Ha Cafe

As much as I love brunch and burgers, I can only take that many consecutive North American meals without beginning to feel ill.  That was the case when I was in Victoria for 2 days.  I ended up at Jam Cafe, John's Place and Bin 4 Burger Lounge.  When I got back, the first thing I had to do was to eat Asian food.  After conferring with the kids (yes, they have a say), it was determined that we go for Vietnamese.  Staying within Burnaby, we made our way over to the hidden Ha Cafe in Old Orchard Mall.

We began with the Spicy Chicken Wings and fries which was a fairly large portion.  Nothing much to say about the Cavendish fries since they were crispy as expected.  Just think Costco fries and you get the idea.  As for the wings, they were crisp on the outside while not overly dry on the inside.  They were lightly spicy, but not overly impactful.  The side of black pepper and lemon juice dip was as black as the pavement.  It was also very peppery and a bit out-of-balance.  We also got the Spring Rolls and they were terrible.  The rice paper wrapper was thick and dense while the filling was mealy and overprocessed.  We didn't even finish them.

For myself, I had the Beef Stew Noodles without the onions.  I really should've kept the onions because the sharpness might've helped even out the sweetness of the broth.  To me, it tasted of MSG, but there were elements of daikon and carrot.  I thought the beef brisket was fairly tender and moist, but there wasn't much of it.  The noodles were pretty good being chewy while the sprouts were blanched and underneath the noodles.  Viv went for the House Special Pho which was pretty average as well.  The soup base was sweet and clean, but it was also very light tasting.  There was a lack of depth and meatiness.  The noodles were also good here, but there was very little meat to be found.

The kids shared the Lemongrass Chicken with rice (and we added an egg).  The rice was chewy and the right doneness.  On the side was a large mound of salad that featured crisp and fresh veggies.  As for the chicken, it was tender an moist with rendered skin.  It was nicely charred where there was a smokiness and caramelization.  There was also enough lemongrass for impact. This was one of the better dishes we had at Ha Cafe.  Otherwise, the meal was pretty average.  With that being said, the food was serviceable and well-priced for the portion size.

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Decent portion size
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Food is average
- Not the most spacious of setups

Italian Tomato

Sometimes, with all the new restaurants opening up, we are caught up in trying the latest and greatest.  This happens constantly, so it is difficult to remember the ones that have been around for awhile.  It is especially true when they are not located in the most obvious areas, such as Downtown, Commercial Drive, Main Street and Alexandra Road in Richmond.  Taking over the spot that used to be Dem Bones, Italian Tomato occupies an odd spot ever since they rerouted Bridgeport Road and Sea Island Way into one-way streets.  Hence, if you miss the entrance and the immediate street afterwards, it'll be a big loop to get back.

We met up with Costanza and family for some eats prior to the Starry Night event at Deas Regional Park.  We decided to share 4 large pastas picking one from each section beginning with the red sauce in the Spaghetti Bolognese.  This was a gigantic portion with a tangy (in a tomato paste kinda way) thick sauce that was meaty. It wasn't a classic bolognese and a bit one-note though.  The pasta was al dente though and there was plenty of flavour.  We also added Meatballs for another $6.00 and they were fairly large.  They were accompanied by a similarly tart tomato sauce that was equally flavourful.  The meatballs themselves were far too mushy in texture for our liking though.  We would've preferred some semblance of a natural meatiness and a bite.

In the cream sauce section, we decided on the Milano with Italian ham, mushrooms and peas.  We chose linguine as our pasta and it was firmly al dente.  This was a good match for the rich sauce and ingredients as it was hearty enough.  This was plenty garlicky with enough seasoning to match.  The saltiness of the ham combined with the Earthiness of the mushrooms and sweet pop of the peas created layers of flavour and textures.  The sauce itself was rather heavy though and it was hard to eat too much of it. For our EVOO choice, we had the Mamma Mia featuring baby shrimp, baby clams, baby scallops and prawns in a garlic olive oil white wine clear sauce.  Again, the pasta was appealingly firm, but the flavours were mild except for the amount of garlic.  Despite the abundance of seafood, there was a lack of brininess.  Furthermore, the pasta was too dry and clumped up easily.

Our favourite pasta of the meal was the Marco Polo in the rose sauce section.  It sported diced chicken breast, baby shrimp, spicy Italian sausage and mushrooms in a spicy tomato sauce with a touch of cream.  Due to the zestiness of the dish, we chose the robust and al dente penne which stood up well. There was a low-rumbling spice that was accented by equal parts of tang and creaminess.  The chicken was quite dry, but the sausage was meaty and also spicy.  This dish had quite the impact from first bite to the last.  We added 2 pizzas as well including the basic Quattro Formaggi with mozzarella, bocconcini, provolone and feta.  Featuring a thin crust that was crispy at the edges and not soggy in the middle, it had a good mouth feel.  It was also very cheesy as advertised.

Our second pizza was the Alla Romana with pepperoni, smoky bacon, ham and mushrooms.  Since this featured 3 types of meat, it was more salty than the previous pizza.  Furthermore, the pepperoni added a touch of spice while the mushrooms did its woodsy thing.  Despite the amount of toppings, the crust did not significantly soften, hence it stayed flat when we picked it up.  Overall, Italian Tomato did the job despite some hit and miss items.  The prices were fair for the portion size (not sure why anyone would order half sizes at only $2.00 less) and the kids were left happy.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Fairly attentive service
- Low key setting

The Bad:
- Hit and miss
- Not the most easy to get to spot

Gyoza Bar (New Summer Menu Items)

It is no secret that when Gyoza Bar first opened, reviews were mixed.  In fact, we went with a large group back then and there was a wide range of opinions.  I did a revisit a year ago and was pleasantly surprised with the changes to the menu.  Things were more refined and in my opinion, tastier.  That prompted me to return many more times in the past year.  Recently, I paid Gyoza Bar a visit to try some of their Summer menu items which included a combination of tried and true dishes mixed in with a few new ones.

We were started off with a pair of frozen cocktails including the Grilled Peach & Orange Blossom with pinot gris and rum as well as the Strawberry Yuzu & Pistachio with rose and gin.  Of the two, I preferred the strawberry yuzu partly due to the visuals as it was a beautiful red.  It was also nicely blended and not overly sweet while sporting an aromaticness.  There was also the light hit of gin which went well with the flavours.  The peach & orange blossom was subtle, yet more strong in terms of alcohol.  It was slightly floral with the sweetness of peach at the end.

Onto our first course, we had the refreshing Japanese Tomato Salad with shiso vinaigrette, bonito flakes, cucumber, cilantro and green onion.  This featured ripe chunks of visually-appealing tomatoes which were juicy and sweet.  The cukes were also fresh, bright and crunchy.  I found the vinaigrette balanced in terms of acidity and sweetness while the shiso added a herbal brightness.  I appreciated that the cilantro was in the background as it can often be overwhelming.  Next up was a Gyoza Bar classic in the Japanese Curry Poutine with pulled pork, cheddar cheese, cilantro and pickled jalapeno.  I've had this before and this was no different with crispy fries topped with a generous amount of topping.  The pork was tender and well-seasoned with sweet and mildly spicy curry while the melted cheese kept things together.  Once again, the cilantro was complimentary while the jalapeno added a spicy tang.

Of course, it would've be a tasting at Gyoza Bar without gyozas right?  So we ended up with the Chicken Sui Gyoza with broccolini and a sweet & sour scallion sauce.  Unlike their wonderfully addictive pan-fried gyozas, these were steamed.  Hence, they were healthier, but also in the fact that the filling was soft chicken and veggies.  I would've liked a meatier texture, but it didn't make or break the dish.  The dumpling skin was medium thickness while being tender with an elasticity.  Tangy with a bit of sharpness from the onions, the sauce was impactful in a complimentary fashion to the mild chicken.  Arriving sizzling hot, the Teppan Bistro Fillet Steak was on point.  Prepared medium to medium-rare, the meat was succulent and super tender.  Underneath, we found garlic rice, corn, shiitake mushrooms, sesame and sweet soy reduction.  On top, there was a sprinkle of green onions and a sous-vide egg.  The whole concoction was tasty with umaminess from the ingredients as well as the caramelization from the sizzling teppan.

Due to the hot weather of late, it was nice to be served a Cold Katsuo Umami Ramen with a soy-based bonito broth, chicken char siu, tamago, red cabbage and katsuo bushi.  This was also on point with firmly chewy noodles bathed in a broth that was light, yet at the same time flavourful from the bonito.  This was doubled up in the broth as well as the flakes with touch of sesame oil.  The egg was perfectly runny while the sous-vide chicken was super soft while still retaining a meaty texture.  For dessert, we had the Golden Bao Fritter with yuzu marmalade, condensed milk and ice cream.  These were crunchy while still soft in the middle.  Loved the yuzu marmalade as it added another layer of tang and sweetness to the normally syrupy sweet condensed milk.  Of the new items I tried, my favourites were the cold ramen and the teppan steak, you can't go wrong with either.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Proteins were spot on
- Cold ramen was served ice cold (which worked)

The Bad:
- Chicken in the steamed gyoza could've been meatier

Andamiro Korean Bistro

Ah Mariah Carey, why did you mess up your NYE performance?  Was it really a technical issue as you suggested?  Hey, it could've been, I will never know.  However, that made me real nervous going to see her and Lionel Richie at Rogers Arena.  To our surprise, she was pretty good and even brought her kids onto the stage.  Although not being as engaging as Lionel Richie, I was more than happy with some classic Mariah belting out top-10 hits.  Prior to this, we met up with Costanza and Elaine for some pre-concert eats at Andamiro Korean Bistro.  Costanza raved about their Sura-like multi-course menu for cheap.

To our disappointment, they halted the fabulous deal indefinitely (more like forever).  But that didn't stop us from getting another combo that started with the usual Banchan consisting of stewed potatoes, sprouts, kimichi and green salad.  These were pretty average with overly soft (practically disintegrating) potatoes and weak-tasting kimichi.  Even the sprouts were pretty bland.  Oh whatever, these weren't the main courses, so it didn't matter much.  For our first item, we had the Seafood Pancake presented in the usual cast iron plate.  It was a fairly thick version, yet at the same time, not overly dense.  There was a decent amount of seafood while the green onion was not distributed evenly.  Some parts had a tonne while others had barely any.  On the outside, it was crispy and easy on the grease.

Probably my favourite dish was the BBQ Short Ribs as they were not only aesthetically-pleasing, they were executed almost flawlessly.  Beyond the sweet and smoky caramelized exterior, the meat itself was tender and succulent.  Other than the chewier parts near the bone, the meat required very little effort to eat.  I thought the marinade was on point as it was flavourful without being too sweet nor salty.  It went well with the supplied rice.  Even the grilled mushrooms were tasty.  Bubbling hot, the Seafood Tofu Soup was pretty textbook with the usual ingredients including silky tofu, egg, seafood and veggies.  The broth itself was mildly spicy with the brininess of seafood.  There was actually more ingredients than broth.  Again, this went well with the supplied rice.

The last item of the combo was a medium-sized portion of Japchae.  This was subjected to a good amount of wok-heat (or pan heat) where both the colour and aroma were caramelized.  It was sweet, but nicely balanced by an equal amount of savouriness.  Unlike some clumpy versions, this one had enough moisture to keep the noodles apart without being soggy.  However, some of that moisture was actually oil (so the dish was a bit greasy.).  There was a good amount of tender thin-sliced beef and vibrant veggies as well.   Not that we needed more carbs, but we also added the Kimchi Fried Rice.  This was pretty tasty as it also exhibited great wok heat where the rice was chewy and nutty.  It was also moist with enough kimchi and spices for impactful flavours.  I wondered why this tasted so much better than the kimchi that came the banchan.

For good measure, I ordered the Bossam (that was curiously devoid of Romaine and the other accompaniments).  Whatever the case, the simmered pork belly was tender, fatty and gelantious.  It was tasted with a rich pork flavour that was accented by equal parts sweet and saltiness.  Loved the raw garlic on top, it added a tangy sharpness.  Although we didn't get to try the combo meal at the front of their menu (which they claimed was temporarily unavailable...), the food we did try was good and worth another look see in the future.

The Good:
- Generally tasty dishes
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Service was friendly-enough, but not attentive as we were not supplied with enough cups, dishes nor chopsticks
- If they don't want to offer the great combo deal, just take it off the menu

Jiro Sushi & Ramen

Well, what do we have here?  Another Japanese restaurant!  Yes, not super-exciting as we have these dime-a-dozen type of joints everywhere in the city.  But with a name like Jiro Sushi & Ramen, one could be very well putting themselves out there.  Jiro Ono, to many, happens to be the greatest sushi chef in the world.  Well, we knew going in that we weren't going to be dining on Michelin 3-star sushi, but we did go in with some form of expectations (as in edible).  But after looking over the menu, the super-reasonable prices allowed us to temper those expectations.

We started with the Prawn Tempura that were large and seemed to sport a fairly aggressive batter.  It was on the thicker side, but ultimately, it was still crispy and decent.  The greasiness was kept to a minimum while the whole dish was served piping hot.  I thought the prawn itself was more meaty than having a snap, but it was fine nonetheless.  Next up was the 13-piece Assorted Sashimi for $13.95!  No that is not a typo, it really was that low in price.  In terms of overall quality and preparation, it was fine.  The tuna was soft and buttery, but a little bland.  Shockingly, there was sockeye salmon and it was actually texturally on point while somewhat sweet.  We weren't fans of the tai (snapper) though as it was spongy.

For our maki sushi, we chose the Spicy Dragon Roll consisting of a shrimp, imitation crab and avocado topped with unagi and spicy tuna.  It was further finished off with crunchy panko.  The thing that ruined everything was the sushi rice.  It was warm and far too soft and crumbly.  It was lacking the classic chewiness where each grain of rice would be discernible.  Other than that, the tuna was spicy enough to impact the overall flavours.  The same warm and almost mushy rice was the downfall of the Nigiri as well.  We got one each of the Toro, Unagi and Hotate (even though we ordered Hamachi).  Although the unagi and hotate were fine, the toro was not particularly buttery nor flavourful.  There was also too much rice for the amount of fish.

Since the place has "ramen" in its name, we took the risk and got the Tonkotsu with firm noodles, chashu, ajitsuki tomago, green onion, bean sprouts, snow peas and corn.  Surprisingly, the pork broth was actually decent with a certain milkiness and porkiness.  It wasn't outstanding, but fine for a non-ramen shop restaurant.  Noodles were al dente, but could've been chewier while the chashu varied between tender and chewy.  Lastly, we had the Soft Shell Crab (not sure why it showed up last) and it was pretty good.  The soft and creamy crab was coated in just enough batter to make it crispy without being heavy.  It was salted enough to completely season the dish.  We didn't need the dip as a result.  Overall, Jiro offered up inexpensive Japanese food that was okay in terms of the cooked items, but the sushi needs some work.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Cooked items were not bad
- Friendly people

The Bad:
- Sushi needs work
- Sushi rice needs even more work

Yaguchiya Ramen

There was a time where good Japanese ramen could only be found in Vancouver proper.  In fact, more specifically, it was centered around Robson Street in Downtown.  The thought of finding ramen in the burbs was truly laughable and often, downright disgusting.  However, things are slowly changing and there are more places opening up everywhere.  They can range from decent to surprisingly good.  One of the newer spots is Yaguchiya Ramen on Kingsway right across from Metrotown.

We arrived a bit early before opening just in case since they only have 3 tables of 4 and a few bar seats.  The strategy here was each of us to order a different ramen, so my son took the Shio with char siu, spinach and nori.  The broth was silky and lightly rich (yes, I know that is an oxymoron).  It was full of natural pork flavour and sweetness.  There was just enough salt to enhance the broth without being overwhelming.  We found the noodles to be firm and chewy while not hard.  My daughter was persuaded to have the Shoyu and it was a bit more salty.  We could definitely taste the shoyu, but again, it wasn't overused.  The pork essence was not as strong due to the shoyu.  Fatty and sliced in a medium thickness, the char siu was tender with a meaty bite.

For myself, I had the Miso with the same accompaniments except for nori and I added an egg.  As with most versions with miso paste, this broth had more body and a deep rich saltiness.  It wasn't "salty" per se, but it was definitely flavourful.  Again, there was a noted porkiness, but not as much as the shio.  On the side, there was grated ginger, pureed garlic and hot bean paste.  I added all 3 and the ginger was the most impactful with a bright sharpness. I wasn't completely in love with the egg as it wasn't runny, but it did taste good.  Viv went for the Spicy and it arrived in a shade of light red.  However, it was only mildly spicy and she had to add hot bean paste to kick it up.  We thought it was the weakest of the 4 bowls we ordered.  Overall, we enjoyed the iekei-style ramen at Yaguchiya.  Pretty good for anywhere in Vancity.

The Good:
- Reasonable-pricing
- Flavourful broth that was rich but drinkable
- Condiments were good, especially the ginger

The Bad:
- Egg was sub-par
- Spicy was a bit bland

Dae Ji Cutlet House (Metrotown)

Ever since our first visit to Dae Ji Cutlet House on North Road, Viv and I thought it was one of the best values in town.  Furthermore, the food as a whole was decent as well.  We never did get a chance for a revisit as there were many more newer places to eat at.  Also, the kiddies seemed to be happy with our regular visits to White Spot...  Milhouse and I did end up visiting the newer Metrotown location after hockey one night.  We only had 2 dishes, so I decided to bring the family out to try some more items.

For the kiddies, they wanted to try the Garlic Pork Cutlet served with rice, cabbage salad, macaroni and corn.  By appearance alone, the dish may not give off the impression of being spicy, but believe me, it does have a kick.  In addition to that, the plethora of garlic added another level of sharpness and aroma.  Underneath the ample amount of thick sauce, the pork cutlet was still crispy and very meaty while tender.  It wasn't succulent per se, but hardly dry either.  Viv and I added the Curry Pork Cutlet as well and it was more or less the same except for the sauce (of course).  It was also fairly spicy, but a little less than the garlic.  There was definitely curry flavour as well as being well-seasoned.

When the Kimchi Fried Rice hit the table, we were rather taken aback at the portion size.  It was much larger than the picture on the menu.  We felt it was pretty good with chewy rice which was completely seasoned by the ample kimchi.  It was a balanced spicy where there was equal parts of tang, sweetness, spice and savouriness.  We also enjoyed the fact there was a limited amount of grease too.  If we thought the rice was large, the Sweet and Spicy Chicken trumped that.  It was monstrous sporting large chunks of succulent chicken in a fairly thick batter.  I would've preferred a thinner coating since it made each piece a bit heavy to eat. The sauce was mildly spicy, sweet and tangy, but there was too much of it. I've had much better versions of this before.

On my initial visit with Milhouse, I had the Hamburger Steak with all the same accompaniments.   Much like the first time we had it in Coquitlam, this was a substantial amount of meat.  It was moist and well-seasoned.  The gravy was on the sweeter side, but that was balanced off by the drizzle of hot sauce and the savouriness of the meat.  Overall, the food at Dae Ji isn't mind-blowing nor should it be expected to blow anyone's mind.  What they offer up is solid cutlets with a variety of sauces at a reasonable price.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Well-priced cutlets
- Open late

The Bad:
- The spicy chicken was expensive and average