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As much as I lament the lack of Dim Sum options in and around Burnaby North, the same could be said about the North Shore. With a whopping 2 restaurants that serve up Chinese brunch, one would wonder why there aren't more. Why open another Chinese restaurant in Richmond when the market as saturated as ramen on Robson? Since we were heading to the North Shore Auto Mall to check out cars, we stopped by Westview Oriental to see if much has changed since our last visit (4 years ago).
Much like many of my revisits, it was deja vu once again as we were seated at the exact same table. Arriving first was the very golden brown Shrimp Spring Rolls that were super hot and crunchy. Despite its tanned appearance, they were not greasy. Inside, the shrimp filling had a mousse bounce-like texture that was plenty seasoned. To balance out the deep fried dish, we had the Stir-Fried Garlic Pea Tips. This was a well-prepared dish where the pea tips were tender with a light crunch. This was minimally oily while mildly seasoned. We liked how the garlic came through without being interrupted by too much salt.
After this, practically every other dish we ordered showed up. After furiously taking my pictures, I dug into the 2 most important dumplings in the Haw Gow and Sui Mai. I found the shrimp dumplings to be decent, but the thick and somewhat doughy skin affected the overall texture. The filling was a mix of whole shrimp pieces and mousse (which was somewhat bland). Hence, it was similar to the spring rolls being soft with only a touch of rebound. As for the sui mai, the chunks of pork were soft and only slightly meaty. The only bounce texture came from the shrimp. In terms of flavour, the dumplings were good with natural pork juices melding with the ample seasoning.
For the kiddies, we got them the standard 2 dishes in the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice) and BBQ Pork Buns. We found the sticky rice to be on point with soft while still glutinous rice mixed with a good amount of ground pork and shiitake mushrooms. There was the right mix of moist ingredients to go with the rice while not making it mushy. Amply filled with lean BBQ pork, the buns were subsequently flavourful from the sweet and savoury mix. We found the filling to be appealing since there was more meat than actual glaze. Furthermore, the bun itself was soft and fluffy while not wet from the ingredients.
For myself, I didn't go for any offal this time around, but I did get one of my favs being the Bean Curd Skin Roll. This was rather saucy, yet the bean curd skin still maintained its chewy texture. Inside, the ground pork filling was succulent and mildly seasoned. That wasn't a problem though as the sauce was plenty salty. To mask that, I dunked it into Worcestershire sauce. We also got the Black Bean Spareribs which were very well-marinated in black beans and salt. Therefore, the dish was plenty flavourful bordering on salty. The texture of the ribs were a touch soft with only the slightest of rebound. There were many more meaty rib pieces than fat and cartilage.
Normally Viv doesn't really care what I order, but she did want the XO Daikon Pudding Cake though. Good call as they were lightly fried where the exterior wasn't crispy, yet the inside was soft and spiked with Chinese sausage and dried shrimp. A quick wok toss in chilis, XO sauce, garlic and onions ensured some heat and aromatics. Lastly, we had the Beef Meatballs that were a bit pale in appearance. Texturally, they were buttery with a light rebound. There was a minimal amount of green onion which meant the flavours were pretty one note except for the intermittent hits of dried orange peel. So similar to our first visit years ago, Westview Oriental pumps out decent Dim Sum, especially for the North Shore. With nothing in the way of competition, we could see why the place was packed.
The Good:
- Decent Dim Sum
- Decent service
- Clean
The Bad:
- Pricey
- A touch salty
At one point I believed the best TBN (Taiwanese Beef Noodle) belonged to Lao Shan Dong out in Burnaby. However, after a recent visit, Milhouse (a TBN aficionado) and I heartily agreed that this was no longer the case. That brought up a good question - where can we find the best TBN in the GVRD? I started to formulate some worthy contenders and I even surprised myself when Chef Hung crept into the conversation. I remember my first impressions of the Aberdeen location were positive, yet tempered with the slight premium I paid. Fast forward to the present where I had just visited the West Van location, I was starting to warm up to the idea of Chef Hung being the best. Well, with a group of us meeting up for lunch at the UBC branch, it was another opportunity to confirm or refute that notion.
Before we hit the noodle soups, we went for some appies including the Cold Mixed Baby Cucumbers and Cold Mixed Bean Curd. Crunchy, bright and only slightly pickled, the cucumbers were a refreshing start to the meal. The folded sheets of bean curd skin were soft and buttery with a moist chew. They were lightly seasoned as well as drizzled with a salty oyster-based sauce. We also shared the Chicken Nuggets which were served in pretty large chunks. As a result, the meat was fairly succulent and juicy. The exterior coating was lightly crispy and nicely seasoned with a touch of 5-spice.
Up next, we had the Marinated Dry Tofu served in uniformly sliced sticks. I found them appealingly firm and chewy while still retaining enough moisture that they weren't actually "dry". They were seasoned with a balance of soy and sugar as well as a touch of star anise. With Gordo's 2 kiddies joining us, we decided to go for 3 orders of the Xiao Long Bao. Although these were sorely lacking in soup, they were decent dumplings nonetheless. The dumpling skin was relatively thin in an almost Din Tai Fung manner while the filling was meaty and slightly chewy. It was savoury and sweet with only a tiny bit of soup.
Onto the main event, we had the Champion with Beef Shank Noodle in Soup. Bear and Gordo had the thin noodles while I opted for the thick. Texturally, the wide and flat noodles were firmly chewy while the thinner noodles were slippery and only slightly chewy. The soup base was not super powerful in terms of spice nor meat flavour, but it wasn't weak either. It was clean and purposeful in taste. As for the shank, it was tender, but ultimately on the drier side. Next, the Champion Beef Brisket in Clear Soup was predictably much more subtle in taste. Again, the soup was clean, yet very lightly meaty. The best part was the melt-in-our-mouths short rib and the equally tender sliced beef.
Milhouse was running a bit late and I pegged my bets that he'd order the Champion Braised Beef with Noodle in Tomato Soup. That he did and I sometimes wonder why I am so in tune with his eating habits... The broth was fairly light with an equally background tomato essence. He was indifferent with the whole thing, especially the relatively dry beef. Emilicious went off the board and had the Preserved Radish and Shredded Pork with Noodle in Clear Beef Broth. Seen often in HK-style cafes, this version was much more fulfilling with plenty of ingredients. Hence, the flavours were more intense due to the ample tart and slightly spicy radish. So does Chef Hung hold the title of best TBN in town? As much as it is a good bowl of TBN, I would say I'm still on the search for the best in town.
The Good:
- Solid TBN
- Lots of choice
The Bad:
- A tad pricey
- Meats could be more moist
Prior to attending the recent Journey concert at Rogers Arena, we need to grab some eats along the way. Costanza suggested we hit up La Merzcaleria on the Drive right at opening (5:00pm). Well, that was an epic fail as they do not serve food until 6:00pm. We were expected to sip on cocktails until then. With limited time available, we had to go to plan B. Wait, there was not plan B! Hence, we walked down the Drive and ended up at an oldie being Marcello's. Not our first choice, but hey, it was a choice nonetheless!
We ended up sharing some pasta including the Spaghetti all Vongole featuring plenty of fresh clams and canned baby ones as well. I found the pasta to be expertly al dente and laced with a good amount of garlic and brininess. However, even with the tomatoes tossed into the pasta, there was very little acidity and tang. This dish was crying out for that and would've been really good with it. Next, we had the Chef's Tagliatelle consisting of olives, capers and mushrooms. This was a saucy and rich pasta that wasn't short on the cream. As such, the pasta became soft due to the moisture. On the other hand, the flavours were impactful with the saltiness and tang from the capers and olives. Also, the cooked down mushrooms added an umami quality to the sauce.
Our last pasta was the Gnocchi Pasticciati which featured a rich creamy meat sauce. This ate really heavy, but we didn't mind it as fit the theme of the dish. The big gnocchi were soft and almost fluffy. With bits of tender meat strewn throughout the mild-tasting sauce, this pasta was hearty. It could've done with a little less sauce in our opinion. Lastly, we shared the Capriciossa Pizza with olives, pepperoni, capicolla and artichokes. With a fairly thin crust that was crispy throughout, it held up to all of the ingredients. There was a zesty and mildly spicy quality to the pizza which meant it wasn't longing for flavour. We found the tomato sauce to be light on the tartness, but then again, the toppings added the necessary tang.
On another visit with the kiddies (sans Viv), we had the basic Spaghetti Bolognese and Lasagna. With a significant amount of meat sauce, there pasta was hearty and flavourful. Much like the pizza, the tomato-based sauce was very mild while exhibiting a rich meatiness and background sweetness. Despite the amount of sauce, the spaghetti remained al dente throughout. Layered with spinach pasta, bechamel and plenty of melted mozzarella on top, the lasagna was rather wet and cheesy. There wasn't a whole lot of varying flavours other than the salty Parm on top. The whole thing was just too sloppy in my opinion and the hard and burnt edges on the bottom of the small casserole dish were inedible. Despite this, the rest of the items I had over the 2 visits were above average and enjoyable. My only other wish is that their kitchen would be a bit quicker with the food.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Lively vibe inside, and pleasant patio outside
The Bad:
- A little pricey
- Slow in expediting food
Okay, this post is a bit strange. It has nothing to do with the food, but rather the timing in between visits. Originally, I had visited Aoto-ya Blue Door Japanese with Whipping Girl last year. However, we only sampled a few dishes and I have this personal belief that there needs to be a decent representation of a menu in order for a fair assessment. Hence, I planned to return shortly afterwards. Well, that didn't happen, until recently. So keep things fair, we repeated the dishes I am blogging about, yet used 2 of the old pictures (because the new ones didn't come out).
The first item to hit the table was the Sashimi Set with salmon and tuna. This box also included green salad, chicken karaage, tempura, rice and fruit. Neatly prepared, the salmon sashimi was better than the tuna. Nothing particularly wrong with the tuna other than the salmon had more flavour and personally, we like the texture of it more. The little pieces of chicken karaage were moist and juicy while not being all that crispy on the outside. With a squeeze of lemon, it further enhanced the well-seasoned meat. As for the tempura, I was worried at first with the large amount of batter, but in the end, it was crispy and light. Only offered during the Summer, we had the Cold Ramen. It was a good call as it was a solid dish. With a multitude of ingredients including al dente noodles, onion slivers, wakame, carrot, nori, ham, egg, pickled ginger and cucumber. However, the flavours made the dish as there was a balanced combination of salty, sweet, tart and spicy (thanks to the mustard).
Kaiser Soze wanted to see what he could get for the $6.99 Curry Chicken Udon lunch special. It turns out that it was a satisfying portion of chewy noodles that were enveloped in a thick curry. It was only lightly sweet with a touch of spice. The little nuggets of chicken were sufficiently tender. Continuing on that theme, I went for the Tonkatsu Curry with rice. Unlike the udon, we found this curry to be richer and slightly gingery. Again, it wasn't very sweet, which was good. As for the pork cutlet, the panko breading was crispy, yet didn't stay adhered to the meat. Although not exactly juicy, the pork was tender and not overcooked. The rice was appealingly chewy where it stood up to the curry.
With what was the most surprising dish of the meal, the Fried Zucchini with shiso was freaking fantastic. The thin layer of panko was expertly fried where it was crunchy while not greasy. The shiso-wrapped yellow zucchini was texturally on point where it was fully-cooked while not staying firm. We felt this was a steal for $2.95. Next time, we'd gladly order 4 of these and call it a meal! Trying to take advantage of all the available lunch specials, Kaiser Soze added the BC Roll for $2.95. Although it would never be confused with the best sushi in town (because it isn't their specialty anyways), it was decently constructed with moist salmon attached to crispy skin. The rice was a little dry, but okay nonetheless.
For dessert, Milhouse and I shared both the Green Tea Pudding and Black Sesame Pudding. Texturally, both were silky and fairly thick. There was a balanced sweetness where it provided the necessary flavour without being overbearing. We agreed that the black sesame was our favourite as it was aromatic and nutty. The green tea pudding was less impactful as there was only a background bitterness. Overall, we thought the food at Aoto-ya Blue Door was solid and brought back memories of Tenhachi (same owners). Prices can be a bit high for some items while the service can get a bit awkward sometimes.
The Good:
- Generally, well-prepared eats
- Some interesting items
The Bad:
- Some items are a bit pricey
- Service is awkward and emotionless
With all the available options for food in the GVRD, some spots are often overlooked (except for loyal and local clientele). So when Big D suggested we eat near Lougheed Mall, I scrambled to find something that resembled a hole-in-the-wall. I found that place in Soup Plus on Austin at Marmont. Seemingly nothing more than a typical soup & sandwich joint hidden in the corner of a strip mall, we went in with no expectations.
We got things started with 2 of their homemade soups including the Tomato Soup. Lightly tangy and silky smooth, the tomato soup was kicked up a notch with the addition of seared bits of ham. Not only did this break up the monotony of texture and flavours, it added an extra layer of saltiness. With no shortage of mushrooms, the Mushroom Soup was unmistakably woodsy and full-bodied. It wasn't creamy though, instead the broth was somewhat thin while at the same time well-seasoned. Being that it wasn't overly thick, it left plenty of room for our sandwiches.
We ended up sharing 3 sammies including the regular portion of the BBQ Beef Po' Boy and Meatloaf Sub. Served on house-baked bread, the BBQ beef was saucy and spicy. There was definitely a good amount of Louisana-style hot sauce mixed in as there was a vinegary and sharp spice to the po' boy. There was enough sweetness from the BBQ sauce for balance. The beef was a bit dry for my tastes though. Now the meatloaf was the complete opposite as it appeared dry but was ultimately moist. I found it to be mildly spiced where I could still taste the meat. Although not particularly sexy, I'd take this sammie over the Subway across the street any day (for the same price really).
Lastly, we had the Clubhouse made with house-baked bread, turkey, lettuce, cheese, tomato, bacon and grilled chicken. This was quite good as the toasted bread gave way to crispy bacon and moist chicken. Although nothing mind-blowing, the sandwich was memorable due to the bread and the ample amount of ingredients. This pretty much summed up our visit to Soup Plus where the food ain't that impressive to look at, but it ultimately did the job and more for a very reasonable price.
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Good value
- Decent eats
The Bad:
- It's good, but don't expect anything sexy
The last time I dined at Deer Lake Wonton, my son was a newborn and this blog didn't exist. Hence, the unmemorable meal was filed away deep in my subconscious much like Riley's memories in Inside Out (not sure if they were touched by sadness or disgust). However, without a blog post about the place, I did have the slightest urge to return. Now it was never high on my list of restaurants I needed to blog about, so it is no surprise that I finally took the plunge nearly 7 years after my first ever blog post. So we gathered up the family including the grandparents and headed out to busy Canada Way.
We ended up going for one of their set menus and added a few more dishes for good measure. Included in the dinner was the Fish Maw and Crab Meat Soup. The starch-thickened broth was silky and fairly thick in viscosity. It wasn't particularly flavourful except for the abundance of white pepper. There was a decent amount of fish maw that was texturally on point being not too chewy nor soft. The small amount of crab meat was rather dry and lifeless. That would be the best way to describe the Live Crab with green onion and ginger as well. Most pieces were overcooked where the meat was dried out and stuck to the shell. Furthermore, there was far too much starch coating on the crab which resulted in a gummy exterior. The sauce did taste okay though with hits of ginger, garlic and onion.
Onto the main dishes, the Gai Lan with Prawns arrived first. It looked rather impressive, but ultimately was not very good. With overcooked gai lan that was soft devoid of any crunch and prawns that were overly salty, the only good thing about the dish was the buttery cold-water crunch of the prawns. Next, the Sweet & Sour Pork did not appear to be that appetizing. Prepared with little nuggets of pork, the sauce was mildly sweet without any tang to speak of. Furthermore, the amount of sauce and the lack of a crunchy exterior contributed to the the overly soft texture of the pork. Despite being soft, the pork was not succulent, rather, the meat was mealy and dry.
On the other hand, the Pork Chop and Beef Tenderloin with black pepper sauce featured far more tender meat. We found both meats to be marinated and tenderized enough while still retaining natural textures. However, there was a mess of sauce that made things goopy and a tad too salty. That also meant there was no absence of impact including a considerable pepperiness and garlic notes. Our last dish, Cod & Tofu Hot Pot, was probably our least favourite. Coated with too much starch which made the exterior gummy, the mystery frozen fish was hard and dry. On the flip side, the fried silky tofu was really good. The whole dish was dressed in quite a bit of sauce that was garlicky and salty. As you can clearly ascertain, we were not that enthused with our meal at Deer Lake Wonton. Yes, we are acutely aware that it can't compare to the big boys in town and we may not be their target customers. With that being said, the food still needs to be at least average. It wasn't in this case.
The Good:
- Friendly service
- Inexpensive
The Bad:
- Sub-par eats
- Awkward parking lot
Posts
As much as I lament the lack of Dim Sum options in and around Burnaby North, the same could be said about the North Shore. With a whopping 2 restaurants that serve up Chinese brunch, one would wonder why there aren't more. Why open another Chinese restaurant in Richmond when the market as saturated as ramen on Robson? Since we were heading to the North Shore Auto Mall to check out cars, we stopped by Westview Oriental to see if much has changed since our last visit (4 years ago).
Much like many of my revisits, it was deja vu once again as we were seated at the exact same table. Arriving first was the very golden brown Shrimp Spring Rolls that were super hot and crunchy. Despite its tanned appearance, they were not greasy. Inside, the shrimp filling had a mousse bounce-like texture that was plenty seasoned. To balance out the deep fried dish, we had the Stir-Fried Garlic Pea Tips. This was a well-prepared dish where the pea tips were tender with a light crunch. This was minimally oily while mildly seasoned. We liked how the garlic came through without being interrupted by too much salt.
After this, practically every other dish we ordered showed up. After furiously taking my pictures, I dug into the 2 most important dumplings in the Haw Gow and Sui Mai. I found the shrimp dumplings to be decent, but the thick and somewhat doughy skin affected the overall texture. The filling was a mix of whole shrimp pieces and mousse (which was somewhat bland). Hence, it was similar to the spring rolls being soft with only a touch of rebound. As for the sui mai, the chunks of pork were soft and only slightly meaty. The only bounce texture came from the shrimp. In terms of flavour, the dumplings were good with natural pork juices melding with the ample seasoning.
For the kiddies, we got them the standard 2 dishes in the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice) and BBQ Pork Buns. We found the sticky rice to be on point with soft while still glutinous rice mixed with a good amount of ground pork and shiitake mushrooms. There was the right mix of moist ingredients to go with the rice while not making it mushy. Amply filled with lean BBQ pork, the buns were subsequently flavourful from the sweet and savoury mix. We found the filling to be appealing since there was more meat than actual glaze. Furthermore, the bun itself was soft and fluffy while not wet from the ingredients.
For myself, I didn't go for any offal this time around, but I did get one of my favs being the Bean Curd Skin Roll. This was rather saucy, yet the bean curd skin still maintained its chewy texture. Inside, the ground pork filling was succulent and mildly seasoned. That wasn't a problem though as the sauce was plenty salty. To mask that, I dunked it into Worcestershire sauce. We also got the Black Bean Spareribs which were very well-marinated in black beans and salt. Therefore, the dish was plenty flavourful bordering on salty. The texture of the ribs were a touch soft with only the slightest of rebound. There were many more meaty rib pieces than fat and cartilage.
Normally Viv doesn't really care what I order, but she did want the XO Daikon Pudding Cake though. Good call as they were lightly fried where the exterior wasn't crispy, yet the inside was soft and spiked with Chinese sausage and dried shrimp. A quick wok toss in chilis, XO sauce, garlic and onions ensured some heat and aromatics. Lastly, we had the Beef Meatballs that were a bit pale in appearance. Texturally, they were buttery with a light rebound. There was a minimal amount of green onion which meant the flavours were pretty one note except for the intermittent hits of dried orange peel. So similar to our first visit years ago, Westview Oriental pumps out decent Dim Sum, especially for the North Shore. With nothing in the way of competition, we could see why the place was packed.
