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With all the available choices for Dim Sum in the GVRD, most of the best one reside in Richmond. However, driving to Richmond takes a long time and driving in Richmond makes me want to play GTA for real. So on Christmas Eve, we went East into PoCo to re-visit Rainbow Butterfly. Yes, I realize that Dim Sum and the Tri-Cities go together like Christy Clark and honesty, but our last meal there was decent. Besides, we didn't want to fight any crowds in terms of traffic nor lineup.
The meal began with the iconic Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumpling) looking rather opaque. One bite and it was pretty apparent why as the dumpling skin was thick and a touch doughy. Beyond that, the skin was still appealingly chewy whereas the filling was a mix of bits of shrimp and shrimp mousse. Texturally, it was too soft for my liking, but the bits of shrimp were okay. We found the predominant flavour was actually shrimp which may appeal to some, yet may be too "seafoody" for others. The Sui Mai (Shrimp & Pork Dumplings) didn't show up next, but it just seemed like a good place to talk about it. There was actually no shrimp in the dumpling I had, but the texture was decent with chunks of well-seasoned pork and some pork fat that had a rebound texture. I didn't noticed much variety in flavours other than salt and sugar.
For some reason or another, my son was itching to eat the Fried Taro Dumplings despite it never being his absolute favourite item for Dim Sum. Well, I guess he was onto something here as these ones were pretty good. Despite the lack of colour, the exterior was lightly crispy while not greasy (possibly new oil?). Beyond the substantial layer of soft taro, the chunks of pork were rather meaty (and somewhat dry) in texture, but that didn't make or break the dish. It was mildly seasoned where a bit more salt would've brought some flavour to the taro. The Baby Bak Choy with bean curd sheets in broth was pretty mild in its own right, but that was pretty much the point of the dish. Sitting in a watery lightly-seasoned broth, the bak choy were minimally crunchy. We found the bean curd sheets a bit too soft and disheveled-looking.
Initially, I ordered the Jelly Fish with Shredded Chicken since my daughter loves the dish. Well, that was all for naught as she refused to eat it when it arrived. *Sigh* #firstworldproblems We thought it was a pretty substantial portion for $5.95 consisting of appealingly chewy bands of jellyfish and strangely cut strips of not-so-appealing chewy chicken. Although the dish wasn't exactly salty, the wonton crisps underneath soaked up all of the seasoning which in turn made things salty. If they took away the chicken, or actually served hand-shredded chicken instead, this would've been a good dish. Up next was the Salty Donut Rice Noodle Roll. Interestingly plated in a random fashion, it was generally decent despite the somewhat dense donut. We found the rice noodle roll to be just a tad thick, but not overly doughy.
On that note, the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll featured the same thick noodle and since there were a few more folds, it was a bit doughy. Again, it wasn't enough to kill the dish though. Inside, there was a modest amount of shrimp which were neither too soft or overly crunchy either. In the end, the dish needed the sweet soy since the shrimp were mildly seasoned and were not as shrimpy as the ones found in the haw gow. Not normally an item we order during Dim Sum is congee since we never finish it. This time around, we had the Fish Congee and it featured a broth that was closer to home-style where it was lightly seasoned and also lightly thick. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing though. As for the ample slices of fish, they were fairly flaky and moist.
Moving onto 2 more fried items including my son's favourite, we had the Shrimp & Garlic Spring Rolls. I think he ate nearly the whole dish and if it weren't for us denying him the last piece, I wouldn't have even had a chance to try it. When I did, the exterior was crunchy and easy on the oil while the shrimp filling was similar to the one found in the haw gow. This meant there was minimal snap quality while mostly inundated with garlicky shrimp mousse. Next was a dish we rarely see on Dim Sum menus these days (but was popular in the 80's) in the Shrimp Toast. Although not super crunchy, the toast portion was surprisingly not soaked in oil (I guess that goes hand-in-hand). On top, the shrimp mousse was aided by an aggressively layer of sesame seeds which provided a nutty crunch.
Texturally odd, the Bean Curd Skin Rolls were super meaty and dense. In a strange way, it wasn't particularly off-putting, but it was not great either. You see, the pork filling was lacking moisture where it took on a beef-like quality being chewy and almost mealy. Fortunately, the plentiful wood-ear mushrooms helped break up the monotony of the meat. In turn, the roll did taste meaty and really benefited from a dunk into the Worcestershire sauce. Although the Phoenix Talons (Chicken Feet) didn't look promising, they actually worked out. They appeared to be scrawny and stiff, yet in reality, the skin was plump while the cartilage was soft (but didn't melt away). Despite the lack of sauce on the plate, not only were the chicken feet moist, they were also well-seasoned with a garlicky sweetness.
Another texturally interesting dish was the Beef Meatballs. If one never had this item before, they would be hard-pressed in believing there was any beef used at all. Reason-being was that the beef was aggressively processed where a good amount of starch was added. Hence, it had an almost gooey texture. Yet once again, it didn't really kill the dish because that also meant the meatballs exhibited the classic rebound texture as well. The rebound texture was also prevalent in the Steamed Pork Spareribs, albeit in a totally different manner. Chewy and firmly bouncy, the meat attached to each rib was well-seasoned. Despite this, I could still clearly taste the pork.
Also chewy in a firm rebound manner was the Steamed Beef Tripe. For me, I thought it was appealingly chewy with plenty of moisture and flavour. However, for some others (like my mom), it could've been softer. I didn't think the tripe was overly gamy, hence, the overall flavour profile was rather sweet with some savoury notes. Lastly, we had the Steamed BBQ Pork Buns which featured a soft and fluffy exterior. Inside, the ample lean BBQ pork filling was well-seasoned with a sweet and equally savoury sauce. We didn't end up ordering any dessert since we had too much food left on the table. In the end, this revisit was a mirror image of the first - decent Dim Sum out in the Tri-Cities area.
The Good:
- Decent for PoCo
- Fairly large selection
The Bad:
- Small restaurant with pre-existing booths, long lineups during peak times
- Not expensive, but not cheap either
To some, it seems out-of-the-ordinary for me to dine at a chain restaurant. In fact, it is downright shocking for others as I've stated that there are many great independent restaurants for the same price (or even less). Alas, that is only an assumption due to my desire to try original and unique food. I actually do not mind heading to these spots every now and then because I know what I'm going to get (and if I don't, they will generally make it right). Furthermore, it takes the guessing out of the equation and really, it satisfies almost everyone (except for food snobs of course).
So this post is an amalgamation of several visits to the Lougheed Cactus Club (since their menu is rather large and diverse). So in no particular order, I'll talk about the Dry Ribs first. Yah, this appie is as exciting as a Jim Benning news conference, but I happen to like gnawing on bones (is that why Viv calls me a dog?). These were indeed very dry and crispy. I would've liked to see a touch more seasoning though as it was kinda bland. Okay, before you laugh at me and while my parents disown me, I actually enjoyed the Wor Wonton Soup. I've ordered it on several occasions and it is what it is. The one thing I didn't like is the saltiness of the Peking duck broth, they need to dial it down a notch. Plump, tender and nicely seasoned, the wontons were good for what they were. But no, I will say this will never challenge a real wonton soup.
Although not known for their steaks, I found the Mushroom Sirloin to be pretty enjoyable. Furthermore, it was a substantial amount of food and I really shouldn't have attempted to finish it at 1:00am in the morning. Well-charred while evenly medium-rare, the meat was juicy and super tender. There was a considerable amount of red wine mushroom sauce which was rather salty (yet with lots of mushroom and red wine flavour). The mash was creamy and smooth and the asparagus was not overcooked. I'm not sure that my Hunter Chicken was necessarily a "lighter" choice than the steak as it was a large portion as well. The large butterflied breast was moist and tender while bathed in a salty mushroom sauce. They do like their salt here...
One of the more inexpensive (relatively) signature items on the Cactus Club menu is The Feenie Burger consisting of smashed certified angus beef, sautéed mushrooms, aged cheddar, smoked bacon, red relish, mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard. Sounds pretty basic right? Indeed it is, but executed well. Sure, it isn't my favourite burger in town (the Pourhouse is IMO), but it does what it's supposed to do with moist beef and the right condiments on a soft bun. I think the relish brings the whole thing together with a sweet and tangy brightness. Another solid item we had was the Grilled Tuna Club with tarragon tartar, bacon, cilantro and pickled ginger. Tuna was perfectly rare while the bite of the ginger kept each bite lively.
Continuing on with even more visits, we ended up getting the Kobe Meatballs to start. These massive meatballs were surprisingly un-meaty (is that a word?). They were so overprocessed, it was bordering on mushy. On the positive side, the tangy and flavourful tomato sauce was a nice compliment. For my main, I went for the Soy-Dijon Salmon. It was flaky and moist despite being cooked all-the-way-through. It was mildly seasoned with a slight char. I found the soy-dijon to be overly salty with plenty of tang. Underneath, the crunchy snap peas was both a textural delight and a shot of sweetness.
Milhouse had the Bengal Chicken Curry which was super mild. With that being said, it wasn't lacking spices as we could definitely taste the cumin and coriander. The bits of chicken were comprised of tender dark meat. Interestingly, the flatbread was more like a crunchy cracker than bread-like. And if it had to be noted, this was not remotely close to an actual Bengali curry. For dessert, Sweet Tooth had the Peanut Butter Crunch Bar. It was creamy and smooth with the essence of peanut while being easy on the sugar. The best part was the crispy crust which was a nice textural contrast.
Lionel Hutz had the White Chocolate Cheesecake which was light and almost fluffy while maintaining a certain density. It was sweet, but not overly sweet. Again, not the most incredible dessert we've ever had, but solid with few complaints. Realistically, that is what Cactus Club is all about. Generally predictable and good food with consistent service all in a lively dining space. Just remember to bring lots of money and to avoid the Asian-inspired dishes.
The Good:
- Decent and sometimes good food
- Consistently attentive service
- Lively atmosphere
The Bad:
- Not cheap
- Heavy on the salt
- Stay away from the Asian-inspired dishes
For all the gourmet burger joints we have in the GVRD, one that gets lost in the shuffle is Vera's Burger Shack. Purchased and operated by former BC Lion Noah Cantor, the place expanded fast with locations popping up all over the Lower Mainland. While some closed over time and many have remarked how it isn't as good as it used to be, I still believe they make a solid burger. With that in mind and a few Groupons to burn, Zamboni Guy and I visited the Newton location to find out if Vera's can still ride with the big boys.
Zamboni Guy, being the ever patriot, went for the Canuck loaded with a 6 oz. fresh patty, bacon, cheese, lettuce and tomato on a sesame bun. Well-charred and fairly moist, the patty was big enough to ensure meat in every bite. As evidenced, there was enough crispy bacon and melted cheese for health purposes. For myself, I had the BBQ Burger with a 6 oz. patty, smoked white cheddar, bacon, fried onions & BBQ sauce. Due to the addition of fried onions, the burger was larger-looking and ate differently too. There was an aromatic crunch to go with the background smokiness of the cheddar. Interestingly, I didn't really noticed the BBQ sauce.
On another visit, Argumentative Girl decided on the 4 Cheese consisting of a 6 oz. patty graced with feta, cheddar, smoked white cheddar & cheese curds. As much as there was plenty of cheese, the burger didn't eat heavy, yet it was plenty Earthy and salty. This time, I wanted to go big and opted for the G-Money with 2 x 6 oz. patties, cheddar & fried mushrooms. Yah, this was monstrous and very messy with juicy meat sandwiched in between melted cheese and mushrooms. The bun surprisingly held up to the mess while not being too firm. As for the fries, they were the crispy fresh-cut variety. Honestly, as much as people have remarked that Vera's is not as good as before, I still think they are still good and stands up well to the other gourmet burger spots.
The Good:
- Fresh meat
- Good fries
The Bad:
- Not cheap
- It's not fast food, so you'll have to wait
As much as I love the competitive prices at The Real Canadian Superstore (and some of their PC products), shopping there during peak times can be pretty busy. Yes, they have opened up all of their cash registers on the weekends, which has alleviated the lineups to a degree. But I find myself taking at least 45 minutes to over an hour to find parking, shop and checkout. This is further exacerbated when the kids tag along... The endless whining makes the shopping experience feel even longer than it really should be.
Recently, I was asked to try their new Click & Collect program, which was designed to alleviate many of the aforementioned issues. What if I told you that you could drive up to the best parking spots, dial a phone number and have your groceries brought to your car? For me that sounded better than a tasty four-course meal (almost better...). Here is how it works:
1. Visit https://shop.superstore.ca
2. Pick items as if you were shopping in store
3. Pay for your order online (or at the store)
4. Drive to the Superstore you have chosen
5. Park in one of the designated spots
6. Call the number on the signage
7. Someone with wheel out a cart with our groceries
For me (not including my picture-taking and fact-gathering in store), it took roughly 8 minutes from parking to pulling out of the lot. 8 minutes! Of course the time will vary, but that is a whole lot better than an hour! Now I did have some concerns, namely about someone else picking my produce. However, the staff member made sure she was picking the best looking bananas (see picture). Also, you can add personalized instructions when you are putting in your order. Another concern was regarding perishables. Not to worry as they store them in big fridges until you pick-up.
Right now, since the service is new, I received one free shopping bag as a new customer and a $5.00 off coupon (which is equivalent to the service fee they charge during peak hours and $3.00 for all other times). I was so happy with Click & Collect, I am happy to offer a contest for a $100.00 gift card to try the service out. All you have to do is leave a comment with your first name and last initial. I will draw a winner next Friday, January 15th.
*My groceries were complimentary as part of this blog post*
Posts
With all the available choices for Dim Sum in the GVRD, most of the best one reside in Richmond. However, driving to Richmond takes a long time and driving in Richmond makes me want to play GTA for real. So on Christmas Eve, we went East into PoCo to re-visit Rainbow Butterfly. Yes, I realize that Dim Sum and the Tri-Cities go together like Christy Clark and honesty, but our last meal there was decent. Besides, we didn't want to fight any crowds in terms of traffic nor lineup.
The meal began with the iconic Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumpling) looking rather opaque. One bite and it was pretty apparent why as the dumpling skin was thick and a touch doughy. Beyond that, the skin was still appealingly chewy whereas the filling was a mix of bits of shrimp and shrimp mousse. Texturally, it was too soft for my liking, but the bits of shrimp were okay. We found the predominant flavour was actually shrimp which may appeal to some, yet may be too "seafoody" for others. The Sui Mai (Shrimp & Pork Dumplings) didn't show up next, but it just seemed like a good place to talk about it. There was actually no shrimp in the dumpling I had, but the texture was decent with chunks of well-seasoned pork and some pork fat that had a rebound texture. I didn't noticed much variety in flavours other than salt and sugar.
For some reason or another, my son was itching to eat the Fried Taro Dumplings despite it never being his absolute favourite item for Dim Sum. Well, I guess he was onto something here as these ones were pretty good. Despite the lack of colour, the exterior was lightly crispy while not greasy (possibly new oil?). Beyond the substantial layer of soft taro, the chunks of pork were rather meaty (and somewhat dry) in texture, but that didn't make or break the dish. It was mildly seasoned where a bit more salt would've brought some flavour to the taro. The Baby Bak Choy with bean curd sheets in broth was pretty mild in its own right, but that was pretty much the point of the dish. Sitting in a watery lightly-seasoned broth, the bak choy were minimally crunchy. We found the bean curd sheets a bit too soft and disheveled-looking.
Initially, I ordered the Jelly Fish with Shredded Chicken since my daughter loves the dish. Well, that was all for naught as she refused to eat it when it arrived. *Sigh* #firstworldproblems We thought it was a pretty substantial portion for $5.95 consisting of appealingly chewy bands of jellyfish and strangely cut strips of not-so-appealing chewy chicken. Although the dish wasn't exactly salty, the wonton crisps underneath soaked up all of the seasoning which in turn made things salty. If they took away the chicken, or actually served hand-shredded chicken instead, this would've been a good dish. Up next was the Salty Donut Rice Noodle Roll. Interestingly plated in a random fashion, it was generally decent despite the somewhat dense donut. We found the rice noodle roll to be just a tad thick, but not overly doughy.
On that note, the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll featured the same thick noodle and since there were a few more folds, it was a bit doughy. Again, it wasn't enough to kill the dish though. Inside, there was a modest amount of shrimp which were neither too soft or overly crunchy either. In the end, the dish needed the sweet soy since the shrimp were mildly seasoned and were not as shrimpy as the ones found in the haw gow. Not normally an item we order during Dim Sum is congee since we never finish it. This time around, we had the Fish Congee and it featured a broth that was closer to home-style where it was lightly seasoned and also lightly thick. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing though. As for the ample slices of fish, they were fairly flaky and moist.
Moving onto 2 more fried items including my son's favourite, we had the Shrimp & Garlic Spring Rolls. I think he ate nearly the whole dish and if it weren't for us denying him the last piece, I wouldn't have even had a chance to try it. When I did, the exterior was crunchy and easy on the oil while the shrimp filling was similar to the one found in the haw gow. This meant there was minimal snap quality while mostly inundated with garlicky shrimp mousse. Next was a dish we rarely see on Dim Sum menus these days (but was popular in the 80's) in the Shrimp Toast. Although not super crunchy, the toast portion was surprisingly not soaked in oil (I guess that goes hand-in-hand). On top, the shrimp mousse was aided by an aggressively layer of sesame seeds which provided a nutty crunch.
Texturally odd, the Bean Curd Skin Rolls were super meaty and dense. In a strange way, it wasn't particularly off-putting, but it was not great either. You see, the pork filling was lacking moisture where it took on a beef-like quality being chewy and almost mealy. Fortunately, the plentiful wood-ear mushrooms helped break up the monotony of the meat. In turn, the roll did taste meaty and really benefited from a dunk into the Worcestershire sauce. Although the Phoenix Talons (Chicken Feet) didn't look promising, they actually worked out. They appeared to be scrawny and stiff, yet in reality, the skin was plump while the cartilage was soft (but didn't melt away). Despite the lack of sauce on the plate, not only were the chicken feet moist, they were also well-seasoned with a garlicky sweetness.
Another texturally interesting dish was the Beef Meatballs. If one never had this item before, they would be hard-pressed in believing there was any beef used at all. Reason-being was that the beef was aggressively processed where a good amount of starch was added. Hence, it had an almost gooey texture. Yet once again, it didn't really kill the dish because that also meant the meatballs exhibited the classic rebound texture as well. The rebound texture was also prevalent in the Steamed Pork Spareribs, albeit in a totally different manner. Chewy and firmly bouncy, the meat attached to each rib was well-seasoned. Despite this, I could still clearly taste the pork.
Also chewy in a firm rebound manner was the Steamed Beef Tripe. For me, I thought it was appealingly chewy with plenty of moisture and flavour. However, for some others (like my mom), it could've been softer. I didn't think the tripe was overly gamy, hence, the overall flavour profile was rather sweet with some savoury notes. Lastly, we had the Steamed BBQ Pork Buns which featured a soft and fluffy exterior. Inside, the ample lean BBQ pork filling was well-seasoned with a sweet and equally savoury sauce. We didn't end up ordering any dessert since we had too much food left on the table. In the end, this revisit was a mirror image of the first - decent Dim Sum out in the Tri-Cities area.
