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To be completely frank, I've never associated good food with the River Rock Casino Resort. From the buffet to Tramonto, it seems like they put in a good effort, but it just doesn't seem consistent enough to be a destination. Hence, the only times I've been to the place has been through invites except for the first time I visited The Buffet. However, with a change in direction, they are now putting more resources into changing up what was seen as a sore point all these years. As a first step, I was invited (along with others) to sample their Happy Hour at Curve Lounge. Not only did I not realize there was a happy hour, but also the beautiful patio outside with a view of the Fraser River.
Since we were served everything all at the same time, I decided to tackle the Seafood Tabouli with wild rice, mint, parsley, bulgur, roasted red onion, baby shrimp, octopus, tuna and fresh lime first (due to the heat outside). This was well-executed with rare tuna that was buttery and soft. I found the octopus to be tender with a pleasant chew. These were lightly salted where their natural flavours were allowed to shine. At first, I thought the fried tempura nuggets in the little jars were fish. However, they turned out to be Jalapeño Poppers stuffed with feta cheese. These were tangy and lightly spicy where the creaminess of the cream cheese dill aioli balanced out the flavours.
Off to 3 different Flatbreads, we had a Pugliese (oven dried tomato, caramelized red onion, mozzarella, provolone and fresh herbs), Frutti di Mare (clam, mussel, shrimp, scallop, tomato sauce and gruyère) and Veronese (prosciutto, wild mushroom, tomato). Each one was crispy and thin that held up to all of the wet ingredients. The tomato sauce was light and tangy which went well with the seafood. The prosciutto was more meaty and spicier. Something similar, we had Avocado Bruschetta with marinated tomato, red onion, radish, olive oil, lemon and watercress. This was more robust due to the foccacia and the generous amount of ripe avocado. The flavours were fairly mild where the squeeze of the lemon wedges was needed to bring it to life.
One tried and true appie that exists on nearly all menus is the Fried Chicken Wings. We had the classic salt and pepper version which was fried up perfectly. They were crispy with rendered skin while the meat inside was succulent and almost juicy. There was a enough seasoning for impact as well. I went back for seconds on this one. Clearly something that was far too big (in my mind) for being only $6.00 was the Artichoke Dip. This was served in a large dish consisting of sweet corn, double crème brie and of course artichoke. I thought this was pretty standard and possibly a little underseasoned, but the pop of sweet corn helped in that regard. It was really rich due to the 2 slices of brie on top.
Looking more like a soup, the Caramelized Onion Cheese Fondue was the right consistency where it stayed liquid, but was thick enough to coat all the pastries and seasonal veggies. I thought the pastries were of a nice size and crispy while the veggies were firm and vibrant. I could definitely taste the sharpness of the cheese as well as a slight wine aftertaste. I was still in disbelief that this was $6.00 as well! Going from heavy to light, we had the Inari Pockets containing marinated seaweed & bean medley with green tea scented purple sushi rice. As expected, this was Japanese-tasting with the sweetness of the inari and the umaminess of the seaweed. I found the rice to be appealingly chewy.
For dessert, we were served a Chilled Mango Cheesecake, Dark Chocolate Bombe, Pina Colada Mousse and a colourful Unicorn Cake. For me, the latter was on point with purposeful sweetness and the nice balancing tang of raspberry. The pina colada mousse was refreshing and aromatic from the coconut and the pineapple gelee in the middle was a sweet surprise. Normally, cheesecake is well, cheesecake. This was was smooth and not overly sweet. Once again, there was a surprise in the middle in the form of mango panna cotta. that was also the theme of the chocolate bombe where a blood orange cardamom cremeux added a tangy counterbalance. Now these were not on the $6.00 happy hour menu, but I'd gladly pay full price for them. But, everything else was definitely $6.00 and a fabulous deal. How come I didn't know about this earlier?
*All food and beverages were complimentary*
The Good:
- Nice spacious patio with a view
- $6.00 happy hour menu
- Generous portion size
The Bad:
- Lovely patio with lots of sunshine, but they need more umbrellas
The Yoshoku scene in Vancouver can often be described as limited. Other than a handful of places, it really isn't a thing here. However, yoshoku cuisine lovers rejoice as there is a newly opened spot in town called Dosanko. Husband and wife team of Nathan and Akiyo Lowey (formerly of Capagnolo and Tojo respectively) have taken over the spot that once housed Fat Dragon, where they now serve up Japanese home-style cooking that are interpretations of Western dishes. Mijune and I decided to hit up the place, but were unaware that they had been only opened for a week (hence the lack of signage).
We started things off with Aki's Salad consisting of greens, sesame, lentils, beans, chickpeas, quinoa, beets and blueberries. It was lightly dressed with a koji vinaigrette. Despite the list of ingredients, the salad itself was fairly simple and straightforward. Things were fresh with varying textures. This was refreshing, yet I would've liked to see a touch more acidity to wake up the flavours. Next up was the Kimpira sporting burdock and carrots pickled in a sweet and spicy soy sauce. The mouth feel of the crunch was appealing while the sauce was well-balanced with a hint of sesame.
If the next item looks like chicken karaage, your eyes don't deceive you. Stated as Zangi on the menu, it is merely the name of the dish in Hokkaido. Their version was quite good coated with potato flour, it was lightly crispy (could've been more so) and easy on the grease. Each piece was juicy and succulent while being well-seasoned with garlic and ginger. If one needed more punch, it was served with a side of salt. Consisting of a few different items, the Tempura was coated with a super airy and light batter. It was a touch oil-logged though. The veggies included onion, purple carrot, green bean and shiso leaf. The shiso leaf was actually the greasiest, but I enjoyed it the most due to its flavour and crispiness.
One of our favourite dishes was the Miso Saba. The mackerel was tender and flaky while maintaining its meatiness. It was mild-tasting, which was a good thing as the sauce was pretty potent. At Dosanko, they do not used bottled sauces. Rather, everything is house-made. Hence, the sweet miso sauce was intense and concentrated. It tasted original and not very typical. The syrupy sweetness was pretty strong, but there was enough saltiness to even it out. Since it was a pretty warm day, we were happy to see the Hiyashi Chuka (cold ramen) hit the table. These handmade noodles were very al dente and were flavoured with a tasty sesame soy dressing. On top, there was tender shredded chicken, cucumbers, carrots and sesame.
Presented in a hot clay pot, the Curry Rice was bubbling hot. On top of the rice was a generous blend of tender ground pork, cheese and pickles. The result was a rich concoction that was meaty and stringy from the mozzarella. The flavours were sweet, but fairly mild. We found the dish comforting, but would've liked to see a rice crust (despite it not being a prerequisite of this particular dish). Served with house-made tonkatsu sauce and sesame seeds that we would grind ourselves, the Tonkatsu was lean and meaty. We would've liked to see it tenderized more, but it wasn't chewy. On the outside, the panko coating was appealingly crunchy. We loved the tangy, sweet and slightly peppery tonkatsu sauce as well as the side of koji mayo.
Another classic Yoshoku dish was the Okara Hamburg Steak with Rice. The patty consisted of minced beef, pork and okara (soy bean crumb). It resulted in a meaty and lean patty. It wasn't dry though and it sported a caramelized sear. The sauce was sweet and tangy with concentrated depth. As a result, the root veggies were super sweet where they soaked up the sauce. This went well with the side of white rice. Moving away from all these larger dishes, we tried the Gomaae featuring string beans marinated in a sesame dressing. I found the beans to be lightly crunchy. The dressing was sweet and lightly aromatic.
Onto dessert, we had the Coffee Jelly Parfait, Cherry Tart and Matcha Mille Crepe. As much as the food up until this point had been pretty solid, the desserts needed some work. The coffee jelly was too stiff and too mild-tasting. We found the mille crepe to be rubbery and dry while the matcha was barely detectable. The best of the bunch was the cherry tart as it boasted sweet and tangy cherries on top. The pastry cream wasn't too sweet, but wasn't smooth enough. It was pretty unfortunate that the desserts didn't match the savoury items in terms of execution because it is nice to see another Yoshoku restaurant in town. But it had been open for only a week, so there is still some time to grow.
The Good:
- All house-made sauces and food
- Nice people
- Good to see another spot serving Yoshoku cuisine
The Bad:
- On the pricier side
- Desserts need some work
- An A/C unit should be their next purchase
"When was the last time you visited Coast?", I was asked on this invite to try the place out after a management change that saw the main players from Joe Fortes move over. I sheepishly drew a blank because other than a media dinner a few years ago, the last time I actually ate at Coast was 7 years ago! Not that the place was bad per se, I just had other places to go. Now with the aforementioned team including colourful Maitre'd Frenchy and Operations Manager Scott Garrett as well as changes to parts of the interior and some menu items, I was curious to see what they had in store.
As an Amuse Bouche, we were served the Fish & Chip Cones with sushi rice, tempura cod and spicy mayo wrapped with colourful soy paper. These were super light with only minimal amount of chewy sushi rice and a flaky piece of fish. The tempura batter was crispy and airy while the spicy mayo was impactful. We decided to try the Lobster Chowder which was really a brandy lobster bisque with an Atlantic lobster tail (and several chunks of lobster as well). Normally, I find bisques rather heavy, overly creamy and salty. This one here was the complete opposite where it wasn't reliant on salt. Rather, it featured concentrated lobster shell aroma and brininess. We found the amount of brandy spot on where it was definitely noticeable.
The cones and soup were good, but really, the thing we were looking forward to most was the Coast Tower. This 3-tiered beast featured both Dungeness and Snow Crab, Scallop Ceviche, Albacore Tuna Gomae and Wakame Salad on the bottom. In the middle, we found half of an Altantic Lobster, Oysters, Mussels and Prawns. The icing on the cake (or tower in this case) was a sushi tile consisting of Nigiri, Sashimi and Sushi Rolls. In fact, it ate as good as it looked with fresh slices of sashimi consisting of red tuna, buttery hamachi, Atlantic salmon and albacore tuna. There was also a selection of nigiri where there was only a modest amount of chewy sushi rice.
As mentioned, the bottom tier sported Snow and Dungeness Crab, Scallop Ceviche, Tuna Gomae and Wakame Salad. We found the ceviche to be buttery soft and naturally sweet. Both types of crab were fluffy and on point texturally. They were sweet and briny. Although the tuna in the gomae was fresh and buttery, we would've liked to see more dressing. On the second tier, the half-Lobster was a treat being meaty and cooked just enough where there was a nice rebound. Mussels were plump and sweet while the Prawns were equally sweet albeit a touch overdone. Oysters were shucked properly with no shell fragments while being intensely sweet and bright.
For good measure, we got one hot dish in the Miso-Maple Sablefish with sake-butter braised leeks and chive smoked bacon mash. This fish was prepared properly being buttery and flaky with a sweet and salty glaze. The topping of shredded nori and bonito added some extra seafoodiness to the fish. Creamy and smooth, the mash was smoky, yet not salty while nicely brightened up by the chives. Of course we couldn't get out of there without ordering their signature Brussels Sprouts with capers, lemon, Parm and chili. These were like I remembered being crispy and impactfully spiked with flavours that backed up the description. Loved the amount of acidity and spice.
For dessert, we shared the Coconut Banana Butter Cake with rum caramel, creme Anglaise and strawberries. This was served warm being aromatic and of course buttery. It was not as sweet as I expected despite the caramel and sauce. The little nuggets of banana were sweet surprises while the tart strawberries helped balance the richness. This was a nice finish to a surprising evening. I've never been shy in the past about my thoughts about the Glowbal Group, but it appears good things are brewing here at Coast after a management change. I look forward to see the many changes that are in store.
*All food and beverages excluding gratuities were complimentary*
The Good:
- Food was pretty much on point
- Lively "to be seen" atmosphere
- Attentive service (as observed at other tables)
The Bad:
- The location and type of food = pricey
Usually, our standby eats after returning from vacay is either wonton noodles, congee or dim sum. Sometimes we do all 3 in short order since we often head to places without Vancouver-quality Chinese eats. However, this time was a reversed as we had just returned from Hong Kong. On a side note, I believe the Chinese food in Vancouver can give Hong Kong a run for its money. Now what did we do for our official meal back from the far East? Brunch at The Boathouse. Before the chain-restaurant haters come out with their knives, let me say that there is nothing wrong with being boring once-in-awhile (besides, my parents picked the place...).
Prior to our brunch things, we had the Seafood Appie Platter to start. It consisted of Crab Dip, Crab Cakes, Calamari and Firecracker Shrimp. I thought the crab dip was pretty solid with a uniform layer of melted cheese on top. There was enough fluffy crab to make an impact. I wasn't too fond of the calamari though as the batter was dry and crumbly. The squid itself was good though. I found the crab cakes to be more like crab fritters with a hard exterior. Inside, there was more filler than actual crab. Nicely executed, the firecracker shrimp were buttery with a snap. They were lightly spicy.
I decided to go for the Crab Cake Benny featuring a perfectly poached runny egg. The Hollandaise was creamy and had a nice consistency while needing a bit more acidity. As for the crab cake, it was not very good. I felt it was fried far too long where it was too crunchy and the visuals weren't pleasing. Much like the appie, there wasn't enough crab to qualify it as a crab cake. Viv decided on the Smoked Salmon Hash which was a fairly large portion (albeit mostly hash browns). With that being said, it was a pleasant dish with a decent amount of smoked salmon and another perfectly poached egg.
My son went for his standby being the Bacon Cheddar Burger with fries and it was one of the better choices. It sported a thick and relatively moist beef patty with plenty of melted cheddar and crisp bacon on soft brioche. The side of thick-cut fries were starch-coated, hence they were super crispy. Also with the same fries, but not remotely as successful, the Chicken Bacon Cheedar Club was a dud. From the overcooked, thin and rubbery chicken, to the hard-to-chew bread, this was not something that was easy to eat and not something that any of us wanted to eat.
For my daughter, she actually stuck to the kid's menu (shocking since she usually demands the adult menu) and selected the Grilled Salmon with a side of Caesar salad. As you can clearly see, the fish was overdone and cooked at too high heat due to the proteins leaking out all over the place. My dad decided on the Crab & Shrimp Omelette topped with a splash of Hollandaise. This was chock full of crab, shrimp and avocado, so it was definitely hearty, however, the egg itself was no longer fluffy since it was cooked at a fairly high heat. Not bad, but not memorable either.
On another visit, I decided to give the Pacific Cod & Chips a go. I though the fish itself was cooked nicely being flaky and moist. However, the batter was not uniformly crispy and was rather greasy. I wasn't a fan of the dill tartar (which I had to ask for) as it wasn't tangy enough. Viv tired the Mussel Steamer Pot in Thai green curry. Generally, when a non-Asian restaurant offers any "Thai" flavour, it is flavourless and not spicy enough. However, the one here was surprisingly tasty with a nice kick. The mussels were buttery and plump too. Overall, the brunch items at The Boathouse are serviceable, but on the expensive side. Naturally, the decor and view are major factors for this. Based on previous visits, I've had better luck with the dinner service.
The Good:
- Nice view
- Beautiful high-ceiling building
- Attentive service
The Bad:
- Hit and miss food
- On the pricier side, but not unreasonable considering the intangibles
After an almost endless assault of mainly Chinese food over the past 10 days, we were planning to do something different. Now we weren't talking about eating anything too exotic though. Rather, something less heavy and still stood a chance at being good in Hong Kong - Japanese food. Now we weren't talking about the really expensive joints because we were bringing the kiddies too. So we ended up at a small little joint in Wan Chai called BA Sushi & Japanese Food. Hey, the online reviews seemed favourable and the prices were definitely reasonable.
I did the ordering (of course I did!) and decided that we needed more than the Assorted Sashimi to satisfy everyone's appetite. Actually, it was more for my daughter as she loves Salmon Sashimi (so we got a plate of that to supplement the assorted sashimi). Although the presentation wasn't the best, the sashimi itself appeared to be decent in quality and in fact, all the pieces ate quite well. The salmon was buttery and mildly sweet while the tuna was soft, but not in a mushy way. I particularly liked the salmon that was wrapped around ika at both ends of the plate. With that being said, we thought the quality was decent for the price.
Onto some Nigiri, we had a few orders of Uni, Unagi and Tamago. Despite not looking so special, the uni was actually very sweet and fresh-tasting. It was buttery and silky with a bright taste of the sea. As for the sushi rice, it was nicely chewy and not dried-out. We weren't fans of the unagi though as it was crispy rather than soft and moist. Hence, the textures were all wrong. The sauce was nice though being appealingly sweet. My son loves tamago and this one was pretty good as it was prepared the traditional manner with visable layers. This was soft, yet not too soft with a balanced sweetness.
The Assorted Tempura arrived looking pretty dark brown in colour. The batter tasted like it too. I found each piece fried just a touch too long as the exterior was super crunchy and lacking moisture. I found the batter to be dry, and some of the veggies (the yam) were super thin. The ebi were okay though being moist and having a slight snap. I wasn't a huge fan of the Gyoza as they were not crisped up enough on the bottom. Furthermore, the skin was maybe a bit too thin as it lacked any real elasticity. Inside, the filling was quite loose and lacked meat texture, owing partially due to the amount of cabbage.
For our carbs, we got the Grilled Chicken Set which included rice, veggies, wakame and miso soup. The chicken itself was quite tender and juicy, but the skin was not rendered, hence it was fatty. It wasn't advertised as teriyaki, so we were not surprised it didn't taste like it. But there was enough sweet and salty flavours going on though. We were a little disappointed with the Fried Pork Cutlet Udon because the pork was dry and tough. On the outside, the breading was crunchy though. As for the udon, it was fine with a mild-tasting dashi and chewy noodles. Overall, we thought the sushi and sashimi was good for the price. We've had better, but it did the job. The cooked food was pretty average though.
The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Fairly decent sushi and sashimi
The Bad:
- Cooked food is so so
- There is certainly better sushi (but will be more expensive)
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To be completely frank, I've never associated good food with the River Rock Casino Resort. From the buffet to Tramonto, it seems like they put in a good effort, but it just doesn't seem consistent enough to be a destination. Hence, the only times I've been to the place has been through invites except for the first time I visited The Buffet. However, with a change in direction, they are now putting more resources into changing up what was seen as a sore point all these years. As a first step, I was invited (along with others) to sample their Happy Hour at Curve Lounge. Not only did I not realize there was a happy hour, but also the beautiful patio outside with a view of the Fraser River.
Since we were served everything all at the same time, I decided to tackle the Seafood Tabouli with wild rice, mint, parsley, bulgur, roasted red onion, baby shrimp, octopus, tuna and fresh lime first (due to the heat outside). This was well-executed with rare tuna that was buttery and soft. I found the octopus to be tender with a pleasant chew. These were lightly salted where their natural flavours were allowed to shine. At first, I thought the fried tempura nuggets in the little jars were fish. However, they turned out to be Jalapeño Poppers stuffed with feta cheese. These were tangy and lightly spicy where the creaminess of the cream cheese dill aioli balanced out the flavours.
Off to 3 different Flatbreads, we had a Pugliese (oven dried tomato, caramelized red onion, mozzarella, provolone and fresh herbs), Frutti di Mare (clam, mussel, shrimp, scallop, tomato sauce and gruyère) and Veronese (prosciutto, wild mushroom, tomato). Each one was crispy and thin that held up to all of the wet ingredients. The tomato sauce was light and tangy which went well with the seafood. The prosciutto was more meaty and spicier. Something similar, we had Avocado Bruschetta with marinated tomato, red onion, radish, olive oil, lemon and watercress. This was more robust due to the foccacia and the generous amount of ripe avocado. The flavours were fairly mild where the squeeze of the lemon wedges was needed to bring it to life.
One tried and true appie that exists on nearly all menus is the Fried Chicken Wings. We had the classic salt and pepper version which was fried up perfectly. They were crispy with rendered skin while the meat inside was succulent and almost juicy. There was a enough seasoning for impact as well. I went back for seconds on this one. Clearly something that was far too big (in my mind) for being only $6.00 was the Artichoke Dip. This was served in a large dish consisting of sweet corn, double crème brie and of course artichoke. I thought this was pretty standard and possibly a little underseasoned, but the pop of sweet corn helped in that regard. It was really rich due to the 2 slices of brie on top.
Looking more like a soup, the Caramelized Onion Cheese Fondue was the right consistency where it stayed liquid, but was thick enough to coat all the pastries and seasonal veggies. I thought the pastries were of a nice size and crispy while the veggies were firm and vibrant. I could definitely taste the sharpness of the cheese as well as a slight wine aftertaste. I was still in disbelief that this was $6.00 as well! Going from heavy to light, we had the Inari Pockets containing marinated seaweed & bean medley with green tea scented purple sushi rice. As expected, this was Japanese-tasting with the sweetness of the inari and the umaminess of the seaweed. I found the rice to be appealingly chewy.
For dessert, we were served a Chilled Mango Cheesecake, Dark Chocolate Bombe, Pina Colada Mousse and a colourful Unicorn Cake. For me, the latter was on point with purposeful sweetness and the nice balancing tang of raspberry. The pina colada mousse was refreshing and aromatic from the coconut and the pineapple gelee in the middle was a sweet surprise. Normally, cheesecake is well, cheesecake. This was was smooth and not overly sweet. Once again, there was a surprise in the middle in the form of mango panna cotta. that was also the theme of the chocolate bombe where a blood orange cardamom cremeux added a tangy counterbalance. Now these were not on the $6.00 happy hour menu, but I'd gladly pay full price for them. But, everything else was definitely $6.00 and a fabulous deal. How come I didn't know about this earlier?
