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Everyone has seen this story before - hyped-up restaurant wins several awards and is included in the "best new" list. People go flocking there to see what the fuss is about and come away disappointed because either expectations were overly heightened or the place was just built up by various social media and traditional media outlets. Well, we were going to find out for ourselves if the much-talked about Japanese-Italian eatery, Kissa Tanto, was legit or not. The "we" sported Diana, Areta, Magi, David and Kristina including myself.
We started off with one of the prettier dishes of the night with the Albacore Tuna Crudo. Each buttery slice of fish was bathed in a shiso vinaigrette that was herbaceous, yet clean-tasting. I got hints of tanginess from the capers and mustard greens, but they were restrained. There was added earthy brightness from the radishes and leek as well as an extra layer of mild saltiness from the olives. Another example of visually-appealing plating was the Octopus Salad. Underneath, there were slices of daikon and radish along with mizuna and charred scallion in a preserved lemon emulsion. I thought the ingredients were bright and crisp, but the flavours were underwhelming. The octopus was crispy, but ultimately too chewy for my tastes.
Arriving as a threesome (no, not like that...), the Frittelle di Melanzane or garlic eggplant fritter was accented by a yuzu gribiche, basil and bonito salt and shaved katsuo. Crispy on the outside and a bit mealy (not in a bad way) on the inside, the fritter was definitely garlicky and well-seasoned. If I didn't know there was eggplant in it, I would've never guessed. The yuzu gribiche was salty, sweet and bright in a potato salad type way. Our last appie was the Pork Terrine topped with pickled daikon, horseradish, sesame sauce and nori mustard. I found the terrine itself rather meaty and natural-tasting. It sat atop firm and smoky bread. The combination of ingredients gave off an aromatic nuttiness interrupted by the sharpness of the horseradish and tart sweetness of the daikon.
Onto some pasta, we dug into the Tajarin with butter, roasted mushrooms, miso cured yolk and plenty of parm. This was very tasty sporting chewy fresh pasta coated in just enough moisture to create maximum flavour without being wet. There was this nutty buttery taste that was accented by the Earthiness of the mushrooms and saltiness from the parm and miso. It tasted nearly like a soy butter sauce but with more depth. I was equally impressed with the Lasagna with pork and chanterelle mushroom, miso bechamel sitting on basil bechamel. The tender yet still al dente noodles were layered with tender nuggets of meat caressed in a creamy and deeply flavoured bechamel with a background smokiness and spice.
I found the Casarecce to be good, yet not as memorable as the first 2 pastas. The noodles were chewy and firm while coated in a cheesy parm, pork and sake kasu ragu. There was a meatiness to both the texture and flavour to the dish with mild tomato undertones. I found the salt level to be just right as it provided depth of flavour while not being overdone. Moving onto our larger dishes, we decided on trying the large Flash Fried Ocean Perch in a lightly-seasoned potato starch batter. The fish was definitely crunchy while still being moist and flaky. It was accompanied by an overly mild-tasting soy mirin daikon condiment on the side. Okay for tofu perhaps, but it needed to be more impactful for the robust fried fish.
Gelatinous, tender and moist, the Lamb Cheeks had penetrated flavours from the braise. It was further seasoned with a brown butter anchovy sauce that was nutty, briny and of course deeply salty. The addition of guanciale added another layer of meaty saltiness as well. If that wasn't enough impact, there were capers that made sure there was enough salty tanginess. This was a great tasting dish, yet the gnocchi was unfortunately too soft and as Magi exclaimed, "wet". The last meat dish was the Lamb Shoulder with tosaka seaweed, fregola, anchovy butter, puréed egg yolk, Sicilian olives and pickled peppers. I found the meat to be flavourful, yet a touch dry. The silky sweet anchovy butter gave off the flavour of soy butter which made the dish Japanese-tasting.
Moving onto the sweets, we had Dark Chocolate Cake first. It was definitely bitter and only mildly sweet with rich flavour and a touch of booze. Texturally, it was not as heavy as it appeared, but it was not fluffy either. The miso frangelico ice cream was both sweet and salty with a background nutty liquour hit. Next, we hit up a refreshing treat in the Yuzu Cream with fruit, pistachios and olive oil crumble. The dessert was thick and creamy with a bright tartness. I found the fruit to be a nice sweet touch while the nuts added both aromatics and texture. For me, this type of dessert is perfect after a filling meal.
Ending things off was the Tiramisu with whipped soy milk, plum wine and marscapone. I found the tiramisu to be airy and light with a purposefully sweet creaminess. There was a strong espresso hit to go along with the je ne sais quoi quality of the sweet plum wine. Honestly, I couldn't tell they used soy milk as it was that good. All-in-all, the meal was generally on point. Sure, there were some things that could've been better, but that goes for anything when sampling an array of items. Does it live up to the hype? I would say it met expectations with a nice blend of Japanese flavours fused into Italian dishes.
The Good:
- Something different
- Flavours worked for me
- Generally on point execution
The Bad:
- Can get pricey as most dishes are modest in size
- Seating is "cozy"
Ever since my first visit to the Burnaby Mountain Clubhouse during Dine-Out Vancouver a year ago, I was interested in a return visit. Was it because the food blew me away? Well, not exactly, yet at the same time, it was far better than expected. To top it all off, we got plenty of food (with decent ingredients) for the small price. Well, we didn't wait until Dine-Out Vancouver to go back as we took advantage of their 3-course meal deal during November.
For my starter, I chose the Crispy Prawn Caesar that featured a house-made dressing. Therefore, it was not too saucy nor too salty. It was quite mild-tasting with only a hint of Parmesan and anchovy. I would've liked to see more acidity and saltiness. As for the prawns, they were indeed crunchy and buttery inside. The light drizzle of spicy aioli was a nice touch. Viv had the Beet Salad which was bright and fresh-tasting due to the sweet and acidic vinaigrette. Veggies were fresh and texturally on point while the addition of creamy goat cheese added a smoothness.
My mom gave up her Cream of Vegetable Soup to my daughter as she was complaining she had no appetizer. The blended soup was indeed thick in a starchy manner, but not actually creamy. No matter because it was still smooth and appealing. There was a certain Earthiness combined with the natural sweetness of the veggies. I found the salt content to be on point as it nicely balanced the flavours.
Onto the mains, my mom had the 8 oz. New York Steak prepared medium-rare. It came out more medium, but at the same time, it didn't detract from her eating enjoyment. This was because the meat was tender and still fairly juicy being properly rested. There was a smoky and flavourful char on the outside while the steak itself was well-seasoned. The accompanying veggies were grilled just right being still crunchy. For my dad, he had the Seafood Cioppino featuring clams, mussels, fish and snow crab legs. The broth itself was delicious as it had a nice lobster essence as well as being sweet and slightly briny from the shellfish. All the seafood was on point, but the clams and mussels were pretty scrawny.
For myself, I had the Full Rack of Ribs with fries, roasted bacon corn and slaw. I found the ribs to be somewhat smoky and well-charred with a caramelized bark. However, the meat itself was rather dried out and some parts were chewy. The best part was actually the corn as it was intensely sweet with a nice caramelized aroma. Viv decided on the Cajun Spiced Salmon and it was not really all that flavourful. Also, the fish was overdone being quite dry. The broken rice (not sure if that was intentional) was pretty good though as it was seasoned nicely and had a fluffy chew.
On the flip side, my daughter's mini-Salmon Caesar was done way better than Viv's salmon. The fish was still a bit overdone, but it was still flaky and still retained some moisture. It was mildly seasoned though while sporting a light char. The salad was exactly like mine where it was lightly dressed and hence light-tasting. The romaine was very fresh though as it was crunchy. My son went for the Beef Dip with fried onion and cheese. This was a winner where it was loaded with thinly-sliced and tender roast beef. It was a touch dry, but the dip helped alleviate that problem. The fries were pretty good being crispy while still potatoey inside.
For dessert, my parents shared the Espresso Creme Brulee which was smooth and almost airy. The espresso was apparent, but the custard itself was fairly sweet. The sugar topping was a bit thin, yet at the same time, it was torched properly. The kiddies hijacked the Oreo Chocolate Mousse and I could see why. It featured dark chocolate mousse which was creamy and light (while not too sweet either) layered with crunchy Oreo cookies and whipped cream. As a whole, the dessert still ate sweet due to the generous amount of crushed oreos.
Viv and I shared the Belgian Waffle topped with vanilla ice cream and sauced with strawberries. The waffle was chewy and sugar while being a touch dry. It was sweet, but not incredibly so. Luckily the kids stole our second dessert because it would've been unlikely we could finish. Once again, the Burnaby Mountain Clubhouse offered up decent eats at a reasonable price. Definitely a great alternative to visiting a chain restaurant.
The Good:
- Inexpensive 3 course meals
- Decent eats
- Spacious dining room
The Bad:
- Decent eats, but further refinement is needed
- Regular menu is a bit pricer
While Diana and I were driving down Austin Ave looking for a precious parking spot in front of Ta Bom, we spotted something unusual. No, it wasn't stellar driving skills from nearby motorists - that would be really unusual! Rather, it was a new spot called Chicken Holic replacing a long-time sushi joint on the corner of Austin and Marmont. We took a walk over to it after our meal at Ta Bom (yes, second dinner...). At first, we were all apprehensive about this dive, it just didn't look that promising. Whatever, we were still game.
Much to our surprise, this was legit and authentic KFC (Korean Fried Chicken)! We ended up getting a few orders of the most popular flavours. Before that, they served us up a complimentary dish of Fried Mandu drizzled with sweet gochujang. Hey, these were pretty good with a crunchy exterior giving way to moist and almost juicy meat. The modest amount of sauce meant that it didn't drown the dumplings in sweet spiciness. Now onto the real reason we were here, the KFC. We started off with the small order of the Original ($9.95). Despite looking dried-out, the chicken was nothing but. In fact, it was juicy and tender. With completely-rendered crispy skin, the chicken itself was mildly seasoned. No matter, it came with both BBQ sauce and honey-mustard.
We completed the trifecta with the Honey Soy and Sweet Gochujang versions. By far, my favourite was the honey soy, not only because it was the ideal balance between salty and sweet, but it is my preferred flavour for any place that serves KFC. I found the chicken remained moist with a crispy exterior despite the dousing of moisture. As for the sweet gochujang, it was predictably saucy, sweet and slightly spicy. This was good, but personally, I would much rather go for the other 2 before this as the sauce often softens up the exterior batter too much. So there you have it, an inexpensive spot for KFC that holds its own. Next time, I'm going to give their wings a try...
The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Above average KFC
- Large portions
The Bad:
- Limited seating as this is more of a takeout spot
- Food is made-to-order (which is good), but it will take awhile
For all the types of pizza out there, my personal favourite is Neapolitan-style sporting its thin crust and signature leoparding. Within the last 5 years, we've seen a run of establishments offering this type of pizza with varying degrees of success. Naturally, it still comes down to everyone's subjective tastes, but there are generally ones that are better than others. One thing that I've noticed is that the prices are creeping up there for essentially dough, tomato sauce and cheese. Yes, I do realize the quality of the ingredients, cost of doing business and other intangibles add to the price. Firecrust, the newest player in town, bucks the trend by offering up a made-to-order Margherita Pizza for $8.95.
Due to building restrictions, their custom-made oven had to be gas-burning rather than wood-buring. No matter, it still got plenty hot enough to create a lightly crispy crust (that had a good chewiness) throughout on the Margherita. I would've liked to see a touch more leoparding along the edges, but the bottom was decently nutty and smoky. The San Marzano tomato sauce was bright and vibrant with only a light tanginess. Personally, I would've liked to see the basil added on afterwards, but you could definitely request this. From the basic to the meaty, we moved onto the Siciliana sporting Italian sausage, prosciutto, fior di latte and romano. This was naturally more robust and flavourful due to the salty meats. I was pleasantly surprised that the crust held up to the ingredients and only softened slightly in the middle. There was more leoparding on the edges which also meant the smokiness was apparent.
Moving in another direction, we had a white pizza in the Prosciutto Arugula with romano, EVOO, fior di latte, garlic, prosciutto and finished with arugula. Due to the absence of any sauce, the pizza crust was extra crispy and drier. This in turn helped highlight the cheeses more as well as the garlic. The complimentary combination of the salty prosciutto and peppery arugula helped add enough impact to a fairly light-tasting pizza. Lastly, we were able Build-Our-Own-Pizza with choice of sauce, toppings and cheeses. Therefore, we did something different with white alfredo sauce, garlic, EVOO, fior di latte, gorgonzola, chicken, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, chili flakes and finished with fresh basil. As you can imagine, the crust was a lot softer due to the amount of toppings. That was our doing and people have to realize less is better with this type of pizza.
I guess with all of the available ingredients around, it was easy to try some salads too. We got the Firecrust Chopped (Romaine Lettuce, Soppressata, Fire Roasted Chicken, Feta, Marinated Grape Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinaigrette) and Caprese (Diced Mixed Greens, Fior Di Latte, Tomatoes, Basil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar) salads and the former ate more like a meal due to the meat content. Lastly, the Italian Wedding Soup was quite good with meaty meatballs and a flavorful broth (which wasn't too salty). If I had to rate Firecrust pizza against all of the others in town, it would be somewhere in the middle. But due to their reasonable pricing, it does make them rather accessible.
*All food and beverages were complimentary*
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Lots of choice for BYOP
The Bad:
- Leoparding is not consistent
- Turn around can be slow during peak times
After a late lunch at Neptune Oyster (or was it an early dinner?), we weren't exactly hungry until later that evening. I wonder why we don't call it dunch or linner? I digress. Anyways, being late, we weren't in the mood for traveling far for food. Since we had a steady diet of lobster rolls, clam chowder and burgers for the past few days, it was imperative we changed things up as well. Being located next to Chinatown, it seemed like a good idea to go for some comfort food (because we are Chinese!) nearby. How about Dim Sum for dinner at Winsor? Yes, being from Vancouver, there was a good chance that we wouldn't be impressed, but we had reasonable expectations.
We were actually surprised by the selection considering we were having Dim Sum for dinner. On the topic of comfort food, we got the Preserved Egg and Salted Pork Congee to begin. I found the broth to be decently thick and cooked down while lightly salted. However, there was barely any ingredients to be found. I've never seen preserved egg sliced so thin in my life! As for the pork, it was lean while tender at the same time. Next up was the Xiao Long Bao which were serviceable with all things considered. The dumpling skin was relatively thin except for the top which was not dense either. Inside, there was a decent amount of soup which was mostly one-note being sweet. The meat was pretty loose and lacking in texture.
Looking legit, yet ultimately being rather average, the Ha Gau (shrimp dumplings) featured thick dumpling skin that was doughy and slightly chewy. I found the filling to be texturally okay with a meaty snap while being buttery. However, the flavor was a bit too shrimpy for my tastes. It was quite overwhelming. As for the Siu Mai (pork & shrimp dumpling), the textures were a little off. The chunks of pork were soft and missing the desired rebound texture. There was also very little shrimp to be found. However, flavours were okay though being balanced with the taste of shiitake.
For my offal fix, I ordered the Honeycomb Tripe sitting atop fried tofu. This was a very modest portion sporting strips of bounce textured tripe that rode the fine line between chewy and soft. There was a slight gaminess, but the ample Szechuan-type seasoning helped masked it. Therefore, the dish ate on the spicier side of things. Seemingly not fried enough, the plump Phoenix Talons (chicken feet) featured soft skin and tender cartilage and fat. Other than that, I enjoyed the overall texture of the chicken feet as well as the balanced seasoning (could've used more garlic though).
We got the Steamed Black Bean Spareribs atop rice noodles because we knew the kiddies love rice noodles. Yes, this was a hit with them as they dusted it off. Not sure if the flavors actually penetrated the noodles, but they were soft while still having an elasticity. I found the ribs to be tender with a nice rebound. They were well-seasoned with noticeable garlic and black bean hits. We decided to try the Fried Shrimp Bean Curd Skin Rolls in an attempt to see if my son would eat it. Nope, there was too much cilantro for him and really, for me too. The piece of celery inside was rather strange as it didn't seem to go. As for the shrimp, there was nice bounce to it as well as being sweet.
Our last dish was the Shrimp Mousse Stuffed Eggplant which were served piping hot. We found that the oil was not drained properly from the deep-fry and made the dish really greasy. We were also not sure of what type of sauce was on the plate. The eggplant was nicely textured though being soft without disintegrating. Like the bean curd skin rolls, the shrimp mousse was on point. Overall, the Dim Sum at Winsor was serviceable with all things considered. Would it ever be confused with great Dim Sum? Of course not, but we already knew that going in.
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Serviceable
- Fairly large selection
The Bad:
- Serviceable, but not great
- What service?
So our first lobster roll in Boston was at Luke's and the bar was set pretty high already due to the quality and reasonable price. We then went high end with our visit to Island Creek Oyster Bar and had a totally different version with a more dressed version and a denser bun. However, the one roll that was in the back-of-my-mind was the infamous version from Neptune Oyster in the North End. There was a big problem though - they don't take reservations and sometimes the wait can be hours long (also due to the small space). We ended up waiting 2.5 hours for a table and in the meantime, finished the Freedom Trail.
Before we got to the mains and the lobster roll, we celebrated National Oyster Day with 1/2 dozen consisting of Thatch Island, Bee's River and Summerside. These were shucked well except for one which had a few shell fragments. All were really fresh, briny and creamy. I thought the Bee's River had more of a mineral finish though. For the 3rd time in Boston, we had a bowl of Wellfleet Clam Chowder, yet this one was made-to-order with live clams. Hence, the flavour was really fresh and briny rather than plain salty. Of course being fresh, the clams were chewier, but they were still buttery. I found the broth to be more soupy than chowder-like. I didn't mind this as it wasn't too heavy.
Okay, getting right down to it, we dug into the large Maine Lobster Roll featuring lobster stuffed into a soft, warm and sweet roll. It was over-stuffed with large chunks of lobster which were springy and super sweet. I have to say that the lobster meat was practically perfect with an appealing bounce texture and chewiness. Seasoning was on point while the amount of butter was sinful, yet at the same time, super tasty. Even the side of fries were good being crispy while still potatoey inside. We also got the Neptune Burger prepared medium-rare. The meat was tender and juicy while meaty at the same time. The whole thing was flavorful with the abundance of melted aged cheddar, garlic mayo and crunch of the tangy relish. To top it off, literally, were 3 fried oysters which provided even more moisture, crunch and a sweet brininess.
Lastly, we got the Roasted Icelandic Char with celery root puree, forest-harvested shiitake mushroom and olive oil. For us, this was also perfectly-prepared where the center was still rare. Hence, the fish remained buttery and tender. It was beautifully seasoned where the natural sweetness of the fish was enhanced rather than masked. Underneath, the buttery and aggressively-salted mushrooms were tender and super tasty. Okay, a 2.5 hour wait is pretty ludicrous and if I actually had to stand in line, I wouldn't even consider it. But given the circumstances and the outstanding lobster roll, it was certainly worth it in this case.
The Good:
- Dat lobster roll...
- Expertly prepared fresh seafood
- Service was good for us
The Bad:
- So small and cramped, not comfy at all
- Dat wait
Posts
Everyone has seen this story before - hyped-up restaurant wins several awards and is included in the "best new" list. People go flocking there to see what the fuss is about and come away disappointed because either expectations were overly heightened or the place was just built up by various social media and traditional media outlets. Well, we were going to find out for ourselves if the much-talked about Japanese-Italian eatery, Kissa Tanto, was legit or not. The "we" sported Diana, Areta, Magi, David and Kristina including myself. 
We started off with one of the prettier dishes of the night with the Albacore Tuna Crudo. Each buttery slice of fish was bathed in a shiso vinaigrette that was herbaceous, yet clean-tasting. I got hints of tanginess from the capers and mustard greens, but they were restrained. There was added earthy brightness from the radishes and leek as well as an extra layer of mild saltiness from the olives. Another example of visually-appealing plating was the Octopus Salad. Underneath, there were slices of daikon and radish along with mizuna and charred scallion in a preserved lemon emulsion. I thought the ingredients were bright and crisp, but the flavours were underwhelming. The octopus was crispy, but ultimately too chewy for my tastes.
Arriving as a threesome (no, not like that...), the Frittelle di Melanzane or garlic eggplant fritter was accented by a yuzu gribiche, basil and bonito salt and shaved katsuo. Crispy on the outside and a bit mealy (not in a bad way) on the inside, the fritter was definitely garlicky and well-seasoned. If I didn't know there was eggplant in it, I would've never guessed. The yuzu gribiche was salty, sweet and bright in a potato salad type way. Our last appie was the Pork Terrine topped with pickled daikon, horseradish, sesame sauce and nori mustard. I found the terrine itself rather meaty and natural-tasting. It sat atop firm and smoky bread. The combination of ingredients gave off an aromatic nuttiness interrupted by the sharpness of the horseradish and tart sweetness of the daikon.
Onto some pasta, we dug into the Tajarin with butter, roasted mushrooms, miso cured yolk and plenty of parm. This was very tasty sporting chewy fresh pasta coated in just enough moisture to create maximum flavour without being wet. There was this nutty buttery taste that was accented by the Earthiness of the mushrooms and saltiness from the parm and miso. It tasted nearly like a soy butter sauce but with more depth. I was equally impressed with the Lasagna with pork and chanterelle mushroom, miso bechamel sitting on basil bechamel. The tender yet still al dente noodles were layered with tender nuggets of meat caressed in a creamy and deeply flavoured bechamel with a background smokiness and spice.
I found the Casarecce to be good, yet not as memorable as the first 2 pastas. The noodles were chewy and firm while coated in a cheesy parm, pork and sake kasu ragu. There was a meatiness to both the texture and flavour to the dish with mild tomato undertones. I found the salt level to be just right as it provided depth of flavour while not being overdone. Moving onto our larger dishes, we decided on trying the large Flash Fried Ocean Perch in a lightly-seasoned potato starch batter. The fish was definitely crunchy while still being moist and flaky. It was accompanied by an overly mild-tasting soy mirin daikon condiment on the side. Okay for tofu perhaps, but it needed to be more impactful for the robust fried fish.
Gelatinous, tender and moist, the Lamb Cheeks had penetrated flavours from the braise. It was further seasoned with a brown butter anchovy sauce that was nutty, briny and of course deeply salty. The addition of guanciale added another layer of meaty saltiness as well. If that wasn't enough impact, there were capers that made sure there was enough salty tanginess. This was a great tasting dish, yet the gnocchi was unfortunately too soft and as Magi exclaimed, "wet". The last meat dish was the Lamb Shoulder with tosaka seaweed, fregola, anchovy butter, puréed egg yolk, Sicilian olives and pickled peppers. I found the meat to be flavourful, yet a touch dry. The silky sweet anchovy butter gave off the flavour of soy butter which made the dish Japanese-tasting.
Moving onto the sweets, we had Dark Chocolate Cake first. It was definitely bitter and only mildly sweet with rich flavour and a touch of booze. Texturally, it was not as heavy as it appeared, but it was not fluffy either. The miso frangelico ice cream was both sweet and salty with a background nutty liquour hit. Next, we hit up a refreshing treat in the Yuzu Cream with fruit, pistachios and olive oil crumble. The dessert was thick and creamy with a bright tartness. I found the fruit to be a nice sweet touch while the nuts added both aromatics and texture. For me, this type of dessert is perfect after a filling meal.
Ending things off was the Tiramisu with whipped soy milk, plum wine and marscapone. I found the tiramisu to be airy and light with a purposefully sweet creaminess. There was a strong espresso hit to go along with the je ne sais quoi quality of the sweet plum wine. Honestly, I couldn't tell they used soy milk as it was that good. All-in-all, the meal was generally on point. Sure, there were some things that could've been better, but that goes for anything when sampling an array of items. Does it live up to the hype? I would say it met expectations with a nice blend of Japanese flavours fused into Italian dishes.
