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Often, my schedule is so hectic, I don't even remember if I'm coming or going. I try to enter everything into my Google Calendar, but even with that, I still forget. So when Emily suggested we go check out the new Popbar at Metropolis on their grand opening, I put it into the back of my mind. She sent me a link to sign up for the tasting, which I ignored... Well, it really didn't matter as she signed me up anyways! Who needs Google Calendar when you have someone arranging your schedule for you...
Well, we were joined by Kim, which helped us sample 12 different flavours. We kicked things off with the Strawberry Yogurt (dipped in dark chocolate), Pistachio (dipped in milk chocolate and pistachios) and Hazelnut (dipped in milk chocolate and hazelnuts). Creamy, thick and not overly sweet, the strawberry yogurt was good and the half-dip of chocolate went well with the fruitiness. Also thick and rich, the pistachio was aromatic with only a mild sweetness. The addition of more nuts on the outside only served to heighten the flavours. Although the hazelnut was also creamy and smooth, it was not as impactful as the other 2.
Heading back for more we got the Gianduia (dipped in milk chocolate and hazelnuts), Blood Orange (with white chocolate drizzle) and Mango (dipped in dark chocolate). For me, my favourite flavour was the Gianduia since it was creamy, chocolatey and nutty in a balanced manner. Of course the coating of chocolate and hazelnuts only served to make it taste and eat like a Ferraro Rocher. Equally tasty, the blood orange had a burst of sweet and tanginess. Being a sorbetto, it was lighter and more refreshing. We were universally not impressed with the mango as it didn't have much flavour and lacked the aroma associated with the fruit. Maybe because it is not in season?
Reluctantly, I went back (with Emily dragging me) to sample the Peanut Butter (dipped in milk chocolate and peanuts), Coconut (dipped in dark chocolate and coconut), Vanilla (dipped in milk chocolate and pisatchios) and Peach (with white chocolate drizzle). Not far behind the gianduia and blood orange, we found the peanut butter very good as well. It was rich and creamy with the aromatics of roasted peanuts. I personally didn't like the coconut as it was bland in my opinion. Furthermore, the coconut on the outside should've been toasted in my opinion. Equally meh was the vanilla (even with the coating) as it didn't taste like its namesake. They should ramp up the vanilla bean in this one. We didn't actually try the peach ourselves, so I won't comment on it.
By now I was done, but Emily insisted we try 3 more in the Strawberry Sorbetto, Wildberry Sorbetto and Green Tea. Similar to the yogurt version, but lighter and without milk products, the strawberry tasted like the fruit with purposeful sweetness. The same could be said about the wildberry as it did taste like a medley of berries while not being overly icy. We ended off with the green tea which did taste as such with a definite aftertaste that wasn't bitter. As with the rest of the gelato bars, it was creamy and rich. Okay, for some people, I'm sure dropping $4.00 on a popsicle (no matter the quality and customization options) is a bit steep. But consider that Purdy's is around the same price and a scoop of gourmet ice cream or gelato will cost your $5.00 around town, this doesn't seem so bad after all.
*All popsicles were complimentary*
The Good:
- Creamy, firm and rich texture for the gelato
- Lots of customization options
- Not too sweet
The Bad:
- Even after what I said, it is still $4.00
- Not sure why they try to coat the bars with nuts before dipping it into chocolate...
As I've mentioned before, I misjudged the bubble tea craze as a passing fad many, many years ago. It not only didn't go away, there are new spots opening up all over the place. The same could be said about Ramen as it seems that whenever there is a lull with new joints appearing on the scene, a few show up randomly. This would be the case with Ramenman and the newly opened Ramen Gojiro. Seeing how Sean posted some impressive photos of his visit to Gojiro, Grace and I met up with him to see for ourselves.
Due to the power of suggestion (Sean's photos) and more likely just my stomach's greediness, I insisted on getting the Basic Bakamori with chashu. To clarify, the Jiro-style of ramen features a chicken & pork broth with thicker noodles and topped with cabbage and sprouts as well as a dollop of raw garlic condiment. Hence, the ratio of noodles and veggies are almost 50:50. I found that the biggest impact was from the garlic as the soup was pungent as a result. Once past the initial sharpness of the garlic, the broth was fatty and full-bodied without being overly salty. The thicker noodles were chewy and stayed as such until the very end. The semi-thick slices of chashu were purposefully fatty where the texture was tender while still retaining a certain chewiness and rebound texture.
Our next bowl was the Spicy Ramen with chashu where we selected the medium spice level. Despite the dark red hue, the broth was not particularly hot. There was a slight bite to the broth, but once again, the garlic dominated the flavour profile. Mind you, I wasn't expecting blazing spiciness anyways. In some sense, this helped balance off the strong garlic presence. Personally, I preferred this broth over the regular as provided more impact to counteract the large amount of veggies and the thicker noodles. Sean went for the same Spicy Ramen with chicken karaage. Nothing more to report other than that I'm not a huge fan of placing fried items in hot broth. At the very least it was on top of the veggies.
About that Karaage, we got a side order so Grace and I could sample it as well. Juicy and succulent, the chicken leg meat was well-seasoned. On the outside, the batter was light and almost flaking off. It was slightly greasy, but was still crispy. We also got an order of the Gyoza and I would've liked to see more colour. At the same time, it was still crispy on the bottom while the dumpling skin was thin and chewy. Inside, the filling was moist, if not a touch too mild-tasting. However, an aggressive dunk in to the salty-vinegary dip solved that problem. Now, the bigger issue for me is the amount of veggies in this style of ramen. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of it as it dilutes the flavours and interferes with the noodles. I'm a huge fan of garlic, so the dominance of the condiment didn't bother me so much, but I can see it being a problem for others.
The Good:
- Portions are large, especially the basic bakamori- Noodles are firm and stay firm
- If you love garlic...
The Bad:
- The garlic dominates everything
- Personally don't like the amount of veggies
- I prefer softer chashu, so this one was a bit chewier
Unexpected food. You know, the kind that you weren't planning to eat, but presented itself anyways. Well, this was the case when Grace needed a partner for her visit to Duotian Fish Noodle thanks to ChineseBites. I wasn't expecting to eat out due to a nasty cold, but the promise of hot soup, congee and among other things persuaded me tough it out and go eat... Yah, #firstworldproblems. Rounding out the eating committee was Sexy Mexi and Ned Flanders.
Without further adieu we started with the Original Fish Noodles with fish fillets and sliced brisket. We chose the flat rice noodles and were initially concerned they would become soft and fall apart. This was not the case here as they were slippery, yet appealingly chewy at the same time. As for the soup, it was slightly sweet with a background fish essence. Not particularly impactful, but not bad at the same time. We found the fish to be perfectly tender and flaky while the brisket was soft and fatty. Appearing rather plain, the Spicy Wontons had much more impact than we expected. There was heat from the little chili oil that you see in the picture. However, with that in mind, the dish was one note. As for the wontons themselves, they were meaty in a firm manner with a thin and buttery skin.
Moving on, we got a pair of fried items in the Chicken Nuggets and Squid Tentacles. Normally, these dishes are relatively small servings at most Taiwanese restaurants, however, the portion sizes here were quite large. As for the chicken nuggets, they were crispy and well-seasoned without being greasy. Inside, the dark chicken leg meat was juicy and succulent. It was seasoned as well, so the flavours didn't only originate from the exterior. With the squid tentacles, I found them to be on the chewier side, but on the other hand, they weren't tough. Once again, the same crispy batter graced the outside and hence, there was more than enough seasoning.
Since I was still feeling the effects from the flu, Grace encouraged me to order the Salted Pork and Preserved Egg Congee. This was accompanied by a green onion pancake which was forgettable as it was greasy and dense. As for the congee itself, the consistency was similar to a homemade version, but much thicker and of course well-seasoned. The whole thing was loaded with tender salted pork and preserved egg. From one comfort dish to another, we also tried the Cured Meat Hot Pot Rice. On top of the chewy and nutty rice, there was cured duck, pork belly and Chinese sausage (and yau choy). I liked how there was actually a rice crust formed on the bottom and sides of the hot pot, but at the same time, there was too much grease (from the meats). On the other hand, that would be hard to control.
We then went for 2 larger dishes in the Shredded Black Pepper Beef Fried Noodle. We requested crunchy noodles and they arrived as such. They were light and absorbed the sauce well, becoming soft and chewy. The strips of beef were tender while the peppers were not overcooked. However, in terms of overall impact, the dish lacked flavour as it wasn't peppery as advertised. Onto a similar dish except for the ingredients, we had the House Special Fried Noodles with shrimp, shiitake, BBQ Pork, chicken and yau choy. As much as this wasn't super impactful as well, the diversity of ingredients did afford different flavours onto the noodles. Besides, I like adding copious amounts of red vinegar anyways.
With our lone HK-style cafe classic dish, we tried the Baked Pork Chop Rice. It was a large portion that featured chewy fried rice with egg topped with plenty of sauce. I found the sauce to be quite mild in need of a touch more tanginess (however, the chunks of tomato were good). As for the pork chop, it was large, meaty and tender with a slightly crispy exterior. I wasn't particularly fond of all the white onion as it overwhelmed the already mild sauce. Our last dish was the Squid & Shredded Pork with Chili Pepper. This sported enough wok heat to ensure that the moisture stayed within the caramelized ingredients. A good dousing of satay sauce gave the dish a seafoody slant with a touch of spice. The squid was texturally appealing having a nice rebound.
For dessert, we were served both the Butter Biscuit Toast and the Condensed Milk Toast. I found both to be a little denser than I would've liked, but it was still crunchy on the sides and crispy and sweet on the top. Possibly a bit more browning would've helped caramelize the flavours better. However, at this point, we were beyond full and actually pleasantly surprised that the food was quite decent, especially for the price (better than my previous visit). With that being said, flavours could be more impactful.
*All food and beverages excluding gratuities were complimentary*
The Good:
- Cheap
- Large portions
- Hybrid of Taiwanese/HK-Style Cafe and Fish Noodle joint
The Bad:
- Flavours are generally weak
- Food is decent, but there is better
- Parking lot is a disaster
Posts
Often, my schedule is so hectic, I don't even remember if I'm coming or going. I try to enter everything into my Google Calendar, but even with that, I still forget. So when Emily suggested we go check out the new Popbar at Metropolis on their grand opening, I put it into the back of my mind. She sent me a link to sign up for the tasting, which I ignored... Well, it really didn't matter as she signed me up anyways! Who needs Google Calendar when you have someone arranging your schedule for you...
Well, we were joined by Kim, which helped us sample 12 different flavours. We kicked things off with the Strawberry Yogurt (dipped in dark chocolate), Pistachio (dipped in milk chocolate and pistachios) and Hazelnut (dipped in milk chocolate and hazelnuts). Creamy, thick and not overly sweet, the strawberry yogurt was good and the half-dip of chocolate went well with the fruitiness. Also thick and rich, the pistachio was aromatic with only a mild sweetness. The addition of more nuts on the outside only served to heighten the flavours. Although the hazelnut was also creamy and smooth, it was not as impactful as the other 2.
Heading back for more we got the Gianduia (dipped in milk chocolate and hazelnuts), Blood Orange (with white chocolate drizzle) and Mango (dipped in dark chocolate). For me, my favourite flavour was the Gianduia since it was creamy, chocolatey and nutty in a balanced manner. Of course the coating of chocolate and hazelnuts only served to make it taste and eat like a Ferraro Rocher. Equally tasty, the blood orange had a burst of sweet and tanginess. Being a sorbetto, it was lighter and more refreshing. We were universally not impressed with the mango as it didn't have much flavour and lacked the aroma associated with the fruit. Maybe because it is not in season?
Reluctantly, I went back (with Emily dragging me) to sample the Peanut Butter (dipped in milk chocolate and peanuts), Coconut (dipped in dark chocolate and coconut), Vanilla (dipped in milk chocolate and pisatchios) and Peach (with white chocolate drizzle). Not far behind the gianduia and blood orange, we found the peanut butter very good as well. It was rich and creamy with the aromatics of roasted peanuts. I personally didn't like the coconut as it was bland in my opinion. Furthermore, the coconut on the outside should've been toasted in my opinion. Equally meh was the vanilla (even with the coating) as it didn't taste like its namesake. They should ramp up the vanilla bean in this one. We didn't actually try the peach ourselves, so I won't comment on it.
By now I was done, but Emily insisted we try 3 more in the Strawberry Sorbetto, Wildberry Sorbetto and Green Tea. Similar to the yogurt version, but lighter and without milk products, the strawberry tasted like the fruit with purposeful sweetness. The same could be said about the wildberry as it did taste like a medley of berries while not being overly icy. We ended off with the green tea which did taste as such with a definite aftertaste that wasn't bitter. As with the rest of the gelato bars, it was creamy and rich. Okay, for some people, I'm sure dropping $4.00 on a popsicle (no matter the quality and customization options) is a bit steep. But consider that Purdy's is around the same price and a scoop of gourmet ice cream or gelato will cost your $5.00 around town, this doesn't seem so bad after all.
