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My original Dim Sum post for Lee Garden was way back when it first opened up shop. Then it closed shop for some strange reason and didn't reopen for a month. We returned a few times after that, but I never felt the need to do a re-visit post until now. Okay, that would only imply one of two things - the food was appreciably better or appreciably worse. Oh and a third thing too... No more material to post. LOL... Well in this case, I had to post this because the food wasn't impressive the last 2 visits (I guess you don't have to read on if you are lazy).
So despite my aforementioned sentiment, the place still gets its business and we were lucky to snag a table on a Saturday morning. We started with the smallest Shrimp Spring Rolls I've ever seen. Were they trying to emulate those new Tostitos "rolled" nacho chips? Well, they were super-crunchy as a result (and not greasy either). However, with such as small roll, the chance in seeing any large pieces of shrimp were low. Consequently, we found only little bits and soft mousse which was not texturally appealing. It was well-seasoned though. The BBQ Pork Pastries were also not very good as the pastry itself was too wet and doughy. I definitely could taste the lard, but it also wasn't flaky (so not worth the fat content!). Inside, the BBQ pork was a bit chewy, yet nicely sauced with a balance of sweet and savoury notes.
Onto a dish that my son insisted we order, the Donut Rice Noodle Roll, was also a disappointment. Not only was there an inordinate amount of green onion on the bottom side of the roll, the rice noodle was too soft and easily ripped apart. Why do they put so much green onion, I can never understand... It is supposed to accent the dish, not dominate it. The donut was probably the worst part as it wasn't crispy at all as well as being very doughy and dense. On the other hand, the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll was appreciably better. We found the noodle to be more elastic having an appealing chew while being soft and moist at the same time. Despite being well-seasoned and exhibiting a meaty snap, the shrimp were far too small to be impactful.
Interestingly, one of the better items was the Sui Mai as it consisted of everything that could be good about the dumpling. First of all, the pork was a mix of actual chunks and processed pork that varied the textures from meaty to bouncy. Then there was bits of crunchy shrimp intermingling with large chunks of shiitake mushroom. All of that combined for a good balance of flavours and textures. As for its counterpart, the Haw Gow was not as impressive. Despite sporting a decent dumpling skin that was moderately thick and chewy, the filling featured too much shrimp mousse for my liking. It got in the way of the actual cold-water shrimp textures. There was also a bit too much sesame oil (even though I love sesame oil).
Another fail was the Phoenix Talons (or steamed chicken feet) as it didn't look promising as it hit the table. It was as if they didn't fry them long enough prior to steaming. That created a texture that was more fatty than anything else. Underneath the melting skin, the cartilage and fat was also too soft. The only thing going for the dish was the garlicky sweet flavour. Soft was the operative word for the Tripe and Tendon as well. We liked how it was ample in portion size, but the tripe was far too mushy. It no longer had much of a chew, however, the tendon was the opposite being too hard. Flavour wasn't an issue though as it was well-seasoned with garlic, salt and sugar.
When the Steamed Pork Spareribs showed up, it looked like half of it was missing. When you can see more pumpkin than sparerib, there is an issue. Look at it! Did they run out or something and try to eek out one more dish??? Well, even for the ribs that were present, they were too chewy for our liking. Furthermore, it was a mix of good rib pieces and no-meat cartilage pieces (which meant even less in this case). There was a good amount of garlickiness though. Sadly, the Beef Meatballs were also not very good. They were pale and completely devoid of the desired textures. It was too soft and mushy while being bland at the same time.
Okay, here we go with the Xiao Long Bao in a non-Shanghainese restaurant. Yes, we had tempered expectations and yes they were pretty typical of a Cantonese version. The skin was somewhat thick on the top while being chewy. There was no soup to be found, but the meat was okay though. We ended off with the Egg Tarts and they were decent. The shell was fairly flaky albeit doughy in spots. Silky and light, the custard filling was not overly sweet. Despite the decent finish to the meal with the egg tarts, we found the dim sum to be average at Lee Garden. To be fair, this was based on 3 re-visits that were not far apart. But the one thing that they have going for them is there is not a whole lot of competition in the area.
The Good:
- Spacious and comfy dining room
- Okay service when you can get it
The Bad:
- Below average Dim Sum
- Slow service and food expedition
There it was, an online coupon for another Asian dessert shop. The question was, "should I buy it???". Emily sure thought so, however, she would later recant that suggestion (I know you told me to!!!). Well, whatever the case, I did buy it and promised to take Emily with me since she DID ask me to get it! LOL... So after so-so meal at Torafuku, we headed over to TMix Tea & Dessert Bar out on Cambie. Once there, we were greeted by the friendly staff and the modern and pleasing decor.
We kicked things off with a couple of drinks including the Ultimate Mango (with pearls and mango cubes) and Ultimate Matcha (with red bean and mochi balls). I appreciated the fact they were not both stingingly sweet, but at the same time, only one had relative impact. The mango was rather bland (but we did ask for less sugar), yet decently smooth. I found the fresh mango cubes to be okay but nothing to be excited about. As for the matcha, it was a touch icy in spots, but smooth enough since it was blended with ice cream. The mochi balls were a bit firm due to the cold, but I personally love them, so it was a nice addition. I found the matcha to be fairly on point in terms of impact.
Next, we had the TMix Signature Bubble Waffle with macarons, homemade marshmallow, mango ice cream and fresh strawberries. I know this might be nit-picking, but the presentation looked rather disjointed. It didn't seem like the ingredients necessarily belonged with each other. In terms of texture, the waffle was dense and bready. The marshmallow was nice while the macarons were decently crispy on the outside and rather chewy on the inside. I wasn't a big fan of the cream filling as it didn't really go with the firm macaron. For me, I prefer the creations at The BBT Shop instead.
Lastly, we tired their Mango Madness Shaved Ice with mango cubes, mango puree and to change things up we went for green tea ice cream instead of mango. I guess it is rather unfair to compare this with Doolami because there is no comparison. The mango cubes were again okay, but the ice was more sloppy than creamy and refined like the one at Doolami. Not that is was necessarily bad, it was just average. I guess that pretty much sums up TMix. I didn't hate it, but it didn't elicit any ideas of a revisit either.
The Good:
- Nice people
- Bright modern space
- Lots of choice
The Bad:
- Average offerings
When I first laid eyes on Roosters (while driving by), its existence piqued my interest, yet at the same time, it didn't elicit any "must go now" feelings. Possibly because there wasn't a lineup down the block nor did it look overly sexy. Yes, I realize that good things can come in modest packages. It just didn't have the cache as Earnest and Rain or Shine. But when I found out about their commitment to quality employing small batches and local ingredients, I just had to give them a try. No not really. It was due to the donut ice cream sandwich that I spotted on IG. That's the REAL reason we stopped by after our dinner at The Roc.
Yah, I let me son decide on the flavour of ice cream to go with the oven-toasted and reheated donut. He opted for the Cookies and Cream which did go well in this case. Although rather sweet, it was definitely creamy and purposefully flavourful. I liked how they didn't use some crazy sweet donut as it would've been over-the-top. The fact they crisped the outside helped the donut stay together as well as offering up a textural contrast. For my daughter, she kept it simple with a kid's scoop of the Strawberry Basil. This was fresh and bright-tasting with the natural flavours of strawberry sweetened with just enough sugar. The bits of fresh basil was aromatic and impactful.
Viv and I went for 2 scoops consisting of Fresh Lemon & Poppy Seed and on the bottom, Blueberry Balsamic. Brightly tart with the bite of grated lemon rind, the lemon ice cream was not as smooth as the previous 2 flavours. Yet, it was super-refreshing and only purposefully sweet. I really enjoyed the balance. As for the blueberry, I found it a bit too mild for my tastes (if we compared it to the one at Rain or Shine). However, it was super creamy and smooth. This visit to Rooster's offered up more than a novelty item as the ice cream was pretty solid. Definitely a good alternative to the other 2 if there are mad lineups.
The Good:
- They got a donut ice cream sandwich
- Well-made ice cream
- Friendly people
The Bad:
- For those who want a trendy spot, this isn't it
- Other than that, nothing much to complain about
In the past, we've had our year end parties (for the hockey team) at someone's house. It would either be a BBQ or a potluck, but then we stopped completely. We then restarted the year-ender with one difference - we would hold it at a restaurant instead. After adventures at Black + Blue (super expensive) and then Pizzeria Ludica (last year), it was determined that we had to change it up. Gadget Girl suggested we do 2 tables of a Chinese set menu with some dishes found at weddings and baby one-month celebrations. Yes, a little strange for a hockey team, but whatever, it would definitely be the best bang-for-the-buck.
To make it even a better value, we chose The Roc out on 41st & Main (they have moved 3 times to 4 different locations) and went for the $238.00 menu. As per these types of meals, we were served an Appetizer Platter consisting of Jellyfish, Sliced Beef Shank, Vegetarian Goose and Vietnamese Ham. Sitting atop pickled daikon and carrot, the jellyfish was buttery with a snap texture. It was well-marinated with definite hits of sesame oil and soy. As much as the beef shank was tender and nicely spiced, it was sliced a bit too thick for my liking. I thought the veggie goose (consisting of bean curd sheets) was nicely textured and seasoned, there just wasn't enough of it on the plate. I wasn't really that impressed with the inclusion of Vietnamese ham though.
Up next, we were presented with the Lobster & Crab sauteed with ginger and green onion atop noodles. This was an impressively large platter of well-executed crustaceans. Both were of a good size and meaty. I found the lobster to have the desired bounce texture while being still buttery. The crab was fluffy and also moist. There wasn't an over abundance of batter, which was good and the seasoning was bang on as there was a minimal amount of sauce. For our soup course we had the Dried Scallop & Fish Maw Soup. It was the right consistency being silky and lightly thick. I would've liked to see more seasoning though as there was only a background sweetness from the dried scallop. The fish maw was a little on the crunchier side as it wasn't the best quality.
Arriving while we were still just starting with the previous 2 items, the Gai Lan with Chicken and Prawns was a large portion as well. Prepared in long whole stalks, the gai lan was fresh and crunchy. It was cooked just enough to retain a nice green brightness. On top, the chicken was tender dark meat pieces while the shrimp were cold-water crunchy. Again, I would've liked to see a bit more seasoning. Continuing on with veggies, we had the Shiitake Mushrooms and Pea Shoots. Just barely cooked through with only a light amount of grease, the pea shoots exhibited a bright crunch. The stewed shiitakes on top were buttery and provided umami to the dish. I still would've liked to see some more sauce though.
Saucy and a bit too wet, the Peking Pork Chops were also well-portioned. We found the meat to be properly tenderized where it was easy to chew while still retaining natural meat textures. Since there was so much sauce, the batter was soaked which meant there was no surface crispiness. Flavour-wise, the sauce was a bit sweet and adequately tangy. To the kiddies delight, the Crispy Chicken was next served with the requisite shrimp chips. This was on point with a large juicy chicken that was not dried out, even the chicken breast was moist. It had been brined enough for flavour and succulence. On the outside, the skin was fully rendered and crispy.
As much as I'm not a huge fan of Tilapia, the one we were served was as flaky as much as tilapia can be. It was fresh with a generally buttery texture with some softer spots. If prepared incorrectly, the meat can sometimes be rather mushy. In terms of seasoning, the dish was finished with ginger, green onion and sweetened soy.
Onto the customary carb dishes, we finished with Seafood Fried Rice and Yee Mein. I wasn't a huge fan of the fried rice as it lacked wok heat. Moreover, the rice was clumpy and devoid of flavour. On the other hand, the yee mein was excellent. There was proper caramelization due to the right amount of dark soy and of course, wok heat. I liked how they added julienned snow peas for both texture and colour. Overall, we enjoyed our set dinner at The Roc. Portions were large and the food quality was more than acceptable, especially considering the cost.
The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Decent eats
- Large portions
The Bad:
- Food came out too fast, but the place was packed though
- Although service is friendly, it can be pretty hard to flag someone down
Posts
My original Dim Sum post for Lee Garden was way back when it first opened up shop. Then it closed shop for some strange reason and didn't reopen for a month. We returned a few times after that, but I never felt the need to do a re-visit post until now. Okay, that would only imply one of two things - the food was appreciably better or appreciably worse. Oh and a third thing too... No more material to post. LOL... Well in this case, I had to post this because the food wasn't impressive the last 2 visits (I guess you don't have to read on if you are lazy).
So despite my aforementioned sentiment, the place still gets its business and we were lucky to snag a table on a Saturday morning. We started with the smallest Shrimp Spring Rolls I've ever seen. Were they trying to emulate those new Tostitos "rolled" nacho chips? Well, they were super-crunchy as a result (and not greasy either). However, with such as small roll, the chance in seeing any large pieces of shrimp were low. Consequently, we found only little bits and soft mousse which was not texturally appealing. It was well-seasoned though. The BBQ Pork Pastries were also not very good as the pastry itself was too wet and doughy. I definitely could taste the lard, but it also wasn't flaky (so not worth the fat content!). Inside, the BBQ pork was a bit chewy, yet nicely sauced with a balance of sweet and savoury notes.
Onto a dish that my son insisted we order, the Donut Rice Noodle Roll, was also a disappointment. Not only was there an inordinate amount of green onion on the bottom side of the roll, the rice noodle was too soft and easily ripped apart. Why do they put so much green onion, I can never understand... It is supposed to accent the dish, not dominate it. The donut was probably the worst part as it wasn't crispy at all as well as being very doughy and dense. On the other hand, the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll was appreciably better. We found the noodle to be more elastic having an appealing chew while being soft and moist at the same time. Despite being well-seasoned and exhibiting a meaty snap, the shrimp were far too small to be impactful.
Interestingly, one of the better items was the Sui Mai as it consisted of everything that could be good about the dumpling. First of all, the pork was a mix of actual chunks and processed pork that varied the textures from meaty to bouncy. Then there was bits of crunchy shrimp intermingling with large chunks of shiitake mushroom. All of that combined for a good balance of flavours and textures. As for its counterpart, the Haw Gow was not as impressive. Despite sporting a decent dumpling skin that was moderately thick and chewy, the filling featured too much shrimp mousse for my liking. It got in the way of the actual cold-water shrimp textures. There was also a bit too much sesame oil (even though I love sesame oil).
Another fail was the Phoenix Talons (or steamed chicken feet) as it didn't look promising as it hit the table. It was as if they didn't fry them long enough prior to steaming. That created a texture that was more fatty than anything else. Underneath the melting skin, the cartilage and fat was also too soft. The only thing going for the dish was the garlicky sweet flavour. Soft was the operative word for the Tripe and Tendon as well. We liked how it was ample in portion size, but the tripe was far too mushy. It no longer had much of a chew, however, the tendon was the opposite being too hard. Flavour wasn't an issue though as it was well-seasoned with garlic, salt and sugar. 
When the Steamed Pork Spareribs showed up, it looked like half of it was missing. When you can see more pumpkin than sparerib, there is an issue. Look at it! Did they run out or something and try to eek out one more dish??? Well, even for the ribs that were present, they were too chewy for our liking. Furthermore, it was a mix of good rib pieces and no-meat cartilage pieces (which meant even less in this case). There was a good amount of garlickiness though. Sadly, the Beef Meatballs were also not very good. They were pale and completely devoid of the desired textures. It was too soft and mushy while being bland at the same time.
Okay, here we go with the Xiao Long Bao in a non-Shanghainese restaurant. Yes, we had tempered expectations and yes they were pretty typical of a Cantonese version. The skin was somewhat thick on the top while being chewy. There was no soup to be found, but the meat was okay though. We ended off with the Egg Tarts and they were decent. The shell was fairly flaky albeit doughy in spots. Silky and light, the custard filling was not overly sweet. Despite the decent finish to the meal with the egg tarts, we found the dim sum to be average at Lee Garden. To be fair, this was based on 3 re-visits that were not far apart. But the one thing that they have going for them is there is not a whole lot of competition in the area.
