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The default. You know, the things we settle for because they are always there and pretty much predictable. It's much like white paint, vanilla ice cream and chaotic lineups in Richmond. When it comes to lunch, especially for a quick meal, the defaults are places such as McD's and Subway. For me, that is usually the last resort because there are so many more interesting things to eat for roughly the same price. Hence, I decided that a revisit to the Snak Shak as we were in the area. Apparently, since the last time I was here, they have focused on being a Thai restaurant with Western choices. It was the other way around before.
Much like my last visit 5 years ago, I went with the Wor Wonton Soup. Admittedly, I should've stayed away from this one since the place is not a Chinese restaurant (and even with that, some Chinese restaurants can't even do it right). The soup base was mostly beef bouillon which meant there was this MSG-salty thing going on. As for the wontons themselves, they were rather small where the pork filling was a bit dense and lifeless. The rest of the veggies were fine though being just barely cooked. Onto one of their Thai dishes, I tried their Prawn Pad Thai. This was a fairly large portion that featured many of the usual ingredients such as pressed tofu, pickled turnip, peanuts and bean sprouts. I asked for spicy and it was only mildly so. Overall, I found the flavours to be okay for a non-tamarind version. There was quite a bit of palm sugar though which meant it was more sweet than tart.
We also had the Kong Burger which featured a really thick burger patty. It was actually quite moist due to its size. However, it could've used a bit more sear for flavour. Overall, the ingredients were pretty good, however, the sauteed mushrooms were pretty salty. The generic fries were prepared quite well being very crispy, yet lacking a bit in potato texture. The Teriyaki Chicken with noodles was a bit strange looking due to its pale colour. But it was a pretty typical version with tender chicken in a sweet glaze. The noodles underneath were a poor choice as they didn't match the dish. Something like an udon or soba noodles would've been more appropriate rather than Chinese chow mein. In the end, our bellies were filled without much issue. Not particularly the greatest food, but it wasn't bad either.
The Good:
- Large portions
- Friendly people
The Bad:
- Not as cheap as you might think
- Possibly trying to be too many things
My memories of Chinese hand-pulled noodles go way back to a time where the only show in town was Unicorn Restaurant in Richmond on the corner of #3 Road and Westminster Hwy. The noodle-making chef would be proudly showing off his skills while diners looked on. Too bad he was doing everything to order. That meant our wait for a bowl of noodles was as long as it takes to exit the Crystal Mall parkade on a weekend. Fast forward to the present, there are many more places to choose from. One of the newest is Yu Xiang Yuan out on Fraser Street. This was a convenient stop for dinner after softball at nearby Ross Field
To get a variety of dishes, instead of ordering strictly noodles, we started with the Cumin Lamb. This was a well-received dish where the spice level was purposeful building all the way to the end. The lamb was slightly crispy and meaty while tender. To go with the spiciness, there was a balance of flavours including good use of MSG. Next, the Xiao Long Bao were pretty ordinary. With a considerably thick skin at the top twirl and sorely lacking in soup, these were more like regular dumplings. The meat was moist with a good hit of ginger though. In the end, we gave them a pass on this one since they are not primarily a Shanghainese restaurant.
Onto their specialty, we tried the Pushing Noodles with Seafood in Soup first. There was a good amount of chewy al dente noodles in the mild broth. The seafood itself was a bit absent with only a few pieces here and there. They were cooked generally well though, but in general, this was pretty much a conservative dish not much in the way of pop (not their fault, just how it is). With our next item, we had the Zhajiang Pork with Cucumber on Rolling Noodles. Once again, the noodles were properly prepared being chewy and barely cooked. The sauce was mildly seasoned consisting of chewy ground pork. We felt that the sauce could've been more impactful and also there should've been more of it.
Next, we had our favourite noodle offering being the Fried Cutting Noodles with Pork. By virtue of the cooking method, the flavours, consisting of soy, sugar and sesame oil, were more prevalent and caramelized. With al dente noodles, crunchy wood ear mushrooms and a plethora of julienned pork, there was a good deal of textures at play. If we hadn't ordered enough starch for our meal, it was kicked up further with the Stir-Fried Sliced Rice Cake with preserved vegetable, pork and bean sprouts. Unlike most other versions, the rice cake here was sliced quite thin. Hence, they were less heavy while still maintaining a nice chew. Adding to the good wok heat, the pickled vegetable provided a tart crunch.
Our last dish, the Spicy Eggplant Hot Pot, was a feeble attempt at fulfilling our veggie quotient. Why? Because the eggplant was oil-blanched first and then stir-fried before being placed in a sizzling hot pot. Whatever the case, it was a good dish with the flavours of black vinegar, garlic and Szechuan peppercorns. The eggplant itself was not too soft while the crunch from the wood ear mushrooms and bamboo shoots provided balance. Overall, we were quite please with our meal, especially with the reasonable prices. We wouldn't have a problem returning again for a meal.
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Freshly-made noodles
- Nice people
The Bad:
- Not necessarily a bad, but the food lacks a bit of refinement
"Where did you want to go for Dim Sum tomorrow?", queried my mom. "Richmond", I answered confidently. Viv looked at me as if I had 2 heads. Wait, I do have... uh... Anyways, even my kids were perplexed, but then again, they just don't like the long car ride. So, with intentions of heading into Richmond for Dim Sum, my mom suggested a revisit to Fraser Court instead. She had been there a few times recently and thought the food had improved. Oh alright, I guess I could visit Richmond another day... They all could sense my disappointment. Not.
It was a good call though because I hadn't been back for Dim Sum since it first opened. The first dish to arrive was the Fried Taro Dumplings. Light and crispy with minimal grease, there was a thick well-seasoned layer of taro. As such, there wasn't a whole lot of room for the pork filling. The little that there was, it wasn't overly fatty not saucy. Since my son loves both salty donuts and rice noodles, it would only be logical to order the Ja Leung. The donut itself could've been less dense and crunchier, but the rice noodle itself was relatively thin and light. Especially for the kiddies, we liked how there wasn't a whack load of green onions.
With the same consistency, the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll was pretty good. There was a good amount of shrimp and flowering chives which made the rolls substantial. The shrimp itself was had a decent snap texture and was well-seasoned. Onto a different type of noodle, we had the Offal Hot Pot with crystal noodles. These mung bean starch noodles were chewy, yet sufficiently moist. The sauce exhibited depth of flavour from the braising and the addition of dried orange peel. As for the offal itself, the tripe was soft while not completely melting away. The same could be said for the tendon as it was soft, yet maintain its integrity.
Onto the Sui Mai (pork & shrimp dumplings), they were buttery soft (ingredients a bit loose and wet), yet the meat still had a nice bounce texture. There was plenty of flavours thanks to the small amount of fat, shiitake mushrooms and crunchy shrimp. I found that the ratio of ingredients was just right. Next, the Haw Gow (shrimp dumplings) were equally large with whole pieces of shrimp inside. They exhibited a buttery and moist snap, yet were over-seasoned to the point that I thought the filling was too salty. As for the wrapper, it was thin and only slightly chewy.
We also had the Steamed Pork Spareribs which were in really big chunks. These chunks were very meaty with only a few bones and cartilage. They were well-marinated being garlicky with a nice rebound texture. However, once again, the flavours bordered on salty and the big overflowing oil slick didn't help matters. One of my favourites was next being the Fried Bean Curd Skin Roll. The exterior was a nice shade of brown which also yielded an appealing chewy texture. I enjoyed the filling as it was a balanced mix of crunchy wood ear mushrooms & bamboo shoot and moist bouncy pork. There was only a modest amount of sauce where it was fairly flavourful.
Of course, we couldn't get out of there without ordering the Shrimp Spring Rolls since my son would have a hairy fit. Well, he had a minor fit because the spring rolls had a layer of seaweed inside. I would agree with him as the seaweed didn't really add anything and in fact, took away from the shrimp. It didn't help that there was far too much salt either. The shrimp did exhibit a nice snap while the rolls themselves were crunchy. I also thought that my son would love to try the Fried Chicken Wings, but he didn't have any of them either for some reason or another. For me, I found them to be crispy with a nice toss of salt and spices. The meat was somewhat moist, but not really all-that-juicy though.
For both kiddies, we got them the mini-Lo Mei Gai (sticky rice). Similar to the other dishes, there was a good ratio of meat filling to rice. The rice itself was moist and glutinous while not being overly wet. Yet, also the same again, there was far too much seasoning (MSG). We finished up the meal with a few orders of the Mango Pudding to the joy of my daughter. She dusted off one herself as it was the typical artificially-flavored type. However, it was a bit better than most versions. Overall, we enjoyed the Dim Sum at Fraser Court considering the price point. But the overuse of salt and MSG could be an issue with some people.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Good portion size
The Bad:
- Too much salt and MSG
- Service is okay, but with such a big restaurant, it can get sparse
If you are familiar with the now closed New China Kitchen in Coquitlam, you don't need much familiarization with mediocre & greasy North American Chinese food. Naturally, with more refined tastes, those types of buffets are going the way of the Dodo in the GVRD (like Foody Goody and Grand Buffet). The food was so nasty that it tasted like they used Dodos... Is that how they became extinct??? Anyways, that doesn't mean there aren't some ambitious restauranteurs who dare to offer us AYCE Asian food. From the ashes of NCK, we now see Asia Kitchen with their Vietnamese a la carte menu or the option of an AYCE buffet.
After watching a movie at Silvercity next door, we decided to hit up the place for dinner. Selection-wise, we were greeted by 2 long hot buffet stations. For my first plate, I sampled Fried Rice, Sweet & Sour Pork, Chili Salt Shrimp, Fried Basa, Szechuan Beef and BBQ Pork. I found the pork to be a bit dry, but the sauce was nicely balanced. The shrimp had good flavour but the shell needed to be fried longer as it needed to be removed rather than eaten. I liked the beef as it was properly tenderized while sporting a decent spiciness. The veggies were still vibrant and crunchy. I tried their Hot & Soup Soup and it was predictably lacking in body, but it did have a good tartness though.
Next, my 2nd plate consisted of Fried Chicken, Singapore Noodles, Curry Chicken, Lemongrass Chicken Wings, Mussels, Fried Squid, Honey Garlic Pork and Green Beans. The exterior of the chicken was a bit dried out, yet the meat itself was juicy and well-seasoned. Lacking in ingredients, the noodles did have nice curry flavour though. I wasn't a huge fan of the squid as the batter was strange and not all that crispy (it was hard). I did like the green beans as they were not overcooked. As you can see, I didn't get to try everything because of the many different dishes available. Mind you, some just didn't look all that appetizing, so I skipped them.
There was also a make-your-own noodle section. It was okay with a slightly spicy & sour broth with rice noodles and a selection of fish cake. One item I did try without taking a picture of it was the Dungeness Crab. It was actually decent where it wasn't mushy. Furthermore, there was a salad bar and hard ice cream. Considering the price for dinner was $14.95 ($15.95 on weekends), I thought it was okay considering the selection. Yet, in general, the food reminded me of something I could get at the mall food fair. Now that can be considered a positive and a negative. On one hand, the food was edible, but on the other, it isn't something I crave either.
The Good:
- Decent service
- Okay for a buffet
The Bad:
- Some repetitive sauces/ingredients
- Okay if you want quantity...
When Meat & Bread burst onto the scene in Vancouver, it upped the ante when it came to the good ol' sandwich. Many have followed since then including ones located in the burbs. My favourite amongst the bunch is Big Star out in New West, yet they do not offer a Porchetta such as Meat & Bread. However, when I was in Lonsdale Quay one day, I noticed that there was one on the menu at The Sandwich Shop. Could we actually have a legit competitor, out in North Van no less? Well, only one way to find out...
Naturally, I gave the Porchetta on ciabatta a try first. It consisted of caramelized onion, garlic jam, arugula and cracklings. When I didn't see a pork roast or anything of the sort under the heat lamp, I should've known that my sandwich would be cold-to-lukewarm. The pork itself was not hot which didn't do it justice. I liked the cracklings as they were crunchy, but nothing else stood out other than the unnecessary addition of overpowering truffle oil. Even the caramelized onions didn't add any impact. There was a dire need for spice and acidity here. Fortunately, the Korean Short Rib was much more flavourful. It was dressed with kimchi, pickled daikon, green onion and sesame seeds. I found the short rib to be moist and tender where the kimchi added spice and crunch. With extra crunch and acidity, the daikon livened up the existing flavours. However, the moisture in the sandwich killed the bread on the inside and things got really messy and soggy.
I returned one more time to try their Pulled Pork sandwich which was soggy on the bottom before I even dug in. There was a positive to this though as the pork was moist and no stringy. It was bathed in a mild BBQ sauce that was on the sweeter side, yet not overly sweet. The crunch from the coleslaw did its job, but I would've liked to see more acidity. Overall, I thought the offerings from The Sandwich Shop to be pretty average. There is definitely potential, but ultimately, the sandwiches don't really deliver as their descriptions might suggest.
The Good:
- On the right track...
- Meats are generally on point
- People are nice
The Bad:
- Pricey for what you get (portion-wise)
- Soggy
- Why have a heat lamp when the pork is not there?
Easter Egg hunts in Vancouver can be an exercise in Russian Roulette. No, we're not talking about gambling with chocolate eggs, rather, the weather can cause havoc with any Easter plans. Hence, we decided to take the kiddies to Lonsdale Quay for their indoor egg hunt in the market. However, with no real organization preventing people from starting before the stated time, only a few kids were fortunate to find any eggs. Prior to that, we had arrived early and decided to grab some breaky from All Day Cafe.
We had no illusions about the food at All Day Cafe. The place is more about location and convenience than artisan bakery or high-class brunch. Hence, it wasn't surprising that the Croissant was only moderately buttery and practically not crispy-at-all on the outside. Given that, it was still fine as the inside was soft and airy. My daughter ended up slathering a bunch of jam on it and she was happy. Viv tried out their Coffee and it was pretty much standard stuff that neither offended or created lasting memories.
With a limited prep area and no kitchen, I wondered how they would produce a Smoked Salmon Benny. It was pretty apparent as the dish hit the table. On top of the same croissant, several slices of smoked salmon were dog-piled by a mound of scrambled eggs (actually steamed) and smothered by an obscene amount of Hollandaise. The sauce was more thick than buttery and more sweet than acidic. For me, it tasted like the packaged variety. But, for what it was, it did the job. Ultimately, our expectations were not very high and that worked in our favour. Besides, the ladies behind the counter were so sweet and accommodating, it made up for any deficiencies.
The Good:
- Really nice ladies behind the counter
- Food comes out quick
- Nice location
The Bad:
- No kitchen = they do what they can
- Location and view are the draws, not the products
Milhouse and JuJu are great friends. Why? For starters, they put up with my constant yammering about food and they still continue to eat with me. Second, they often order way too much food to my complete joy. Third, they are really accommodating where they will travel for food. That was the case just prior to Burger Palooza (like I needed more food...). I needed to be on Robson, so they joined me at Pho Express Angkor Noodle House. Although they boasted Thai food, we stuck with the Vietnamese portion of the menu.
We shared an order of Spring Rolls to start which were constructed with rice paper. However, we found it to be fried too long and/or the rice paper had dried out too much. Therefore, the exterior was tough exhibiting a firm crunchiness. Inside, the filling was dense and that only added to the overall heaviness of the spring roll. It did taste okay though with mild hints of fish sauce and sweet onion. For myself, I went for a small bowl of Bun Bo Hue because I had another dish coming (you didn't think I'd eat only one small bowl right???). I found the broth to be super mild despite the oil slick. I didn't sense much lemongrass either. The soup was still flavourful, but just not in a typical Bun Bo Hue fashion. Noodles weren't too soft while the meats were tender.
Both Milhouse and JuJu had bowls of Pho, however, Milhouse went for the XL size. I was able to sample the broth and it was definitely more savoury than sweet. It didn't appear to contain much MSG as it was on the light side. We also couldn't pick out individual flavours either. Whatever the case, the flavours were clean. As for the noodles, they were plentiful and al dente whereas the meat were sliced thin and easy to eat. Not to be outdone, JuJu went for the Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi as well. Hidden in the crusty and fairly light baguette, there was plenty of chicken. It was well-charred and flavourful, yet with only the lightest hint of lemongrass. The pickled veggies were julienned thin and more tart than sweet.
Lastly, I had the Lemongrass Chicken on Rice which was a bit anti-climactic as the meat was exactly like the one in the Banh Mi. It was well-charred where the skin was completely rendered. However, once again, the lemongrass was not really there while the chicken meat was a touch on the dry side. The rice was good though, being chewy while not dry. Although not without some faults, we felt the food at Pho Express Angkor Noodle House (what a mouthful!) to be more than acceptable given its location in Downtown and its reasonable pricing.
The Good:
- Inexpensive for Robson
- Decent portions
- Decent eats
The Bad:
- Of course there is better outside of Downtown, but this is Downtown...
- Looks like the decor has been leftover from the many previous restaurants (not unlike many Vietnamese restaurants)
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