Pho Tai

When one has limited cash in their wallet and not a whole lot of time to spare, it may seem like one has to hit the usual spots.  Those usually involve some form of drive-thru and/or the phrase, "did you want fries with that?".  For me, that can be an option, but really, the standard fall-back is Vietnamese food.  Seemingly prepared just as fast and costing just as much, one could dine on food that may not necessarily come out of a deep-fryer (except for the spring rolls of course).  On our way out of Bellevue, we stopped at Pho Tai for some quick eats.

We began with the Salad Roll which arrived with a strangely colored exterior.  It was almost if the rice wrapper was beginning to go opaque.  One bite and it made more sense as it was a bit gummy and dense.  Was it sitting around too long?  Despite this, the roll itself was alright with meaty shrimp and crisp greens including some basil.  The dip was nicely balanced between the hoisin and peanut sauce.  Going for something other than Pho, we had the Bo Kho with bread.  This was rather mild-tasting and thin while not completely devoid of impact either.  It was somewhat fragrant and only purposefully salty and sweet.  There wasn't as much meat flavor as we would've hoped.  However, the generous portion of beef shank was succulent and moist.

Of course we still had the Pho Dac Biet because it would've been wrong otherwise.  It was a decent portion with plenty of meats atop al dente noodles.  The broth itself was clean but overly sugary.  Hence, there was no balance, which meant that any meat flavor or savoriness was masked. Lastly, we had the Lemongrass Chicken & Spring Roll with Rice.  Sliced into pieces and stir-fried, the chicken was rather saucy, yet dry at the same time.  It was really sweet and somewhat caramelized.  However, we weren't huge fans of it though. The spring roll was somewhat an afterthought as the filling was rather bland and somewhat dry.  Despite this and some other issues, we were still okay after it was all said and done.  It didn't cost us much and did the job.  But then again, there are better choices for Vietnamese food though.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Fairly extensive menu including non-Vietnamese food (not sure if that is a good?)

The Bad:
- Food is so-so
- Food came out rather slow

Red Mango

Okay, it was the dead of Winter and temperatures were hovering around freezing.  Yes, this was over a month ago, when global warming didn't take over...  So what did you think my daughter was craving?  Hot Pot? BBQ? A hot chocolate perhaps?  No, it wasn't going to be that easy and predictable.  Rather, she wanted her go-to treat - froyo.  Well, at the very least, we were able to get an online coupon for Red Mango because most people don't eat cold desserts when it's cold, except for the little princess...

We ended up at the Redmond Town Center location due in part it was the closest to the Dough Zone, where we just had dinner. With a similar setup as many of the other froyo chains out there, we had 8 choices of flavors including vanilla bean, slam dunk, Caribbean coconut, milk chocolate, spiced pumkin, original, blackberry and white peach.  As for the toppings, everything was neat and orderly.  However, the variety definitely paled in comparison to a place like Menchies.  Yet, by the same token, everything looked fresh and well-stocked.

I decided on the Blackberry with an array of toppings including Twix, kiwi, Mandarin slices, mochi, dark chocolate raspberry mini truffle cups and passion fruit pearls.  The first bite yielded a stingingly sweet fruity flavor that was further enhanced by the other sweet ingredients.  In actuality, my daughter's White Peach was even more sweet in a candy-like manner.  Of course, the addition of gummy bears didn't help.  They were fresh and soft though.  In terms of texture, the 2 froyos were somewhat creamy with a slightly icy finish.  In the end, for the price we paid (at a discount), we were okay with what we had.  However, my personal preference would be Menchie's.

The Good:
- Fresh toppings
- Neat and clean

The Bad:
- We found it too sweet
- Not as smooth as we would've liked

Dough Zone Dumpling House

"Let's go to the Dough Zone", mumbled Goose.  Huh? What exactly is the Dough Zone?" I questioned in a confused manner (which is not exactly a stretch).  Really, what the heck is that???  A money laundering joint?  A place where you chuck dough at each other? Some new 2 Unlimited song?  Some alternate Universe? No, none of those.  Rather, it is actually a Taiwanese restaurant specializing in dumplings and noodles similarly to Din Tai Fung. For the past few years, DTF has ruled the roost in Bellevue in regards to dumplings, but I was more than happy to enter the Dough Zone to see if we have a legitimate contender.

To start things off, we got an order of their daily congee (which included a free refill) which was Corn Meal Congee in this case. Looking more like malt-o-meal than congee, this still ate like a rice porridge but with the addition of corn meal.  It was thick and starchy with little-to-no flavor.  No real issue though since this is often used as an accompaniment to more flavorful dishes.  On the side, the kids were super enthused about the fresh made-to-order Salty Donuts.  These thin and long donuts were airy, crispy and light.  They did a good job draining the grease (and proper oil temp too) where they were more bready than oil-soaked.

Onto some dumplings, we had one order each of the regular Xiao Long Bao and Crab Xiao Long Bao.  I only took a picture of one of them because they looked practically the same.  However, they did taste remarkably different where the crab added some sweetness and seafood flavor.  With the regular version, there was a sweet natural pork essence and green onion with only the slightest hint of ginger.  Texturally, I found the meat moist and juicy with a touch of grittiness. Both had an adequate amount of non-greasy soup.  The best part was the dumpling skin as it was super thin and slightly chewy (very similar to DTF).  Naturally, with common elements, the Potstickers featured a thin wrapper with moist and juicy pork inside.  Underneath, there was sufficient crispiness from the pan-fry.

At first, I wanted to order only one dish of the Pan-Fried Pork Buns since they looked pretty large and filling.  Well, I was completely wrong as these were super-fluffy and light.  There was only the slightest of sear on the bottom.  I would have to boldly say that the bun portion was some of the best I've had.  As for the filling, it was juicy with natural sweetness accented by green onion and seasoning.  When the Spicy Wontons hit the table, I thought they had served us a half order, but yup, in a small bowl was the entire order.  What it lack in size was made up in quality as the wontons featured a tender wrapper with juicy meat inside.  There was a noticeable spice level without being over-the-top.

Moving along, we had some noodle dishes including the really small bowl of Dan Dan Mein.  Honestly, this would only be enough for one person, yet we made it work by sharing it anyways.  First off, the noodles were on point being toothsome with plenty of elasticity.  Secondly, the spice level was appropriate as it didn't take away from the other flavors.  However, we didn't notice much of the sesame as it was definitely in the background.  Goose really loved the Stewed Pork Noodles.  So much so, he got another bowl after the fact.  Now if you look closely a the picture, you'll noticed the plethora of pork belly gracing the same al dente noodles (as the previous dish).  Yah, it ain't diet food, but really, the pork belly melted in our mouths like butter.  There was a savory richness to it that was rather appealing despite the amount of fat we were eating.

With even more noodles, we tried their House Special Noodles topped with a starch-thickened soy-based sauce with mushrooms, tofu, wood ear and pork.  Consider it a really thick hot n' sour soup with noodles but without being hot nor sour.  Therefore, the whole dish was saucy and mild tasting.  Again, the noodles were chewy with a nice rebound texture.  Our last dish of this type was the Noodles with Meat Sauce.  And not to sound like a broken record...  wait, that's too ol' skool, let's try that again: not to sound like a skipping Blu-Ray, but the noodles were once again toothsome.  I found the meat sauce to be sufficient in quantity and effective in taste.  There was a mild spiciness to go with the meaty savoriness.  Since the sauce was pretty thick, it meant that the noodles didn't become soft from the moisture either.

A simple dish of Pickled Cucumbers usually shouldn't elicit any intense reactions, but this one did.  Attractively plated, the cucumber was crunchy, vibrant and most importantly, exhibited a good balance of sweet and tart.  The chili oil was the proverbial icing on the cake as it gave the dish some jump.  For myself, I had to get an order of the Marinated Pig's Ear and it was okay.  Nothing much wrong with the braising sauce as it was sweet and salty.  However, the texture of the ear a was a bit too soft for my liking.  I prefer a bit more crunch.  Our last item before dessert was the Beef Pancake Roll that featured a flaky and lightly crisp pancake.  It was pretty thin where it wasn't a chore to chew through.  Inside, there was plenty of tender beef to go with the crunchy green onions.

For dessert, we shared some Steamed Red Bean Buns.  Beyond the soft fluffy exterior, we found a loosely blended mix of red beans that were not very sweet.  We liked how it wasn't the typical over-processed super sweet red bean paste found in many other versions. Overall, we were quite pleased with our meal despite the smallish portions (not uncommon to this type of restaurant anyways).  Noodles were on point while the dumplings didn't disappoint.  I would probably pass up DTF (Bellevue location only) and head to the Dough Zone instead.

The Good:
- On point noodles
- Well-prepared dumplings
- Food came out quickly, but not all at once

The Bad:
- Portion size is small for the price
- Service was okay, but not as efficient as it should be with so many staff

Yeh Yeh's Vietnamese Sandwiches

Fresh off returning from Seattle for some Black Friday shopping, it wasn't likely I'd be heading down anytime soon.  But with a garage filling up from my online purchases, Goose needed me back down there pronto.  What?  He doesn't need space in his garage right?  2 bikes, some speakers, softball bat, hockey sticks and other equipment is not that much stuff!  Okay fine, I guess it is his garage after all...  So we made an impromptu jaunt down to Bellevue so that Goose could make it from one end of his garage to the other.  On our way down, we stopped at Yeh Yeh's Vietnamese Sandwiches for a bite to eat.

Hidden behind an Asian supermarket North of Seattle, Yeh Yeh's is a fairly basic place with counter service. It is an efficient operation which keeps the food prices low.  We ended up with 2 Banh Mi sandwiches including the Vietnamese Ham and Grilled Chicken.  With less meat, the ham sandwich took on more of the pickled daikon and carrot acidity and sweetness.  Hence, the pate and meat were definitely in the background.  We loved the bread as it was crusty and not overly dense.  As for the chicken sandwich, it was packed full of well-charred pieces.  Hence it was smoky with a sweet caramelized taste.  The chicken was surprisingly moist despite the aggressive char.

We also got a bowl of their Pho where we were allowed to choose the meats.  Therefore, we got all the meats and essentially had a pho dac biet.  Slightly cloudy and a bit salty, the broth was not as clean tasting as we would've liked.  There was a certain meaty finish, but all of the other flavours were a bit muddled.  Meats were good though being sliced thin and tender.  For myself, I went for something different being the Hủ Tiếu Mi (Pork Noodle Soup).  Okay, I'm gonna be pretty blunt here...  It was far too salty and the MSG just added to the problem.  Furthermore, the portion size was pretty pathetic.  I finished it before anyone else even started on their food. After it was all said and done, Yeh Yeh's satisfied out requirement for quick cheap eats with little fanfare.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Large and good Banh Mi
- Quick and efficient

The Bad:
- Crappy bubble tea
- Hu Tieu Mi far too salty

Luxe Chinese Seafood Restaurant

The things we do for our kids...  I really hope they appreciate this down the road.  Maybe it is payback for all those times I begged for the latest Transformer or GI Joe.  Yes, and also the times when I outright rejected cheap knock-offs that were purchased in Chinatown - it's Megatron folks, not "Super Changing Gun Robot".  So... There we were trekking all the way out to Langley to pickup a rare out-of-print Nintendo DS game for my daughter.  We had to resort to Craigslist because Amazon wanted $60.00 for it!  Of course, being out in Langley, we decided to re-visit Luxe Chinese Seafood Restaurant while we were at it.

With ol' skool push carts roaming around, it wasn't long before our table was filled with bamboo steamers awaiting our voracious appetites.  Yes, that included the kiddies as well since they were complaining about extreme hunger while we were at Toys R Us across the street. Hence, we piled on the food onto their plates including the BBQ Pork Buns.  These were a touch dense while filled with a decent amount of generally lean BBQ Pork.  We found it to be rather mild though with not much in the way of noticeable sweetness nor savouriness.  My son seemed to enjoy the Wu Gok (Deep Fried Taro Dumplings) where there was a balanced ratio of soft taro to ground pork and shiitake mushrooms.  This was okay, but a bit too greasy.

Continuing on with food for the kiddies, we got an order of the Mini-Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice wrapped, in this case, banana leaves).  Without hesitation, the kiddies devoured it.  One bite and I could see why because the rice was indeed sticky and moist.  The ample ground pork filling added both flavour and the moisture that ultimately made the rice glutinous (in addition to the necessary prep).  Next up, we had the Ja Leun (Salty Donut Rice Noodle Roll) that sported just enough green onion for colour and taste.  So often, there is too much and it totally dominates the dish.  The rice noodle itself was soft enough with some elasticity.  Inside, the donut was humongous, yet quite dense.  It was no longer crispy due in part to being kept warm with a cover on the roaming carts.

Onto some adult items, we had the Phoenix Talons (Chicken Feet) and Steamed Pork Spareribs.  Interestingly, the outside of the chicken feet were plump, soft and easy to eat.  However, the cartilage underneath was still rather firm and in some parts, crunchy.  In the end, it wasn't a huge deal since the dish was still decent and properly seasoned with plenty of garlic and a touch of spice.  As for the spareribs, most of the pieces were meaty with very little fat, bone and cartilage.  As such, even with the proper marinade, the meat was on the chewier side.  With that being said, it wasn't tough either.  Although not aggressively seasoned, I found that there was enough garlic and spice to flavour the dish.

Getting to the most important dishes of the meal, we had the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) and Sui Mai (Pork and Shrimp Dumplings.  Exhibiting a somewhat thick dumpling skin, the haw gow were decent.  Although the skin was thick, it wasn't exactly hard to chew either and it did have some elasticity.  Inside, the filling was a combination of mousse and pieces of shrimp.  We found it to have a minor buttery snap while being mildly flavoured with some white pepper notes.  I wasn't a big fan of the sui mai as the meat was dense lacking the appealing rebound texture.  Also, there was a lack of shiitake and shrimp to break up the predominantly natural pork taste to the dumpling.

My offal dish of the meal was the Steamed Bible Tripe with ginger and green onion.  Viv and I thought this was well-prepared with tender pieces of tripe which still exhibited a snappy chew.  The ample amount of slivered ginger and green onion ensured that there was a brightness to the dish as well as masking any gaminess (which there was none).  One of my favourite Dim Sum items is the Bean Curd Skin Roll.  Sadly, the one here was pretty mediocre.  Nothing particularly wrong with the fried bean curd skin itself as it had a nice chewy, yet moist texture.  It was to do with the filling as it was very similar to the sui mai where it was dry and dense.  The chewiness and overall lack of seasoning of the meat wasn't appealing.

Despite looking like they needed a tan of some sort, the Beef Meatballs were pretty good.  They were properly prepared where the classic rebound texture was evident while not being mushy.  The meat was well-seasoned with just enough greens to compliment.  Throughout the meal, my son was eying the roving carts.  Turns out he was waiting for the Shrimp Spring Rolls.  Well, luckily they had them and he didn't waste time attacking them.  These were firmly crunchy with a touch of grease on the bottom.  The filling was similar to the haw gow with a mild moist snap.  They were seasoned enough that we didn't have to dip them into the Worcestershire sauce.

For dessert, my daughter wanted the Mango Pudding with evaporated milk.  Since we were in Langley because of her anyways, I guess she got her way again.  Good thing though as it was better than the average since they actually put real pieces of mango in the pudding.  That itself added the flavour that most versions are lacking.  So how did this revisit to Luxe rate on the Dim Sum continuum?  Well, as much as there were issues with some of the dishes, the fact that it was respectable and located in Langley, that makes it good for the area.

The Good:
- Decent service
- Decent for its location
- Push carts, if you still love them

The Bad:
- Of course there is better elsewhere, but not within closeby
- A bit pricey

Big River Brewing Co. (Richmond)

All the warning signs were there...  Bad reviews on Urbanspoon, Yelp and whatever else one could read on the internet... But with one push of a button, I bought a Groupon for Big River Brewing Co. in Richmond.  Why the insanity?  Well, it was due in part to convenience as I was going to watch Penguins of Madagascar at Riverport anyways.  Secondly, my curiousity sometimes gets the best of me.  But most important of all, I wanted to save $48.00 despite the great potential for bad eats.  Shame on me...

To begin, we got an order of Salt & Pepper Wings and Hot Wings each.  Firmly crispy on the outside while still surprisingly moist on the inside, the salt & pepper wings should've been named naked wings.  It was as if they forgot to seasoned them. They were super bland where even the dip didn't help.  The hot wings were better due to the toss in hot sauce.  In that sense, these were decent since the meat was not dry (like the salt & pepper wings).  Being a brew pub, I got a pint of the Pale Ale and it was on the lighter side and hoppy.  It was okay and of course it went well with the wings.

My son ended up with the Big River Classic Burger with bacon, cheddar and all the fixins'.  If you look at the picture, you will see the most pathetic mass of bacon on top of the patty and cheese.  The humanity!  This garbled up and undercooked (as in not crispy at all) bacon was so hard to eat, my son choked on the gristle and had to spit it out.  As for the burger patty, it was dense and overly smoky in flavour.  Viv decided on the Blackened Cod Tacos with guacamole, lime cumin slaw, pea shoots and fresh lime.  The fish was indeed smoky and seasoned, however, one piece was pretty overdone while the other was decent.  The tacos were okay but the huge soft tortilla was hard to handle with things falling out constantly.  Also, the pea shoots didn't seem to go with the mix of ingredients.

My daughter had the kid's meal consisting of Chicken Strips and Fries.  Nothing much to comment about the Sysco/GFS-type chicken strips other than they were crispy and a bit dry in the middle.  As for the fries, they were horrible.  They were undercooked where the potato was dense and unappealing.  Also, there was enough residual grease to moisturize her dry hands.  For myself, I had the 8 oz. Striploin Steak Teriyaki with rice pilaf and pan-fried veggies.  I asked for medium-rare and it done to my liking.  I liked the aggressive char, but for some reason, they managed to make a potentially flavourful steak completely bland.  I had to resort to using salt.  Soggy and also tasteless, I ignored the rice while the veggies were doused in a offending amount of oil.  Uh...  Yah...  Serves me right for buying that Groupon...  Food is no good and especially for the price (even the discounted price, heaven forbid the people who paid in full).  Lastly, we found the service friendly enough, but highly inefficient and unattentive.

The Good:
- Um, its location for people at the bowling alley and/or theatre?
- People who want craft beer?

The Bad:
- Food is no good
- Service is inattentive (but friendly enough)
- Expensive for what you get