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Big D loves to eat, possibly even as much as I do. Yes, it's hard to believe but he can pack it in better than Mijune at times. But there are times when he wants to eat somewhat lighter so he doesn't become Heavy D (wait, that name is already taken!). So we ended up making 2 visits to the relatively new Pho Holiday out on Austin in Coquitlam. As much as Coquitlam cannot compete with Richmond when it comes to parking chaos, this stretch on Austin suffers from "lack of parking syndrome". We ended up parking a few blocks away.
As for the food, one sip of my Pho Dac Biet and I was hit by the flavourful broth with a definite meaty taste as well as an overwhelming sweetness. It was also on the saltier side, which would indicate a good amount of MSG was used. Overlooking that, the noodles were toothsome and plentiful. I found the meats to be good except the brisket which was a bit on the chewier side. Big D had the Beef Stew Noodles and again, the same level of MSG was used. The broth itself was beefy in flavour where the addition of MSG only made the broth salty and sweet. They could really ease up on it a touch. Once again, the noodles were good as well as the tender nuggets of brisket.
We also got the Grilled Pork Banh Mi and it was pretty good. The baguette was crusty and relatively light inside. It was filled with fatty pork that was the beneficiary of enough char and seasoning. There was also a good amount of fish sauce that amped the flavours even more so. On our second visit, we started with the Spring Rolls with wheat wrappers. Overlooking the fact they didn't use rice paper, the rolls were actually quite good. They were firmly crunchy with very little grease. Inside, the filling was packed fairly tightly while still being moist. There was a nice sweetness from the onions and a mild saltiness from the fish sauce.
For my main, I had the Bun Bo Hue which arrived looking quite plain. Oh how looks can be deceiving as the broth was much better than it appeared. There was a pointed spiciness that was accented by the pungent shrimp paste. Furthermore, I could really taste the shallots as well as the lemongrass in the broth. The noodles were toothsome whereas the meats were thin and tender. I would've liked to see a pork knuckle and pig's blood though. But that didn't make or break the dish. Big D ended up with the Lemongrass Chicken and fried eggs with rice. Succulent and tender, the chicken was generously seasoned. There was a nice balance of savoury, sweet and aromatics. We would've liked to see a bit more char though as it was missing some smokiness and caramelization on the outside. Overall, we quite liked the food on our 2 visits to Pho Holiday. We wouldn't mind coming back again.
The Good:
- Above-average eats
- Nice people
The Bad:
- Slightly aggressive with the salt/MSG
- Parking is at a premium
Every 2 years, a very worthy fundraiser is held at the Metrotown Hilton. The Burnaby Empty Bowls "Nosh for a Cause" brings together some tasty bites and live music to go along with a silent auction. Miss Y and I were fortunate enough to be invited to attend the event where the proceeds go to the Burnaby Empty Bowls Committee, a coalition of community service organizations and community members who work to address issues of food security and hunger in Burnaby.
We visited the Ocean Mama Seafood first and sampled the Oceanwise BC Albacore Tuna Tataki atop baby arugula and endive salad, pickled veggies and drizzled with a basil seed vinaigrette. Colourful and beautifully plated, the dish ate as good as it looked. With vibrant and clean flavours, there as a good balance of acidity which did not overwhelm the delicate tuna. Their second offering was the Crispy Pork Belly with butter-poached Oceanwise shrimp, cauliflower puree, salsa verde and nori chips. This was a study in textures as there was crunchy to go with the succulent pork belly as well as the sweet snap of the large shrimp.
Right next door was the Burnaby Ace-It Culinary Arts Program, where young aspiring chefs served up 2 items including a Chicken Drumstick atop potato & cauliflower puree finished off with a mushroom sauce. The generous portion of chicken was meaty while still sufficiently tender. The star of the plate was the mushroom sauce as it was velvety, woodsy and well-seasoned. Going for an early dessert, we tried their Raspberry-Chocolate Macarons with coconut flakes and a side of panna cotta. Texturally, the macarons were delicately crisp on the outside while densely chewy on the inside. The cream filling was a bit too light, but the raspberry sauce made up for it with a sweet tartness.
Over at Cioffi's, we were served 2 versions of their "sandwiches". I've had their sandwiches before and I can vouch that the bread is much better than the ones served at this event. Hence, the cold and relatively heavy slider buns hindered what was a beautiful meatball. The "Angelo" Meatball itself was firm, yet not heavy with lots of natural texture and enough seasoning. The tomato sauce was nicely balanced with a slight tartness. As for the other slider, it was a vegetarian option consisting of Eggplant & Parmesan with basil and tomato. This was pretty mild with only the salty cheesiness of the Parm having any impact. I much preferred the meatball (because I am a meatatarian!).
Moving onto the Pear Tree, there were 2 composed dishes to greet us. First off, we tried the Candied Steelhead served in a small half-tomato with red quinoa and fennel salad. Inside, the salmon was sweet and flaky while the tomato added a refreshing background tartness. Not sure where the fennel was because I didn't get much of it. Next, we had the Chargrilled Green Asparagus with chicken crackling, Grana Padano and squid ink. Notably smoky and nicely seasoned by the salty cheese, the asparagus retained a nice bite. Providing a crunchy contrast, the cracklings also had an appealing aroma.
I do not hide my respect for Chef Hamid Salimian, so I was quite excited to try NextJen Gluten-Free. Along with Chef & Founder Jen Peters, they offered up 2 dishes including Persian Bread Salad consisting of Sangak bread, arugula, dates, walnuts and feta. This was a crunchy (from the bread and the walnuts) and sweet concoction that was also a bit creamy from the feta. Next was the Fresh Extruded Rigatoni with chorizo tomato eggplant ragu. Although a bit softer than an al dente wheat pasta, the rigatoni could fool many into believing it was not gluten-free. I really liked the ragu as it was rustic, tart, spicy and rich.
Last but not least, our favourite dish of the nite was from the host hotel being the Hilton Metrotown. The dish featured a Braised Elk Roulade topped with a truffle butternut squash ravioli and served with a side of tomato jam. Seared in butter, the elk roulade had a caramelized crispy exterior that gave way to a surprisingly moist interior. There was no mistaking the elk gaminess, but it was pleasant. Sweet and impactful, the tomato jam added that extra oomph to the already tasty elk. As for the ravioli, the fresh pasta was expertly toothsome while quite mild in taste. For dessert, we wandered over to Valley Bakery for the Cranberry Mousse Slice consisting of white chocolate mousse, cranberries, vanilla sponge cake and apricot nappage. This relatively light dessert was purposefully sweet with the slight tang from the cranberries. I wasn't going to eat it all, but did anyways. In fact, we ate one of everything (and a few duplicates) resulting in very full tummies at the end. However, there are many that are not as lucky. This highlights the meaning behind the event and the fact, we could do more in helping the less fortunate.
There I was, once again stuck in Richmond. Yah, I probably secretly have some sick love for the place as I'm making the trip seemingly a couple of times a week. This time around, I was getting my car repaired in Richmond. I had the choice of a Jetta or a Corolla - guess what I chose? After doing so, I needed something quick for eats. Since I was dining alone, the best thing I could come up with was Yah Yah Ya Ramen in the former location of Liu's Taiwanese.
I ended up going for their meal set which included my choice of ramen. Going for their most popular, I had the Shoyu with the addition of buttered corn. As much as the broth was not exactly thin nor bland, it was missing something. There was definitely a meatiness to it as well as some silkiness (as I chose "normal" broth). At the same time, there was no real impact on my senses including smell and taste. As for the noodles, they were toothsome and of an adequate portion. I really enjoyed the chashu as it practically melted in my mouth. The egg was also on point. As for the side of Chashu Rice, the meat was salty and mostly moist. The rice was a bit fluffier than chewy.
A couple of weeks later, I met up with Mijune so we could try the other broths including the Miso and Shio. With a rich saltiness, the miso did exhibit a decent amount of pork flavour. Now, this would never be mistakened for the ones found at Ramen Butcher nor Kintaro. It was fairly light with only the slightest of silkiness. As for the shio, it was more "porky" and of course with a background saltiness. Once again, I chose normal for broth, noodles and chashu which meant there was moderate fat while the noodles were toothsome but not hard. This time, the egg was a little overdone. After sampling 3 types of broth, I personally liked the Miso more than the popular Shoyu. The other components including the noodles and chashu were on point each time.
The Good:
- Noodles and chashu are on point
- Attentive service
The Bad:
- Broths are okay, but could be more impactful
Predictability is often a positive when it comes to food choices. This prevents wasting money on things that are just not very good. But then again, what about the new places? It gets even dicier when there is little known about them. Well, that is where the online coupon comes into play. At the very least, if there is an epic fail, it would end up costing less (would that be great for dating?). That was the plan when I paid Styo a visit with not one, but 2 coupons in hand. Apparently, Diana was on the same wave-length as I bumped into here there (also with armed with a coupon).
With the first deal, I was able to select 2 savoury waffles from their menu. We started with the Ham & Cheese with smoked ham and cheddar. Unlike regular waffle batter, the one used here had a texture akin to a soft brioche. Hence, it was super light and soft. With a slight crispiness on the outside, the entire thing worked. Moreover, the amount of ham and cheese was just right where everything seemed to be in harmony. Next, I was a little skeptical of the Tuna Melt, but once again, it was good. The waffle-to-filling ratio was on point where the ingredients did not impact the waffle's texture. My daughter gobbled this up and barely let me take a sample.
Onto our next deal, we chose 2 yogurt parfaits from the menu. The first one was the Sweet Heaven consisting of plain frozen yogurt with strawberry syrup, popping candy, chocolate pearls, Almond Roca, brownie and marshmallows. We found the yogurt conservative in the sweetness department, which worked fine with all the sweet ingredients. However, the excessive tang was a touch overwhelming. For our second, we had the Green Tea Harmony with green tea froyo, cream puff, red bean, cereal and brownie. For some reason, this one was much smoother and less tangy than the original. It was pleasantly flavoured with enough green tea. Again, it wasn't very sweet where the ingredients did the heavy lifting. As much as the froyo was decent with an array of ingredients, the savoury waffles made the lasting impression. We will be back for those for sure.
The Good:
- Savoury waffles are surprisingly good
- Friendly staff
The Bad:
- Froyo is okay, but the original was too tangy and icy
With the whole Neapolitan pizza craze, many other types of pizza have been somewhat forgotten. There are so many kinds including the standard stuff like Fresh Slice, Panago and Domino's. Furthermore, you have the ones with a tonne of toppings like Bella and Gigi's, not to mention the loaded Hot Oven pizza. Then we have the Roma Pizza found at Trilussa out on Main Street. With a couple of Groupons (yes, again) in hand, we went to try out some of their wares.
We ended up splitting the 2 pizzas into 4 different types including the Vancouver consisting of smoked salmon and organic mesclun greens. Almost completely obscured by the enormous pile of greens, the thin crust was crunchy and dry around the edges. Despite the visuals, this ate pretty light due to the ingredients involved. We thought the amount of smoked salmon was sufficient for pizza. Next up, we had an off-menu item consisting of Tuna, Arugula and Olives. As much as this was not universally appreciated at the table, I personally loved it as the peppery arugula and salty olives helped elevate the otherwise plain tuna. Much like the previous pizza, this didn't feel heavy at all.
Onto more typical toppings (and the fact my son would not even go near the previous 2), we got both the Attilio (mushroom & mozzarella) and Garbatella (sausage & mozzarella). Possibly due to the mushrooms, we found the Attilio more aromatic where even the cheese had impact. As for the sausage, we liked how it was meaty and easy on the fat. There was a slight background spice which helped flavour an otherwise pretty plain cheese pizza. When we were done, there was a considerable amount of leftovers. Yes, 2 foot-long pizzas for 2 adults and 2 kiddies was too much food. Hence, as much as the prices are on the higher side, you don't need a lot to get full.
The Good:
- Lots of different pizzas available at any moment
- Thin crispy crust
- Not greasy
The Bad:
- A little pricey
- Edges of the crust are a bit hard and dry
For the longest time, we would pass by Domineco's on Hastings and wonder how on Earth does it survive when there never appeared to be anyone eating inside. Well, the question was ultimately answered one day when another sushi restaurant took over the place. Just like Lonsdale in North Van, it is become increasingly popular to have a Japanese restaurant on every block (sometimes 2 or 3!). We decided to check the place out with Nikita, Bluebeard, Herbie the Lovebug and Lana Banana one night.
Viv and I decided to try out the Deluxe Assorted Sashimi. Considering it only cost us $19.95, this was a substantial amount of food. It was presented and plated appealingly where the quality of the sashimi was certainly more-than-acceptable. Exhibiting a fresh sheen and appropriate textures, we really didn't have much to complain about. Onto our specialty roll, we had the Kamikaze which was essentially a dynamite roll with spicy tuna, mesclun greens and a whackload of sauce. We found the sushi rice to be chewy while not too dry. It was on the sweeter side though. We weren't that enthused about the amount of spicy mayo, but it was easily shoved aside if needed.
For the kiddies, we got an order of the Assorted Tempura and the Chicken Udon. Light, crispy and easy on the grease, the tempura did the trick. The kids devoured it while we were left with the vegetables. Fried vegetables... They won't even eat that... Whatever the case, the tempura batter stayed crisp all the way to the end. As for the udon, I personally do not like the non-authentic versions filled with random veggies and onions which help muddle up an already non-dashi-like broth. Well, this one was that type and yes, all the above was true. On the other hand, it was a large portion with plenty of slightly soft udon and pieces of chicken. Good for the kids I guess.
To ensure our fullness, we got the Tonkatsu served with a side of rice. As clearly illustrated by the picture, the portion size was pretty good. In terms of execution, it was also good where the exterior was crunchy while the pork was fairly moist and tender. Despite my criticism of the udon, in reality, the restaurant doesn't hide the fact isn't exactly authentic. In fact, there is a separate Korean menu. For this reason, we came back just to try some of it out. However, we had to go back to the Japanese well because my daughter wanted Salmon Sashimi. Despite the enormous portion size for the price, the salmon was an unfortunate recipient of poor knife skills. The slices were uneven and actually quite hard to chew. Despite this, the fish was fresh (as fresh as flash-frozen can get).
Now onto the Korean stuff, we tried the Dolset Bibimbap first. Arriving in a super hot stone bowl, the rice was able to form a fantastic crust where it was crunchy and nutty. There was no shortage of ingredients including hand-diced beef (I like it more than ground beef). We enjoyed this dish very much. Normally, an order of Japchae can set you back close to $20.00 at some Korean restaurants. However, the one here was a very reasonable $10.00, granted with a more modest portion size. In terms of execution, it was pretty good being easy on the grease. The noodles were chewy and not overly sauced while sporting balanced flavours (not too sweet).
Rather than getting another entree, we opted for the appetizer version of the Spicy Chicken. Over-sauced just a tad where the crunchiness of the batter was missing, the overall flavour was quite appealing. There was a good mix of sweet, tangy and spicy that made this cry out for plain rice (we used the scoop from the Japchae). The chicken itself was moist and tender. To round things out, we got the Awesome Roll consisting of a California roll topped with seared salmon and tuna on top. This time around the rice was a bit drier and mild-tasting. The roll itself was pleasant enough, especially for $6.00. From this, you can probably ascertain that Sushi Giwa is generally a pretty good value. Portions are definitely generous for the price. Overall food quality is acceptable while the service is above-average.
The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Well-portioned
- Decent service
The Bad:
- Might offend those looking seeking authentic Japanese
Viv and I are pretty practical when it comes to Valentine's Day. Spending $$$ on outrageously priced flowers, gifts and special menus just doesn't do it for us. Hence, we were content in staying at home, until my mom called asking if we'd like to go to Cindy's Palace for dinner. Sure, why not, we weren't planning anything special anyways. Apparently, this was the only place they could get a reservation as most of the other Chinese restaurants were booked solid. So is this how Chinese families spend their Valentine's Day?
When it came down to ordering, our server (who was actually nice) tried to up sell us on everything to the point where it was becoming uncomfortable and awkward. We had to refuse a 3.5 lb lobster 4 times and their 2-course fish special 3 times, to our annoyance. We ended up starting with the Fish Maw and Crab Meat Soup. Although there was plenty of fish maw, there was an absence of crab. We found the soup base to be lacking depth where it just tasted salty without any defining flavours. It did have a nice silky consistency though, but the fish maw was lower quality and therefore a bit on the crunchy side. As always, we got the Peking Duck served in 2 courses. We requested that they carve the duck with some meat left on the skin. The layer of fat was moderate while the skin itself was not all that crispy. On the other hand, the duck meat was succulent and well-seasoned.
Next, we were served the Lobster atop a blend of sticky and long-grain rice. This dish was executed quite well with a plethora of chewy rice. With sweet corn niblets nestled within and the lobster juices seeping in, the rice was a tasty treat. As for the lobster itself, it was fried just enough where the meat was still buttery with a meaty rebound. It was tossed in a starch-thickened consume sauce that was a touch salty (but okay since it was flavouring the rice anyways). For the second course of the Peking Duck, we had the Duck Lettuce Wrap. Hacked up into far-too-small lettuce cups that were still soaking wet, it was a bit difficult to eat where the filling fell out and got diluted by the excess water. The filling itself wasn't bad where there was a good amount of moist duck meat with crunchy celery and carrots.
Onto some veggies, we had the Stir-Fried Fish Filets with celery and snow peas. This was a fairly greasy dish where the reflection from the oil was blinding. It ate quite greasy too as our lips were no longer chapped afterwards. With that being said, the fish was nicely oil-blanched where it was flaky and moist. The veggies were vibrant and crunchy, albeit pretty salty. Lastly, we had the Broccoli with Egg Whites and Scallops. Again, the dish was greasy and fairly salty. On the plus side, the egg white were fluffy and appealing while the scallops were plump and cooked just enough. Although appearing like a garnish, the broccoli was actually good being crunchy and vibrant. For a packed house, we found the food pretty acceptable albeit salty and greasy. Not sure about the service though, it wasn't bad per se, but rather pushy and awkward.
The Good:
- Decent value
- Fairly comfortable seating
The Bad:
- On the salty and greasy side
- Awkward service
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