LA Chicken

With the limited Fried Chicken options within the GVRD, it is really not that difficult to stand out.  As much as I personally like Church's Fried Chicken, there is one place that surpasses it in every way.  Yes, it is the infamous L.A. Chicken situated in a former location Lee's.  Converted to L.A. Chicken, there is some influence from the previous tennant.  However, better in almost every way in my opinion.  Since I was in Richmond one day, it seemed like as good of a reason to do a revisit.

Littered with deleted items, the old Lee's Chicken menu has been whittled down to original, spicy, fries and fried apple pie.  As such, I went for their 6 piece special split into half Original and half Spicy with fries. Encased in seasoned batter, the chicken definitely tastes more complex than the merely salty one found at Church's.  However, similar to Church's the brined meat affords juiciness and succulence.  As for the spicy, there is some heat, but for me at least, a little more balanced than Church's (which can range from flaming hot to a bit weak depending on the piece of chicken to the location).  Not much to say about the fries other than good job on the McCain frozen variety.

One cannot leave without the Gravy (much like Lee's) where there is a noticeable pepperiness.  The viscosity is silky without being too starchy nor too thick.  As mentioned there is a pepperiness that is not inferred with sisignificantly by too much salt.  Perfect for the fries and of course the chicken.  It's kinda ironic that I just helped judge the Fried Chicken Challenge, where Chewie's was a worthy winner.  Yet, L.A. Chicken should be in the discussion as well.  But then again, I'm pretty sure the owners are not the type to participate in such a competition.

The Good:
- Juicy, flavourful chicken with a crunchy exterior (what's not to like?)
- Simple menu, does one thing and does it right

The Bad:
- Kinda pricey for this type of establishment
- Prepare for a wait during peak tims   

The Cascade Room

My third stop of the Fried Chicken Challenge brought to an ol' favourite in the Cascade Room.  Ever since my first visit many years ago, I had an eye on returning, but once again I was tempted by newer restaurants.  To fit this visit into my busy schedule (was doing the Chinese Restaurant Awards at the same time), I had to bring the whole family since they were with me already.  Not necessarily a place I would normally bring the kiddies, but they seemed comfortable nonetheless.

We kicked things off with 2 small egg appies including the Devilled Egg with house-made gravlax, smoked paprika and dill.  No, the 80's didn't call wanting their devilled egg back because this was actually decent.  It was creamy with a background tang from the mustard and a slight bitterness from the paprika. Next, we had the Scotch Egg served with HP sauce.  Inside, the yolk was appealingly runny where the egg white was not rubbery.  It was encased with meaty and lean sausage that was rather mild tasting.  The whole thing was coated with breading that was fried up beautifully crisp.

Onto a dish that I enjoyed the last time I was here, we had the Polenta Fries with curry aioli.  These were firmly crunchy due to the aggressive deep fry.  I would've liked to see more of the soft polenta texture in the middle since these were pretty dried out (unlike last time).  I found the aioli to be creamy with only the lightest hint of curry.  We worked our way up to the larger appie in the Duck Confit Risotto with chanterelle mushrooms and pickled cherries garnished with rocket.  Although devoid of moisture, the risotto was cheesy while sporting firm rice.  The generous chunks of duck confit were tender and moist.

As for the dish I was originally here for, the Southern Fried Chicken was completely on point.  This featured 2 large brined deboned chicken legs coated in a firmly crunchy well-seasoned batter.  Succulent and bordering on salty, the chicken was excellent.  Peppery and salty, the thick red-eye gravy went well with the soft almond buttermilk biscuits.  To cut the heaviness, there was a mound of tangy braised purple cabbage and crunchy French beans.  

As per usual, my son went for his standby being the Bacon Cheeseburger with Blue Goose Farms organic grass fed beef, house smoked thick cut bacon and aged cheddar. Prepared medium, the lean meat patty was in between dry and moist.  The tomato chutney provided a freshness that was a nice departure from plain ketchup.  What brought this all together was the well-toasted airy brioche bun that held up to the ingredients.  Oh and the fresh-cut kennebec fries were solid too being crispy with enough potato texture left.

Mostly for my daughter, we got the Arctic Char with spaghetti squash, chanterelle mushroom, leeks, french beans, cauliflower puree and pine nut agrodolce. Exhibiting a crispy skin while the meat was moist and flaky, the char was mildly seasoned.  However, the pine nut agrodolce added an aromatic sweetness (albeit greasy).  Again, the beans on the plate were barely cooked with a lively crunch.  Even though we were mainly here for the fried chicken, it was a good decision to try out a few more items because it didn't disappoint.

*2 dishes were complimentary*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Understated vibe

The Bad:
- Not expensive, but not cheap either   

Chewie's Steam & Oyster Bar (Downtown)

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 

Seto Sushi

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