skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I really had to do a double-take when I noticed a new restaurant situated where Kam Wah Loong used to stand: "Park Here". Yes, the restaurant is named after a parking space. If they had opened up in Richmond, there would be a car driving through the front door by now. Wait, I mean diagonally through the entrance of the business next door... I sense that they did the translation a bit too phonetically as it should be really "Bak Hei". Ironically, there are very few spots at the back and there really isn't a whole lot of parking nearby. They should've named themselves "Park Around Here Somewhere if You're Lucky".
Well, Goose as well as myself were able to snag parking spots relatively nearby, so we didn't "park there". We parked "nearly there". Anyways, with all the kiddies in tow, we got a diverse selection of food including the Pea Shoots with Wolfberries. This was executed well with tender pea shoots that still had a light crunch. Although it was served in broth, there was still enough seasoning to taste. Next, we had the XO Daikon Cake. These were fried up with a nice caramelized exterior. Inside, the cake was soft while still firm enough to keep its shape. The predominant flavour was of dried shrimp because there was some inside and also the whole dish was tossed in it. There was only the slightest amount of spice which was good for the kiddies, but I would've liked to see more.
With 2 orders of rice noodle rolls, we should've actually gotten 5 because the kids totally destroyed the Donut Rice Noodle Roll. I was able to wrestle one away where I discovered why they liked it so much. The salty donut inside was crunchy and airy which went well with the equally light rice noodle. The kids were particularly happy that they omitted putting green onions into the dish too. The Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll was also the beneficiary of the soft rice noodle. Although decent in size, the whole shrimp had a moist meaty texture rather than a snap. The shrimp were mildly seasoned where only a bit of sweet soy was necessary.
And continuing on with satisfying the kiddies, we got the Lo Mei Gai (sticky rice) and the Shrimp Spring Rolls. Well, the adults liked these dishes too, but the kids ate most of it. I found the sticky rice to be rather firm and dry, hence, it wasn't that glutinous either. However, there was large pieces of pork mixed with shiitake mushroom and salted egg yolk which helped alleviate the dryness. As for the spring rolls, they were crunchy and easy on the grease. The shrimp filling was well-seasoned and garlicky with some sweetness. Texturally, it mirrored the haw gow where the shrimp had only a light snap (more on that later).
Onto some dishes for more mature tastes (or little foodies in the making), we had the Phoenix Talons and Bean Curd Skin Rolls. The phoenix talons (really chicken feet) featured a moist exterior skin which was flavoured with a sweet and salty sauce that exhibited a slight hint of the peppers on top. Underneath the skin, the cartilage was a bit too firm and crunchy. With a bit of enoki on top, the bean curd skin rolls were sitting in a fairly goopy sauce which was not overly salty. The exterior was appealing chewy while the pork filling had a good rebound texture. Interestingly, I found that there was this weird aftertaste that wasn't particularly pleasant. Was it the frying oil?
Moving onto something more substantial, we had the Sparerib Rice Hot Pot. Interestingly, the phoenix talons here were more garlicky. As for the spareribs, they were meaty with a good bounce texture. There was enough black bean and garlic to make an impact. I thought they did a good job with the rice as it was dry and chewy, which meant it didn't go mushy from the ingredients on top. Looking like tanned Pac-Mans (after being cut), the Beef Meatballs exhibited the classic bounce texture (which in reality is not natural). There was a good amount of greens and water chestnuts which afforded a slight crunch.
Moving along, we had the staples of Dim Sum being the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) and Sui Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumplings). As mentioned with the spring rolls, the shrimp filling had only a very mild snap. In the haw gow (since it was steamed), the shrimp was more wet and buttery. Flavourwise, it was a little bland in need of more sesame oil and white pepper. The dumpling skin was on point though being thin and slightly chewy. With an even mix of shrimp and shiitake mushroom, the sui mai were well-seasoned and not one-note in taste. Moreover, the texture was just right with a good mix between meaty and bouncy.
For dessert, we had the Mango Pudding and Egg Tarts. As with many versions of this "pudding", it was more of a mango jello texturally. In terms of taste, there was a packaged mango essence while being very easy on the sugar. The egg tarts took awhile because they were baked fresh. Flaky yet a bit dense, the tart shell was buttery (probably lard) while the egg custard was quite thin and only semi-sweet. Overall, we found the food at Park Here to be pretty good for the price. The place ain't fancy, but does the job when the Dim Sum urges hit. Furthermore, there will be a story to tell about the time you ate at a place named after a parking lot.
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent Dim Sum
- Good portions
The Bad:
- Service is a bit sparse (like most other Chinese restaurants of this type)
- Despite the name, parking around the neighbourhood is limited
As much as I'm always on the lookout for good food, convenience often trumps everything else. This is particularly true when we're with the kiddies, as they become annoying little monsters when their stomachs start growling. However, this time around, it was only Viv and myself. We had to go for the closest restaurant to our intended destination because not only did we not have a lot of time on our hands, it was mainly due to the fact we spent too much time looking for parking. Yes, we just had to get that "free" parking spot...
We ended up walking up to Broadway and randomly trying out Sake Cafe since they were open early. Viv decided to go for their "choose any 3 items" meal for $8.95. It included Green Salad and Miso Soup. Not much to say about either, but the dressing was gingery and sweet. Looking rather pale and plain, the Gyoza were more like steamed dumplings. The bottom was only slightly seared and provided no colour nor texture. On the positive side, the dumpling themselves were not bad. With a filling of mostly veggies, the meat was still there being moist and only a bit chewy. The dumpling skin was super thin while still slightly chewy. I suppose the kitchen wasn't in midday form as we arrived prior to 11:00am.
Another example was the Tempura being soggy and greasy. The batter was quite dense and it was only intermittently crispy. Either the oil wasn't hot enough or the batter didn't really get a chance to cook through. Again, I'm not sure if this was due to poor cooking technique or the fact we were there before everything was ready to go for lunch (ie. oil temp). Viv's last dish of the set meal was the Teriyaki Chicken with rice. The chicken itself was tender and juicy while the skin was not really all that rendered being quite pale. There was an adequate amount of sauce on top of the fluffy rice. We weren't bothered by the rice even though I'm sure some purists would want the chewier version.
We also had the Big Roll consisting of chopped scallop, cucumber and tempura bits on the inside with unagi and avocado on the outside. We found the rice to be a bit soft with only a slight hint of sugar and rice wine vinegar. As a whole, the roll was pleasant enough to eat with plenty of ingredients while being conservatively sauced. Our last dish was the Assorted Sashimi which was a respectable portion for $14.95. Everything looked like it should have and nothing was particularly out-of-the-ordinary. I appreciated the large slices of fish (especially the tuna), but they were probably too large as it was texturally too dense. As much as there were issues with some dishes, Sake Cafe does the job for people in the area for a reasonable price.
The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Decent portions
The Bad:
- Some items were ordinary
Say what you want about the Keg, I personally don't mind the place. Sure, it is a chain restaurant and yes, it won't set the culinary world on fire. However, it does the job in terms of my steak-craving and it isn't remarkably-expensive with all things considered. And best of all, it is kid-friendly. Seeing how I haven't been to the place in quite some time (and that I had some GCs), we decided to have dinner at the Granville Island location. This place does bring back memories though as we would have large parties during University. Ah the memories... and why was I eating at chain restaurants all the time? The shame...
Now onto the food... After the obligatory sourdough bread, we had some appies beginning with the Calamari. Although it was plenty crispy, I thought the coating was too bready and dense. The squid itself was soft and tender retaining a slight chew. Of the 2 accompanying dips, I preferred the garlic ginger sauce as it had a nice sesame aroma. Next up was the Crab Cakes made of Atlantic and Dungeness lump crab meat served with dill caper mayo. These were fluffy and moist with only a minimal amount of filler. The exterior was crispy and brown while not particularly greasy. We didn't prefer the mayo as it resembled tartar sauce too much. The cakes were good on their own with a squeeze of lemon.
We also got an order of the Garlic Cheese Toast which featured a thick layer of gooey cheese blend. Naturally, this was greasy from all the cheese and garlic butter. We found the bread to be crunchy and a touch dense, but decent nonetheless. Seeing that they had a Dungeness Crab Mac & Cheese on the featured menu, we got an order hoping the kids would try it. My daughter was game but my son continued on with his wonderful chicken strips... As you can see, there was plenty of fluffy crab on top. We found the noodles to be somewhat toothsome while the sauce was more floury rather than cheesy. It was cheesy-tasting though rather than salty.
Onto our mains, I had the Peppercorn New York Steak with mashed potatoes and green beans. This was prepared medium-rare as requested, hence it was tender and moist. There was a significant peppercorn crust which made the exterior firm and peppery. The sauce itself was thick and sweet. As for the mash, it was somewhat chunky with red potato skin for even more texture. My mom had her go-to dish being the Prime Rib which was also medium-rare. Although a bit dried out in appearance, the meat was sufficiently soft and easy to chew. Her twice-baked potato was also a little dry while the side of mushrooms were small but flavourful.
My dad ended up with the Chicken Oscar that looked rather appetizing with a bevy of seafood and Hollandaise on top. Only a bit past done, the shrimp and scallops were nicely caramelized while the sauce was creamy yet mild. Sadly, the chicken itself was dry and lifeless. Viv went for the Mustard Salmon and predictably, it wasn't very good. The fish was overcooked (and probably cooked too quickly, hence there was far too much albumin on the exterior of the fish. On the other hand, the salmon itself had a nice natural flavour. Too bad the overly tart mustard sauce was overwhelming. Overall, The Keg met expectations in terms of their steaks and equally disappointed (as expected too) with the chicken and salmon.
The Good:
- Steaks are generally on point
- Decent service
- Kid-friendly (if you have kids...)
The Bad:
- Non-steak items are subpar
- A little pricey
Sometimes, the best dining ideas come from reader suggestions. Frequent commenter LotusRapper gave me the heads up about China World Supermarket in Richmond, where he found inexpensive Chinese BBQ. At first, I wasn't sure if he was being serious or trying to con me into heading into Richmond to experience traffic purgatory and equally mind-numbing crowds in a supermarket complete with chaotic long lineups. Well, all of that was true when I headed into the city of courtesy cars, but I will travel for food (even if it means stress).
I was lucky to secure a spot in the parking lot and headed into the market. Let's just say the market itself was nothing to look at and neither was the BBQ stand. However, the guy was friendly enough and I proceeded to get a whole BBQ Duck (only half shown in the picture) for $11.99. Although it looked like the duck had an uneven tan, the skin itself was nicely rendered. The meat was quite juicy and not overly salty. The Roast Pork was on the lower end of the Chinese BBQ continuum as it was a touch dry and chewy. The crackling was crunchy, but not in an airy way, more like a harder texture.
I also got a BBQ Pork on Rice and it was a decent portion for $3.60. The piece of pork was a leaner piece, hence it wasn't overly juicy. It was still moist enough though with a decent bark where the marinade penetrated through the meat. It was more savoury than sweet and could've used more glaze. Overall, the BBQ items were passable and very well-priced. Not sure if I'd drive back to get it, but if I need a quick cheap lunch, it would be okay.
The Good:
- Cheap
- Decent portions for the price (rice box)
- Person at the counter was nice
The Bad:
- Average
- Could they make something like a lineup in Richmond anymore chaotic? Yes, I guess they can...
They say that when one of our senses is compromised, the remaining ones are heightened to make up for it. Well, that theory was about to be put to the test as Viv and I decided to finally see what all the fuss is about Dark Table. You see, the whole premise is to eat in complete darkness, where one needs to be pretty careful with their drinks and where they stick their fork. After being greeted by the host, we ordered first before going in. We were led to our table by our server (who is either blind or visually impaired), who would take care of us for the meal. I decided to forgo taking any photos (even in the kitchen), so that I could get the full experience.
After hilariously trying to butter my complimentary bread, our starter arrived. From what we could gather (it was a surprise dish), it was a Salad comprised of endive, arugula, watermelon, frisee, walnuts and feta. The vinaigrette was very light and due to the ingredients, the salad had this bitter, peppery and herbal quality to it. I would've liked to see more walnuts and feta as it seemed a bit sparse as a starter. For my main, I had the Beef Tenderloin with peppercorn sauce, potatoes and green beans. I asked for it to be medium-rare and since I didn't get a chance to actually see it, I could only judge it by texture. In that respect, it was far too tough for a tenderloin. In fact, some parts were sinewy. The peppercorn sauce was nice though being creamy with only a bit of pepperiness. The steak was already cut up a bit, but it was comical as I tried to cut it down some more in the dark.
For Viv, she had the Peppered Garlic Prawns with citrus risotto and seasonal vegetables. There were only 4 prawns in the dish, but they were prepared nicely exhibiting a buttery snap. They were more garlicky than peppery, yet well-seasoned nonetheless. Unfortunately, the risotto was not very good as it was underdone and mealy. Rather than the typical creaminess, we had sticky and gooey. We did get the citrus hit as well as plenty of veggies. For our dessert, it was also a surprise and we surmised it was a Chocolate Banana Cake with a cream which we thought was spiked with booze. I thought it was Kahlua, but it could've been something else. The cake itself was a bit firm, but not dry while the cream was quite sweet. As you can ascertain, the food was not the main draw here. Rather, the novelty behind the experience can be considered something worth trying.
The Good:
- Something different and novel
- Not overly expensive
- Wonderful server
The Bad:
- Food is below average
- Not sure if this is necessarily a "return visit" place
Generally, Chinese restaurants that serve both Dim Sum and dinner employ specific chefs for each service. There are times when one person does both, yet that is usually reserved for smaller restaurants and/or a very talented chef. Hence, it is a good idea try both Dim Sum and dinner service at a Chinese restaurant to get the full picture. We were having the same thought as we were doing Dim Sum at Lee Garden Seafood Restaurant. Therefore we made a reservation to come back within the week for dinner.
We decided on their set menu ($128.00) and added a Peking Duck for good measure. The first dish to hit the table was the Fish Maw with Crab Meat Soup. It was mild with only a hint of sweetness. The starch-thickened broth was silky and filled with ingredients. The lumps of crab were okay with a fluffy texture, yet the diced fish maw itself was crunchy. It was either lower quality or needed to be soaked longer. Next, we had the first course of the Peking Duck. Sporting a beautiful roasted colour (thanks to a quick deep-fry), the skin was crispy where some of the duck fat was rendered. They left a significant amount of meat on each piece of skin which made each wrap substantial. The crepes were thin and slightly chewy. We weren't big fans of the watered-down hoisin sauce though.
Moving along, we had the Lobster with consomme sauce. For a set menu, the lobster was a fair size at approximately 2lbs. With a buttery bounce texture, it was fried just right. As much as the sauce was flavourful without being overly salty, it was too goopy. At least there wasn't too much of it though. The second Peking duck course, being the Duck Lettuce Wrap arrived next. The fresh crunchy lettuce was trimmed and cut properly where it was uniform in shape without any tears. As for the filling, it was full of moist duck meat. The veggies retained their crunch from the stir-fry that exhibited adequate wok heat. The addition of Chinese sausage added the necessary saltiness.
Much like many Chinese restaurants, the food was arriving faster than we could eat it. With a large mound of Basa atop celery, the Stir-Fried Fish with Broccoli was impressively portioned. As evidenced in the picture, the broccoli was vibrant and crunchy as well as the celery (but it was rather greasy). The fish was moist and soft being well-seasoned with ginger and garlic. A somewhat different dish was the Pork Chop Hot Pot with ginger and green onion. Even before we dug in, the aroma from the onions and garlic was intoxicating. Although the dish was deep fried then wok-tossed, it wasn't extremely greasy. Due to the aforementioned aroma, the flavours were solid as well, but they did overdo it with the salt though.
Finally, we had the Marinated Free-Range Chicken. If you look closely, the side of grated ginger was not mixed with anything else (like green onions) - a rarity these days. Too bad it was really salty. As for the chicken itself, the skin was gelatinous while the meat was fairly moist for free-range chicken. For dessert, we were served both Mango Pudding and Sweet Mung Bean Soup. The pudding wasn't too sweet but it wasn't particularly full of mango flavour. As for the soup, it was not overly sweet, but I'm personally not into sweet soup for dessert. As with our previous Dim Sum visit, the dinner at Lee Garden proved to be above-average. Again, it is nice to see a good higher-class Chinese restaurant in an area usually devoid such establishments.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Nicely appointed interior
- Fairly good service
The Bad:
- On the pricier side
- Food comes out too fast
Posts
