressed. As for the shrimp, they were well-seasoned with spice and exhibited as shrimpiness and snap. For myself, I had the Albacore Tuna encrusted with 2 kinds of sesame seeds. I liked how it was nicely rare inside, yet the pieces were sliced far too thick. Hence, it was too dense and took away from the fish. As for the dressing, it was too soy (salty) tasting.
Rex had the Dungeness Crab Cake which was pretty large. The exterior was nicely browned, but the crab was dried out and chewy. Due to its large size, it was rather dense as well. On the positive side, there was a nice crunch accented by a good amount of acidity. The roasted red pepper aioli was pretty nice, but we could've done with more of it. Yuchiro ended up with the Mussels and despite the plethora of fennel, we didn't get a whole lot of it in the broth. Rather, it was predominately light tomato with very little acidity and the aforementioned fennel. The smallish mussels (which meant there was not much to eat) were properly cooked though being buttery and soft.
After the mussel appetizer, she had the Steak Neptune. Although the steak was prepared a nice medium-rare, it was rather chewy and somewhat bland. That was partially alleviated by the buttery bearnaise with crab. Once again, the crab was not as fluffy as we would've liked. The sides were okay though where the veggies were still vibrant. Travelgirl had the Fish n' Chips and I found it okay. The batter was crispy while the inside was somewhat flaky, however, it was dry in spots. Furthermore, I found it a bit fishy tasting. The addition of raisins in the coleslaw added a nice sweetness.
Kikidee had the Salmon with roasted red pepper relish and creamy mushroom & herb risotto. The fish itself was seared nicely with a peppery, well-seasoned crust. The fish was a bit dry, but not terribly so. As for the risotto, it was like plain rice with very little creamy and chessiness. It was chewy though with nice Earthy mushrooms. Shenanigans and I ended up sharing the Paella for 2. It was a pretty large portion with nicely textured rice, but the flavours were not developed. Rather it more like tomato rice with a good amount of seafood. Despite seeing the chorizo, it didn't come through in the rice nor did we get any saffron. Yet, in the end, it was an acceptable plate of food considering this was not a Spanish restaurant.
As part of her their 3-course meals, Yuchiro and Kikidee were served a small Chocolate Pate with raspberry coulis. It was more like a chocolate mousse as it was light and semi-sweet. The coulis added some sweetness and tartness. Overall, I found the food at Sockeye City to be average. Nothing particularly I am aching to do a return visit anytime soon. However, the food is still serviceable, so combined with its killer location (by the water), there will be still a steady stream of customers.
The Good:
- Great by-the-water location
- Comfy, spacious dining room
- Service was pretty good
The Bad:
- Food is pretty average
- Pricey
Okay admit it. It's easy to give AYCE joints a hard time. Think of it, with their quantity before quality stigma and the most obvious criticism of all - the food just ain't going to compare with a regular sit-down meal. Fair enough. Heck, I prescribe to that argument as well! However, I find it far too easy to jump on the negativity band-wagon as it is much easier to criticize than to hand out compliments. In fact, there are many more negative words in the dictionary than positive ones! Despite not being a huge fan of AYCE Japanese food, the lure of $1.00 per child with every paying adult at Kingsway Sushi couldn't be ignored. Since we hadn't been to the place in 4 years, we went in with an open mind.
Although I don't usually comment on Edamame because there is very little to talk about, I would like to mention that these were as hard as little pebbles. It was not easy for the kids to eat them. Furthermore, they were not seasoned in any fashion. The Spinach Gomae was okay with tender pieces (albeit big) of spinach dressed in the typical sweet sesame dressing. Viv didn't like the Kimchi because it was more salty than spicy. As for the Ebi Sunomono, it was also alright with a balanced sweet and tangy dressing with chewy noodles. And the Green Salad was well, a green salad with some ginger-carrot dressing. Moving onto the Sashimi, we had Sockeye Salmon, Tuna, Hokkigai, Makaeral and Geoduck. For an AYCE, we thought everything was decent with the right textures and fresh appearance. Of course the knife skills were not exactly neat, but whatever, we were not going to care about that here.
It was unfortunate that the Beef Short Ribs were stone cold because they were decently tender with some chewy parts. We liked how they weren't over-marinaded, hence we could still taste the meat. The thin slices of Black Cod were fine texturally, but the marinade was far too strong and overpowered the delicate flesh. They were also pretty cold. Hygienically-speaking, it was nice to see them use tart tins rather than re-using shells with the Oyster Motoyaki. The small pieces of oyster were fine while the sauce was more clumpy than creamy. The Fried Fish as actually quite good since it was served hot and crunchy. The flesh itself was moist and flaky. As much as it is billed as Fried Scallops on the menu, we all know that it was really fried pollack. Considering this, it was decent being hot and crispy.
Onto my son's favourite, the Ebi Tempura was less than impressive. The batter was laid on thicker than makeup on Christina Aguilera. Hence, it was doughy and not all that crispy. The fact it was on the lukewarm side didn't help matters. Furthermore, the shrimp was soft and lacking any texture. Something interesting on the menu was the "Sundaes". Of course, being curious, we got one each of the Lobster, Scallop and Shrimp. In reality, these were plain sushi rolls topped with various ingredients. Not sure why it qualified as a "sundae". Anyways, they weren't bad since there was a good topping-to-sushi rice ratio. The scallop with lychee was the best of the bunch.
Next up, the Beef Tataki was decent whereby the slices were thin and nicely raw with only small ring of sear. The dressing was tangy enough. I was surprised with the Popcorn Oysters as they were crunchy while moist inside. I didn't like the Fried Smelt though as it was cold and not crispy. The Chicken Karaage was plenty crunchy though, albeit a touch overdone. The only roll sushi that we ordered was the Cheezy Roll with processed cheese. Yah, I didn't really like that either. The rice was more like regular than sushi rice. We found the Gyozas acceptable with a thin crispy skin while the filling was a decent mix of pork and veggies. The Chicken Teriyaki was pretty typical to this type of AYCE, but the NY Steak Skewer was strange as the meat had been tenderized to the point it was bouncy rather than chewy. Lastly, we tried the desserts including once each Coconut, Mango and Baked Tapioca Pudding. Pretty standard stuff, but at least there was selection. In the end, this visit pretty much validates the quantity over quality argument. However, it was more than edible, so I'll give them that.
The Good:
- Although not great, it's okay for AYCE
- Lots of choice
- Service was surprisingly decent
The Bad:
- Most hot items were lukewarm
- It won't be mistaken for real Japanese food
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