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Sometimes, certain restaurants are the victim of similarly sounding names. That happens all the time with Chinese restaurants as every other one has the word golden in it. With Nu Chinese Bistro, one can easily confuse it with the closed Nu Shanghainese Bistro. Also, one might find themselves on Granville Street at the closed Nu Restaurant. Even the actual Nu Chinese Bistro is hard to find within the complex it calls home. If I hadn't visited the nearby Garden City Hot Pot, I wouldn't even know how to find the place. Finally once inside, I joined the ChineseBites crew for a complimentary tasting.
To start it all off, we were presented with 3 cold appetizers including a seemingly simple dish of Sautéed Black Fungus. Well, I have to say that whatever they did to rehydrate the wood ear mushrooms, it was a job well done. These were tender, lightly crunchy and almost buttery. After a few initial chews, the hit of wasabi was unmistakable. Next up was the Soy-Braised Kaofu Bran with bamboo shoots and the same buttery wood ear mushrooms. This was a fairly sweet dish where the gluten soaked up all the sauce. This was mostly a study of different chewy textures.
Also rather sweet was the Traditional Shanghai Smoked Fish that was sitting in a sugary soy mixture. The fish itself was mildly smoked while taking on the sweetness of the sauce. Texturally, it was overly firm where it was more chewy than anything. Normally, I prefer my smoked fish to be a bit more moist. Onto something hot, we were served the Xiao Long Bao. These featured a fairly thin and appealingly chewy dumpling skin. Inside, there was a significant amount of soup that was lightly sweet but lacking in wine flavour. I enjoyed how the meat filling was not overprocessed, but it was rather dry and chewy.
We moved to the Clay Pot Wonton Chicken Soup next with was split in smaller bowls. This was a concoction consisting of pea shoots, free-range chicken, wood ear mushrooms, young bamboo and wontons. I found the broth to be light and clean without excess seasoning. It was naturally sweet from the chicken and pea shoots. Texturally, I enjoyed the crunch of the veggies including the young bamboo. After that, 2 orders of the Special Beef Wrap arrived. The pancake itself appeared to be fried with a golden blistered exterior. I found it to be doughy and dense. Inside, the gelatinized beef shank was nicely textured and seasoned. There was just enough hoisin, cucumber and scallions for impact.
Majestically-plated, the BC Dungeness Crab with Fried Shanghai Rice Cake was also a large portion. Interestingly, they removed most of the crab brains to my dismay. As for the crab itself, the meat was strangely soft, but was still fluffy and sweet. I found the sauce to be a bit salty and fairly greasy. The rice cakes were cooked far too long where it became doughy with a melted consistency. Well, a Chinese meal is not complete without some Stone Pot Braised Pork Belly Shanghainese Style right? Well, this serving of pork belly was fatty as expected. However, the meat portion was a bit chewy (yet still tender enough). I found the sauce to be greasy (but understandable due to the ingredients) and on the sweeter side.
It was relief to see a lighter dish, the Steamed Silky Tofu with Seafood, arrive after the pork belly. The dish lived up to its namesake with tender and soft tofu topped with a starch-thickened sauce consisting of shrimp, scallop, squid and veggies. All the seafood was on point texturally while the sauce was mildly salty. Back to the pork, we had the Zhenjiang Style Ribs. I thought this was a decent offering with big chunks of tender pork rib that still maintained a meaty chew. The black vinegar came through in the sauce with sweetness and a mild tang. On the other hand, there could've been just a little less sauce as it the dish was a bit sloppy.
Fulfilling our veggie quotient for the meal, we were presented with the Fried Green Beans with Minced Pork. Although looking pleasant, this dish was ultimately a disappointment because the beans were flash-fried too long. As a result they were soft and lacking the needed crunch. Furthermore, there wasn't enough seasoning and spice. However, that was not a problem at all with the Szechuan-Style Boiled Fish. With a broth consisting of red chilis and Szechuan Peppercorns, the dish truly had a tongue-numbing hit. However, it wasn't overwhelming since we could actually taste the other ingredients. As for the Basa, it was cooked just enough being buttery and flaky.
Continuing the gluttony, we had the whole Xiang Jiang Tea Smoked Duck which sported a well-rendered and crispy skin. However, by virtue of that, the rest of the duck was inconsistent. For the breast meat, it was rather dry while the dark meat was still succulent. There was definitely enough salt to flavour the entire duck, but the smoke didn't come through. Onto our last savoury item, we had the Black Pepper Beef. I found the dish to be pretty greasy with an obvious sheen. The eggplant was nicely textured where it wasn't mushy. I thought the beef could've been tenderized more as it was chewy. Flavourwise, the dish exhibited a background pepperiness.
For dessert, the Eight Jewel Sweet Rice was pretty colourful and ultimately interesting. There was an array of dried fruit to go with the sweet red bean filling. With an aggressive drizzle of syrup, the whole dish was very sugary. I thought the rice was a little dry in spots as well. This was a rich and heavy finish to an uneven meal. Interestingly, we noticed that the service in the restaurant was courteous while hardly attentive. In terms of the food, there was definitely some highlights, but an equal amount of average dishes. Based on the amount of dishes we tried, a meal at Nu Chinese Bistro can be serviceable, if not unspectacular.
*All food and gratuities were complimentary*
The Good:
- Modern and comfortable dining space
- Serviceable eats
The Bad:
- Serviceable, but not particularly memorable either
- Inattentive service
Originally, Milhouse and I were going for ramen after Sunday morning hockey. But JuJu threw out a suggestion that we should try some Korean fried chicken at Dasarang on North Road. That sounded great as it had been on my wish list for years now. However, JuJu wasn't joining us... Something about spending time with his family... pfffft... Didn't matter to us as we still headed there with the intention of ordering too much food.
With that firmly planted in our minds, we ended up ordering the half and half of the regular Fried Chicken and Yangnyeon Chicken. We found the regular to crispy on the outside while succulent and well-seasoned on the inside. The best analogy would be Church's Fried Chicken, except not as salty. As for the spicy, it was sticky and sweet with only a touch of heat. The chicken was similar to the regular, but more wet due to the sauce. Of course that wouldn't be enough food right? Well, not for us as at least. We also had something similar in the Chicken Tang Soo Yuk. Each large nugget of chicken was moist with only a modest layer of batter. It was sweet and spicy, but a bit more spicy than the previous dish.
Lastly, we had the Pineapple Fried Rice. I wasn't a huge fan of it because it was too wet and rather lifeless in flavour. It didn't seem like there was enough wok heat (and/or the rice was too wet to begin with). Although not super greasy, the rice went down a touch oily. Since I wanted to try a few more dishes, I returned one day for lunch by myself. Guess who was already there? Yes, JuJu... Isn't that ironic, don't you think? Well, I got the Kimchi Fried Rice to see if the aforementioned dish was a one-off. Well, it wasn't. This fried rice was very greasy and ate as such. On the other hand, it was flavouful with just the right amount of spice and acidity. The rice was chewy as well.
I also got the Fishcake Soup Noodles and boy was it a large bowl. Steaming hot and full of slippery (somewhat soft) noodles, this would be really satisfying if it were Winter. Alas, it was 30 degrees outside... Anyways, the soup base was light and a bit sweet (while lacking depth) where the various fishcake ensured that I would be full. So from my 2 visits to Dasarang, it is pretty clear they make some good fried chicken. However, the rest of the food is pretty average.
The Good:
- Tasty fried chicken
- Despite being sparse, the service was decent both times
The Bad:
- Everything other than the fried chicken that I tried was average
- Service okay, but limited to one person
What if I told you that there is a place where streets are lined with prime rib and it rains roast pork? How about the only vegetables in existence are breaded and fried? This either sounds like utopia for some or a complete nightmare for vegetarians/vegans. Welcome to Meat City where the streets aren't really lined with prime rib, but we can only dream right? Located on Davie, Meat City Sandwiches is the brainchild of onetime BC Lion and former contestant on Masterchef Canada, Jon Hameister-Ries. Milhouse and I decided to check the place out after a session of Sunday morning hockey.
We noticed that the best way to try everything on the menu was to go for their World Platter for 2 consisting of Roast Porchetta, Roast Chicken and Slow Roasted Prime Rib. Rounding out the platter was House-made Kettle Chips, Chili-Lime Corn on the Cob, Fried Green Beans & Aspargus, Mac n' Cheese, sauces and bread. In our opinion, $30.00 is a fair price for the amount of food. I went straight for the Prime Rib first and since it was predominantly the cap portion, the meat was fatty and super tender. There was very little chewing needed as it almost melted in our mouths. It was amply seasoned, so it could stand on its own, but at the same time it went well with the Horsy Mustayo (as it provided a mild bite and tang). Next, we dug into the whole Roast Chicken Leg that had been brined for 2 days. As such, it was succulent and flavourful. One by-product of the super tender meat, the chicken skin wasn't rendered enough. The sauce that went the best with this were the Smoky Onion Chickenaise and Spinach Artichoke Sauce.
The last meat we tried was the Porchetta and it was only mildly fatty. It wasn't exactly melt-in-our mouths tender, but it was tender nonetheless. Again, it was well-seasoned where the side of Swinesa Verde added a garlicky and herb essence. Unfortunately, we didn't get any crackling (as with the sandwich). All of the aforementioned sauces were good for the Homemade Chips including the Garlic Dip. These thick-cut potato chips were firmly crunchy and nicely seasoned. Equally crunchy, the Fried Beans and Asparagus were coated with just enough breading (which stayed adhered to each piece). My favourite side was the Chili-Lime Corn which featured intense flavours from the spicy salt with a touch of lime at the end. On the other hand, the corn was a bit dry. The big bowl of Mac n' Cheese was super buttery with clumps of intermittent cheese. The noodles were a touch soft while the ample crumble added texture. Believe it or not, we finished the platter (well, Milhouse did most of the heavy lifting). The pork could've been more succulent, but most of the other items were pretty good. Lastly, it would've been nice if someone provided descriptions of what was exactly on the platter (especially the sauces).
The Good:
- Sides were not bad
- Prime rib and chicken on point
- Okay pricing
The Bad:
- Porchetta could be more succulent
- Corn could be less dry
While we were dining at Chicha the previous week, the look on Boss Woman's face was akin to foodie being stuck at Knight & Day. However, it had nothing to do with the food as it was pretty tasty. The real reason was that she wanted to do hot pot and with impending warmer days ahead, the window was closing fast. So with rain in the forecast, I decided to buy a Groupon for Chongqing Qinma Hot Pot in Richmond. Hey, why not give Boss Woman something to smile about and save a bit of cash.
Since it was a Monday evening, the large 2nd floor restaurant was fairly empty. Strangely, this didn't translate to attentive service. Somehow, the servers were far and few in-between. Now they weren't rude or anything, they were just absent. Onto the food, we decided to go for the Half-and-Half Broth consisting of Pork Bone and Spicy. Both were fairly salty, but okay since we were dunking bland items into it. The spicy half was pretty potent with quite a few Szechuan peppercorns. Unlike the frozen ones we had at Chubby Lamb, the Meatballs here were freshly made and were fairly decent. Interestingly, the beef meatballs were not over-processed, hence they retained some natural chewiness, which was welcomed.
Onto the meats, we got a pretty large plate of Beef which looked appealing. These were sliced thin and cooked up quickly. The meat was fairly tender (dependent on us removing it immediately). We also got a plate each of the Fatty Beef, Lamb and Pork as well. Yup, the fatty beef pretty much lived up to its name, but in reality, we would've much preferred marbled beef rather than the large strip of fat in the middle of the slices of beef. Also sliced thin, the lamb emulated the beef by being soft and moist assuming we didn't leave it in the boiling broth too long. On the other hand, the slices of lean pork were a bit drier and chewier, even if we paid close attention to the cooking process.
Moving away from red meat, we had a plate that consisted of a mish mash of items including Deboned Chicken Claws, Cuttlefish, Squid, Tendon, Quail Eggs, Squid, Chicken Wings and Tripe. I guess they wanted to construct a plate of differing shades of white. Of note, the wings turned out to be pretty succulent while the tripe was surprisingly soft (due to proper rinsing and tenderization). I enjoyed the chicken claws, but they weren't really deboned completely as I got some surprise bones. The next plate was simple with Kiwi Mussels, White Shrimp and Oysters. The mussels were the typical frozen variety which could've been defrosted a bit more. There was nothing amiss with the oysters and shrimp as they cooked up nicely with the expected textures.
Other than some veggies (which I didn't bother taking pictures of), we got a plate that included Tofu, Tofu Puffs, Woodear Mushrooms, Bean Curd Stick and Fresh Noodles. Nothing particularly out-of-the-ordinary nor interesting with these items other than the noodles, as they were chewy and a bit doughy. Of course, I had to get an order of the Beef Tongue because what's hot pot without tongue? Well, these were sliced thin and cooked up relatively tender (chewy side of tender). However, it was a chore finding them as they shrunk to small little bits. Overall, we were satisfied with the hot pot at Chongqing Qinma. It didn't stand out amongst its peers in Richmond, but didn't fail either. Service was okay, but rather inattentive. Also, the restaurant could've use a slight cleaning.
The Good:
- Flavourful broth
- Nothing particularly amiss
The Bad:
- Slow service
- Restaurant could be cleaner
It's been awhile since Bam Bam has played for our softball team. In fact, he hasn't been out all season due to his archery class. Archery class? Maybe he should change his name to Robin Hood and wear green tights. Yes, that would be a sight to see, much like the Kardashians at Nobu in L.A.. Anyways, he finally made it out to a game and brought along Maid Marion, er.. I mean Pebbles. I immediately asked the most important question, "where are we eating afterwards?". She remarked that a burger would be nice, so we headed off to Splitz Grill on Main. Well, that was an epic fail as they were already closed as of 8:00pm. Looking across the street, we decided on Mui Garden as our backup plan.
After the complimentary daily soup, we dived right into our 8 dishes starting with the Hainanese Chicken complete with 2 buckets of chicken oil rice. Although it was the lean free-range variety, the meat was still succulent while sporting a nice layer of gelatin and gelatinized skin. The half chicken was rather meaty and large while sporting enough seasoning. Our 2 buckets of rice had a nice nutty and chewy quality with only a moderate amount of salt. If we were going to have one of their 2 signature items, we weren't going to get out of there without the Curry Beef Brisket. Despite being a curry, this Malay version featured a significant amount of coconut milk to make the whole thing mild and creamy. A bit small in size, the chunks of brisket were sufficiently moist and fatty.
At first, I was hesitant to order the Braised Pork Belly with pickled mustard greens. Hey, it's not the most healthiest of options! Well, was I ever wrong as the group devoured it from the start. Although the dish lacked colour and overall depth, the pork belly itself was on point being meaty with just enough fat to keep things moist and rich. There was enough sweet soy and salty tartness (from the mustard greens) to flavour the dish. Onto another hot pot item, we had the Fish & Tofu Hot Pot. It was a very well-executed dish where the big filets of fish were fried beautifully. The meat was super flaky and moist while sporting on a very thin layer of batter. With just enough oyster-based sauce to coat all of the ingredients, the seasoning was bang on.
Moving onto some veggies, we had the classic Gai Lan with Beef. This was glistening much like a pubescent boy's forehead. However, this also meant there was a good amount of wok heat that kept the moisture level to a minimum. Hence, the gai lan stalks were vibrant and crunchy. The sparse amount of sliced beef was properly tenderized and amply seasoned. I enjoyed this dish, but the oil content was rather excessive. Next, the 4 Seasons Green Beans were also respectable. Properly oil-blanched where the beans were fully cooked, they still maintained a fresh crunch. With enough wok heat that resulted in caramelized flavours, it also kept the dish dry (which is a good thing). Again, the dish was seasoned nicely with some spice to go along with the salty and briny dried shrimp.
Since I value my life, I got the Scrambled Eggs and Shrimp for Boss Woman because she loves the dish (even without any prompting). A bit pale in colour, the eggs were on the wetter side. Therefore, the dish was soft and a touch lifeless. With that being said, the flavours were good while the shrimp were mostly crunchy. Lastly, for the benefit of Milhouse, I got an order of the Sweet & Sour Pork. Obviously refried, the chunks of pork were a touch dry and chewy. As for the sauce, it was rather sweet due to the pineapple and lychee. There was also too much of it as it drowned the pork. Although the last 2 dishes were pretty average, the meal as a whole was decent and reasonably-priced. Not bad for a backup meal of sorts.
The Good:
- Reasonably-priced for the portion size
- Surprisingly good service
The Bad:
- Some dishes could use more refinement, but okay nonetheless
- Restaurant a bit run down
Posts
Sometimes, certain restaurants are the victim of similarly sounding names. That happens all the time with Chinese restaurants as every other one has the word golden in it. With Nu Chinese Bistro, one can easily confuse it with the closed Nu Shanghainese Bistro. Also, one might find themselves on Granville Street at the closed Nu Restaurant. Even the actual Nu Chinese Bistro is hard to find within the complex it calls home. If I hadn't visited the nearby Garden City Hot Pot, I wouldn't even know how to find the place. Finally once inside, I joined the ChineseBites crew for a complimentary tasting.
To start it all off, we were presented with 3 cold appetizers including a seemingly simple dish of Sautéed Black Fungus. Well, I have to say that whatever they did to rehydrate the wood ear mushrooms, it was a job well done. These were tender, lightly crunchy and almost buttery. After a few initial chews, the hit of wasabi was unmistakable. Next up was the Soy-Braised Kaofu Bran with bamboo shoots and the same buttery wood ear mushrooms. This was a fairly sweet dish where the gluten soaked up all the sauce. This was mostly a study of different chewy textures.
Also rather sweet was the Traditional Shanghai Smoked Fish that was sitting in a sugary soy mixture. The fish itself was mildly smoked while taking on the sweetness of the sauce. Texturally, it was overly firm where it was more chewy than anything. Normally, I prefer my smoked fish to be a bit more moist. Onto something hot, we were served the Xiao Long Bao. These featured a fairly thin and appealingly chewy dumpling skin. Inside, there was a significant amount of soup that was lightly sweet but lacking in wine flavour. I enjoyed how the meat filling was not overprocessed, but it was rather dry and chewy.
We moved to the Clay Pot Wonton Chicken Soup next with was split in smaller bowls. This was a concoction consisting of pea shoots, free-range chicken, wood ear mushrooms, young bamboo and wontons. I found the broth to be light and clean without excess seasoning. It was naturally sweet from the chicken and pea shoots. Texturally, I enjoyed the crunch of the veggies including the young bamboo. After that, 2 orders of the Special Beef Wrap arrived. The pancake itself appeared to be fried with a golden blistered exterior. I found it to be doughy and dense. Inside, the gelatinized beef shank was nicely textured and seasoned. There was just enough hoisin, cucumber and scallions for impact.
Majestically-plated, the BC Dungeness Crab with Fried Shanghai Rice Cake was also a large portion. Interestingly, they removed most of the crab brains to my dismay. As for the crab itself, the meat was strangely soft, but was still fluffy and sweet. I found the sauce to be a bit salty and fairly greasy. The rice cakes were cooked far too long where it became doughy with a melted consistency. Well, a Chinese meal is not complete without some Stone Pot Braised Pork Belly Shanghainese Style right? Well, this serving of pork belly was fatty as expected. However, the meat portion was a bit chewy (yet still tender enough). I found the sauce to be greasy (but understandable due to the ingredients) and on the sweeter side.
It was relief to see a lighter dish, the Steamed Silky Tofu with Seafood, arrive after the pork belly. The dish lived up to its namesake with tender and soft tofu topped with a starch-thickened sauce consisting of shrimp, scallop, squid and veggies. All the seafood was on point texturally while the sauce was mildly salty. Back to the pork, we had the Zhenjiang Style Ribs. I thought this was a decent offering with big chunks of tender pork rib that still maintained a meaty chew. The black vinegar came through in the sauce with sweetness and a mild tang. On the other hand, there could've been just a little less sauce as it the dish was a bit sloppy.
Fulfilling our veggie quotient for the meal, we were presented with the Fried Green Beans with Minced Pork. Although looking pleasant, this dish was ultimately a disappointment because the beans were flash-fried too long. As a result they were soft and lacking the needed crunch. Furthermore, there wasn't enough seasoning and spice. However, that was not a problem at all with the Szechuan-Style Boiled Fish. With a broth consisting of red chilis and Szechuan Peppercorns, the dish truly had a tongue-numbing hit. However, it wasn't overwhelming since we could actually taste the other ingredients. As for the Basa, it was cooked just enough being buttery and flaky.
Continuing the gluttony, we had the whole Xiang Jiang Tea Smoked Duck which sported a well-rendered and crispy skin. However, by virtue of that, the rest of the duck was inconsistent. For the breast meat, it was rather dry while the dark meat was still succulent. There was definitely enough salt to flavour the entire duck, but the smoke didn't come through. Onto our last savoury item, we had the Black Pepper Beef. I found the dish to be pretty greasy with an obvious sheen. The eggplant was nicely textured where it wasn't mushy. I thought the beef could've been tenderized more as it was chewy. Flavourwise, the dish exhibited a background pepperiness.
For dessert, the Eight Jewel Sweet Rice was pretty colourful and ultimately interesting. There was an array of dried fruit to go with the sweet red bean filling. With an aggressive drizzle of syrup, the whole dish was very sugary. I thought the rice was a little dry in spots as well. This was a rich and heavy finish to an uneven meal. Interestingly, we noticed that the service in the restaurant was courteous while hardly attentive. In terms of the food, there was definitely some highlights, but an equal amount of average dishes. Based on the amount of dishes we tried, a meal at Nu Chinese Bistro can be serviceable, if not unspectacular.
