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Looking for a quick meal in Chinatown (which is really a shell of its former self), we looked at the available options and ended up at Maxim's. Maxim's? Yah, this particular location adds a Hong Kong-style restaurant above their bakery. The last time I visited the place, I was still playing with Transformers and just beginning to find out the benefit of an Oxy pad. So I figured it was as good as any time to do a revisit, especially with the kiddies as they seem to love this type of food.
To keep things simple to start, we got the Brisket Rice Noodles in a super clear broth. In fact, the broth wasn't only clear, it ate like it too being far too bland. We realized that is how the broth is supposed to be like, but it still needed more impact. The flat rice noodles were slippery and not overdone while the sliced brisket was fatty and tender. Next up, I decided to sneak the Ox-Tongue Spaghetti to the kiddies. Hey, I was honest in saying it was "tender beef"... Yes, the tongue was tender and moist while maintaining a bite. Also on point, the spaghetti was nicely al dente. Of course it was all brought together by the watered-down and thickened ketchup sauce. I liked how there was a balanced tanginess to counteract the sugar.
With a similar type of sauce, the Mini-Pork Chop Rice was ever so lightly baked. Like the brisket noodles, it included a hot drink. A touch soft, the fried rice took on more moisture from the ample sauce. Boneless and succulent, the fried pork cutlet was a fair size for the price. Our last dish was the Stir-Fired Rice Vermicelli with pork and pickled vegetable. Although subjected to sufficient wok-heat, the dish itself was underseasoned. We had to use hot sauce for full-impact. With that being said, the noodles were appealingly chewy while there was a good amount of ingredients strewn throughout. Although the dish was not particulcarly flavourful (as with the others), the food was still satisfying and inexpensive.
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent portions
The Bad:
- Flavours were a bit weak
Looking over the many posts that exist in this blog, it is clear that I do not mind spending money on good food. However, there is a certain threshold where the meal and venue must be really worth it. Yes, we will be taking out a 2nd mortgage to eat at the French Laundry and Per se... But for now, the East meets West Dinner in celebration of the Chinese Restaurants Awards would have to do. Fortunately, I didn't have to pay since it was $500.00 per person otherwise. This meal was a collaboration between Christophe Moret, Samuel Lee Sun, Ken Nakano and Thomas Haas that was held at Market in the Shangri-La.
Presented on an attractive plate, we kicked things off with an amuse bouche of Amberjack Crudo with spicy avocado and puffed rice. Buttery and naturally sweet, the fish was subjected to just the right amount of salt. The smooth avocado was not overly spicy, but I'm sure that was the point. Arriving next was a duo that included Fresh Scallop as well as Geoduck. I found the scallops to be more firm than buttery. The light green pepper sauce was refreshing yet not raw-tasting which was probably aided by the citrusy yuzu. Tender with a rebound chewiness, the geoduck was full-flavoured with a heightened sweetness combined with the slight spice from the Sichuan pepper and shallot oil.
Next up was my favourite dish of night (I know, kind of kills the rest of the blog post) being the Delicate Royale of Sea Urchin topped with Northern Divine Caviar. It goes without saying that the ingredients were appealing even before I dug into it. However, the dish delivered where the uni was buttery and sweet which was balanced quite nicely by the briny caviar. Underneath the foam was a smoked eel custard that really brought it all together with light sweet and savoury notes. From the sea, we moved onto land with the Rabbit Loin with Sweet Breads. Overall, we found the lean rabbit meat to be succulent with some dry spots. Flavours were inherently mild from the celeriac, mushrooms and thyme. The fried sweetbreads were on point being crunchy on the outside and having an oyster-like quality on the inside.
Onto something familiar, we were served Braised Chinese Duck Leg with Chinese herbs and spices. This was unfortunately my least favourite item since it was too familiar. Ultimately, the duck was tender, but a touch stringy. The skin was soft and buttery while the sauce exhibited some 5-spice flavours (not sure if they actually used 5-spice) and soy. Interestingly, I liked the side of soft burdock as well as the date. Continuing with meat, we had the Doe Fillet with black truffles, beetroots and turnips in a agrodolce sauce poivrade. The outside of the doe was slightly dry while the inside was medium-rare and hence tender. The gaminess was minimal while I thought there was a lack of salt. I could get a bit of the sweetness from the agrodulce sauce, but not much acidity. Since the dish wasn't serve piping hot, the truffles failed to activate. I did enjoy the vibrant beets as well as the tender meatball.
Onto the desserts, we were spoiled by Thomas Haas with his 3 offerings beginning with the Carpaccio of Citrus Fruits with cilantro crystals and kalamansi sorbet. Sure, this looked to be a simple dessert and in some ways it was. However, this was refreshing with ripe fruit that was naturally sweet. As expected, the sorbet was a veritable flavour explosion due to the sweet and tart kalamansi. But the real highlight was the Five Textures and Temperatures of Manjari. These included Crispy Wafers, Ice Cream, Mousse, Warm Soft Baked Truffle and Freeze-Dried. Other than the freeze-dried chocolate, I enjoyed everything else including the contrast between cold and hot especially with the ice cream and soft-baked truffle. This was a chocolate-lover's paradise where the flavours were not subjected to too much sugar.
To end things off, we had one more plate of Pâte de Fruits and Chocolates. These were good as expected with impactful fruit flavours (Passionfruit, Vanilla and Cassis) that weren't too sugary. Chocolates were smooth and silky that included Passionfruit, Cassis and Raspberry. Again, loved the fruitiness which helped end the meal on a sweet, but not heavy note. It goes without saying that it was a real treat to be invited to such an expensive collaboration meal featuring 4 accomplished chefs from around the world. I guess I can take the $500.00 and apply it to my next expensive meal...
*All food, wine pairings and gratuities were complimentary*
After 3 brunch crawls, it might've seem a bit excessive to go on any more, but for some reason, I did. I guess that is why Viv only wanted to attend 2... Well, Miss Y only agreed to 2 as well, including the North Van Brunch Crawl. Was that a sign I was doing too many? No way, there's never too much food! Alas, I had to drag my sorry arse and get up early to eat food. #firstworldproblems
We began our food adventure at Lonsdale Quay Market, which was nice since we didn't have to wait outside. Taking the quick stroll over to Bean Around the World, we had the option of either the 8 oz. cup of drip coffee or an espresso beverage. Miss Y had a Cappuccino while I had the Latte. Interestingly, there was no actual method to the lineup, so someone swiped my latte... Anyways, the beverages were pretty standard, but a good start to the day.
From there, we headed over to the food station manned by Bowen Island Pizza Company in collaboration with Cobbs Bread. We were served Italian Crostini with either olive & artichoke tapenade or chorizo & roasted garlic. We got one of each and although the chorizo was something I preferred, it was not heated up, which didn't activate its savouriness nor spiciness. In addition, we also got Apricot French Toast with strawberry reduction. This was pretty sweet due to the dried apricots (concentrated sweetness) along with the strawberries. The bread itself was a touch dense but still soft throughout.
Taking a stroll up the block we had to really look to find Two Daughters Bakery. Located in the alley of 2nd Ave, we found a selection of gluten-free goods. We took 2 items to go consisting of an Apple Tart and a Ginger Lemon Cookie. My favourite of the 2 was the tart where the apples were impactful flavourwise with a slight crunch. I thought the cookie was good texturally (being chewy inside and crispy outside), but it was pretty darn sweet. Also pretty sweet was the Red Lentil Pancakes with haskap & maple syrup from Cook Culture. However, that was tempered with an equal amount of tartness from the fermented batter (was appealingly soft and somewhat fluffy).
By this point, it was sugar overload. So we were thankful to dig into the savoury offerings from Echo Cafe. The plate consisted of a Ham and Cheese Quiche, Waffle BLT and Cheese & Green Onion Scone. This was a pleasant selection of little bites where the quiche featured a soft egg filling while the bacon was crispy atop a slightly dense waffle. The scone was cheesy and not dry at all. After this, we took the short stroll to Rosemary Rocksalt where more savoury items welcomed us. Served in a basket, we were treated to Lox & Cream Cheese, Vegan Cashew Spread and Montreal Smoked Meat all on bagels. There were no surprises with the lox nor the smoked meat as I've had them before (both good by the way), but the cashew cream was good (despite my reservations). Nutty and creamy, it went well with the bagel. By this point we were on carb overload and in need of a nap. Oh yeah, another 2 the following weekend. I guess I needed a couple of naps...
*All food and beverages excluding gratuities were complimentary*
The Good:
- Right balance between sweet and savoury items
- Enough food
The Bad:
- Not really walkable (you could though)
- Carb heavy
Another weekend and yes another brunch crawl. This time, it was Downtown Vancouver with 5 stops. With Viv out of action for the remainder of the crawls, I enlisted the help of Miss Y for the next 2. I decided to pick her up despite heading in the wrong direction. You see, it almost seems like she is continually on daylight-savings time and if we were to get there on time, it would be up to me. If it were up to her, it would've been like the time I waited 2 hours a the Hotel Vancouver...
So, the registration point at Marquis Wines also served as our first stop. There, we were served a glass of Mimosa (featuring Segura Vidas Reserva Cava Sparkling) to go with a trio of pastries from Tartine Pies & Breads. These included an Onion Flatbread, Cheese Tart and Quiche. Despite my stomach's objection, I liked the onion flatbread the most as it was sweet and aromatic. From there, we made the strategic jaunt over to Saj & Co. I say strategic, because it took us over an hour to finish the last time. Hey, the reason for that was the owner makes everything fresh and puts love into his food (also very generous). We were treated to Zaaatar on unleavened freshly made wholewheat bread with labneh and a side of Green Protebeans. The flatbread rocked with a crispy chewiness highlighted by the brightness of the filling.
Walking to the next block, we paid a visit to Truffles. We were presented with a plate consisting of 2 Mini-Quiche (Broccoli & Cheddar and Lorraine), Stuffed Brioche (Ham & Gruyere and Mushroom, Arugula & Brie) and Cinnamon Roll Bites. Interestingly, the mushroom brioche was much softer and less dry than the ham & gruyere. I guess it had a lot to do with the moisture content. We thought the cinnamon roll was good, but too sweet. Back to some bevvies, we did some sampling at Krokodile Pear further down Davie Street. In addition to the samples, we were able to take a whole bottle of Kicking Horse cold-pressed organic juice. Gingery and refreshing with only the mildest of sweetness, this was actually pretty good (since I'm not a juice guy).
Our last stop was not really within walking distance, so drove down to Trees Organic on Granville at Hastings. Along with Hot Apple Cider, we were treated to a Spinach & Feta Scone and Prosciutto & Brie on Rustic Baguette. I thought the scone was pretty solid with lots of cheese and a touch of spinach to go with its soft texture. I wasn't a huge fan of the baguette as it was hard which meant everything slid out with each bite. Whatever the case, we were pretty full at the end of the crawl. I appreciated there was more savoury items than sweet this time around.
*All food and beverages excluding gratuities were complimentary*
The Good:
- More savoury than sweet
- Enough food
The Bad:
- The crawl was mostly on Davie except for Trees Organic
Posts
Looking for a quick meal in Chinatown (which is really a shell of its former self), we looked at the available options and ended up at Maxim's. Maxim's? Yah, this particular location adds a Hong Kong-style restaurant above their bakery. The last time I visited the place, I was still playing with Transformers and just beginning to find out the benefit of an Oxy pad. So I figured it was as good as any time to do a revisit, especially with the kiddies as they seem to love this type of food.
To keep things simple to start, we got the Brisket Rice Noodles in a super clear broth. In fact, the broth wasn't only clear, it ate like it too being far too bland. We realized that is how the broth is supposed to be like, but it still needed more impact. The flat rice noodles were slippery and not overdone while the sliced brisket was fatty and tender. Next up, I decided to sneak the Ox-Tongue Spaghetti to the kiddies. Hey, I was honest in saying it was "tender beef"... Yes, the tongue was tender and moist while maintaining a bite. Also on point, the spaghetti was nicely al dente. Of course it was all brought together by the watered-down and thickened ketchup sauce. I liked how there was a balanced tanginess to counteract the sugar.
With a similar type of sauce, the Mini-Pork Chop Rice was ever so lightly baked. Like the brisket noodles, it included a hot drink. A touch soft, the fried rice took on more moisture from the ample sauce. Boneless and succulent, the fried pork cutlet was a fair size for the price. Our last dish was the Stir-Fired Rice Vermicelli with pork and pickled vegetable. Although subjected to sufficient wok-heat, the dish itself was underseasoned. We had to use hot sauce for full-impact. With that being said, the noodles were appealingly chewy while there was a good amount of ingredients strewn throughout. Although the dish was not particulcarly flavourful (as with the others), the food was still satisfying and inexpensive.
