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Generally, restaurant location can be one of the determining factors for prospective customers. For instance, if they wanted to impress a guest or guests for whatever reason, they could choose a place right on the waterfront. Alternatively, if they wanted to see and be seen, something along the lines of a Glowbal Group restaurant might be in order. However, sometimes the location is irrelevant because it is really all about the food. That might just be the case with The MacKenzie Room situated right across the street from Oppenheimer Park. Well, Viv, Costanza, Elaine and myself were going to put it to the test on this latest food adventure.
Looking over the menu (which changes daily in accordance to what is local and fresh), it was pretty obvious we "wanted it all!" which meant for $56pp, we would be served everything. The first 2 plates consisted of the Rockfish Crudo and the Showstopper Salad. Nicely plated, the rockfish crudo was fresh, bright and sweet (with no fishiness). I found the meat to be buttery while still firm. Things were elevated with the zing and sweetness from the pickled grapes. Piled high, the showstopper salad was dressed in a pistachio vinaigrette. There was a background acidity that was a nice compliment to the nutty (but not salty) pistachios and creamy ricotta. Offering up a touch of bitterness, the greens were vibrant and fresh. Completing the dish were tender lentils.
Whimsically presented, Veggies from the Garden sported bagna cauda, topped with crisp root vegetables, toasted foccacia dirt and gremolata. First and foremost, the bagna cauda was creamy, a bit on the thicker side and mildly flavourful with hits of garlic and a mild saltiness. This was a great compliment to the vibrant and sweet veggies where the crunch from the toasted foccacia was welcomed. We didn't get much of the gremolata though. Next up was their take on Ants on a Log. It consisted of leeks, peanut butter and crab apples This was not as dessert-like as it appeared where the leeks were tender and mild while the sweetness of the apple was subtle. The peanut butter was definitely nutty, but wasn't sweet nor was it salty either. I loved the buttery honey mushrooms as they were prepared on point (they can be slimy if not).
The best dish of the meal hands-down was the Chicken of the Sea which was sea urchin pate with toasted ink brioche, crushed hazelnuts and seafood spice compressed pear. Somewhat akin to monk fish liver, the uni pate was sweet, creamy and full of umaminess. It went well with the crispy brioche (that tasted like any other brioche despite the black colour). The nutty crunch from the hazelnuts added more texture, but really wasn't needed while the pears were an interesting mix of salty and sweet. Next up was the Beef Heart Tartare wrapped in pickled cabbage leaves. The medium-diced heart was mixed with quail egg, blueberries and horseradish. On the side, the puffed tendon was very much like chicharones. We weren't really fond of this dish and it wasn't because it was raw beef heart either. Texturally, the heart was tender and buttery, but the flavours were a bit weak where it allowed the gaminess come through too strongly.
Moving onto some larger items, we had the Humbodt Squid with mussels, dill, parsnip husk, smashed parsnip heart, pickles and meyer lemon beurre blanc. We found the cold-smoked squid to be tender without any sponginess. It was lightly smoky while being aggressively salted. The beurre blanc was silky and creamy with just the right amount of acidity. There was a definite hit of cilantro with the cucumbers underneath. Adding some crunch to the dish was the parsnip husks. In theory, the Pork Belly & Sweetbreads should've been one of the highlights of the meal, but due to the fattiness of the belly, the dish never realized its potential. Yes, we realize it was pork belly, but when there was little to no meat and just pure fat, it's not that appealing. Too bad really since the combination of cauliflower pesto, smoked celeriac puree, apple and sweet clementine glaze provided a wealth of balanced flavours. Sweetbreads were on the chewier side, yet sported a nice crispy exterior.
Continuing with more meat, we had the Lamb & Grits featuring braised neck and tongue with heirloom grits, charred broccoli, hop oil and cherry vinaigrette. Others at the table weren't that fond of this dish, but I enjoyed it nonetheless because I love anything with lamb. The grits were chunky, yet creamy while being well-seasoned. I thought the lamb was tender, meaty and slightly sweet. Ramping up the flavours was the spicy chili in the mole. Our least favourite dish was the Corned Beef Brisket with stout brine emulsion, tomatillo relish, yam fritters, wilted chard and radish. The problem was with the beef itself as it was dry and bland. We did enjoy the mildly salty emulsion, but the relish was raw-tasting and didn't seem to go. The spicy yam fritters were good as well as the just wilted enough chard.
For dessert, we were served a Chocolate Buttermilk Cake and a Dill & Cheesecake "Sponge". Accompanied by chili icing, maldon salt, bourbon cream and foie gras ice cream, the cake itself was moist and lightly sweet. The best part was the creamy and decadent foie gras ice cream - so good! As for the cheesecake, it was lightly sweet, smooth and definitely cheesy (reminded me of Japanese cheesecake). On the side was a tasty grape-mezcal ice cream which was creamy, also not very sweet and just a touch boozy. I thought the dill was quite restrained which was a good thing. Adding a crunch was an almond crumble. As you can clearly see, there are some real creativity and risks taken at the MacKenzie Room. We enjoyed the surprises and although there were some misses, the hits made up for them.
The Good:
- Interesting dishes with nice surprises
- Different and fresh ingredients
- Casual and homey
The Bad:
- Daring to be different also means some misses
- Food comes out quick, better keep up
For all of the higher end Japanese restaurants in town, there are a few smaller joints that do a pretty good job for a lot less money. For example, we have Kishimoto, Victoria Sushi and Green Leaf Sushi that serve up above-average eats and in some ways can be just as good as the big boys. So when I read online that Naruto Sushi on Commercial Drive fit that criteria, I had to give it a try. Grace tagged along for this food adventure and of course we ordered too much food for 2 people...
We began with an order each of the Tako and Real Crab Sunomono Salad. These were fairly large in size and a little overfilled with liquid. I was expecting something quite flavourful due to this, but ultimately, it was too mild for my tastes. It was mostly sweet with very little tartness and the noodles were pretty soft. On the other hand, I did like the fluffy crab meat as well as the crunch of the cucumber and interestingly, broccoli. We moved onto the Ebi Tempura next and it sported a thick batter that was firmly crunchy. We weren't huge fans of the ebi itself because it was dense and chewy. Furthermore, they weren't de-veined and that was a bit unappetizing.
For our one specialty sushi roll, we chose the I Love Vancouver featuring spicy tuna and cucumber in the middle and topped with tempura tuna, lettuce and dressing. As much as the spicy tuna was flavourful and texturally on point, the tempura tuna was dry and unappealing. Moreover, the "green salad" topping made things overly wet. It is very possible we picked the wrong roll because we didn't enjoy this one. We also got 2 pieces each of the Ikura and Ungai Nigiri. These were okay where the rice underneath was a touch wet, but still chewy and well-seasoned. To ensure we would be full, I added the Tonkatsu Don as well. The one positive of this dish was the chewy rice underneath. Otherwise, it was a fail as the pork chop was dry and chewy with a coating that slid off (which was mushy).
We ended things off with the Assorted Sashimi which was reasonably priced at $16.95. The slices were a bit thick, but then again, a good value in theory (I would've liked them thinner for a less cumbersome texture). I particularly liked the sockeye salmon as it was firmly buttery while naturally sweet. The tako was a bit spongy and wet though. When it was all said and done, Grace and I agreed that Naruto Sushi serves the neighbourhood well with inexpensive Japanese fare. However, it is hardly a destination restaurant as it rates average in our books.
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Friendly people
The Bad:
- Best word to describe the food would be average
- Not a very big place, do take out
Often, pub food can be merely a necessity to pair some form of eats to go with a beverage (or two or three...). Therefore, it can be rather uninspiring and generally not very tasty. I guess it wouldn't matter if one was inebriated right? Well, things have definitely changed with the popularization of the gastropub many years back. I've been to quite a few of these places in the last 8 years and I have come away impressed with many of them. It's like one doesn't even need to drink at the pub to have a good time! Yah right! Anyways, a bunch of us went for a menu tasting at Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub to see if they could tickle our palates in addition to pickling it.
Since it was a menu-tasting, we got a wide array of plates including the classic Scotch Egg sporting an on point soft yolk egg. Even the egg white was lightly cooked where it wasn't rubbery. Encasing this was a balanced layer of Guinness sausage that was moist with a meaty rebound texture. It was fairly mild, but did have the rich finish of the Guinness. Underneath, the piccalilli sauce was slightly acidic and appealingly tart. Served on grilled sourdough, the Black Pudding Toasties were pleasant despite the visuals. Personally, I love blood sausage, so it didn't bother me. I thought the caramelized onion jam and side of mustard were necessary to vary the flavours and especially a bite (with the mustard).
As much as I wanted to avoid the Maple Kale & Chicken Salad because I'm a meatatarian, I gave it a shot anyways. Turns out it was actually not bad with fresh baby kale, roasted butternut squash, beer-brined chicken, dried cherries, almonds and sweet potato chips. The varied textures and sweetness of the ingredients made the salad interesting. The restrained usage of the maple mustard vinaigrette kept the kale from wilting and not totally drenching the salad in sweet acidity. The one thing that could've been better was the chicken as it was a bit dry. Staying with veggies, we tried the Brussels Sprouts roasted with bacon and broiled with Dubliner cheese and some lemon. I found the sprouts to be cooked just enough that they retained a firm texture. The bacon was apparent as well as the melted cheese. For me, I prefer sprouts that are fried, but these were good for the manner they were prepared.
Onto the larger dishes, I dug into the Steak & Guinness Pie first. Baked in a cast iron skillet, the pie was served bubbling hot. The crust was flaky and buttery while the filling featured chunks of succulent beef. I definitely got the hits of Guinness which was nicely cooked-down in a rich gravy. It was good that the salt content was not heavy either. The side of fries were fantastic being hot, crispy and completely potatoey inside. Barely fitting onto the plate, the Traditional Fry Up boasted 2 over-easy eggs, peameal bacon, 2 Rivers banger, Oyama black pudding, roasted tomato, fried potatoes, house-baked beans and sourdough toast. The eggs were appealingly runny where it was perfect for dunking the crispy sourdough. I enjoyed the black pudding much like in the appie and the banger was meaty and lean. I found the pea meal bacon rather dry though.
Continuing with another breakfast item, the Boxty Benny featured whiskey-cured steelhead with poached eggs, tomato, Irish muffin, Hollandaise and fried potatoes. Of the 4 we were served, half of the eggs were medium and the other half were runny. However, even with the medium eggs, the whites were buttery (not rubbery). I found the Hollandaise creamy and mild-tasting, possibly in need of more lemon. The Irish muffin was definitely interesting with an airy egginess to it. There was definitely enough steelhead to make an impact in terms of flavour and texture. From this, I moved directly to the Lamb Shank with pearl barley risotto. I found most of the meat to be gelatinous and tender with a mild gaminess (with some exterior portions being dry). The sauce was mildly meaty and could've used a bit more salt.
We were served 2 burgers including a veggie option. Despite what you may think, I tried the Veg Burger first. The patty was made of navy beans, chickpeas, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini and toasted spices. As such, the texture was akin to a mix of thick hummus and dense mash potatoes. It was sandwiched in between toasted brioche with chipotle mayo, salsa verde, sprouts, tomato and butter lettuce. It was better than I expected, but in the end, I enjoyed the Central Burger more due to my own biases. It consisted of a 6 oz St. Helen's beef patty, pulled pork, stout BBQ sauce, Dubliner cheese, pickles, chipotle mayo, tobacco onions and lettuce. It was a good-looking burger and although the meat wasn't exactly juicy, it wasn't exactly dry either. I found the flavours to be on the sweeter side with a touch of smokiness.
One last meat dish, the Main St. Meatloaf was pretty robust with minimal grease. I found the glaze tart and flavourful. As much as the Guinness onion gravy was peppery and deeply flavoured, I thought the glaze was so impactful in bringing the dish alive, there should've been more to provide balance. Undreneath, the mashed potatoes were robust and starchy where it was a good base for the gravy. For dessert, we were served the Central Sundae with Guinness, Bailey's, caramel ice cream layered with chocolate and caramel sauce topped with an Irish lace cookie, whipping cream, sprinkles and candied walnuts. Surprisingly, this was not a shockingly sweet as the ingredients suggested. This was creamy, sweet with a caramelized depth and lightly kissed with alcohol. Loved the crunch of the walnuts too. Just like the rest of the food, the dessert basically epitomized the menu at Dubh Linn Gate - they don't try to stray too far from classic pub food. That is a good thing as they don't try to be what they are not, where they offer up good eats to go with your drink.
*All food and beverages were complimentary*
The Good:
- Solid eats for a pub
- Actual Irish pub atmosphere
- Spacious
The Bad:
- Food is of course heavy, but that's how it is supposed to be
- Some proteins could be more moist
When I was initially approached to try out 3 limited edition flavours from Cupcakes, I was both apprehensive and skeptical. My previous experiences with Cupcakes has been mediocre where I thought the product was far too sweet and dry. However, I'm always up for giving people another chance and besides, the flavours (Matcha, Black Sesame and Mango) were rather appealing. I ended up picking up not only those 3 cupcakes, I got 3 of their best sellers to do a comparison of their new recipe against their old one. Oh, and yah, there were 12 mini-cupcakes thrown in for good measure.
Now let's get to the 3 limited edition cupcakes first. Just by looks alone, there was not much confusion as to their flavour. I thought the Mango was pretty spot on, yet it was still sweet for me despite the reduction of sugar. The cupcake itself was remarkably moist, yet not greasy. Light and creamy, the frosting on top of the Matcha was seemingly not as sweet (probably because of the bitter matcha). The same could be said about the cake too as the sugar was nicely balanced out by the bitter matcha (the whole thing was not bitter though). The best one hands down was the Black Sesame as it was aromatic, nutty and impactful without going overboard. Sure, the colour wasn't exactly the most attractive, but it ate well.
Onto some classics, there was the Red Velvet, Brownie and Diva. I personally love red velvet and was very happy to see they were able to make this thing moist. The cream cheese frosting on top was still sweet, but noticeably less than before. We all loved the brownie as it really was an actual brownie (just prepared as a cupcake). It was rather dense though, but it had the robust qualities of a brownie as well as a rich chocolate essence. The diva (essentially a chocolate cupcake with pink vanilla frosting) was also quite good with an even lighter cake than the red velvet. It was indeed chcolatey, but for some reason or another, the frosting on this one seemed sweeter. Was it because of the sprinkles?
Lastly, I was treated to a 12-pack of Mini-Cupcakes consisting of Red Velvet, Chocolate, Lemon Drop, Mint Condition, Koo Koo, Vanilla, Diva, Coffee, Blue Hawaii and Caramella. These bite-sized cupcakes were a touch less moist than their larger counterparts, but that was to be expected. I thought that the lemon drop was a nice departure from the previous 3 due to it being less heavy. Interestingly, from all the choices, I enjoyed the chocolate the best as it was visually appealing and really did taste like it appeared. In the end, I was glad to have revisited Cupcakes, not only because of the 3 limited edition flavours, but everything else because they were less sweet and more moist.
*Cupcakes were complimentary*
The Good:
- New flavours that are interesting and tasty
- Less sweet
- More moist
The Bad:
- Still could be less sweet, but then the price might go up (butter more expensive than sugar)
Not unlike many other places, Vancouver is definitely a place where fads blossom and go somewhat viral. This is especially true with food. The latest to hit the town is Poke, which was available at certain places for many years, however, there were no stores dedicated to it. Now we've seen an explosion of establishments within a 2-month period. I was mildly excited, but stayed away until now. I guess it might've had something to do with my recent visit to Hawaii. Yes, that is a bit contradictory to what I've been saying all along with eats from abroad (as in, you have to compare what we got locally, not globally), so I finally gave in.
We ended up visiting The Poke Shop in Gastown partly due to a Groupon. We descended into the hidden shop that was located a floor below street level. Viv ended up choosing a regular bowl with rice topped with Spicy Salmon and Baby Scallops. The salmon did have a lingering kick, but was quickly dissipated by the rice and other toppings. I found the baby scallops to be buttery and slightly sweet, but otherwise, underseasoned. The whole bowl was drizzled with house dressing that was creamy and sweet.
For my daughter, she also went with rice topped with Wild Salmon and Albacore Tuna. Both were decently textured while dressed in a soy and sesame oil dressing. They were actually decently flavourful on their own. We found that a drizzle of ponzu complimented the flavours the best as it didn't add any unnecessary sweetness nor creaminess. She finished off her bowl with wakame, edamame, mango, tobiko and nori. I think she had the right idea here to keep it simple as this actually tasted the closest to what a poke bowl should be like.
I went all out with the super large bowl with purple 12-grain rice topped with Spicy Tuna and Unagi with BBQ sauce. I found the rice to be more robust and hence, more filling. The spicy tuna had the same elements as the spicy salmon while the unagi was texturally soft and buttery, yet mildly seasoned. Therefore, my choice of BBQ sauce was the ideal compliment as it added a salty, sweet and tangy hit to the unagi. For my toppings I chose edamame, wakame, ginger, tobiko, cucumber, mango and the kitchen sink. This was a bad move as it became a salad rather than a poke bowl. So resist the urge and be conservative with the unlimited toppings. Otherwise, The Poke Shop is a decent option amongst the sudden sea of choices.
The Good:
- Unlimited toppings other than the fish (can also be a curse too)
- Things seemed pretty fresh
The Bad:
- Unlimited toppings lures people into making a salad rather than a poke bowl
- Place is hidden, but if you know where it is, then it's no problem
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Generally, restaurant location can be one of the determining factors for prospective customers. For instance, if they wanted to impress a guest or guests for whatever reason, they could choose a place right on the waterfront. Alternatively, if they wanted to see and be seen, something along the lines of a Glowbal Group restaurant might be in order. However, sometimes the location is irrelevant because it is really all about the food. That might just be the case with The MacKenzie Room situated right across the street from Oppenheimer Park. Well, Viv, Costanza, Elaine and myself were going to put it to the test on this latest food adventure.
Looking over the menu (which changes daily in accordance to what is local and fresh), it was pretty obvious we "wanted it all!" which meant for $56pp, we would be served everything. The first 2 plates consisted of the Rockfish Crudo and the Showstopper Salad. Nicely plated, the rockfish crudo was fresh, bright and sweet (with no fishiness). I found the meat to be buttery while still firm. Things were elevated with the zing and sweetness from the pickled grapes. Piled high, the showstopper salad was dressed in a pistachio vinaigrette. There was a background acidity that was a nice compliment to the nutty (but not salty) pistachios and creamy ricotta. Offering up a touch of bitterness, the greens were vibrant and fresh. Completing the dish were tender lentils.
Whimsically presented, Veggies from the Garden sported bagna cauda, topped with crisp root vegetables, toasted foccacia dirt and gremolata. First and foremost, the bagna cauda was creamy, a bit on the thicker side and mildly flavourful with hits of garlic and a mild saltiness. This was a great compliment to the vibrant and sweet veggies where the crunch from the toasted foccacia was welcomed. We didn't get much of the gremolata though. Next up was their take on Ants on a Log. It consisted of leeks, peanut butter and crab apples This was not as dessert-like as it appeared where the leeks were tender and mild while the sweetness of the apple was subtle. The peanut butter was definitely nutty, but wasn't sweet nor was it salty either. I loved the buttery honey mushrooms as they were prepared on point (they can be slimy if not).
The best dish of the meal hands-down was the Chicken of the Sea which was sea urchin pate with toasted ink brioche, crushed hazelnuts and seafood spice compressed pear. Somewhat akin to monk fish liver, the uni pate was sweet, creamy and full of umaminess. It went well with the crispy brioche (that tasted like any other brioche despite the black colour). The nutty crunch from the hazelnuts added more texture, but really wasn't needed while the pears were an interesting mix of salty and sweet. Next up was the Beef Heart Tartare wrapped in pickled cabbage leaves. The medium-diced heart was mixed with quail egg, blueberries and horseradish. On the side, the puffed tendon was very much like chicharones. We weren't really fond of this dish and it wasn't because it was raw beef heart either. Texturally, the heart was tender and buttery, but the flavours were a bit weak where it allowed the gaminess come through too strongly.
Moving onto some larger items, we had the Humbodt Squid with mussels, dill, parsnip husk, smashed parsnip heart, pickles and meyer lemon beurre blanc. We found the cold-smoked squid to be tender without any sponginess. It was lightly smoky while being aggressively salted. The beurre blanc was silky and creamy with just the right amount of acidity. There was a definite hit of cilantro with the cucumbers underneath. Adding some crunch to the dish was the parsnip husks. In theory, the Pork Belly & Sweetbreads should've been one of the highlights of the meal, but due to the fattiness of the belly, the dish never realized its potential. Yes, we realize it was pork belly, but when there was little to no meat and just pure fat, it's not that appealing. Too bad really since the combination of cauliflower pesto, smoked celeriac puree, apple and sweet clementine glaze provided a wealth of balanced flavours. Sweetbreads were on the chewier side, yet sported a nice crispy exterior.
Continuing with more meat, we had the Lamb & Grits featuring braised neck and tongue with heirloom grits, charred broccoli, hop oil and cherry vinaigrette. Others at the table weren't that fond of this dish, but I enjoyed it nonetheless because I love anything with lamb. The grits were chunky, yet creamy while being well-seasoned. I thought the lamb was tender, meaty and slightly sweet. Ramping up the flavours was the spicy chili in the mole. Our least favourite dish was the Corned Beef Brisket with stout brine emulsion, tomatillo relish, yam fritters, wilted chard and radish. The problem was with the beef itself as it was dry and bland. We did enjoy the mildly salty emulsion, but the relish was raw-tasting and didn't seem to go. The spicy yam fritters were good as well as the just wilted enough chard.
For dessert, we were served a Chocolate Buttermilk Cake and a Dill & Cheesecake "Sponge". Accompanied by chili icing, maldon salt, bourbon cream and foie gras ice cream, the cake itself was moist and lightly sweet. The best part was the creamy and decadent foie gras ice cream - so good! As for the cheesecake, it was lightly sweet, smooth and definitely cheesy (reminded me of Japanese cheesecake). On the side was a tasty grape-mezcal ice cream which was creamy, also not very sweet and just a touch boozy. I thought the dill was quite restrained which was a good thing. Adding a crunch was an almond crumble. As you can clearly see, there are some real creativity and risks taken at the MacKenzie Room. We enjoyed the surprises and although there were some misses, the hits made up for them.
