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Ever since Faubourg opened a location in Downtown, I had planned to pay it a visit. Each and every time, I could not find a parking spot anywhere nearby. Besides, the price for parking alone would greatly decrease my purchasing power (2 less macarons... lol...). And for the times I met up with Whipping Girl, I had to leave before I could go. Much like the elusive Ogopogo, I was able to catch a glimpse of Faubourg, but it was beyond my reach. Finally, after a relatively light meal, I made it my mission to walk over for some goodies.
I had to pick up some pastries for the kiddies as they would've started whining otherwise... A bit spoiled maybe? Anyways, the Croissant was okay, but not as good as the Kerrisdale location. The exterior was golden brown and crunchy. But the inside was a little dry and not buttery enough. I also got a Pain au Chocolate which was similar. Naturally, the exterior was crispy like the croissant. Inside, it could've used more chocolate as it was quite sparse. I found it on the sweeter side, but there wasn't enough of it to make an impact.
Of course, for my daughter, I had to get some Macarons. Comparatively-speaking, I would say that Soirette still reigns supreme in Vancouver, but the ones at Faubourg are passable. Beyond the crisp exterior, the rest of the macaron was quite dry. I found that they were not super sweet nor artificial-tasting, but the flavour was lacking. Lastly, I got a box of their Mini Pastries (which were the same ones I had at the afternoon tea at their Kerrisdale location). They included Lemon Tarts, Blueberry Tarts, Opera Cake and Chocolate Tart. I found these to be on par with the other location. I particularly liked the lemon tart as the curd was semi-sweet and tart while the shell was firm. Ultimately, not much surprise here as everything looked and ate much like I had expected - fairly solid without much fanfare.
The Good:
- Pretty much above-aveage
- Decent amount of seating
The Bad:
- Pricey
- Line moves painfully slow when busy
Quick, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of roti? An Indian unleavened flatbread perhaps? Correct. Hey, isn't that something from the Caribbean filled with various things like goat curry? Yup. Or how about roti canai which is a Malaysian favourite? That would also be correct. Okay, okay, what about a bun filled with a buttery centre coated on top by sweet caramelized coffee cream? Huh? Wait, that looks and sounds like a Bonchaz or Chinese "Mexico" Bun??? Well, I guess Whipping Girl and I were about to find out after stuffing ourselves across the street at Gyoza King.
We decided to get one to share in store with a Nutella topping. By no means was this cheap as it was $4.90 before tax. Compared to the aforementioned buns, Pappa Roti's offerings sport a uniformly crispy exterior all the way down to the edges. It remained crispy even sitting around for awhile including being placed in a box right out of the oven. The creamy coffee flavours could not be mistakened with each bite while the soft interior benefited from the buttery filling. As much as the Nutella added another layer of flavours, I actually preferred the plain version more as it kept things simple.
As such, we both got a box of 4 to go ($13.25). And like I mentioned, the topping remained crispy even after sitting in a box for several hours. Some might argue that the price is overly high for buns that are similar to other Asian versions. However, it is not like the other ones and it doesn't pretend to be. We enjoyed them for their soft interior and crispy coffee flavoured exterior. I guess it would be up to personal tastes and individual price thresholds when it comes to determining value.
The Good:
- Light and crispy topping
- Retains integrity even sitting around for awhile
The Bad:
- Pricey
Sometimes, there are things that are easily ignored. Much like stop signs in Richmond and yields in Vancouver. C'mon, it isn't that hard to follow some basic road signs! Geez, it's as if these drivers don't have legitimate BC licenses... Wait... Anyways, I keep ignoring Altmaerker German Sausage House and Deli that specializes in house-made sausages for the longest time. I'd rather hit up Subway than actually walk into the place. Finally, enough was enough - I needed to try some sausages!
I decided to go for their Schnitzel Sandwich which was good and bad. Starting with the positives, I really liked the bun as it was soft and airy. It still stood up well to all of the ingredients including the fresh tomato, lettuce and melted cheese. As for the schnitzel itself, the exterior was actually not bad for being reheated. It was not mushy and the breading stayed put. Now for the bad. The meat inside suffered from the reheating as it was dry and chewy. With similar qualities, the Roast Beef Sandwich was much better since the meat was served as is. That meant the medium meat was tender and not dried out. Hence, the rest of the deli sandwiches would be a better choice than the schnitzel.
For my soup, I tried the Spicy Sausage which was chock full of meat. In fact, there was more meat in the soup than my sandwich. As such, it was meal in itself with a variety of sausages including European wiener, pepperoni and bratwurst. The broth itself was zesty and spicy with notable peppery hits as well as paprika. On another day, I had the Potato Vegetable Soup with sausage. This was a much milder soup with the starchiness of the melted potato. It was still flavourful with a nice balance of sweet and savoury. It was also loaded up with ingredients including a good helping of European weiner.
Of course I couldn't get out of there without trying some of their Garlic Sausage. Unlike the ones found at Costco or Superstore, the house-made garlic sausage was quite lean while still moist and tender. It was really garlicky and wasn't overly salty. Definitely a cut-above the supermarket stuff. Although Altmaerker is not exactly a sexy place to go for food, it does do what its namesake suggests well. Hence, if you want sausage in Delta, this is the place to be.
The Good:
- House-made sausages
- Friendly people
- Soups that eat like a meal
The Bad:
- Reheated things sometimes do not turn out
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
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