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Woah, I remember when Mijune and I were first invited to do a menu tasting at the original BiBo on West 4th. That day, unbeknownst to us, Mia Stainsby (yes her, of the Vancouver Sun) was sitting next to us. She went on to write an article about watching our exploits during our tasting. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be offended. In the end, I laughed because it was all true! LOL. Well, fast forward to the present and BiBo has once again invited me to try out their new location at McArthur Glen in Richmond. This time it was with Joyce, Emily and Ned Flanders... and to my best knowledge, Mia wasn't next to us!
We were started off with the Tagliere di salumi e formaggi consisting of salami, coppa, mortadella, prosciutto, fontina, asiago, parmesan, marinated mushrooms and artichoke hearts. With imported products, the board was both attractive and appetizing to eat. I particularly liked the firm and salty salami as well as the mushrooms. This was served with pizza dough bread which was crispy, chewy, lightly charred and well-seasoned. Next, we had a Neapolitan Pizza with mozzarella, pancetta and onions. As evidenced in the picture, the pizza was evenly charred with leoparding on the edges and the underside of the crust. The dough was seasoned properly and ate well on its own with a pleasing chewiness. The crust was a bit softer in the middle (as it should be), but not wet. Loved the ample pancetta as it added a flavourful saltiness.
Onto another appie, we shared the Bruschetta on house-made bread and topped with tomatoes, onions, basil, olive oil, fresh mozza and drizzled with balsamic. I thought the bread was overly dense, which impacted my overall enjoyment of the dish. I also felt there was too much moisture going on that made the bread wet. As for the tomatoes, they were fresh and sweet, yet not acidic enough. The balsamic reduction added a sweet tartness, but I could've use more of it. Then something weird happened - we were all served the same pasta being the Tagliatelle ai funghi. Okay, not much variety here, but at the very least, it exemplified some inconsistencies. My tagliatelle was al dente while the sauce (lukewarm in my case) was very rich and creamy with enough seasoning and woodsiness from the porcini mushrooms. Emily's plate was bland and lacking sauce while served piping hot. So depending which one you got, it was either good or not-so-good.
At this point, we requested the Tagliatelle alla Bolognese as a contrast to the creamy pasta (and the non-tomato sauce pizza). Thankfully we did because it was better than the creamy pasta in our opinion. The noodles were sufficiently al dente for fresh pasta. I liked the bolognese as it was mildly tart while sporting a good amount of tender meat and softened carrots. Our last dish was the Scaloppine di Vitello in a smaller portion size so each of us got our own plate. The veal wasn't exactly dry nor chewy, but it wasn't super tender either. I would've liked to see it thinner. As for the sauce, it was impactful and acidic from the lemon. So much so, the mushrooms kind of got lost. All-in-all, this tasting was hit-and-miss. This may have also been partially due to the items they chose to serve us. Personally, I would've liked to have the Pizza Margherita (as a baseline) and also 4 different pastas rather than a full serving of a heavy cream version.
*All food and beverages excluding gratuities were complimentary*
The Good:
- Neapolitan pizza crust was good
- The house-made pasta itself was prepared properly
- Nice dining space
The Bad:
- Cream sauce was inconsistent
- Hit and miss
I really need to get my crap in order... Seemingly, I'm encountering more and more fails in terms of restaurants being either closed or too busy for us to actually dine at. Okay, so it happened again as I dragged the whole fam out to BLVD Bistro in North Van, only to discover that there would be an hour wait. Could it be the great brunch they serve? Yes, that was partly the reason, but with only 3 tables for the entire restaurant, turnover could only be described as slow as a Corolla on #3 Road in Richmond.
So we went for a backup plan. Wait! There was no backup plan! Therefore, we ended up at the most unlikeliest of places in Two Lions Public House for lunch (not exactly the most kid-friendliest of places). But to make it more appealing for them, we got the Warm Kettle Chips and Fried Pickles to start. Only lightly greasy, the chips were thick-cut and firmly crunchy. They were seasoned enough while not being overly salty. The side of dill aioli was creamy and cooling. As much as the breading on the fried pickles was crunchy, it was rather hard. Inside, the thin sliver of tart pickle didn't stand up very well to the breading. Interestingly, I enjoyed dipping them into the dill aioli more than the accompanying parm and garlic dip. Maybe because of the dill on dill?
The kiddies ended up sharing the Mac n' Cheese baked with bacon and chicken. This was surprisingly good as the sharp aged white cheddar really came through. I wouldn't say that it was super creamy, but there was enough cheesiness to keep things moist without soaking the noodles. We noticed the bacon visually, but it didn't have much impact. There was a good amount of chicken which was meaty and tender. Viv ended up with the BBQ Chicken Pizza with banana peppers, red onion and mozzarella. This was definitely serviceable with a relatively thin and crunchy crust. There was probably a bit too much tangy BBQ sauce, but that meant the pizza wasn't bland. Combined with the peppers, there was plenty of the sweet and tart flavours going on.
For myself, I had the Short Rib Beef Dip with horseradish cream, crispy onions and house-cut fries. Hidden within the toasted baguette was a wealth of tender and fatty short rib. The sandwich ate fine on its own with a rich meatiness accented by a hint of sharpness from the horseradish. I only used the mild-tasting dip sparingly. As for the fries, they were good being fresh-cut and crispy albeit dense in texture. Interestingly, the one thing I was worried about was not actually that bad - the food. However, the service was another matter. Although not terrible, it wasn't super attentive nor helpful. I inquired about the VIP club (which allows for special pricing) and our server could've care less with explaining anything to me. I finally signed up online and she didn't seem overly impressed and didn't even charge me the VIP prices when I got the final bill. Wasn't impressed with the service in that regard.
The Good:
- Serviceable eats
- Spacious, for a bar
The Bad:
- Expensive, even with the VIP membership
- Service was okay, but not super friendly nor helpful
After sampling 12 different popsicles at Popbar at Metropolis, one would thing that we'd had enough eats for a little while. However, it was more like dessert prior to dinner for Emily and Kim. Yes, we ended up doing the reverse and traveled into Downtown for dinner. The place? A neighbourhood Italian eatery named Tavola, which also happens to be the sister restaurant of Nook (around the corner on Denman).
Served on the house, we had the Salami Tasting with burrata, olives, sweet peppers and crostinis. In addition to the 3 types of salami, there was some prosciutto and sliced parm thrown in as well. When we were looking over the menu, we decided to go big or go home with the 24 oz. Bone-in Ribeye Steak. At $75.00 we were expecting to be blown away. Well, that didn't happen as the steak was more medium than medium-rare. Now with that being said, it was still tender and nicely charred on the outside. The meat was well-seasoned and accompanied by a really good salsa verde. However, to me, the salsa verde was more of a chimichurri with hand-chopped flat leaf parsley, garlic and mint. It added a flavourful brightness.
For our pastas, we went for 3 including the daily feature being the Malfalda with braised beef cheeks, roasted root veggies, mushrooms and ciopolini onions. These lasagna-like noodles were firmly al dente and held up well to the moisture. They were properly seasoned which meant they tasted good on their own. Additionally, the tartness of the onions combined with the woodsiness of the mushrooms added some umaminess to the pasta. The use of the braising liquid also further enhanced the meatiness of the dish. As for the beef cheeks, they were tender and not dried-out. This was probably my second favourite pasta behind the Paccheri with pulled pork ragu. The large pasta tubes were appealingly chewy without being heavy. It was caressed by a rich ragu that featured tender pork in a mildly tart sauce that was aggressively salted.
Our last pasta was the Casarecce with with pork & fennel meatballs, tomatoes and rapini. I found this pasta a bit less firm than the previous 2, but hardly soft. The sauce was definitely tomatoey with the strong fennel influence of the tender meatballs. I liked the crunch of the rapini as it added both texture and the necessary green veggie to balance the heaviness of the meatballs. So if you have been paying attention, it is pretty clear the pastas were on point and tasty. We weren't so sure with the ribeye steak though, especially for $75.00.
*Salami tasting was complimentary*
The Good:
- On point pastas
- Casual homey atmosphere
- Focused menu
The Bad:
- Not sure if the steak was worth it
Posts
Woah, I remember when Mijune and I were first invited to do a menu tasting at the original BiBo on West 4th. That day, unbeknownst to us, Mia Stainsby (yes her, of the Vancouver Sun) was sitting next to us. She went on to write an article about watching our exploits during our tasting. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be offended. In the end, I laughed because it was all true! LOL. Well, fast forward to the present and BiBo has once again invited me to try out their new location at McArthur Glen in Richmond. This time it was with Joyce, Emily and Ned Flanders... and to my best knowledge, Mia wasn't next to us!
We were started off with the Tagliere di salumi e formaggi consisting of salami, coppa, mortadella, prosciutto, fontina, asiago, parmesan, marinated mushrooms and artichoke hearts. With imported products, the board was both attractive and appetizing to eat. I particularly liked the firm and salty salami as well as the mushrooms. This was served with pizza dough bread which was crispy, chewy, lightly charred and well-seasoned. Next, we had a Neapolitan Pizza with mozzarella, pancetta and onions. As evidenced in the picture, the pizza was evenly charred with leoparding on the edges and the underside of the crust. The dough was seasoned properly and ate well on its own with a pleasing chewiness. The crust was a bit softer in the middle (as it should be), but not wet. Loved the ample pancetta as it added a flavourful saltiness.
Onto another appie, we shared the Bruschetta on house-made bread and topped with tomatoes, onions, basil, olive oil, fresh mozza and drizzled with balsamic. I thought the bread was overly dense, which impacted my overall enjoyment of the dish. I also felt there was too much moisture going on that made the bread wet. As for the tomatoes, they were fresh and sweet, yet not acidic enough. The balsamic reduction added a sweet tartness, but I could've use more of it. Then something weird happened - we were all served the same pasta being the Tagliatelle ai funghi. Okay, not much variety here, but at the very least, it exemplified some inconsistencies. My tagliatelle was al dente while the sauce (lukewarm in my case) was very rich and creamy with enough seasoning and woodsiness from the porcini mushrooms. Emily's plate was bland and lacking sauce while served piping hot. So depending which one you got, it was either good or not-so-good.
At this point, we requested the Tagliatelle alla Bolognese as a contrast to the creamy pasta (and the non-tomato sauce pizza). Thankfully we did because it was better than the creamy pasta in our opinion. The noodles were sufficiently al dente for fresh pasta. I liked the bolognese as it was mildly tart while sporting a good amount of tender meat and softened carrots. Our last dish was the Scaloppine di Vitello in a smaller portion size so each of us got our own plate. The veal wasn't exactly dry nor chewy, but it wasn't super tender either. I would've liked to see it thinner. As for the sauce, it was impactful and acidic from the lemon. So much so, the mushrooms kind of got lost. All-in-all, this tasting was hit-and-miss. This may have also been partially due to the items they chose to serve us. Personally, I would've liked to have the Pizza Margherita (as a baseline) and also 4 different pastas rather than a full serving of a heavy cream version.
