New Year's Day Brunch @ EBO Restaurant

Change.  That is something that is constant in the restaurant world.  From the menu to the decor and more importantly the chef and staff, a restaurant goes through many phases in its lifetime.  Generally, I welcome change and try to revisit restaurants due to it.  However, for some strange reason, I've been avoiding revisiting EBO restaurant ever since Executive Chef Dan Craig (no, not James Bond or Stormtrooper) left for Toronto.  Finally, we decided to check out their New Year's Day brunch which probably doesn't represent their actual cuisine very much, but at least it's a start.

Another reason we picked EBO was the fact the brunch was only $50.00 as opposed to many of the Downtown hotels charging anywhere from $75.00 - $100.00.  Also the free parking and spacious dining room didn't hurt either.  Of course, we couldn't forget about Chef John Chang's famous freshly-made Malay Roti either.  I have to say his roti has to be some of the best, if not the best, in the GVRD. Nicely browned and slightly crispy on the outside while chewy, flaky and soft on the inside, the whole package was on point.  The accompanying thick coconut curry on the side only served to enhance the final product.  We were also served something special in the Paper-Thin Roti filled with curry beef.  Somewhat like a Dosa but without the lentil flour (wheat flour in this case), the roll was crispy and airy while filled with a meaty and coconutty beef curry.

Onto the actual brunch buffet, I hit the cold seafood first that featured Snow Crab, Mussels, Prawns, Shrimp Ceviche and Smoked Salmon.  Nothing particularly amiss here with proper textures.  We liked the shrimp ceviche as it was appealingly acidic.  Although cold snow crab can often be spongy and salty, this one was actually okay.  Onto the hot food, there was a selection that included Chicken & Waffles, Tilapia, Beef Stew, Polenta and Veggies.  There was no real standout here, but most items were well-made and withstood sitting in a chaffing tray except for the beef stew as the meat was rather dry and lifeless.  I did enjoy the fried chicken though as it was juicy, well-seasoned and crunchy on the outside.

The Carving Station was impressively stocked with Roast Leg of Lamb, Roast Prime Rib of Beef, Glazed Ham and Bone Marrow.  I also added a Chicken Satay Skewer and Smoked Salmon Eggs Benny to round out my 3rd plate of food.  I didn't try the ham, but the both the lamb and beef were prepared medium to medium-rare being tender and moist.  Again, for something that sat in a chaffing tray, the eggs benny was nicely runny while the Hollandaise was buttery.  Much like the roti, the chicken satay was pretty legit with a nice char that helped caramelize the peanutty curry marinade.  The meat itself was tender and not dried out.

Located across from the restaurant entrance, there was a Dessert spread that included liquid nitrogen Ice Cream, Chocolate Fountain, assorted Pastries and a Cookie decoration station for the kiddies.  We liked how there were different options and definitely engaging for the kids.  However, EBO has always been a kid-friendly restaurant despite being higher-end and located next to a casino.  That is partially one of the reasons we chose EBO for our New Year's brunch since it was both comfortable for the family and served up more-than-acceptable eats at a relatively reasonable price.

The Good:
- Spacious dining space
- Above-average eats
- Relatively well-priced

The Bad:
- Possibly a little lacking in the seafood department

Miki Japanese Bistro

If you remember back to my revisit to Sushi Garden with Wolvie and Italian Stallion, I stated that good value eats can be part of a balanced diet.  Yes, I say this partly in jest, but really, we can't go eat at Miku everyday (although I would like to).  This time around, we skipped Sushi Garden and their crazy lineup and equally crappy parking situation on Lougheed.  Rather, we revisited the nearby Miki Japanese Bistro.  If my memory serves me right, the food was cheap albeit not particularly great.

Whatever the case, I always have an open mind about things because nothing can be perfect and besides, expectations must be tempered by cost.  Normally, there is not much to say about Wakame Salad since it is pretty standard stuff.  However, the one here was overdressed and fairly acidic.  On the other hand, it was a pretty large portion compared to other Japanese restaurants.  For our one specialty maki sushi, we went for the Miki House Roll filled with salmon tempura, cucumber and lettuce topped with sockeye salmon, avocado, bonito, tobiko, tempura bits and unagi sauce.  This was not very aesthetically-pleasing to look at and a chore to eat due to the overuse of rice.  About that rice, it was a bit too dry and bland for our liking.  At the very least, the whole thing was not grossly over-sauced.

Onto 2 items from the Robata menu, I was surprised to find out on our final bill that each one cost $4.95 when it clearly stated $3.95 on the menu.  Whatever the case, the portion size was rather good for the price.  Now portion size is one thing, but execution is more important.  In that regard, the Beef Short Ribs were pretty average at best.  They were not very meaty and when there was meat, it was pretty chewy.  I did enjoy the ample charring, yet they put far too much sauce on top which made it too salty and sweet.  As for the Salmon Belly, it was fatty and cooked just right where the skin was crispy while the meat was moist.  For some inexplicable reason, they drizzled the same sauce on top when the already seasoned belly tasted good on its own.

For my son, we got him the Bento Box B with Teriyaki Chicken, Tempura and California Roll. The teriyaki glaze atop the chicken was an unattractive pale brown, yet it wasn't overly sweet which made it bearable.  The rice was nicely chewy where it was accompanied by sauteed cabbage and sprouts.  As for the chicken, the skin wasn't rendered, but the meat was pretty tender and moist.  Sporting a pretty dark batter, the tempura was decent being crispy and relatively light. Of note, the California Roll was spiked with wasabi, which was a surprise and definitely not welcomed. Viv and I ended up splitting the Grilled Black Cod with rice and salad.  Again, they drizzled the overly powerful sauce on top which killed the buttery and well-charred black cod.  What's with the sauce anyways?  It was so salty and sweet, I couldn't even taste anything else.

Lastly, we had the Deluxe Assorted Sashimi consisting of salmon, tuna, ebi, hokkigai, hotate, tako, hamachi and mackerel.   This was also pretty average and in some sense, sub-par.  All 3 slices of salmon contained bones while the tuna was chewy and sinewy (an indication of an inferior cut).  At first, I wasn't sure the one piece of hamachi was indeed hamachi because it was so pale.  In the end, it was rather rough in texture and not very vibrant. Suffice to say, nothing much has change since my last visit to Miki.  The food is below average and not very "Japanese".  But its one saving grace is the value factor and relatively decent service.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Large portions
- Okay service

The Bad:
- Below average eats
- Not carefully prepared
- Parking lot is a joke for all the business in the plaza

Scorpio's M Dessert

You'd think after a full round of desserts at Bubble Fruity, we'd be happy and go home for the night.  Oh, no that would be playing it safe.  Not with the likes of Emily and Cathy around.  They could've continued with another round of Szechuan food (despite having 3 dinners already that night...). So we did the next best thing and made the short jaunt over to the newly relocated Scorpio M Dessert over on Alexandra Road.  Hey, with 3 dinners, we had to go for 2 desserts right?  Take that Mijune!

Walking into the place, it had a high-end, high-tea air to the place.  Service was okay, but hardly friendly.  Maybe we weren't high-end enough?  Of course we had to get the Mango Sago (Mango Sago Cream on this particular menu).  Well, this version was not good in our opinion.  Rather than a "soup", it resembled a mango slush that was rather icy.  It didn't taste naturally sweet nor mango-like.  It didn't get any better with the Mango Pancake as the mango was overripe.  The overly soft texture and flavour wasn't that appealing.  On the other hand, the crepe was tender and thin while the whip cream was lightly sweet and fresh.

Heading in a different direction, but still with mango, we tried the Mango & Grass Jelly Shaved Ice.  For me, I found the ice to be more gritty than fluffy.  Naturally, the use of the same overripe mangos meant that the pungency was overwhelming.  I did enjoy the grass jelly though.  Lastly, we had the Black Sticky Rice and Durian on Shaved Ice.  Again, I wasn't a huge fan of the gritty melting ice, but the sticky rice was okay with an appealing chewiness.  The durian was pretty pungent too, but that was to be expected.  As you can probably tell, we were a bit indifferent with the stuff at Scorpio.  I guess it went well with the indifferent service...

The Good:
- Nice digs
- Comfy to chill for a good period of time

The Bad:
- Average desserts
- Indifferent service  

Bubble Fruity

After 3 consecutive meals of spicy Szechuan cuisine, we needed a palate cleanser of sorts. Since we were on the quest to find the best Water-Boiled Fish, it made sense that we would also look for the best Mango Sago on the same night.  It brought us to the nearby Bubble Fruity after some tongue-numbing Szechuan peppercorns.  For a Thursday night, the place was packed (like a can of sardines) and bustling with activity. Not that it was too much of a stretch because some walk-in closets have more space.

We were able to snag the last table and proceeded to get 4 items to share including the aforementioned Mango Sago with fresh mango option (a $6.00 surcharge) that brought the grand total to $11.00. Thickened by real mangos, the "soup" was naturally-flavoured and sweet.  However, the whole thing was compromised by random ice crystals.  Despite this, it was a worthy bowl of Mango Sago though.  Actually, my favourite dessert was the Black Sesame and Sesame Soup.  It was thick and smooth while completely aromatic.  There was only a mild sweetness which didn't overwhelm the other flavours.

As much as the Sweet Mung Bean Soup was fairly decent, I have a bias towards this type of dessert.  Maybe it has to do with it being served after nearly every Chinese meal (or the red bean variety). But to be fair, this featured a restrained sweetness that I personally prefered. Texturally, the beans had been cooked down naturally without being subjected to a blender.  Hence, there was some chewiness from the husks to go with the slightly chalky soup.  Lastly, we had the Glutinous Rice Balls sitting in a very sweet syrup.  Soft and pillowy, the rice balls were awesome, but I would've liked to have the ones filled with black sesame.  Overall, I thought the desserts were decent while the prices didn't break the bank.

The Good:
- Decent
- Inexpensive

The Bad:
- Not comfortable to sit for a long time
- Rushed service 

Grapes & Soda

Another mid-January and another start of Dine-Out Vancouver...  If you were expecting a post with a DOV preview (like last year), you've come to the wrong place.  As much as I see the value of DOV for many people and the fact it has definitely improved over the years, I don't usually participate.  So to celebrate the beginning of DOV 2016, Viv and I visited a non-DOV restaurant in the newly-opened Grapes & Soda.  This decision was also partially influenced by the fact we have reservations at Famer's Apprentice the following week (they are sister restaurants).

We actually arrived pretty early being able to take advantage of their happy hour.  In addition to $7.00 glasses of wine, we jumped on the reduced price on the Seared Albacore Tuna with quinoa, herbs and lemon dressing.  Buttery, appealingly soft and nicely salted, the tuna was on point all-the-way.  Unfortunately, the quinoa was sub-par being soft and lifeless.  At the very least, the impactful acidity from the lemon kept things bright.  Also on the happy hour menu, the Okonomiyaki was topped with a cabbage and apple slaw drizzled with a house-made mushroom teriyaki and spicy mayo.  Lightly crispy on the exterior and completely soft in the middle, the flavours were subtle including the woodsy teriyaki sauce and the slightly acidic slaw.

Moving away from the happy hour menu, we went for the Braised Chuck Flat with trumpet mushrooms and atop caramelized onion foam.  As much as the meat was completely lean, it was moist and fork tender.  The braise was able to penetrate the meat where there was uniform flavour that was natural and meaty.  This was accented by the sweet onion foam and the firm Earthy chew of the mushrooms.  At first, I didn't notice the daily feature of Foie Gras Torchon with grilled brioche, wild greens and fig jam, but when Viv pointed it out, I was all over it.  Texturally, it was on point being buttery and rich.  However, it was far too salty for my liking.  Even with the addition of the syrupy sweet jam, the flavours didn't balance.  We found the grilled brioche to be firm enough while retaining an airy softness.

Our final item was the Stuffed Bone Marrow featuring beets and served with crostinis.  Normally, bone marrow would be heavy and greasy, but with the addition of beets, this was lessened to a degree.  I found the beets to be only mildly sweet.  They were a touch heavier due to the absorption of the bone marrow fat.  I liked how they didn't overseasoned the mixture so that we could taste the bone marrow.  Based on these dishes (and there were not many more on the menu), we thought Grapes and Soda was a pleasant and reasonably-priced spot for some shared bites to go with our beverages.   This could easily be a place to visit on a regular basis.

The Good:
- Small focused menu of little bites
- Reasonable-pricing
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- Very tight quarters

Legend House

My search for the best Szechuan Water-Boiled Fish as part of the Chinese Restaurant Awards brought me out to Legend House in Coquitlam.  It has been a long time coming because many have remarked that their XLBs and Beef Roll are pretty solid, especially for Coquitlam.  So on a rainy Winter day (pretty common in the GVRD), we set out into Coquitlam (where I actually resided for 7 years, and boy has it changed...).

Arriving first was the Shanghai Rice Cake that could give Nicole Kidman a run for her money.  A simple addition of dark soy would've both made its appearance and flavour more appealing.  Rather, the taste was incredibly mild while sporting a noticeable amount of grease.  On the positive side, the rice cake slices were appealingly chewy while the cabbage remained crunchy.  Legit in looks and in execution, the Beef Pancake Roll was on the money.  Flaky, fatty and crisp, the pancake ate as good as it appeared.  With only a slight amount of chewiness after the initial crunch, the pancake held a balanced amount of thinly sliced and tender beef shank.  This was accented by just enough scallions and hoisin.  If this was last year when we were looking for the best beef roll, this would've won in my books.

Interestingly, we had originally ordered a Szechuan Beef Noodle, but instead we got just a Beef Noodle with some hot sauce and mustard greens.  It was some quasi-Taiwanese beef noodle dish.  If we ignored what it was supposed to be, the entire dish was okay.  The big chunks of stewed beef were tender and moist while the hand-pulled noodles were nicely chewy.  As for the broth, it was rather light with only the slightest amount of meat flavour.  Something that looked a bit odd was the Seafood & Snow Pea Stir-Fry as there seemed to be barely veggies on the dish.  It was mostly basa, squid and prawns, not that we were complaining.  We found the basa to be flaky and moist while the squid was purposefully chewy and the prawns were cold-water crunchy.  The only complaint we had for the dish was the goopy starch-thickened glaze and lack of wok heat.

As per the Chinese Restaurant Awards, the main reason we were here was to try the Szechuan Broth Braised Fish.  This large bowl contained a good amount of tender and flaky slices of basa sitting in a balanced broth atop crunchy sprouts.  For some, they might've considered this dish to be far too mild as the spice level was conservative, even with the noticeable amount of Szechuan peppercorns.  Sure, there was some heat and tongue-tingling moments, but they were far and few in between.  But if we judged it solely on taste and not spiciness, it was actually quite good with lots of garlic.  Something that was also good was the Xiao Long Bao.  Featuring a semi-thin skin that was a bit dry, it held in the considerable amount of soup.  There was a balanced amount of salt and sweetness, but other than a bit of ginger, there wasn't any xiao shing wine flavour.

Lastly, we had the Pan Fried Buns that featured a filling that included hand-chopped meat and green onions.  It was super savoury with a tender meatiness which is usually not associated with this type of Dim Sum.  This was more akin to the Meat-Stuffed Pastry found at Lin except the outside was only seared on one side.  This pretty much summed up most of the dishes we had at Legend House - close, but certain creative liberties were taken.  However, they do have some pretty good XLBs and a solid Beef Roll.  So if you order wisely, your meal might be decent at Legend House (otherwise, it is hit and miss).

The Good:
- Pretty decent XLBs
- On point Beef Roll
- Free covered parking

The Bad:
- Hit and miss overall