Wild Sushi

To say that I rarely eat out in the Dunbar area of Vancouver is an understatement.  Even though I have the occasional softball game out there, it hasn't meant a bounty of restaurant visits.  Long ago, I did have a friend who lived out there and I did frequent the neighbourhood, but that was in my teens where blogging only consisted of a pen and paper.  But for once, I was stuck around the UBC area and in need of eats.  So I drove down Dunbar and stopped at the first sushi place I spotted which was Wild Sushi.

Not sure of the name though because the menu didn't seem to be very "wild" nor was the decor.  Well, I wasn't keen on any surprises, so just simple sushi suited me fine.  And with that, I began things with the Assorted Sashimi which was good and bad on one plate.  The sockeye salmon and tuna were pretty good exhibiting a nice sheen and fresh taste.  However, the tako and tai were not defrosted correctly where they were spongy and full of moisture.  Next up, I had the Rainbow Roll consisting of a California roll topped with salmon, tuna, ebi and avocado.  It was drizzled with mayo and some sweet droplets.  Hence, the flavours were a bit too sweet (but the dunk in soy helped matters).  The mild-tasting rice had a nice consistency though with a sticky chew.

Despite dining all-by-my-lonesome, I went for both the Yakisoba with beef and Katsu Don as well (don't worry, I didn't eat it all in one sitting...). Arriving on a super hot sizzling cast iron plate, the yakisoba was pretty good.  I liked how the noodles weren't swimming in sauce which meant they were still chewy and not over-seasoned.  However, I wouldn't liked to see a bit of acidity though as the flavours were flat.  The ample amount of sliced beef was moist and tender.  As for the katsu don, it was topped with a large pork cutlet that was slightly crisp on the edges.  Inside, it was tender and not dried out.  Although the rice was nicely chewy, it could've benefited from more sauce.

Lastly, I sampled their Appetizer Tempura that included 2 ebi, 2 pcs of sweet potato and one pc of golden squash. Despite being really crunchy, the tempura batter was far too thick.  Hence, I had to remove some of it.  Other than that, the veggies and ebi were not overdone.  Overall, I was okay with the food at Wild Sushi despite some of the issues (such as the spongy sashimi and over-battered tempura).  I found the prices to be reasonable and the service to be friendly enough.

The Good:
- Reasonable-pricing
- Depending on what you order, it can be pretty decent

The Bad:
- Some issues with specific dishes

Angkor Restaurant

As much as Phnom Penh is synonymous with Cambodian food in Vancouver, there are, in fact, other places where one can get similar eats including those famed chicken wings (albeit usually not as good).  After Sunday morning hockey, Milhouse, Kaiser Soze, JuJu and myself decided to hit up Angkor for some Cambodian eats in hopes of finding an alternative to the always busy aforementioned Phnom Penh (and the fact it has been blogged to death!).

For myself, I ended up getting the Phnom Penh Dry Rice Noodles which was pretty good.  Topped with the usual seafood and meats including shrimp, liver, sliced pork and ground pork, it was also sauced with a sweet soy.  When mixed together with the chewy noodles and side of blanched sprouts, it was a good balance between savoury and sweet.  The noodles were a bit clumpy though.  The accompanying pork bone soup was sweet with a good amount of melt-in-my-mouth meat.  Milhouse had the Angkor Beef Stew Noodles which looked quite appetizing.  Sampling the soup and it was indeed flavourful and somewhat aromatic.  There was depth and a sweet meatiness.  As for the meat itself, it was fatty and tender while the noodles were al dente.

Kaiser Soze had the Phnom Penh Rice Noodle Soup in a sweet, flavourful broth.  Obviously aided by MSG, there was depth which helped flavour the noodles.  The meats were tender and abundant while the large pork bone was a treat.  JuJu wanted to be different, so he went with the Chhar Kropus & Rice.  The prawns had a meaty snap while being bathed in a garlicky and onion spiked stir-fry.  The rice itself was dry enough to absorb the moisture without getting too soft.  As tasty as it was, JuJu was left a bit hungry due to the modest portion size.

No matter though as we got a large order of the Deep Fried Chicken Wings to share.  Served with 2 large bowls of lemon pepper dip, this was trending towards the Phnom Penh version.  Yet, it was not as good.  Although lightly crisp on the outside, the skin was not a rendered nor was the wings themselves that flavourful.  Inside, the meat was juicy though. Although not without faults, Angkor offered up eats that satisfied.  Furthermore, the prices were very reasonable.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Decent eats
- Good service

The Bad:
- Modest portions

Pho Ngon

*Restaurant is permanently closed*

While we were on our way to hit up Venice Garden after late night hockey, I noticed that there was a new Vietnamese joint on the corner of 2nd and Renfrew.  It suddenly donned on me that I should give Steve (from the Chili Cookoff) a call to try the place out.  Just like the time at Mr. Red, he is always game for new eats and in particular, the ethnic variety.  Well, it was apparently meant to be as I received an email the day after suggesting that we meetup at Pho Ngon (which was the same place I had in mind!).

Onto the food, as much as I make a big deal about the spring roll wrappers, I have begun to accept the use of wheat wrappers.  Why?  Well, they are much easier to deal with as they don't dry out like the rice wrappers.  So with that in mind, the Spring Rolls here were decent with a crispy exterior that was easy on the grease and a filling that was filled with moist pork that was adequately seasoned. We also didn't mind the Banh Mi Dac Biet where the baguette was crusty and only a touch dense.  There was enough meat to make an impact while the amount of pate could've been increased.  Also, an extra splash of fish sauce or Maggi would've brought the flavours alive.

As for our mains, we tried the Pho Ga first.  The broth was clean and light with only a minor saltiness.  I didn't get a whole lot of chicken flavour but it wasn't bland either where there was a noticeable sweetness.  The noodles were a touch soft, but not overly so.  The modest amount of chicken meat was sufficiently moist with gelatin-like skin attached.  We also had the Pho Tai Nam Bo Vien where the broth was a bit murky and did not have the cleanest of flavours.  However, there was indeed flavour in the form of a light meatiness accented by sweetness.  There was something missing as the broth didn't have a whole lot of impact.  The noodles were slippery and a bit past al dente while the meats were sliced thin and tender.

Lastly, we had the Banh Bao Dac Biet filled with wood ear mushrooms, vermicelli and egg.  We found the bun itself to be a touch dense and not as fluffy as we would've liked.  It was still okay though.  The filling was quite nice and mildly seasoned. Overall, we found the food a bit lacking at Pho Ngon.  Definitely serviceable, but considering the vast amount of other Vietnamese restaurants, it doesn't do enough to stand out.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Friendly people

The Bad:
- Mediocre food
- Smallish portions

Bayou on Bay

As if dining on buttery Hollandaise, a croissant and plenty of brie wasn't enough to send our fat intake of the day shooting Northwards of 100%, our plan for lunch wasn't going to help the cause.  After picking up Whipping Girl's TV, we headed over to Bayou on Bay for some good ol' Southern cooking.  With Viv out-of-the-picture for this trip to Bellingham, I could satisfy my craving for country fried steak with creamy gravy.  This way, she wouldn't suffer the aftermath...  Whipping Girl would!  Hey, I was helping her pick up a TV!  She'd have to accept the collateral damage.

After perusing the menu, it was quite obvious that our caloric intake for the day would be blown (if it hadn't already happened at breaky).  We started with the Fried Okra which were prepared in manageable bite size pieces.  They were crispy while not crunchy with a "thick-enough" breading.  These were golden brown and not greasy at all.  The okra itself was soft with a slight bite while exhibiting a slight sliminess (but that's normal).  The plate of Yam Fries were really good because not only were they crispy on the outside, they were soft and moist on the inside.  A light toss in pepper and salt added a simple, yet effective impact.

For our mains, we began with the Shrimp & Grits featuring a really rich, creamy sauce spiked with bacon.  There was probably a tad too much sauce as the dish felt really heavy.  Furthermore the grits themselves were a bit dense and clumpy.  As for the shrimp, they were nicely prepared having a wonderful sweet snap.  The aforementioned Country Fried Steak was crunchy with a nicely peppery coating.  The meat was pretty dry, but flavorful.  The sausage gravy was thick and full of meat. It was really rich while not being particularly flavourful except for the taste of fat.  Yup, after we were done, we felt heavier than a tour bus full of football players.  There might possibly have been a pit stop afterwards...

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- They do not shy away from making the food as rich as possible

The Bad:
- Yes, we realize the food is supposed to be heavy, but it was actually too heavy
- Okay, but not great 

Mount Bakery Cafe

Oh lookie here, Whipping Girl has all grown up...  She has her own place and everything now.  Now comes the hard part - furnishing the darn place.  Since housing prices in the GVRD are as reasonable as the cost of street food in Downtown, she has been fretting over buying a TV.  To help her out, I have been monitoring the TV deals around the internet.  Finally, I found one for a reasonable price and ordered it for pick up...  in Bellingham.  So off we went on a long weekend right into a 2-hour lineup at the border.  Thank goodness for Nexus.  Before we did anything, we stopped by Mount Bakery Cafe for some breaky.

We started with the Raspberry Cream Cheese Croissant which was aesthetically-pleasing with its tightly wound layers.  One bite and the crispiness of the pastry left little flakes of joy on the table.  Inside, it was a bit denser than we would've liked, but that could've partly been attributed to the filling.  It wasn't overly sweet and only served to add enough impact.  Next we tried the Dungeness Crab Benny served over fresh waffles with a side of potatoes.  Oh man, the Hollandaise was extremely buttery where it was rich and silky.  We would've liked to see a bit more lemon to cut through the heaviness.  As for the crab, it was fluffy, yet was partially lost in all the sauce.  The eggs were beautifully runny while the waffles softened from all the moisture.  The side of potatoes were wonderfully textured (being soft while maintaining a bite) and were a touch salty with a nice acidity.

Lastly, we tried the Brie, Apple and Pear Crepe served with the same potatoes.  Texturally, the thin crepe was on point being light, chewy and fluffy all at the same time.  With a good amount of melted creamy brie and fresh apples, the filling was mild and only semi-sweet.  We would've liked to see some salty counterbalance such as prosciutto. Despite our minor criticisms, we were pleased with our visit to Mount Bakery.  The breaky was a bit different and we certainly weren't longing for more food (good portions).  The only problem is that we had to get through the day without the rich Hollandaise causing us to make some unscheduled pitstops...

The Good:
- Large portions
- Friendly people
- Not your typical breakfast

The Bad:
- Food is quite heavy
- Tight seating

Ikkyu Ramen Ten

*Restaurant is closed*

So practice does make perfect...  Well, in my case, practice made for a better golf score at Mylora.  Yes, the place is a glorified pitch & putt, but trust me, after an 85 a few weeks ago, I left with my tail between my legs (this was before the snow!).  However after 3 rounds of golf at some challenging courses up at Whistler, I returned to play Mylora again with Gordo, JuJu and Lionel Hutz.  This time around, I scored a 70 (which is still 13 over) that was a 15 shot improvement.  Viv, are you reading this?  I just have to play more golf!  Maybe I can improve even more!  Anyways, after the round, we decided to hit up Ikkyu Ramen Ten out on Victoria Drive.

Gordo and I started with the Assorted Sashimi which was a fairly large portion for $12.95.  Although some of the pieces were cut a bit strangely (in particular, the salmon), there was nothing really amiss. Interestingly, they used Atlantic surf clam which were different in colour and somewhat in texture (more soft) than the usual Arctic surf clam.  Lionel Hutz went for a Sushi Bento Box consisting of nigiri, House Roll and green salad.  I was able to sample the sushi rice and it was not really cold and overly soft.  Furthermore, there was barely any detectable flavours.  And as you can see in the picture, there was too much of it in the roll.

For myself, I tried the Ikkyu Black Sesame Ramen with salmon, BBQ pork, egg, crab stick, corn, green onions and cabbage.  If you are wondering why the broth strangely resembles any other broth, you are right.  The black sesame was in the ramen itself.  Unfortunately, I didn't get much aromatics from it while the noodles were nicely chewy though.  The broth was mild and sweet with not a whole lot of depth.  And yes, the BBQ pork was actually Chinese-style BBQ pork.  Gordo went meatless and had the Kimchi Miso Ramen.  It was slightly spicy from the kichi, but then again, it wasn't exactly full of impactful flavours. Yup, there wasn't a whole lot to rave about the place as the food was just not that great.  I guess the prices were reasonable and the food was edible, but nothing we were yearning to have again.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- "meh" food

Tasty Indian Bistro

Often, when we think of posh and trendy, Indian food would not necessarily be the first thing that comes to mind.  That would usually be reserved for the Global Group with its form over function. Now what if we combined great food AND some slick digs?  Tasty Indian Bistro dared to do such a thing when they moved from their humble home on 80th at Scott Road.  With some impressive decor and style backed up by "tasty" food, I had a good experience the last time I paid them a visit.  Therefore, it didn't take much convincing to accept an invite where I enlisted the help of Miss Y.

With a DJ and an intended party atmosphere, we were treated to several appies including Chilli Mushroom, Chicken Samosa and Fish Pakora.  Despite the name, the chilli mushroom was not really all that spicy.  There was a kick though and it went well with the crispy battered mushrooms.  The samosas were not bad with a crispy exterior that was wasn't too thick.  Inside, the chicken was moist with a bit of spice. I liked the fish pakora the most as it was lightly battered and crisp.  Inside, the fish was flaky and moist while the dusting of cumin added some spice and Earthiness.

Onto the mains, I took a sample of the Butter Chicken first.  This version was on the creamier side with only minor hits of tartness from the tomato.  I found it quite sweet with a noticeable spice level.  The big chunks of chicken were sufficiently moist and tender to the chew.  With ginger and onion notes, the Halibut Curry was full of flavour that included a definite spice that was balanced off by the mild fish and peppers.  By nature, halibut can be rather dry if overcooked, yet in this case, it was okay (although I wouldn't call it flaky).

My favourite was the Kadahi Lamb partly because I'm biased when it comes to the meat.  Yet also, this was pretty tasty, paying homage to the restaurant's name.  There was also a good spice level which was accented by ginger and a rich sweetness.  The lamb itself exhibited what makes it so good (a gelatinous tenderness).  Bathed in a creamy sauce, the Portabello Mushroom Curry was a pleasant vegetarian offering.  The slices of tender mushrooms provided some "meatiness" to this meatless dish.  With ginger and vinegary notes, the curry continued the theme of a noticeable heat level.

Onto another vegetarian dish, I sampled the Aloo Gobi.  This was a nice departure from all the rich curries and really, I didn't mind a non-meat dessert at this stage of the meal.  I found the cauliflower to be toothsome while completely cooked all-the-way-through.  The potatoes were intact while fluffy inside.  With noticeable garlic and ginger notes, there was also the hit of spice as well.  We were served rice and Naan (Garlic Naan too) on the side.  With the benefit of a tandoor, these were done right with a slightly charred exterior which was a touch crispy and chewy on the inside.  I would've liked to see even more blistering though.

For dessert, we were served Gulab Jamun served in kheer.  Naturally, it was pretty sweet, but the creamy kheer lessened the sting of the rosewater soaked ball.  Overall, I thought the food was pretty much the same as the first time I had visited this location.  That is a good thing as it was indeed "tasty".  However, with that being said, the food is quite rich and on the saltier/sweeter side.

*All food and drinks were complimentary*

The Good:
- Place has got style
- Food is indeed flavourful (or "tasty")

The Bad:
- Food is on the saltier/sweeter side
- Although not expensive, it ain't cheap