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It's not often we can boast about eating in Richmond where it doesn't involve any type of Asian cuisine. Yes, despite the plethora of seemingly endless Dim Sum and Bubble Tea options, there are in fact some local eats. That would be the case at the Pacific Gateway Hotel near the YVR. Located on the premises is Pier 73, which is tucked away at the back overlooking the water with mountain views. No, not exactly what one has in mind for a restaurant in Richmond. We trekked out one night to check out the place.
The first plates to hit the table were the Duck Salad and Asian Glazed Short Rib (I guess we couldn't get away from Asian after all). Looking more like a mess of duck rather than a salad, there was a smattering of frisee on top of sliced red and golden beats topped with sunflower seeds. We found the duck to be meaty and well-seasoned yet somewhat dry. The white balsamic dressing was rather mild while the large chunks of feta were a treat on their own. As for the short rib, it sauced with a soy aioli which added a salty-creaminess to the already sweet and stick glaze. Although fork tender, the short rib itself was also a touch dry. It rested on a bed of crunchy cabbage while accented by crushed peanuts and cilantro.
Something that sounded interesting on the menu was the Garlic, Brie & Fry Bread. The brie portion was appealing with melted segments accompanied by roasted garlic, pickled mustard seeds, compressed tree fruit and shallots. The combination of these items afforded a creamy sweetness accented by acidity and the aromatics of the roasted garlic. However, I would've liked to see a fluffier and more substantial fry bread as these were hard and greasy. Our last appie was something more regular in the Mussels & Frites. The buttery mussels were bathed in an impactful white wine broth with sweet onions and butter. There was definitely a wine flavour which was properly cooked down. Lightly crispy, the frites were pretty mediocre.
Onto our mains, I went for the Seafood Linguine with selva prawns, scallops, halibut, salmon, tomatoes, onions and peppers in a white wine garlic cream sauce. As much as the pasta itself was past al dente, it wasn't a huge issue as the rest of the ingredients were on point. Prawns were meaty with a slight snap while the scallops were buttery and the fish was flaky. I found the cream sauce to be rather mild, but the pop of the tomatoes added acidity and the onions were sweet. I wasn't a fan of the peppers though as they didn't add anything other than colour to the dish.
At first, my dad was hesitant to order the Line Caught Halibut Salad since it didn't sound filling enough. Well it sure was with a combination of watercress, wheat berries, fennel, mushrooms,goat cheese, green peppercorn, spiced nuts and citrus vinaigrette. The nicely seared and generous portion of halibut wasn't exactly overdone, but it was a touch dry nonetheless. It was only mildly seasoned. The rest of the salad continued the theme with only a light acidity to go with the combination of fresh ingredients. He wasn't so sure if the goat cheese went with the fish though.
Viv decided on the Pacific Albacore Tuna with dashi, tonkatsu sauce and smoked sablefish croquette. Although it didn't appear to be substantial nor heavy, Viv was pretty stuffed upon finishing. As evidenced in the picture, the fish was perfectly rare with only light sear. With only a gentle drizzle of tonkatsu sauce, the subtle flavour of the tuna and dashi was not overwhelmed. Crispy and light, the croquette was unmistakably fishy and smoky. My mom went for the 8 oz. Sirloin Steak prepared medium-rare. As you can clearly see, the steak was closer to rare, but that is the way we like it anyways. It was fairly tender while seasoned with a peppery red wine sauce. The bevy of attractive and vibrant veggies were cooked just right.
For the kiddies, they ordered off the children's menu which included 3 courses staring with a choice of Veggies or Daily Soup (Moroccan Lentil in this case). My son had neither, so we ended up sharing the veggies while my daughter loved the lentil soup. I gave it a try and it was very mildly spiced with only background hints of cumin and cardamom. For her main, my daughter predictably chose the Pacific Salmon with early potatoes and veggies. For a reasonable price of $10.00, we felt her meal was a fantastic value. As much as the salmon was a bit too done for our tastes, she gobbled it up. The veggies ate as good as they looked.
Not being overly creative, my son had the Mini-Grass Fed Burgers with fries. Well, not much to say about the fries as they were average like the ones with the mussels. As for the burgers, the lightly toasted and airy brioche was a nice touch. Being quite lean, the burger patties were somewhat dry. For dessert, the kiddies were given the choice of ice cream IF they finished all their dinner (as indicated on the menu). Well, despite not finishing all the veggies and fries, they were still given dessert... They both selected the Chocolate Ice Cream which sported a dark hue. As such, it had more of a dark chocolate flavour while still being rather sweet. As much as it was just ice cream, it was satisfying being creamy and rich.
For the adults, we got 2 desserts including the Cheesecake in a Jar and the 2-Bite Lemon Tart. With blueberry being the featured fruit for our cheesecake, the flavours were predictably mild. In fact, the whole thing wasn't even very sweet nor cheesy. It was smooth though with an appealingly firm crust. With a Santa-hat shaped meringue on top, the petite lemon tart featured creamy and tangy curd encased in a firm shell. At the end, we were pretty full since we ordered so much food which was generally well-portioned. We felt the entrees were stronger than the appies while the kid's meals were a good value. Service was super friendly too.
The Good:
- Decent hotel eats
- Friendly service
- Kid's meals are a good value
The Bad:
- Appies not as strong as the entrees
- Food is decent, but further refinement is needed
With my recent revisit(s) to HK BBQ Master (the most recent with Sean, as we ate in), it seemed like it was inevitable that I had to check out Parker Place Meat & BBQ again as well. Since Sean was with me at the American Grille trying out their fried chicken creation as part of the Fried Chicken Challenge, I suggested we go get even more meat at Parker Place. Shockingly, I was able to get a parking spot right away, people even stopped for us to cross the parking lot and held the door open. What happened to Richmond? Some alternate reality?
I decided to get the standard stuff with the most important first - Roast Pork. Unlike the version at HK BBQ Master, the one at Parker Place employs the whole hog rather than just the belly. As a result, dependent on which piece you get, it could be equally fatty or lean much like our order. Hence, the meat was less succulent while at the same time being tender and moist. It was also a tad saltier than the one from HK BBQ Master. Another obvious difference was the crackling as it was more firmly crunchy. As for the BBQ Pork (Char Sui), it was a fairly lean with a flavourful bark. Again, the meat didn't suffer from the lack of fat as it was not remotely dried out. The sweet glaze on the outside was thin, yet pretty sweet. I would've liked to see a more aggressive char on the outside.
Completing the trifecta, I got half a BBQ Duck as well. Featuring an attractively roasted skin, the fat was completely rendered. The meat (including the breast) was succulent and fully penetrated by the marinade (an appealing saltiness accented by star anise). Although not large in size in the display, once chopped up, the 1/2 duck barely fit into the styrofoam container. For good measure, I went for half of a Soya Chicken (which was advertised at Soyed Chicken...). The chicken was plump and large in size. Succulent with a sweet soy flavour, the meat was tender including the breast. I enjoyed the slightly gelatinized skin as it was flavourful from the soy poaching liquid. All 4 items were pretty solid, but my personal preference is still HK BBQ Master (even though it is more expensive).
The Good:
- Well-executed meats
- Duck and chicken were large
- Pretty good service
The Bad:
- Good, but HK BBQ Master is better IMO
As if downing dishes from The Pressure Box wasn't enough food, Sean and I decided to get some snacks from 33 Acres as we were waiting for our fried chicken. The whole reason we were in there was not only to have a convenient spot to eat our food, but also to grab some beverages. As mentioned in the previous blog post, it seemed like a match made in heaven since fried eats and cold brews make for some pretty happy people (I guess Sean and I were shiny happy people...).
For our bevvies, Sean went for the 33 Acres of Sunshine while I had the 33 Acres of Life. Yes, we were in a good mood being shiny happy people. The light unfiltered sunshine was refreshing and easy going down. There was some citrus notes to go with a background aroma. Despite being amber in colour, the 33 Acres of Life exhibited a refreshing bite. It went well with the fried chicken. With full sched of food trucks, 33 Acres maintains a simple "greatest hits" menu of local snacks including the Beef Jerky from Jerky Baron. This was classic chewy (albeit chewable) meat that was lightly seasoned where it wasn't too salty nor sweet. There was an appealing pepperiness to it.
Onto another local favourite, we had some Bee Kim Heng Pork Jerky. Not much to say but to reiterate all of my past thoughts about the Singaporean-style jerky - meaty, while firmly tender with a nice char and sweet glaze. Addictive and very tasty. The final item on the greatest hits list was the Bestie Board with gherkins and pretzel. We found the pretzel to be dense and chewy while the sausage was on point with a tender yet meaty texture that wasn't over-seasoned. From this, I'm sure you can see the main focus is on the fantastic brews with some snacks on the side. On that note, 33 Acres does this well.
The Good:
- Casual, spacious spot for some drinks (which are very good) and snacks
- Full compliment of food trucks providing various eats
The Bad:
- Place is not particularly big
- Limited actual menu (but that is the point)
When one has the fried chicken cravings (that is a constant with me), the usual places come to mind like Church's, KFC (not a fan of it) and of course L.A. Chicken. Of course there are some solid offerings from full-service restaurants as well. Continuing on with the Fried Chicken Challenge, it brought me to The Pressure Box. Their main feature is their signature sous-vide fried chicken. Parked in front of 33 Acres Brewing, there just seemed to be an ideal pairing of fried food and beer.
To maintain the integrity of the Not Your Mama's Fried Chicken, I attacked it first. What struck me right away was the firmly crunchy and thick breading (due to being done 2X). It was appealing and well-seasoned, but the part nearest to the chicken was a bit underdone. That coincided with the skin of the sous-vide chicken which was not rendered. As for the meat itself, it was fantastic being juicy, succulent and tender. With a few drops of their hot sauce, this was a solid piece of meat. The accompanying skinny kennebec fries were on point with a light crispiness on the outside.
At first, I scoffed at the side of a Warm Potato Salad that was on the menu. Turns out that I was an idiot for thinking in such a manner. It turned out to be my favourite item, where the sous-vide potato was full of flavour from the brine. There was an appealing level of acidity to go with the aromatics provided by the truffle mayo. Moreover, the sear with seasonings and salt helped elevate both the texture and flavour of the potato. The addition of fried shallots and pickled radish added crunch and further aromatics (and in the case of the radish, more acidity to keep things light and refreshing).
Lastly, I sampled the vegan 48-Hour Beef Stew thickened with rice flour. As much a the whole dish look strange with the glistening thick "sauce", it ate rather nicely. The chunks of beef were tender to the chew while still maintaining a natural texture. There was no absence of impact from the parsnips and carrots which offered up a certain Earthiness. Interestingly, I enjoyed everything on the menu, but the chicken was not my favourite. Not that it wasn't any good, the other items were just better.
*All food was complimentary*
The Good:
- No absence of complimentary flavours
- Well-executed eats
The Bad:
- Chicken skin not rendered
"Let's head out to Fort Langley", exclaimed Viv enthusiastically. The kids seemed to be mildly impressed while in the background I was formulating as to which restaurant we were going to grab lunch. Once I figured out that Beatnik's Bistro was close to the fort while being kid-friendly (and there was an Entertainment coupon too), I also piped up. "Okay, what are we waiting for? Let's go!". The drive out was rather uneventful and we found a parking spot right away. As we walked up to the place, for a fleeting moment, I considered sitting outside due to the natural light. Viv nixed that idea pretty quickly as it was rather cold. Ah zut...
So I had to suffer though crappy lighting for my pictures... Poor me... My daughter went for her go-to dish being the Cod n' Chips with coleslaw. The fish was fairly flaky while a touch overdone. Coated with a lightly crispy batter, there was some greasiness, but not overly so. The accompanying fresh-cut fries were good, if not needing a bit more time in the fryer. My son, being obsessed with short ribs, had the... wait for it... 3 Hour Braised Beef Short Ribs with herbed goat cheese potato cake & roasted beets and zucchini with a star-anise red wine reduction. Fork-tender and fatty, the short ribs were on point. The thick sauce had a tamarind-quality to it despite the lack of that ingredient. We weren't fans of the potato cake as it was a bit lifeless and undercooked.
For myself, I had the Prime Rib Beef Dip with havarti cheese & roasted red pepper aioli. Sinfully fatty and super moist, the prime rib literally melted in my mouth. The aggressively toasted bread held everything together while the jus was rather natural-tasting without the usual saltiness associated with beef dip. I upgraded to a side of yam fries and they were decently crispy and cooked-thoroughly. Looking rather sparsely plated, Viv's Seafood Linguine was decent. The pasta (not much of it) was fairly al dente while bathed in a roasted red pepper and creamy tomato sauce. The flavours were quite impactful with a certain zestiness and tang. The wild salmon was overdone while the prawns were well-executed. For the items we tried, Beatniks did the job and a little bit more so. Prices were not exactly cheap, but definitely in line or less than some chain restaurants.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Friendly service
- Quaint
The Bad:
- Not cheap (but chain restaurants would cost even more)
- Modest portion sizes
Posts
It's not often we can boast about eating in Richmond where it doesn't involve any type of Asian cuisine. Yes, despite the plethora of seemingly endless Dim Sum and Bubble Tea options, there are in fact some local eats. That would be the case at the Pacific Gateway Hotel near the YVR. Located on the premises is Pier 73, which is tucked away at the back overlooking the water with mountain views. No, not exactly what one has in mind for a restaurant in Richmond. We trekked out one night to check out the place.
The first plates to hit the table were the Duck Salad and Asian Glazed Short Rib (I guess we couldn't get away from Asian after all). Looking more like a mess of duck rather than a salad, there was a smattering of frisee on top of sliced red and golden beats topped with sunflower seeds. We found the duck to be meaty and well-seasoned yet somewhat dry. The white balsamic dressing was rather mild while the large chunks of feta were a treat on their own. As for the short rib, it sauced with a soy aioli which added a salty-creaminess to the already sweet and stick glaze. Although fork tender, the short rib itself was also a touch dry. It rested on a bed of crunchy cabbage while accented by crushed peanuts and cilantro.
Something that sounded interesting on the menu was the Garlic, Brie & Fry Bread. The brie portion was appealing with melted segments accompanied by roasted garlic, pickled mustard seeds, compressed tree fruit and shallots. The combination of these items afforded a creamy sweetness accented by acidity and the aromatics of the roasted garlic. However, I would've liked to see a fluffier and more substantial fry bread as these were hard and greasy. Our last appie was something more regular in the Mussels & Frites. The buttery mussels were bathed in an impactful white wine broth with sweet onions and butter. There was definitely a wine flavour which was properly cooked down. Lightly crispy, the frites were pretty mediocre.
Onto our mains, I went for the Seafood Linguine with selva prawns, scallops, halibut, salmon, tomatoes, onions and peppers in a white wine garlic cream sauce. As much as the pasta itself was past al dente, it wasn't a huge issue as the rest of the ingredients were on point. Prawns were meaty with a slight snap while the scallops were buttery and the fish was flaky. I found the cream sauce to be rather mild, but the pop of the tomatoes added acidity and the onions were sweet. I wasn't a fan of the peppers though as they didn't add anything other than colour to the dish. 
At first, my dad was hesitant to order the Line Caught Halibut Salad since it didn't sound filling enough. Well it sure was with a combination of watercress, wheat berries, fennel, mushrooms,goat cheese, green peppercorn, spiced nuts and citrus vinaigrette. The nicely seared and generous portion of halibut wasn't exactly overdone, but it was a touch dry nonetheless. It was only mildly seasoned. The rest of the salad continued the theme with only a light acidity to go with the combination of fresh ingredients. He wasn't so sure if the goat cheese went with the fish though.
Viv decided on the Pacific Albacore Tuna with dashi, tonkatsu sauce and smoked sablefish croquette. Although it didn't appear to be substantial nor heavy, Viv was pretty stuffed upon finishing. As evidenced in the picture, the fish was perfectly rare with only light sear. With only a gentle drizzle of tonkatsu sauce, the subtle flavour of the tuna and dashi was not overwhelmed. Crispy and light, the croquette was unmistakably fishy and smoky. My mom went for the 8 oz. Sirloin Steak prepared medium-rare. As you can clearly see, the steak was closer to rare, but that is the way we like it anyways. It was fairly tender while seasoned with a peppery red wine sauce. The bevy of attractive and vibrant veggies were cooked just right.
For the kiddies, they ordered off the children's menu which included 3 courses staring with a choice of Veggies or Daily Soup (Moroccan Lentil in this case). My son had neither, so we ended up sharing the veggies while my daughter loved the lentil soup. I gave it a try and it was very mildly spiced with only background hints of cumin and cardamom. For her main, my daughter predictably chose the Pacific Salmon with early potatoes and veggies. For a reasonable price of $10.00, we felt her meal was a fantastic value. As much as the salmon was a bit too done for our tastes, she gobbled it up. The veggies ate as good as they looked.
Not being overly creative, my son had the Mini-Grass Fed Burgers with fries. Well, not much to say about the fries as they were average like the ones with the mussels. As for the burgers, the lightly toasted and airy brioche was a nice touch. Being quite lean, the burger patties were somewhat dry. For dessert, the kiddies were given the choice of ice cream IF they finished all their dinner (as indicated on the menu). Well, despite not finishing all the veggies and fries, they were still given dessert... They both selected the Chocolate Ice Cream which sported a dark hue. As such, it had more of a dark chocolate flavour while still being rather sweet. As much as it was just ice cream, it was satisfying being creamy and rich.
For the adults, we got 2 desserts including the Cheesecake in a Jar and the 2-Bite Lemon Tart. With blueberry being the featured fruit for our cheesecake, the flavours were predictably mild. In fact, the whole thing wasn't even very sweet nor cheesy. It was smooth though with an appealingly firm crust. With a Santa-hat shaped meringue on top, the petite lemon tart featured creamy and tangy curd encased in a firm shell. At the end, we were pretty full since we ordered so much food which was generally well-portioned. We felt the entrees were stronger than the appies while the kid's meals were a good value. Service was super friendly too.
