Golden Oscar Cafe

*This restaurant is permanently closed*

With an early game on Friday, I had visions of finer eats afterwards.  Normally, our games end so late, our culinary options are as good as a properly parked car in a Richmond parking lot.  But my grand ideas came to a screeching halt as Mr. Blueberry had sold a rice cooker off Craigslist.  You see, the purchaser needed to pick it up that night (did he want to make rice that instance?).  Therefore we had to eat nearby so Lionel Hutz could go with him to ensure his safety.  No, I'm not making this up...  

So we ended up at Golden Oscar for a reluctant revisit of sorts. Yah, my great culinary plan fizzled down to a late-night HK-style cafe.  Whatever the case, we made the best of it.  Emilicious decided to have the Bitter Melon & Beef on Rice.  As much as I'm not a huge fan of bitter melon, this was alright as it wasn't overwhelming.  Furthermore, the beef both plentiful and tender.  I found the sauce on the saltier side, but then again, it was on plain rice.  Sweet Tooth had the Beef Fried Rice which featured individual grains of rice that where surprisingly a bit soft.  Not sure how they accomplished that.  Anyways, the wok heat was okay, but the dish lacked enough seasoning.

For myself, I had a meal that started with a choice of soup.  Since they were out of Borscht, I went for the Cream Soup.  One spoonful and my face went sideways.  What the heck was that in my soup???  Tuna?  Who the heck puts canned tuna in a cream of corn?  Suffice to say, I didn't like it.  The flavours and textures just didn't work.  As for my main, I had the Chicken Steak and Scallops with black pepper sauce.  I enjoyed the big ample pieces of chicken as they were super juicy, well-seasoned and crispy on the outside.  What I didn't like was the imitation scallops.  These were assaulted with an obscene amount of starch where the exterior resembled uncooked dough.  The gummy, unappetizing discs of goo should of been best left for wall-filler.

Lionel Hutz decided on the Curry Beef served with toasted bread. I found the curry to be slightly watery, but it was decently flavourful.  Much like other Chinese versions of yellow curry, this was mostly one note with only a touch of spice.  And similiar to Emilicious' dish, the beef was tender.  Milhouse went for the Black Bean Chicken Fried Noodle.  This was a fairly large portion (partly due to being the full-sized main menu version) with lots of juicy chicken and crisp veggies.  I found the sauce to on the weaker side, but it wasn't too bad.  The fried noodles were only slightly crispy and a touch greasy.

Mr. Blueberry (who arrived in one piece) and Gadget Girl shared the Chicken Chow Mein and Fried Rice Noodle with Beef.  Other than the difference in sauce and veggies, the chow mein resembled the previous dish.  However, with less ingredients and sauce, it wasn't as wet and more mild.  As for the rice noodles, they were glistening like usual.  The dish exhibited good wok heat and featured the same tender beef.  Overall, this revisit was alright for most people but the soup and scallops really turned me off.  I guess one's experience would greatly depend on the dish(es) ordered.

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Open late
- Okay for late night

The Bad:
- Some things just didn't work

Donair Affair (North Delta)

I'm done having my affairs in Surrey!  Okay, before you jump to any conclusions and Viv, if you are reading this, don't throw my Magic Cards out or key my car...  What I'm referring to is Donair Affair - the one of multiple locations, now including North Delta.  Yup, I no longer need to head into Surrey to get my Donair fix.  Considering the many Japanese, Indian and Chain restaurants that litter the North Delta side of Scott Road, it was actually a total surprise that a location of Donair Affair finally opened up.

Prior to this post, not only have I visited other locations of Donair Affair (oooh...  multiple affairs like Tiger Woods!) including this new one.  Seeing how I can barely finish a super sized donair, I decided to merely go for a regular Chicken.  That in itself was enough to satisfy my hunger.  With fresh veggies and plenty of well-charred chicken, the thing was bursting at the seams.  As much as I like the sauces, they put a bit too much in it.  For something different, I got a Falafel as well. Since it was crumbled and reheated, there was no crispiness whatsoever.  Hence, it was more dense than anything.  I liked the spices though as well as the smooth hummus.

On another visit, I got the Beef & Lamb Plate complete with salad, tabouleh and hummus.  This again was a generous portion which left me burping up garlic.  Meats were fairly moist and packed with flavour.  I liked the hummus as it was smooth and flavourful.  Once again, my visits to Donair Affair have been satisfying and didn't cost me much.  Also, it's an affair that Viv can live with (unless I eat too much I suppose).

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Large portions

The Bad:
- Too much sauce (but that can easily be rectified
- Not a huge fan of the falafels

Shandong Family Restaurant

Meeting up with Costanza for dinner sometimes can be a major production, especially when all the kiddies are involved.  Therefore, we usually eliminate more than half of the restaurants in town as dining options.  To keep things simple, I suggested Shandong Family Restaurant that is conveniently near their house.  Furthermore, I was curious since there are not a lot of Chinese restaurants in town serving up Shandong cuisine.  Although their menu incorporates many other regions, it's nice to see it represented since Shandong cuisine is considered one of the 8 culinary traditions in China.

On their recommendation, we tried the whole Dezhou Braised Chicken. Due to the deep fry prior to braising, the skin had a golden hue.  I would've liked even more colour but it was not pale by any means.  The meat itself was relatively tender, but did not shred as easily as promised.  It was quite mild in flavour with a definite hit of 5-spice, soy and ginger.  The kids seem to like this dish.  Next, we had the Shandong Pancake with sesame seeds.  This was toasted up a nicely where it was slightly crisp on the outside.  On the inside, it was a bit more dense than I would've liked, but again, the kids liked it.

The most memorable dish was something seemingly simple - the Boiled Pork & Cabbage Dumplings. These were fluffy and light despite the visuals.  Inside, the meat was soft, loose and mixed with a proper amount of cabbage (that still had texture).  Best of all, there was a significant amount of soup inside the dumpling.  We liked it so much, we got an extra order as they went fast.  We also tried the Crisp Fried Duck which arrived in a rich dark hue.  This was personally my favourite as the skin was mostly rendered (except for the breast meat) and somewhat crisp.  The meat itself was moist and tender while being well-seasoned, but not salty.

To get some veggies into our diet, we had the 4 Seasons Green Beans.  We found the beans were a bit old, hence there was some chewy parts despite being oil-blanched a tad too long.  In terms of visuals, we would've liked more colour as it was quite pale.  Taste wise, it wasn't lacking in savouriness while there was some spice as well.  We also added the Braised Eggplant.  This dish looked flavourful and indeed it was.  There was a good mix of savoury, sweet, tart and a touch of spice.  It would've been even spicier if we had not requested it to be prepared mild.  Texturally, the eggplant was quite soft, but it wasn't completely mushy either.

Lastly, we had the Kung Pao Shrimp which was not lacking in ingredients.  In fact, it was predominantly shrimp with peanuts, peppers and onions.  This was spicy, yet not overly so.  Hence, we could still taste the individual ingredients.  I thought the shrimp were prepared properly as they had a nice snap and were de-veined (and butterflied). Despite ordering a few dishes that are more representative of other Chinese cuisines, the chicken and duck highlighted the braising and deep-frying which is synonymous with Shandong cuisine.  In that sense, the meal was both interesting with some hightlights.

The Good:
- Something different from the typical Chinese food readily available in the GVRD
- Service is solid

The Bad:
- A little pricey
- Washrooms are horrid

Pizza Carano

For awhile there, a new Neapolitan pizza joint was opening almost monthly.  But in the past year or so, it hasn't been as hectic.  Yes, it goes without saying that Vancouver is somewhat of a copycat city where certain fads explode in a short period of time (also see ramen, macarons, sandwiches and donuts).  Recently, Pizza Carano has set up shop on Fraser Street, in what is suddenly becoming a hot spot of sorts for eclectic establishments (with Earnest Ice Cream, Jethro's and Graze in the mix).  Is it the new Main Street?

Whatever the case, we headed over to Carano for some eats because the kids wanted pizza.  Hey, they didn't specify what kind of pizza, so why not Neapolitan?  To make ourselves feel better, we started with the Kale Caesar.  Correction, Viv and I started with the Kale Caesar... The chances of my son enjoying this salad was as good as a non-contested parking spot in Richmond.  Too bad really, as the kale was fresh being tender and not overly chewy.  The dressing had big flavours including a nice pepperiness to go with ample Parmesan.  We loved the crunchy mung bean bits which added lots of texture.  As a baseline, we had to start with the Margherita.  With a really crunchy crust giving way to tender centre, this reminded me of Farina (with just a touch less leoparding).  However, on the bottom, there was lots of colour adding a nuttiness to go along with the properly seasoned dough. The tomato sauce was muted in acidity while the light drizzle of EVOO along with the fresh basil added aromatics.

Next up was the Sausage and Roasted Fennel.  Normally, they would top this pizza with arugula, but they had run out for the night.  We were not sure if this impacted the final product as it was quite mild in flavour.  Rather than a big fennel hit, it was more of a whimper.  The same could be said about the sausage as it was meaty, yet lacking in impact.  However, the pizza itself was still enjoyable due to the solid crust.  Lastly, we tried the Seafood & Chorizo with spiced tomato sauce, tomato onion, scamorza, prawns, chorizo, corn and cilantro.  This was our favourite as there was a multitude of flavours including the sweet pop of corn.  The zip and spice from the tomato sauce in addition to the chorizo made for impactful bites.  The light smattering of cilantro gave enough without overwhelming.  Overall, we found the pizza at Carano to be pretty good.  Definitely gives my personal favourite, Pizzeria Farina, a run for its money.

The Good:
- Crunchy and chewy crust with a nice tender centre
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Small place, gets busy, need to serve yourself

Porkapalooza @ The Hog Shack Cook House

Making my way to Steveston can be quite the trek, especially in rush hour traffic.  However, when I was invited to Porkapalooza at The Hog Shack, I put aside my reservations. Furthermore, we would be served Samuel Adams to help wash down the delicious pork. I was able to enlist the help of Snake, who loves his meat.  Besides, I get all self-conscious when I'm alone and taking pictures of pork butt...  Heck, I shouldn't be complaining - it's beer and BBQ!

Arriving early, I was able to get a sneak peek at the star of the show - a whole Smoked Hog.  This was a big sucker that barely fit into the smoker at first (before it shrunk).  The slow-cooking ensured that it would baste in its own fat and juices.  Although the outside was a beautiful golden brown, it was not crispy since it wasn't roasted.  The meat itself was melt-in-my mouth soft and moist.  It had a mild smoky flavour which allowed the natural flavour of the pork to shine.  I would've liked it to be seasoned more aggressively though, but then again, that is what the sauces are for.

Of course we were here for another purpose, which would be the Samuel Adams beer.  I had a pint of their Boston Lager  which was refreshing and crisp going down easy and was the right compliment to the ample amount of meat.  And about that Meat, we helped ourselves to brisket, back ribs, chicken, burnt ends, fries, corn bread, coleslaw and the aforementioned smoked whole hog.  My favourite was the ribs as they were moist and tender with a defined bark.  The chicken was almost juicy with nicely rendered skin while the brisket was fatty and succulent (but could've been slightly more melt-in-my-mouth tender).  The burnt ends were just like I remembered - meaty, sweet, smoky and impactful.  At the end, I was in a meat coma - full of pork and Sam Adams beer!

*Sponsored by Branding and Buzzing

Woodinville Cafe

On our way out of Bellevue and towards home, we had to stop for breakfast because the last thing we wanted was 2 hungry, complaining kids for 2 hours.  We ended up exiting in Woodinville and dining at the aptly named Woodinville Cafe.  With a homey train-themed decor, the place was welcoming, including the friendly staff.  We settled in and ordered quickly.  However, that didn't stop our kids from whining about being hungry.  I wonder how hungry they'll be when they get into High School???

Anyways, we'll get right into what they ate because it helped shut them up.  My son went for the Kid's Breakfast with one strip of bacon, eggs and 2 mini-pancakes.  He dusted this off quickly not only because he was famished, but due to the nicely crisp bacon, fluffy pancakes and equally fluffy scrambled eggs.  Inexplicably, my daughter chose to have the Tuna Fish Sandwich with a side of Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup (at 9:30am).  Well, the sandwich was loaded with tuna, a touch too much mayo and celery.  She liked the soup more as it was a meal in itself packed with tender chunks of beef.

For myself, I had the Corned Beef Hash with a side of biscuits and country gravy.  Viv cringed at my choice of side because country gravy and my stomach go together like a volcano science experiment. As for the hash, I liked the buttery cubes of corned beef as well as the perfectly sunny-side eggs.  However, I wasn't a huge fan of the potato slivers that were dry and hard.  Viv ended up with the Migas consisting of eggs scrambled with seasoned taco meat, Tillamook cheddar, red & green peppers, onions and crispy tortilla strips topped with  rancheros sauce, avocado, sour cream and green onions  This was a pleasant, if not unexciting dish.  With the promise of flavours from its menu description, the result was just a bunch of tomatoey eggs and veggies.  Overall, Woodinville Cafe did the job.  Not sure if we're dying to return, but definitely an option for breaky.

The Good:
- Fantastic service
- Interesting decor
- Kid-friendly

The Bad:
- A bit expensive considering the portion size

MonGa

*Restaurant is now permanently closed*

It has been very interesting watching the growth of Asian cuisine in Seattle and in particular Bellevue. I remember as a kid, my parents would take me to Hunan Garden on 8th Street.  Even then, I was pretty sure the food wasn't all that good.  Fast forward to the present, there are many choices including Din Tai Fung.  After a relatively good experience at Facing East a while back, it was time to go back to the Taiwanese well with a visit to the newly opened MonGa.

We actually had to wait a bit as the place was pretty busy. The first dish to arrive was the Pork Trotters and they were in an attractive shade of brown.  The braising liquid had enough dark soy for colour as well as good flavour as well.  Both the exterior and the cartilage underneath were moist, gelatinous and tender.  Then we had the infamous Pork Belly Burger.  Consisting of a slice of pork belly, peanuts, sugar, pickled mustard greens and pork floss in a mantou, there was a little of everything in there in terms of flavour.  The pork belly was moist and gelatinous without feeling too fatty (despite the obvious fat).

Next, we had another Taiwanese favourite being the Fried Chicken Nuggets. I found them to be soft and really moist, but the batter lacked crispiness.  It was almost as if they didn't coat each piece with enough batter and/or the chicken was fried before letting the batter rest. The seasoning was good though with a mild saltiness with a hint of five-spice and pepper.  With even more pork belly, we had the Stewed Pork Belly on Rice.  Benefiting from the same melt-in-our-mouths belly and pickled mustard greens, there was a nice balance of richness and tang.  Combined with the chewy rice, this was good.

Onto a staple of Taiwanese food, we had to get the Beef Noodle.  In fact, we also got a second order that had tripe and tendon in it.  Guess who wanted that one?  As for the soup, it was dark in color and fairly flavorful without being too salty.  The chunks of beef were very soft, maybe a bit too soft as there was not much texture.  The noodles were on the softer side as well.  For the kiddies, we got them the Fried Pork Chop Noodle that featured a clear soup.  I found the soup rather salty though.  As for the pork chop, it was everything the chicken nuggets should've been.  The coating was crispy and light where it successfully kept the pork moist and tender.

We also got some sides as part of a combo meal with the beef noodle including the Marinated Cucumber and Sliced Pig's Ear.  The cucumbers were a touch limp, hence, the crunch was very subdued.  It did taste okay though with a nicely vinegary hit.  As for the pig's ear, it was gelatinous with only the slightest of chew.  It was well seasoned with a slight spice.  Lastly, we got a small bowl of Strawberry Shaved Ice for Goose's kids.  Nothing particularly amiss with the dessert other than the meager amount of strawberries.  Overall, we found the food to be decent at MonGa.  However, the portion sizes for some items, in particular, the pork chop noodles was small where there was only enough noodles of one small kid (we had to order 3 of these).

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Dishes were small in portion size