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When I first got the invite for Vanfoodster's Tasting Plates Latin American Flavours, a thought came into my mind. No, that wasn't the only time a though has come into my mind... It does happen occasionally according to Viv... Anyways, it made me think of Sexi Mexi. No, not in an inappropriate way, but rather, it made sense for her to be my eating companion. She happens to know her Mexican food (and other Latin cuisines), so she could be an authoritative voice for this particular food adventure! As I proudly stated, I was taking advantage of her (wait, that didn't come out right...). Ultimately, she, Alvin and I formed a quasi-3 amigos as we made our way through our 7 stops.
The registration point was at Agro Roasters
where we were treated to a variety of Latin American organic coffees from Columbia, Peru and El Salvador. Unlike the last Tasting Plates where we had to wait 40 minutes at Tapas 23, we were able to get out of there quickly. Due to the Whitecaps game, our short drive over to Downtown took 25 minutes. Fortunately, we were able to snag a parking spot near our next stop, El Azteca,in Yaletown. We were treated to a plate consisting of Ceviche de Pescado, Guacamole Mumuca and Cochinita Pibil. We found the ceviche to be bright and sufficiently acidic. The guacamole looked and tasted fresh where there was a sufficient amount of lime but it could've used more onion and some garlic. As for the conchinita pibil, it was moist and tart with a definite kick.
Over the Cambie Street Bridge while still stuck in traffic, we snaked our way over to Las Tortas. We were presented with a premade basket of goodies including Conchinita Pibil Torta, Tortilla Chips with salsa & guacamole and a Churro. Since the torta had been sitting around for who knows how long, it wasn't as good as if it were fresh. Whatever the case, the conchinita pibil was not as impactful as the one at El Azteca. It was more dry and one-note (being tart). The salsa and guacamole were pretty generic while the churro was a bit dense and cold. Over at Chicha, we were treated to a plate consisting of Ensalada de Quinoa (mango, avocado, roated red pepper, red onion, cilantro, mint and jalapeno huacatay dressing), Bolas de Yuca (croquettes with assorted cheese and chilies atop a Huancaina sauce), Calamari and Chorizo Anticuchos (skewers with basic and aji Amarillo mash & Peruvian black olive aioli). We loved the mango and array of flavours in the salad while the croquette was crispy while fluffy on the inside with the benefit of both spiciness and cheesiness. The chorizo was meaty and spicy, but the calamari was a touch chewy. Loved the salty aioli though.
At the nearby parked Guanaco Food Truck, we were served Pork Pupusas with Yuca Frita. Unlike the last time I tried this very same offering (at the Kits Tasting Plates), the pupusa was less greasy and significantly more fluffy. Hence, it wasn't overly heavy while the filling helped the cause by being moist and flavourful. The yuca fries were crunchy and starchy as usual. Already stuffed, we rolled over to Sal Y Limon where they were serving their wares in the parking lot. On the plate, we sampled the Chicken Tinga Tostada and Ceviche de Camarones served on a tostada. We really liked the chicken as it was super moist with a good amount of cheese on top. It wasn't particularly popping with flavour, but it did have a slight spiciness. As for the shrimp, they had a nice snap while being adequately spicy with a touch of acidity.
Lastly, we ended off at La Mezcaleria with a plate that included Guacamole (fresh avocado, cilantro, lime, onion, jalapeno and tomato), Pacific Red Snapper Ceviche (with tomato, lime, red onion, serrano and cilantro) and Tostada Oaxaquena de Frijoles (refried cowboy beans with Mexican cheese, fresh tomato, lettuce and sour cream on a corn tostada). The guacamole was on point with a balance of flavours including acidity and spice. Much like the last time I was here, the ceviche was good, but I didn't get a lot of fish though. Finally, the tostada was loaded with toppings which was a curse and a blessing as it was flavourful, yet soggy. According to Sexi Mexi, most of the food we sampled was pretty authentic and good for Vancouver. As for the amount of food, it was more than enough.
*All food was comped*
The Good:
- Nice lineup of restaurants
- More than enough food
The Bad:
- Requires a bit of traveling
- A few repetitive items
In the GVRD, there are a few things that are for certain. These include high housing prices, bad traffic and lots of Chinese restaurants. But wait a minute, what do we see almost in every neighbourhood no matter where in the Lower Mainland? No, not poor parked luxury vehicles... That is reserved for a city with an airport nearby. Rather, it is the Japanese restaurant. They are more common than gas stations and banks. Sometimes, I wonder how they all survive. Consider Newton for example, there are 6 Japanese restaurants within a 3 block radius. Either they really love their sushi or something's gotta give.
Yup, something did give because 2 of them changed ownership and/or names including The Sushi Bar tucked behind Safeway along 72nd. I ended up visiting the place twice because I could only eat so much per visit. Yes, I have my limits, unlike Mijune... I went for their lunch special first where I chose Tempura and Chicken Teriyaki. I thought the tempura batter was a touch thick, especially with the ebi, yet it wasn't dense. Rather, it was crispy and not overly greasy. As for the chicken, it was juicy with a nicely sear and rendered skin. I liked how they were conservative with the sweet teriyaki sauce. For my second item, I had the Assorted Sashimi that featured reasonably-sized slices of fish. I thought it was decent enough with a nice sheen and no fishiness. Texturally, everything was okay, but the toro wasn't my favourite.
On my second visit, I decided to get takeout starting with the Rock n' Roll which looked like an oversized dynamite roll. With many of the same ingredients, it ate as such. I found the rice a bit dry where it lacked flavour. But it wasn't bad in the grand scheme of things. I also got an Oyako Don which was a pretty large portion. It was not bad with enough sauce penetrating the chewy rice. There was an ample amount of tender chicken mixed with egg. For the items that I got to try, they were more or less acceptable. I guess the value was there since the portions exceeded expectations. Nothing particularly interesting, but decent enough for a bite or take out.
The Good:
- Decent
- Friendly enough people
The Bad:
- Decent, but then again, was it memorable?
- Food comes out a bit slow
Ah yes, Malay Curry House... We tried to visit you on a couple of occasions and you've been randomly closed. With the anticipation of Hainanese Chicken, Roti and Laksa, we ended up with nothing but a dark restaurant. Third time's a charm as Milhouse, Kaiser Soze, JuJu and I were finally able to catch you open for once. After 3 failed attempts, we were wondering if all that effort was worth the trouble. After all, the place wasn't really busy and according to recent reviews, it didn't sound promising. However, we went in with an open mind
We started with 2 orders of the Roti Canai which arrived curiously on 2 separate plates at 2 separate times. Whatever the case, it was a decent attempt as there was a nicely browned exterior that yielded to a soft and chewy interior. Without the curry dip, the roti was already sweet and slightly greasy. The dip itself added palm sugar and some spice. Also on 2 plates, we got 1/2 dozen each of the Chicken & Lamb Satay. As much as the portion size was fair and the overall appearance was pleasing, there was something amiss with the texture of the meat. Due to the use of baking soda, the meat took on a strange bouncy texture like we see in Cantonese cuisine. I guess this was Cantonese-style satay? Again, it wasn't bad, it was just different. The dipping sauce was typically sweet and peanutty.
Moving along, we tried the Curry Seafood Laksa with a mix of yellow noodles and rice vermicelli. This was actually decent with lots of al dente noodles and properly cooked fish and shrimp. As for the most important part, the broth, it was quite flavourful with hits of coconut milk and a mild spiciness. It wasn't really that rich, hence, the flavours lacked a bit of body. Possibly more coconut milk would've help. Furthermore, it wasn't as aromatic as I would've liked. Yet, still decent nonetheless. As for the Curry Beef Brisket we ordered, it was not especially impressive. It tasted like all of the ingredients were cooked separately, which meant the flavours were weak and not cohesive (all we could taste was sugar, ginger and garlic with no discernible spices). In fact, the potatoes were undercooked and bland.
Now for the main event, the 1/2 Hainanese Chicken with a side orders of Chicken Oil Rice. Although the portion size was troubling (since it was deboned, which it should've been anyways), the execution made up for it. The dark meat was juicy and tender with a nicely textured skin while the rice was nutty, salty, chewy and oily (all in a good way). All-in-all, an up and down experience at Malay Curry House where some items were better than others. Obviously, the food has a Chinese-influence, but that didn't bother us.
The Good:
- Hainanese Chicken is decent
- Unlike others, we got good service
The Bad:
- Some artistic interpretations of some items
- Portion size for the chicken is a bit small
It's both interesting and bizarre that there are a row of restaurants attached directly to Zone Bowling in Coquitlam. What is even more curious is that most of them are Asian. Well, I guess it could be the prevailing local population (sorta nearby) and/or pure coincidence. I mean, the whole gamut is represented: bubble tea, Vietnamese, Japanese and even Korean Chinese. Yes, not Chinese and not Korean - Korean Chinese. Since that is only slightly behind my other favourite fusion cuisine (Indian Chinese), I rounded up the family and headed over to the bowling alley for eats.
We started with the Mandu that consisted of 20 boiled mini-dumplings. We found that they were cooked just enough where the wrapper was soft while not mushy. Furthermore, the filling had a nice texture which featured a tender and moist meatiness. The amount of onion was just right as we could definitely taste it while the meat was not overwhelmed. Next up was the Jjajangmyeon which featured a considerable amount of the black bean, potato and onion sauce. I found it to be on the sweeter side as there was plenty of onions in the mix. The noodles were chewy and sticky which was really good with the sauce. However, there was this raw flour aftertaste which was not that pleasant.
The one dish I had to get was the Kkan Poong Gi since it is one of my personal favourites. This arrived as a pretty large portion of fried chicken bathed in a spicy, sweet and really garlicky glaze. The flavours popped in my mouth as each layer announced itself in stages. I got sweet, then some spice ending with a huge garlic hit. The chicken was moist and tender, but the potato starch batter was laid on a bit too thick becoming quite doughy in spots. Lastly, we had the Japchae that was a bit paler than we are used to. Moreover, there was much more savouriness than sweetness. There was only a mild hint of sesame oil while the good amount of pepper was obvious with each bite. Overall, the dishes we tried were not bad. Yet, the food came out painfully slow as it took almost a full hour for the last dish to arrive.
The Good:
- Okay eats
- Open late
The Bad:
- Limited menu
- Food comes out real slow
Here we go again... A meal with my Mother-in-Law... I can't think of many more things that are as torturous and cruel. Wait, there may be some, like being stuck at the T&T Supermarket seafood counter while there is a sale on live crabs or the morning lineup at a Tim Horton's. No, those are actually quite enjoyable compared to eating with the MIL. But it was Mother's Day and well, I had to put aside my disdain for at least a couple of hours. We ended up heading to Prince Seafood Restaurant for eats because anything was better than Tung Sing Chin (their favourite... ugh...).
We ended up ordering off the regular menu and started with the Fish Maw & Crab Soup. It featured a silky, "just thick enough" consistency while being mildly seasoned with a touch of sweetness and white pepper. There was plenty of whole leg meat mixed in with little bits of fish maw. Being a lower grade, the fish maw was too firm and crunchy instead of being gelatinous and soft. Next, we tried the Golden Fried Silken Tofu. It arrived smoking hot and crispy. While some portions were not as crispy, it was overall a successful dish. The tofu was intact while the outside was seasoned just enough without being overly salty.
Onto the kiddie's favourite, we had the Peking Duck. Arriving in a beautiful shade of golden reddish-brown, the duck skin was crispy. Underneath, there wasn't too much fat while they left a good amount of duck meat attached. I found the crepes to be slightly gummy, but not overly dry. For the second course, the Duck Lettuce Wrap was full of meat mixed in with diced carrots and jicama. There was decent wok heat where the flavours definitely caramelized. The mixture was slightly salty though. We thought that the dish was missing something in the form of either fried wonton strips or fried mung bean noodles.
Also for the kiddies, we got the Fook Chow Fried Rice. Normally, the dish is comprised of a fried rice base topped by a starch-thicken sauce with crunchy veggies, shrimp, scallops and chicken meat. However, they replaced the scallops with basa which made for a different texture and flavour. If they had kept the scallops, this would've been pretty good but without it, it wasn't quite the same. However, our next dish made up for it because it was the Scallop, Eggplant and Silken Tofu Hot Pot. This was the one disappointing dish of the meal. The eggplant was fried too long and/or fried in not-hot-enough oil. Hence, it was mushy and completely oil-logged (which made the whole hot pot super greasy). Furthermore, the scallops were overcooked and they used far too much salt and MSG.
Lastly, we had a vegetable dish to balance off everything else. The Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with garlic was nicely done as it exhibited enough wok heat while not being too oily. It was indeed garlicky and properly seasoned. With all the food we ordered, it was a given we wouldn't finish. So portion size was good and overall, the food was decent (except for the hot pot). However, the prices are pretty high for a mid-level Chinese restaurant. Furthermore, the lack of servers made for a tough time to get anything other than our food. It was an exercise in frustration to get even a glass of water or the bill.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Decent portion size
The Bad:
- Pricey
- Servers were okay, but we could never get anything without asking many times
Proclaiming that you have the "best of <insert something here>" can be either a great marketing ploy or the kiss of death. It reminds me of Buddy in the movie Elf finding the "world's best coffee". If you're not even remotely close to being outstanding, people will eventually catch on. Well, let me rephrase that, "most" people will catch on... Having tried many different Vietnamese spring rolls in the past 5+ years, it seemed like a good time to investigate Bao Chau's claim as the "best spring rolls in town".
Cutting right to the chase, we started with their specialty being the Fried Spring Rolls. The first thing I noticed was the hardness of the crispy rice wrapper. I think the rice wrapper was too dried out prior to frying. This, in turn, helped squeeze most of the filling out with each bite. The filling itself was a bit too overprocessed where it was soft and mushy while lacking seasoning as well. Best Vietnamese spring roll? IMHO, I don't believe so. We also got an order of the Bun Bo Hue and it was a fairly large portion. There was certainly enough sliced tender meats to go with the al dente noodles (but they didn't use lai fun). Kudos for the pork knuckle, but as for the soup, it fell short. There was little distinguishing flavour such as lemongrass and furthermore, the amount of chili oil only added a slight spice where it lacked shrimpiness.
Viv had the Pho Dac Biet which was also chock full of noodles and meats. We found the broth to be on the sweeter side where it was a direct result of MSG. Definitely a good value and a great way to fill one's tummy, but hardly memorable either. For the kiddies, we got them an order of the Grilled Chicken and Fried Egg on Rice. There was no mention of lemongrass, hence, we weren't surprised to see it lacking in aromatics. Moveover, the well-charred chicken which was a little short on marinade in general. However, the meat was fairly moist while the portion size was large. As you can clearly see, this revisit to Bao Chau refutes their claim as the best spring rolls in town. They're not bad though, but hardly the best. As for the rest of the food, it is decent with the emphasis on value.
The Good:
- Large portions
- Decent eats
The Bad:
- Not the best spring rolls in town
Making up for Burgerpalooza, where the skies opened up and dumped on us, sunshine and warmth greeted us for Tasting Plates Main Street. Interestingly, the only bad weather I've ever encountered on a Vanfoodster event was with Snake. I guess he is a bad luck charm... So I went back to the well and enlisted the help of Miss Y as my eating companion this time around. Not only does it never rain when she is around, she looks a heck a lot better than Snake. Similarly like past Tasting Plates, we were invited to sample some of the eats from different spots available along hipster central.
Our first stop was also the registration location at Tapas 23. Let me get this out of the way first... We, along with other people, waited over 30 minutes for our food (40 mins in my case) without any concern on the restaurant's part. In fact, we noticed that people who ordered drinks received their food very quickly. I understand that restaurants need to make money, but this was hardly a good way to impress future customers. I, for one, will not be returning. In terms of the food, we were served a plate consisting of Bombas (pork belly), Bruselas (brussel sprouts, sweet balsamic, almonds & aged cheddar), Albóndiga (meatball with sundried tomato and roasted red pepper) and Potato-Crusted Wings with achote sauce. We found the pork belly rather dry and chewy while the brussel sprouts were crispy and adequately dressed. The meatball was not very moist, but it did have some pop in terms of flavour. As much as the wing was juicy and moist, the crust was not particularly crispy. Moving onto Shaktea, we sampled the Matcha Date Balls as well as the Chocolate Chili Fudge Brownie. Naturally, with date, the matcha balls were rather sweet and sticky. As for the brownie, it was fairly moist with a slight kick. We were also served a selection of teas.
Making the long walk over to Miura Waffle & Milk Bar, we were treated to a plate that included Kachan Karaage Waffle Sando (ginger fried chicken, Asian slaw, & 1000 Island sauce), Teri-Vani Waffle Sando (vanilla ice cream, whipped cream & teriyaki sauce), Nori Nachos (fried seaweed, melted cheese, tomato salsa & sour cream), Dessert Nachos (fried seaweed, chocolate sauce, whipped cream & strawberry). My favourite had to be the karaage as it was crispy, flavourful and juicy. Not so sure about the nori chips though. Next door at Rosemary Rocksalt, we were presented with a plate consisting of Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich on a Rosemary Rocksalt bagel, Lox & Cream Cheese Sandwich on a bagel and Sweet Rugolach Pastry. I thought the bagels were good with a nice chewy texture and a firm exterior. The smoked meat was an interesting compliment (never had those 2 things together before).
Our last 2 stops brought us back past King Edward to Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co first. We tried the Farmers Market Pizza topped with local organic balsamic marinated rhubarb and chard, 3 herb nut free pesti & Capriny goat’s cheese. We also had the Naturally Meaty with spicy certified organic beef, sulphate free Italian sausage, ripe tomatoes, green peppers, red onions, asiago cheese & fresh herbs. As with my previous visit to RMFC, the pizzas were loaded with toppings. Presented on a thin crust, it was a flavourful pizza. Lastly at Main Street Honey Shoppe, we had a plate with Honey almond cake; and Cream, Cheese Brownie made with Tawari honey from New Zealand and cheddar and pure honeycomb. Also, we were treated to a honey tasting. This along with some sweet treats to end our little food tour almost made up for the disappointing start.
The Good:
- Variety
- Again, early bird price is decent
The Bad:
- Organizers might want to speak to the restaurants about taking care of all customers
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