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Hakka Masti, I remember you very vividly. Considering the fact you are an inconspicuous Indian-Chinese restaurant smack dam in a whole lot of other joints along Scott Road, one might wonder why I can't forget you. Was it the food? Well, it was okay. But the real reason for my unforgettable memories is that I ate there just prior to one of my worst episodes of food poisoning and/or stomach flu. Let's just say I didn't leave the washroom for 3 days. Was it the food there or was it something else? Only one way to find out - go back.
To be fair, we will never be able to find out the real reason for my stay at the Chateau Washroom, so it may have been something else. This go around, I started with the Cream of Corn Soup which was pretty typical being the watered-down, starch-thicken canned type. It was okay though as it wasn't overly sweet. Rather, it was more on the saltier side. It was pretty thick though and remained so til the last spoonful. As for the Hot & Sour Soup, it was exactly how I remembered it. There was a low-rumbling spice that lingered while the plethora of cilantro dominated the flavour profile. The soup base was actually quite mild with some savoury elements.
For my mains, I tried the Chili Chicken first and it had a noticeable spiciness that was purposeful. That meant I could taste it without burning off my taste buds. Moreover, I could get the garlic, cumin and coriander from the sauce. However, there was a bit too much soy for my liking. The chicken was a little dry due to the deep fry, but the ample sauce helped things out. Next, the Szechuan Fish was really good with big pieces of flaky, moist fried filets. The sauce was garlicky and spicy with just the right amount of sweetness to balance the flavours. The noted acidity didn't hurt things either.
What the hey, I decided to pay them another visit the week after and went for the Mushroom Soup to start. I didn't really like this starch-thickened soup as it really had no inherent flavour other than a whole lot of salt. Furthermore, the bits of mushroom were of the canned variety which made it taste artificial. For my first dish, I tried the Coconut Shrimp which was a whole lot more sauce than protein. To be fair, for the price, I didn't expect a lot. Despite being few in number, the shrimp were cold-water crunchy though. As for the sauce, I got more green onion and cilantro than coconut. I did like the consistency and purposeful spiciness though.
Lastly, I had the Black Bean Beef that looked typical but was much spicier than ones found in Chinese restaurants. In addition to the spice, there was a pronounced salty black bean flavour combined with garlic. The slices of beef were medium thickness and were tenderized enough. Based on the 2 revisits, I personally prefer Green Lettuce more than Hakka Masti (in terms of portion size and overall flavour impact). With that being said, Hakka Masti still remains a decent choice for Indian Chinese food along Scott Road.
The Good:
- Friendly staff
- Something different
The Bad:
- Flavours are good, but could be more pronounced
Does Vancouver need more ramen? Heck, does Vancouver need more bike lanes? Well, think whatever you want, but we are now home to another Japanese chain called Taishoken Ramen. More known for their Tsukeman, which is a cold dipping ramen, they are only offering 3 types of soup ramen at the time being. Seeing how we had just finished up Sunday morning hockey, Milhouse, Kaiser Soze and JuJu joined me in some hot ramen to go with a warm Spring day.
At first, we were a bit apprehensive as we spied a lineup to get in. But once Kaiser Soze spotted that all bowls of ramen were only $5.00 as part of their introductory offer, we were determined to get in. As such, we all got 2 bowls each where JuJu even threatened to get 3 just to one up everyone. For me, I decided to try the Shio first. It was not particularly salty where I could really taste the meat in the broth (particularly the chicken). It was only mildly silky with some sweet elements. The noodles were toothsome while the pork belly was tender, yet not really all that fatty. JuJu was busy with his other bowl of ramen, so I took the opportunity to try the Shoyu. This one had more depth and saltiness due to the soy sauce. Again, I could taste the pork and chicken fat, which also contributed to the slight silkiness.
For my other bowl, I tried the Miso ramen. Unlike the shio and shoyu, there was no green onion and the bamboo shoots were replaced by sweet corn. Furthermore, I had the pork loin rather than the belly. This was my favourite of the 3 by far since the miso paste added saltiness and helped thicken the broth. I actually prefered the pork loin as it was fattier and more succulent than the belly. I returned with Sean once their full menu was being served. We both ended up with the Tsukeman, albeit mine was the "special" with egg. There was an option for regular and large (for $1.00 more),
but as you can see, the regular portion that I had was more than enough food. I found the ramen to be appealingly chewy with a nice elasticity. The dipping sauce had a considerable meaty depth and was salty enough to flavour the noodles. It was greasy though, but that only added more body. I chose pork belly and it was fatty and melt-in-mouth soft. As for the egg, it was an utter complete fail. If I wanted hard-boiled eggs, I could easily do that at home. Talk about false advertising (as the picture on the menu shows a golden runny centre).
We also shared the Chashu Gohan that featured a considerable amount of mostly tender pork (some pieces were a touch dry). The meat and sauce mixture was quite salty, yet when mixed with the chewy and moist rice, it was pretty good. Overall, from these 2 visits, the ramen was above average and in particular, the miso was very good. However, on a personal level, I was only marginally impressed with the Tsukeman. Furthermore, the egg needs to go back to the drawing board pronto (as I am not the only one who has received a hard-boiled version).
The Good:
- Friendly service (although a little green due to the newness of the place)
- Silky broth
The Bad:
- Pork belly could be more fatty
- Like most ramen joints, seating is at a premium
In the mad rush to find the next best eats, the good ol' pub seems to get lost in the shuffle. Yes, there was a period of time a few years ago where gastropubs were all the rage. They still do to some extent, but we've moved onto macarons and Neapolitan pizza. So when Big D was wondering where to eat one day, I suggested we hit up Woody's on Brunette and take advantage of their daily specials. Those must've been good deals as there was a diverse clientele that included a table of older Asian ladies enjoying their massive plate of 25 cent wings and coffee...
Of course we had to get in on the action, so we ordered 20 Salt & Pepper Wings to start. These were fairly large and very crispy on the outside with rendered skin. However, the byproduct of this was pretty dry meat. There was a good amount of seasoning on the outside while not being overly so. For some inexplicable reason, I decided to get a bowl of Wonton Soup. Initially, I thought it would be great fodder, but it turned out to be much better than expected. The chicken broth was rich and flavourful (with the help of seasoning and MSG). The small wontons were comprised of moist and bouncy pork while the large shrimp had a meaty snap. As much as I liked the addition of fresh veggies, there was far too much where it muddled up the soup.
For my main, I had the daily special being the BBQ Ribs ($9.00). These were well-charred with a whiskey BBQ sauce glaze. I found it to be well-balanced where it wasn't incredibly sweet. The whiskey didn't really come through, but there was no lack of smokiness and flavour. The meat did fall off the bone and wasn't dry. Of course it wasn't completely cooked in a smoker nor BBQ, but they were decent nonetheless. As for the side of fries, they were the typical GFS/Sysco variety. Big D, wanted to eat healthier and got the Japaleno Jack Chicken Burger. I guess cheese and bacon fit into his definition of healthier... Well, he liked it as the chicken breast was not dried out and the toppings were fresh and well-made including the crispy bacon. Ultimately, Woody's may not be great food, but it does the job on the cheap.
The Good:
- Decent specials
- Okay portions
- Service we got was friendly
The Bad:
- Won't be mistakened for gourmet food
- Very pub-like, for those who want a modern gastropub
Another year and another version of EAT Vancouver! at BC Place is upon us. I've been attending consistently over the past few years where more recently, it has been part of the media preview. This year, it was a bit different as we had a tour of a few featured vendors. After that, we had free reign with the many booths proudly showing their wares and/or serving some little bites and samples. Of course there is the adults-only "Sips" area with samples of beer, wines and spirits. Probably the main attraction are the shows including a host of celebrity chefs including Rob Feenie, Chuck Hughes, Lynn Crawford, Vikram Vij and Ned Bell.
One of the first things we visited was a section dedicated to vendors associated with the Hawker's Market. We were able to sample some some items from Wonton Girl including the Beef Wonton and Yam & Cauliflower with a soy drizzle. These were fried until crispy while not greasy. I found the beef filling to be moist with light hits of sesame oil and cilantro. With the yam & cauliflower, I thought it was pleasantly smooth and sweet with the nice accent of chives. Right next door, I had something that was quite interesting in the Vegan Coconut Bacon from Sailin' On. Shaved and toasted, the coconut took on a buttery sweetness. They reminded me of these Chinese coconut candies in terms of overall flavour. Not really a "bacon" substitute, but good on its own.
Bosa Foods had an elaborate display highlighting many of the products they offer at their store. For me, the one thing that caught my fancy was the Truffle Salami. Freshly shaved, these were buttery from the fat and slightly salty with the strong aroma of black truffle. I didn't get to try any of their other items which included tomato & bocconcini and goat cheese with red pepper jelly. Nearby, there was an interesting booth called D-Way Ramen (which was really D-Way Foods). They were serving up fresh ramen with boxed broth. I tried their Pork Shio Broth and it was pretty decent for a pre-prepared product. It was flavourful with a good saltiness except lacking in a bit of texture and depth. I inquired about where I would buy some and they really couldn't come up with an answer for me.
Off to the "Bites" section, it was a bit troubling to see only 6 vendors. In fact, many were not setup, but in all, there would be only 10. I did get to sample Dunn's and their famous Montreal Smoked Meat. These slabs of brisket are smoked in Quebec and shipped over to BC where they are steamed for 3 hours and served to hungry diners. Not much to say other than "yum". There was an option to try Max's right next door as they were offering Halo Halo and Pancit Pabalok, but I was actually not that hungry. Instead, I sauntered over to an interesting booth, The Lo Gourmet Bao, manned by 2 fun-loving guys. With a name like that, it was no surprise to find mantou filled with beef. Normally, they would have other fillings, but this was the best way to serve it at EAT.
Lastly, I headed over to "Sips" for some beverages. After putting down 2 tickets as a "deposit" for my glass, I was immediately drawn to Jaw Drop Cooler Co. due to their colourful display (and also the fact someone was drinking it and I was curious). I went for the Sucking Lemons and it was refreshing and not overly strong nor sweet. Hence, once could easily down many of these in one sitting. Right next door, I sampled the Amber Ale from Yukon Brewery. This was really good with a hoppy presence with a nice smooth finish. There was much more to try, but I had to drive (I'm so responsible...). This was a fairly well-represented section as well as the main vendors. All-in-all, EAT! Vancouver 2014 is pretty much the same as before. However, the Bites section was not as big as the previous year.
Yet another in my long line of revisits has been Triple Coconut Tree. My original experience was underwhelming and I had every intention of eating there again, but call it the "it's too close to my house" syndrome. Yah, I've been out to Langley for pho before going back to TCT. But with Big D looking for lighter eats, it looked like a great opportunity to head back. We did consider heading back to Woody's for some more of their daily specials, but even we get sick of fried food sometimes.
Although a bit murky and cloudy, the Pho broth itself was rather mild and mostly sweet. I didn't think the individual flavours were that apparent as it was more muddled than clean. However, I did like the temperature of the broth as it was scorching hot which ensured that both the rare beef and sprouts would be somewhat cooked. On the topic of the beef, the modest amount was really tender. As for the noodles, they were on point being chewy and not clumpy. Of note, I asked for cilantro only, but was told everything was mixed together. But what about the cilantro in my banh mi? I digress. Big D was at his healthier eating again and got the Pho Ga. One sip of the broth and it was apparent they dumped a whole lot of MSG into it. It was super sweet and really flavourful. I did like the addition of fried garlic as it added more savouriness and aroma. Like my pho, the noodles were on point while the chicken meatballs were moist and bouncy.
Naturally, this wouldn't be enough food for us, so I got the Lemongrass Chicken with shredded pork and fried egg on broken rice. This was a fairly large portion with chewy rice and really juicy chicken. It had a light browning that really didn't add much in the way of caramelization, but the chicken itself was marinated enough to counteract that. They could've been a bit more generous with the shredded pork as I finished it in one bite. Lastly, we tried the Banh Mi Dac Biet. First off, I really liked the bread as it was really airy and crusty. Second, there was pate to go along with the nicely pickled carrots. However, they really needed to add some fish sauce or Maggi as the sandwich was quite bland (if they did add it, there wasn't much of it). Furthermore, they really skimped on the meat. Passable - that would be the best way to describe TCT. I guess it was better than my original visit, but I'm not aching to return anytime soon.
The Good:
- Fairly good portions (except for the banh mi)
- Decently large menu
- Acceptable service
The Bad:
- More on the average side
- Broth a bit muddled
For all the times we've been out for late night eats after hockey, I think we have gone through the gamut of various cuisines. Naturally, the large percentage has been Asian, but due to the lack of variety beyond this, we have resorted to re-visits. One thing we haven't eaten in the later hours of the day (or the next morning) is Southern BBQ. Well, there are couple of things working against that including the heaviness of the food and the fact no BBQ houses are open past midnight. Until now... And that is what brought us to Buckstop...
After trying out their fabulous Warm Potato Chips with BBQ Rub and a side of horseradish aioli during Burgerpalooza, I had to order them again. These light and crispy house-made chips were deadly as one could literally eat the whole bowl without knowing it. The sweet and slightly spicy rub added a certain smokiness to the chip while not over-salting it. The aioli provided a notable coolness combined with a mild bite. Next up was the Fried Dill Pickles with cajun aioli. These were nicely prepared with the batter staying put on each pickle wedge. They were lightly crisp with only the slightest doughiness. I thought the spice level of the ailoi was a good match to the salty pickles.
Seeing how this was going to be both a meat and deep-fried fest, we felt guilted into ordering the Smoked Beet Salad with goat cheese, candied walnuts, arugula puree and mandarin vinaigrette. The beets were indeed smoky which was slightly tempered by the smooth goat cheese and mildly bitter arugula puree. The vinaigrette was sweet and only somewhat acidic. I thought the beets were on the softer side though, but the crunchy walnuts added the necessary texture. With a side of salad (yes, that made everything more healthy...), we felt the Bacon & Jalapeno Mac n' Cheese was cheesy enough but not really spicy. Rather, it only exhibited a moderate amount of bacon which helped with the layer of flavours, but ultimately it was closer to the regular version (which was not a bad thing).
Now onto the main event, we shared the Half-Stop BBQ consisting of beef back ribs, St.Louis pork ribs, brisket, smoked chicken, pulled pork, fries, coleslaw and baked beans with hush puppies, cornbread and honey butter. Starting with the brisket, it was juicy and tender with thin ring of bark. The pulled pork was in bigger strands (being a touch stringy) and aggressively laced with a unmistakable bourbon BBQ sauce. It was decently tender. As for the pork ribs, there was a smoky and slightly spicy rub on the outside while the inside was surprisingly moist, falling-off-the-bone. Predictably, the smoked chicken was on the drier side, but not incredibly so. It was mildly flavoured with a touch of smoke. Lastly, the beef ribs were nicely charred while being fatty and tender. On the side, the cornbread had a nice exterior crunch, but alas it was dry. However, the hush puppies were fantastic with a light crispiness yielding to a nearly fluffy dense interior. In the end, we were stuffed and quite pleased with our first ever late night BBQ meat fest.
The Good:
- Meats are mostly tender and not excessively dry
- Good service
- Open late
The Bad:
- Rather narrow seating arrangements
- Liked the bourbon BBQ sauce but it was a bit too sweet
With only Milhouse and Sweet Tooth up for eats after Friday night hockey, the world was my oyster. Why? Well, these 2 faithful eating companions are always game for food anywhere, anytime. Hence, I could choose anything I wanted! It's like Lindsay Lohan in a liquor store... Since it was a late game, we ended up going to a place that has been on my list for a long time - Damso out on Denman.
To ensure that we ate this meal with a clear conscience, we got the Kimchi Garden Salad to start (at least there was something green on the table...). We really liked this concoction of organic spring mix, house-made bacon and of course kimchi. There was a good balance of flavours including the tangy mild spiciness of the kimchi along with the acidity from the dressing. The meaty bacon added body to the salad as well as some savouriness. Next, we tried the Seafood Waffle which did its best impression of a Korean seafood pancake. And in all honesty, we preferred this over the traditional offering. The crispy waffle was packed with seafood and only a bit of green onion. It was not as greasy as a pancake and the drizzle of thick sweet soy only helped amped up the flavours.
We got one each of the Korean Tacos made with a hand-stretched tortilla, beef belly, onion, cabbage and chili sauce. Although the taco shell was on the drier side, we appreciated its freshness. The beef belly was sliced really thin where it was super tender and moist. The ample amount of chili sauce added both the necessary moisture and sweet spiciness. With poor dish management (my fault), we ended up with the Matang, or yam fries with red wine glaze and a side of maekom sauce. Since I wasn't really paying attention, I failed to see that another dish already had yam fries as a side. Oh well... These were really good being crispy and light. The glaze had a real impact as it added a syrupy sweetness. I liked how they were not overly greasy either.
Next up, the Beef Tartare was neatly plated with thin strips of marbled-beef. It was accented with Asian pear, green onion, pickled beets, green onions, jalapenos and quail egg. With all of the ingredients mixed together, I thought the flavours were mild, yet not bland. At first, I was concerned with the size of the strips of beef, but it turned out to be buttery and super soft. Naturally, the quail's egg added even more smoothness. However, I would've liked to see more acidity as the flavours were somewhat flat. Served in a cute jar, the Pickles consisting of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans and asparagus were crunchy and preserved with a vinegary brine that had just enough sweetness as a balance.
Lastly, we had the Kimchi Beef Bulgogi Burger with yes, yam fries. I thought the sesame bun was a good choice as it was not too dense. Inside, the ample amount of beef bulgogi was moist and properly dressed. Not a ground-breaking dish by any means, but it worked and that can't be said with a lot of fusion food out there. In the end, we felt their take on Korean food was mostly successful. Definitely interesting and tasty eats, especially considering the time (which was well past midnight).
The Good:
- Interesting
- Their take on fusion is palatable
- Open late
The Bad:
- Don't try to fit a big party in there
- Maybe be even more daring and inventive?
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