ClickDishes

Recently, I was invited to test out ClickDishes which is a new app that allows users to browse through a selection of restaurants, choose items from their menu, pay and subsequently pickup from the restaurant without waiting.  In fact, one can merely skip the lineup (especially long ones during the lunch rush), grab their order and go.  This time-saving service is especially convenient for those with short lunch hours or those who just hate lining up.  They launched their app at Harbour Centre in Downtown Vancouver where I decided to try their service out at 2 vendors.

The first was at a spot that I've visited before in Teppan Kitchen.  When they opened at 11:00am, I was able to select them on the app.  After looking over the menu, I selected my dishes and was given the option to customize (as in omitting the green onions).  I ended up adding a drink to each dish (as a combo deal) as well.  Once complete, I submitted my order and one can pay with any credit card linked to their ClickDishes account.  I was given an estimate when my order would be ready.  I strolled on over when prompted and everything was already bagged up and read to go with utensils, straws and napkins.  This was extremely convenient and easy to use.  Personally, I would prefer to eat Teppan Kitchen at the food court rather than using take-out (defeats the purpose of a teppan).  Not to worry though as the eat-in option of ordering will be available soon where it will simplify the trouble of splitting a bill.

Since I was there already, I tried out Hiro Japanese as well.  I followed the same procedure in ordering and since this was my first time trying it out, I will give some of my thoughts about it.  As you can see in the picture, the food wasn't fancy and really, it is a food court after all.  Sashimi was cut a bit odd and the nigiri was a bit messy.  However, it was definitely serviceable and there wasn't anything particularly amiss.  Fish was fine and the rice was decent with all things considered.  It wasn't expensive and since it was part of the ClickDishes service, it was quick and easy to pick up my eats. They are in the process of adding more vendors around the city and in fact, there are some that I really want to try out in the Metropolis food court.  They will be live starting in July and you will see me clicking dishes once again!

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

Mangia e Bevi

Let's face it, there is only enough time to visit that many restaurants within a year or even two.  Unless your name is Mijune Pak, it is unlikely one has the time nor the budget to hit all of the good spots in town so quickly and so often.  Therefore, for me, Mangia e Bevi fits into the category of "I've seen this many times and wanted to try but never have".  Every time I go into West Van, I seem to see the place, become curious and then forget about it.  In fact, I've been to many of the spots around it, but never have made the effort to dine there.  Finally, it was time to try the place out with a willing partner in Emily.

Seeing how there was only 2 of us, it didn't stop us from making a dent into the menu beginning with Ravioli Ai Merluzzo E Pesto Bianco or deconstructed beet-infused ravioli with butter-poached black cod, red prawn and white pesto.  The thin and slightly soft pasta sheets were tender, yet still had a mild chew.  The flaky black cod was buttery (cooked just right) and well-seasoned, in particular the garlic content.  With a sweet snap, the shrimp added another appealing factor into the dish.  Next was the Carpaccio Cremoso featuring tender and thin slices of buttery beef drizzled with a creamy Parmesan truffle aioli and fried capers.  In the centre, we found delicious crispy Parmesan crostinis.  This dish was on point texturally and in terms of flavour, the truffle oil was muted enough that it didn't overwhelm.  Some parts were on the saltier side though.

Moving onto the pasta course, we were served both dishes on one sharing plate.  We got the idea of the concept, but it didn't bode well for pictures!  The first was Tagliolini Con Gamberetti with red prawns, tomato, fennel, arugula, pepperoncino and extra virgin olive oil.  The pasta was nicely al dente being firmly chewy.  Due to the pepperoncino, the sauce was spicy and continually elevated as we ate the pasta.  We enjoyed the mild salt content, but then again, the buttery shrimp were salty on their own.  To balance off the flavours, there was enough tang in the tomato sauce for an acidic brightness.  For our other pasta, we went creamy and rich with the Ravioli Ai Funghi Ai Salvia filled with mushrooms, mascarpone, ricotta, and white truffle oil  topped with sage-brown butter sauce.  Again, the pasta itself was al dente while the filling was creamy and light.  Flavours were predictable being chewy, Earthy and smoky buttery.

As if this wasn't enough food already, we moved onto 2 mains including the Anatra Due Modi featuring confit leg of duck with parsnip puree and roast duck breast with pine nuts and frangelico-orange sauce.  I found the brined duck breast to be tender and a bit salty.  The skin was a little fatty and somewhat crispy.  On the other hand, the leg was completely rendered with crispy skin.  However, the meat was somewhat dry, especially the parts near the surface. Loved the smooth parsnip puree while the orange sauce was sweet with a mild tang.  Our last savoury dish was the Rombo Amalfitano or potato-crusted halibut with limoncello-chive butter sauce.  The halibut was unfortunately dry, but still relatively ok.  The potato crust was crispy and well-browned, yet greasy.  Lightly sweet and tangy, the sauce went well with the fish, while the cheesy risotto was actually pretty good.  It did need more salt though.

For dessert, we shared the cliched dessert being the Tiramisu.  It looked decent and in the end was not bad.  The espresso-soaked ladyfingers were moist and flavourful while only being lightly sweet.  However, the marscapone cream was on the sweeter side and balanced out the ladyfingers.  For some reason, I wasn't that engaged with this dessert even though I've had my fair share of bad tiramisu (and this one wasn't bad).  Overall, the meal wasn't bad with a few bright spots.  However, considering the prices, I guess we were expecting more?

The Good:
- Effort was put into the food
- Wonderful service
- Classy ambiance

The Bad:
- Pricey
- A few execution issues (dry halibut, dry confit duck leg)

Happy Hour @ Urban Thai

Is it just me or the elusive Happy Hour is becoming a thing in Vancouver?  For the longest time, the happy hour options in the Lower Mainland were limited and downright pathetic.  Finding an actual good deal on drinks and appies was as hard as finding a parking spot in Richmond.  It appears that many restaurants have seen the light and are offering inexpensive beverages and equally reasonably-priced food to go with it.  One of the best deals in town also happens to be one of the least-known.  We were invited to Urban Thai recently to sample their happy hour menu (with items priced at $6.00-$8.00).

We covered all the bases with the $6.00 items including the fantastic Thai BBQ Pork.  Completely caramelized with a smoky and sweet exterior, the slices of pork were delicious on their own.  Loved the tender bounce texture as it had an addictive mouth feel.  The sweet, tangy and slightly spicy vinaigrette on the side added bright flavours to the rich pork slices.  Something more light and refreshing was the Som Tum Papaya Salad sporting crunchy julienned green papaya dressed in a tangy, sweet and purposefully spicy fish sauce dressing.  Personally, I could've taken more heat, but we understood that this dish was meant for the majority of people.  

Onto something pretty standard, we had the Vegetable Spring Rolls consisting of the aforementioned veggies (carrot and cabbage) and vermicelli.  I've had the chance to make these before in an Urban Thai cooking class.  They aren't very complex, but they do the job nonetheless.  They were crunchy and easy on the grease.  The filling could've used more fish sauce, but the side sweet chili dip solved that problem.  Looking very much like cut-up spring rolls, the Urban Thai Shrimp Balls were similar in exterior texture.  Inside, it was a different story with sweet bouncy shrimp that was well-seasoned.

Another crowd-pleaser was the Chicken Wings, in particular the Chili Basil version.  These were fried beautifully with well-rendered skin that was crispy, even after being tossed in sauce.  Inside, the meat was tender and almost juicy.  Sweet, slightly spicy and aromatic, the chili basil was addictive.  The other options were red curry and sweet & sour.  I thought they were good, but the chili basil had flavours that popped more.  Staying with fried, we had the Crispy Fish with spicy mayo.  This was another favourite of mine as the fish was flaky and super moist.  Coated with panko, the outside was fried until golden brown and lightly crispy.  Served on the side was a spicy mayo.

Continuing on, we had a staple on the Urban Thai menu being the Chicken Satay with peanut sauce.  As evidenced in the picture, the charring was a bit uneven, but it didn't impact the flavours too much as there was still some caramelized smokiness.  The breast meat was marinated so it was still moist and mildly flavourful on its own.  The side of creamy peanut sauce added a sweet richness.  Aggressively crunchy, the Deep Fried Calamari was still moist and tender.  It wasn't too soft though as there was still an appealing chewiness.  The batter was seasoned, so they tasted fine even without the sweet chili garlic dip.

I've never been a fan of too many veggies in my lettuce wraps (I'm a meatarian), so I guess my personal biases would show up with the Chicken Lettuce Wrap.  Chock full of peppers, chilis, basil and onions to go with the ground chicken and tofu, it was actually quite balanced.  There was a certain brininess from the shrimp paste while the wok heat was sufficient.  I still prefer the Peking duck version myself (yes, I realize it is not a fair comparison).  Served on lettuce as well, the Spicy BBQ Beef was exactly that.  It was a chewy tender (if that makes any sense) where there was a sweet spicy lacquered exterior.  There was also some acidity to balance the dish off.  There was also a spicy prawn version which was more or less the same with a different protein.

Other than the pork and wings, I also really liked the Fried Fish Cakes.  These had the requisite bounce texture where the fish mousse was tender and moist.  Other than being mildly sweet, the drizzle of sweet chili cucumber salad on top added an appealing acidity.  The last dish I tried was the Thai BBQ Chicken sporting charred smoky skin.  Underneath, the dark meat was tender and juicy while being mild in flavour.  The sweet chili plum dipping sauce added an impactful tartness.  In general, the food at Urban Thai is accessible and good for the majority of patrons.   With all things considered, I found the reasonably-priced happy hour menu to be full of appealing eats that were also well-portioned.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Well-priced happy hour menu
- Adequate portion size
- Although milder for the general public, the food still tasted good

The Bad:
- Flavours are more mild to appease the general public

Dazzling Cafe

I've noticed that the pictures on my IG account that get the most likes and attention seem to be mainly desserts.  More specifically, Asian desserts that are piled high with lots of various things that make it look even more impressive.  So it is no accident that while I was scrolling through my feed, I was drawn to the toast boxes from the newly opened Dazzling Cafe.  However, with a 6:00pm closing time and lineups that go 2 hours long, it hasn't been the easiest place to visit.  So I decided to hit it up with Mijune one afternoon just before it closed.  Even with that, we had to wait nearly an hour for a table for 2.

Despite being know for their toasts, Dazzling also offers up a fair amount of savoury items on their menu.  As such, we went for something out of each section including the Truffle Fries to start.  These reminded me of Costco fries with a light and super crispy starch coating.  These were tossed in only a minimal amount of truffle oil, so there was that noted Earthiness without tasting too artificial.  On top, they drizzled a small dab of jarred black truffle which added an even bigger hit of woodsiness.  We also got the Duck & Pesto Pizza sporting a super thin crust that was more akin to a pita or cracker.  Hence, the edges were crispy and light while the middle softened up quickly due to the pesto and cheeses on top.  There was also some buttery mushrooms as well as the thick-sliced pieces of duck breast (which were not dry, but not juicy either).

My favourite dish was the Mentaiko Pasta with onion and nori.  Normally, most Asian restaurants butcher and destroy pasta until it has the texture of mashed potatoes.  Not here though as the spaghetti was al dente.  Now it wasn't "Italian al dente" but it was al dente for an Asian restaurant.   I also appreciated that there was just enough moisture to coat the pasta without drowning it.  About that sauce, it was on the sweeter side and the pops of seafoodiness from the tobiko was both tasty and texturally pleasing.  Not visually attractive, the Squid Ink Rice with mussels was like a risotto with chewy grains of rice that were cheesy, garlicky and briny.  This was actually very flavourful without being salty.  However, it was a very heavy dish and I couldn't see myself finishing the whole thing.

Onto dessert, we only had to pay a surcharge of $2.00 for our Hazelnut Chocolate Honey Toast because only the basic toast is free with the purchase of 2 entrees.  This was probably the most photogenic of the bunch and featured cubes of crispy toast filled with chocolate and topped with fluffy cream and hazelnuts.  We thought this was a pretty well-executed dessert, but something seemed to be missing in the middle, like a custard or something.  Despite the copious amount of cream, the whole thing still seemed dry. Rounding out our meal was some bevvies including the Dazzling Pink and Grape Cherry Tea. I found these expensive at over $5.00 each, but they were refreshing and only lightly sweet.  Overall, the rest of the items were not really all that pricey with all things considered.  It was a good experience, but hardly a mind-blowing one.  At the very least, I found the one here in Richmond better than the Hong Kong Causeway Bay location.

The Good:
- Cute dining space with rabbit ear chairs
- Other than the drinks, not too pricey
- Some decent eats

The Bad:
- Service was good, but still hard to flag someone down
- Good experience, but probably a little over-hyped by the IG posts

C-Prime Modern Italian Steak & Wine

As much as there are many locations of The Keg in the Lower Mainland, other than the high-end ones found in Downtown Vancouver (such as Hy's, Gotham and Black + Blue), there are only a few like Chop, Carver's and S+L).  I guess such an operation involves a fairly high investment in terms of decor, staffing and of course the beef products which have been skyrocketing in price the past few years.  Therefore, it was somewhat interesting that C-Prime Modern Italian Steak & Wine replaced Beyond in the Century Plaza Hotel.  Sporting a more upscale interior and equally more deluxe menu, I was wondering how it stacked up to the other steakhouses in town.

Originally, C-Prime wasn't even our first choice as we had booked ARC, but due to the availability of more kid-friendly dishes, we ended up there.  Normally, I do not comment on house bread as it can be pretty generic (unless it is menu item, which is becoming the norm these days).  However, the Focaccia with warm EVOO, balsamic vinegar, fleur de sel and olives was fantastic.  In addition to the option for customization, the bread itself was soft and warm.

Moving onto our appies, we had the classic Beef Carpaccio with arugula, shaved parm and mustard aioli.  This was pretty much a textbook version consisting of super thin slices of buttery melt-in-our-mouths beef.  We appreciated the simplicity of the accompaniments as it didn't overwhelm the delicate meat.  Personally, it was a relief that they opted for a creamy and tangy mustard aioli rather than truffle oil or aioli.  It was more bright and less heavy.  Next, we had another classic in the Baked Oysters Florentine which were topped with spinach and asiago fondue. As such, the flavours were mild and more creamy.  The spinach was completely wilted, but not mushy.  The oysters were small, but buttery and sweet.

Presented as one large piece, the Crab Cake was stuffed full of dungeness, peppers and onions.  I would've preferred 2 smaller crab cakes as the texture of the large one was a bit dense and mealy while the exterior wasn't crispy enough due to the size.  Flavours were pretty mild though with only the sweetness of the red pepper and onions coming through.  I enjoyed the lemon aioli as it was creamy and lightly acidic.  Our last appie was the Pan-Seared Scallops atop cauliflower puree.  We found the scallops a touch overdone but they were still buttery.  They were naturally sweet and the puree underneath added another layer of sweetness.  

Onto the mains, I went for the 10 oz. NY Striploin prepared a perfect medium-rare.  I don't throw around the perfect word very often since nothing is, but my steak was uniformly medium-rare and well-charred.  It was also properly seasoned where I could've eaten it plain and I would've been a happy camper.  However, I added a side of Bernaise sauce which was super buttery and rich.  On the negative side of the ledger, I found the onion rings far too hard and crunchy to eat.  My mom also went for a steak in the 8 oz. Wagyu Ribeye in a California cut (cap removed).  This was also seared aggressively while still maintaining a medium doneness (to activate the fats in a Wagyu steak, it's best to go for medium).  The meat was also properly-seasoned and super tender.

My dad prefers to limit his red meat intake, so he went for the Whole Dover Sole with lemon & capers and oregano.  When they said whole dover, they weren't kidding as it was the entire fish with bones.  No matter as the meat was easily removed while being moist and flaky.  The dish was on the greasier side though and mildly seasoned.  However, the lemon did go a long way in keeping things acidic and bright.  As predicted, my daughter ordered the BC Salmon al forno with honey balsalmic glaze and rapini.  As evidenced in the picture, the skin was aggressively crisped up.  However, the rest of the fish was overdone being on the drier side.  In terms of seasoning, the flavours were excellent with plenty of tart sweetness from the glaze.

Viv followed the trend and didn't go for steak either.  She selected the Panko Crusted Ahi Tuna which was prepared rare with only the slightest cooked outer ring.  Hence, the outside was lightly crispy while the inside was buttery and tender.  The fish itself was mildly sweet with the taste of the sea.  It was accompanied by a dijon-soy ailoi which wasn't overwhelming.  My son had the Spaghetti Carbonara that featured al dente noodles, pancetta and parm.  Despite the flavourful description, the dish fell completely flat.  He had to resort to using salt to flavour the dish.  It was creamy though and not overly greasy nor wet.

We also added some sides including Mac n Cheese and Truffle Parm Fries.  Whatever afflicted the spaghetti carbonara also rang true for the mac n cheese.  It was generally flavourless without any saltiness nor sharpness from the cheese.  As much as we appreciated the al dente texture of the macaroni, the whole dish was fairly dry and in need of more bechamel and cheese.  Although a little overwhelming with the truffle oil, the fries were pretty solid being the lightly crispy house-cut variety.  They were naturally potatoey inside and aggressively double-fried on the outside.  Loved the good amount of parm as it added plenty of umaminess.

To add some veggies to the meal, we also got the Cauliflower Gratin and Creamed Corn. Yes, I realize the oxymoron-type names of the dishes, but hey, why not make veggies taste better?  We found the cauliflower to be texturally on point with a firm robust crunch while still cooked all-the-way through.  Although there was a plethora of cheese sauce, the flavours were rather muted though.  The creamed corn was pretty saucy seemingly more so than actual corn.  It was not bad with an impactful sweetness accented by the sweet pops of corn niblets.  I would've liked to see more saltiness to balance the sweetness though.

Moving onto the sweets, we got the Cannoli (mispelled Cannolli on the menu!) filled with ricotta-marscapone cream and chocolate chips.  These were pretty good sporting a light and crispy shell.  Inside, the cream was smooth while being rather sweet.  The light bite from the chocolate chips added even more sweetness and nice texture.  My daughter could've cared less about the cannolis since she had her eye on the Chocolate Tart with raspberry crumb, croquant almond and raspberry sorbet.  This was also acceptable with a rather rich ganache that was slightly bitter and not overly sweet.  We found the shell to be a bit crumbly while the sorbet was nicely balanced and smooth.

For my mom, she wanted the lemon-ricotta Cheesecake with amarena cherries and raspberry sorbet.  This was also decent with a medium-thick creamy texture that was lightly tart and purposefully sweet.  The sweet syrupy cherries on top also had a background bitterness that went quite well with the cheesecake.  In the end, our feelings were mixed with the wide range of dishes we tried.  Some hit the mark while others were not acceptable given the menu prices.  Regarding the service, we thought it was pretty attentive and definitely friendly. Ultimately, one's experience at C-Prime truly depends on the selection of dishes ordered.

The Good:
- Steaks turned out right and were tender
- On point service
- Nice room and ambiance

The Bad:
- Hit and miss
- Pricey
- Inadequate parking lot