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Here I go experimenting with Groupons again. This time, it was another deal that I couldn't pass up, especially with a 20% off coupon to go along with the discounted Groupon deal. Not to be confused with La Brasserie, The Brasserie Bistro is located in the Coast Hotel on Denman in Downtown Vancouver. Seemingly lost in a time capsule from the 80's, the décor and vibe of the place screamed out Christopher Cross and something about "Sailin" a la elevator music. Whatever the case, we gave the place a chance.
I decided to try their Clam Chowder which arrived in a deceivingly deep bowl. It was indeed creamy, but by appearances alone, it appeared that the milk ingredients had separated from the rest of the broth, hence giving it a cooked egg white look. There was a decent amount of ingredients including bacon, onion and clams. Those flavours would dominate the soup which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Viv opted for the Quinoa Salad which was in need of some acidity as the flavour profile was pretty weak. However, there was a significant amount of red onion which overwhelmed everything else including the toothsome quinoa. Despite consisting of mainly fresh and vibrant ingredients, the radicchio was not that great.
For our mains, I went for the Lamb Shank which was covered in what looked like a regular brown gravy. Whatever it was made of, it ate and tasted like plain ol' gravy. Too bad really, as a proper silky demi-glace would've been perfect with the large shank. And about that shank, it was surprisingly prepared on point. It was succulent and moist while being devoid of any dry or chewy spots whatsoever. Viv ended up with the Full Rack of Ribs with fries and coleslaw. I asked if she would share her rack with me... right in front of the kiddies! Gasp... Anyways, for a parboiled version of baby back ribs, these were done right with very little meat shrinkage. Furthermore, they were fall-off-the-bone tender with no dry portions. We found the BBQ sauce to be lacking though as it didn't have much impact. The generic fries were fried crispy while the coleslaw was strangely salty.
For the kiddies, my son had his ever interesting Chicken Strips and Fries which were more or less standard. The chicken was fried crispy where the meat was still tender. The fries were crispy much like Viv's dish. As you can see in the picture, my daughters Mac n' Cheese looked more like a soup than anything. Hence, the noodles were really soft while the sauce was a bit grainy and lacking in sharpness. She didn't mind it though, so who was I to judge? Overall, if I had to judge, the food was below average. Nothing particularly bad, but somehow, it wasn't all that appealing to eat either. In reality, the Brasserie exists as a hotel restaurant (in the Coast) that serves up non-offensive eats which may not impress either.
The Good:
- Decent portions
- Super friendly and attentive service
- Kid-friendly
The Bad:
- Stuck in a time warp... Modern it isn't
- Nothing inedible, but nothing overly appealing either
Sometimes returning to a restaurant that I haven't been to in a long time is like suddenly calling up a friend that I've neglected over the years. Wait, that sounds horrible... If you are one of those people reading this blog right now, I'm sorry... Too busy eating! I digress. So seeing how we hadn't been to Belgian Fries in nearly 6 years, it was time to see if their poutine was better than the last visit. Hey, there have been some new friends in town like La Belle Patate and the Spud Shack. Oh darn, there I go neglecting old buds again...
So, my son had the Cheeseburger and Fries with garlic mayo dip. The burger was pretty straightforward with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and cheddar on a sesame bun. Well-charred and meaty, the beef patty was on the drier side, but did have a natural taste. The side of fries were nicely crisp while still being quite starchy. We liked the dip as there was quite a bit of roasted garlic. With one piece each of salmon and cod, my daughter attacked the Fish n' Chips, in particular the salmon. We weren't sure why because it was super thin and hence became more like salmon jerky. The batter was quite nice though being paper thin. Yet it was soggy in places. The cod didn't fare too much better as it was no longer moist.
Viv and I shared the large Smoked Meat Poutine which was a considerable plate of food. The cheese curds were legit being squeaky where most of them were not melted (that's good). As for the gravy, it was thick and a touch salty, but it didn't interfere. We really liked the smoked meat as it was well-charred on the outside where it had a rich smokiness. The large chunks were tender and well-brined.The fries stood up to the gravy and remained relatively crispy in spots. Overall, this revisit was acceptable where anything other than the poutine was pretty average. With that being said, I prefer my new friends in La Belle Patate and the Spud Shack more.
The Good:
- Crispy, potatoey fries
- Decent poutine
The Bad:
- The other items we had were average
Quite a few years ago, there was a little food tour that could. The brainchild of Michelle Ng, Vancouver Foodie Tours attempted to offer up a culinary experience that represented the local scene while being reasonably-priced. Fast-forward 4 years and Vancouver Foodie Tours has expanded to 3 separate tours, each offering something different. I've been on 2 of the 3 and was recently invited to the 3rd being the Granville Island Market Tour. Personally, I enjoy an occasional stroll through the market, so this was something I was looking forward to.
We met at Edible Canada at the Market to start our tour led by enthusiastic tour guide, Andrew. Seeing how it's never too early for some vino, we were treated to a glass of Merlot to go with our Wild Mushroom Benny with foraged mushrooms, buttermilk biscuit, poached free range eggs, spinach, Hollandaise and mixed field greens. This was nicely executed with a perfect runny yolk mixed with a creamy Hollandaise. The sauteed mushrooms added a woodsy aromatic touch to the dish. From there, we headed into the market to JJ Bean and sampled their Christmas Reserve Coffee that featured freshly roasted beans from the day before. To be frank, this was not my cup of tea (or should I say coffee?). I've had JJ Bean coffee before I haven't been disappointed, but this had a finish that I personally don't enjoy.
Making our way through the weekend hustle and bustle in the market, we visited Terra Breads next. We were treated to a bevy of baked goods including Rosemary & Olive Oil, Blueberry White Chocolate and Pecan Fruit Crisps. Although not pictured, we sampled a fantastic Chocolate & Cherry Pantone. It was airy and light with the balanced sweetness from the ingredients. I guess our next stop was necessary as one surely couldn't visit the market without having some fresh fruit. At the #1 Orchard fruit stand, we cleansed our palates with slices of Honey Crisp Apple. Nothing much to remark other than the apple was sweet with a semi-firm crunch. Nice and refreshing.
Onto my favourite stop of the tour, we stopped by Oyama Sausage Co. where we tried a selection of cured meats including Okanagan Red Wine Prosciutto, Rosette Lyon, Campange Parisienne, Kazu Copa, Duck Prosciutto, Elk Prosciutto and Truffled Duck Breast Salami. Of these, I enjoyed the duck prosciutto the most since it was buttery, purposefully salty and appealingly gamy. Naturally, the black truffle in the salami was a treat as well as the pate that went well with the olive bread from Terra. Taking a short few steps, we visited Benton Brothers Fine Cheese. We were given a selection of 2 cheeses including the 6-Year Old Cheddar and Qualicum Rathtrevor. Firm, notably sharp and nutty, the cheddar was flavourful. As for the Rathtrevor, it resembled a Gruyere as Andrew pointed out. He was right as it was salty, sweet, aromatic and nutty.
After this, we stopped by at the Granville Island Tea Company for some Chai. Being Chinese, I am used to drinking tea without any additions such as cream and sugar. With that out of the way, I do not mind chai though as the aromatics of the cinnamon and cloves really add to the experience. In this case, it was good for our sense of smell as well as taste where the tea was purposefully sweet. On the topic of sweets, we made our way to an ol' favourite being Lee's Donuts. There, we sampled 2 freshly made treats that included a Glazed Donut and Gingerbread Donut. Soft, warm and sinfully sweet, the glazed donut at Lee's gives some of the newer donut shops a run for their money.
We ended the tour right where we started at Edible Canada where we sampled various items including some toffee crunch which was a nice end to an enjoyable tour of various vendors in and around the market. I thought it wasn't too rushed while the variety of vendors kept things interesting and fun. Combined with the knowledgeable and friendly tour guide, I consider this tour to be a great way for tourists to get a quick taste of the Granville Island Market (and for locals to get re-acquainted).
The Good:
- Nice variety
- Knowledgeable and friendly guide
- Not too rushed
The Bad:
- Due to the cramped nature of the market, it makes it challenging for bigger groups
- Parking could be an issue for busier days
For all the ramen that is available in the GVRD, most of it is found in a small radius in the Downtown core. In fact, most of them do not stray far from Robson Street and hence the people that live there are in Ramen heaven (or not, if you hate ramen...). But what about the burbs? Yes, there is one in Coquitlam, a few in Burnaby and surprisingly few in Richmond. Hey, how about Surrey??? Okay, stop laughing (or it you aren't, good for you). That is exactly the mission Hot Mama and I were on where we visited Full Ramen in Fleetwood. Yes, kinda random, but what the hey, you never know until you try...
Hot Mama decided to go for the Tonkotsu Ramen with chashu, half golden yolk egg, kikurage mushrooms (wood ear), menma (bamboo shoots), bean sprouts and scallions. As much as the bowl didn't look especially large, there was a substantial amount of noodles which were appealingly toothsome. As for the broth, it had a natural pork flavour that was accented by the usual dose of salt. I wouldn't say it had incredible depth nor richness, but it was decent. As for the chashu, it was fatty which in turn helped achieve a melt-in-our-mouth texture. For myself, I had the Kakuni Ramen in a miso broth. It included the same items as the aforementioned ramen except with braised pork belly. As such, the meat was fatty and richer in taste. Due to being in larger chunks, the meat wasn't overly soft, but it wasn't chewy either. The miso broth was unmistakable in flavour but not overly salty. It had a bit more impact than the tonkotsu.
We also shared an order of Gyoza that featured a relatively thin and chewy exterior skin. Inside, the ratio between cabbage and pork was good while the meat was not dense. I felt that they could've done a better job with the exterior sear. After it was all said and done, we were mildly impressed with the food at Full Ramen. Sure, it wasn't exactly Downtown quality, but for Fleetwood, it was more than acceptable. So stop laughing will ya?
The Good:
- Decent ramen given its location
- Decent pricing
- Decent service (I can't think of another word than "decent")
The Bad:
- Decent, but of course Downtown is better (but not as much as you would think)
Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference between one donair joint to the next. It might possibly have to do with when most people visit these types of establishments. Yup, it could be for a quick bite or something late at night when one either has the munchies or inebriated. Well, for me, I was in the right frame of mind when I made my way to Leila's Donair Town. I was trying to see how they compare to Donair Star down the street.
Similar to other donair joints, the Lamb Platter was large and generously portioned. I liked the rice as it was firm, chewy and seasoned (unlike Donair Star down the street). As for the lamb, it was mostly moist. However, the pieces were very inconsistent as some were really large and some were in little bits. Furthermore, I found the flavours to be quite muted. I also found the hummus to be far too salty which made it strange in flavour. It was quite smooth though. The small Chicken Donair was a real deal at $3.99, especially given its size. However, I wasn't a huge fan of the chicken itself. I found it lacking flavour and most troubling of all, the meat was dry and lifeless. Sure, it isn't supposed to be ultra juicy, but not this dry.
On another visit, I had the Super Beef Donair with hot sauce. For $4.99 ($3.99 regular size), this was a substantial amount of food. However, the beef was a bit too salty for me where it hid all the other flavours. It was moist though and combined with the hot sauce, the donair was still satisfying. As for the other sauces, they were too thin where the donair started to get soaked and mushy. So as you can clearly ascertain, there are discernible differences if I had to compare Doniar Town to Donair Star down the street, with the latter being better hands down. But then again, for the price, you really can't lose with either.
The Good:
- Cheap
- Friendly enough lady
The Bad:
- Sauces are too thin
- Inconsistency
My most recent visit to Venice Garden shouldn't have encouraged me to return a little over a week later. You see, it was late at night (or should I say early the next day) and we had stopped by after hockey. Milhouse and Lionel Hutz received their orders early on and I had to wait over 30 minutes for my wonton noodles despite an empty restaurant. The staff kept staring at me sans noodles. Yes, maybe you should do something about it! Nope, no sorry, no nothing... So returning with the family and my parents, it was to no surprise that the experience started off on the wrong foot even before we ate anything.
You see, they had put us at a small table despite a reservation. No matter though, we did only have 6 people and they did put us in a table for 6. However, we asked for a larger table because we would be ordering quite a few dishes. The waitress assured us that the food wouldn't all come out at once. You know, we should've believed her like we should listen to Zoltar. Yes, all the food arrived almost immediately where we ran out of room real fast. The first dish, Peking Duck, nearly took up the whole table by itself. Some pieces were crispy while the breast portions were a bit soft. They left a tonne of meat attached. We found the crepes to be on the doughier side, but they weren't dry though. Luckily our next dish was not very big being the Dungeness Crab atop noodles dressed in a consumme sauce. Since this was a special, the crab was rather puny, but still fresh and meaty. Although the sauce was on the goopy side, it was well balanced and not too salty. Underneath, the noodles were clumpy, but that also meant they weren't to wet either.
When the Duck Lettuce Wrap showed up, we barely had room and had to do our version of Tetris. My dad was annoyed and proceeded to tell the server off about what she had told us earlier. To be fair, it wasn't her fault (as she can't control the kitchen), but she should've at least apologized, instead she said "too bad". Interestingly, there was no lettuce to go with the filling. We asked the manager for some lettuce and she replied "for what?". Um, the lettuce wrap! Geez... We found the filling to be full of moist duck, but it was far too salty and reeking of bamboo shoots. Also, the lettuce was wetter than a Vancouver Fall day. At this point, we had dishes dangerously near the end of the table, but we had to fit the Fried Sole somehow. This was not very good as they obviously took the deadest fish and fried the heck out of it. Mrs. Vikie's has nothing on this fish as it had a very unfishlike texture being crunchy throughout.
Moving onto a kiddie favourite, we had the Scrambled Eggs and Shrimp. We found the eggs to be silky and barely cooked. It was not excessively seasoned nor was it overly greasy either. As for the shrimp, it was a bit hit and miss. Most were a bit overcooked being rubbery while a few had gone bad where the texture was mushy. Furthermore, this meant some portions were a bit fishy in taste. By now, we had to resort to amalgamating items so we could clear enough room for the next dish, which was the Peking Pork Chops. Again, this was an inconsistent dish as some pieces of pork were nicely textured (being bouncy with a meatiness) while some were overly soft. The sauce was on the sweeter side, yet still exhibited a certain tartness. It was goopy though which made the pork a touch wet where the light batter began to absorb the moisture. At this point, our server informed us that we had to pay cash as the credit card machine was down. Couldn't she let us know earlier??? Oh and if you think it went down at that point, think again, it was down a few weeks later on a return visit...
Our last dish was mercifully delayed as our table needed another dish like Renee Zellweger needs another shot of Botox. Since the Eggplant Hot Pot arrived sizzling, it would've been a hazard on a crowded table, especially with kids. A bit spicy and sweet, but ultimately bland, the eggplant did have a nice soft texture. Fortunately the slivers of fatty pork were well seasoned. Otherwise, the dish would've been rather flat. The wood ear mushrooms added the necessary textural contrast to the soft eggplant. For some inexplicable reason, Milhouse and I returned for some late-night eats including the Wonton Noodles. With all things aside, I gotta admit that their noodles were pretty good. They were toothsome with a nice rebound texture while the soup was flavourful albeit a bit salty. The large whole-shrimp wontons were nicely crunchy while exhibiting the right amount of seasoning.
I also got the Pork Offal Congee consisting of stomach, liver and meat slices. Unfortunately, there wasn't any kidney. I thought all of the meat items were cooked just enough while the congee itself was silky and thick. It remained mostly thick until the last spoonful. I liked how it wasn't aggressively seasoned. After 3 visits in as many weeks, it was better clear that the casual dishes were pretty solid while the dinner items were hit and miss. Yet, the one constant was the terrible and rude service. I realize good service and Chinese restaurants go together like courtesy and merging lanes, but really, all I expect is the basics. If that can't even be achieved, then there is really no point to eating out... I can just head over to my mother-in-law's place for dinner.
The Good:
- Casual dishes like wonton noodles and congee are good
- Open late
The Bad:
- Not bad service, but rude service
- Hit and miss food
Once again, meeting up with Choobee for lunch meant traveling deep into the Westside of Vancouver. Why you might ask? Well, apparently, she doesn't acknowledge there is anything East of Main Street. It might as well be a vast expanse of nothingness. Could she be a Westside snob? Possibly. But more likely is that she is just plain lazy and couldn't be troubled to drive that far... So therefore, I made my way out to Kits to meet her at Hu Tong for some Beijing cuisine.
We began with some appies including the Smashed Cucumber and Honey Tofu. Although dressed in plenty of garlic and sesame, the cucumber itself was quite bland. Naturally, it is often used as a counterbalance to the heavier spicy dishes, but I would've liked to see more seasoning to bring the cucumber to life. Texturally, it was crunchy and fresh. As for the tofu, it was pressed, hence being firm in texture. With a light crispiness, it had a good overall feel. It was dressed in a sweet glaze that was syrupy, yet ultimately impactful.
For some odd reason, I decided to order the Preserved Egg with Ginger. Although easily replicated at home, I was dying to eat preserved egg. I guess that would be somewhat ironic due to the latest buzz about the eggs originating out of China (think chemicals). This was simple, yet pleasant with a soft runny yolk with grated ginger and a vinegary soy dressing. Onto something bigger (relatively), we tried the Braised Ribs. These were fall-off-the-bone tender where the meat was really moist and fatty. The first few bites revealed plenty of cinnamon, star anise and cloves. The flavours were sweet and impactful.
Seemingly the same, but completely different, we had the Brisket Hot Pot. With small fatty chunks of meat, it was sitting in a greasy sauce that exhibited a certain sweetness that was counteracted by a spicy finish. This was thanks to the chili flakes and Szechuan peppercorns. Again, there was a hit of five-spice and a touch of cumin. We also tried the Stir Fried Noodles that were accented by fatty pork and green beans. As for the noodles themselves, they were chewy, somewhat dry and plenty greasy. However, when we mixed the accompanying ginger black vinegar, it brought the dish alive with acidity and sweetness.
Lastly, we had the Stuffed Bun which was modest with the egg and chive filling. It was more bready than anything else. We weren't exactly impressed with this version as it was heavy and lacking in any discernible flavours or appealing textures. Overall, we were moderately satisfied with our meal at Hu Tong. It wasn't like we didn't like the food, it was just that there was nothing that really jumped out at us, especially at the high prices.
The Good:
- Something different (not a whole lot of other Beijing-type restaurants out there)
- Apprehensively friendly service
The Bad:
- Expensive
- Okay food, but hardly memorable
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