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With a 2+ hour break in between games during our hockey tourney at Great Pacific Forum, going home did not seem like a good idea. With the high gas prices and waste of time driving, I figured I might as well drop off my gear at work nearby and let it air out. In the meantime, I would go in search of eats. Well, any gas savings blew up in smoke when I decided to venture all the way out to Cloverdale for some sushi. Yes, I do travel for food...
I was warmly greeted by the staff and made myself comfortable in the clean and nicely appointed dining room. I started off with the Appetizer Tempura which was served hot and crunchy. The batter was fairly light and easy on the grease. Buttery with a light snap, the ebi were prepared nicely. As for the veggies, I thought the yam and sweet potato were sliced a tad too thin where the batter-to-ingredient ratio was too equal. Next, the Chirashi Don was attractively constructed as well as sporting an impressive assortment of vibrant-looking sashimi. It consisted of Tuna, Hamachi, Tako, Tamago, Sockeye Salmon, Ebi and Tai. I enjoyed all the neatly cut pieces except for the tamago as it was a bit crumbly in texture. All of this sat atop chewy sushi rice which was well-seasoned with a purposeful amount of rice wine vinegar.
Lastly, I got one of their specialty rolls being the Red Dragon. It was a spicy tuna roll topped with avocado, unagi and tobiko finished with unagi sauce. I thought this was carefully constructed with a minimal amount of rice. The spicy tuna was quite mild, but texturally on point. The unagi was buttery with just the right amount of sauce. On another visit, I was intrigued by the Stinky Roll (due to the name). It was comprised of a tuna roll with fried garlic chips, yam strings, tempura bits and baby scallops finished off by a combination of sauces. This looked much larger than the sum of its parts, but was decent nonetheless. Once again, the small amount of rice was chewy and surprisingly good. The garlic chips could've been fried longer as they were chewy rather than crunchy.
I also got the Tonkatsu Don that was served in a small casserole dish. The pork cutlet itself was not exactly dry, but it wasn't succulent either. I liked the crispy breading though. Similar to the chiraishi don, the rice was chewy and toothsome. However, it was doused in teriyaki sauce which didn't really go with the tonkatsu. Also, the addition of sprouts and onions made the rice a bit wet. Despite the strange Tonkatsu Don, the rest of the items were solid. Definitely more-than-acceptable for Cloverdale and ultimately decent in general.
The Good:
- Carefully prepared sushi and sashimi
- Nice people
The Bad:
- It may upset those looking for authenticity (I didn't mind it)
- Not expensive, but not cheap either
Over $29.00 to ride the "Easter Train"??? Man, if they were going to rob us, at least wear a balaclava... What exactly is an Easter train anyways? Apparently, it is a stripped-down version of the Christmas train with leftover decorations and a smattering of eggs and bunnies. Well, I guess it was something to do on a Sunday as a family I suppose. Naturally, being in Downtown, we took advantage of it to eat somewhere along Robson. Since the kiddies voted Japanese, we stopped at Sapporo Japanese since it was the first one we spotted.
We were seated at one of their very small tables which accommodate twice as many customers as they should. As the food began to arrive, the table was not really big enough to handle all the plates. We ended up practicing our bet "Tetris" technique with the dishes. We sampled the Assorted Sashimi first and it as pretty decent. As evidenced in the picture, the slices of sockeye, tuna, tai and Atlantic salmon exhibited a nice sheen. Next up, the Assorted Tempura was pretty sparse in portion size. Despite this, it was also well-prepared with a thin layer of batter which was lightly crispy.
Our specialty roll was the Volcano consisting of a dynamite roll topped with spicy tuna. This was carefully prepared where each piece stayed intact while not being overly compacted. The amount of sauce did make the roll rather saucy, but it wasn't too powerful. I found the rice to be chewy while mildly seasoned. Next, we had the Katsu Don which featured slightly dry rice that was conservatively sauced. On top, the pork chop was sufficiently tender with a crunchy exterior. The slightly runny egg yolk went nicely with the rice.
For the kiddies, we got the Beef Udon packed with a good amount of tender and thin slices of beef. We found the udon to be toothsome enough, but the soup was not very impactful. It didn't taste like a dashi as it was rather bland with a touch of sweetness. Lastly, the Chicken Karaage was plain terrible. Although the meat was moist enough, the exterior batter was doughy and not crispy at all. Furthermore, the chicken was super bland and even the dip didn't do much. In the end, the food did the job as we wanted a quick lunch. Nothing to rave about, yet decent enough.
The Good:
- Friendly service
- Decent (except for the karaage)
- Okay pricing for Downtown
The Bad:
- Uncomfortable seating arrangements
- Server was friendly, but overwhelmed when the place was full
As much as the gourmet hot dog craze has pretty much leveled out, there are surprisingly not an over-abundance of places one can get one. Sure, there is Japadog, Dougie Dog and Eli's Serious Sausage, but other than some other hot dog carts, there are very few places dedicated to the sausage in a bun. Enter the newly opened What's Up? Hot Dog located in the former Master Chef in East Village. Seeing how my son wouldn't pass up a hot dog and waffle fries, we headed over there confident that he would approve.
Since their dogs are larger than most, we got the Matt & She's Dog for the kiddies to share. Consisting of a natural Two Rivers beef dog, house made mac & cheese, bacon bits, green onion and black pepper, this combined 3 of my son's favourites. Naturally, we omitted the green onion since it would put the poor kid in shock due to the addition of something green. Beautifully juicy with a firm snap, the wiener was lightly smoky and only purposefully salty. Despite the rich orange hue, the mac & cheese could've benefited from more sharpness and salt. The generous sprinkle of black pepper was pretty impactful with each bite. For myself, I had the A-Rueben Bahama, Come on Pretty Mama with corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, hot mustard and Russian dressing. This was essentially a large hot dog posing as a rueben sandwich. This partially offset the price since it was a lot of food which was enough for me. I enjoyed the ample amount of tangy sauerkraut and impactful hot mustard.
Viv opted for the Hog & his Pogs with pulled pork, house made BBQ sauce, apple slaw and pepperoncinis. Again, this was an ample amount of food as there was enough topping to make its own sandwich. The moist and well-sauced pork was slightly sweet and tangy. Upping the tang was the slaw and pepperoncinis, which added a brightness to an otherwise heavy concoction. With all the dogs, the soft bun generally held together and was somewhat airy. We also got a couple orders of the Waffle Fries which were super light and crispy. Despite its ample appearance, these fries went real fast since they were so easy to eat. In the end, we enjoyed the specialty dogs at What's Up? Hot Dog. At first, the prices concerned us ($8.99 - $10.99), yet if we take into account the quality of the actual wiener and the amount of toppings (which would fill another sandwich), then it becomes much more palatable.
The Good:
- Good quality Two Rivers wiener
- Ample toppings
- Nice people
The Bad:
- I didn't mind the prices, but for some, a $10.99 hot dog might not work for them
- Limited space
Akin to the crash and burn otherwise known as another end to a Vancouver Canucks hockey season, the black hole of restaurant locations has claimed another victim. Situated in an awkward storefront on the corner of Nordel and Scott Road and facing the inside, the merry-go-round of Vietnamese joints has almost become comical. Bookworm noticed the most recent iteration opening up under the recognizable name of Pho 99. Could it be that familiarity will finally bring stability? Well, he arranged another one of his famous tastings at the place shortly after it opened its doors.
To get a taste of the appies, we got the Roll Combo to start. It consisted of one Shrimp Salad Roll, one Pork Salad Roll and a Spring Roll. I liked how the rice wrapper was moist while still maintaining a pleasant chewiness. Inside, there was iceberg lettuce, vermicelli and of course shrimp and pork. I would've liked to see some basil as well, but then again, I had a whole plate of it on the table. The dipping sauce was nicely balanced between hoisin and peanut. Hot and crunchy, one bite into the spring roll and it revealed a moist and almost airy filling that was sweet from the onions. Bookworm ended up with the Lemongrass Chicken and Grilled Prawns with rice. The healthy portion of chicken was charred nicely and was plenty marinated with a caramelized sweetness as well as the noted essence of lemongrass. With a meaty snap, the prawns exhibited a natural sweetness.
Of course I had to get the Pho Dac Biet and it was as expected. Similar to my other Pho 99 experiences, the broth was clean with only the slightest murkiness on the bottom where the meat flavours resided. It wasn't overly salty or MSG-enhanced, hence the overall taste was lightly sweet and some hits from the charred onion. Without being clumpy, the noodles were toothsome and well-portioned. The meats were mostly tender including the rare steak, but the brisket was a touch dry. Overall, a solid bowl of pho and better than Pho Stanley, especially the steak (where it wasn't chewy). Lastly, I had the Banh Mi with pork and Vietnamese ham which featured a crusty baguette that revealed a good amount of Vietnamese cold cuts. There was a background hit of fish sauce that added the necessary saltiness. In the end, there were no surprises here at Pho 99 and really, that is the whole point. Hopefully with consistency and name recognition, something will survive at this location.
*All food excluding gratuities were comped*
The Good:
- Predictable
- Above-average
- Nicely renovated with natural light
The Bad:
- Of course the location, but not their fault
- Food took a bit more time to come out
Much like the march of the lemmings, people seem to flock to the newest thing in town. Take the Ramen Butcher for instance, located in the former East of Main. Grace and I were planning to visit the place during their soft-opening, but with a lineup that was an hour long, we thought otherwise. Sure, it's new and yes they were serving $5.00 bowls of ramen, yet, there wasn't anything that would make us wait in the rain for 1+ hours. Hence, we hightailed it to something old, in one of the original ramen joints in town - Kintaro.
After a brief wait (which was not even remotely close to 1 hour), we were seated at the bar. We shared an order of Pork to start and it was predictably fatty and slightly salty. Pretty decent, but on a personal note, congealed fat is not really my cup of tea. I much prefer it melted. For my bowl of ramen, I chose the Spicy Miso Garlic with egg, chashu and sprouts (I added corn as well). If you can imagine, that big scoop of diced garlic had an enormous effect on the soup. The medium fatty broth was salty and spicy to begin with, but with the addition of the garlic, it was super flavourful and of course, aromatic. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the broth at Kintaro is less refined than some of the newer joints, but it is still good in its own right. As for the pork, it melted into the soup where it was fatty and completely soft. Wasn't a big fan of the egg though.
Grace decided to go with something more basic in the Shoyu Ramen with medium broth and lean pork. Although consisting of barely any fat, the lean pork was still sufficiently moist and tender. Again, the rich and fatty broth didn't lack impact, but it was on the sweeter side. It had a very minor silkiness from the fat and pork gelatin, but that is the style here. We cannot directly compare this to the Ramen Butcher or Santouka as they are not the same. Seeing how 2 bowls of ramen didn't even put a dent into the menu, I returned a few weeks later with Vandelay (yes, he does exist) for some more ramen action. We began with an order of the Gyoza doused in a good amount of sauce (which I like). These were solid with a think skin and crispy bottom. Inside, there was actually a decent amount of juice in addition to the moist pork and cabbage.
Now for what we were here for, Vandelay had the Miso Ramen with medium broth and fatty pork. Unlike the one found at Taishoken, the miso was much more in the background with only a mild saltiness and slight spice. Although it was supposed to medium, there was a significant amount of fat floaties which made the broth rich (but not in a silky manner such as Ramen Butcher). As with previous bowls, the noodles were toothsome while the fatty pork melted into the broth. For myself, I went for the Cheese Ramen (which I had the first time I visited Kintaro) with medium broth and fatty pork. It maybe polarizing, but you can't accuse them of being skimpy with the cheese, as the big pile melted into noticeable gobs in the miso broth. With grated Swiss and 2 slices of mozzarella, there was a complimentary pungency which nicely accented the saltiness of the broth. Overall, these 2 re-visits to Kintaro has confirmed that they still serve up good ramen. To compare directly with some of the newer spots would be difficult as they are all very different. I would say they are good in their own special way (and of course there is a lot of subjectivity as well).
The Good:
- Fairly good portions
- If you choose the richer broths, there is a nice fatty aroma
- Chashu is tender and moist
The Bad:
- Less refined than some of the newer spots
- Tiny place, lineup is normal
- To some, the broth is too rich in terms of fat only
Remember from my Styo post about taking risks with fairly new and unknown restaurants? Well, here we were again going with the online coupon to lessen the blow if things didn't turn out. This was actually a last-minute decision as we needed to grab some dinner where I literally purchased the coupon on my phone minutes before visiting Ryu Sushi on Main. Interestingly enough, after I showed the server the coupon code on my phone, she promptly took my phone and walked away without saying a word (presumably to copy the number).
Onto the food, the kids got to eat first as the big bowl of Chicken Udon showed up first. Unfortunately, the noodles were too soft. The addition of lettuce was a very strange choice of vegetable, even for Chinese-run Japanese restaurant. A bit cloudy, the broth was far from an actual dashi, as it tasted more like chicken soup. With that being said, it didn't taste bad though. There was a considerable amount of diced chicken, yet it was cooked beyond succulent. Our first sushi dish was the Aburi Sushi with jalapeno mayo. We got 2 pieces each of sockeye salmon, hotate and toro. I found the sushi rice to have a firmer texture with very little seasoning. The fish on top was decently charred. Not something that will make you forget Miku, but okay nonetheless.
Next up, we had the Deluxe Tempura consisting of salmon, halibut, ebi, golden squash and yam. This was a fairly large portion with only slightly overdone fish. I say slightly because it wasn't dry. In fact, there was still some moisture left. But at the same time, it was too done for our liking. The tempura batter was thin and lightly crispy. Curiously served atop salad-cut iceberg lettuce, the Tuna Tataki was decent. The fish itself was buttery soft with only the slightest sear on the outside. With a considerable amount of fried garlic, there as an appealing aroma. However, there wasn't enough soy (or ponzu) to make an impact. I had to resort to dipping it into my wasabi soy.
Our specialty roll of choice was the Lobster Roll consisting of tempura lobster with avocado on the outside. We found this roll rather bland-tasting on its own without any soy or wasabi. Despite this, the roll was prepared carefully where it stayed intact without being wound too tightly. The ripe avocado was rather appealing while the rice was not really seasoned. The last dish to arrive was the Deluxe Sashimi which was plated in a fairly "flat" manner. There was only a small amount of shredded daikon on the plate. Despite this, the fish on the plate was actually not bad except for the tai (it was kinda pale and too chewy). Overall, the meal was actually decent considering the regular prices. Although the service was not as bad as some others have remarked, it was pretty awkward nonetheless.
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Large portions
- Extensive menu
The Bad:
- For those who insist on authentic, well, this might offend you
- Service was actually friendly but strange and awkward
After my visits to Manis in Surrey, it got me thinking. Sure, the food itself left a lasting impression, but I realized that I had raved about their Laksa. Now raving about something is no laughing matter as one should generally back-it-up. In other words, you can say something is the best when you haven't tried all of the contenders in town. Of course restaurants close and new places open up as well. That means, the best of anything is only valid for a short period of time. Furthermore, to really make sure, one must revisit as well. Hence, first on the list was Mamalee in Kits. For those unaware, Mamalee is just a new name for Cafe D'Lite.
To get things started, we got a couple of orders of the Roti Canai. The kids got their own and dusted it off gladly. For Viv and I, we thought that the texture was inconsistent. Some parts were flaky and nicely chewy, while other parts were underdone and doughy. We did like the accompanying dip though as it was smooth and coconutty with minimal saltiness. As for Seafood Laksa, I've had it before and this time around, it didn't deviate much. Good for consistency, but not really that impactful in terms of overall taste and aroma. With that being said, it wasn't bad as the broth. It was still full of savoury notes including the essence of fermented shrimp and of course coconut milk. It was mildly spicy, yet lacking an overall richness. The noodles were not overdone while the modest amount of ingredients were fine.
Of course we couldn't get out-of-there without ordering the Hainanese Chicken (large order). The ample amount of dark meat was sufficiently tender while a touch on the drier side. With a nice gelatin quality, the chicken skin was soft and buttery. Doused in just the right amount of seasoned soy, the chicken was accented well by the side of sweet chili and ginger & green onion condiment (not overly salty). However, the chicken rice was a bit disappointing as it was too soft and in some parts clumpy (in a mushy way). It did taste good with the essence of chicken oil, ginger and a touch of saltiness. The Brisket Curry was not really all that impressive as it featured a sauce that was thin and bordering on bland (even though there was a good spice level). The worst part was the rice as it could've been used for wallpaper paste. It was so wet and mushy that the individual grains were indiscernible. This was an unfortunate end to a relatively acceptable meal. As for the laksa, I still like the one at Manis so far.
The Good:
- Good Hainanese chicken
- Hurried but efficient service
The Bad:
- Other dishes are average
- The rice (especially the one with the curry) was a disappointment
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