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Sometimes, there are certain meals that make an impression. One of them happened at L'autre Buca, where the food was solid and the prices were reasonable. However, we never got to do a return visit as it closed down shortly afterwards and was replaced by Adesso Bistro (which is also pretty good). But the original La Buca still stands on MacDonald Street, nestled in a predominantly residential area. Viv and I finally decided it was time we visited the place (after many near-attempts).
As much as we were game to try the Chef's Tasting, we decided to do a la carte instead. We started with the Fried Zucchini Flowers filled with ricotta. These were lightly crispy with a well-seasoned filling that was a bit salty. However, the tangy tomato fonduta (which was more like a stripped-down Puttanesca) helped balance it off. As much as I enjoyed this dish, I would've liked to see less batter. Next, we had the appetizer size of the Lobster, Scallop & Wild Shrimp Risotto with fresh corn and fava beans. Oh man, this was money. The arborio rice was fully cooked, yet firm while caressed by a creamy, saffron-infused concoction. Furthermore, the essence of the seafood amped the flavours up another level. And about that seafood, it was plentiful and on point. The corn added a nice sweetness and the fava beans provided an extra contrast.
For our mains, I went for the Grilled Rack of Lamb with pesto crushed fingerlings, fried olives, spicy herb and garlic vinaigrette. The plump portions of lamb were prepared a nice medium-rare being moist, tender and juicy. There was a caramelized char on the outside which helped heightened the flavours. I could really get the plethora of rosemary, mint and black pepper as well as the red wine from the vinaigrette. The pesto, in particular the basil, really came through in the potatoes. For Viv, she had the Veal Shortribs with lobster & spring onion mashed potato, spinach and heirloom carrots. Due to the lean nature of the veal, the meat was a bit stringy, yet still not chewy. The red wine really came through as well as the natural meat flavour. The mash underneath was buttery and smooth, but lack much lobster impact.
Moving onto dessert, I opted for the Deconstructed Cheesecake. With graham cracker dust atop berry gelatin amid clumps of tart cheesecake, this was not bad. As much as the thick portions of cheesecake were a bit sour, it was easily balanced off by the sweet jelly and strawberries. Viv decided on the Blueberry Pannacotta which was creamy and not too firm. It was purposefully sweet with a nice vanilla hit. The blueberries on top added some fruity sweetness, but I thought some lemon would've brightened things up (like a lemon-blueberry pannacotta). Even though the prices are on the higher side at La Buca, the value is there when you consider the portion size and food quality. We enjoyed our meal and didn't mind the pricing at all.
The Good:
- Large portions
- Solid eats
- Attentive service
The Bad:
- Tasty, but more rustic than refined
- Tight seating
The Westernmost-end of Yaletown is often a forgotten little piece of quiet paradise. Removed from the hustle and bustle, this part still sports the same architectural facades and awnings. And yes, the same parking arrangement as well. For me, I much prefer this since I can merely find an open parking spot within steps of my intended destination. I guess most other people are lured to the crowds and people-watching near the core. That would probably explain yet another new restaurant at the former location of Caché, now being Prohibition Tasting Room. I recently got an invite to try the place out, so Viv and I made our way down.
Being a craft brewery, I had to start with the Flight of 4 beers consisting of Smuggler Scotch Ale, Bootlegger Amber Ale, Lawless IPA and Hideout Honey Lager (left-to-right). Naturally, the lager was the most crisp and refreshing while the IPA exhibited very strong hops which was a bit too much for my tastes. I enjoyed the amber ale as it was smooth with a light citrus finish. The scotch ale had depth and went down easy. To go with the drinks, we had the Pretzel Knots with ale cheese, Dijon and pickles. These were warm, chewy and soft. The ample poppy and sesame seeds on top formed an appealing crust which was lightly brushed with butter. With a purposeful saltiness, the ale cheese dip exhibited a mild sharpness that went well with the pretzel.
Onto another appie, we tried the Duck Wings in hot and lemon pepper. Since duck drumettes are not particularly soft and juicy to begin with, they decided to fry them up crispy. Good move as the skin was completely rendered and crunchy (but not hard). The meat underneath was predictably dry, yet that didn't bother us. We liked the lemon pepper seasoning more as it was salty and tart with just a touch of spice. We thought the hot sauce was too weak to make an impact. Onto the mains, the Blind Pig Burger hit the table first. It consisted of 50/50 pork and beef with a side of coleslaw. With a moist chewiness, the burger patty was natural-tasting and nicely charred. The addition of banana peppers afforded a tart spicy finish while the ample arugula provided another layer of pepperiness. We loved the bun because it was soft and airy, yet stood up to the ingredients. Unfortunately, the coleslaw was not good. Although it was crunchy and fresh, it was bland and it tasted like they used malt vinegar which left a strange aftertaste.
The best item we had came at the very end being the Steak Frites featuring a 6 oz tenderloin. Okay, I'm going out on a limb here to say that this was better executed than many French restaurants in town. The uniformly-shaped tenderloin was prepared a prefect medium-rare while sporting a beautiful char on the outside (which resulted in a smoky finish). The melted butter on top made the flavours more rich as it was also well-salted. The accompanying frites were excellent being a firm crispy on the outside and still retaining a soft potato inside. These were well-salted, but we didn't mind as that went well with the beer. And really, the food did achieve its purpose - pair with the beverages. We were pleasantly surprised at that and went away wanting to do a return visit.
*All food and beverages excluding tip were comped*
The Good:
- Solid food to go with the brews
- Not overly expensive
The Bad:
- Not sure if it is necessarily something they can control, but there are too many flies
Honestly, other than a few select stores, most Chinese bakeries in town are relatively similar. Sure, there are ones I would like avoid, such as T&T and possibly 1st Ave Bakery, but other than that, they all do the job. However, Costanza had been raving about this lil' spot in the London Drugs complex on Kingsway where Chinese pastries meet Japanese-trained baker. Apparently, the place is known for their egg tarts. Well, I guess there is only one way to find out, buy some egg tarts and get some other items for good measure.
The first thing I bit into was the Egg Tarts since they were still warm and fresh. Okay, I gotta give props to Costanza and Elaine (alright, also Whipping Girl too) because the tarts were money. Light, buttery, flaky and soft, the tart pastry practically melted in my mouth after the initial crispiness. The nuttiness of the baked shell only added another layer of flavour to the silky and semi-sweet egg custard. These are definitely at the very top of the list for the GVRD. On the other hand, the BBQ Pork Bun was somewhat disappointing. First of all, the amount of filling was not sufficient for the size of the bun. Secondly, the dough was more chewy than soft. Last, the bun was rather flat. It wasn't terrible, but compared to the egg tart, it was just "meh".
The same could be said about both the Ham & Egg Bun and Pineapple Bun. I wasn't a huge fan of the egg and ham being baked inside the bun as it dried out both the ingredients and the bun itself. Equally as flat as the BBQ pork bun, the pineapple bun needed to be "poofier". Despite not being dense, the bun ate as such since it was almost compressed. Moreover, it was haphazardly made where it was an odd teardrop shape with the topping misaligned. In fact, the other pineapple bun was worse, hence I didn't include it in the picture. On the positive side, the topping was nicely crisp and aromatic. And yes, the Matcha Red Bean Bun suffered the same fate except it looked pretty.
At this point, I was wondering if the egg tarts were a one-hit wonder with this place. However, the Mango Roll and Sponge Cake changed everything. As average as the buns were, the sponge cake was heavenly. Soft and airy, it had an aromatic nuttiness from the butter and the fluffiness from the eggs. This was really good. As for the mango roll, it was much of the same and it had a wonderful mango flavour. Well, Marui Bakery can be considered a diamond in the rough despite the mediocre buns. The egg tarts and cakes should be enough to keep the customers coming back.
The Good:
- Fantastic egg tarts
- Wonderful cakes
The Bad:
- Buns are mediocre
- Service was a bit indifferent
Here I am again, on my self-proclaimed Richmond Dim Sum adventures. Hey, I told you I was going to do it! This time around, I was able to convince Miss Y to experience parking purgatory. We decided to visit Vivacity, located smack-dab along food central (aka Alexandra Road), where the restaurants are plenty while parking spots are not. Fortunately for us, we were able to nab a spot. In fact, we were able to get a table pretty quickly too. Oh Richmond, you tempt me with food and now you tempt me with easy parking and no lineup. What's the catch? An accident waiting to happen?
So without further ado, let's get to the food... We started with the Sui Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) that featured pork that was meaty with a rebound texture. We could definitely delineate the flavours between the lean pork, shiitake mushroom and shrimp. There could've been more moisture though as the dumplings were a touch dry. As for the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumpling), the dumpling skin had an ideal thickness where it was chewy, yet not doughy. The filling exhibited a moist snap where it was mostly whole pieces of shrimp rather than mousse. There was also an appealing sweetness that was accented by a mild shrimp flavour.
Moving onto the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice wrapped in banana leaves... in this case), it was pretty good. With soft, yet still chewy glutinous rice, the texture was on point. As for the filling, the ground pork was meaty and moist with a natural flavour. It didn't rely too much on additional seasoning as the flavours were mild and not overly salty. We had to get some veggies into the meal and hey who cares if it was fried right? Yes, the Stuffed Eggplant could not be considered health food, but at least it consisted of a vegetable... It was fried enough where it wasn't mushy though. The shrimp mousse was moist and had a good bounce.
One dish we could've done without was the Spring Rolls. Hey, they were crunchy and served piping hot (albeit somewhat greasy). But the filling was something to behold (and not in a good way). Imagine taking frozen veggie mix and stuffing it into a spring roll. Yes, this sucked. The textures were mushy and the flavours all wrong. What were they thinking??? Moving way past that dish, we tried the Bean Curd Skin Rolls. The bean curd sheet had a nice texture that combined the best of both worlds being soft while maintaining a chewiness. Inside, the filling was meaty with plenty of veggies. The sauce had a nice consistency where it was only mildly salty.
With the Beef Rice Noodle Roll, Miss Y insisted I eat one sprig of yau choy. I guess she realized the lack of greens in my diet... As for the rice noodle, it was thick and slightly chewy. Not great, but not terrible either. With a load of greens, the beef filling was tender while not being overprocessed. For once, the Black Bean Spareribs lived up to its namesake. So often, there are little-to-no black beans in the mix. Therefore, their version was plenty flavourful (possibly too much so, MSG anyone?). The meat was on the softer side with only a slight rebound texture. As shown in the picture, most of the pieces were meaty rib portions.
With enough food for 4 people, the meal continued with the Pan-Fried Daikon Cake. Texturally, they were soft enough while a bit floury. There was a sufficient sear where a crispy crust formed on the outside (yet with a cost, as it was greasy). With ample amount of Chinese sausage and dried shrimp, there was no absence of saltiness as well. For dessert, we had the Longhan & Wolfberry Jelly prepared in mini-carp molds. They were not sweet at all, rather relying on the longhan for flavour. We thought they could've added more sugar though. Overall, we thought the meal was above-average and well-priced. The service was decent enough, but they didn't come around enough to check on us.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Okay pricing
The Bad:
- Sparse service
*Restaurant is closed*
I had a great time enjoying eats and beverages out on the patio at Cielos with Pops that I totally forgot that I left my camera in his car (he drove...). Hence, there I was preparing to attend Latin Flavours while frantically looking for my camera. When I finally figured out it was not in my possession, I had to resort to my old 60D. Finally, I could justify my purchase of the 6D to Viv! So that meant I had to trek all the way out to White Rock again to retrieve my camera. Not wanting to waste such an effort, Miss Y and I decided to check out Deluxe Beach Restaurant out on Marine Drive in the process.
Trying to maximize variety, we decided to try their Seafood Tasting consisting of Pancetta Prawns, Lobster Guacamole, Tuna Ceviche and Smoked Salmon. We found the Pancetta Prawns to have a meaty snap while being naturally sweet. However, it was salty due to both the pancetta and sweet soy reduction. The Smoked Salmon was not overly dry while being adequately smoky. It was "okay". We did like the Lobster Guacamole mostly because of the lobster. It had a sweet bouncy texture as evidence of proper preparation. However, the guacamole was rather ordinary needing more acidity. Lastly, the Tuna Ceviche was fresh and bright with a nice sesame oil finish. Again, it need more acidity as the flavours were flat.
For my main, I went for the Kobe Burger with smoked cheddar, pancetta, shiitake mushrooms, tomato relish, caramelized onions and dijon. Served on the side was a berry salad. I found the meat to be moist while not overly fatty. It was a rather thick patty, hence, the burger had a meatiness to it. The combination of ingredients seemed to work as there was a little of everything including the saltiness from the pancetta, Earthy hits from the mushrooms, the sweetness from the onions and acidity from the relish and dijon. I particularly liked the toasted brioche bun as it was airy soft while holding up to the ingredients.
Miss Y went for the Paella consisting of chorizo sausage, tiger prawns, saffron, arborio rice and oven dried tomatoes. Um... if this was a paella, then Vancouver house prices are cheap. This was more like an overcooked risotto than any paella I've ever had. This was wet and starchy rather than creamy while the rice was soft. There was a nice aroma of saffron though and the prawns were on point. But really, $30.00 for this "paella"??? You gotta be kidding me. If we ignored the paella for a moment, the other items weren't bad. However, the prices are really high, even considering its location.
The Good:
- Right on Marine Drive in White Rock (albeit with no view)
- We received really good service
The Bad:
- Overpriced
- What kind of paella was that?
For some reason or another (you can probably guess...), my Richmond Dim Sum adventures have been rather sparse in the last few years. Despite the fact there are quite a few I have yet to visit, it hasn't prompted me to make much of an effort. However, I have come to the realization that if I am out to find the very best Dim Sum in the GVRD, I must try all of them, no matter where they are located. So please join me in my quest to finally hit all of the Dim Sum joints in Richmond that are missing from this blog... I really should redo my car insurance for a lower deductible as well...
So anyways, to start things off, we decided to try out Golden Paramount. Our first dish was the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) which arrived as a set of 5. That was a good thing as they were rather small. Yet, quality made up for the lack of quantity as the shrimp filling exhibited a buttery moist snap. Despite the over abundance of bamboo shoots, the flavour was neutral due to proper rinsing. Hence, there was an appealing sweetness with a hint of sesame oil. With 5 instead of 4, we should've known that they did things differently here. If that didn't tip us off, the Black Sesame Egg Tarts sure did. In an unattractive shade of dark black, the tarts ate much better than they looked. Flaky and butter, the tart shell was filled with a fairly dense custard that was plenty aromatic with black sesame.
Continuing with the strange, we had the Spring Rolls filled only with shredded daikon. Although it was a disaster waiting to happen (moisture from the daikon), the spring rolls turned out okay. With a golden and crunchy exterior encasing tender slivers of well-seasoned daikon, it was much better than expected. With that being said, we were still longing for the shrimp version. Moving onto another fried item, we tried the Fried Dumplings. We found the glutinous rice shell to be just a bit too thick where it made it cumbersome to eat. However, the exterior was plenty crisp while there was an adequate amount of filling. There was a noticeable dried shrimp flavour which overwhelmed most of the other ingredients.
Yet another interesting take on a Dim Sum classic was the Bean Curd Skin Rolls. Typically, these are filled with ground pork and an array of ingredients such as wood ear mushroom, bamboo shoots, shrimp, shiitake and/or carrots. For this one, it was a bunch of loose ground pork with a bevy of celery. Therefore, the texture was very off while the dominant flavour was of celery. We didn't like this very much. Talk about different, even their Beef Meatballs were a little strange to look at. It was mainly just processed beef without any greens (such as cilantro or green onion). Not aesthetically-pleasing nor diverse in flavour except for some notes of dried orange peel. Texturally it was good though with a nice rebound.
We ended up getting an order of the Singapore Fried Noodles to make sure we filled our bellies. Turns out that we needed to order more food since the portion size was miniscule considering the nearly $15.00 price tag. But just like the haw gow, quality reigned supreme. As you can clearly see, there was more ingredients than noodles (and why couldn't they have just added more noodles???). Lots of lean BBQ pork, crunchy shrimp and crisp veggies accenting the chewy well-seasoned noodles. Our order of Steamed Black Bean Spareribs looked a little dark, yet in the end, the flavours were okay being predominantly salty without any garlic. The meat was somewhat bouncy and chewy where cartilage and fat was kept to a minimum.
With a fluffy exterior, the BBQ Pork Buns had a good meat-to-bun ratio. Despite looking pale and lifeless, the BBQ pork filling was savoury with some sweetness. The meat itself was lean and diced into manageable-sized pieces. Arriving in a pretty standard number of 3 (since many things were not typical already), the mini-Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice) were also interesting to look at on the inside. With a shade of white that would make mayonnaise look tanned, the sticky rice was quite bland. The diced pork filling included bits of shiitake and strangely, bamboo shoots. I liked the textural crunch, but not so much with the flavour as it really didn't belong
Of course I had to get my order of offal in the Steamed Tripe with dried scallop sauce. With alternating pieces of honeycomb tripe which were in different shades of brown, the dish really did have a particular flavour. I wasn't convinced that the "scallop sauce" went well with the tripe. It was a combination of gamy with seafoody... The tripe was tender though with a slight chew. Lastly, we had the Sui Mai, which were pretty small. One bite and wow, the darn things were at least 50% comprised of shiitake mushrooms. Great flavour, but it completely dominated the profile of the dumpling. Even though the textures were bouncy, the flavours were not in balance. As you can probably ascertain, our experience here was different - sometimes good, other times were a bit strange.
The Good:
- When something was good, it was a hit
- Okay service
The Bad:
- Different interpretations didn't work all the time
- Sparse service
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