East Side Craft House

For what seemed like an eternity, the Elephant Walk Pub anchored the spot on 41st at Knight.  Yep, a part of it used to be a Chinese restaurant for those who were around during the 80's.  I vaguely remember eating there and really, nothing much to rave about. Then one day, the place suddenly changed to the East Side Craft House.  Could it be the beginnings of a gastropub?  Well, this was our landing spot after Monday night softball as we were needed something non-Asian to eat.

R2D2 and I shared the Salt & Pepper Wings to start.  They were fried up pretty crispy while the skin was completely rendered.  As a result the rest of the wing was rather dry and somewhat chewy.  There was a good amount of salt and pepper for proper effect though.  As a side note, the carrot sticks were pretty good as they were not dried out like we usually find with wings. Sens Fan had the Hot Wings and they were aggressively sauced which meant there was more moisture to the wings.  The hot sauce was the pretty standard vinegary Frank's Red Hot variety.

For my main, I went for the Beef Dip with fries and garlic dill dip.  At first glance, this looked good with a boatload of shaved roast beef in an attractive pretzel bun.  However, one bite and it was clear that it was beef jerky posing as roast beef.  It was so dry and mealy, I had a hard time getting it down despite the silky and flavourful au jus.  Surprisingly, the pretzel bun was not overly dense and ended up being the best part of the dish.  The side of fries were acceptable being somewhat crispy.  The garlic dill dip was an extra dollar and really, what a rip off for a half-filled plastic sauce dish.  Judes went for the Crispy Chicken Burger and it was decent with moist and tender meat in between a soft brioche bun.

R2D2 and Boss Woman each had a version of the Beef Burger and it was also the beneficiary of the soft brioche bun.  They both remarked how charred the beef patty appeared.  It created a crispy exterior that was smoky while the meat itself was not exactly juicy, yet was not overly dry either. One last item at the table was the Bacon Chicken Burger and it featured a grilled chicken breast.  Although not exactly succulent, it wasn't overly dry though and again benefited from the soft brioche bun.  Since it was a Monday, they had a burger and beer special for $10.00.  Pretty good in my books especially since the burgers were decent.  However, my beef dip was terrible and the wings were dry.

The Good:
- Decent burgers
- Inexpensive
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Other items we had were below average  

S+L Kitchen & Bar

It was ironic that our Father's day dinner would be at S+L Kitchen & Bar.  You see, it was the finale of Masterchef Canada and we were dining where season 2 winner David Jorge serves as corporate chef.  Naturally, whenever we have something that is hyped up due to a TV cooking competition, expectations are heightened.  Personally, I'd like to take a more balanced approach and look at the experience as a regular restaurant visit.  Otherwise, unrealistic expectations can ruin what may have been a good time.

Situated in the former Ta-Ke Sushi Buffet, the restaurant has been subjected to some upgrades and the place is trendy and well-appointed.  We started things off with a few appies including the Lobster Roll (we went for 3 @ $5.00 each).  These were pretty good with a soft buttered roll featuring a mix of lobster meat, spicy mayo and chives.  There was no filler in these where the lobster (could've been bigger chunks) was moist with an appealing rebound texture.  The mayo wasn't really all that spicy, but the mix was well-seasoned.  We also got the Calamari atop tzatziki and sprinkled with Za'taar seasoning.  Crispy on the outside while tenderly chewy on the inside, the squid was well-prepared.  I found the tzatziki to be rather mild, yet with some acidity while the seasoning on top was too sparse.  Hence, some pieces had some spice and salt, whereas others did not have enough impact.

Specifically for my son, we got the Deep Fried Mac & Cheese sticks spiked with white truffle oil.  In terms of execution, these were on point with a thin and crispy panko coating (being not greasy at all).  Inside, the mac & cheese was flavourful while not salty and the texture was pretty moist for being deep fried.  I found the amount of truffle oil a bit overwhelming though and largely unnecessary.  Served on the side was a relatively muted arrabiatta sauce.  As one our sides, we got a large order of the Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts.  We ended up having a love-hate relationship with these.  Texturally, these were awesome being meaty and firm with a light crispiness.  However, the whole dish was far too sweet.  It was like eating dessert.  Even the bacon was lost in the process and despite the background smokiness from the deep fry, all we tasted was maple syrup.

For my main, I went for the Lobster Pasta featuring Creste di Gallo noodles, lobster and heirloom tomatoes in a rosé sauce.  Although a bit saucy, the dish ate rather pleasantly.  I found the rosé to be creamy and balanced.  It was neither too acidic nor too heavy.  Therefore, the lobster was not overwhelmed by any hits of tartness.  As for the pasta, I loved the shape, but it was a tad past al dente.  Viv ended up with the Master Chicken, named for championship plate that helped David Jorge win his Masterchef title.  Well, this definitely lived up to the hype (if we were paying attention to the hype...) as the chicken was succulent and well-seasoned without being salty.  The skin was rendered and crunchy being nicely seasoned.  Even the large breast portion was moist and tender.  One of the better versions of fried chicken I've had lately.

My dad decided to try the other signature item being the Sablefish served with fingerling potato salad.  This was a beautiful plate of food visually where the pan-fried fish was kissed by a torch to finish.  One bite and the fish was flaky, moist and well-seasoned.  As much as sablefish can be a forgiving fish, this was still prepared "masterfully".  It sat atop a miso mayo which was mild enough that it didn't take away from the delicate fish.  Firm and well-dressed, the potato salad was pretty good on its own.  Of course we couldn't get out of there without getting steak right?  My mom did the honours with the 10 oz. Prime Rib in medium-rare.  It was closer to rare though, yet at the same time, it was tender and buttery.  The side of bourbon bacon cream corn was buttery and sweet with a hint of booze, but the bacon was rather fatty and lifeless.

With the kiddies, my son opted for his standby being the Wagyu Burger served on a brioche bun.  This was pretty good where the beef patty was moist and almost juicy.  It wasn't really meaty in texture, rather it was soft.  However, it could be somewhat due to the fat content in the meat.  The brioche bun was pillowy soft and slightly sweet.  The side of hand-cut Kennebec fries were potatoey and only lightly crispy.  For my daughter, she actually agreed to order of the kid's menu (she of the "I want to only order from the adult menu").  She ended up with the 4 oz Sirloin accompanied by mash potatoes.  We asked for medium-rare and it turned out more rare (much like the prime rib).  It was not as tender as we would've hope though.  Also, we felt the mashed potatoes could've been creamier and seasoned more aggressively.

For dessert, we had eyes on the Chocolate Dome (by Chez Christophe) that revealed a chocolate brownie, ice cream and strawberries after being doused with a creme Anglaise.  The brownie was rich and not overly sweet while the chocolate was silky and Chez Christophe quality.  Nice theatrics with the dome melting after being doused with warm sauce.  Overall, we quite enjoyed our meal at S+L.  Was it perfect?  Well no, but nothing ever is.  But if we looked at specific items such as the chicken, sablefish and lobster rolls, those were on point.  As for the others, as much as there were some deficiencies, it won't deter me from visiting again.

The Good:
- Some really good dishes
- We got excellent service
- As much as there has complaints about the pricing, S+L is not anymore expensive than Earl's

The Bad:
- Music is a bit loud, hard to have a conversation
- Food took awhile to arrive
- Steak wasn't as tender as I would've liked   

Wang's Taiwanese Beef Noodle House

Boss Woman loves to share.  No, she is not going to randomly give us money nor does she surprise us with gifts.  Rather, she is really adamant about eating food that is sharable when choosing a restaurant after softball.  I think even if the food we order is not exactly a share-plate, we still make it work...  So how do you split a burger 5 ways?  Anyways, we ended up heading to Wang's Taiwanese Beef Noodle out in South Granville since we could technically split some dishes.  Not sure if the noodles were the easiest to divvie up, but again, we made it work...  for Boss Woman.

To get a bit of variety, we had the Tripe, Tendon and Beef Noodles.  We chose the wide noodles and they were on point.  Chewy while cooked through, these were al dente despite sitting in hot broth.  Nicely balanced, the broth exhibited elements of saltiness, spice and sweetness.  It wasn't incredibly full of meat depth, but it was flavourful nonetheless.  As for the meats, they were on point as well with fall-apart beef, tender tripe and soft tendon.  We also got the Beef Noodles in Clear Soup.  This was predictably and understandably rather bland and light.  We did like the aromatics of the sesame oil though.  The noodles were al dente like the previous bowl while the beef shank was tender and gelatinous.

For our rice dish, we chose the Pork Hock with Rice.  There was a decent amount of gelatinous and tender pork hock that exhibited plenty of depth from the stewing.  I liked how the skin, fat and cartilage were super tender, but not falling apart either.  This was accompanied by tofu, veggies and rice.  Combined with the flavourful and full-of-collagen sauce, there was lots of richness to be had.  We took a risk and ordered the Xiao Long Bao (it was a risk because this is not a Shanghainese restaurant).  With that in mind, they were pretty decent.  The dumpling skin was thin except for the top twirl.  I found the meat to be slightly gritty but still moist and tender.  There was a bit of soup that was flavoured by a good amount of xiao shing wine.

We got 2 appies to round out our meal with the Crispy Peppery Chicken Nuggets and the Fried Squid Tentacles.  Exhibiting an appealing saltiness accented by white pepper and 5-spice, the chicken nuggets were succulent and juicy with a slight crispy exterior.  I liked how they minimized the amount of skin.  When there was skin, it had been completely rendered being crispy.  As for the squid, it was appealingly chewy while coated with a crunchy, non-greasy batter.  This was a good end to a fairly enjoyable meal.  However, the service was a bit slow in reacting to our requests.  Specifically, we never got share bowls or plates despite asking a few times.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Comfortable dining space

The Bad:
- Slow service   

Seoul Grill House

We all know that Asian eats represent some of the best value when it comes to eating out.  Sure, we won't mention the new "modern" or fine dining iterations as they are in a different category and subsequent price-point.  However, this discussion comes to a complete halt when we move onto Korean cuisine.  It may something to do with prep, time to cook the food and ultimately if we are referring to BBQ, the cost of the meat.  Yet, other than AYCE, a Korean dining experience can quickly add up. There have been several AYCE Korean spots in the GVRD that have come and gone with only a few remaining.  We decided to check out Seoul Grill House (that replaced another AYCE Korean spot as well) in the Guildford area.

There was a selection of hot food which included Fried Rice, Spicy Pork, Bulgogi, Stewed Potato, Fried Flounder and Pork Bone Soup.  The 2 best  things in this section was the potato (albeit too sweet and sticky) and the pork bone soup (spicy with soft fall-off-the-bone meat). The rest of the meats were lackluster, bland and dry. In the next section of hot eats, we found Japchae, Sweet & Sour Pork and Fried Chicken Wings.  All 3 of these were good where the japchae was not greasy and not overly sweet.  There was actually a decent amount of ingredients (including beef) to be found.  The fried chicken wings were crunchy and succulent while well-seasoned.

Included in the Banchan section, we found Kimchi, Spicy Squid & Veggies, Marinated Pollack and Spicy Tuna.  I found the kimchi to be okay, but a little bit on the sour side.  The spicy squid was the best of the bunch having a tender chew while being well-seasoned. The rest consisted of Pan Fried Fish Cake, Seaweed, Yuchoi Namool, Spicy Sprouts, Pickled Daikon, Tofu and Udon Salad.  Pretty standard stuff, but the fish cake was quite good texturally (slight chew and rebound) while being sweet.  The crunch and tanginess of the daikon was appetizing while the spicy sprouts went well with rice.  On that note, behind this section was items to construct your own bibimbap.

As for the Korean BBQ, we had a selection of meats that included Beef, Pork and Chicken.  They were not the marinated type (which was fine by me as they can be too sweet sometimes), but sauce was available to cook or dip with.  The pork and chicken turned out to be decently tender after grilling, but the beef was disappointing.  It was slightly thick and lean which meant it was dry and chewy once cooked.  However, for the low price of $13.00 (Mon-Thurs) and $15.00 (Fri-Sun) for lunch, this was more than acceptable.  I'm not sure if I would pay the extra for dinner ($20.00 and $22.00 respectively) as I could easily have better BBQ a la carte somewhere else.

The Good:
- Inexpensive lunch AYCE
- Food is passable (a good thing for AYCE)

The Bad:
- Beef was chewy