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As much as restaurants can come and go, it is rather interesting to see Chinese restaurants change names and/or change ownership seemingly overnight. They just keep on truckin' along without any closure of any sort. Sometimes the name change might have to do with tax implications (or in the case of Golden Pizza & Sandwich, they didn't change the name even though it is a Vietnamese restaurant!). Well, I'm not sure what happened to Golden Harvest Chinese on Main Street though. It suddenly became Haiyi Seafood without only minor renovations. Well, we checked it out to see for ourselves.
The first dish to hit the lazy Susan was the Pea Shoots. As evidenced in the picture, there was a plethora of large dried shrimp and dried scallop which meant the entire dish was briny and well-flavoured. The ginger was also apparent. However, the pea shoots could've been cooked a bit less. Next was a dish not typically found at most Dim Sum services in the Steamed Fish Lips. These had a dried fish maw quality where they were soft and gelatinous with a slight chewiness. There was plenty of garlic and seasoning for penetrating flavours but the dish was also rather fishy tasting too.
Onto more typical items, we had the Steamed Black Bean Spareribs and Phoenix Talons (Chicken Feet). Large in portion size and large in individual pieces, the pork spareribs were chewy and bouncy. They were garlicky with some green pepper essence as well as aggressively seasoned. Most pieces were rib portions that were meaty and devoid of fat and cartilage. As for the chicken feet, they were soft and completely over done. Underneath the fried skin, the cartilage was melting away, albeit it was quite buttery. Flavours were good though with a balance between sweet, salty and a garlic.
Lately, we've been taking chances at Cantonese Dim Sum and ordering Xiao Long Bao since many places have stepped up their game. This was no different as the XLBs were decent featuring a thin dumpling skin as well as a good amount of sweet soup. It was one-note in flavour though missing ginger and wine. The meat could've been less gritty as well. Here we go again with the black truffle on top of Siu Mai. Everyone is trying to be like Chef Tony... Well, this one here sported bouncy pork and sweet shrimp that exhibited a buttery snap. As much as I think the black truffle thing has been overdone these days, there wasn't an overwhelming amount used in this case.
Of course we couldn't have siu mai and not have Ha Gau right? Well, these featured a paper thin dumpling skin that was nicely chewy with just the right amount of moisture. On the other hand, the shrimp filling was a bit too soft for my liking. There was only the mildest amount of bounce texture while the flavours were sweet. Interestingly, the shrimp in the Rice Noodle Roll was considerably different in texture where they were had a meaty snap. This could be due to them being whole shrimp rather than being processed. As for the rice noodle, it was on the thicker side, but was still buttery with a floury finish.
For the kiddies, they always request the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice), so being the servants, er... parents, we always order it. We found it rather wet, yet still glutinous with mild flavours. Strangely, they put imitation crab meat in the ground pork mix and it really didn't work. The fishy and salty essence was strange tasting. Too bad really since there was an even ratio of sticky rice and meat filling. Large and fluffy, the BBQ Pork Buns were on point. They were stuffed with lots of lean BBQ pork that were sauced in a sweet and savoury glaze. Even after sitting for awhile, the bun portion didn't harden up too much remaining soft and light.
Again, we couldn't do without the Shrimp Spring Rolls as my son would blow a gasket otherwise. Yes, those spring rolls mean that much to him... Well, these were pretty good being served hot and crunchy. There was very little greasiness, even on the inside. The shrimp filling was similar to the shrimp dumplings as it was on the softer side. It was well-seasoned though. As if fried spring rolls weren't enough, we got the Chinese Salty Donut as well. My son loves this dish as well (does he eat anything that is healthy?). This was pretty aggressively fried where the outside was super crunchy. Inside, it was a touch dense, but not overly oily either.
To ensure that we were completely full, we added the Special House Chow Mein that featured so many ingredients, we could barely make out there were noodles underneath. All of the proteins were cooked properly with crunchy shrimp and tender chicken. Even the greens were not overdone. There was just enough mild-tasting sauce to soften the fried noodles while leaving a few portions crispy.
For dessert, we had both the Steamed Sponge Cake and the Egg Tarts. As you can see, they cut the sponge cake into quarters which would've been fine if we ate it right away, but we didn't (they just cut it up without asking). I decided to grab a small piece to try when it was still hot and it was fluffy and minimally sweet. Served last, the egg tarts were flaky and buttery. The egg custard was silky and pretty sweet though. We thought these were pretty on point. In fact, most dishes were alright and even if there was an issue, it wasn't major. In general, Haiyi is a decent choice, but there is better in the same price range too.
The Good:
- Pretty attentive service for a Chinese restaurant
- Reasonable pricing
- Above average eats
The Bad:
- Some dishes need further refinement
- Seating is rather cramped
For all of the lunch options in Downtown Vancouver, it is rather surprising that there are very few interesting choices. We have the usual chain restaurants as well as fast food mixed in with the many Japanese restaurants and ramen joints. Finally, we see the first lunch spot featuring Bao in Heritage Asian Eatery. It is kinda ironic that Miami got their own Bao Shop over 3 years ago before Vancouver (the epicenter of Chinese food in North America). Vandelay and I decided to check the place out for lunch to see what the fuss was all about.
We went straight for the 3 Bao for $18.00 deal with the Duck, Cotechino and Pork Shoulder. Our favourite was the tender and fatty pork shoulder, there was plenty of it which made the bao substantial. However, as much as the pork was well-seasoned, the flavours were pretty one-note. The bao itself was soft and didn't fall apart on us. I thought the duck was a little dry and surprisingly bland considering the classic combo of hoisin, pickled cukes and crispy onion. The most interesting of the 3 was the cotechino as it was soft and actually melded well with the bao. It was rather mild-tasting and even the pickled carrots, mayo and crispy onions didn't create much impact.
For our sides, we decided to try the Five Spice Chicken Wings and the Fried Cauliflower. We found the wings crispy with well-rendered skin. Inside, the meat was tender and almost juicy. The outside was akin to the ones found at Phnom Penh but the flavours were a bit different. There was a considerable amount of MSG on the outside which made them tasty. The dusting of chili flake seasoning added a touch of spice. As much as the cauliflower looked nicely browned and caramelized, we weren't fans of the texture. They were limp and soggy. Flavourwise, a bit more acidity from lemon would've brought it to life.
Our last item was the Pork Belly Bowl featuring a fatty and moist piece of meat, yuzu slaw, watercress, crispy onions, kimchi daikon & slow cooked marinated egg.. It was again one-note in flavour though with a background saltiness broken up with a touch of tang from the daikon. I thought the slow-cooked egg was good but a little salty. The most unappealing part of the bowl was the soggy rice. Vandelay and I came away from this meal a bit disappointed as we had hoped and wished it would be more impactful. As much as we find Torafuku overloaded with flavour, it would've been nice if Heritage could meet those flavours halfway. There is plenty of potential here, maybe a visit later might yield better results.
The Good:
- Something different for the Downtown lunch crowd
- Wings were pretty good
The Bad:
- Flavours are a bit one-note
- Some execution issues
Here we go again, another hotel restaurant (The Lobby in the Pinnacle Hotel in North Van). Not only that, here we go again with a Groupon as well. At the very least, this is a way to try the place out with less risk (as in spend a bit less money). It was the usual share one appie between 2 people, 2 entrees and as shared dessert. My parents joined us to make it a dinner for 4 as well as adding a few items for the kiddies. Unlike many hotel restaurants, the covered parking was included for The Lobby.
The kids started off with the Fried Beer-Battered Prawns with chili aioli. Although they appeared to be over-battered and dense, they didn't eat as such. In fact, the batter was crunchy and airy (thanks to the beer). The meaty prawn inside had a firm texture and was naturally sweet. The batter was spiked with herbs and the entire dish was sprinkled with sea salt and black pepper. On the side, a creamy and spicy aioli created an illusion we were eating a version of ebi mayo. For their main, they shared a Prime Rib Beef Dip with fries. Served on a relatively soft pretzel bun, it held everything in place. The thin slices of beef were moist and extremely tender. There could've been a bit more of it though. As for the dip itself, it was slightly thick and not overly salty while having a bit of meatiness.
For my appie, I had the Beef Carpaccio that was classically accented by truffle mayo, shaved parm and arugula. Hence, the flavours were very familiar and complimented each other well. I would've preferred less truffle oil as it was too strong. The thin slices of beef were buttery and melted-in-my-mouth. Viv decided on the Quinoa Salad featuring feta, sliced almonds, kale, arugula, carrots and a lemon raspberry vinaigrette. I found the flavours to be quite pleasant with balanced sweetness and tang. The crunch from the spice toasted almonds added the necessary texture while the dried cherries were sweet. I would've liked to see the quinoa to be more firm though as it got lost. My mom had the Caesar Salad (not pictured) and it was pretty standard except being overdressed. The fried capers and slices of parm added both saltiness and nuttiness.
For our mains, my dad went for the Prawns and Scallops atop risotto. It was nicely plated and consisted of quality ingredients. However, the prawns were overdone where the desired snap ended up to be more of a dry meatiness. It did sport a nice sear on the outside though. As for the scallops, they were done right being buttery with a caramelized sear on the outside. However, for some reason, they lacked the natural sweetness and taste of the sea as we would expect from a scallop. The risotto was a bit clumpy, but the rice was not overdone. For myself, I had the Grilled Rib Eye which was done a perfect medium-rare while sporting a beautiful exterior colour. Unfortunately, the cut of meat was rather chewy (even for rib-eye standards) and that decreased my eating enjoyment.
My mom went for the Rack of Lamb that was prepared more rare than medium-rare. Despite this, the meat was succulent and super tender. In addition, the veggies on the plate were expertly prepared where they were still vibrant in texture and appearance. However, the overwhelming sweetness from the house-made marmalade destroyed any great flavours from the mint gelee as well as the demi. I found the herb gnocchi to have a delicious crust on the outside, yet it was a bit dense. For Viv, she ended up with the Halibut Bouillabaisse which was pretty good. The fish itself was crispy and tasty from the sear whereas the meat inside was flaky and moist. The broth was semi-thick and creamy from the coconut milk while the mild tang from the tomato came through in spurts. The rest of the seafood was on point.
For dessert, we were served at plate consisting of Blueberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Pâté, Peach Panna Cotta, and Vanilla Bean Gelato with French Macaron. I thought the texture of the cheesecake was spot on being creamy and just rich enough. It was mild-tasting though. The dark chocolate pâté was rich, firm and appealingly bitter. This was the best item on the plate. As for the panna cotta, it was creamy, slightly firm and not very sweet. I found the peach portion to be bland. A bit icy, the gelato was pretty sweet and relatively firm. As you can see for yourself, the menu at The Lobby is pretty typical for a hotel restaurant. The food was decent with a few flaws. However, the place does what it is supposed to do in a non-offensive manner.
The Good:
- Fairly good service
- Okay eats
- Lively atmosphere (this was the weekend)
The Bad:
- Some execution issues
Sometimes a quick meal doesn't have to involve a drive-thru or a food fair in a mall. For those who know, grabbing some Pho can be pretty time efficient and easy on the wallet (although the prices are creeping up there). So with not much time to spare, we were driving up Kingsway in search of Vietnamese. Well, that is as easy as stumbling on a Trump joke on social media. However, we were nearing Boundary and the selection gets a bit thin until you reach Metrotown. But there was a new spot in Love for Pho.
We ended up with our usual Pho Dac Biet and it was full of ingredients including an inordinate amount of tendon (which was soft with still a bite). The rest of the meats were fairly good where the brisket was fatty and soft. As for the broth, it was clean with mild flavours including the sweetness of daikon and a faint anise finish. The noodles were plentiful and still chewy. My son loves Lemongrass Chicken with rice, so yes that's what he had. It featured chewy rice with shredded pork and a large piece of deboned leg. It was succulent and juicy, but lacking in impact. We thought there a more aggressive marinate was necessary as well as more charring to the fatty skin.
We also got my son's other favourite dish being the Beef Stew with bread. Hidden underneath the onions were a plethora of super tender melt-in-our-mouths beef shank. The tendon portion of the meat was partially melted which meant the meat was barely chewy. In terms of taste, the broth was not overly fatty nor seasoned, but there was a noticeable meatiness combined with 5 spice, anise and the sweetness of carrots. Sticking with bread, we ordered the Banh Mi Dac Biet, which was quite good. The crusty bread was not overly dense inside while there was enough ingredients to balance. Add in the pate and the drops of Maggi and the sandwich was tasty. Overall, we found the meal good, but the flavours could've been stronger.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Okay portions
The Bad:
- Flavours could be more impactful
- Service is fine, but sparse
Location, location, location - that can refer to anything from a surprise on the sidewalk (think a dog) to where a restaurant is situated. Most times, it can be a equalizing factor that can make up for other shortcomings. Take a lot at Salmon House on the Hill and Horizons, great views with decent eats, but not extraordinary. I guess Miku would be an exception as it combines an outstanding location with equally outstanding food. Tap & Barrel seems to have the right idea in terms of location as both their Olympic Village, Convention Centre and Shipyards buildings are not only beautiful, they are all at the water's edge.
Milhouse and I thought that since we were playing hockey in North Van already and it was getting late, a visit to the newer Shipyards location was in order. We started with the Fried Pickles which were pretty good. The pickle itself was juicy and just tart enough while the breading was on the thicker side. Hence, it was pretty firmly crunchy, albeit heavy. The side of aioli was creamy and spicy
Despite being late night, I went for the Steak Frites that sported a small sirloin with sea salted fries. I requested medium-rare and my steak was pretty much bang on. As such, it was fairly tender and well-seasoned. It was also properly rested where the juices stayed in the steak. As for the frites, they were okay being crispy and light. I found them to be a little bit dry though. Milhouse went for the Fried Chicken Sandwich that featured an aggressively crunchy batter. Underneath that, the chicken was fairly succulent while the whole thing was pretty sweet with a touch of spice.
On another visit, Milhouse, Lionel Hutz and myself shared a few items including the Pork Belly and Egg Pizza. We've had it before at the Olympic Village location and this was not as good. The egg was completely cooked through, so the texture was a bit rubbery and lacking the runny silkiness. On the other hand, the pizza portion was on point being crispy with a slight chewiness while nicely seasoned. There was some smokiness from the pork and the caramelized onions were definitely sweet. We also got the Pulled Pork Mac n' Cheese which was only so-so. The noodles were a little soft and the aged white cheddar sauce was runny and fairly bland. It wasn't creamy either where it was more floury. To top things off literally and figuratively, the pulled pork was dry and flavourless.
Our 3rd item was appreciably better. The PB&J Burger featured chipotle peanut butter and bacon jam. This combination resulted in nutty and sweet flavours as well as smoky and saltiness from the bacon jam. Furthermore, there was some spice from the chipotle. Add in the pickle and there was almost every flavour imaginable. The brioche bun was fantastic being soft while not disintegrating, but the beef patty was a little dry. Groundskeeper Willy went for the Cod and Chips which was on point. The flaky and moist fish was coated in a thin batter than was flavourful and not greasy. Okay, remember when I mentioned location? Well, T&B has that down pat. But how about the food? For what it is, we believe the food is more than acceptable. Is it awesome? No. But it does the job for fairly reasonable prices.
The Good:
- Decent eats for this type of establishment
- Okay pricing considering everything
- Lively atmosphere
The Bad:
- Hey, it's a casual place to grab a drink AND get some food, so don't expect gourmet
- Portion size is on the smaller side
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As much as restaurants can come and go, it is rather interesting to see Chinese restaurants change names and/or change ownership seemingly overnight. They just keep on truckin' along without any closure of any sort. Sometimes the name change might have to do with tax implications (or in the case of Golden Pizza & Sandwich, they didn't change the name even though it is a Vietnamese restaurant!). Well, I'm not sure what happened to Golden Harvest Chinese on Main Street though. It suddenly became Haiyi Seafood without only minor renovations. Well, we checked it out to see for ourselves. 
The first dish to hit the lazy Susan was the Pea Shoots. As evidenced in the picture, there was a plethora of large dried shrimp and dried scallop which meant the entire dish was briny and well-flavoured. The ginger was also apparent. However, the pea shoots could've been cooked a bit less. Next was a dish not typically found at most Dim Sum services in the Steamed Fish Lips. These had a dried fish maw quality where they were soft and gelatinous with a slight chewiness. There was plenty of garlic and seasoning for penetrating flavours but the dish was also rather fishy tasting too.
Onto more typical items, we had the Steamed Black Bean Spareribs and Phoenix Talons (Chicken Feet). Large in portion size and large in individual pieces, the pork spareribs were chewy and bouncy. They were garlicky with some green pepper essence as well as aggressively seasoned. Most pieces were rib portions that were meaty and devoid of fat and cartilage. As for the chicken feet, they were soft and completely over done. Underneath the fried skin, the cartilage was melting away, albeit it was quite buttery. Flavours were good though with a balance between sweet, salty and a garlic.
Lately, we've been taking chances at Cantonese Dim Sum and ordering Xiao Long Bao since many places have stepped up their game. This was no different as the XLBs were decent featuring a thin dumpling skin as well as a good amount of sweet soup. It was one-note in flavour though missing ginger and wine. The meat could've been less gritty as well. Here we go again with the black truffle on top of Siu Mai. Everyone is trying to be like Chef Tony... Well, this one here sported bouncy pork and sweet shrimp that exhibited a buttery snap. As much as I think the black truffle thing has been overdone these days, there wasn't an overwhelming amount used in this case.
Of course we couldn't have siu mai and not have Ha Gau right? Well, these featured a paper thin dumpling skin that was nicely chewy with just the right amount of moisture. On the other hand, the shrimp filling was a bit too soft for my liking. There was only the mildest amount of bounce texture while the flavours were sweet. Interestingly, the shrimp in the Rice Noodle Roll was considerably different in texture where they were had a meaty snap. This could be due to them being whole shrimp rather than being processed. As for the rice noodle, it was on the thicker side, but was still buttery with a floury finish.
For the kiddies, they always request the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice), so being the servants, er... parents, we always order it. We found it rather wet, yet still glutinous with mild flavours. Strangely, they put imitation crab meat in the ground pork mix and it really didn't work. The fishy and salty essence was strange tasting. Too bad really since there was an even ratio of sticky rice and meat filling. Large and fluffy, the BBQ Pork Buns were on point. They were stuffed with lots of lean BBQ pork that were sauced in a sweet and savoury glaze. Even after sitting for awhile, the bun portion didn't harden up too much remaining soft and light.
Again, we couldn't do without the Shrimp Spring Rolls as my son would blow a gasket otherwise. Yes, those spring rolls mean that much to him... Well, these were pretty good being served hot and crunchy. There was very little greasiness, even on the inside. The shrimp filling was similar to the shrimp dumplings as it was on the softer side. It was well-seasoned though. As if fried spring rolls weren't enough, we got the Chinese Salty Donut as well. My son loves this dish as well (does he eat anything that is healthy?). This was pretty aggressively fried where the outside was super crunchy. Inside, it was a touch dense, but not overly oily either.
To ensure that we were completely full, we added the Special House Chow Mein that featured so many ingredients, we could barely make out there were noodles underneath. All of the proteins were cooked properly with crunchy shrimp and tender chicken. Even the greens were not overdone. There was just enough mild-tasting sauce to soften the fried noodles while leaving a few portions crispy.
For dessert, we had both the Steamed Sponge Cake and the Egg Tarts. As you can see, they cut the sponge cake into quarters which would've been fine if we ate it right away, but we didn't (they just cut it up without asking). I decided to grab a small piece to try when it was still hot and it was fluffy and minimally sweet. Served last, the egg tarts were flaky and buttery. The egg custard was silky and pretty sweet though. We thought these were pretty on point. In fact, most dishes were alright and even if there was an issue, it wasn't major. In general, Haiyi is a decent choice, but there is better in the same price range too.
