skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Normally, we associate Izakayas with late night bites to go with the beverage of choice (and we're not talking about Diet Coke either). But what about lunch? Well, with Whipping Girl joining me for lunch, we decided to check out Gyoza King. And for once, we would have pictures of the food brightened by natural light. It ain't easy doing that normally at night at an Izakaya! Unlike their dinner menu, Gyoza King has a very simple array of food for lunch consisting of a few choices of ramen and don. Guess what we ordered?
We were started off each with a Green Salad. Not a whole lot to say other than the greens were crisp and vibrant while there was just enough dressing. It had a good balance of acidity and sweetness. Being the most expensive and impressive item on the lunch menu, we opted for the 20th Anniversary Grand Ramen consisting of roasted pork belly, half-boiled marinated egg, nori, wakame, bamboo shoots, seasoned bean sprouts, garlic chips and roasted onion. For the soup base, we chose the shoyu broth and it was typically salty. I wouldn't say it was any more or less salty than most of the other similar broths we've tried. However, I thought the soup was a bit lacking in any other distinguishing flavours. As for the pork, it didn't look like pork belly to me, but whatever because it was fatty and really moist. It was quite salty though and when combined with the broth, it was quite potent. The noodles were nicely al dente and well-portioned. Loved the egg too!
Of course we couldn't only share a ramen, so we also tried the Seafood Yuuke Don with chopped tuna, salmon, scallop and octopus sashimi tossed in yuuke sauce on rice. When mixed together, this concoction was naturally sweet and benefited from a touch of spice. The little octopus bits added texture and another shot of sweetness. I liked the rice, but it was a bit on the drier side. And we didn't stop there (to our server's amazement), as we added the Chicken Karaage Don with goma miso sauce. The big juicy chunks of chicken were crispy and easy on the grease. The skin was nicely rendered where it was no longer fatty. However, the chicken itself was quite salty which somewhat tempered the aromatic sesame flavour of the sauce (which was also salty due to the miso). But the wedge of lemon helped things considerably.
Of course we couldn't get out of the place without an order of their Super Bite Pork Gyoza (duh, it is the name of the place). Fortunately for us, both orders of don came with a side of gyoza. These mini dumplings were attractively browned on the bottom while sporting a really thin skin. The filling was moist and balanced while the dip took star billing as it was vinegary and sweet with a touch of spice. Overall, it was a pleasant lunch at Gyoza King. However, we still prefer their late night offerings instead. I guess we'll need to come back.
The Good:
- Decent lunch offerings
- Combos including miso and gyoza are a good value
- Attentive service
The Bad:
- Limited menu
- A bit salty
The first time I ever visited Hida Takayama Ramen in the Robson Market, I came away unimpressed. I had found the soup base to be rather weak while the chashu was too thick and chewy. Fast forward 3 years and the place is still there. In fact, a few people have urged me to do a return visit, including my Japanese sister-in-law and Kaiser Soze. Hence, after Sunday morning hockey, Kaiser Soze and Milhouse joined me in some hot ramen on a warm day inside the sauna AKA Robson Market.
For myself, I went for the White Sesame Ramen which came out steaming hot. Rich, silky, thick and full of sesame aromatics, the broth was quite good. It was impactful without being salty and I really got the depth of flavour. There was an adequate amount of noodles which were pleasantly chewy. As for the big slices of chashu, we agreed that they were fatty enough and succulent. However, for Milhouse and I, we were craving the melt-in-our-mouths texture. Call it personal preference, as I know that many people wouldn't mind this type of chashu. I also got a side of Gyoza served with soy and chili oil. The gyoza itself was meaty and moist with just the right mix of greens while the dumpling skin was super thin. We found the filling to be quite mild, but the combination of the dips made up for it.
Kaiser Soze decided on the Spicy Miso broth and it did come as advertised. Noticeably spicy with only a moderate amount of salty miso flavour, the broth also took on the flavour of the bamboo shoots. Again, the noodles were on point and unlike us, he really enjoyed the succulent slices of pork (he likes it chewier). Milhouse ended up with the Sweet & Spicy Ramen and again, the flavours fit the description. I found it more sweet than spicy though. This one was probably the most impactful in terms of saltiness as the other 2 broths were definitely easy on the sodium. Overall, this particular visit was better than the first time. Yet, for me personally, I'd much rather hit up Marutama and Santouka instead.
The Good:
- More subtle flavours rather than overloading on salt
- Well-priced for the portion size
The Bad:
- I personally find the chashu to be not soft enough
- Broth can be too mild for some people
My initial visit to Pho Saigon in Ladner was a relatively mediocre experience. Hence, the likelihood of doing a return visit was as good as finding affordable housing in Vancouver. But with Prairie Momma nixing my plans to eat a heavy meal and requesting Vietnamese, that meant only one thing - head back to Pho Saigon. Hey, if you are the only choice in town, it quickly becomes a North Korean ballot - one choice only. Oh and never mind the snow, I was just lazy and put up the old picture. Well, it does give it a North Korean look right?
Unlike my last visit, I wanted to try something different in the Bun Bo Hue. Well, that was a mistake as they used regular rice vermicelli rather than the thicker lai fun. Instead of slippery chewy noodles, I got thin, drier-textured noodles that changed the dynamic of the dish. The soup was very flavourful though, but not in a balanced manner. It was spicy, but I couldn't make out any lemongrass nor shrimp paste. The meats were okay, yet there was no pork blood or knuckle (but I guess I shouldn't have been surprised). I also added a side of Spring Rolls and they were miraculously wrapped in rice paper (with the previous dish, I expected wheat wrapper). These were good as the outside was fried just enough for that blistered appearance and crispiness. The filling was somewhat loose, yet moist and flavourful from the sweet onions and fish sauce.
Prairie Momma started with the Salad Roll. Although not particularly large in size, the execution was there. The rice wrapper was soaked just enough that it was soft, but it maintained a moist chewiness. Inside, the ingredients were texturally on point and the dip was balanced. Onto her main, she had the Pho which featured a scorching hot broth. It was fairly clean tasting, but not really that impactful. It wasn't bland per se, but there wasn't a whole lot of meatiness. Instead, it was mostly sweet where we couldn't taste some of the individual components. On the plus side, the noodles were al dente and meats were tender.
Miss Y decided to go for the Lemongrass Pork Chop on Rice and she was not particularly happy with it. The pork chop itself exhibited no char whatsoever. Hence, there was no caramelization of flavours. It was almost as if the meat was "steamed" rather than grilled. Hence, the meat was wet on the outside while chewy and dry on the inside. To top it off, there was a general lack of lemongrass as well. They should've marinated the meat longer and used a hotter grill or flattop. So as you can clearly see, this meal did not change my mind about the place. Someone would have to drag me kicking and screaming to return.
The Good:
- Only Vietnamese joint in town
- Fairly friendly service
The Bad:
- Food is below-average
- Some artistic liberties taken with the food
Meeting Choobee for eats can often be an exercise in frustration. You see, we go through what seemingly is an endless array of options before we settle on a destination. Furthermore, we then proceed to over-think the menu and take forever to order. Yes, that is what happens when you get 2 food-crazed people together. Well, as food crazy as I may be, it took some persistence from Choobee to coax me into finally doing a standalone visit to Tractor. I've been here in the past as part of a food tour and the eats were good (despite featuring leafy green things that are completely foreign to me).
Naturally, she proceeded to order 4 salads including the Kale with Granny Smith apples, julienned radicchio and white balsamic vinaigrette. This was my favourite (in relative terms) as it had plenty of crunch and acidity from both the vinaigrette and apples. On the same plate, we sampled the Roasted Cauliflower with chickpeas, radicchio, orzo, feta cheese and kalamata olive dressing. I liked the crunch of the cauliflower along with the meaty chickpeas. Either there wasn't enough feta or that we didn't get any because it wasn't really apparent. With even more salads (oh the humanity...), we had the Grilled Asparagus with broccoli, butternut squash, pecans, ricotta cheese and champagne vinaigrette. This was a fairly "wet" salad, but the flavours were good though with a nice mix of creaminess, sweetness and acidity. Lastly, we had the Organic Quinoa with kale, fresh blueberries, butternut squash, mint and basil. The firm texture of the kale gave the salad some "meatiness" (had to get that word in somehow). As the ingredients suggest, there was this herby and sweet balance.
We moved onto all 3 of their available stews including the Morroccan Chicken with chickpeas. Despite the exotic name, the flavours were quite mild. I did get the ginger and possibly a hint of cinnamon, but it was lacking in effect in general. There was a decent amount of ingredients including little chunks of chicken and firm chickpeas. I found the Slow Roasted Pork with chipotle peppers, tomatoes, carrot and garlic to be more flavourful. It wasn't spicy per se, but it wasn't devoid of spice either. I felt this had more depth, possibly a direct result of the roasted pork. As for the pork itself, it was a touch stringy and in small strands. The veggies were soft while not lacking in texture.
Lastly and begrudgingly, we had the Thai Veggie with organic tofu, cauliflower, chick peas, kale and peppers. Naturally, without the benefit of meat, the stew lacked body. However, my main concern was the overall flavour profile - it was somewhat bland. For something advertised as Thai, I expected more fragrance and maybe more spice. I'm not sure of their recipe, but I would personally add a good amount of coconut milk. For the heck of it, we decided to try one piece each of the Albacore Tuna and Steelhead Salmon. As evidenced in the picture, the tuna was seared ever-so-slightly maintaining a soft rare centre. The salmon was also slightly rare in the middle ensuring that it wasn't dried out. They were simply seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon. Due to the fact we could only eat so much, we skipped the sandwiches (but you can see them here on another post). Despite my indifference with the stews, I found the food at tractor fresh and healthy. Hence, by putting a bunch of fat and salt into the stews would've been contradictory.
The Good:
- Fresh stuff
- I felt healthy eating it
- Lots of choice
The Bad:
- Stews lacking in impact (but as I said, adding fat and salt would make it unhealthy)
- Not expensive, but not cheap either
I always find it fascinating that even though there is a significant Chinese population spread out across the GVRD, the availability of Dim Sum is concentrated in only a few places. Of course Richmond is one of them and the other is Vancouver. Sure, there are some in Burnaby, but other than that, you can count on 2 hands for all the other suburbs including Surrey, Delta, New West, the Tri-Cities and the North Shore. In terms of Delta, there are only 2 and since I've been back to Yummy recently, it was only logical to pay Lotus a visit as well.
Appearing more petite than usual, the Shrimp Spring Rolls were served smoking hot and crunchy. The shrimp filling wasn't exactly exhibiting any snap, but it was not mushy either. It would be best described as meaty and moist. I thought it was properly seasoned where the side of Worcestershire wasn't really all that necessary. Next, our order of Yeung Chow Fried Rice arrived with an overload of ingredients. Not that we were complaining as the BBQ pork was lean and in big chunks as well as the noticeable amount of shrimp (which only had the slightest of snap). Overall, the rice was lacking in wok heat where it was not caramelized nor seasoned enough either.
We got 2 orders of the rice noodle rolls including the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll and BBQ Pork Rice Noodle Roll. These were both large in portion size due to both the amount of noodle and filling. Although a touch thick, the noodles were buttery soft. For some people, it would probably be not chewy enough, but we didn't mind it. Once again, the shrimp wasn't exactly soft nor was it meaty or had any snap. Rather, it was just there and we didn't really notice it other than its flavour (which was a bit salty). As for the BBQ pork, the chunks were once again large and meaty. We much preferred this over the shrimp as the entire roll had more body and texture.
With the Haw Gow and Sui Mai, these were just average. I found the dumpling skin on the haw gow to be on the doughier side as well as being over-steamed. Hence, the dumplings stuck together where we couldn't remove it cleanly from the bamboo steamer. The filling was somewhat soft albeit with a touch of snap. The bamboo shoots were necessary to add the needed textural crunch. Flavourwise, it was quite mild. The sui mai were plain looking and really in need of some tobiko on top. Texturally, they were more meaty chewy than bouncy. However, that didn't mean it wasn't tender though. The flavours were mostly sweet with only a bit of natural meat flavour. This could've used some more shrimp and shiitake mushroom.
I liked the Black Bean Spareribs as they were mostly meat pieces without any cartilage. It had a slight bounce from the tenderization while maintaining a meaty chew. I though it was well-seasoned with the saltiness of the black bean and some spice from the peppers. Furthermore, there was no absence of garlic either. We also got the Lo Mei Gai and these were pretty big for the mini-sized version. Stuffed in banana leaves, the sticky rice was the right texture in between firm and soft. There was plenty of pork filling and clumpy sauce to go around. Hence, it wasn't longing for flavour nor moisture.
In desperate need of something other than red (maybe green peppers?), the Sweet & Sour Pork was an interesting radioactive shade. I give them full marks for the big chunks of lean pork that appeared to be freshly fried (being moist in the middle unlike refried pork). However, the chunks were far too big which meant that there was a poor sauce-to-meat ratio. Also, the exterior was also not very crunchy. Flavourwise, it was sweet and only mildly tart. Lastly, we had the BBQ Pork Buns (sorry I didn't pose them...). These were fluffy with a sweet mixture of lean BBQ pork. So despite some flaws, the Dim Sum at Lotus can be best categorized as decent, especially considering where it is located.
The Good:
- Acceptable eats
- Reasonably-priced
The Bad:
- Still won't be confused for Richmond-quality Chinese
Rickshaw... What's in a name? Well, it conjures up images of an ol' Chinese smorgasbord with plenty of red and ol' skool decor. Yes, those were the days... of crappy Chinese food served with a side of fortune cookies. Well, Rickshaw still exists in Whalley, albeit across the street from its former location (complete with that unmistakeable signage). However, the place is "Rickshaw" in name only as it serves up a combination of North American Chinese food and authentic fare. We decided to check out their Dim Sum service to see how they stack up to the limited amount of competition nearby.
The first dish to arrive was the Shrimp Spring Rolls which were served hot and crunchy. Garlicky and plenty seasoned, the shrimp filling was somewhat rubbery. We liked how they were not greasy, yet the rolls could've used more filling as it was quite loose. We ended up with both the Beef Rice Noodle Roll and Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll (not pictured). The rice noodle itself was thin, slightly chewy while still soft. Overprocessed and lacking in texture, the beef exhibited a noticeable dried orange peel flavour. We would've liked to see more green onion though. As for the shrimp, there was a firm snap to go along with the ample seasoning (sweet with some sesame oil).
Next up, we tried their full-sized Lo Mei Gai (sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves). Its large size may have contributed to the ample moisture which made the rice somewhat soft and wet. The significant amount of filling including dried shrimp, chicken, ground pork and Chinese sausage probably compounded the issue. On the other hand, there was plenty of flavour as a result. Impressively large, the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) looked the part. In reality, these were surprisingly good with a thin dumpling skin which was slightly chewy. Inside, the shrimp filling was sweet, flavourful and exhibited a moist snap.
Equally large, the Sui Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumplings) were juicy and filled with a good ratio of pork, shrimp and shiitake mushroom. Texturally, the pork had a nice rebound while being properly seasoned. The shrimp had a nice snap while the shiitake added a rich Earthiness. With a dollop of tobiko on top, this was a pretty legit dumpling. However, we weren't overly thrilled with the Steamed Pork Spareribs as they were pretty bland. Yet, interestingly enough, there seemed to be a good amount of MSG. Furthermore, there was a baking soda aftertaste which didn't make much sense as the pork was on the chewier side.
One of my favourite Dim Sum dishes is the Bean Curd Skin Rolls. Thankfully, the one here was pretty good. With a chewy, yet moist exterior caressed by a silky and non-clumpy sauce, there was a balance of flavours. The pork filling had a nice bounce texture that was accented by a good amount of veggies. The Beef Meatballs were also quite good being juicy with an appealing rebound texture. With a good mix of green onion and dried orange peel, there was a diversity of flavours. I know this is a bit nit-picking, but they should've added more dark soy for colour as these were pretty pale-looking.
As always, I had to get some form of offal, hence, it was Beef Tendon this time around. This was well-executed since the pieces were large and intact. Furthermore, they were soft to chew without disintegrating on contact. It was also properly seasoned with a balance of garlic, sweet and savoury elements. I'm sure you have guessed that this was a fairly decent and surprising Dim Sum service for a restaurant one would not normally associate with great food. However, if Neptune has a lineup, you could go here as an alternative (don't let the poor ratings scare you off).
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Surprisingly decent Dim Sum
The Bad:
- Service doesn't exist here
- Limited selection
Posts
