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For awhile there, it seemed like we were doing Dim Sum at least a couple of times a week. It was so frequent that my kids began to complain about the repetitiveness. #firstworldproblems anyone? Honestly, I can do Dim Sum daily without much complaint. Well, after a 2-month hiatus, we finally decided to go back to the well. Seeing how I had to be out on Main Street, we headed to Golden Harvest (over Sun Sui Wah and King's since one doesn't provide good value while the other isn't that great).
After a short wait, we were seated in a cluster of small tables which were packed really close together. Like our last visit, the table arrangement in the small restaurant was not done for comfort. The first dish to hit the table was the Ja Leun (Salty Donut Rice Noodle Roll). Topped with some dried pork floss and riddled with green onion, this was a modestly-sized portion. We found the rice noodle to be on the thicker side, but not overly dense. The donut was not really all that crispy while still light. My son was not happy with all the green onion though. He was also not happy with the next dish as it was the Pea Shoots with bean curd sheets. Served in a mild broth, the pea shoots retained a crunch while the bean curd sheets were tender without losing their chewy texture.
After a little wait, the steamed dishes arrived all at once including the Phoenix Talons (Chicken Feet). Large in size and plump, the chicken feet were well-executed. We found the skin to be soft with a gentle resistance. With softened cartilage underneath, the textures were appealing since there was little effort needed to clean off the bones (doesn't that sound delicious to you?). To top things off, seasoning was on point with a savoury garlickiness. Onto another dish the kiddies wouldn't touch was the Tripe and Tendon. Hey, they were missing out as the tripe was tender with a nice residual chew. Soft while not melting, the tendon were also appealing texturally. Like the chicken feet, the dish was garlicky with a touch of spice.
Onto something the kiddies would eat, we got an order of the Mini Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice). These were filled with a good amount of ground pork, salted egg yolk and starch-thickened sauce. Hence, there was enough moisture and ingredients to flavour the soft, chewy rice. These were stuffed pretty much to the brim hence we didn't end up finishing the rest. My son was pretty much ignoring us while he was busy with his 3DS-XL until the Shrimp Spring Rolls showed up. Yes, he finally looked up and helped himself to almost the whole plate. I was able to wrestle one piece away and figured out why he liked them so much. They were hot, crispy and easy on the grease. The shrimp were buttery with a mild snap while dressed in a whole lot of garlic.
Moving onto some more kiddie favourites, we had the Chicken Congee with dried scallops, ginger and green onion. Even from the first spoonful, it was pretty evident that the congee base was far too thin and watery. Despite this, it was not over-seasoned, so we didn't get much of an MSG aftertaste. We liked the aromatic flavour of the dried scallops as well as the sweet slices of tender chicken. Next, they dug into the BBQ Pork Buns which featured a modest amount of lean BBQ pork within a light and sweet bun. The flavours were more savoury than sweet. We would've liked to see more pork though.
Nearing the end of the meal, we got the most important dishes of all - Haw Gow and Sui Mai. We found the dumpling skin on the haw gow to be of an acceptable thickness while being slightly chewy. Inside, the filling was too soft where it was lacking any form of snap. It was a direct result of more binding ingredients rather than actual big pieces of shrimp. It was rather bland too with not much in the way of sesame oil nor sweetness. On the other hand, the sui mai were much better being really large and plump. Inside, there was a mix of whole chunks of pork and shrimp. There was very little filler as it fell apart after a few bites. The texture of the pork was more meaty than bouncy while the shrimp did have a nice snap. We liked the balance of sweet and savoury elements.
Lastly, we had the Steamed Pork Spareribs with black bean and peppers. Similarly textured like the pork in the sui mai, there was a meaty chew. With that being said, it wasn't hard to eat though, yet the pieces were a bit too big. We thought there was a good mix of rib and cartilage pieces. In terms of seasoning, it could've used more garlic and salt. Much like the last time we visited Golden Harvest, the food was pretty decent overall. Prices were fair and the service was acceptable.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Okay pricing
The Bad:
- Seating is not the most comfortable
If you love chicken wings, you might be familiar with the chain Buffalo Wild Wings that is found primarily in the US (it is available at some Fatburger locations in Canada too). So when I noticed a new place in Newton named "Wild Wing", I had to do a double-take. No, they didn't suddenly open locations North of the border, rather, it is another one of those "similar" restaurants such as Jugo Juice (Jamba Juice). Well, I do love chicken wings, hence, I made a note to visit it one day. In fact, I made several visits because they boast 101 flavours!
Luckily I was here without Miss Y since she would insist on ordering something other than wings (in a place named Wild Wing). Therefore, with only myself making the decisions, I had 2 order of wings including the Lemon Pepper (without batter) and Hot (with batter). When they arrived, I was impressed with their size as even the non-breaded wings were fairly large. Crispy, well-seasoned and relatively moist inside, the lemon pepper wings also sported well-rendered skin which didn't have a bunch of fatty portions. There was a noticeable zing accented by only a bit of pepperiness. As for the Hot Wings, they were doused in the typical vinegary sauce that was only mildly spicy. Since they were breaded, the wings were larger where the meat was more succulent. On the side, there was a nicely chunky blue cheese dip.
For my main, I decided to try the Cheeseburger with fries. It looked legit, but sadly, there were some issues. First of all, the brioche bun was too light which meant it didn't survive the entire meal without everything sliding and falling out. Secondly, the patty was over-processed and seasoned where it lacked natural meat texture and flavour. With all this being said, the burger wasn't bad - it just wasn't memorable. As for the fries, they were lightly crispy and prepared properly.
Returning with Zamboni Guy, since he loves chicken wings and beer, we decided to go for 2 orders including the Applewood and MyThai & Pineapple. To change things up, we had the dry wings with batter and the sauced wings without (opposite of the last time). Personally, I much preferred the dry wings without batter since the skin rendered down more. However, with the batter, the applewood wings were quite juicy and spiced with a slight smokiness and tang. On the saucier side, the Thai & pineapple was also quite moist, but far too sweet for our liking. Despite this flavour, the 3 other ones I've tried were decent considering that the wings were not overdone. In terms of value, it is moderately-priced, but can get up there if you want to be full on wings alone.
The Good:
- 101 flavours to choose from
- Wings are not overdone
- Pretty spacious
The Bad:
- Can get pricey if you order enough to be full
Listening to TSN 1040 on my way to work every morning and on my way back home, I have developed an appreciation for Ray Ferraro. I liked him as a player with his tenacity and scoring ability, but as a broadcaster, I enjoy his honesty, knowledge and unfiltered rawness. So when he professed his love for the Steel Toad Brewery, I just had to trust him right? Well, I'm sure he gets paid to endorse the place, but whatever, Costanza and I were pretty much curious despite what others have said. With that in mind, we were smart enough to make a rez on a game night because the place was packed.
Seeing how we couldn't decide what brew to order, we all had the Taster except for Elaine. She ordered some sissy drink instead. Pffft... With 2 tasters to choose from, Viv and I went for one option each. For my Pack B, starting from top left and clockwise, I had the Withier, Berliner Weisse, Brown Ale and Brett Saisson. Viv's Pack A from bottom right and clockwise, she sampled the Blonde, Saison Sauvignon, Westcoast IPA and Oatmeal Stout. The highlights from the bunch were the Brown Ale (nutty and hoppy), Blonde (hoppy with a caramel finish) and Withier (light and almost floral). Subjectively, we universally weren't liking the Berliner Weisse as it was sour and too fruity.
Onto the food, we were surprised with an Amuse Bouche consisting of Korean Pork Krometsky, Tapenade and Cauliflower Beignet (was it my camera?). Although a bit salty, the pork was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. I liked the tapenade since it was not overly salty and ended with an aromatic olive finish. Also, something about the chunky texture won me over. I wasn't a huge fan of the beignet as the dough was pretty dense. Inside, the big piece of firm cauliflower made the thing clunky to eat. Maybe something a bit smaller, like the poppers at Abode might've been a better idea. Now with the food we actually ordered, I dug into the Hand Cut Fries with beef salt and garlic aioli. Crispy, light and just kissed with enough beef salt, we could've had a few more order of these.
Due to the unexpected complimentary amuse, we had to change our original choices of appies. So we went with the Chicken Wings with BBQ sauce. Nicely plated, the wings exhibited a crispy exterior with well-rendered skin. However, that translated to a pretty dry wing overall where the meat was a touch chewy in parts. As for the BBQ sauce, it was rather sweet and lacked any real impact. It needed more acidity and smokiness. Next up, we tried the Duck Rillettes with fig marmalade, ale mustard and thin crostinis. We enjoyed the texture of the rillette where it rode the fine line between being too mushy and being too chunky. Although duck in texture, we would've liked to see the flavours more pronounced as it was pretty mild. On the other hand, the condiments did amp up the sweetness and sharpness.
Onto our mains, we went for the Duck Confit Pizza featuring BBQ sauce, roasted red pepper, caramelized onion and cilantro. Again, with the same BBQ sauce, the pizza ate pretty sweet. Near the centre, the excess moisture resulted in a wet and limp crust. However, as we moved to the outside of the pizza, the crust was nicely charred with a crispy chew. We felt the duck was MIA as the BBQ sauce overwhelmed all other flavours including the cilantro. Served in an aluminum tub, the Mussels & House Ale were served with 2 large pieces of grilled garlic baguette. Due to the type of mussels used, the meat was pretty small. With that being said, we felt the dish was prepared properly as the mussels were buttery and sweet. The broth was a bit mild though and could've used more hints of ale and seasoning.
With 2 more "refined" dishes, we began with the Veal Breast & Sweetbreads accompanied by cauliflower, bacon, shallots and spätzle. The veal itself was natural-tasting with an appealing meatiness and a small amount of fat. However, the meat was a bit dry. As for the sweetbreads, they were good with a buttery succulence. As much as we enjoyed the chewy and crispy spätzle spiked with the saltiness of bacon and a balancing acidity, the entire concoction was pretty greasy. Next, we sampled the Honey & Clove Pork Cheeks with potato Dauphinoise, smoked soubise, red cabbage and golden beet root. Moist, slightly gelatinous and succulent, the pork cheeks emitted a hint of clove. However, we felt they should've been a more aggressive sprinkle of soubise. The parts that were kissed by the smoked onion salt had an elevated meatiness where it brought out all the other flavours.
For dessert, we tried the Warm Apple & Phyllo Purse with vanilla bean gelato and caramel sauce first. Crispy and a bit nutty from the browning, the phyllo revealed chunks of firm apples that were somewhat tart and moderately sweet. This was a simple dessert that was okay, but I would've liked to see the apples cooked down a bit further. Lastly, we had the Chocolate Bread Pudding with mascarpone and cranberry coulis. Costanza and I thought the pudding was a bit too wet. It wasn't overly sweet though and could've used more chocolate. The cranberry coulis, in our opinion, was far too tart and overwhelmed the already mild-tasting pudding. As you can probably guess, the food was a bit hit and miss. However, the place has enormous potential as the building is gorgeous and the vibe is lively without being overwhelming.
The Good:
- Gorgeous space with an open floor plan
- Nice vibe and overall atmosphere
- Great place to watch the game
The Bad:
- Food has potential, but not quite there yet
- Orders came out real slow
The last time we were dining on Japanese food in West Vancouver, we had a passable meal at Dundarave Sushi for a reasonable price. To change things up, we decided to go for something more pricey in Zen Sushi. To offset the cost somewhat, I once again visited the Groupon well. Yes, for some odd reason, I've been snapping up Groupons akin to a sale on crab at T&T. Hey, I figure that saving a bit of coin doesn't hurt if I'm spending the money anyways. So after a visit to CC Violin, we made our way down Marine Drive over to Zen for more food.
To start things off, we got the Chicken Yakiudon for the kiddies (well, mostly for my son because my daughter does eat sashimi and sushi). This appeared to be quite saucy, but in reality it wasn't overly wet. The flavours were mild with a touch of sweetness accented by an equal amount of saltiness. The noodles were nicely toothsome while the chicken was not too dry. This was an okay dish, but not something memorable. Next up, we had the Assorted Tempura which sported a fairly thick layer of batter. At first, it was somewhat crispy, but as it sat longer, it became soggy and doughy. We found the ebi to be rather meaty and a touch overcooked.
Arriving piled high, the Chicken Karaage was essentially a collection of small fried chicken tenders. The batter was really thin which meant there was not much of a crunch. Rather, it was mostly pieces of fairly moist white meat that was adequately seasoned. I would've preferred something a bit more robust, but the kids liked the dish, so what do I know? Moving away from the cooked items, we had the Speckled Scallop Roll wrapped in soy paper with scallops, avocado and asparagus with purple shiso dust. We enjoyed this roll due to its simplicity and quality ingredients. The buttery soft and sweet scallops were wrapped with just enough rice. The sushi rice was a touch soft, but still plenty chewy with a mild sweetness.
Now onto the good stuff, we had the Chef's Selection Sashimi consisting of an oyster, hotate, ebi, ika, tako, red tuna, sockeye salmon, hamachi, tuna gomaae and fried shrimp head. Everything was on point in terms of texture, appearance and taste. What really stood out was the buttery hotate and ebi as well as the equally buttery and sweet hamachi. Yes, this cost $30.00, but I wouldn't hesitate to say it was worth every penny. Next up, we had the Chef's Selection Sushi that included a torched salmon sushi tower and 9 pieces of
nigiri (unagi, hotate, ebi, flounder, aburi hamachi, aburi salmon, tuna, tuna poke and tobiko. Again, the ingredients were fresh (as flash-frozen can get) with appealing textures and taste. As impressive as the salmon tower appeared, we thought it was rice heavy and oversauced. However, the last 2 dishes in general were well-executed and enjoyable to eat. With that being said, we were indifferent with the cooked items as they were pretty ordinary, especially for the price. Overall, Zen was a pretty expensive experience even with the coupons. If we ever return, we would stick with the sushi and sashimi exclusively.
The Good:
- Carefully prepared sushi and sashimi
- Friendly service
The Bad:
- Expensive
- Cooked food so-so
While in West Van one day by myself, I had some time to kill. I wasn't exactly hungry, so I had to find something that was more of a snack than an actual meal. The fact that I had a dinner coming up later that night meant I had to practice restraint. Yes, that is somewhat of a foreign concept to me, but so is proper elevator etiquette at Crystal Mall... So as I was walking along Marine Drive, I decided to hit up C.C. Violin, which seemed like the answer, with a selection of pastries and coffee.
I decided on trying 2 things to go with my beverage. The first one was the classic Croissant with butter served on the side. This modestly-sized pastry was a bit flaky on the outside while predominantly soft overall. Inside, it wasn't exactly super-buttery, yet a the same time, it wasn't dense either. On the croissant continuum, I would consider this somewhere in the middle - serviceable, but not memorable. Next up, I had the Mango Cheesecake that featured a fruity surprise in the middle. I found it to be smooth and rich. The baked cheesecake was just sweet enough where the burst of mango was welcomed.
Seeing how CC Violin was surprisingly decent, I decided to bring Viv and our resident macaron expert (my daughter) to join me on another visit. We ended up with a selection of Macarons including passionfruit, matcha, raspberry, gingerbread (the Angry Bird missing its beak) and a heart-shaped chocolate raspberry. These were pretty good with a lightly crispy exterior giving way to a soft and moist chewy interior. They weren't overly sweet while exhibiting fairly on point flavours. Since my daughter loves mango, I got the Mango Mousse Cake as well. There was an impactful amount of mango taste to go along with the smooth and light mousse.
Of course I had beverages both times with the first being a mocha and the second being a Cappuccino. I found this one to be pretty mild and smooth. There wasn't much bitterness nor strong flavours present. Ultimately, it did the job, much like the mocha and only served to accompany the pastries. About those pastries, I thought that the macarons and cakes were good, but the croissant was sub-par. In the end, both visits were acceptable experiences in general.
The Good:
- Calm, relaxing environment
- Decent pastries
- Friendly service
The Bad:
- Drinks are a bit weak
- Not super expensive, but not cheap either
As I was waddling away from 3 bowls of noodles from the Ramen Butcher, I stopped dead in my tracks. Did I almost get run over by a little old Asian lady? No, but that happens almost every time in Chinatown or someone spits right in front of me... At the very least, with the dwindling amount of Chinese grocery stores, I'm no longer being pressured into buying the super fresh Gai Lan (hey dai goh!). Now, what really caught my attention was The Pie Shoppe. Yes, despite my full belly, there was still room for pie. I decided to get 3 slices to go from their selection.
With my daughter eying the Raspberry Apple Pie, I warmed it up and had to split it with her. Not particularly sweet, the apples and raspberry helped create more of a tangy pie than the traditional apple version. Tender with a touch of bite left, the slices of apple were stuffed inside the pie along with ample raspberries. I thought the crust was somewhat flaky on the outside, yet doughy on the inside, especially in the folds on the edge. Interestingly, there was a heavy dusting of granulated sugar on the top of the pie that did not caramelize. For me, I had my heart set on the Lemon Pie which did its best impersonation of a lemon tart. I found the lemon curd to be smooth and of the right consistency. It was pretty sweet though, yet tempered with an equal amount of tartness. Again, the crust was okay, but could've been flakier.
The last slice of pie was the Chocolate Chess with Espresso. This was pretty rich and thick where each bite was quite heavy. It was definitely chocolaty with a touch of bitterness. The espresso was definitely there, but not very strong. Texturally, it was almost ganache-like which I didn't mind. For some, it might be a touch too dense. Overall, from the 3 slices of pie we tried, the Pie Shoppe is decent. I still prefer the stuff from Savary Island Pie the best, but if you don't want to travel to West Van, the Pie Shoppe is serviceable.
The Good:
- A decent selection of freshly-made pies
- You can buy practically all of them by the slice
The Bad:
- Crust could be flakier
- A touch expensive
A considerable time ago, I was learning to drive (no, I didn't pay anyone off...), when suddenly my instructor took me to Westside Bakery. Yah, sounds a bit weird, but I assure you it wasn't like Harold and Kumar goes to White Castle. The reason for such a detour was due to their fabulous flaky cheese buns. I was skeptical, but really, when reheated (or fresh from the oven), these things were killer. However, the person responsible for these cheesy treats left and eventually opened up Ray's Bakery on the Burnaby/New West border. I was tipped off by a reader a few years ago, but it took this long for a visit.
With my son tagging along, it was fitting since he absolutely loves Cheese Buns. Of course we got a half dozen of them. Yes, they were exactly how I remembered them - flaky, soft, cheesy, buttery and aromatic. The ones at Safeway have nothing on these ones as there is more cheese and butter involved. Healthy? No, but who really cares right? With a limited selection of goods, we decided to grab a few Shortbread Cookies. These had a firm butteriness that was not overly hard. They were easy on the sugar which meant that we could eat more than one without getting sick of them.
I also picked up some Cheddar Scones and one Raisin. These were not remotely dry while cheesy like the buns. In fact, after a quick pop in the microwave, they were soft and fluffy. The specks of cheese strewn throughout the scone ensured an appealing savouriness. As for the raisin scone, it benefited from little bursts of sweetness. I enjoyed these very much. My son was eying the Chocolate Brownie. Shockingly, he ate it willingly despite the inclusion of walnuts. I gave it a try and there was no wonder why. It was chocolatey, sweet and chewy. Hey, as much as Ray's Bakery is not chic nor really all that sexy, there is good stuff to be found, especially the flaky cheese buns.
The Good:
- Best flaky cheese buns in town
- Reasonably-priced
The Bad:
- Limited selection
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