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Sometimes, all we need is a quick and relatively inexpensive meal that doesn't involve the golden arches. Often intentionally overlooked is the Crystal Mall food court due to a variety of reasons including the infamous round parking lot, lack of utensils and if you buy from multiple vendors, you may not be able to sit down and enjoy your meal. Despite these challenges, I do occasionally visit the place since the food can override the challenges. On 2 separate visits, I tried a variety of items, unfortunately each time, some were sold out.
However, looking rather legit, I did get to try the Singapore Laksa which featured the usual sliced fish cake, tofu puff, shrimp and boiled egg. With a healthy portion of both rice vermicelli and oil noodles, the laksa was filling. Although a bit thin, the broth was on point with a noted coconut milkiness supplemented by a background shrimpiness and obvious spiciness. Still, we would've liked to see more pronounced flavours. We weren't as impressed with the Hainanese Chicken Rice where the deboned chicken leg was a touch dry. The skin was nicely gelatinized though while we were supplied with the usual condiments. Nutty and chewy, the chicken rice was decent yet could've used a bit more punch.
On our second visit yielded 2 orders of the Roti Canai. Although rather flat and dense-looking, it was actually decent. The exterior was decently browned and crispy while the inside was soft albeit with compressed layers. It was seasoned enough to stand on its own, but the side of curry dip helped. I would've liked to see it more impactful though. That would be the same for the Curry Brisket with rice. It was fine with balanced flavours including a background sweetness. For me, it was too mild though. The chunks of brisket were a bit small which meant they weren't as moist as it could've been. Although it was generally hit and miss with Ipoh Bean Sprout Chicken, I'm still open to trying more items the next time I'm at Crystal Mall.
The Good:
- Some decent items
- Inexpensive for what you get
The Bad:
- Hit and miss
- Lacking in overall flavour
There used to be a time when it was easy to meet up with the few active food bloggers in Vancouver. We could literally sit at one table. Fast forward to the present and we'd probably need a concert hall for everyone. Hence, it is not often that I get to meet up with a blogger (that I've never met before) one-on-one for a meal. Since we are both involved in the Chinese Restaurant Awards, Emily (aka Miss Piggy Vancouver) and I got a chance to connect and grab a bite to eat at one of her "to visit" restaurants in Sushi Loku located where Seb's used to be.
We ended up getting an assortment of eats including the Assorted Sashimi. Plated attractively and consisting of appealing cuts of fish, we were pretty excited to dig in. The best slices by far was the Hamachi in my opinion. They were buttery with a fresh sweetness while not being too soft. We also enjoyed the salmon and tuna equally as they were skillfully prepared. With the 6 pieces of Nigiri (Toro, Tai and Unagi), the vibrancy of the fish was also apparent by appearance, smell, taste and texture. Underneath, the sushi rice was appealingly chewy while mildly seasoned. As much as unagi can be pretty sweet and one note in flavour, the one here had a buttery smokiness.
Although Fried Softshell Crab was not on the menu, Emily used her charm (or was it persistence) to order such a dish. She requested a lighter batter and we got exactly that. The fairly large crab was crispy (albeit a touch greasy) on the outside while still soft and sweet on the inside. It was mildly salted where it didn't overwhelm the delicate crab. Trying to channel Miku into the meal, we got their version of the Aburi Salmon Oshi. Compared to Miku, this one seemed less "buttery" and soft. The rice was definitely firmer while the jalapeno slice was thicker. Therefore, the whole thing was more stiff in general. With that being said, the salmon was still soft while the flavour was a bit spicier. Personally, this one had nothing on Miku.
We ended off with 2 rolls including the Paradise Roll consisting of mango, marinated tuna, sushi rice, cucumber, avocado and lettuce in rice paper sauced with ponzu and sesame. Although the individual ingredients were quite good, somehow the roll didn't work as a whole. It probably had something to do with the rice paper. There was a level of disconnect. On the other hand, the Beef Tataki Roll was pretty good. It was made up of 2 ebi tempura, avocado and imitation crab topped with beef, garlic chips, green onion and ponzu. The buttery beef was only lightly seared and equally lightly sauced by the ponzu. Combined with the garlic chip, there was some nice aroma going on to compliment what was essentially a glorified dynamite roll. With the items we tried, Sushi Loku came through with aesthetically-pleasing food at reasonable prices. A place to consider if you were in the neighbourhood.
The Good:
- Aesthetically-pleasing food
- Good ingredients for the price
The Bad:
- Food came out a bit slow
- Food was good, but they looked better than they ate
Since I drive by the corner of the Kingsway at Salisbury quite often, I've known about Wonderful House for awhile. Replacing Private Home Cuisine, the new place put "fusion" into its menu by offering up a combination of Shanghainese, Taiwanese, Szechuan and even a touch of Cantonese eats. Recipe for disaster? Normally yes, but we had to give the place a try as I was still searching for the best Drunken Chicken as per this year's CRA Social Media judging. So after dining on the same stuff at Jin Jiang the night before, we did it for lunch the very next day.
Just like the last meal, we were started off with the aforementioned Drunken Chicken (as it is usually a cold dish anyways). This one was much more impactful and strong with a considerable amount of Xiaoshing wine flavour. With that being said, it wasn't overpowering even though it had penetrated the meat completely. Since they used free-range chicken, the meat was much less succulent than Jin Jiang where it was chewy (but in an appealing way). The gelatinized skin was on point where there was a thin layer of gelatin underneath. We also got the Sliced Pork Belly with Garlic Sauce (as it is another one of my favourite dishes). Despite sporting a tasty sauce that was indeed garlicky, sweet and slightly spicy, the pork belly itself was more meaty than buttery soft. The lack of fat ensured that it wasn't going to be melting-in-our-mouths.
The most disappointing dish of the meal was the Xiao Long Bao as they were steamed for far too long. As a result, the dumpling skin was wet and water-logged. Hence, there was no chewiness to the dough. Inside, there was nary a drop of soup to be found. The little that there was didn't exhibit much of any discernible flavours. On the other hand, the pork filling was tender and moist though with a noticeable sweetness. The Potstickers didn't fare much better as the dumpling wrapper was doughy and thick. Despite exhibiting an attractive pan fry, the bottom wasn't exactly crispy. Inside, the pork and cabbage filling was decent being moist and balanced. However, it did lack seasoning.
For the kiddies, we got them the Braised Beef Soup Noodles to share. Either they were super hungry or they really liked the noodles because they attacked it with fervour. I was able to sample some of it and it was indeed pretty good. The mild soup base exhibited some depth with an aromatic background meatiness accented by five spice (particularly star anise). We found the noodles to be chewy while the braised beef was super tender and flavourful. Also for the kiddies, we got the Chicken Nuggets dusted aggressively by the aforementioned five spice. These were lightly crispy with well-rendered skin. Underneath, the chicken was succulent and well-seasoned. All-in-all, we found the meal here hit and miss. Not really sure if it is worth a return visit.
The Good:
- Okay pricing
- Comfy dining space
The Bad:
- Hit and miss food
- Hit and miss service
There once was a time where staying home for New Year's Eve (sans party) was a no-no. However, as time passed and being a responsible adult trumped careless fun, spending a quiet evening at home with the kids became the norm. This would be the case again this year as we celebrated NYE with Ryan Seacrest. But before we relegated ourselves to the family room for the countdown, we headed into Downtown for our last meal for 2015.
We ended up at Cannibal Cafe partly due to another Groupon, but mostly because of my son. You see, we've been eating some much Asian food lately, he was dying for a burger. But before that, we shared some Mini-Dog Pops first. These were comprised of halved hot dogs (length-wise and width-wise) fried in beer-batter. Although fairly salty, the mini-dogs were blessed with a light and crunchy coating. The honey mustard helped cut the saltiness more than the ketchup though. For my son, he had the kid's Cheeseburger and Fries (with the addition of bacon). This was pretty solid with a meaty 3 oz. patty that was neither dry nor juicy. There was ample cheese and lean bacon that was all encased in a soft brioche bun.
My daughter, being the junior foodie, wanted no part in any kid's meal opting for the Slammin' Salmon with a side of Poutine instead. Pretty ambitious for an 8-year old as the burger consisted of a house-made patty, avocado, smoked salmon and orange basil mayo. This was a pleasant if not fairly dry burger where the salmon was lacking moisture. Taste-wise, it wasn't lacking since the patty was peppery while the smoked salmon provided the saltiness. The side of Poutine featured meaty fries that were mostly crispy while dressed in a somewhat salty gravy with legit cheese curds. Viv ended up with the Farmhouse consisting of a turkey patty, bacon, caramelized onions, cranberry relish and smoked gouda (in lieu of goat cheese). Surprisingly, the turkey patty was pretty moist while the cranberry relish took things over with a noted sweet-tang.
For myself, I had the Big Blue with a blue cheese-stuffed patty topped with more blue cheese, onion ring and horseradish chive mayo. One bite into the well-charred patty and boom, the creamy blue cheese hit me in the face (literally, it was everywhere). The flavours were pungent and sharp and the ample cheese helped keep things moist. Although the large onion ring was crunchy, the actual onion was hard to eat as it was the outer layer. For my side, I had the Mac n' Cheese (which I subsequently relinquished to my son) was a bit floury and not cheesy enough in texture and taste. Despite this and some other minor issues, we did enjoy our burgers and the friendly service at the Cannibal Cafe.
The Good:
- We got some stellar service
- Decent burgers
The Bad:
- A bit pricey
It was the start of Christmas holidays and although there were many eats planned for the next 2 weeks, I made it a point to eat out anyways. Wait, isn't that all-the-time? Instead of going for the default (such as White Spot), I thought the kids should eat something different. Different like... Persian! Hey my son loves meat, so meat on a stick (well it was cooking) sounded as good as any other idea. Who doesn't like meat on a stick anyways? Right, a vegetarian and vegans...
We started things off with the Hummus accompanied by pita bread. Chunky and a touch gritty, the hummus was pleasant enough with mild garlickiness. We would've liked to see some more acidity, but it was not a big deal. Texturally, I didn't mind the intermittent chunks of chickpea, but I can definitely see some people not liking it. A minor detail would be the pita as it was rather dry. Included with the combo for 2, we were served a House Salad that featured fresh veggies in a yogurt dressing. Nothing much to comment other than there was nothing amiss.
As mentioned, we got the Combo for 2 which included one skewer each of chicken and beef in addition to 2 skewers of ground beef. Although not aggressively charred, the meats were pretty good. We especially enjoyed the saffron chicken as it was succulent and tender. There was a background armoaticness to compliment the mild seasoning. We found the sirloin to be either tender and moist or a bit chewy dependent on the piece. That wasn't an issue with the ground beef as it was juicy and easy to chew. There was a considerable hit from the sweet onions.
For myself, I had to get the Lamb Shank which was reheated by the microwave. Not a huge problem, but some exterior parts were dried out as a result. Inside was much better as the meat was tender and gamy just like how lamb shank should be. It was mildly seasoned where it sat in its braising liquid that featured onions. Although I personally prefer the nearby Zeitoon, we thought the items we tried at Lonsdale Kebab were decent with all things considered
The Good:
- Really friendly owner
- Decent
The Bad:
- Lamb was a bit chewy on the outside
- More of a takeout spot as the dining space is limited
You know when you watch movies at Cineplex and they have those ads pointing out rude people like Harvey Hogger, Tommy Texter or Suzy Seat Kicker? Well, I'd like to add a Tammy Table Troll (sorry if I insulted all the Tammys out there). You see, we were waiting for a table at Angelina's and witnessed 2 ladies occupy a table for 4 prior to us arriving and after us leaving (that would put it at 3 hours, more on that later...). Anyways, we did end up getting a table and set off to use another one of my many Groupons.
For myself, I decided to try their Seafood Benny featuring smoked salmon and baby shrimp. Smothered in a enough Hollandaise that hid almost everything underneath, the sauce actually ate rather light with a mild flavour and lack of acidity. The poached eggs were perfectly runny while the smoked salmon was generous in portion. That included the good amount of buttery baby shrimp, which were a bit salty. We weren't fans of the potatoes though as some were undercooked. The fruit was attractive and fresh though. Viv continued the fruit theme with her Berry Pannekoeken topped with strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. This was also served with fresh whipped cream and a berry compote. Thin and fairly light, the pannekoeken was nicely textured and mildly flavoured.
My daughter decided on the Smoked Salmon and Spinach Pannekoeken with Edam cheese. This was fairly straightforward with the same light and thin pannekoeken topped with melted cheese, fresh spinach leaves and smoked salmon with a side of Hollandaise. This was pleasant enough with little fanfare. Going more heavy duty, my son had the Bacon and Eggs Pannekoeken. This was a pretty savoury with salty bacon which went well with the syrup and pannekoeken. Of note, the prices of these items were about $3-$5 less than De Dutch. However, the one thing that annoyed us was the time it took for our order (over 45 minutes!). That was the same for others too as we observed, which would mean that the ladies hogging the table were definitely there for over 3 hours. I digress. Overall, we liked the food at Angelina's, just be prepared to wait.
The Good:
- Friendly people
- Decent eats
The Bad:
- Food took forever
- Parking is scarce
Another year and another stab at the Social Media Choice for the Chinese Restaurant Awards (was named Blogger's Choice last year...). This time around, we settled on 5 dishes to be included in the judging for 2016. One of my suggestions made it to the ballot being the Drunken Chicken (or Wine Chicken) which is a classic Shanghainese dish that features chicken poached in Xiaoshing wine. Now before you anoint Long's as the winner before we even start, it was our job to find the best one regardless of reputation.
My first foray brought me back to Jin Jiang located in the Best Western on Kingsway in Burnaby. They were going through some drastic renos, so the picture of the front is a stock photo. Without further ado, we went straight for the Drunken Chicken to start. It definitely looked appetizing and it was pretty decent. Featuring tender and succulent chicken with a thin layer of gelatin underneath the gelatinized skin, there was a mild hit of wine. We liked how it wasn't too salty nor sweet, but the overall impact was not very strong. By the same token, the Hot & Sour Soup was fairly bland and lacking depth. Despite the strong presence of vinegar and chill oil, there was a severe lack of salt which was further highlighted by the flavourless soup base. On the positive side, the ingredients were plentiful with crunchy wood ear and bamboo shoots with some shrimp.
Of course we had to get a steamer of the Xiao Long Bao (which my kids now absolutely adore). These featured a relatively thin dumpling skin where the top twirl was only slightly doughy. Inside, there was a decent amount of soup that was sweet with a touch of ginger. I would've liked to see a stronger wine presence though. As for the meat, it was tender and "springy", hence being overall appealing. The Pan Fried Pork Buns featured the same filling as the XLBs. As a result, there was a measurable amount of juice squirting out after the first bite (and also the one we cut for the picture... all that soup lost on the plate!). The bun portion was soft and airy while the bottom was pan fried until golden brown and crispy. This was one of the highlights of our meal.
Rather than going for the usual Peking Duck for the kiddies, we wanted to do something different this time. Thus, we went for something that still involved wraps with the Shredded Pork in Chili and Garlic Sauce (crepes were an extra charge). Well, that was a fail as the kids thought it was too spicy. For the adults, that wasn't an issue, however, we did find it overly sweet. The shredded pork was on point though being properly marinated with a tender chewiness and that classic rebound texture. Now we didn't abandon ordering duck though since we got the Deep Fried Smoked Duck. Yes, this was one of the dishes we judged last year and despite not winning, the one here is respectable. We found the skin crispy and generally well-rendered. The meat was succulent and full of smoke flavour (maybe a tad too much) while well-salted.
To lighten things up from the heaviness of the previous 2 dishes, we got the Steamed Silky Tofu with Shrimp. This was predictably a very mild-tasting and easy-to-eat dish. Curiously, the dish was not served steaming hot as anticipated. Of course they couldn't steam it for too long as the shrimp on top would've been overcooked, but the dish was lukewarm at best. With that being said, the tofu was silky while the shrimp was cold-water crunchy. Lastly, we got the Deep Fried Bun served with condensed milk. This was fried just right with a golden crunchy exterior with a soft fluffy interior. Seeing that this has been the 4th time I've eaten here, I can definitively say the food is decent, but of course, cannot compete with the places found in Richmond.
The Good:
- Decent
- Extensive menu
- Relatively nice dining space
The Bad:
- Hit and miss
- Not a fan of the parking lot
- Service hit and miss too
Posts
Sometimes, all we need is a quick and relatively inexpensive meal that doesn't involve the golden arches. Often intentionally overlooked is the Crystal Mall food court due to a variety of reasons including the infamous round parking lot, lack of utensils and if you buy from multiple vendors, you may not be able to sit down and enjoy your meal. Despite these challenges, I do occasionally visit the place since the food can override the challenges. On 2 separate visits, I tried a variety of items, unfortunately each time, some were sold out. 
However, looking rather legit, I did get to try the Singapore Laksa which featured the usual sliced fish cake, tofu puff, shrimp and boiled egg. With a healthy portion of both rice vermicelli and oil noodles, the laksa was filling. Although a bit thin, the broth was on point with a noted coconut milkiness supplemented by a background shrimpiness and obvious spiciness. Still, we would've liked to see more pronounced flavours. We weren't as impressed with the Hainanese Chicken Rice where the deboned chicken leg was a touch dry. The skin was nicely gelatinized though while we were supplied with the usual condiments. Nutty and chewy, the chicken rice was decent yet could've used a bit more punch.
On our second visit yielded 2 orders of the Roti Canai. Although rather flat and dense-looking, it was actually decent. The exterior was decently browned and crispy while the inside was soft albeit with compressed layers. It was seasoned enough to stand on its own, but the side of curry dip helped. I would've liked to see it more impactful though. That would be the same for the Curry Brisket with rice. It was fine with balanced flavours including a background sweetness. For me, it was too mild though. The chunks of brisket were a bit small which meant they weren't as moist as it could've been. Although it was generally hit and miss with Ipoh Bean Sprout Chicken, I'm still open to trying more items the next time I'm at Crystal Mall.
