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Not too long ago, I had revisited Chen's with Sean, but never got around to do a write-up. Fast forward to only a few months back, I had returned with a Groupon and also didn't blog about it. This had partially to do with the stipulation we had to order 4 bowls of noodles (not the most exciting things to talk about). Then only a month ago, I did an XLB crawl for the 365 Days of Dining where I remarked that Chen's had the best overall XLB in Richmond in my opinion. Finally, with a ChineseBites tasting on the horizon, I was going to get to the revisit write-up that had been long overdue.
Arriving on a giant platter, we sampled a collection of appies including Jellyfish with green onion oil, Smoked Pomfret, Marinated Bran Dough, Jelly Pork and Mixed Malatou with dried bean curd. Although the jellyfish exhibited the classic and appealing buttery crunch with only a touch of chewiness, there was not much flavour to it (other than sesame/green onion oil). As expected, the gluten was rather sweet, but the texture was spot on being soft and chewy. I really enjoyed the gelatinized skin of the smoked fish, but the meat as a bit too dry. It was also sweet with only a minor hint of smoke. I found the jellied pork to be overly firm while tasting "porky". Normally, I'm not particularly fond of the Shanghai vegetable and pressed tofu, but his one was good with a bright crunchiness where it was accented by a good amount of seasoning.
The next platter consisted of Spring Rolls, Beef Shao Beng and Radish Pastries. Although a bit greasy and flat, the spring rolls were still ultimately crunchy. Inside, there was well-seasoned shiitake mushrooms and pork. I found the shao beng to be crispy on the outside and a bit nutty from the roasted sesame seeds. However, the layers beyond that were rather dense and mealy. The thinly sliced beef shank was good though while the pickled cabbage added crunch and a good amount of spiciness. I wasn't a huge fan of the radish pastries as they were even more doughy and dense than the shao beng. On the other hand, the filling was not bad consisting of ham and shredded radish that still retained some texture.
Our 3rd consecutive platter was made up of only 2 items including Potstickers and Chee Fan (sticky rice rolls with Chinese savoury donut, dried pork floss and pickled mustard greens). Sporting a chewy skin, the potstickers were nicely browned on the bottom. Texturally, it wasn't as crunchy as it appeared. Inside, the filling was tender and moist with a good balance of meat-to-vegetable ratio. As for the chee fan, the sticky rice was a touch on the softer side while the donut was dense and not crispy. There was a considerable amount of pork floss which added both a light crisp texture and some saltiness. I would've liked to see more mustard greens to jolt some tang into the roll.
Moving away from the appies, we had the House Special Chicken Soup with wontons and Shanghai bak choy. Mild, yet silky and creamy, the soup was flavourful. It wasn't salty though as the flavour of the chicken did come through. Since the chicken was boiled in the soup, the meat was pretty much dry (but to be expected). As for the wontons, they were good sporting a thick, yet tender skin where the filling was meaty with just the right amount of veggies. Of course we couldn't have a meal at Chen's without eating their Xiao Long Bao. Similar to all of my previous visits, these featured a fairly thin skin that was only slightly chewy. Inside, there was a good amount of well-balanced soup and a pork filling that was tender.
Onto some serious seafood, we had both crab and lobster. The first to arrive was the Crab with rice cake and edamame. I thought that the meat was overcooked just a tad where it stuck to the inside of the shell. Flavours were good though with a nice balance of savoury and sweet without being too salty. Interestingly, the edamame was my favourite part since it was buttery with a firm chew rather than being chalky. As good as the sliced rice cake was to eat, there wasn't enough of it. So the crab was okay, yet the House Special Spicy Lobster with lotus root and ham was fantastic. With tongue-numbing spice while still flavourful, the dish made me go back for more. The lobster itself was cooked beautifully being buttery with a moist bounce. The batter was light and crispy while just a tad salty.
Next up, we had the Black Vinegar Pork Spareribs that were aggressively sauced with a sticky glaze. Hence, they were syrupy sweet with a side of tanginess. I would've liked to see much less sauce as it was a bit overwhelming. As for the ribs themselves, they were meaty and still relatively moist with a slightly chewy exterior. They were tender to the chew while not being overmarinated. At first, I wasn't aware that the Tea Smoked Chicken was in fact, chicken (usually it is duck). As much as I was skeptical of this dish, it was prepared really well. The skin was rendered and crispy while the meat was succulent and purposefully salty. It was mildly smoky though, which was a good thing as the sweetness of the chicken was still present.
Looking a bit odd, the Deep Fried Fish with seaweed was served next. I found the fish itself to be good with a soft flakiness. It was just cooked enough that the textures were consistent throughout. I found the flavours to be mild, yet not bland either. The batter was a bit thick and soft while lightly crisp on the outside. Squeezing the lime wedges on top was necessary as it helped brighten up a relatively non-impactful dish. Still staying with seafood, we had the Tiger Prawn and Eggplant Hotpot. The whole thing was laced with a spicy and garlicky sauce that was crying out for white rice. I found the eggplant to be soft, however, the oil-blanching ensured that it remained in one piece. As for the shrimp, they were bouncy while completely sauced.
Another spicy dish was the 4 Seasons Green Beans with beef. It featured lingering spice accented by a good amount of garlic. It was on the greasier side though, but that ensured caramelization from the proper wok fry. The beans were still a bit crunchy giving way to tender slices of beef that were not overtenderized. Next, we were served the Beijing Shredded Pork with crepes. As tender as the pork turned out to be, it was ultimately over-tenderized where the meat texture was missing. On the other hand, I liked how there wasn't a whole lot of excess sauce or grease. In terms of flavour, it was sweet with only minor savoury elements. The crepes were a little doughy, yet remained soft throughout.
Finishing off with a carb, the House Special Crispy Noodles were good as crunchy noodles, but there was not enough sauce to soften them up. Otherwise, the bevy of seafood was prepared properly with the right textures. For dessert, we had the Egg White Puffs filled with red bean. These were very eggy and filled with a pretty sweet paste. They were super light and airy which meant eating them in one bite was possible. In the end, I was glad I waited until this visit to do my second Chen's post. Normally, I wouldn't order these items at a Shanghainese-type restaurant (in particular, the seafood). However, it was a bit ironic that those were the dishes that shined as opposed to the more traditional Shanghainese Dim Sum items.
*All food and gratuities were complimentary*
The Good:
- Large portions
- Generally well-executed
- Excellent XLBs
The Bad:
- Regular Dim Sum items paled in comparison
- Normally, service is rather sparse (due to limited staff)
More often than not, we find ourselves dining on some form of Asian food after softball on Mondays. It might very well be that we play at fields that are relatively close to Richmond and the fact that Boss Woman prefers sharing food. Since we were playing at Strathcona park this time around, I figured a visit to Devil's Elbow (in the old location of Chambar) would satisfied the "share" criteria as well as offering up something other than Chinese food. When I asked everyone if they wanted to dig into a plate of BBQ smoked meats, I didn't get any objections.
So we took the 3 minute drive on the viaduct over to Beatty Street (I guess we won't be doing that once they tear 'em down!). Although we had our hearts set on the BBQ platter, we decided to add a few items to supplement the meat fest. These included the Deep Fried Pickles which were coated with breading (thankfully, as the ones with batter never turn out right). Despite being on the darker side, the breading didn't taste too greasy. Rather, it was crunchy and spicy with the mildly salty tang of the crisp pickle. The side of spicy dill sour cream dip further amped the flavours.
We also got 2 items that were seemingly not destined for sharing in the Gumbo and Brisket Chili. However, it wasn't hard to do so as they were pretty large in portion size for appies. Personally, I much preferred the gumbo as it was thick and rich with plenty of ingredients including meaty andouille sausage, chicken and shrimp. I liked the rice underneath as it was the right texture (not being mushy) since there was enough moisture already. It was a bit spicy, but I would've liked to see a bit more flavour development (as in a darker and smokier roux). As for the chili, I found it to be spicy and tangy with a faint IPA finish, but little else as it didn't seem to have enough time on the stove. Flavours weren't developed and the veggies were too crunchy.
Moving away from the appetizer section, we decided to share the Chicken & Waffles which were presented in a very sharable fashion. Consisting of 4 house-made waffle sections topped with little nuggets of buttermilk fried Cajun chicken breast meat, it also came with a side of honey butter and mesquite smoked Maple syrup. Although crispy on the outside, I found the waffles to be a little dense and too pancakey. They were lightly sweet though where the addition of butter and syrup improved both texture and taste. On the same theme, it was interesting for us to share the Pulled Pork Waffle sandwich. We made it work, albeit messy. Again, the waffles could've been fluffier in our opinion, yet by the same token, it would've disintegrated otherwise. The pulled pork was fairly dry, yet smoky while dressed in a sweet bourbon BBQ sauce. The crunchy apple slaw and jalapenos added crunch, tang and spice.
Finally getting the main event, we shared the $60.00 Smoked BBQ Platter consisting of Stout-Infused Sausage, Pulled Pork, Brisket, Pork Ribs and 1/2 Chicken. We found the sausage to be the best item on the plate being meaty and mildly seasoned without any bitterness from the stout. The side of country gravy was a rich and creamy condiment for the sausage. I wasn't a huge fan of the chicken as it was pretty dry and chewy. It was smoky though and it was the end of the day, so we didn't expect juicy either. The ribs were meaty and tender with a bit of chew where the side of sweet and spicy BBQ sauce was decent as there was enough smokiness in the meat already. Both the brisket and pulled pork were also on the drier side, yet hardly chewy.
The platter included a choice of 4 sides. We ended up selecting Fries, Potato Salad, Mac n' Cheese and Mac n' Cheese Cornbread. Coated with starch, the fresh-cut fries were crispy and potatoey soft inside. These reminded me of Costco fries, but more starchy. The potato salad wasn't a salad per se, rather it was fried nugget potatoes tossed with sweet corn, bacon, sour cream and chives. It was more of a baked potato than a salad. We enjoyed it though. Surprisingly good, the mac n' cheese featured firm noodles tossed in a creamy, cheesy and slightly spicy sauce which prompted seconds. As such, the corn bread had the same elements as well as being sweet and a touch soggy as a result. The outside was nicely crispy though. After it was all said and done, we were stuffed, yet at the same time, we dusted off nearly every morsel (except for the dry chicken). In terms of overall enjoyment, we found the food hit and miss though.
The Good:
- Fair pricing considering its location and amount of food
- Friendly service
- Nice space
The Bad:
- Sauces are on the sweeter side (not necessarily a negative, but just a personal preference)
- Meats were dry (yet smoked), so it wasn't bound to be super juicy, but possibly it was also due to being the end of the day
Although I'm not a sweets guy by any stretch of the imagination, I was motivated to eat as much as I could at a recent tasting at Choco Coo Cafe (graciously organized and hosted by Sharon). You see, the tasting was smack dab in the middle of my 2 hockey games during a weekend tournament. Hence, this was going to be my lunch and all the nutrition afforded to me prior to the 2nd game. Let's just say that everyone on my team was confused as to where I went and what I ate before our game...
As everyone was being polite and didn't want to the first ones to dig in, I was able to convince Diana to join me in grabbing the first few items to try. I was eyeing the Red Velvet Cake from the time I first walked in, so I started with that. The best part of the cake was the cream cheese frosting as it was light and only purposefully sweet. I liked that there was a pronounced tang which brightened up the flavours. As for the cake itself, it was somewhat fluffy while being a bit light on cocoa and sugar. Next I actually tried the Matcha Mousse Cake (Matcha Chiffon Cake pictured) which was equally light in texture and sugar content. I would've liked to see even richer green tea essence (more bitterness), but the crunchy bits of chocolate were nice texturally.
Sitting majestically in the middle were some large Macarons filled with raspberry jelly, whipped cream and fresh raspberries. I found the macaron itself to be somewhat crispy on the outside and mostly chewy on the inside. I liked the jelly as it as nicely tart and sweet while the whipped cream was light and not sweet at all. Of course the fresh raspberries added more tartness and brightness. Sporting fresh strawberries, whipped cream and custard, the Napoleon was similar to the other items so far being lightly sweet. The pastry itself was flaky and shattered on contact. This was a good thing as it was crispy and a nice textural contrast to the custard and cream.
One item that was relatively on the sweeter side was the Oreo Cheesecake. For me, it didn't seem like there was any Oreo in the cheesecake itself. Hence, it wasn't as sweet as expected. With that being said, it wasn't bland either. Texturally, it was firm, but not hard as it was still creamy. I would've liked to see a touch more tang. The crust was pure Oreo minus the cream filling. Moving on from one cheesecake to another in the Blueberry Cheesecake. This was a little less dense than the Oreo cheesecake (and wetter) and of course had the taste of blueberries in a mild fashion. This was bordering on bland though as there was hardly any impact from the blueberries.
Moving away from cake, I sampled the Tiramisu what was creamy with a touch of body due to the addition of cream cheese to the marscapone. It was light on both sugar and flavour as the espresso was a bit weak. On the other hand, it was a nice counterbalance to the heavier cheesecakes. Served in a little plastic cup, the tasting portion of the Earl Grey Chocolate Mousse was deceiving. It looked like pure chocolate, but in reality, there was more tea essence than chocolate. Once again, they applied a minimal amount of sugar which made the dessert lighter than it appeared. I loved the crunchy chocolate balls scattered on top.
Going back to heavy, I dug into a piece of the Chocolate Cake. Yah, this one was rich with an almost fudge-like quality to it. The cake itself was dense, chocolatey and a bit sweeter than the rest of the items so far. At this point, I could only down half of it partly because I was full and partly because it was so rich. Ah not to worry because I finished off light with the airy Strawberry Cake. In classic Asian fashion, the sponge cake was light and almost creamy. It was finished off with marginally sweet fresh whipped cream and fresh-sliced strawberries. I can see that some people would want to see more sugar used in this case, but for me, it was perfect. In fact, I loved the desserts at Choco Coo because I have a personal bias against overly sweet desserts.
*All desserts were complimentary*
The Good:
- Light and not too heavy
- Easy on the sugar
- A decent selection
The Bad:
- Light desserts also run the risk of being underwhelming
- Some of the items could've used a bit more impact
After trying out various versions of ice-fried yogurt at On Yogurt, Diana and I were thinking something savoury was in order. Interestingly, we had to find a place that both of us have never been to. That was a tall order as us 2 combined have covered many of the "usual" places in the GVRD. Alas, Diana did some research and we settled on Poutinerie Jean-Talon next to Pizza Babarella. Despite its name, the place actually serves up Japanese-influenced items including their poutine.
We began with a Small Poutine dressed with beef stew sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese (our choice for this as cheese curds were available as well as many other toppings). The first thing that we noticed were the crunchy fries that were closer to crisps than anything resembling a potato. These were fried so aggressively, even the gravy couldn't soften them up. As for the gravy, it was somewhat meaty with a mild sweetness complimented by onions and mushrooms.
For our second course, we had the Katsu Sandwich with a side of Poutine with classic gravy and cheese curds. I thought the pork cutlet was a bit firm, yet it was naturally meaty. It was a touch dry, but by no means was it dried out. The panko breading was somewhat crispy while conservatively sauced. I would've preferred more tonkatsu sauce myself. The side of poutine was somewhat similar to the beef stew version without the meat. There was a dominant sweet onion flavour to the gravy. For the unmelted cheese curds, they were indeed squeaky.
Lastly, we shared the Japanese Curry with hamburger. The curry was mild and not overly sweet. It was certainly chunky from all the veggies, yet it wasn't watered down either. I though the hamburger patty was moist and tender, yet I would've liked to see less onion in it as the meat texture was hidden. Although I wasn't personally bowled-over by the food at Jean Talon, I do admit it was different and unique. There are elements of Yoshuku cuisine here which is a rarity in the GVRD these days. Hence, if you are indeed looking for something that isn't just the regular, Jean Talon is worth checking out.
The Good:
- Something different
- Really enthusiastic service
- Reasonably-priced
The Bad:- Still not sure about the crisps (trying to be frites)
- Flavours are very onion dominated
Posts
Not too long ago, I had revisited Chen's with Sean, but never got around to do a write-up. Fast forward to only a few months back, I had returned with a Groupon and also didn't blog about it. This had partially to do with the stipulation we had to order 4 bowls of noodles (not the most exciting things to talk about). Then only a month ago, I did an XLB crawl for the 365 Days of Dining where I remarked that Chen's had the best overall XLB in Richmond in my opinion. Finally, with a ChineseBites tasting on the horizon, I was going to get to the revisit write-up that had been long overdue.
Arriving on a giant platter, we sampled a collection of appies including Jellyfish with green onion oil, Smoked Pomfret, Marinated Bran Dough, Jelly Pork and Mixed Malatou with dried bean curd. Although the jellyfish exhibited the classic and appealing buttery crunch with only a touch of chewiness, there was not much flavour to it (other than sesame/green onion oil). As expected, the gluten was rather sweet, but the texture was spot on being soft and chewy. I really enjoyed the gelatinized skin of the smoked fish, but the meat as a bit too dry. It was also sweet with only a minor hint of smoke. I found the jellied pork to be overly firm while tasting "porky". Normally, I'm not particularly fond of the Shanghai vegetable and pressed tofu, but his one was good with a bright crunchiness where it was accented by a good amount of seasoning.
The next platter consisted of Spring Rolls, Beef Shao Beng and Radish Pastries. Although a bit greasy and flat, the spring rolls were still ultimately crunchy. Inside, there was well-seasoned shiitake mushrooms and pork. I found the shao beng to be crispy on the outside and a bit nutty from the roasted sesame seeds. However, the layers beyond that were rather dense and mealy. The thinly sliced beef shank was good though while the pickled cabbage added crunch and a good amount of spiciness. I wasn't a huge fan of the radish pastries as they were even more doughy and dense than the shao beng. On the other hand, the filling was not bad consisting of ham and shredded radish that still retained some texture.
Our 3rd consecutive platter was made up of only 2 items including Potstickers and Chee Fan (sticky rice rolls with Chinese savoury donut, dried pork floss and pickled mustard greens). Sporting a chewy skin, the potstickers were nicely browned on the bottom. Texturally, it wasn't as crunchy as it appeared. Inside, the filling was tender and moist with a good balance of meat-to-vegetable ratio. As for the chee fan, the sticky rice was a touch on the softer side while the donut was dense and not crispy. There was a considerable amount of pork floss which added both a light crisp texture and some saltiness. I would've liked to see more mustard greens to jolt some tang into the roll.
Moving away from the appies, we had the House Special Chicken Soup with wontons and Shanghai bak choy. Mild, yet silky and creamy, the soup was flavourful. It wasn't salty though as the flavour of the chicken did come through. Since the chicken was boiled in the soup, the meat was pretty much dry (but to be expected). As for the wontons, they were good sporting a thick, yet tender skin where the filling was meaty with just the right amount of veggies. Of course we couldn't have a meal at Chen's without eating their Xiao Long Bao. Similar to all of my previous visits, these featured a fairly thin skin that was only slightly chewy. Inside, there was a good amount of well-balanced soup and a pork filling that was tender.
Onto some serious seafood, we had both crab and lobster. The first to arrive was the Crab with rice cake and edamame. I thought that the meat was overcooked just a tad where it stuck to the inside of the shell. Flavours were good though with a nice balance of savoury and sweet without being too salty. Interestingly, the edamame was my favourite part since it was buttery with a firm chew rather than being chalky. As good as the sliced rice cake was to eat, there wasn't enough of it. So the crab was okay, yet the House Special Spicy Lobster with lotus root and ham was fantastic. With tongue-numbing spice while still flavourful, the dish made me go back for more. The lobster itself was cooked beautifully being buttery with a moist bounce. The batter was light and crispy while just a tad salty.
Next up, we had the Black Vinegar Pork Spareribs that were aggressively sauced with a sticky glaze. Hence, they were syrupy sweet with a side of tanginess. I would've liked to see much less sauce as it was a bit overwhelming. As for the ribs themselves, they were meaty and still relatively moist with a slightly chewy exterior. They were tender to the chew while not being overmarinated. At first, I wasn't aware that the Tea Smoked Chicken was in fact, chicken (usually it is duck). As much as I was skeptical of this dish, it was prepared really well. The skin was rendered and crispy while the meat was succulent and purposefully salty. It was mildly smoky though, which was a good thing as the sweetness of the chicken was still present.
Looking a bit odd, the Deep Fried Fish with seaweed was served next. I found the fish itself to be good with a soft flakiness. It was just cooked enough that the textures were consistent throughout. I found the flavours to be mild, yet not bland either. The batter was a bit thick and soft while lightly crisp on the outside. Squeezing the lime wedges on top was necessary as it helped brighten up a relatively non-impactful dish. Still staying with seafood, we had the Tiger Prawn and Eggplant Hotpot. The whole thing was laced with a spicy and garlicky sauce that was crying out for white rice. I found the eggplant to be soft, however, the oil-blanching ensured that it remained in one piece. As for the shrimp, they were bouncy while completely sauced.
Another spicy dish was the 4 Seasons Green Beans with beef. It featured lingering spice accented by a good amount of garlic. It was on the greasier side though, but that ensured caramelization from the proper wok fry. The beans were still a bit crunchy giving way to tender slices of beef that were not overtenderized. Next, we were served the Beijing Shredded Pork with crepes. As tender as the pork turned out to be, it was ultimately over-tenderized where the meat texture was missing. On the other hand, I liked how there wasn't a whole lot of excess sauce or grease. In terms of flavour, it was sweet with only minor savoury elements. The crepes were a little doughy, yet remained soft throughout.
Finishing off with a carb, the House Special Crispy Noodles were good as crunchy noodles, but there was not enough sauce to soften them up. Otherwise, the bevy of seafood was prepared properly with the right textures. For dessert, we had the Egg White Puffs filled with red bean. These were very eggy and filled with a pretty sweet paste. They were super light and airy which meant eating them in one bite was possible. In the end, I was glad I waited until this visit to do my second Chen's post. Normally, I wouldn't order these items at a Shanghainese-type restaurant (in particular, the seafood). However, it was a bit ironic that those were the dishes that shined as opposed to the more traditional Shanghainese Dim Sum items.
