skip to main |
skip to sidebar
"Let's eat all the tacos! Oh and a few more items as well...", exclaimed Sean. Translation: let's do what Mijune does every meal... 3x a day... Okay, I may not be able to do that on a consistent basis, but once in a while, I'm game. The destination? The new Tacofino located off Blood Alley or at the back of the Burrito Bar off Cordova. From their humble beginnings as one food truck in Tofino, there seems to be no end to their expansion as we are now onto their 5th iteration in BC.
After entering off the infamous Blood Alley, we were seated to begin our session of gluttony. We started off with the Chicharones with yucca, crispy pork belly and slaw. Light, airy and crisp, the large pieces of chicharone were tossed in some spice. Also, tossed in the same spice mix, the accompanying pork belly was meaty and only slightly fatty. To balance things off, the slaw was refreshing, yet in need of acidity. I wasn't a huge fan of the fried yucca as it was too hard. Next, we sampled the Salmon Ceviche with chinook salmon, salmon skin chicharone, tomatillo, herb salad and chips. I found the ceviche to be acidic, bright and a touch too sweet. The collection of herbs added another layer of flavour. Firm while still tender, the salmon was able to stand up to the marinade.
When Sean said he would be aggressive with the menu, he wasn't kidding as we continued with more bites and we hadn't even gotten to the tacos yet! We continued on with the Oaxacan Corn Fritters with chili lime and cotija cheese. These were pretty firm where the exterior crunch was bordering on hard. Inside, the little nuggets of sweetness was provided by the niblets of corn. With a generous topping of cotija and chili, there was this spicy cheesy thing going on with a nice touch of tartness. Served majestically, the Glazed Beef Rib and Chilaquiles with lemon grass, habanero, kale and peanuts. The slightly grilled beef rib was succulent and super juicy. Texturally, it had a meaty chew where most of the meat directly around the bone was impossible to eat (typical of short ribs). The whole thing was aromatic from the peanuts and lemongrass.
Still not into the tacos, we had the Octopus Tostada with grilled pacific octopus, avocado-jalapeno crema and chili oil. I thought the octopus was prepared well where it was tender with a bit of residual chew. The creamy avocado was tangy where the chili oil added lingering heat. On the bottom, the crunch from the tostada was a good contrast texturally. Finally onto the tacos, we had their signature Fish Taco first. Consisting of a decently-size piece of Pacific cod topped with cabbage, chipotle mayo and salsa fresca, the whole thing was actually light and refreshing despite the crispy and flaky piece of fish. I guess the crunchy cabbage and vibrant salsa helped add a fresh brightness. I do believe this is still a very good fish taco and would gladly eat it over and over again.
Next, we tackled the Red Chorizo Taco with crispy kale, avocado-jalapeno crema and pickled onions. As expected, the crumbled chorizo was oily while dry meaty in texture. This spicy taco was fairly heavy due to the type of meat. Hence, it could've used a bit more of the pickled onion to cut the grease. As much as kale is overused in many dishes, it worked here providing a light crunch and background aromatics. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Crispy Chicken Taco (pickled vegetables, epazote chimichurri and buttermilk chili crema) was more mild with only the influence of the herbal garlickiness of the chimichurri and acidity of the pickled veggies. The chicken was indeed crispy where the meat was on the drier side. It was seasoned enough though.
We had heightened expectations for our next dish which was the Lamb Birria with herb salad, arbol chili, pickled nopales and preserved lemon zest. Apparently people have raved about this one. Unfortunately for us, this was a total bust. The shredded lamb was practically inedible since it was stringy and chewy. On the other hand, the nopales on top were tender and not very slimy. There was a good amount of acidity due to the ingredients involved. Our last item was the Steak Taco consisting of grilled skirt steak, pickled chayote and pineapple. Yes, we didn't really have all the tacos because we excluded the vegetarian options... Anyways, I found the steak to be sweet and spicy as well as being rather chewy. The pineapple was probably the main reason why the taco was so sweet. This one had a good balance of flavours, if only the steak was more tender. After destroying a good portion of the menu, I got the sense that the food was definitely interesting and generally good. Sure, there were a few hiccups, but that is normal with any restaurant.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Nice vibe
- Considerably larger menu than the other locations
The Bad:
- Not exactly expensive, but not exactly cheap either
- Generally good flavours including purposeful acidity, but I personally would've liked more spice, but then again, that is what the accompanying sauces are for
Sometimes, I get so caught up with new restaurants, I forget about the long-standing ones. Case in point, I have never blogged about Bridges Restaurant, even though I've been there many moons ago. It could very well be its location being somewhat of a "tourist trap" affecting my desire to eat there. But just because it is located within a famous Vancouver tourist attraction doesn't necessarily mean it cannot serve good food. Well, that was what we were going to find out in this food adventure (aided by a Travelzoo voucher).
We ended up with 3 appies to sharing starting with the Fraser Valley Duck Confit with crispy polenta, blood orange & burnt honey marmalade. Sporting a crispy and almost airy skin, it was unfortunate the duck meat itself was mostly chewy and dry. It wasn't salty though where the duck essence really came through. We found the marmalade to be aromatic and slightly tart. Next up was the Roasted Pork Belly with herbed farro, pickled huckleberries and chanterelles. We weren't overly enthused with this dish as the slices of belly were chewy with a hard exterior. Despite this, the meat was aromatic and plenty fatty (which was the best part). The chewy (in a good way) farro was nicely seasoned by the abundance of herbs. Tart and acidic, the huckleberries lightened things up a bit.
Our last appie was the Tiger Prawn Cakes served with a lobster curry emulsion. Within the crunchy crumb coating, the shrimp were sweet and exhibited a mild snap. We found these to be rather small where some of the moisture was lost due to the size. As for the dip, it was very mild with only hints of curry. We didn't even notice much of the lobster essence as it was lost in the sauce. For my main, I went for the Paella with clams, mussels, chorizo, scallops, prawns atop saffron rice. As much as this wasn't really a paella due to being served on a plate without the benefit of a rice crust, I found it rather tasty. The saffron hit my taste buds as well as my olfactory system (what's with this scientific term???). The rice was chewy while still being bathed in some moisture. There was a decent amount of seafood which was prepared properly.
Viv opted for the Short Ribs & Tagliatelle with toasted walnuts, lemon, sage & grana padano. Graced with a good amount of tender shredded short rib, the pasta was filling despite its modest portion size. The noodles were toothsome and bathed in a creamy and herbal (mostly sage) sauce that had just a touch of acidity. Extra layers of flavour were provided by the nuttiness of the walnuts and saltiness of the grana padano. My mom thought she should go big with her entree and decided on the Fresh Nova Scotia Lobster with braised leeks, parsnip purée & drawn butter. We were rather confused why this was served with parsnip purée. Don't get me wrong, it was smooth and wonderfully seasoned, but it didn't really go. As for the lobster, it was a touch overdone where the tail meat was on the chewier side. It was super sweet and tasty though.
My dad had the Roasted Sablefish with udon noodles, fried eggplant, roasted almonds and miso sake broth. Seared until golden brown and with crispy skin, the sablefish meat was flaky and buttery (also well-seasoned). Underneath, the broth was on the saltier side, yet still had a nice Earthiness thanks to the mushrooms. We didn't notice much of the sake though. For dessert, we shared 3 of them, but in reality only had one because the kids high-jacked the others. So the adults shared the Baked Cheesecake with sour cherry compote. This was money as it was creamy while not overly dense. It was not too sweet either where we really got a good amount of cream cheese aroma. Although the tart cherries was a nice compliment, the actual cheesecake itself could've used a touch of tang.
For my daughter, she was all over the House-Made Sorbetto including lemon, mango and strawberry. We found the sorbetto to be smooth and almost creamy (yah, with just ice...). The flavours were purposeful and natural with only a touch of sugar. My son ate most of the S'mores Stack with torched house-made marshmallow and custard atop a graham cracker crust. Remarkably, this was not really all the sweet despite appearing so. The fluffy marshmallow was nicely caramelized on top emitting a certain smokiness. These desserts were a nice finish to a hit and miss dinner. As much as there were some enjoyable items in our meal, the regular prices are too high if the food cannot be consistent across the board.
The Good:
- Nice place, nice view
- Excellent service
- Desserts were good
The Bad:
- Hit and miss dishes
- Expensive
As mentioned in this blog numerous times before, Choobee doesn't like venturing far for her eats. Getting her to go East of Main is as difficult as protecting your parking spot from a big luxury SUV in Yaohan Centre. Recently, she has been working in Richmond and that meant she is forced to eat outside of Vancouver. I took advantage of this development by meeting up with her for lunch. Unfortunately, I didn't check the operating times of our intended destination... So with nothing as a backup plan, we made the simple decision to go for Dim Sum at the nearby Kalok. Since Dim Sum is best shared with friends, she made the quick call out to JoJo and others.
We started off with the Green Beans with minced pork and olives. As much as this dish was prepared properly with oil-blanched beans finished off with plenty of caramelization from high wok heat, the whole dish was overly greasy. Overlooking that, the flavours were good though with just enough saltiness from the olives. Next, we tried something a bit different in the Fish Paste & Pea Tips Rice Noodle Roll. Wrapped in a thin and slightly elastic rice noodle roll, the fish paste and pea tip mixture was fried until crispy. Texturally, there was a nice rebound with the slight crunch of the pea tips. Personally, I thought the filling was far too dense for a rice noodle roll.
From fish to shrimp, we had the Eggplant with Shrimp Paste. I swear there was more shrimp paste than eggplant as there was no room for more. The eggplant was a bit oil-logged, but tender while not mushy. Light and bouncy, the shrimp paste was moist and sweet. Despite the rich black bean colour, the sauce was not really that impactful. With actual black beans on top, the Steamed Spareribs with pumpkin were even more greasy than the green beans. With an oily film gracing each piece, it was rather unappetizing. With that being said, there was a decent rebound texture to go along with the adequate amount of seasoning.
Moving on, we had the Phoenix Talons (Chicken Feet) which were aesthetically-pleasing. In this case, looks did not deceive us as each claw was plump with moist fried skin that retained a bite. Underneath, the cartilage was soft without melting away. To round things out, there was a good amount of garlic to accent a balanced savoury sweetness. To this point of the blog, I don't think there have been many Shrimp Spring Rolls that have been bad. Well, this one was not very good. They were fried too long in old oil which meant that there was this greasy flavour that offset the decent filling. Sure, the shrimp were buttery with a slight snap, but the exterior of the roll was just not very appetizing.
Onto the standard, the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumpling) was the beneficiary of the same filling in the spring roll. Hence, the bits of shrimp and shrimp mousse were buttery and moist. I would've liked to see more snap, but it was sufficient. Although there was a certain degree of sweetness, it didn't seem to have much shrimp flavour nor enough sesame oil. As for the skin, it was thin and nicely chewy. Seemingly tossed haphazardly on top, the tobiko on the Sui Mai resembled a crime scene. The mixture of pork, shrimp and shiitake was completely over-processed where the dumpling took on mousse-like qualities. In terms of taste, I found the good amount of shiitake went well with the sweet and savoury elements.
Continuing on, we sampled the Pineapple BBQ Pork Buns. These could've been money if they had prepared them properly. It appeared that the oven temperature was too high as the bottom of the buns were crispy and brown while the other parts were underdone. Overlooking this, the BBQ pork filling was nicely balanced while the bun was actually quite airy despite being underdone. As a filler of sorts (like we needed any), the Stir-Fried Sticky Rice was decent. Normally, this dish can be greasy due to the its preparation in a wok. However, this was not the case here as they achieved good caramelization without excess greasiness. Furthermore, the rice was on point being chewy while not too hard or soft. Despite the bits of Chinese sausage, I would've liked to see more seasoning.
Choobee was truly intrigued by the Veggie & Meat Bun in Hot Pot as she tried to envision what that would look like. Well, it was literally, pan-fried buns served in a hot pot. Essentially "sang jeen bao" that were further steamed/roasted in a heated claypot, the buns themselves were pretty decent. They were fluffy and filled with moist and flavourful pork, yet they could've been seared a bit more. Lastly, we had the Steamed Sponge Cake which was pretty much indicative of our meal. It was "okay", but not as fluffy and moist as we would've liked (more lard please). Moreover, it didn't have a depth of sweetness either. Yup, the food was alright, but pales in comparison to other places in the same price range.
The Good:
- Food came out quick and dessert came out last
- Service was decent
The Bad:
- Food is alright, but with faults
- Not exactly expensive, but not cheap either
I've been trying to visit Bob's Subs in Richmond for the last 5 years with no success. Hey, it's not because of accessibility, cost or anything to do with the food. Rather, every time I make my way there, I opt for something Asian instead. Yes, with the significant selection of Asian eats, I succumb to the enticement. But I finally made it a goal of mine and enlisted the help of Peppermint, Swim and Bubbleberry. Why the help for some sammies? Let's just say that these are no ordinary subs found at places like Subway and Quizno's.
So let's get right to it then... Bob's subs can be had either cold or hot where the amount of meat is equivalent to 2 or 3 subs from Subway. On that note, Swim had the 12" Super Sub consisting of double steak, double cheese, mushrooms, salami and capicollo. Suffice to say, this was enough food for more than 2 people. But give the guy credit as he struggled to dust it off (he really did finish it!). The thin rib-eye was sufficiently tender while the rest of the ingredients were well-prepared. One caveat though, considering the amount of meat, the sammie was not all that flavourful. Peppermint went for a 6" Club featuring turkey and bacon with lettuce and tomato. This was more than enough for her as she barely finished it. She found the bun to be soft and nicely toasted while the turkey was moist and the bacon was crispy.
Bubbleberry decided on the 12" Steak which was only slightly smaller than Swim's Super Sub. Consisting completely of thinly sliced fresh rib-eye steak and caramelized onions, this was a heavy plate of food. As much as it was rib-eye, the meat was a touch chewy while still tender enough. He was not as successful as Swim and only ate a quarter of it. There was enough leftovers for 3 more lunches! For myself, I had only the 6" Super Sub because I wanted to have some Fried Chicken (I ate half of it before I snapped the photo... doh!). It was actually decent in a Church's-type way. The skin was rendered and crunchy while the brined meat was juicy and flavourful. The generic fries were quite crispy. At the end, we had to pack our leftovers (except for Swim) which was enough for dinner. That pretty much sums up Bob's as the food is both plentiful and cheap.
The Good:
- Big portions
- Cheap
- Decent eats
The Bad:
- Super busy, food might take awhile
- Despite decent, the sammies are actually kinda bland
It goes without saying that I have some pretty awesome friends. Not only do they willingly go eat with me, they also put up with my incessant picture-taking and constant yammering about the food. But there are times that I have to eat alone. Yes, I'm acutely aware that this is not a unique phenomenon, however, I still have this phobia about taking photos of my ramen surrounded by strangers. So the best thing to do in this case is to get takeout, in particular something in the form of a donair and/or shawarma.
Driving down Commercial Drive, I stopped when I spotted Best Falafel. Best Falafel? It's like in Elf, Buddy found the "best coffee in the world". Since I was rather hungry, I left the "best falafel" for another day. This time, I decided on the Lamb Shawarma Platter which was a good portion size. The slices of lamb were succulent and well-seasoned. I found the rice to be far too soggy though and to make matters worse, the sauces added to the moisture. The hummus was very good though with a smooth creaminess that was garlicky with a nice hit of acidity.
On another visit, I did finally end up with the Falafel Wrap complete with all the fixins including lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, pickles and pickled turnip. With just the right amount of sauce, the whole thing was not overly wet while super garlicky. The crunch and acidity from the ingredients helped brighten up the flavours. As for the falafel itself, since it was reheated with a microwave, it was no longer crispy. It was moist though with a mild array of spices. I also got the Chicken Wrap which was appreciably more impactful in terms of depth of flavour and texture. Naturally, with meat replacing falafels, this wasn't surprising. I found the meat to be on the drier side with crispy bits which was okay since the other ingredients provided moisture. Overall, I enjoyed the food at Best Falafel, in particular the wraps. Despite being satisfied by the portion size, it is a bit smaller than other places at either the same or higher price point.
The Good:
- Condiments add both texture and punch of garlic
- Since they open up the pita and make a wrap rather than a pocket, the ingredients are more even
The Bad:
- Portion-to-price ratio is not as good as some other places (such as Donair Affair)
- Falafel is okay, but not "best" (I'm half-joking here...)
If you haven't figured this out by now, I'm pretty good friends with Mijune (aka Follow Me Foodie). But with her successful life as a foodie master, it is increasingly hard to track her down and meet up. Wait, maybe she is trying to ignore me? I guess I do not take a hint very well. What8ver the case (no, that is not a spelling mistake, just read on...), I was able to corner her late one night. With not much open in the area, we ended up meeting at What8ver Cafe for some drinks and snacks (on a night that she had already consumed 3 dinners...).
With all the "toast" craze these days, I wonder if people actually realize that toast is not something new especially with Taiwanese cuisine (and HK-style cafes). Sure, it is different of course, but it is still glorified toast. On that note, I tried the Pizza Toast topped with real mozzarella, cheddar and dry Italian spice mix. As you can see, they didn't skimp with the cheese (which was not greasy) which was a nice compliment to the crispy toast. Since it was thick-sliced, the inside was soft and slightly elastic. At Mijune's urging, we also got the Strawberry Macaron Toast Box. This thing was topped with strawberry ice cream, strawberries, a strawberry macaron, whipped cream and accompanied by honey. Compared to the one we had at Soho, this was less sweet due to one less scoop of ice cream. The toast inside was crispy and only lightly sweetened. The surprising part was the macaron as it was crispy and light with a soft chewy centre (wonder where they sourced it from?).
For my beverage, I got the Mango Slush with coconut jelly. This was served in a large jar with a considerable amount of jelly. Hence, it was a prudent decision to order the slush with less sugar. When mixed together, it was just right with a very mild mango essence. We ended up sharing the drink where it appeared Mijune actually drank it instead of me. Does she live on sugar? Well on that note, I was able to corner her again and we met at the same place, same time and same table. We didn't order the same stuff, yet kept to the theme by getting the Toast with Condensed Milk. With less stuff on top than the pizza toast, this version was appreciably more crispy and firm on the outside while still soft on the inside. As much as condensed milk can be super sweet, there wasn't too much which made the sugar level bearable.
For the 2nd time, they didn't have a few things available including the omelet, so we settled for some Shaved Ice with mango pearls, lemon jelly and pudding. As much as the individual ingredients were not sweet and in fact, quite bland, the drizzle of condensed milk was too aggressive. Hence, the ice was super sugary and we actually need more ice to balance it out. From the items we did get to try, they were serviceable. The toast box was probably the most memorable of the bunch. Unlike most internet reviews, we didn't find the service bad.
The Good:
- Decent stuff
- Open late
- Decent service for us
The Bad:
- Some items run out way too early
- Not a whole lot of seats
Posts
