Copa Cafe (Coquitlam)

The day before, I had visited Copa Cafe in Vancouver for the first time in nearly 6 years.  So you'd think that plenty of time would have to pass before I make my next visit right?  Well, how about hitting up Copa Cafe in Coquitlam the very next day?  Well, it wasn't because I was super excited about my meal that I had to have it all over again within 24 hours.  Rather, I went for dinner at Copa Coquitlam somewhat recently, but in my mind I didn't try enough dishes.  So we needed to return to complete this post! 

We went for the ol' standby with the Baked Pork Chop on Rice.  Alright, let me get this out of the way first...  I don't mind cooked onions, but I'm not particularly fond of raw ones especially if it is not integral to the dish (ie. authentic tacos).  So when I found barely cooked white onions underneath the pork chop, I had to pick them out (for the kiddies as well).  Without any type of caramelization nor seasoning, the onions only served to add a sharp taste that detracted from the already mild sauce.  With that being said, the pork chop itself was fried up with a light breading and was tender to the chew.  Next up, we had the Linguine Bolognese which was a backup plan of sorts if the kiddies rejected the pork chop rice.  We found the pasta to be on the softer side without visiting mushville.  As for the HK-style cafe interpretation of bolognese, this one featured sweet (cooked!) onions, carrots and tender ground beef all in a sweet and thick tomato-based sauce.

For myself, I went big with the B+B+B Meal where I chose Fried Sole, Steak and Ox Tongue with a side of linguine and mushroom cream sauce.  We thought most of the proteins were well-executed as the fish was crispy and flaky while the ox tongue was fatty and moist.  However, the steak was well-done and very chewy.  As for the mushroom sauce, it was thick but really bland.  It lacked any discernible flavours.  I decided to upgrade my included soup with the Lobster Bisque topped by a puff pastry lid.  The soup was a little thin, but not lacking in lobster shell essence.  It was certainly there in full-force with plenty of help from the lobster shells.  Although it was bordering on salty, it wasn't quite there yet.  The small nuggets of meat were still bouncy in texture.

On another visit, I decided to continue the lobster theme by ordering the Lobster Linguine.  Similar in flavour as the bisque but watered down somewhat, the dish was very large in portion size.  I found the pasta far too soft and it only got softer with the amount of sauce.  Furthermore, the amount of pasta helped dilute the impact of the sauce (even though there was plenty of it).  Initially, Viv was apprehensive in ordering the Curry Beef Brisket with rice.  The reason for this is that this dish is often too mild at HK-style cafes.  Well, not in this case.  It was pretty spicy and with a drizzle of chili oil on top, it was even more so.  Although presented in little chunks, the brisket was tender and fatty.

A rather surprising dish was the half-Hainanese Chicken.  Copa Cafe would not seem like the right place to order such an item, but it was decent.  First of all, they must've used a chicken on steroids because it was meaty and as you can see in the picture, filled up the plate.  Second, it was poached properly where the meat was moist and the skin had gelatinized.  Despite some issues here and there, the meals we had at Copa Coquitlam were decent.  Considering the lack of competition in the area, they don't have to worry about an empty restaurant.  Compared to the Vancouver location, we felt that Coquitlam seemed to be a bit better (despite online reviews indicating the reverse).

The Good:
- Large portions
- Efficient service
- Fair pricing

The Bad:
- Not outstanding, but good for the area
- Efficient service, but a little hurried

Copa Cafe (Vancouver)

"I want to eat Asian", boldly stated by Chill after our softball game.  At that point I wasn't sure if he was referring to food or something more along the lines of Rob Ford...  Whatever the case, we had to figure out where to go that would help us beat the heat (ie. cold drinks in an A/C environment).  So off we went to Copa Cafe on Cambie since it seemed to fit all of our individual requirements.  This revisit of sorts has been delayed for a few years since Copa struggled with some inconsistencies.  We were hoping they had worked everything out.

Much to the delight of Boss Woman, we shared a bunch of dishes amongst a few of us.  Of course her selection was as obvious as a bike lane in Downtown.  Yes, she selected the Scrambled Eggs and Shrimp on Rice Noodles.  This was pretty good with flat rice noodles that were only mildly greasy and nicely kissed by a hot wok.  On top, the starch-thickened scrambled egg sauce was silky while being well-seasoned.  The decent amount of shrimp were meaty and only slightly overdone.  For myself, I chose the HK-Style Cafe classic - Linguine Bolognese.  Well, usually it is with spaghetti, but they like to use linguine here for some reason.  I found the pasta to be a bit too soft, but it wasn't mushy either.  The sauce was pretty dry for some reason and did not coat all the noodles sufficiently.  It was meaty though with the classic sweet onion taste accented by star anise and melted cheese.

Bear decided on another classic being the Baked Pork Chop Rice.  Now this one was saucy where the rice was adequately coated.  I particularly liked the pieces of tart tomato as it livened up the usually pretty mild watered-down ketchup-based sauce.  As for the pork chop, it was firm yet tender while coated with a thin layer of breading.  I liked how it wasn't mushy.  The rice was nicely wok-fried where it didn't get too wet with the sauce.  Milhouse went off the board somewhat and ordered the Baked Grouper Florentine Style.  Even though there was ample mild cream sauce on top, I felt it wasn't enough for the rice as it remained rather dry.  The fish was good though being flaky and moist.

Judes decided to go for the Assorted Meat Chow Mein which was the weakest dish we had by far.  The noodles were super crispy (which was actually a good thing), but there was way too little sauce to make an impact.  Hence, the whole dish was dry despite the ample amount of BBQ pork, chicken, sprouts and veggies.  The lack of sauce also meant the dish didn't exhibit any real flavour either.  To ensure our eating satisfaction, I suggested we add the B+B Combo consisting of chicken steak and fried cod filet with black pepper sauce.  This was nicely done with a succulent deboned chicken leg that was nicely crisped up.  The fish was breaded lightly and fried until golden brown while sporting a moist interior.  Peppery and salty, the sauce was impactful.

One last dish was the Portuguese Chicken on rice in a hot stone bowl.  As much as there was seemingly a good amount of sauce on top, the dish was crying out for moisture.  The rice ended up to be dry (due to the hot stone bowl), which was actually appealing, but without enough sauce, it was hard to eat.  Furthermore, there was a complete lack of flavour such as the classic coconut milk and sweetness.  At the very least, the chicken was moist.  As part of B+B combo, we also had a bowl of Borscht on the table.  Yes, it is the HK-style cafe version, but it was decent with lots of bold acidity and bite.  It was also loaded with ingredients.  Overall, we thought the food was okay, but not in the same league as Gloucester down the street. Portions and pricing were good though, especially being mini-meals (which included a bevy).

The Good:
- Decent portions
- Well-priced
- Comfortable seating

The Bad:
- Average eats
- Dishes were dry
- Service was sparse

Menchie's

There is no doubt in my mind if there was a Menchie's located closer to my house, my daughter would beg me to go every day.  She practically lives on the stuff.  On the other hand, my son has been a bystander on every visit.  You couldn't pay him enough to eat froyo.  But with the introduction of the Oreo Cookie flavour, there was hope.  You see, his treat of choice is Oreos.  So if one combines a preferred food item to a non-preferred food item, there is the possibility of acceptance.  We raced to the nearest Menchie's to test this theory out.

So without further ado, we pounced on the Oreo Cookie froyo and he proceeded to top it off with even more Oreos in the form of bits and a whole cookie.  Marshmallows, white chocolate chips and Reese Pieces were thrown in for good measure.  Just like the old commercials with Life cereal... "he likes it, he likes it!!!".  Yes, he ate it willingly, success!  Personally, I thought it was rather sweet, but what do I know, the kiddies seemed to love it.  My daughter was allowed to make her own which helps explain why it wasn't exactly photogenic.  She went for the Blueberry with assorted sour candies, marshmallows and chocolate chips on top as well some waffle pieces. I usually dislike anything blueberry flavoured because it just doesn't have much impact.  Well, this one wasn't bad and not overly sweet either.

For #MenchiesMyWay creation, I went for a combo of Peach Sorbet and Mango froyo with fresh strawberries, pineapple, mochi, popping pearls and a fuzzy peach gummy (my daughter's idea).  I liked the mango as it was creamy and purposefully sweet.  As expected, the peach sorbet was sweeter and really didn't taste too much like real peach.  I liked how it wasn't icy though, even for a sorbet.  Now here comes the good part, for a chance to win a Menchie's Summer VIP Pass (with 7 complimentary visits to any Menchie's across Canada), follow these 2 steps:

- Follow @Menchies_CA and @sherman38 on Twitter and/or Instagram
- Tweet/share an image of your own Menchie's creation with the hashtag #MenchiesMyWay: "Name of your creation" @Menchies_CA @sherman38

Deadline for entry is July 27th at midnight.  I will select the winning entry based on presentation and an awesome name for your creation.  Good Luck!

*2 of the 3 froyos were complimentary for this post*

The Good:
- Plenty of choice for froyo and toppings
- Smooth and not tart

The Bad:
- Some flavours are quite sweet (but the kids seem to like these the best...)
- Can get pricey if you pile it on

Menchie's
146 Brew St, Port Moody
(604) 492-0707

Todai Sushi & Grill

Unlike Lower Lonsdale, Hastings in Burnaby and even tiny Ladner, there aren't a whole lot of Japanese restaurants in North Delta.  To further compound the problem, the ones that are located in North Delta are nothing to write home about.  Without much competition, Minori has become the default "best" of a sorry bunch year after year.  However, a new competitor has opened up shop in the ol' Gawa Sushi location, which incidentally is across the street from the aforementioned Minori.

For my first visit, I decided to get a taste of everything with the Sushi & Sashimi Box.  This was a substantial amount of food consisting of tempura, sashimi (salmon, tuna, tai, ebi and tuna tataki), rice, sunomono salad, nigiri and chicken teriyaki.  I thought the sashimi was quite good including the appealing sockeye salmon.  The tempura was on the greasier side, yet crispy.  Interestingly, the chicken teriyaki was made of white meat, but they managed to keep it moist.  On my next visit with Bookworm, he had the same box which looked exactly the same (consistency I guess).  I started with the Ebi Mayo Salad which was not very good.  The greens were overdressed with an extremely oily dressing.  Chewy and overcooked, the ebi were not coated with enough batter.  The chili mayo was quite nice though.

For my next dish, I went for the Awesome Roll, which appeared to be decently constructed.  It was comprised of spicy chopped scallop, tobiko and cucumber topped with fried snapper and more tobiko. Each piece stayed together, yet at the same time, the rice was a touch on the drier side.  Although there was a good amount of sauce, it wasn't overwhelming.  Since I was in the area, I decided to give Todai one more visit.  I chose the Chicken Karaage as my starter and it arrived piping hot.  So hot, that I burnt my lip!  It was made with breast meat with barely any batter.  Hence, the exterior was more chewy than crispy.  Inside, the meat was decently moist for white meat.  It was mildly seasoned where the lemon wedge was necessary.  I would've liked some sweet mayo to add both moisture and extra flavour.

My last item was the Katsu Don featuring a large tonkatsu on top of an omelet and rice. I felt this dish was well-executed and portioned.  The tonkatsu was meaty while still tender with an appealingly crunchy breading.  It was topped with enough tangy tonkatsu sauce to flavour the rice as well.  About that rice, it was on the drier side, but that was okay as I prefer that over mushy.  Although not the most amazing Japanese food I've ever had, Todai is far and away better than the joint it replaced.  In terms of value and quality, Todai is worthy of a visit.

The Good:
- Well-portioned dishes
- Decent eats
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- I found the rice a bit dry for my tastes
- Some of the fried items (ebi mayo and chicken karaage) could've used more batter

The Railway Club

Awhile back, Vandelay and I had lunch at The Railway Club in Downtown Vancouver.  I'm not sure what was more strange, Vandelay coming out for lunch (because I swear he had been abducted by aliens) or that we ate at The Railway Club.  Let me explain, The Railway Club has been around forever, but is not often spoken of when referring to food.  Live music, affordable beverages and traditional ambiance are more likely descriptors.  Since that visit, they have been trying to get the word out about their value-driven menu.  Therefore, I was invited to there to try a few more items from their new menu.

I ended up enlisting the help of Grace because heck, I can't eat all the food myself (even if you thought I could!).  Getting straight to the new stuff, we tried 2 of their pizzas including the Margherita and Prosciutto Funghi. With dough provided by Bonchaz Bakery, the crust was slightly crisp on the outer edges while progressively becoming doughier at the centre.  However, for $9.00, this has to be one of the least expensive versions of this pizza in town.  We found the tomato sauce to be fresh-tasting and mild while the bits of tomato added some brightness.  There was ample cheese and basil (which added a nice aroma).  As for the second pizza, it was loaded with toppings which made for a more saltier flavour profile (which was a good salty btw).

Despite the new items, I decided to go back to the well and order the De-Railer Burger with blue cheese, fried onions and sauteed mushrooms.  I had this last time and it was just as good.  The meat patty was thick and not overcooked while the sharpness of the cheese went well with the sweetness of the onions and woodsiness of the mushrooms.  The brioche bun was also provided by Bonchaz and it held up well to the ingredients.  Served on the side were baked seasoned wedges that were okay, but I personally prefer fries.  Lastly, we tried their Baked Chili Lime Wings.  Despite not seeing the deep fryer, these wings still sported some crispiness while being much less greasy.  The lime was a bit obscured by the sweet chili sauce, but all-in-all the wings were enjoyable.  In conclusion, one could find better pizza and burgers in Vancouver, but certainly at this price point.

*All food, beverages and gratuities were complimentary*

The Good:
- Really inexpensive
- Decent eats
- Reasonably-priced drinks

The Bad:
- Interior is a little worn
- Ordering system should be table service

Nu Chinese Bistro

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