NY Grill & Bistro

With a name like NY Grill & Bistro, one probably wouldn't expect something like Butter Chicken or Greek food to appear on the menu.  Alas, the eclectic variety can be partly attributed to the former restaurant and former owner of the place.  With renovations happening in and out, the new owners are trying to bring a bit of NYC to the restaurant that bears its name.  I was invited to try some of their offerings and I brought Inner Fat Girl (hey, she chose the nickname!) to help me with the eats.

We were started off with the Honey Garlic Chicken Wings served with a side of ranch dressing.  Cornmeal encrusted and fried until crunchy (even with the sauce), the meat remained moist and tender.  Although the honey garlic was sticky, sweet and tasty, there could've been a touch less of it.  With what was probably the most surprising dish of the meal, the Home Made Butter Chicken was money.  Creamy in consistency while being tangy at the same time, there was a noted spiciness to go with the impactful flavours.  Unlike many other versions of this dish, the flavours were not one note nor salty.  The side of naan was not exactly tandoori-baked (hence no blistering), but they were still decent nonetheless being fluffy with a slight chewiness.

Onto some more "regular" items, we tried the Salmon Burger with a side of fries.  Interestingly seared (only lengthwise), the salmon itself was moist and not-dried out.  There was a definite salmon taste as the juices were still flowing out of the meat with each bite.  Although this might be nit-picking, we would've liked to see fresh-cut fries instead of the ones found on the plate.  With that being said, they were okay.  Next, we had the NY Ribs with Caesar salad.  Despite being a small rack of ribs, the preparation was good.  The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender (through par-poaching) and nicely seared and sauced (mild, not too tart nor sweet).  It could've used a touch more charring, but that didn't make of break it.

Since we loved the butter chicken, we went ahead and tried the Butter Chicken Wings as well.  Once again, the wings were fried up crunchy with a firm cornmeal crust while maintaining its moisture.  As much as there was a tonne of butter chicken sauce, the actual butter chicken dish was more impactful.  With that being said, the wings were still good.  Not sure why there was ranch dressing though.  With a bit of coaxing, I tried the NY Raspberry Kisses Martini which was much lighter and sweeter than say, a Cosmo for instance.  Therefore, I labelled this dangerous because one could actually down it quickly rather than sipping.

For dessert, we were presented with the Cherry Whiskey Cheesecake and Trufflicious Cake.  Light and mildly sweet, the cheesecake provided little nuggets of cherry throughout.  Although not classic NY-style, the fluffiness of the cake was welcomed.  We thought it didn't need the whiskey syrup on top as it took away from the cheesecake.  Chocolaty and smooth, the trufflicious cake was easy on the sugar.  This was rather impressive as we were surprised to find out these were made in-house.  In fact, one would be rather surprised at the overall food quality and reasonable prices at NY Grill & Bistro.  Definitely a good alternative to many of the more expensive chain restaurants including the nearby Match Eatery.

*All food, beverages and gratuities were complimentary*

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Due to the old building, decor needs to be updated (in the process of)
- Menu could be a bit more focused

Che-Licious Desserts & Snacks

The first time I visited Che-Licious, it was due to an online coupon.  I really didn't even know what the place was about and where it was located.  Despite the seemingly endless array of less-than-appealing restaurants offered, there are some places worth trying out from group buy coupon sites.  We ended up trying their dessert drinks, appies and banh mi with relatively good results.  When Sean asked if I could accompany him for a return visit due to the addition of Pho to the menu, it didn't take much to convincing.

Before we got to the Pho, we were presented with some drinks including a real Mango Slush with assorted Che ingredients.  I really liked the the creamy texture of the slush as the fruit and ice was blended expertly.  I asked for it to be easy on the sugar and it was exactly how I liked it while still maintaining a noted mango essence and flavour.  For our appy, we shared the Spring Rolls served with an interesting hoisin dip rather than the classic sweetened fish sauce.  These were served piping hot and firmly crunchy.  The pork and shrimp filling was not too dense while nicely seasoned with a balance of sweet and savoury (wished they used rice wrappers though).

We couldn't forget about their Banh Mi creations, so we went for 2 of them.  Stuffed with sauteed shrimp, pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, cilantro and mayo, the Shine on Shrimp was strangely similar to the one found at Hubbub, but not.  First of all, the light and crusty bread ensured that the shrimp wasn't overshadowed.  Second of all, the flavours were classic banh mi which made it familiar.  Our next one was Get the Chick with the same ingredients except for the protein (being grilled chicken and pate).  Well-seasoned and grilled, the chicken retained its moisture while the pate added an aromatic meatiness to the sandwich.

Okay, the real reason we were here was for the Pho.  It featured a slightly greasy broth that had depth-of-flavour and aroma.  It was slightly sweet, but not salty while emitting an noted licorice essence from the star anise. Definitely a bit different than the cookie-cutter broths found in town.  As for the noodles, they were toothsome and well-portioned.  The meats were plentiful and tender to the chew.  The addition of Pho onto the menu is a good idea in my opinion.  It only adds to the solid array of eats where it provided an option from all the Banh Mi available.

*All food and beverages excluding gratuities were complimentary*

The Good:
- Nice people (yes, it was an invite, but I've been here before)
- Solid flavourful Pho
- Reasonable prices

The Bad:
- Not the most spacious of spots

Taj Sweets & Restaurant

Before Taj Sweets & Restaurants came to be, it was the original location of Tasty Restaurant.  Yes, that is the ultra-swank and popular Tasty Bistro now located on Scott Road.  Now I've been to Tasty a few times already, yet I was still curious what their old location was up to.  Hence, Dav and I hit up the place for lunch.  On that note, I really should get back onto the Indian food train because there are so many still that I haven't tried (hence no recommendations yet!).

Of course we started things off with the classic Butter Chicken with real pieces of tandoori chicken.  As such, it featured a firmer exterior and some charring.  It was on the drier side, but completely expected.  The sauce itself was of a creamy consistency that was just the right thickness.  I found it pretty sweet with only a minor tomato taste.  Ultimately, it was pretty good.  Next, the Masala Fish Curry was on point.  It exhibited several layers of flavour including an initial sweetness from the onions and of course cumin, coriander and cloves.  There was a notable spiciness that wasn't overwhelming.  The pieces of fish were expertly prepared being flaky and moist.

Another on point dish was the Goat Curry that featured tender chunks of meat.  As much as a goat curry can sport plenty of bones, this one was more meat than bone. There was a certain richness and depth to the curry. Lastly, the Lamb Rogan Josh was by far the weakest dish.  The chunks of lamb were practically inedible since the texture resembled mutton that hadn't been cooked long enough.  It was so tough and chewy, we had to give up eating the dish altogether.  The sauce was okay though with a nice red hue exhibiting rich clove and cumin flavours.

On the side, we got some Garlic Naan. This was very well executed with a well-charred underside that was lightly crisp.  Inside, the naan was fluffy and appealingly chewy where the dough had cooked all-the-way through.  Of course the best part was the ample amount of minced garlic.  This, along with 3 out of the 4 dishes were pretty much spot on.  It was really too bad about the lamb.  Otherwise, Taj deserves another look sometime.

The Good:
- Really nice people
- Rich, developed flavours

The Bad:
- Lamb was inedible (or was it mutton?)

Sandy La

The last time we visited Sandy La, it was after late night hockey.  Lionel Hutz had ordered a crispy noodle dish and remarked how it was lacking sauce.  Upon notifying our waitress that he needed more sauce, she snapped back, "well, you should've told me when you ordered!".  Um...  if he knew that (since he is supposed to be psychic), he wouldn't have to tell you right???  Well, from then on, we really had no need to return since we get enough aggravation from Vancouver traffic, let alone from a foul-mood server.

Well, I reluctantly made a return visit many years later because Costanza wanted to meet up for a meal.  We ended up picking some dishes as part of the Dinner for 6.  The first to arrive was the Brisket and Daikon Hot Pot.  Since all of the ingredients were not actually stewed together (allows usage of ingredients for other dishes), the flavours were bland.  In particular, the daikon had no flavour penetration at all.  At least the tender brisket had some seasoning, but the starch thickened sauce did little change things.  On the other hand, the Deep Fried Pork Chops with Chili Salt were much more impactful.  Marinated and tender, the crispy pork was plenty seasoned by the chilis, garlic, salt and white pepper.  Since each slice was quite thin, there were some dry portions.

We then moved onto the cliche dish of the meal being the Sweet & Sour Pork.  Hey the kiddies love it...  Anyways, there was just enough sauce clinging onto each chunk which ensured that there was some crispiness left.  It was too bad the sauce was mostly sweet with very little zing.  As for the pork itself, it was moist and meaty while easy on the fat.  For our one veggie item, we tried the Stir Fried Green Beans with Chicken in black bean sauce.  Much like every other Chinese restaurant, the green beans were oil-blanched first.  Yet, the beans were unusually light and crunchy without being all shriveled in appearance and texture.  They timed the fry very well.  The black bean flavours were infused into the beans including the tender slices of chicken.


Onto one of my personal favs, we had the Satay Beef and Vermicelli Hot Pot.   This one didn't disappoint with an abundance of buttery slices of beef bathed in a mildly spicy satay sauce.  In actuality, the sauce was all soaked up by the vermicelli which was a bit clumpy.  It wasn't mushy though due to the modest amount of moisture.  I liked how it wasn't overly greasy either.  Again, for the kiddies, we got them another usual dish in the Scrambled Eggs and Shrimp.  This was also well-executed with silky and moist eggs that were barely cooked.  They were well-seasoned without being salty.  Hidden within, the big shrimp (oxymoron?) were cold-water crunchy while still retaining a natural sweet shrimp flavour.

For our last dish, it was the complimentary Lobster with Ginger and Green Onion.  Seeing how it was thrown in with the meal, we couldn't expect more than the puny little thing served to us.  Despite this, it was cooked up properly with juicy and appealingly chewy pieces of lobster meat (where we could find it).  Again, there was just enough salty sauce clinging onto each piece so nothing go mushy and wet.  So as you can clearly see, the food at Sandy La was pretty solid in terms of a family dinner set.  Portions were good and the price was very affordable.  But it always comes down to service here as the bottom line - it plain sucks.  Other than the odd semi-friendly server, most of them are indifferent bordering on impatient and damning.  Not sure if I can overlook that despite the positives.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Decent eats
- Fairly large portions

The Bad:
- Overall, inhospitable service
- Not the cleanest of establishments

Taste of Aberdeen Food Court (Presented by ChineseBites)

Possibly one of the most extensive Asian food courts in the Lower Mainland can be found at Aberdeen Centre (credit to photo belongs to Aberdeen as well) in Richmond.  Every time I'm there, I find it difficult to choose what to eat since I want to have a little of everything.  Alas, I do not have the appetite of my 20's and neither do I want to spend hundreds of dollars at a food court to satisfy my insatiable curiousity.  But wait...  An invite to try everything by ChineseBites solved that problem.   Along with many other participants, I ended up sharing a table with Joyce and Kirsty.

Right from the start, the food began piling up (literally) on the table.  We enjoyed a selection of Bubble Teas including the House Special (mango coconut juice with tapioca, mango and pomelo bits) from 8 Juice, Iced Lemon Ribena from Bubble Waffle Cafe, Iced Genmaicha from Saboten, Iced Honey Matcha Tea from Teppan Kitchen, Matcha Soy Bean from Strike and Milk Tea with pearls from Estea Express.  The favourite here was the House Special as it was the most flavourful and interesting of the bunch.  The rest were pretty mild and almost devoid of sugar (which could be a good thing).  However, the milk tea was fine being pretty standard.  I found the Matcha Soy Bean to be pretty heavy with the soy bean milk texture and flavour.

Onto the food or aka "gluttony in 2.5 hours", we began with the Sakura Roll from Aji Hana.  It consisted of ebi tempura and avocado with chopped scallop and tobiko on top.  Still warm and slightly crispy, the ebi had a buttery snap.  It went well with the ripe avocado and sweet scallops.  The rice was a little dense and dry, but it was still chewy.  There was a faint hint of vinegar.  Next up was the Pan Fried Pork & Chive Dumpling from Chef of Dumplings. Crispy and evenly browned on the bottom (with some browning on other parts as well), the dumplings featured a chewy and relatively thin skin.  Inside, the meat was well-seasoned and juicy with just enough chives for texture and flavour.

After the 2 small "appies", we got the classic Bubble Waffle and Curry Fish Balls from Bubble Waffle Cafe.  This location consistently pumps out some of the best bubble waffles in town and the one we sampled was no exception.  It was hot and fresh with an exterior crunch that gave way to an appealing chewiness inside.  It was purposefully sweet with a nice toasted aroma.  As much as fish balls can be pretty generic, these ones were not.  Each bouncy fish ball was completely penetrated with curry flavour.  As for the curry, it wasn't just there for colour.  Rather, there was a definite spiciness that wasn't overwhelming though.

We then moved onto one of my favourite items of the night being the Hot & Sour Noodle from Szechuan House.  It featured chewy and thick mung bean noodles that sat in an impactful spicy broth.  There was definitely she sour element, but the hot portion was not kidding around.  Aided by Szechuan peppercorns, the broth became tongue-numbing in a good way.  It wasn't so spicy that it killed my tastebuds.  A combination of Deep Fried Squid and Chicken Wings from Wu Fung Dessert graced the table next.  With a firmly crunchy batter, the squid was appealingly chewy and well-seasoned.  The wings were also pretty good with a crispy exterior giving way to succulent chicken meat that was properly brined.

With the table becoming a bit crowded, the food just kept on coming with the Prawn Wontons from Lung Kee.  These large dumplings were comprised of whole shrimp and some shrimp mousse as a binding agent.  The shrimp exhibited a firm and sweet snap while the mousse had noticeable hits of white pepper.  So much so, it made me believe that the sweet broth also had a lot of white pepper (which it didn't).    Looking quite majestic, the Clubhouse Sandwich from Strike sported egg, tomato, meat patty, bacon and cucumber condiment on 3 slices of toasted white bread.  This was only okay because the flavours were a bit strange with the rawness of the cucumber and dry mealy texture of the meat patty.

Practically tied with the Hot & Sour Noodle as my favourite item of the night was the Drunken Chicken Hot Pot from Tofu Hot Pot.  The whole thing was delicious with a sweet and wine-tasting broth, wood ear mushrooms, Napa cabbage, vermicelli, tofu, drunken chicken and wolfberries.  There was an herbal aftertaste though, but for me, I enjoyed that very much.  Moreover, the chicken itself was masterfully marinated where it was juicy and succulent with a classic xiaoshing wine flavour.  Continuing on with chicken, we had the Popcorn Chicken Nuggets from Yougo Chicken.  The crispy coating was texturally on point with plenty of saltiness as well as a dusting of 5-spice.  The chicken meat itself was bursting with juiciness, but was not inherently seasoned.

Of course we couldn't do this tasting without having a HK-Style cafe favourite, the Baked Pork Chop Rice from Mambo Cafe.  This was a large portion consisting of chewy fried rice topped with a meaty pork chop.  So meaty, it covered the entire tin pan of rice.  It was tender and moist where the coating was a touch thick in spots.  There was enough sweet and tangy tomato sauce for all of the rice and pork chop.  One of my least favourite items of the night was the Chicken Bulgogi and Pork Belly from Kitchen Korea.  As much as the flavours were all there including the usual caramelized sugary soy marinade, the chicken wasn't particularly juicy.  The pork belly was a bit too chewy for my tastes (although that is usually how it is with Korean BBQ) and could've been a bit more charred.

As if we actually needed any more food at this point and presto, Leung Kee treated us to both Soy Sauce Chicken and Long Gong Chicken.  For good measure, they threw in a whole container of Pan-Fried Sticky Rice too.  We thought the chicken (both of them) were on point with moist pieces (even the white meat) where the seasoning had penetrated completely.  Similar to Gwei Fei Gai, the Long Gong Chicken sported gelatinized buttery skin.  The side of sticky rice was more than merely for show as it was pretty good as well.  Dry, chewy and evenly mixed with Chinese sausage, the rice benefited from proper wok heat where it was nutty and caramelized.  It was easy on the grease too.

The next item was quite controversial as we all had different opinions about it.  From Strike, the Egg Rolls filled with tuna, onion, egg and black pepper were "interesting".  I personally didn't prefer them as the flavour combination was strange and the crepe was thick and doughy.  On the other hand, half of the table enjoyed it.  So what do I know?  Moving on from that, we had the more usual Saboten Set (Pork Loin, Prawn and Pork Tenderloin) from yup, you guessed it, Saboten.  It wasn't a surprised to me that the whole plate was good since I've had it before.  With a crunchy exterior giving way to a super tenderized meaty interior, it was very easy to eat all of the proteins.  The side of black sesame and tonkatsu sauce was a treat.

Arriving sizzling on a cast iron plate, Teppan Kitchen offered up the A Grade Ribeye Teppan with egg and corn.  Yes, this was strangely reminiscent of Pepper Lunch.  And in some ways it was, however, we found the rice to be a bit wetter due to the pan cooling down rather fast after mixing the ingredients. With that being said, the thinly sliced meat was tender while the sweet pop from the corn niblets was nice.  Another solid dish was the Hainanese Chicken with rice from from Cafe D'Lite Express.  The deboned pieces of chicken leg meat was moist with flavour penetrating throughout.  The skin was buttery soft while the chicken rice was chewy and well-seasoned.

Onto the dessert portion of our meal, we sampled the Choco Banana & Fresh Cream Mini-Crepe from Mazazu Crepe.  I found the crepe to be somewhat chewy while the toppings were subtly sweet.  Nothing particularly memorable but pleasant nonetheless. We moved from mini to large with the offering from Beard Papa - Mini-Cream Puffs and Cheesecake Sticks.  I'm usually used to a much lighter version of Japanese cheesecake than the one we were served.  However, I still enjoyed it as it was definitely cheesy and firm while being only mildly sweet.  The cream puffs were typical Beard Papa being airy and soft with a crispy exterior.

Finally, to end things off, we were served 2 versions of shaved ice including A Dream in Eden (Stawberries, Mango, Kiwi and Mango Ice Cream) and Matcha Delight (Matcha Ice Cream, Red Bean and Chewy Rice Balls) from Frappe Bliss.  These were refreshing and purposefully sweet.  I found the ice to be relatively airy and light with only a few crystals.  Fruit was fresh and the ice cream was creamy.  Not much to complain about there.  In fact, the only complaint we had was the amount of food and our caloric intake.  What a feast indeed...

*All food and drinks were complimentary*

7 years and counting...

Here we are, another year older.  I still can't believe this blog has existed for that long!  Although there have certainly been more invites in the past few years, the original purpose of the blog remains the same.  It will always be my personal journey of eats and more recently, traveling and eating.  I am very thankful that Viv doesn't give me too much grief about this obsession.  Furthermore, I am very lucky to have friends who just love to eat as much as me.  But this blog couldn't keep going without the support of the people who continue to read my ramblings.  So as per usual, I'll have a draw for a $100.00 gift card to a surprise restaurant of my choice.  Just leave a comment with you FIRST name and LAST INITIAL.  Draw will be in a week.