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There are times in one's life that there are certain important tasks that are bestowed upon us. Our jobs, children and household require maturity and sometimes relentless dedication. Recently, I was given a task that required such determination. Yes, I was assigned to be a judge for the Fried Chicken Challenge. It was partially my responsibility in finding the best entry from the participating restaurants. Hey, were you expecting something else? Like taking care of the launch codes of some nukes?
I decided to hit up one of better Fried Chicken offerings in the city at Chewie's Steam & Oyster Bar. Sean and I visited the Downtown branch located in the former space of Miku. But before I got to the chicken, I started with some Kusshi oysters with 4 different condiments including a mignonette, cocktail sauce, spicy habanero and cucumber vinegar. These were shucked correctly except for one that had a small piece of shard jutting out. They were of a decent size (for a small oyster), fresh and buttery with a sweet brininess. Of the sauce, I enjoyed the classic mignonette the best. If you know me by now, I love Fries and yes I ordered them. These were good being fresh-cut and crispy while being well-seasoned.
Onto some appies, we shared the Pan-Seared Calamari that featured BC humboldt squid in a smoked paprika aioli. Texturally, the strips of squid were on point being tender with only a slight chew. As much as we enjoyed the smoky and creamy aioli, it was on the saltier side. Furthermore, the dish would've been fine with half the amount as the squid was pretty much drenched. Next, we tried the Dungeness Crab Cakes served a top a lemon aioli. Consisting of 3 monstrous cakes, the dish was quite filling as a appie. Fried until golden brown, the exterior was evenly crispy. Inside, there was a considerable amount of crab mixed with some celery and onions. They didn't skimp on the crab which was soft, yet a touch dense.
Onto our mains, the star of the meal was indeed the Southern Fried Chicken with buttermilk mashed potatoes, green beans and honey butter. Much like the last time I had it at the Kits location, this one sported a crunchy exterior that was drizzled in honey butter. The skin was fairly rendered while the meat was moist and tender (even the white meat). Our last dish was the twice-braised Beef Short Ribs with cheese grits and salsa verde. We found the short rib to be fork tender albeit a touch dry. It featured depth-of-flavour from the braising while the salsa verde cut into the heaviness. The grits were a bit chunky, but plenty cheesy. Overall, the 2 things that really stood out were the oysters and the fried chicken. Come for those and you won't be disappointed.
*All food excluding drinks and gratuities were complimentary*
The Good:
- Tasty oysters
- Good fried chicken
- Funky vibe
The Bad:
- Other items can be hit and miss
It's not often that I regret spending money watching a movie, especially one about food. However, Miss Y and I didn't know what to think after watching Burnt starring Bradley Cooper. Sure, the food in the movie appeared delicious, but the whole thing was predictable and full of clichés. It made us appreciate the movie Chef even more than before. After that, our appetites were pretty full on, so we made it out to Seto Sushi along Restaurant row aka Alexandra Rd in Richmond.
Strangely and almost troubling, the Assorted Sashimi arrived within minutes of us ordering. Well, we chalked it up to the skill of the sushi chefs, but then again, the slices of Tai were a bit clumsy looking. Despite that, the texture was not only on point, it was one of the best snapper sashimi slices I've had in awhile. It was buttery and appealingly firm. The Sockeye salmon was equally good while the tuna was sufficiently flavourful. For our 2 rolls, we got the 1/2 Futomaki and Chopped Scallop Roll. Neatly constructed, the futomaki featured firm, yet chewy rice with enough ingredients to balance off the rice. A bit messily made, the chopped scallop roll was a bit soft, but was naturally sweet.
As simple as the Ika Yaki can be as a dish overall, it was solid. The whole squid was lightly grilled where the exterior was slightly chewy while the inside was still moist. It was simply seasoned with salt, which allowed the squid flavour to come through. We noticed that the squid itself was cleaned properly which meant the inside wasn't inundated with bits of innards. Continuing with another simple item, we had the Steamed Clams with sake. With a squeeze from the lemon wedge, there was a nice balance of natural sweetness, acidity and aroma from the sake. This went well with the barely cooked buttery and meaty Manila clams.
Lastly, we had the Ankimo which was buttery and only kissed lightly by the sea. It was dressed with a tart ponzu which kept things balanced. Furthermore, it was properly prepped and prepared where the texture was consistent. In fact, the whole meal was consistently good where thing looked and tasted like we expected it to. Pretty much what one would want from a dining experience.
The Good:
- Solid eats
- Traditional Japanese
- Attentive service
The Bad:
- Expensive
- Place could be cleaner
By now, we are well-aware of my son's love for Korean BBQ. The fact he loves any type of food other than burgers or mac n' cheese is a major achievement! On the other hand, my daughter loves practically everything. So when it came to my daughter's birthday, we were expecting something different and exciting. We weren't sure if she was convinced by my son or not, but her preference for food on her birthday was... you guessed it, Korean BBQ. Well, I guess that was fine because I would rip my hair out if we had to go to Red Robin or White Spot again (not that they are bad though).
We ended up heading to one of our old stand-bys when we lived in Downtown - Seoul House Royal Korean BBQ. Trying to keep things simple (or complex), we ordered the Chosun Combination (for 5). They started us off with a Pumpkin Porridge that was pretty darn sweet. It was starchy and thick eating more like a dessert than an appie. They were really nice and offered us an extra one since we had 6 people, but really, no one wanted more (my son didn't even want to go near it). Continuing on the sweet train, we were presented next with a mesclun Green Salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Greens were pretty fresh and vibrant, but the plethora of sweet dressing made it sloppy.
Uncharacteristically dry and only lightly greasy, the Seafood Pancake featured plenty of green onion with strands of imitation crab and bits of other seafood. Due to the lack of grease, the pancake itself was mealy and excessively crunchy on the outside. It did taste okay, especially dipped into the accompanying sauce. Equally dry, the Japchae was predictably chewy and lacking in flavour. We appreciated that fact it wasn't too saucy or oily, but then again, there was very little in the way of moisture. Furthermore, the lack of beef made the dish empty without any body or depth. Since it was not served particularly hot, the dish resembled a cold noodle salad.
There wasn't any issue regarding flavour with the Goon Mandu (Sweet & Sour Deep Fried Pork Dumplings) as there was an obscene amount of sauce on top. The result was a very sweet and slightly spicy hit to each of the dumplings. Crunchy and fried nicely, the dumplings themselves featured moist and meaty ground pork with some peppery notes. As for the Silk Samgyeopsal (Pork Belly), it was soft with only a minimal amount of fat which meant each piece was more meaty than melt-in-our-mouths tender. There was a rich braised flavour to it that was a good balance of sweet and savoury.
Onto the Tangpyungchae (Mung Bean Jelly with veggies), it was a fairly mild tasting dish except for the aroma of sesame oil. The slippery "noodles" were appealing in terms of texture while the veggies added some crunch. Of course we couldn't forget about the selection of Banchan which included stewed potatoes, kimchi, broccoli, sprouts and lettuce. Of note, the potatoes were not overly sweet, but completely underdone being crunchy. I thought the sprouts could've been more aggressively seasoned. The best of the bunch was the kimchi with a good amount of crunch accented by spice with background sweetness and pungency.
Bubbling hot, the Haemul Sundubu (Spicy Seafood Tofu Soup) hit the spot for a cold night. It was spicy while balanced in flavour. There was plenty of silky tofu accompanied by a runny egg yolk and a bevy of small pieces of seafood (that were rather chewy and hard to find). If this wasn't enough food (with the meat still to come), we added the Kkanpoongki (Sweet and Spicy Deep Fried Chicken) for good measure. Overall, it was "okay". The crispy pieces of chicken were still somewhat moist while the sauce did not reach every piece. It was more sweet than spicy though.
Onto the main event, we were presented with a really larger platter of meat consisting of Spicy Pork, Beef, Chicken, Beef Short Ribs, Marinated Prime Rib, Mussels, Shrimp and Squid. The highlight was definitely the prime rib as they were buttery soft and well-seasoned. It was so soft and tender, there was little effort to chew them. Surprisingly, the spicy pork was not spicy at all. We had to dip it into the sauce for flavour. As for the other items, they were pretty typical and nothing was particularly amiss. All-in-all, our meal was pleasant while not offering up anything particularly memorable (except for the bits of prime rib). Service was hit and miss though as some servers were friendly and attentive while others didn't have the time of day.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Large restaurant with plenty of tables
- Meats were relatively good quality
The Bad:
- Not cheap
- Service was hit and miss
Posts
There are times in one's life that there are certain important tasks that are bestowed upon us. Our jobs, children and household require maturity and sometimes relentless dedication. Recently, I was given a task that required such determination. Yes, I was assigned to be a judge for the Fried Chicken Challenge. It was partially my responsibility in finding the best entry from the participating restaurants. Hey, were you expecting something else? Like taking care of the launch codes of some nukes?
I decided to hit up one of better Fried Chicken offerings in the city at Chewie's Steam & Oyster Bar. Sean and I visited the Downtown branch located in the former space of Miku. But before I got to the chicken, I started with some Kusshi oysters with 4 different condiments including a mignonette, cocktail sauce, spicy habanero and cucumber vinegar. These were shucked correctly except for one that had a small piece of shard jutting out. They were of a decent size (for a small oyster), fresh and buttery with a sweet brininess. Of the sauce, I enjoyed the classic mignonette the best. If you know me by now, I love Fries and yes I ordered them. These were good being fresh-cut and crispy while being well-seasoned.
Onto some appies, we shared the Pan-Seared Calamari that featured BC humboldt squid in a smoked paprika aioli. Texturally, the strips of squid were on point being tender with only a slight chew. As much as we enjoyed the smoky and creamy aioli, it was on the saltier side. Furthermore, the dish would've been fine with half the amount as the squid was pretty much drenched. Next, we tried the Dungeness Crab Cakes served a top a lemon aioli. Consisting of 3 monstrous cakes, the dish was quite filling as a appie. Fried until golden brown, the exterior was evenly crispy. Inside, there was a considerable amount of crab mixed with some celery and onions. They didn't skimp on the crab which was soft, yet a touch dense.
Onto our mains, the star of the meal was indeed the Southern Fried Chicken with buttermilk mashed potatoes, green beans and honey butter. Much like the last time I had it at the Kits location, this one sported a crunchy exterior that was drizzled in honey butter. The skin was fairly rendered while the meat was moist and tender (even the white meat). Our last dish was the twice-braised Beef Short Ribs with cheese grits and salsa verde. We found the short rib to be fork tender albeit a touch dry. It featured depth-of-flavour from the braising while the salsa verde cut into the heaviness. The grits were a bit chunky, but plenty cheesy. Overall, the 2 things that really stood out were the oysters and the fried chicken. Come for those and you won't be disappointed.
