The Portly Chef

Despite living in Burnaby, I choose to have my car service on the North Shore.  Why?  Well 2 reasons really with the first being about cost.  I get a better rate due to Uncle Willy working at the dealership.  Yes, I'm Asian and proud to save some money...  LOL...  But the most important reason I take my car over to the North Shore is an excuse to eat there while it is being serviced.  This time around, I got Viv to pick me up as we met up with Chocoholic at The Portly Chef.

With 4 kiddies at the table, we decided to order 2 split dishes (at an extra charge of $2.50 per order) to share amongst them. My daughter had the Fish & Chips served with a side salad of arugula.  It is worth mentioning that the vinaigrette had a nice acidity from the addition of lime.  As for the fish, it was moist while the tempura batter was crunchy while not greasy.  The house-cut fries were more like crispy frites.  With dill pickle and malt vinegar, the tartar sauce had punch and texture.  The other split order was the Mac & Cheese made of mozzarella, Gruyere and cheddar.  It was certainly creamy and saucy with al dente noodles.  It had a "refined" taste which was mild and only slightly sharp.  We would've like to see less moisture though as it was kind of soupy.

For the adults, we shared the Atlantic Lobster Spring Rolls with lime & chipotle aioli and citrus arugula.  These were served piping hot and crunchy.  As much as there was a bevy of lobster, it didn't really have the classic essence.  However, the aioli, with its nice zip and slight spice, helped provide impact.  Chocoholic originally wanted to try the Duck Confit Panini, but the chef felt it wasn't up to snuff.  We liked how he is committed to serving only things he's proud of.  Therefore, she had the House-Smoked Pork Belly Carbonara instead.  It consisted of rigatoni, organic sweet peas, fresh cream, egg yolk and grana padano.  This was an enormous portion where there was more meat than pasta.  The sauce was creamy with the lovely flavour and fattiness of the smoked pork.

For myself, I had the Works Burger consisting of a brisket and chuck patty,  cheddar, mushrooms, stewed plum tomato and triple chin sauce.  As clearly evidenced in the picture, this was a really messy concoction.  Luckily, the bun held up partially thanks to a good toasting.  The patty itself was not dry, yet not moist either.  However, the ample sauce (which was creamy and tangy) made up for that.  Furthermore, the plum tomatoes were a nice addition as they provided even more moisture and a sweet tang.  I decided to upgrade my side of fries for the Deconstructed Poutine served with Gruyere fondue, red eye gravy and cheesy frites. Essentially, this was fries with 2 dips.  The fondue was a little thin, but packed with flavour.  It was sharp with a noticeable white wine hit.  As for the gravy, it was thick, quite mild and peppery.

Viv ended up with the Oyster Po' Boy with cornmeal crusted oysters, arugula, tartar sauce, pickled coleslaw and remoulade on a crusty bun.  This was pretty good with crunchy oysters accented by the creaminess of the sauces and the acidity from the slaw.  As you can ascertain, all of our dishes were comfort foods, however, there are more refined offerings for their dinner service.  While not mind-blowing, we enjoyed our lunch and it was definitely a much better option than many of the other restaurants along Lonsdale.

The Good:
- Comforting eats
- Generous portions
- Nice service

The Bad:
- A little pricey
- As the name suggests, the food can be heavy

Lost in the 50's Drive In Burger Bar

As interesting as some restaurants appear, there are times I just try my best to avoid them.  Take Lost in the 50's for instance.  At one point, it actually looked appealing where I really wanted to try the food.  Then over time, it became a decrepit, forgotten place which ultimately met its demise.  Yes it is true, even though I like dives, some are just too divy. However, with new ownership, my curiosity got the better for me as I finally decided to visit the place.

With a boisterous greeting, the new owner explained to us that their burgers are made with fresh ground beef while their buns are baked in-house.  I decided to try their Lemon Chicken Sandwich which was served on foccicia bread.  I liked the well-seared pieces of breast meat which were relatively moist.  There was a definitely lemon marinade which kept things bright and appetizing.  I wasn't a huge fan of the bread despite being freshly baked.  It was not that flavourful being dry and pale-looking.  Furthermore, the sandwich need much more filling as each bite was too much bread.  My side of fresh-cut fries were fantastic though.  They were fried until a dark shade of brown which meant they were smoky and crispy.  On the inside, there was still potatoey goodness.

We also had the LA King Burger consisting of a large beef patty with cheese, bacon and caramelized onions.  It was a solid offering with a nicely caramelized patty which was still somewhat moist.  We liked how the meat was fresh as it tasted like it.  The grilled onions, crispy bacon and marble cheese rounded out the flavours and textures.  The accompanying onion rings were crispy, but we would've liked breading more than flour.  Overall, we like the food at Lost in the 50's but it wasn't outstanding given the pricing. Still worth a try though.

The Good:
- Freshly made-in house ingredients
- Friendly owner
- It's got this dive quality to it

The Bad:
- Kinda pricey
- Fresh buns are nice, but they are a bit too dry and dense

Samuel Adams Dinner @ Fable

Whenever I think of Samuel Adams beer, it reminds me of the skit on the Dave Chappelle Show (not safe for children, don't click if so!!!).  If you've never seen it, think of Samuel Jackson and his character from Pulp Fiction and beer.  But in reality, the original Samuel Adams Lager is from Boston and doesn't involve a bunch of swearing, unless one has had too many.  Recently, I was invited to attend the Samuel Adams-inspired dinner hosted by Mijune at Fable featuring dishes crafted by Chef Trevor Bird.

Naturally, we had some Samuel Adams Boston Lager for the table (actually, many bottles... still no profanity though!).  This was only the second time I've had this lager and it was much more complex than I remembered.  It had a nice bite at the end that ultimately went well with the rest of the meal (especially the heavier stuff).  We started with the fresh Pretzels with Sam Adams fermented beer cheese.  This smooth and creamy concoction was beautifully blended with beer.  I could definitely taste it, but there was no unsavoury bitter aftertaste.  Rather, the cheese came through with a nice mild sharpness.  I liked the contrast in temperature between the cold dip and warm pretzel.  As for the pretzel, it was soft on the inside while maintaining a firm chewiness on the outside.

Next up, the Mussels & Chorizo with Sam Adams apple broth & cured bacon was on the money.  With buttery large mussels and a wealth of chorizo bits, there was no lack of flavour.  Rather than using white wine, the use of beer gave the broth more body and richness while at the same time being cooked down enough so it didn't overwhelm.  I liked how there was a slow buildup of spice that lingered to the end.  And then it arrived...  The Porkapalooza Platter consisting of brined pork rack, BBQ pulled pork and cured bacon along with kale, fiddle heads, potatoes, apple sauce, mustard and jus. By far, the bacon was the biggest hit as it was buttery while meaty at the same time.  I wouldn't say it was melt-in-my-mouth tender though as it maintained a chew.  I could definitely taste the background beer flavour to go along with the saltiness.  I found the pork rack to be tender and moist, yet the most mildly flavoured of the 3 meats.  I would've liked to see even more beer taste here as the meat would've stood up to it.  Lastly, the meaty pulled pork was a nice balance of sweet, tart and rich beer flavour.

For dessert, we were served a Cheddar Apple Pie with Sam Adams ice cream.  With the cheddar baked into the thin flaky crust at the bottom, it ensured that the apples remained the star of the show.  Yet, the cheddar still came through adding both aromatics and extra texture.  The apple portion was tender while not too sweet.  It consisted of 3 whole apples compressed (through cooking) into a neatly compact package.  Hence, the apple flavours were more complex.  The ice cream added the necessary extra shot of sweetness to the dish.  This was a fine ending to a meal that featured Sam Adams beer in a very balanced manner.  There too many times, too much of a good thing results in overwhelming flavours, but not in this case.

The Good:
- Balanced use of a featured ingredient
- Flawless execution of proteins

The Bad:
- Although balanced, some flavours could've been even more pronounced

Kirin (New West)

Honestly, Kirin in New West at the Starlight Casino was not our first choice for Dim Sum.  Nothing against the place, but it was a backup plan of sorts because the new Pennisula in Oakridge was booked solid.  A strange phenomenon if you ask me since the dishes are well over $6.00 per dish and more often than not, closer to $10.00.  Do people have that much money to burn???  Don't they need to save it for car repairs and increased insurance premiums?  I digress.

In reality, Kirin New West was not really that bad of a consolation as my last visit was pretty good. We were able to coax them into reserving a larger table for us since we tend to order a lot of food.  We started with the Shrimp Spring Rolls which were good.  They were lightly crispy with a thin exterior and minimal grease.  Inside, the filling was a combination of mousse and pieces of shrimp which exhibited a snap.  One thing we didn't like was the overuse of salt as it overpowered all other flavours.  Next up was the Beef Meatballs.  These had a good bounce texture where the meat felt almost airy.  There was a good mix of greens that added flavour without taking away from the meatiness.

We ended up getting both the Donut Rice Noodle Roll and Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll.  This was due to my son not liking the latter.  It truly makes no sense as he eats shrimp spring rolls and ebi tempura...  Anyways, the donut rice noodle roll had a particularly strong bonito taste due to the abundance of flakes on top.  We found the donut too dense and no longer crispy which didn't help the already dense rice noodle.  In turn, the shrimp rice noodle roll was also too dense and chewy.  However, the shrimp itself were large and had a good snap.  Flavours were mild as the shrimp was not really seasoned, but then the sweet soy made up for it.

Onto the most important dishes, we has the Haw Gow and Sui Mai. Although the dumpling skin on the haw gow was decent being slightly chewy while not dense, the filling was so-so.  It was predominantly shrimp mousse with only a few pieces of whole shrimp.  Furthermore, it was quite bland with no distinguishing flavours.  As for the sui mai, it was much better.  There was a good mix of pork, shrimp and shiitake where the flavours were diverse with a touch of sweetness.  Moreover, the textures benefited from the ingredients as there was bouncy and meaty pork and shrimp with snap.

My obligatory offal dish was the Curry Tripe.  As evidenced in the picture, there was definitely the taste of curry while at the same time, not over-sweetened (which usually happens in Chinese cuisine).  There definitely was a spiciness to the dish, yet not overly so.  What I didn't like was the very soft texture of the tripe.  There was no chew left.  We got a bigger dish in the Fook Chow Fried Rice and it was quite pedestrian.  The fried rice was done right with a nutty chewiness.  However, the sauce on top was one-note in flavour (which was salty).  Despite being generous with the large chunks of duck meat, it wasn't texturally appealing when eaten.

The Fried Capelin must've been the worst dish of the meal as it was completely over-fried where the meat was chewy and the exterior was leathery.  Suffice to say, it wasn't crispy at all.  Even with all the seasoning sitting on top, it only added spice, yet very little in salt.  At first glance, the Spicy Wontons looked great.  However, the sauce was not spicy at all.  In fact, there was far too much sugar which made the dish taste funny.  On the other hand, the wontons themselves were really good.  With a thin buttery wrapper giving way to a meaty filling, this somewhat saved the dish.

Onto dessert, we had the Egg Tart first.  We found the tart shell to be buttery and flaky except for a few denser parts at the bottom.  The egg custard was light and quite sweet.  On that note, the Steamed Sponge Cake was really sweet due to the use of brown sugar (and lots of it).  It was fluffy though benefiting from a nice dose of lard. Overall, we felt the food was acceptable, but hardly impressive given the price point.  Of note, the service was quite attentive and relatively friendly (despite a mix-up with one dish).  The one thing that this Kirin benefits from is its location (no real competitors nearby) and nicely appointed interior.

The Good:
- Nice comfortable digs
- Decent service
- Lots of parking

The Bad:
- Food is okay, but doesn't justify the price point

Bin 941 Tapas Parlour

There we were, Miss Y and I, all ready to use our coupon for Yo Ramen.  As we approached the door, someone flipped the sign from "open" to "closed".  He looked at us, we looked at him, nope, we weren't eating there apparently.  With money already in the meter, we had to go to plan B.  Wait, there was no plan B...  We ended up wandering up the street and decided on Bin 941. Hey, an impromptu revisit!  Heck, I haven't been back to the place in 5 years.

They started us off with complimentary bowls of Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.  It was smooth and creamy with a low salt content.  The flavours came predominantly from the ample amount of ginger and sprinkle of coconut on top.  Hence, it was fragrant and natural tasting.  Next, we had the Brussel Sprouts with orange chile glaze and toasted hazelnuts.  This was a veritable flavour explosion where the sticky glaze was really tart in an almost balsamic manner.  However, there was a certain sweetness that brought it closer to being balance.  The noticeable spiciness created harmony with the firm sprouts.

Next, we had the large mound of Pomme Frites with sea salt, telicherry black peppercorn balsamic drizzle.  I've had this dish before and for some reason or another, it was not really all that crispy nor hot.  Rather, it was only warm featuring limp frites.  We did like the drizzle though as it had plenty of zip with both sweetness and pepperiness.  The East West Crab Cakes with burnt orange chipotle sauce, cucumber salsa, sesame bak choy and tobiko was executed on point.  The thick cakes were filled with fluffy crab that remained moist even after the cooking process.  Crunchy all around, the exterior was a nice contrast to the soft crab.  With familiar flavours to some of the previous dishes, the zip and spice from the sauce complimented the crab cakes nicely.

Another solid offering was the Beef Tenderloin Wellington with roasted garlic mash, grainy mustard and Marsala demi.  Although a bit rare-looking, the beef was expertly prepared as it was melt-in-our mouths tender.  We liked the phyllo packaging, but it easily slid off (to be eaten separately from the meat).  The rich Marsala demi was another flavour explosion as it had a sweet wine essence.  We finished off the meal with the baked-to-order Belgium Chocolate Torte with cognac sundried cherries, chocolate truffle centre and caramel cafe latte sauce.  This "souffle-like" dessert was pure decadence.  The dark chocolate had a lightly sweet rich bitterness which was bolstered by the sweet sauce.  Little nuggets of boozy cherries added an extra layer of tartness.  We really enjoyed our meal at Bin 941, yet due to our choices, many of the flavours were similar.  I still don't really think the food can be seen as tapas (maybe for 2 people only), but it is solid nonetheless.

The Good:
- Well-prepared eats
- No weak flavours here
- Welcoming service

The Bad:
- Pricey
- Similiar flavours (at least with what we ordered)
- Ultra cozy (c/b good if you like that)

The Dime Roadhouse

What can one get for $4.95 these days?  Parking in Downtown for 2 hours (if you're lucky)?  2 Macarons?  One dumpling at Pennisula???  Yes, not much can be had for that amount of money in and around Vancouver.  Well, similar to The Warehouse, The Dime offers up cheap eats on Commercial Drive.  Interestingly, judging by the eclectic decor and clientele, this would be the last place to be Rick Roll'd.  Yes, Never Gonna Give You Up came on all of a sudden and to top it all off, people began singing along to it...  #bizarre

Anyways, as for the food, we were perplexed at the temperature it was served.  The Korean Chili Fried Chicken and Cucumber was stone cold.  Yes, the cucumber was supposed to be cold, but the chicken was actually not even lukewarm.  Overlooking that, the chicken was sufficiently moist with a sweet and mildly spicy sauce.  Next, the Garlic Shrimp was at the very least warm.  It was sauteed with garlic, leeks, basil and white wine atop lemon-thyme tomato & grilled bread.  The shrimp had a meaty snap while the flavours were pleasant enough.  I liked how the bread stayed crispy despite the wet ingredients.

Next, we shared the Dime Burger consisting of Canadian beef, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and roasted pepper mayo on a toasted bun.  We added maple bacon for $1.50.  Hey, for the price, it was a solid burger.  The beef patty was moist while the bacon was crisp.  I liked the soft airy bun as it didn't interfere with the ingredients while holding up to the moisture.  The side of fries were decent being crispy and not greasy.  We also had the East Van Pulled Pork rubbed with red curry and slow cooked.  It was sufficiently moist without being doused with sweet BBQ sauce.  The apple and papaya slaw was somewhat in the background as it was only mildly tangy.

Lastly, we tried Mama T's Mac n' Cheese spiked with curry.  Again, this was served stone cold which greatly depreciated our eating enjoyment.  Despite this, the noodles were still toothsome while there was no mistake there was curry in the mix (a definite spice level).  It was more curry-like than cheesy though.  But then again, there was very little to complain about due to the low prices.  One thing worth mentioning is the really cheery and attentive service we got.  Definitely a surprise considering the price point of the joint.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Cheery and attentive service
- Decent burger

The Bad:
- Food was not hot
- We got Rick Roll'd (LOL)

Romana Pizza

For a place that has been around for 41 years, it is a bit odd that I've never ate at Romana Pizza.  It is especially curious that I've totally ignored the place even though I have lived in the neighbourhood for nearly 10 years.  It took a visit from Aussie and family for me to actually go for a meal.  Ironically, the guy who makes the pizza is retiring (yesterday was their last day).  I guess we made it just in time!  For those unfamiliar with the place, think along the lines of similar Greek-Italian restaurants such as Gigi's, Neighbours and Sunrise.

I remember a time when Aussie would be able to down a whole large pizza in our University days.  Hence, it came as no surprise when he ordered 2 large for his family of 4.  But to get some greens, they started with Grandpa's Garden Salad first. It was an assortment of cucumber, romaine, red peppers, olives, artichoke hearts and sundried tomato in a vinegary and zesty dressing.  Everything was crisp while the olives and sundried tomatoes added extra saltiness and tang which meant less dressing would've been better.  For their first pizza, they had the Mama's made with pepperoni, mushroom, salami, green pepper, olives and a whack load of cheese.  For this type of pizza (ie. not Neapolitan or slice style), it was good since it was overloaded with toppings (especially the meat) with lots of cheese (which was not greasy) and on top of a crunchy while soft crust.  They also had the Hawaiian and it was also packed with ingredients.

For myself, I got the Calamari to start.  It arrived with larger than most pieces of squid which were tender while at the same time maintaining a chew.  The crispy and light batter was good and not overly greasy, but due to the size of the some of the pieces, it didn't adhere properly.  As for the side of Tzatziki, it was light with plenty of cucumber.  I would've liked more impact though.  For my main, I went for the Kleftiko New Zealand Lamb Shoulder with potatoes and Greek salad.  At first, I was concerned with the perceived small amount of lamb on the plate.  However, as I ate, I realized it was more than enough (partly because there was no bones).  The lamb was tender with a few dry spots.  With only the addition of the roasting juices, the flavours were rich and natural tasting.  It was on the saltier side, but it added the necessary flavour.

Viv ended up with the Baked Ravioli with Meat Sauce that came with 2 slices of garlic bread.  This was a fairly large portion with soft ravioli in a somewhat mild meat sauce.  Although it was pleasant enough to eat, she thought the sauce could've had more tang since everything was a bit one note.  She did like the ample amount of nicely baked cheese on top though.  In the end, we all agreed that the pizza was the highlight as it was good for its type.  The other items were alright, yet a little pricey.  So Romana as we know it served its last dinner service last night.

The Good:
- Solid pizza for its type
- Nice family atmosphere

The Bad:
- A bit pricey