IcePik Shavery

Due to the recent heat wave in Vancity, people have been figuring out ways to stay cool.  With A/C units practically rolling out the door as they were rolled in, Costco and Canadian Tire have been doing pretty good business.  I guess hanging out at the mall or playing ice hockey are several ways to beat the heat, but snacking on cold desserts is another option.  Sure, we got gelato, ice cream, screamers, bubble tea, slushees and the other usual cold treats, but one that is beginning to gain traction is shaved ice.  Now this is not anything new in California as I saw many last Summer, but for Vancouver, we can be a bit slow catching on.

After dining on mediocre Tawainese fare at Kick S Good, we traveled down Kingsway to Icepik Shavery for some jacked up shaved ice. Bear went for something simple in the Vanilla shaved ice with strawberry and lychee popping pearls. Since the ice was shaved so fine, it took on an almost creamy texture while remaining fluffy.  It was lightly sweet which allowed the strawberries and pearls to do their thing.  For myself, I had the Green Tea shaved ice with mochi, grass jelly, mango and lychee jelly.  Again, it wasn't very sweet with only a light green tea essence.  I liked how the mochi balls were a fair size and appealingly chewy.  The diced mango was nicely ripe and sweet which helped flavour the dessert as well as the lychee jelly.

Milhouse went for something different in the Mint shaved ice with mochi, oreo crumble, chocolate chips and grape jelly.  I was surprised at the refreshing quality of the mint ice.  Initially, I ordered the green tea instead of the mint because I thought it would be overpowering.  It wasn't and in fact, very light in flavour.  Therefore, it went well with the sweeter ingredients.  Overall, we enjoyed the shaved ice at IcePik.  They were lightly sweet, airy and refreshing.

The Good:
- Light and creamy shaved ice
- Not too sweet
- Appealing toppings

The Bad:
- Not expensive, but not cheap either
- Lack of seating

Li'l Cheese Steak Spot

The mall food court - a collection of eateries that usually include the following: Japanese teppanyaki, a burger chain, Chinese combo #5, sandwiches, juice bar, slice pizza and french fry joint.  Depending on the size, there will naturally be more options.  But really, it is generally much of the same.  However, with an invite to try out Li'l Cheese Steak Spot in Royal Centre, there appeared to be something different on the horizon.  As per usual, I enlisted the help of Sean to help me in this adventure.

We started off with some salads to whet our palates.  Of the 2, I enjoyed the Black-Eyed Peas the best as it combined onions, olives and cilantro finished with olive oil and lemon juice.  Although super simple, it was appealingly acidic and salty (due to the olives).  As for the Tomato Salad, it consisted of tomatoes, onions and cilantro with olive oil and lemon juice.  This one was much milder and lighter due to the ingredients.  From this I headed straight for the Gumbo made of okra, chicken and smoked sausage atop white rice.  This was a little less rich than other versions I've tried but it was still hearty nonetheless (I'm sure a darker rue might scare some people off).  There was a bevy of ingredients that made this fulfilling.  Flavours were slightly smoky with only a touch of spice.

Moving onto the main event, we sampled both the Beef Cheesesteak and Roast Pork Sandwich.  Believe it or not, we liked the Roast Pork more as it felt more hearty and impactful.  It was dressed with melted cheese, grilled onions, fresh tomatoes, pesto and banana peppers on a hand-made roll.  The pork itself was meaty and tender exhibiting a nice natural flavour.  I thought the ingredients accented well except for the peppers as they were pretty acidic (maybe less of them or none at all?).  While the Cheese Steak was named as such, I considered it more of a shaved prime rib sandwich.  With that in mind, it was a solid sandwich with melt-in-my-mouth beef that was nestled in melted cheese.  Again, I would've enjoyed this even more with less banana peppers (so that the beef and cheese could stand out more).  Overall, I enjoyed the freshly made food at Li'l Cheeses Steak.  It sure beats the deli meats next door at Subway.

*All food was complimentary*

The Good:
- Freshly made-to-order sandwiches
- Meats are good quality

The Bad:
- I would ditch the banana peppers personally (interferes with the natural flavours)

Kick S Good

*Restaurant now closed*

What's in a name?  On the surface, Kick S Good doesn't look much different than Alfred E Neuman (What me worry?).  No, I'm not talking about a freckled faced dude, I'm referring to the middle initial, much like Johnny B Goode.  But upon further examination and reading the name over again, one can make out the real meaning (as in Kick A** Good).  Well, with a name like that, the food better be killer or related to a movie.  Or maybe they specialize in offal?  Whatever the case, we checked it out after our Friday night hockey game.

Being a Taiwanese spot, I decided to go for the classic Fried Squid Tentacles to start. These were firmly crunchy with a slightly oily exterior.  The tentacles were fairly well-seasoned with salt and white pepper.  I didn't even use the sweet chili sauce on the side (not sure if that would even taste good in this case).  For my main, I had the Chicken Steak with black pepper sauce on a sizzling cast iron plate.  This was a large portion of succulent chicken with overcooked spaghetti, crunchy broccoli and a fried egg.  As much as I enjoyed the ample chicken on the plate, the sauce killed the dish.  It was as if they decided to make it into black pepper candy.  The whole thing was far too sugary.

Milhouse went for his standard being the Sweet & Sour Fish (he loves S&S like white BMWs love fender benders in Richmond).  Crunchy on the outside while still flaky and moist on the inside, the basa filets were on point.  We found the sweet & sour sauce to be more sugary than sour though.  Benz had the Satay Beef Hot Pot and it was another large portion of food.  I sampled the broth and it was plenty flavourful but a tad sweet (was there a sale on sugar or something?).  At least there was a noticeable spice level that helped take away from the sugar.  On a more positive note, the ample slices of beef were fairly tender.

On another visit with Milhouse and Bear, we decided to share some items (yay!) beginning with the Crispy Chicken Nuggets.  If you were wondering why was there only one small piece of fried basil on top, well I was wondering the same thing.  I actually had to dig it out to put on top.  As for the nuggets, there were decent being juicy with a light crunch (and skinless).  There was definitely enough seasoning, yet it was mostly salt.  Next, we had the Fried Preserved Duck Eggs with a light drizzle of oyster-based sauce.  This was merely passable since the eggs were really firm and didn't take on any "cooked" quality.  I would've preferred the softer yolk eggs instead.

For our mains, we went for the classic Beef Noodle Soup. We decided to go for the medium spicy version and with a dollop of chili hot oil, there was no absence of kick.  However, beyond that, the soup base itself was weak with very little distinguishing flavours.  There was no depth nor meat flavour present.  The noodles were good though as well as the tender (if not a touch dry) slices of beef shank.  Milhouse was amused with the Gollum Mountain Chicken Nuggets with rice, so he wanted to see how it was.  Well, there was nothing "precious" about the dish, but it was flavourful with a wok toss in chilis, onions and Szechuan peppercorns.  The chicken was no longer crispy, but the meat was tender.

Bear decided to order the same Chicken Steak with black pepper sauce and rice (instead of spaghetti).  Well, despite being a duplicate, it allowed us to check out the consistency.  Sadly, the sauce was just as weak as before which meant it didn't taste right.  The chicken was still juicy, but seared a bit more this time around.  Overall, we found the food after 2 visits to Kick S Good to be more like "mediocre" rather than its namesake.  Unfortunately, Cattle Cafe is only 2 stores down and if we had to compare, Kick S Good isn't as well, good.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Okay pricing
- Free parking

The Bad:
- Mediocre eats
- Seating is odd due to the shape of the restaurant

Ocean Wise 10th Anniversary Dinner @ West

It's becoming increasingly clear that our eating habits have greatly affected the availability of certain seafood items.  For instance, the once plentiful rock fish found in BC waters has nearly disappeared due to over-consumption.  10 years ago, the Ocean Wise program started out to promote sustainable seafood choices.  To celebrate this milestone, Chef Robert Clark (who helped pioneer Ocean Wise) and chef Quang Dang collaborated on an anniversary dinner at West Restaurant. I was invited to help celebrate this achievement by dining on delicious creations consisting of Ocean Wise seafood.

After a round of delicious appetizers, we were seated to begin the 6-course tasting menu.  We were presented with the Side Stripe Shrimp Ceviche to start.  It was elegantly plated with aji amarillo, baby greens and a drizzle of EVOO.  These were buttery and sweet with a subtle meatiness.  The natural aroma of the shrimp really came through while the slight acidity added some brightness.  Next up, we had the Albacore Tuna Tataki with nori scone, salmon roe, sesame vinaigrette and cucumber salad.  The beautifully seared tuna was soft and buttery while maintaining some texture.  The fresh cucumbers provided crunch and brightness.  What brought the whole dish together was the aromatic sesame dressing that had a nice balancing acidity.

Onto the a predominantly green-themed dish, we dug into the Dungeness Crab Tortellini with English peas, mint and watercress sauce.  The oversized tortellini featured firm and toothsome pasta while stuffed with a plethora of fluffy and sweet crab.  Texturally, the crab was on point with an appealing rebound texture.  As for the sauce, it was a touch spicy and acidic with a mild pepperiness.  Pops of sweetness was provided by the firm peas.  Transitioning to the next dish, we also found more green in the Chive Crusted Cape Scott Halibut served with crushed fava beans and fingering potatoes, Northern caviar vinaigrette and chive puree.  Expertly prepared, the halibut was flaky and moist sporting a lightly crisped exterior.  The sweet vinaigrette was offset by the salty and briny caviar.  The herbal essence of the chive remained in the background ensuring the halibut could stand on its own.

From one fish to another, we tackled the Wild BC Sablefish a la Plancha.  Underneath, there was a mix of pickled mushrooms and seaweed, braised daikon and wilted spinach in a dashi broth.  Flaky and buttery, the sablefish melted in my mouth.  It was marginally seasoned where the sweet dashi broth did all the heavy lifting.  Although quite sugary on its own, the broth was counteracted by the pickled mushrooms and veggies on the plate.  Onto dessert, we were served Fresh Raspberries atop a white chocolate mousse and buttermilk brioche.  This was accompanied by a floral syrup and raspberry sorbet.  The raspberries were fresh and ripe that went well with the creamy and only purposefully sweet mousse.  Directly underneath, the caramel crunch added texture and the necessary sugar content.  I wasn't a huge fan of the brioche as it was rather dense and hard.  However, this was the only thing I could possibly criticize.  The meal was practically flawless with well-thought out flavours and progression.  Here's to Ocean Wise and many more anniversaries.

*All food, beverages and gratuities were complimentary*

Cafe de L'Orangerie

Ever since Yoshoku-Ya closed up shop only to reappear as 29th Ave Cafe, there weren't a whole lot of options when it came to Japanese-style Western cuisine.  Now that 29th Ave Cafe is also long gone, that really limits our options.  What we are essentially left with is Cafe L'Orangerie out in Marpole.  I've tried visiting their old location on Granville a few years back, but they closed before we could make it after our softball game.  Well, we finally made it before closing at their new location on 73rd and Hudson.

Since we were pretty famished from losing our softball game, we started with some appies including the Poutine Orangerie-Style with homemade beef stew sauce with mozzarella atop Cavendish fries.  Despite relying on Costco fries, they were prepared crispy and held up well to the sauce.  I found the sauce to be rather thick and mild-tasting with bits of ground beef, onion and mushrooms.  There was a good amount of cheese though.  Next up was the Chicken Karaage which consisted of aggressively battered pieces of dark meat.  As such, it was succulent and pretty juicy.  The crunchy batter was properly seasoned where there was enough saltiness without the need for much mayo.

Rather than having one entree each, we decided to share everything as a table.  Arriving first was the Baked Chicken Curry Doria with a cheesy cream sauce on top of rice and baked.  This was extremely cheesy and rich where there wasn't really much sauce.  There was some saltiness from the cheese to flavour the dish while the chicken was a little dry.  The chewy rice underneath was soaked in the limited amount of cream sauce.  I felt we needed to try a Japanese curry so we got the Curry with Pork Cutlet.  The cutlet itself was thick and nicely breaded where it was crunchy while keeping the moisture in (hence, the pork was tender and moist).  I wasn't a huge fan of the curry though as it was more akin to a split pea soup with very little in distinguishing flavours.  I didn't get much curry and in fact, I didn't even get much of that classic sweetness associated with Japanese curries.

Milhouse thought the Hashed Beef Stew de Creamy Spaghetti and Hamburger Steak looked interesting on the menu (especially with the majestic picture).  Well, the spaghetti was pretty good being somewhat toothsome and completely coated with a thick cream sauce.  It wasn't particularly flavourful, but the textures were appealing.  As for the hamburger steak, it was far too loose with too much filler in the form of onions.  I prefer the firmer versions with only a little onion, not the amount in this one.  The beef stew was the same as the poutine and it was lacking in depth.  We also had another serving of the steak in the Hashed Beef Stew Special with 2 fried prawns and rice.  However, the sauce on top was pretty sweet and thick, which made the dish one note in flavour.  This time, the steak was breaded and fried, which added some texture, but ultimately, the meat was still mushy.

Our last savoury dish was the Chicken Nanban.  Although the tempura batter on the outside was crunchy, it slid off each piece of chicken pretty easily.  Despite this, the chicken itself was moist. We found the sauce to be more sweet than sour while the side of tartar was creamy with some tartness from the pickles.  Moving onto dessert, we sampled 3 items on Bear's insistence.  I gave the Strawberry Roll a try first and if I had to compare, this version falls far behind the one from Cake-Ya.  First of all, the sponge cake was wet and soggy while the whipped cream was a bit clumpy.  Second, there was just not enough strawberries.  This could've been partially due to being late in the day.

Exhibiting the effects of being subjected to high heat and rushed in the cooking process, the Homemade Caramel Pudding was far from smooth.  In fact, air bubbles afflicted the custard from top to bottom which made for a rough texture.  It did taste okay though with some rich caramel hits without being too sugary.  Lastly, the Berry Mochi Parfait with macerated strawberries and blackberries with mochi balls, rolled oats and ice cream.  This was a fairly simple dessert where the soft mochi balls stood out.  Otherwise, the berries were fresh and sweet that went well with the ice cream.  Overall, we though the food at Cafe de L'Orangerie was okay, but lacking slightly in all dishes.  By no means did we dislike the food, it's just that everything could've been better in some way.

The Good:
- Decent portions
- Although hurried, staff are friendly
- Something different

The Bad:
- Dishes are okay, but can be better
- Not expensive, but not cheap either

Hakkasan Bistro

There are certain restaurants that I get wind of due to social media and/or blog posts.  But I tend to set them aside in my mind for another day (because I don't want to overload my brain, it will crash due to lack of RAM).  So when we were scheduled to visit Hakkasan Bistro for a ChineseBites dinner, I wasn't really aware where it was located.  I have always assumed it was situated in restaurant central aka #3 Road (or accidene central to some).  Little did I know that it would be smack dab in the middle of a predominantly industrial area on #5 Road near the International Night Market.

Let's just say one wouldn't expect such a nice little place would exist amongst auto modification shops (actually, I almost missed the restaurant because I was admiring all the nice tricked-out cars...).  So onto the food, we were presented with the Honey Roasted Pork Cheeks which did its best impersonation of BBQ pork.  Now unlike BBQ Pork, the meat was much more uniform in texture with the classic rebound and buttery chewiness.  Sweet with definite caramelization, the cheeks featured an appealing bark on the outside. With what I can only describe as one of the best dishes I've had in a long time, we were served one Whole Coconut Pork & Snow Fungus Soup each.  Normally, most serving vessels are meant for visuals and wow factor.  Not in this case as the sweet flavourful chicken broth took on the aromatics of coconut.  Each nugget of pork was succulent while the crunch of the snow fungus added texture.  The best part was when we scraped off the tender coconut meat on the inside, pure enjoyment right there.

Majestically-plated, the Steamed Odorless Garlic Lobster atop Jasmine rice was served next.  As much as there was a significant amount of minced garlic enveloping the pieces of lobster, the taste was subtle and yes "odorless".  I was a bit torn with this as I appreciated the fact Viv would still kiss me when I got home, but at the same time, the dish was missing pungency.  Despite this, the lobster itself was cooked beautifully being tender with the classic rebound texture.  As for the rice, I felt there was too much of it where there wasn't enough lobster juices to go around.  Furthermore, it was mushy due to the moisture involved.  Possibly a fried rice base would've been better.  On the other hand, the rice was necessary for the subsequent dishes such as the Ancient Style Salt Baked Chicken.  Wrapped in parchment, buried with salt and baked in a clay pot, the result was a intensely-flavoured chicken which exhibited a concentrated natural sweetness accented by the saltiness.  The meat was also moist as the chicken cooked in its own juices.

The wow factor continued with the really large Braised Pork Hock served with mini-mantou.  I took the reigns in divvying it up and for the most part, it cut like butter.  Naturally, there were some drier parts due to the lack of fat or collagen.  Yet, the majority of the meat was gelatinous and fork tender.  It was also well-seasoned with the silky sauce (thanks not only to starch, but the gelatin from the pork hock) having a sweeter flavour.  With all this meat, it was only a matter of time we moved onto a veggie dish (well, if we wanted a more balanced meal that is...).  It happened to be the Stir-Fried Yau Choy dressed with a mui choy "sauce".  I put sauce in quotations because it was more like a glaze with bits of salty pickled mui choy.  The yau choy was cooked up properly (albeit a touch greasy) where it retained a vibrant crunch as well as retaining a rich green colour.

Next, we were presented with the Hakka Homestyle Steamed Egg with ground pork and salted duck egg yolk.  I make this dish at home often, but this one was much more refined with silky egg that did not exhibit any air bubbles nor excess water.  Hidden inside was well-spread out and moist ground pork while the whole thing was topped with stir-fried salted duck yolk.  Our last savouy item was the Stir-fried Fish with Pickled Cabbage.  I felt this was the weakest dish of the meal as there was far too much grease.  The entire dish felt heavy and was not pleasing to the palate.  As much as the fish was flaky and moist, the exterior was completely oil-logged.  Furthermore, the dish was over-seasoned being quite salty.

We ended off things with a light dessert being the Steamed Milk Egg White Custard.  It was extremely delicate and beyond silky.  What I mean is that the custard almost had no texture at all, hence it ate very easy.  In terms of taste, there was very little sugar which meat I could actually taste the egg whites.  This was probably the best way to finish off what was heavy meal. Overall, I was quite impressed with several of the dishes including the pork cheek, coconut soup and steamed egg.  It definitely piques my interest where I would probably be back to investigate the menu further.

*All food, beverages and gratuities were complimentary*

The Good:
- Some good flavours at work
- Nice little dining space

The Bad:
- A little out of the way
- Stir-fried items heavy on the grease