Cheshire Cheese Restaurant & Bar

While shopping in North Van on a Saturday, we decided to stay put and grab some lunch.  Without any planned food adventure, we headed to Lonsdale Quay to see if it would inspire us.  Well, I guess we didn't get too creative because we ended up at the Cheshire Cheese Inn.  Okay, I'm not trying to slag the place, but the memories of the Kerrisdale location only brought up memories of mediocre British pub fare.  Wait, isn't that the case anywhere?  Sorry, that was just mean of me...  Well, we gave it a go for ol' times sake.

Give it to my son for picking the most interesting dish of the bunch being the Toad in a Hole.  From the name itself, we were wondering if he would even give it a chance.  That he did.  It featured 2 large lean sausages stuffed inside Yorkshire Pudding and smothered with gravy.  With me trying not to say something inappropriate, we watched him happily dig in.  The sausages were meaty and as advertised, lean while the Yorkshire pudding was a touch dense, but fluffy enough as a whole with a crispy exterior.  Thick and a bit salty, the gravy did its job.  My daughter went for the kid's Fish & Chips which was a decently sized version.  Although a bit greasy, the light tempura batter was crispy while the fish was flaky and moist.  The side of fries were solid as well being fresh-cut and lightly crispy.

For myself, I debated between several items, but ultimately went for the Lamb Curry (didn't think a burger was British enough... and curry is?).  This was a rather surprising dish as it was pretty good.  With very little filler other than some carrots, the large chunks of lamb were tender and not dried out.  As for the curry itself, it was thick and rich with only the slightest hint of spice while being a tad salty.  I wasn't a huge fan of the rice though as it was hard and dry, but then again, the ample amount of sauce solved that problem.  Finally, Viv opted for the Chicken Pot Pie which sported a flaky crust on the top.  Inside, the mildly thick and seasoned gravy enveloped chunks of veggies and fairly tender chicken. So maybe I didn't give the place enough credit.  Sure, it ain't fantastic food, but what it is, we were decently satisfied.

The Good:
- Okay portions
- Acceptable pub fare

The Bad:
- Pricey  

Mango Yummy

After the sticker shock of Mango Mama, I wasn't really prepared for another version of mango robbery.  However, with the promise of more reasonable prices with fairly comparable desserts, I was swayed to visit Mango Yummy.  In reality, I didn't have much of a choice since we were needing to find the best Mango Sago in town.  Since the dish isn't the easiest find, it was by default I would end up at Mango Yummy.  

We started with the Signature Mango Shaved Ice for a very palatable $8.00.  To compare with Mango Mama, the one here featured less fluffy ice as well as mango chunks that appeared to be less sweet.  With that being said, the whole thing wasn't remarkably inferior to the one found at Mango Mama.  Considering the portion size and price, this was a much better value.  As for the Mango Sago and Grapefruit, it was thinner than the one at Mango Mama. I found it sweeter though with smaller chunks of mild-tasting mango.  Again, for $7.00, this was $3.00 cheaper than Mango Mama.  Honestly, I would be happy with this version despite being not-as-good as the one at Mango Mama.

On my suggestion, we tried the Mix Fruit & Mochi Honey Thick Toast.  Turns out it was not a great idea since the toast had a stale quality to it.  Furthermore, the excess amount of granulated sugar on top (that was not caramelized) made for a gritty and overly sweet mouthful each time.  On the other hand, the fresh fruit with mochi on the side was pretty good.  Back to the mango, we had the Mango Crepe filled with a minimal amount of fresh whipped cream and plenty of diced mango.  I found the crepe to be a touch thick but not overly chewy.  Flavourwise, the dessert wasn't exactly impactful, but pleasant nonetheless, especially for $6.00.  That pretty much sums up Mango Yummy, especially compared to Mango Mama - considerably less expensive, but also not as good either.

The Good:
- Compared to its main competition (Mango Mama), it's a whole lot cheaper
- Fairly large menu

The Bad:
- Tight seating arrangements
- Flavours a bit weak 

Ban Chok Dee

Once again, a food challenge brought me out to Ban Chok Dee in Langley.  However, unlike the last time, I brought along an eating companion (Miss Y) who would assist me in eating more than merely one dish.  As part of the Fried Chicken Challenge, my mission was to help find the best entry within the participating restaurants.  Despite the significant trek out to Ban Chok Dee, my past experiences have been good. Besides, we made it a pit stop before we headed out to Castle Fun Park in Abby.

Not messing around, we were immediately served the aforementioned entry in the competition being the BCD Nahm Gai Tord.  The cured chicken wings were fully penetrated by the marinade resulting in a flavourful garlicky and mildly salty flavour.  Furthermore, the meat was fairly moist for a fully cooked wing. The exterior was nicely caramelized and slightly charred that emanated a smokiness.  To top things off, the spicy ginger caramel sauce added the missing elements to balance everything off.  Next, we were presented with an experimental dish being Chef Lopston's take on Tom Yum Soup.  This version was pretty rich and full-bodied (a bit too thick).  So much so, I ate it with rice.  Coconutty, creamy with notable spice and tang, the fried dumplings (filled with shrimp) soaked up all the flavours.

With yet another new dish, we were treated to the Eggplant with shrimp and ground pork.  One whiff and it was obvious the classic Thai flavours were employed including fish sauce, lemongrass, galangal and basil.  I found the eggplant to be soft, but not mushy while the prawns were appealingly cold-water crunchy.  There was a certain spiciness to the dish that gave it a kick but didn't overwhelm.  Miss Y was debating as to which appie we were going to order.  The solution?  Get the Chok Dee Platter with Pork & Chicken Satay, Golden Wontons and Spring Rolls.  Nicely charred and caramelized, the pork satay rocked while the chicken was lean but not dry.  We found the spring rolls to be rather dense and lacking in flavour, but the acidic and sweet dip made up for it.  Firmly crunchy, the wontons were pretty good with lean ground pork inside.

Onto our second soup, we had the Tom Kha Gai which was coconutty in terms of aroma. The thickness provided by the coconut milk was not overdone which meant the soup ate like a soup rather than a sauce.  It was markedly spicy while not overly so.  The lemongrass, galangal and fish sauce were all discernible with each spoonful.  There was also a good amount of ingredients including plenty of sliced chicken breast. Moving along, we tackled our first entree with the Beef Penang Curry.  I've had this before on my first ever visit to BDC and it was exactly how I remembered it (good consistency).  Again, there was an immediate spiciness that wore off slightly to reveal the coconut milk, significant lemongrass content and galangal.  This was pretty powerful, but when combined with rice, it was just right.  There was a good amount of beef which was a touch chewy, but would be an incorrect preparation if tenderized.

Miss Y wanted a fish entree but not salmon as she had eaten lots of it recently.  So that left the Five Spices Fish consisting of basa as the best option.  Trying to not sound like a broken record, the dish was definitely spicy but not in a bad way.  The crispy batter held up to the sauce and ingredients while the fish remained flaky and moist.  Of note, this was not in reference to Chinese 5-spice, rather it was their own 5 different spices and flavourings. Of course we couldn't forget about the Pad Thai as I love the dish (as long as it is prepared properly).  Spiked with tamarind, there was a balanced amount of tartness to go with the palm sugar and fish sauce.  The whole dish was also spicy where the flavours were impactful and appealing.  There was a good amount of wok heat where the sugar had caramelized with a certain smokiness.  The large prawns were nicely cold-water crunchy and sweet.  I would've liked to see less moisture though as well as a wedge of lime.

A little off the board, I decided to order from the Street Food section and selected the Cured Dry Pork Ribs which were presented with a side of sticky rice.  Despite being pretty dark in colour, the ribs were not burnt, rather there was a certain savoury smokiness about them.  With a touch of sweetness balanced by the tart dip, the meaty pieces of ribs were only a bit dry with an appealing chewiness. For dessert, we began with a relatively common dessert in the Fried Banana.  To change things up a little, we went for green tea ice cream rather than coconut.  Nothing much to say other than the banana was not too soft while the light batter was crispy.  Overall, Miss Y and I enjoyed our meal except for the spring roll.  I would say BDC is still a solid place for Thai in Langley.

*All food and beverages excluding gratuities were complimentary*

The Good:
- Generally well-prepared food
- Asked for spicy and got spicy

- Fairly large menu

The Bad:
- Wasn't a fan of the spring roll
- Not really a negative, but be sure to ask for spicy if you want impact of flavours