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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
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.
