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When JuJu gets a craving for a specific food, there is little in the way to convince him to eat anything else. That was the case after Sunday morning hockey. He wanted Dim Sum, no ands, ifs or buts. For the fear that he would suddenly turn green and rip off all his clothes, we relented and decided to hit up East River for some reasonably-priced eats. Besides, no one would want to see him rip off his clothes anyways. Also, we most certainly do not want to see anything green on him either...
Fortunately for us, we were able to snag a table pretty quickly since there was no budging, table-stealing nor foul language. Either these other people in line were not paying attention or they were scared at sight of a very hungry JuJu. Starting with the basics, we had the Haw Gow (shrimp dumpling) and Sui Mai (pork & shrimp dumpling). We found the thin haw gow skin to be somewhat doughy. Inside, the shrimp filling was mousse-like with a moist snap. Flavourwise, these were sweet with a hint of sesame oil. As for the sui mai, they were soft and mousse-like as well. There was a decent amount of shrimp and shiitake mushroom in the mix which afforded both texture and flavour.
Next up was the Shrimp Spring Rolls which were served up piping hot and crunchy. These were not greasy at all (oil was hot enough) where the shrimp filling was sweet and garlicky. There was only a mild snap texture due to the addition of shrimp mousse. JuJu wanted something more substantial, so we got the Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Beef. What JuJu wants, JuJu gets... The noodle exhibited good wok heat where there was a caramelization of flavours without being oil-logged. There was just the right amount of soy for effect whereby the saltiness was kept to a minimum. Texturally, the beef was tender while the sprouts retained their crunch.
Onto the rice noodle rolls, we had both the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll and Beef Rice Noodle Roll. With a good amount of snap-textured shrimp, there was some substance to the roll. Flavourwise, it was mildly seasoned where the shrimp flavour still came through. It was fine on its own without the sweet soy. The noodle itself was thin, yet a touch firm. As for the beef, it was properly tenderized. There was a slight chew to go with the moist beef which was welcomed since many times, the beef is over-processed. There was a balanced amount of green onions for colour and flavour.
I'm not sure why we order the Xiao Long Bao at Cantonese Dim Sum joints because they rarely turn out. However, what JuJu wants, JuJu gets... On cue, the dumpling skin was thick albeit not particularly doughy. Rather, it was soft and easy to chew. The filling was moist and meaty tasting where there was some juice that had hints of ginger and green onion. Then we got an order of mystery dumplings that looked like Chiu Chow Fun Gwor. I'm not sure if we even ordered them. Whatever the case, they weren't very good as they fell apart on contact. The filling was mushy with a mix meat, nuts, pickled veg & dried shrimp. We didn't really care for them.
Despite no one wanting in on the action, I decided to get the Tendon & Tripe anyways. What I want, I get? Well, this time at least... I found the tripe to be soft with a bit of chew left while the tendon was just right straddling the line between soft and firm. Although on the bland side, there was still decent hits of garlic and sweet notes. So far so good, but the Steamed Black Bean Spareribs were not so much. Texturally, these were more dry meaty rather than moist and bouncy. However, most pieces were rib portions with very little fat and cartilage. Where it really fell flat was the seasoning as it was one note tasting like there was a good amount of MSG. Moreover, there was too much starch as the sauce was clumpy.
Into the homestretch, we had the Bean Curd Skin Rolls. The pork filling was on the chewier side rather than a rebound texture. The crunch from the celery was a nice break from the chewy meat. Overall, the dish was bland while the sauce was clumpy. Lastly, we had the Lo Mei Gai (sticky rice) which featured rice that was a bit dry. That might've been exacerbated by the lack of filling. Flavours were good though with a good amount of pickled veg in the meaty mix. Although JuJu was satisfied from being fed, we all agreed that the food was just a smidgen above average. However, with reasonable pricing, East River is an option for casual Dim Sum eats.
The Good:
- Slightly above average
- Food comes out quick
The Bad:
- Service, what service?
- Some misses with the hits
"I would like some beverages", exclaimed Emilicious after Friday night hockey. And no, she wasn't talking about a Diet Coke either. Consequently, I suggested Biercraft Tap & Tapas since it would fulfill that particular request as well as eats. But honestly, I just wanted to do a re-visit since it was 5 years ago that we had last been to the place. It was in the middle of Summer and since they were sans A/C, we lost as much in sweat as we took in drinks. Well, it wasn't Summer this time around, but it was still plenty warm.
We ended up starting with an order of the Mumbai Wings and mint mango raita. Although not particularly juicy, the wings were coated with enough sauce to help alleviate that issue. They were crispy though with a balanced hint of curry to go along with the zesty tangy thing going on. The raita was rather mild, but was pleasant enough. The Korean Short Ribs were nicely executed with a smoky char. They were sweet like typical Korean marinade with some savoury elements. The meat was moist and tender except for the parts around the bone. We also got
the Sesame Tuna with wilted spinach, wasabi mayo. Much like last time, the tuna was expertly prepared being rare and texturally on point. However, it tasted exactly the same too which was mild and lacking in acidity. A touch of lime would've brightened up the flavours.
Next, we tried the Drunken Mussels in a Biercraft Pilsner, cilantro and lime butter broth. The good amount of mussels were a little overdone as they had lost their buttery texture. There was no mistaking the Pilsner in the broth, but it wasn't bitter being cooked down enough. I could get the lime, yet it wasn't overpowering. We got a bigger item in the Braised Beef Mac n' Cheese made with BBQ braised beef brisket, macaroni and 4 cheese sauce. I liked the BBQ sauce as it was tangy with sweet and smoky elements. However, it took over the dish and I could barely make out the cheeses. Furthermore, the brisket was on the stringier side. We liked how the macaroni was al dente though. As for the side of frites, they were crunchy, yet overly firm.
Lionel Hutz decided to share exclusively with Gordo (such anti-social people!). They also had the short ribs along with 2 more items including the Biercraft Burger consisting of a fire grilled house-made patty, toasted kaiser, crispy onions, lettuce and tomato. He thought it was a decent burger with a well-charred patty that was somewhere in between moist and dry. They also had a Caesar Salad made with a zesty lemon and asiago dressing, romaine, crispy bacon and cheese baked croutons. Yes, a Caesar salad is as exciting as physics textbook, but this one wasn't bad. The romaine was vibrantly crunchy while the dressing was creamy and not lacking in acidity.
For dessert, we ended up trying the Sticky Toffee Pudding and Tiramisu. Consisting of warm toffee cake, sticky coconut topping, caramel and Chantilly cream, this was okay. We didn't mind the cake as it was really moist and not crazy sweet. But the coconut topping was really sweet and the texture interfered with the cake. As for the Tiramisu, it was creamy and full of flavour. We got lots of coffee and liquor which made it even more enjoyable. Overall, this revisit was very similar to our original meal 5 years ago. So the consistency is there. Other than a few issues here and there, the food was decent for late night eats.
The Good:
- Nice vibe
- Okay eats
- Open late
The Bad:
- Overly warm inside
- We were made to wait for table even though there were several chances to seat us
Sometimes, there is no need for good sushi. *GASP* What??? No, I'm not suddenly regressing to my AYCE days nor have I suddenly changed my mind on Kawawa (went there recently... meh, don't even want to blog about it). Rather, there are situations where average sushi will do especially since we had the kiddies with us. Therefore, we headed over to the new location of Sushi California out on Broadway and Yukon. We've been to the original North Road store a few times and it is more or less mediocre sushi on the cheap.
Already bustling before 6:00pm, it appeared that many other people were looking for large portions and average quality eats as well. We started with an order of Gyoza and they were pretty sad-looking. With a pasty-white appearance that would make Rose McGowan look tanned, they ate as bad as they looked. The skin was lifeless and chewy while the filling was overly inundated with veggies. Furthermore, they were cold. Next up was the Ebi Tempura and thankfully, it was served hot. The batter was decently light and crispy while not overly heavy on the greasy. I liked the ebi inside as it had a buttery snap.
We also had the Seafood Salad which consisted of mesclun greens topped with cold udon, prawns, hokkigai, one mussel, half an egg and baby scallops. It was dressed in a vinaigrette that had a considerable sesame oil kick. This was actually okay since the moisture was kept to a minimum and the udon was texturally on point being chewy. With impressively large slices of tuna and salmon, the Deluxe Assorted Sashimi was more good value than great quality. As I've said before, I like a good deal, but if the tuna is cut the size of a hockey puck, the textures are all wrong. Case in point, would one cut beef carpaccio that thick? Otherwise, the sashimi was okay where it had a healthy sheen.
Moving onto the maki sushi, we had the Chopped Scallop Roll and Double Spicy Tuna Roll. My word, that was some of the worst sushi rice we ever had. The texture was softer than rice you would find at a typical Chinese dinner. It was mushy, wet and bland. It made the rolls nasty to eat as the textures and flavours were all wrong. Furthermore, I wasn't a huge fan of the scallops as they were a little too soft. Luckily, the 1/2 Futomaki had much more in the way of ingredients to counteract the crappy rice. Moreover, the crunch from the veggies and oshinko added texture and acidity.
Lastly, we ordered the Tempura Udon for the kiddies. As expected, the broth was lacking body, but at the very least, it resembled dashi. Some other places use soy sauce and consider it soup... This was a good portion which featured a side of crispy and hot tempura. As you can probably guess, our meal was not exactly that enjoyable. Remember what I said about good value eats over quality at the beginning? Well, I take it all back if the food resembles anything like we had here.
The Good:
- Cheap
- Super large portions
- Food comes out quick
The Bad:
- Crappy sushi rice
- Overall below-average quality
- Not the friendliest service
Dim Sum and New Westminster - it doesn't really roll off the tongue with ease does it? It's like trying to scream out "well-parked vehicles and Richmond" (did you check out that new Facebook site???). Most people know that we need to head to the aforementioned Richmond for the very best selection of Dim Sum (both Cantonese and Shanghainese), but in a pinch, there is one place that does the job. That place is Spring Garden on 12th. I had a decent experience the first time around, but Slick (who lives nearby) and Big D really wanted to check it out. So revisit it was!
Since Big D usually orders enough food to feed a small country, we snatched the checklist away from him. We started with the standards being the Haw Gow (shrimp dumplings) and Sui Mai (pork & shrimp dumplings). We found the haw gow skin to be thin while not soft nor dry. The filling had a good snap where it was moist and sweet. With a slightly loose filling, the sui mai were pretty large and nicely accented by the big dollop of tobiko on top. It was well-seasoned and had just enough fat for flavour and texture. The pork itself was bouncy with some chew.
Next up, the Beef Tendon was a bit pale in colour. There was an overabundance of curry flavour where it completely overwhelmed everything else. The dish desperately needed some sweetness and more garlic for balance. The tendon itself was soft enough, yet the dish felt dry in need for more sauce. Beautifully browned on the bottom, the Potstickers featured a fairly thick skin. Not much of a problem since it was nicely crisped up. Furthermore, it was was a pleasant chewy, if that makes any sense. As for the filling, it was moist and tender, but a bit heavy on the veg.
Moving along, we had the Steamed Black Bean Spareribs. Again, the portion size was fairly generous as the meat was spilling off of the plate. As evidenced in the picture, the rib pieces were meaty and lacking cartilage. There was a decent amount of chew to go with the rebound texture of the meat. The dish was mildly seasoned where it could've benefited from more black bean and garlic. We weren't sure what to make of the Beef Meatballs because they seemed to be too dark in colour (possibly too much dark soy?). Moreover, the meat was fairly chewy and in need of some green onions and/or cilantro. Due to the overuse of baking soda, there was a weird aftertaste as well.
We ended up with 3 orders of the rice noodle rolls partly due to Big D ripping the order sheet from Slick's grasp. Of the 3, the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll was the most successful. Featuring a fairly thin and pillowy soft noodle exterior and snappy shrimp filling, this could compete with the big boys. However, the bbq pork version was a total bust as the meat was dry and for some inexplicable reason, it was mixed with an obscene amount of green onion. A little on the wet side, the Lo Mei Gai (sticky rice) was full of flavour. This was thanks to the ample amount of wet sauce & ground pork (which also made the rice a touch soggy). Not a huge deal as we preferred this over dry sticky rice.
Onto the XO Daikon Pudding Cake, we found it was a bit oil-logged while not-all-that-crispy. Maybe the oil wasn't hot enough? Despite this, it wasn't all bad since the cake was sufficiently soft while being tossed in spicy XO sauce. Big D was so eager to eat the Shrimp Spring Rolls, he devoured one before I could even snap a photo. As a result, the picture only represents a partial order. I could see why he dug right in because they were good. Hot and crunchy on the outside and equally scorching hot on the inside, the shrimp filling had a nice snap which was well-seasoned and garlicky.
Lastly, we tried the Fried Milk which was a bit too greasy for my liking. Furthermore, the batter was a bit too thick. Despite this, it was still crunchy on the outside. The milk filling was sweet with hints of coconut. Okay, but I've had better. That pretty much sums up Dim Sum at Spring Garden though. It is not particularly impressive compared to the big boys, but for New West, it is more than respectable at a reasonable price.
The Good:
- Decent for New West (and GVRD in general)
- Friendly people
- Reasonably-priced
The Bad:
- Small and cramped
- Limited selection
Seriously, why would anyone blog about a sports bar in an ice hockey facility? Well, that would be me. As much as it is irrelevant to people who do not play hockey or get sucked into watching someone play hockey at the rink, it is food after all. And you know me, everything I eat counts... Well, except for the 6" tuna I had at Subway the other day. I'm not blogging about that... or the apple pie I had at McD's either. Oh yeah, and that revisit to Kawawa for AYCE... Yes, I went back there and it still sucked. I digress...
So after our win in the tournament, our team went upstairs to Boomer's Sports Grill at GPF for some celebratory eats. We shared both the Nachos and Buffalo Wings. Pretty typical stuff for a sports bar right? Yup, the Nachos were just that with bagged chips, melted cheese, jalapenos, green onion, tomatoes, salsa and sour cream. As for the wings, they were sauced aggressively where there was plenty of hot vinegary sauce. However, the wings were fried to the point where the meat was dry and chewy. I enjoyed eating the side of carrots and celery more than the wings themselves.
For my main, I went for the Canadian Burger with bacon and cheddar. Without sounding anti-climactic, it was exactly what I was expecting. The frozen burger patty was well-charred, yet somewhat dry. The meaty bacon was crispy though while the produce was fresh. It did the job. As for the fries, they were your typical Sysco/GFS frozen type. Again, they did the job. Puckhog wanted some of those fries and offered to share some of his Pepperoni Pizza in return. For what it's worth, the pizza wasn't bad. The crust was bread-like while crunchy on the exterior. There was no shortage of ingredients including a good helping of cheese.
Naturally, the Mushroom & Swiss Burger was pretty much like the one I had except for the 2 toppings. The sauteed mushrooms were good though being well-seasoned and not overly watery. Cherry Picker ended up with the Beef Dip which was a pretty standard version. However, I give them props for using real roast beef. As you can clearly see, the food at Boomer's serves a purpose - to fill up the hungry appetites of those who have just finished playing a hockey game. No frills here, but reasonably-priced and completely respectable with all things considered.
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent for what it is
The Bad:
- Not a destination restaurant by any stretch of the imagination
- Can get a little chaotic there after a tournament or multiple games
Heading home from GPF in Delta, I was thinking hard as to where I could pick up some late night eats without resorting to anything that didn't involve a drive-thru. Suddenly, as I was crossing the Queensborough, I remembered that JuJu had told me about a donair spot in New West. I made the turn onto 6th and headed over to Donair Star on 12th. As they were about to close, there was not chicken left. I decided to get a Lamb Platter for myself and Beef Donair for Viv.
As with many donair joints, the price-to-food value ratio is good at Donair Star. My Lamb Platter had enough meat for 2 meals (but I ate it all anyways). I particularly enjoyed the thick cuts as it remained moist inside. I found the flavours to be pretty mild but there was the usual rosemary, onion and garlic hits. I wasn't huge fan of the rice as it was a bit on the wet side and was even more so with the sauces. The hummus was smooth, yet a bit too watery and it didn't seem to have enough acidity nor garlic. Viv's regular-sized Beef Donair was pretty large for the price as they were pretty generous with the meat. Like the lamb, it was in big chunks ensuring that they were not dried out.
Wanting to try the Chicken Donair out, I returned the next day. While I was waiting, they were cutting some of the chicken off the rotisserie and it looked juicy and delicious. However, the meat they used in the donair was a little dry and lacking in moisture. It did taste good though with caramelization of flavours. From the items that I tried, Donair Star provides good value (much like other similar joints) and decent eats. However, I've definitely had better from a variety of places in the GVRD.
The Good:
- Like similar places, it is a good value
- Good portions
- Nice people
The Bad:
- There is better
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