Grand Honour Restaurant

Back in my pre-University years, we lived in Oakridge where there were only a few options for Dim Sum.  One would be Miramar out in Kerrisdale (where Golden Ocean now stands) and the other is where Grand Honour now resides.  After the closing of Nong, Grand Honour moved a couple of stores down to occupy the dark basement floor restaurant devoid of any natural light.  Yes, not the most sexiest of locations in my opinion.  In my never-ending quest to hit every Dim Sum joint in the GVRD, the family including grandparents descended (literally) to Grand Honour.

The first thing we noticed was the indifference with one of the managers.  This was confirmed when he accidentally brought us a plate of gai lan (when we had actually ordered pea shoots).  He merely took it off our table violently without a word and proceeded to plop it onto the table next to us in an annoyed fashion.  And to top things off, when we finally got in a word with him, he insisted the order was correct and we'd be getting our pea shoots.  In actuality, it took several reminders and we got it as our last dish much later...  Yes, he was giving us lip service.  My thoughts?  If you can't stand your job, don't take it out on the customer.  Just sayin'.  Oh as for the Pea Shoots, they were tender with a residual crunch where it was mildly seasoned with a touch of natural sweetness.  For the kiddies, they were happy to see the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice). We found it to be rather bland where the rice was chewy and dry.  In fact, the sliced meat was quite dry too, but there was lots of it.

Onto the most important dish for a Dim Sum service, we had the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings).  These featured a thin elastic skin which was translucent where we could see the colour of the shrimp.  As for that shrimp, there was lots of it where they were in whole pieces exhibiting a buttery snap.  Although there was a wealth of salty and sweet elements, there wasn't any hint of sesame oil nor white pepper.  As for the Sui Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling), they were large with firm chunks of meat.  Although meaty in texture, there was some hint of rebound and bite.  The plethora of shrimp and mushroom ensured there was a variation of flavours and textures, yet we got mostly an overwhelming amount of salt instead.  Much like the haw gow, the whole shrimp were large and appealing in texture.

Moving onto a larger dish, we tried the Seafood Yee Mein served in a hot pot.  This was reminiscent to the one we had at Peninsula except less expensive.  We found the noodles to have a chewy texture while still soft.  There wasn't a whole lot of residual moisture which meant there was also a nice caramelization of flavours, especially from the dark soy.  There was only a modest amount of seafood where the shrimp and scallop were sweet while the dried scallop added both aroma and some texture.  We liked how the vegetables remained crunchy, but the chunks of fish were not fresh tasting though.  The kiddies helped devour the BBQ Pork Buns which featured a fluffy exterior that was not too dry nor wet.  The meaty filling was a good balance between sweet and salty where it was easy on the fat.

Moving onto the Shrimp Bean Curd Skin Rolls, these were fried up crispy, but the exterior was far too chewy and not light.  Inside, the whole shrimp were overcooked being rubbery and lacking in snap.  Although it appeared the frying oil was hot enough, the grease retention was pretty significant.  Each piece was literally dripping with oil as we picked them up. Furthermore, the whole thing was far too salty where we could not taste the shrimp itself.  Sticking with the same theme, we had the Shrimp Rice Noodle Rolls which featured floury rice noodles.  Inside, the whole shrimp were cold and did not heat up even with the freshly made rice flour noodles.  Moreover, the shrimp didn't exhibit much snap or flavour.

As usual, we got the Black Bean Spareribs which looked impressive with big meaty pieces.  After a few pieces, it was confirmed that the ribs were in fact meaty with very little fat and cartilage.  The texture was on point with an appealing chew that rebounded.  However, there was a complete lack of seasoning where the natural pork flavour was dominant.  Next up, we had the Beef Meatballs that exhibited a light bounce texture.  Hence, it was on the softer, airier side.  It was well-seasoned though with a balance of flavours including a proper amount of greens that didn't detract from the beef.

Since there weren't any shrimp spring rolls, we had to resort to the Taro Spring Rolls.  Despite the fact my son loves fried taro dumplings and taro pudding cake, he rejected these ones.  I had to agree because the filling was dry and mealy (not exactly something I would use in this case).  At the very least, the rolls were crunchy though as there was little moisture to soften them up.  For dessert, we got the classic Mango Pudding in a heart-shaped mold.  Other than some bits of mango, this was pretty typical with mild flavours and a jello-like consistency.  Consistency would not be the operative word when it comes to describing the Dim Sum service at Grand Honour though.  Although there were some highlights, the food was a bit hit and miss.  Prices were high, but not Peninsula high at least.  In that case, Grand Honour makes a good alternative if you were in the area.

The Good:
- Acceptable food
- Decent portion size

The Bad:
- Hit and miss
- Service is also hit and miss

ShuRaku Sake Bar & Bistro

*Restaurant is now closed*

"Let's eat in Downtown tonight", Gadget Girl texted out-of-the-blue.  Uh...  Have they abolished the GST?  Did the Dodo not go extinct?  Do people suddenly know how to navigate a traffic circle?  Did she lose her mind all-of-a-sudden?  The likelihood of her actually choosing to eat in Downtown after our Friday night games is as good as finding a non-slippery floor in a Chinese restaurant washroom.  But I guess we can't look a gift horse in the mouth right?  So off we went to ShuRaku since it was near where she wanted to be (yes, there was a reason...) and it was open late.

Whenever Bear is around, we are destined to have something with sesame in it.  Hence, we started with the Gomae.  Unlike some of the common versions out there, this one was not slathered in an obscene amount of sweet syrup.  Rather, it was only lightly dressed with sesame puree exhibiting barely any sweetness.  In fact, it could've been more impactful, but this was at least legit.  The spinach itself was prepared nicely with a slight chew while being tender.  Next up was the Renkon Kinpira (lotus root sautéed and simmered in sweet soy sauce, sesame oil with a hint of chili).  Sweet Tooth and Bear, being Japanese, were a bit indifferent with this dish.  The spice level was a bit too understated as it gave way to the heightened sweetness which ended off with a noticeable saltiness.  We did like the crunchy texture though.

Onto the some meat dishes, we had the Chicken Nanban described as succulent chicken thigh, deep fried & drizzled with sweet and sour nanban sauce.  I would say the description was more or less correct as the thick pieces of dark meat retained a juicy moistness.  There was only a light crunch from the exterior deep fry while the sauce was enough to seasoned the meat (without being overly salty).  Next, we had their signature dish being the Japanese-Style BBQ Back Ribs (Fall-off-the bone tender Canadian pork back ribs glazed with our own secret BBQ sauce).  These were indeed moist and tender.  They were also really big with plenty of meat clinging onto the large bones.  As for the glaze, it was sweet with a touch of savouriness.

We had something a bit more healthy with a plate consisting of Nigiri, Negitoro Roll, California Roll and Salmon Roll.  I found th sushi rice to be slightly on the drier side, but it still had an appealing chewiness.  It was mildly seasoned, but was hardly bland.  We found the fish to be appealing with a nice sheen and a fresh taste (as fresh as flash frozen can get).  Everything was neatly prepared as evidenced in the picture. The Agedashi Tofu was a hit and miss in one dish.  I found the the exterior of the tofu to be crispy, but beyond that, the coating became gummy. Hence, the batter merely slid off after one bite. The silky tofu was a positive though as well as the balanced sauce.

Heading into some carb-heavy items, we had the Chicken Yakisoba and Pork Cutlet Don.  Arriving on a sizzling hot plate, the yakisoba featured chewy noodles which were the beneficiary of the sizzle.  Hence, there was some smokiness that went well with the caramelized sweetness and a note of zippiness as well.  The big pieces of chicken were sufficiently moist, but in need of a more seasoning though.  As for the pork cutlet don, it was not very good.  We found the meat to be overly dry and chewy while the panko coating to be completely softened.  The rice was dry and chewy which was the correct preparation, however, the lack of sauce meant that the don was also lacking impact.

Lastly, we had the Sake Miso Gindara.  As much as some people would like you to believe black cod is easy to prepare, that is not always the case (especially with a sake marinade).  This one was done right as the fish retained its texture and integrity being flaky and buttery.  Both the sake and miso were noticeable penetrating all-the-way-through.  This was a well-executed dish.  Overall, we satisfied with the eats, especially for late night.  Considering ShuRaku is located right in the heart of the Granville Entertainment District, the ambiance was low-key enough for us to have meaningful conversation without needing to yell.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Relatively low-key atmosphere
- Above-average service

The Bad:
- Pricey relative to portion size
- Good, but not great

Pho Hong

Sometimes, I don't blog about revisits.  Shocking I know.  Imagine that, I actually enjoy a meal without bringing my camera or notepad.  Feels a bit strange to tell you the truth - like I forgot to put on my clothes or something.  Hmm...  Okay maybe not that bad...  So Viv and I have been back to Pho Hong on several locations after I first blogged about it 5 years ago, but never felt the need to do a return post.  Well, I did bring my camera this time around, so hey I decided to pull it out.  I felt fully-clothed again!  Yay!

As part of their combo special, we got a Spring Roll to start. It was not bad despite the use of a wheat wrapper.  The meat was a touch dry though, but there was decent flavour to be had.  It was crunchy and not overly greasy. Viv's Pho Dac Biet was a really large portion with a whack load of noodles and nearly an equal amount of meat to match.  And about that meat, it was sliced thin where it was easy to eat.  However, the broth had a boatload of MSG where the flavour was really intense.  It was unnaturally sweet where any natural flavours were lost.

As for my Bun Bo Hue, the MSG was also quite prevalent.  I did pick out lemongrass as well as a considerable amount of chili oil.  It didn't really taste a whole lot like a Bun Bo Hue though.  Again, there was plenty of noodles and meat, yet no pork knuckle or blood. Obviously deep-fried, the Lemongrass Chicken on Rice was uniformly browned.  Hence, it was a little crispy and plenty greasy.  The chicken was relatively moist while being aggressively seasoned.  So this revisit made one thing abundantly clear - the food at Pho Hong is more about quantity rather than quality.  The food wasn't bad per se, but the shortcuts taken and the reliance on MSG diminished our enjoyment despite the inherent value.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Reasonably-priced for the portion size

The Bad:
- Too much MSG

Stepho's

Depending on one's personal preference, the idea of quantity always trumps quality.  Case in point, there are a few friends of mine who could care less about what other people think - value overrides perceived "superior" food.  Hence, the lineup at Anton's will never cease to exist.  Hey, I like good value too and yes, when I'm super hungry, a certain level of quantity would be nice.  That brings us back to Stepho's and their lineup for large quantities at reasonable prices.  I felt it was time for a revisit (after 5 years) with Milhouse and Kaiser Soze.

We began with the Calamari and let's just say it was disappointing.  Visually, it looked great with big pieces sporting a golden brown batter.  However, one bite and the squid was dry and chewy.  It took quite the effort to eat it.  On the other hand, the batter was light and crispy while being nicely seasoned.  As for tzatziki, it was not thick enough for our tastes, yet it did have a good zip.  For my main, I went for the Mousaka which was as large as I had remembered it.  I liked how the layer of bechamel was thin, yet rather than being creamy and light, it was dense and doughy.  For the filling, I liked the abundance of moist ground beef with tender slices of eggplant and potatoes.  It was rather salty though with an oil slick on the bottom of the plate.

Kaiser Soze had the Roast Lamb which also arrived in a generous portion.  Fatty and moist, the lamb was pretty much on point texturally.  However, the predominant flavour was plain ol' salt.  We couldn't even really make out anything else.  I thought the rice was pretty good being chewy and mildly seasoned while the potatoes could've used a bit more roasting as they were a touch firm.  The Greek salad was fresh, yet lacking in dressing.  Milhouse ended up with the Steak & Mushroom Pita which was served with fries and salad.  The steak itself was okay being somewhere between chewy and somewhat tender.  It had a nice char which added a good smokiness.  However, the mushrooms tasted like they threw the whole salt shaker at it.  Too bad really since they were sauteed beautifully.  So there we have it, our visit basically validated our prior sentiments - quantity over quality.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Acceptable food for the price (but it's getting up there)

The Bad:
- Using salt as the primary seasoning makes things taste the same
- Quantity over quality

Hiro Sushi

Once again, there is another Japanese restaurant added to the growing list along East Hastings in Burnaby.  Replacing the long gone #1 Chinese, Hiro Sushi was our destination after hockey.  At first, Milhouse, Kaiser Soze, JuJu and Polka King (yes, he was allowed out of the house for hockey AND eats!) were concerned that Japanese food would be too "light" since they were famished.  Well that would probably explain why we ordered way too much food including a really big one to start.

Since we were 5 hungry guys (no, not the burger place), the Party Tray B was our "appetizer".  This was a fairly good value with 51 pieces for $32.00. It included one each of the California Roll, B.C. Roll, Tuna Roll, Dynamite Roll, Salmon Roll, Kappa Roll, House Special Roll and one Smoked Salmon Box Sushi. We felt the rolls were more or less okay.  The rice was a bit dry and mild-tasting while the ingredients were okay, but unremarkable.

Milhouse and I decided to share 2 items beginning with the Assorted Tempura.  Although it looked sun-burned, they ate better than they appeared.  The batter was appealingly crunchy while the veggies were not overcooked.  Secondly, we had the Assorted Sashimi which looked impressive for $12.95.  The slices of tuna and salmon were easily double-to-triple the size of many other places.  However, as I've said over and over again, size doesn't necessarily matter... uh...  Anyways, in terms of quality, the sashimi was decent enough, but due to the thickness of the tuna and salmon, it was a bit difficult to chew.

On another visit with Viv, we shared the Black Dragon Roll made with spicy salmon, cucumber and deep fry prawn topped by unagi, avocado and tobiko.  It  was pretty large with a substantial amount of filling. There was a relatively thick layer of rice on the outside.  We found the rice to be rather dry and lacking in flavour.  Inside, the fried prawn was really crunchy with a bit too much batter.  Overall, the roll was okay, but a bit roughly made.  We also had some Nigiri (2 pcs each of Sockeye Salmon and Unagi with one each of the Hotate and Uni).  Again, the rice was dry and not very sushi-rice like (even though they did use the correct rice).  We liked the salmon and unagi while the scallop was a bit thin.  Despite being completely butchered, the uni was fresh and sweet.

Onto some fillers, we got both the Chicken Yakisoba and Katsu Don.  Arriving on a sizzling cast iron plate, the yakisoba was lacking in moisture, but not completely dried out.  We liked the pieces of chicken as they were succulent.  The veggies were done right being crisp and vibrant.  Overall, the dish could've used more seasoning and moisture.  By appearances alone, the katsu don looked good.  If we focus solely on the pork cutlet, it was crispy and a touch chewy, but not dry.  The rice was not glutinous enough while being dry.  As much as the entire dish wasn't lacking in flavour, it was far too sweet.  From what I could gather, both visits to Hiro yielded passable eats at very reasonable prices (in large portions).  However, the quality and authenticity is definitely lacking.  So don't have high expectations.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Large portions

The Bad:
- Unrefined with sub-par sushi rice
- Service is sparse

Maji Restaurant

*Restaurant is closed*

Ah yes, technology...  It makes our life easier and provides many hours of novelty for kids and adults alike.  But when it fails, it's like being stuck on a public washroom toilet without any toilet paper. Literally, one would be sh*t-out-of-luck...  literally...  Well, imagine the horror when I stuck my SD card into the card reader, only to be graced with a warning that the data was corrupt.  After some messing around, I was able to salvage most of the photos, except for 4 from my visit to Maji Restaurant.  That meant I had to go back and eat the same dishes all over again...

But let me start with my original visit with Milhouse and JuJu with the pictures that were not erased.  This included the Spicy Garlic Pork that was tender with a bite.  It was definitely spicy, garlicky and a bit sweet.  There was good crunch from the wood ear mushrooms which helped add some texture.  We weren't so fond of the Minced Shrimp Lettuce Wrap as it was as bland as it looked.  Other than a bit of garlic, there really needed to be something to brighten up the dish such as more salt and/or some acidity.  The shrimp itself was meaty and overcooked.  To compound the issues, the fried mung bean noodles were super greasy.

On my return visit with Mijune (sorry Milhouse and JuJu, she's better company...  LOL), I decided to makeup those lost pictures by ordering those exact 2 dishes.  The Kimchi Fried Rice was exactly the same with a huge mount of moist, yet still somewhat chewy rice.  It was loaded with ingredients including a good amount of meat and kimchi.  It wasn't spicy per se, but there was a tangy zipiness.  As for the Taiwanese Style Stir Fried Oil Noodles, they were softer than last time.  It wasn't as toothsome as I would've liked as they were quite wet. There was decent amount of seasoning that took it beyond being bland.

We decided to try 2 more dishes including the Garlic Eggplant which was prepared hot (it used to be cold).  The eggplant was nicely textured where it was soft, but still had some bite left.  It was bathed in a spicy, garlicky and generally impactful sauce.  Since we were both sick, we got the Sesame-Oil Chicken Soup which was full of big pieces of chicken leg.  It was juicy and succulent where it was cooked just enough.  The broth itself was effectively salty where there was plenty of flavour without being over-seasoned.  The sesame-oil was not overly strong though.

Lastly and actually from the first visit (I forgot to talk about it and am too lazy to re-edit this post...), we also had the Fried Chicken Wings.  These were crispy with a well-rendered skin.  The batter was well-seasoned, yet interestingly, the meat itself had not flavour.  It was juicy and tender though.  From my 2 visits to Maji, both the food and service were more than acceptable.  Considering the reasonable pricing in relation to the portion sizes, I would be open to a 3rd visit.

The Good:
- Above-average eats
- Decent value
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Parking sucks
- Both times, the expedition of food included wide time gaps