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It should come as no surprise that my love for savoury food outweighs my desire for sweets. This is especially true for cupcakes as for the life of me, I cannot understand why they are so expensive. On that note, I willingly shell out $3.00+ dollars per macaron all the time. Go figure... But when Lola encouraged me to pickup some cupcakes from Trophy (this was after others have said the same in the past), I thought this was finally the time I did so. Hence, after Caliburger, we made our way to University Village Mall to get a dozen of these pricey gems.
We ended up one each of their available flavours including the 2 massive-looking ones in the middle. These High Hats available for Easter were comprised of chocolate cupcakes filled and topped with marshmallow and coated with chocolate. This was a meal in itself where the cupcake itself was moist while being pretty sweet especially with the marshmallow and significant amount of chocolate. Too bad the box had squished the top of the tips as they looked funny as a result.
I personally liked the Elvis the best (candy banana on top) with its banana, pineapple and coconut bread base and peanut butter cream on top. The shredded coconut in the cake wasn't necessary in my opinion as it interfered with the gentle texture. Although there was definite sweetness here, it wasn't overwhelming. As much as the Strawberry Lemonade sounded great, it was the least favourite of bunch. We found it too sweet and the expectation of tang never materialized. The Red Velvet was solid being lightly chocolatey while the cream cheese frosting on top was not crazy sweet where we could taste the cheese.
The next 3 cupcakes were the Vanilla Vanilla, Triple Chocolate and an Easter-themed Triple Coconut with shredded coconut frosting. The most interesting and impactful of the bunch was definitely the triple chocolate (which was aptly named). Soft, moist and rich in chocolate, the cupcake benefited from only a conservative amount of chocolate frosting (compared to the others). Also chocolaty, the triple coconut featured shreds in the cake and on top of the coconut cream. As for the vanilla, it was well, good, but nothing really all that interesting about it, hence being vanilla... However, the Madagascar bourbon vanilla buttercream did have a je ne sais quoi quality about it.
The last 3 cupcakes in the picture were essentially repeats other than the middle Chocolate Vanilla. As with the other chocolate-based cupcakes, they used Valrhona chocolate and topped with the same buttercream as the vanilla cupcake. Again, I prefered the triple chocolate more since it had a bittersweet Belgian buttercream and an extra dose of French chocolate sprinkles. So the dozen of cupcakes set me back over $50.00, which makes these little treats pretty pricey. Were they worth it? I guess if you love cupcakes, yes. For me, they were good, but since I'm biased, I'm not sure if I would get another dozen. Maybe just a few including the Triple Chocolate.
The Good:
- Quality ingredients
- Moist cupcakes
- Interesting flavours
The Bad:
- Expensive
- I found them rather sweet, but admittedly not as much as others
I'll keep this simple - I love In-N-Out Burger. Yes, I realize it is not particularly amazing compared to some of the fancier gourmet burger joints out there. For me, it is all about pricing and expectations. Reasonably-priced and fresh ingredients abound, there is no other burger that can touch In-N-Out in the same class (yes, I know this is subjective). However, I have no access to the stuff unless I go due South, with the closest location in Oregon. Since I was in Seattle for the Easter long weekend, I had to try the In-N-out clone - Caliburger.
We ended up getting the kiddies a Caliburger with bacon each. We had to exclude the produce as they didn't want any. Right away, it was quite obvious that it wasn't exactly an In-N-Out burger. Okay, to be fair, despite the rip-off of the In-N-Out theme, we really shouldn't expect it to be. On its own, we found the bacon really tasty and helped make the burger good. The meat was a bit dry and chewy though. Viv and I decided to go for the CaliDouble "Cali-style" which is their take on "Animal-style" with Cali sauce, grilled onions, cheese, pickles, lettuce and tomato. Despite all of the ingredients, we felt the burger was lacking something. There was nice crunch and acidity from the pickles, creaminess and tang of the dressing and caramelized flavour of the onions, yet the meat itself maybe needed more salt.
Of course we also got some Fries and I asked for them to be extra-crispy. We didn't end up getting the fries "Cali-style" because I actually do not like my fries with so much goopiness on top. I found the fries to be not very crispy especially after my request. They were rather browned due to it and slightly greasy and dry. Overall, I'm not sure if Caliburger fulfilled my In-N-Out cravings. But to be fair, if they were judged on their own merits, the food was decent. Yet, I am still looking forward to heading farther South for a real In-N-Out experience.
The Good:
- It's not bad when one doesn't try to compare
- Their bacon is pretty tasty
The Bad:
- Kinda expensive
- Doesn't fulfill the In-N-Out cravings
My daughter has always loved bunnies. She has enough bunny stuffies to last her until she needs to leave the house... In the GVRD, that means by the time she reaches 30... and beyond??? Anyways, it's been bunnies 24/7 since it was Easter and the fact we had just watched Zootopia. So it was by no surprise she wanted to visit Scout and Lola while we were in Seattle. They had taken in 2 new bunnies ever since the last 2 passed away. We didn't object because it would be a great alternative to getting some for our own home.
Before we headed to bunny central, we met up at Endolyne Joe's for some brunch on an Easter Sunday. I guess my daughter was too excited to see the bunnies and didn't have any appetite. She ended up eating off Viv's 1/2 Smoke Corned Beef Hash with 2 poached eggs on top. Sadly, this wasn't that impressive as there was more potato than corned beef. Even with the pieces we could pick out, many were fatty and chewy. However, the good pieces were meaty and nicely smoked. As for the potatoes, they were soft yet retaining some bite. I had to resort to the hot sauce on the table as the flavours were too mild. The free-range eggs were perfectly runny. My son went for the Kid's Grand Slam which consisted of one fluffy pancake, meaty bacon and fluffy egg. He seemed to enjoy it as he dusted it off before I took a bite of mine (as I was too busy taking pictures).
For myself, I had the Cajun Country Benedict with a biscuit topped by Tasso ham, poached eggs and Tobasco Hollandaise. As much as the biscuit was appealing and sported a crispy exterior, it was a bit doughy. I liked the abundance of Tasso ham that was lovingly caressed by the runny eggs. The Hollandaise wasn't particularly interesting until I got the hit of the Tobasco which added a spicy and tart flavour. I liked the consistency as it was silky while not being too thick. The side of crushed red potatoes were to my liking with plenty of potatoness while being crispy. Lola went for the Pig in the Orchard Omelet stuffed with house-made pork sausage, granny smith apples, caramelized onion & white cheddar cheese. As evidenced in the picture, the egg was still fluffy while there was ample filling that had a balance of flavours.
Scout opted for the Belgian Waffle Slam with bacon and eggs. As much as the waffle didn't look like anything special, it was crispy and sweet with a soft chewy interior. The bacon was meaty while the eggs were not overdone. Another solid plate of food. Except for the corned beef hash, all of the breakfast items were well-executed and well-portioned. Prices were reasonable and the service was prompt. Scout and Lola said they would gladly return.
The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Well-portioned
- Prompt service
The Bad:
- Long waits at peak times
- Not sure about that corned beef hash
When I suggested we meet up with Goose for dinner while we were in Bellevue, he suggested Thai Kitchen just down the road from his house. I was a little concerned as Thai food can be hit and miss with the kiddies. It turned out that our kids had no issue with the items we ordered for them, but for Goose's kiddos, well, let's just say his daughter made plain rice her meal... Maybe we give my son too hard of a time about his picky ways... There seems to be a boatload of other kids that don't have much variety in their diet.
Well, all the kiddies except for the aforementioned daughter, dug into the Chicken Satay without much issue. These large skewers of meat featured chicken breast that was fairly well-seared and seasoned (with a curry-like flavor). The meat wasn't succulent per se, but it wasn't overly dry either. The accompanying peanut dip was pretty sweet with only a slight aromaticness. After that, we had planned on the all of the kiddies sharing the Pad See Ew. Yup, Goose's daugther turned her head in disgust at the sight of the noodles. Well, I personally didn't mind them as there was considerable wok heat to go with the already aggressive use of palm sugar. I found the noodles to be a bit clumpy as they were soft, but there was actually more chicken to be found. I did enjoy the crunchy broccoli as it added a nice crunch.
There were 2 choices of Pad Thai on the menu and we had no doubts about which one - The Traditional Pad Thai, as they stated it was made with tamarind (rather than a substitute for the other version). Interestingly, I didn't find it tart enough for my tastes, yet it was still decent. Once again, it was sweet, with nice hits of crunch and zing from the pickled turnip. The noodles themselves were chewy albeit a touch clumpy. We asked for medium spicy and it was of course a bit mild, but still had a slight kick. At first, I wasn't holding out much hope for the Bangkok Chicken as it sounded like a sweet n' sour affair. Instead, it featured flavours that were sweet, yet kicked up a notch with spicy and savoriness. Furthermore, the pieces of white meat were slightly crispy while not overly dry in the middle.
For our curries, we had both the Chicken Green Curry and Beef Red Curry. Since we asked for medium, the spice level wasn't able to balance off the sweetness in both curries. That would be somewhat our fault for asking for medium. As such, the green curry wasn't able to exhibit enough shrimpiness and spice to counteract the palm sugar. With that being said, the creaminess from the coconut milk was appealing. Furthermore, it was interesting to see the exclusion of eggplant and bell pepper (replaced by green bean and cucumber). As for the red curry, it was a bit more savory than sweet, yet still suffered from the same affliction. Once again, this version did not have any bell peppers.
Lastly, we had the Pik Khing (green beans with pork, red chili paste, garlic, onions, oyster sauce and peanut sauce) that was also very sweet. The beans were still crunchy though while the pork was kissed by a hot work as there was a nice sear. I found that eating this dish was rice worked quite well due to the strong flavours. Overall, the food did not leave us wanting in terms of impact. The dishes were on the sweeter side, but that may have been due to us choosing less spiciness. Service was solid and the prices were quite reasonable.
The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Attentive service
- Impactful flavours
The Bad:
- Too sweet
- Noodles were a bit clumpy
Our annual Spring Break visit to Seattle brought us to Southcenter this time around. With memories of our Hawaii vacation from last Summer fading fast, we thought that a visit to nearby Aloha Grill in Renton would do the trick. Yes, staying at the Marriott Towneplace Kent meant that we were steps away from Aloha Hawaiian Grill. However, Aloha Grill was rated higher and we ended up driving a couple of minutes down the road. Walking into the place, it was nice to see all of our favourites were on the menu.
For the kiddies, they absolutely love Spam Musubi and we ended up getting one each for them (with one with a fried egg for my son). Okay, we've had our fair share of musubis on our visits to Hawaii, but these were on steroids. There was just too much rice (which was a little dry) in my opinion for the amount of Spam. With that being said, the Spam was prepared appealingly with a sweet glaze while nicely charred. We also got a side of Ahi Poke to share, which my daughter gladly took her share. As much as the tuna was freshly firm, any natural sweetness was obliterated by the excessive use of soy and the large amount of onion. We've had plenty of poke in Hawaii and this one lacked balance.
For some bigger dishes, we had the Opihi Man combo plate that consisted of Kulua Pork and Chicken Katsu with rice and mac salad. We found the pork to be full-flavoured and concentrated, but the texture was a bit dry and stringy. On the other hand, the katsu was prepared nicely with a very crispy exterior. Inside, the meat wasn't exactly succulent, but it was still firmly tender while well-seasoned. We could customize the flavour with squeeze bottles of katsu sauce on the counter. Viv ordered the Garlic Shrimp and sadly, this version was pretty mediocre at best. Unlike the ones we've had in the past, this featured overcooked shrimp that were a bit small. The sauce was overly thick and sweet while not being garlicky enough. It was buttery though.
Lastly we had the Saimin with egg and fish cake. We liked how the noodles were al dente and stayed as such until the end. The soup was not bad where it wasn't overly salty and exhibited natural chicken flavours. Simple as it may have been, this was one of the better items of the meal. However, as a whole, the food was serviceable, but unremarkable. But I really shouldn't try to compare it to stuff in Hawaii because one can't merely hop on a plane and head there for a meal. So in the end, if you need a Hawaiian food fix, Aloha Grill does the trick.
The Good:
- Friendly people
- Inexpensive
- Serviceable
The Bad:
- Hit and miss
Having been stuck in the awful rush hour traffic in North Van trying to cross the Ironworker's Memorial Bridge twice in the last month made us wish we were in Richmond traffic instead. No joke! So with another long commute back home looming, Viv said to heck with it. Rather than sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic, she wanted to grab dinner first. But where? Well, what about Neapolitan-style pizza at Il Castello just off of Lonsdale?
Normally, I don't really comment about complimentary bread and such unless there is something extraordinary or different. So when we were presented with some Popcorn tossed in oil and what tasted like garlic salt, it was truly a welcomed surprise. A nice little treat before we got to our actual appie. Since we were sharing 2 pizzas already, we decided on the Arugula Salad to start. This was dressed in a lemon-shallot vinaigrette accompanied by roasted cherry tomatoes and parsnip chips. Normally, I'm as excited about a salad as a visit to the passport office. However, this was very good with an impactful dressing that was a nice balance of acidity, creaminess and aromatics. The blistered tomatoes added a juicy tartness while the chips provided the crunch.
For our pizzas, I tried the Funghi first and it was immediately clear that their crust had it going on. It was mildly seasoned while charred on point with consistent leoparding. Hence, it was crispy throughout and appealingly chewy while smoky with an appetizing nutiness. On top, the creaminess of the celeriac puree and fontina was amped by a restrained amount of truffle oil. The woodiness continued with the creminis and shimeji mushrooms while the addition of arugula lightened things up a tad. As much as I liked this pizza, the Piccante was even better with a spicy zestiness. The liberal amount of tart tomato sauce was elevated by Chilean chili oil and the spicy salami. Quick hits of salty zing was provided by the evenly distributed olives. Rounding out the flavours were fresh basil and mozzarella. Now if you think that we liked our pizzas, you guessed wrong... because we loved the pizzas! The crust truly rocks while the flavours are impactful. If you love Neapolitan-style pizza, a visit to Il Castello is a must.
The Good:
- Consistent and well-charred crust
- Impactful flavours
- Solid service
The Bad:
- Pricey
- Parking in the area sucks, go pay for pay lot
Posts
It should come as no surprise that my love for savoury food outweighs my desire for sweets. This is especially true for cupcakes as for the life of me, I cannot understand why they are so expensive. On that note, I willingly shell out $3.00+ dollars per macaron all the time. Go figure... But when Lola encouraged me to pickup some cupcakes from Trophy (this was after others have said the same in the past), I thought this was finally the time I did so. Hence, after Caliburger, we made our way to University Village Mall to get a dozen of these pricey gems.
We ended up one each of their available flavours including the 2 massive-looking ones in the middle. These High Hats available for Easter were comprised of chocolate cupcakes filled and topped with marshmallow and coated with chocolate. This was a meal in itself where the cupcake itself was moist while being pretty sweet especially with the marshmallow and significant amount of chocolate. Too bad the box had squished the top of the tips as they looked funny as a result.
I personally liked the Elvis the best (candy banana on top) with its banana, pineapple and coconut bread base and peanut butter cream on top. The shredded coconut in the cake wasn't necessary in my opinion as it interfered with the gentle texture. Although there was definite sweetness here, it wasn't overwhelming. As much as the Strawberry Lemonade sounded great, it was the least favourite of bunch. We found it too sweet and the expectation of tang never materialized. The Red Velvet was solid being lightly chocolatey while the cream cheese frosting on top was not crazy sweet where we could taste the cheese.
The next 3 cupcakes were the Vanilla Vanilla, Triple Chocolate and an Easter-themed Triple Coconut with shredded coconut frosting. The most interesting and impactful of the bunch was definitely the triple chocolate (which was aptly named). Soft, moist and rich in chocolate, the cupcake benefited from only a conservative amount of chocolate frosting (compared to the others). Also chocolaty, the triple coconut featured shreds in the cake and on top of the coconut cream. As for the vanilla, it was well, good, but nothing really all that interesting about it, hence being vanilla... However, the Madagascar bourbon vanilla buttercream did have a je ne sais quoi quality about it.
The last 3 cupcakes in the picture were essentially repeats other than the middle Chocolate Vanilla. As with the other chocolate-based cupcakes, they used Valrhona chocolate and topped with the same buttercream as the vanilla cupcake. Again, I prefered the triple chocolate more since it had a bittersweet Belgian buttercream and an extra dose of French chocolate sprinkles. So the dozen of cupcakes set me back over $50.00, which makes these little treats pretty pricey. Were they worth it? I guess if you love cupcakes, yes. For me, they were good, but since I'm biased, I'm not sure if I would get another dozen. Maybe just a few including the Triple Chocolate.
