DooBoo Korean BBQ

Driving home one day, I was waiting at the corner of Kingsway and Griffiths.  I immediately noticed that Kenzo Japanese Noodle House had closed.  Now it wasn't really a surprise to me as my previous experience there was pretty mediocre.   In its place, we now find DooBoo Korean BBQ.  I was anxious to try the place out and when the kiddies wanted to eat Korean, it was as if the visit was meant to be.  So after an afternoon of sweets with Mijune, I met up with them and Viv at DooBoo.  Mind you, I waited a good 30 minutes for them as driving up Canada Way during rush hour is as fun as having your nose hairs pulled out...

We were started off with the usual Banchan consisting of kimchi, pickled turnip and fish cake.  As typical as Banchan is to a Korean meal, the addition of fish cake was a nice treat (compared to bean sprouts, although we wished there was stewed potato though).  The star was the kimchi as it was appealing in colour and impactful in flavour.  There was a noted spiciness that had depth.  I liked how it wasn't just sour cabbage (like many other places prepare it).  Seriously bubbling hot, the Kimchi Seafood Stew was the beneficiary of the same delicious kimchi.  Hence, it was rich and spicy with just enough tang.  There was also a noted brininess as well.

Onto the stuff we were really here for (the kiddies love it), we had both the Beef Bulgogi and Chicken Bulgolgi.  Both arrived sizzling on a hot cast iron plate lined with white onion to prevent sticking and overcooking.  We thought the meat was on point being tender and still moist.  Although the beef featured too many smaller bits, it was balanced between sweet and savoury while exhibiting a seared smokiness.  The chicken was a bit less caramelized, but was still good.  These did not include a rice,  but it was necessary.  That brought the price of each dish to $15.00 + $2.00 = $17.00.  A bit steep, but it was tasty nonetheless.

Lastly, we had the Dolset Bibimbap with the usual ingredients, however, we would've liked to see a raw egg here rather than the sunny side up version (since we had a hot stone bowl to cook it with).  Despite this, the rice ate really well being chewy and not mushy.  The dolset was hot enough to create a wonderful nutty crust.  The same delicious beef bulgogi helped add a sweet savouriness to the rice.  Compared to the previous restaurant that resided here, DooBoo is an improvement.  Pretty solid Korean eats with surprisingly good service.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Nice people
- Available parking

The Bad:
- Not uncommon to Korean restaurants, prices are not cheap

Fayuca

It's quite interesting that whenever we see a new Mexican restaurant open up in Vancouver, there seems to be a certain level of excitement.  I guess it is mostly due to the lack of Mexican food options in Vancouver in general.  Now don't get me wrong, there are many more Mexican restaurants than we had 20 years ago (when it was mostly Pepitas and Las Margaritas), but to find a good one is another issue.  One of the newer spots is Fayuca located in Yaletown.  Unlike many of the more casual spots in town, Fayuca boasts more refined dishes inspired by North Pacific Mexican cuisine.

We began with a few smaller plates including the seemingly simple Guacamole with crispy sunchokes, toasted pumpkin seeds and Macedonian feta.  Well, it was pretty simple, but executed nicely being smooth and creamy with the crunch from the sunchokes and pumpkin seeds.  We loved the house-fried tortillas on the side as they were firmly crunchy and complimented the guacamole well.  One thing we would've liked was more lime juice as there was a lack of acidity.  Next up, the Enfrijolada was rather impactful from the smoked fish machaca as it was meaty, briny and of course smoky.  It was encased in a thin and tender corn tortilla and smothered in an Earthy and flavourful black bean sauce.  The dish was completed by pickled onions (nice acidity and crunch) and soft boiled egg.

Appealingly stacked in a bowl, the Grilled Endives were nicely charred until smoky and caramelized.  They still retained a bright crunch and a pleasant bitterness.  Underneath, we found a mildly spicy and sweet roast red pepper puree that was complimented by the garlic anchovy butter.  There was enough seasoning to be impactful while not drowning the endives in too many robust flavours.  They were able to maintain the freshness and crunch of the endive.  Our favourite small dish was the Oxtail Fideo Pasta with pine nut picada and aioli.  Caressed in a silky and nicely thickened sauce by the picada, the pasta was tender and flavourful.  There was tang, sweetness, slight spice and plenty of savouriness.  The tender and fatty pieces of oxtail added a robust umaminess.

Onto some of the larger items, we had the Braised Beef Cheek with house-made gnocchi, broccolini and Mexican gremolata.  When it hit the table, we were taken aback how big the beef cheek was.  Definitely worth the $25.00.  Even more so as it was prepared beautifully being fork tender and gelatinous.  It was full of depth from the braising liquid as it penetrated throughout.  Golden brown, the gnocchi were aromatic, buttery and tender with a bite.  Even the broccolini was on point being crunchy and well-seasoned.  Equally delicious, the Grilled Flank Steak was prepared a perfect medium-rare.  It was tender, meaty and fully seasoned.  When wrapped in a tortilla, it added a chewy and aromatic essence as they were made in-house with beef tallow.  On the side, we found a tender quarter of slow-roasted purple cabbage and underneath, charred leek.

Our last 2 savoury dishes consisted of the Duck Breast and Caguamanta (Pacific Northwest Mexican Seafood Stew).  As evidenced in the picture, the duck breast was very rare.  For me, it wasn't a huge issue, but the rest of the table weren't big fans of it.  Despite this, the duck was tender and slightly gamy with a well-rendered crispy well-seasoned skin.  It rested on Brussels sprout pipian, green beans, fried kale and chili oil.  The veggies were on the softer side while the pipian was mild and almost creamy.  Served with the stew was a side of grilled bread, onions, cilantro and lime.  Within the stew, we found tender grilled Humboldt squid, guajillo and tomato.  The stew exhibited body and spice while being aromatic with the taste of the sea.  I would've liked to see more ingredients as it was more of a soup than a stew.

For dessert, we shared the flourless Chocolate Cake topped with light chocolate mousse and salted malt caramel.  This was a rich and purposefully sweet cake that was not as dense as I expected.  There was a pleasant bitterness accented by the smoky and sweet caramel.  The addition of black sesame seeds on top added both texture and aroma.  On the side, there was a nice yogurt crema.  So normally, I would say something like the food was decent and blah-blah-blah.  However, the food was far better than decent where I would gladly come back for more.  Thankfully, there is a restaurant in Vancouver that serves up Mexican-inspired cuisine that doesn't involve a taco or burrito.

The Good:
- Nothing else to describe it other than "delicious"
- Attentive service
- Size of proteins were generous

The Bad:
- Duck was far too rare
- Stew could've used more ingredients

The Victor

Lately, I've been trying to catch up with all the new restaurant openings as it is pretty difficult to hit them all when there are other activities other than eating.  Yes, it is true, there is more to life than eating out!  So fresh off Atlas, Botanist and Oddfish, we actually made it out to The Victor in the brand-spanking new Parq hotel.  We brought the whole family out since it coincided with my birthday as well.  Might as well since the kids are developing quite the palate for fine dining (insert curse words by Viv since she blames me for this...).

To get a sense of the Japanese portion of the restaurant, we got the Aburi Salmon to start.  Although there wasn't some fancy mayo sauce on top, the natural sweetness of the salmon really came through.  The quality was unquestionable as the texture was on point and super appealing.  The fish was buttery soft while not mushy.  It tasted great on its own and there was no need for soy.  On the same theme, we had the Togarashi-Spiced Blue Fin Tuna accompanied by a super hot block of Himalayan salt.  Although it was already lightly seared on the outside, we could sear it some more on the salt block.  This was rather gimmicky since the tuna by itself was already the right doneness for our tastes.  It was also buttery soft while exhibiting the a fresh sweetness kissed by the sea.  If one wanted to use it, there was a ponzu daikon sauce on the side.

Continuing on with the appies, we tried the Dungeness Crab Cake with vadouvan-spiced curry aioli and a sea bean & fennel salad.  Nicely crisped up and golden brown on the outside, this crab cake was exquisite.  There was practically no filler here as the large chunks of dungeness crab were quite visible.  Texturally, they were on point being bouncy and airy exuding a natural sweetness and brininess.  The aioli on the side was creamy and just spiced enough without getting in the way of the natural crab flavour.  Lastly, and because my daughter wanted it, she had the Crab & Shrimp Bisque with a side of gruyere toast.  Poured table side on top of a crab salad, the bisque was full of aroma and creaminess while not being salty.  It was well-balanced and the chunks of fluffy crab were a nice surprise in each spoonful.

For our entrees, my daughter decided on the Farmcrest Chicken Breast with charred leeks and atop a saffron & mushroom risotto.  Prepared with the drummette bone in, the meat was fairly moist and tender.  It wasn't particularly flavourful though, but the skin was nicely seasoned.  Moreover, the skin was properly rendered, yet not particularly crispy.  The risotto was creamy and cheesy with a light saffron aroma.  We found the rice to be still chewy and not overdone.  For my son, he went with his standby being the Braised Short Rib with cauliflower aligot, bone marrow gremolata.  The short rib was a fairly large portion and did exhibited penetrated flavours from the braise.  There was depth from the red wine as well as the other seasonings.  However, some parts of the short rib were a bit dry and chewy.

My choice of main was the 10 oz USDA Prime Rib Cap prepared medium-rare.   Personally, the rib cap is the best part of prime rib and I'm glad more places are serving it by itself.  This was cooked perfectly being juicy and super tender.  It was well-seasoned and well-charred where the exterior exhibited caramelization of flavours as well as a nice smokiness.  Normally, a lower quality rib cap can be chewy despite the doneness.  Being USDA prime, this practically melted in-my-mouth.  I really enjoyed this.  My mom predictably went for the Alberta Peace Country Rack of Lamb prepared Provençal style with cheesy cauliflower and pepper jus.  She asked for it to be prepared medium-rare and it was done right.  The lamb was succulent and tender as a result.  We found the crust to be rather mushy though and not all that impactful.  However, the pepper jus was pretty full-bodied.

Yes, my dad's Hokkaido Scallops didn't look like much and for someone with a bigger appetite, it would not suffice.  However, the quality made up for the lack of quantity.  These were buttery and soft with an appealing amount of rebound.  They were naturally sweet, and beautifully seared. Completing the plate was potato purée, roasted brussels sprouts, medjool dates and minus 8 ice wine vinegar. Nothing was too strong that it detracted from the sweet scallops.  Viv decided on the Whole Branzino with caponata, shaved fennel, pine nut salad and it was done nicely with crispy skin while maintaining moist and flaky meat.  This was as simple of a dish as you will find and they nailed it.  The squeeze of charred lemon brightened up the dish considerably.

For our sides, we had the Triple-Cooked Fries with truffle & chive aióli, Charred Broccolini (not pictured) and Mac & Cheese Waffle featuring a 5 cheese blend and cheese fondue on the side.  Staring with the fries, they were aggressively crunchy on the outside while being well-salted.  Inside, the potato was still there despite the triple fry.  I decided to not take a picture of the broccolini because it wasn't interesting to look at.  But it was prepared properly with a crunch and nicely seasoned with some spice.  The side that was most popular was the waffle as it was full of cheesy mac & cheese.  It was sharp, aromatic and flavourful while encased in a fluffy waffle.  The side of fondue put the cheese factor through the roof.

For dessert, we shared 3 of them including their take on an Eton Mess aptly named Eaten Mess.  This was made up of raspberries, banana, vanilla custard, sponge cake, chocolate, cream & meringue.  I thought it was more like a hybrid of an Eton Mess and a trifle.  Whatever the case, it was light and refreshing.  Sweetness was dialed down and the fruit really came through.  As for my daughter, she begrudgingly shared some of her Chocolate Mousse (since she has a separate stomach for desserts).  This was pretty good in my books featuring a creamy, yet rich mousse that was appealingly bitter and not super sweet.  Underneath, the dark chocolate cake crumble added even more tasty bitterness and a textural variation.

Lastly, the best dessert was the Crème Brûlée Donuts filled with vanilla custard and accented by strawberries and meringue.  This was missing the Maple cotton candy as seen on many IG posts.  I thought the hard sugar coating on the donuts was an appealing texture that gave way to the soft and chewy donut.  Inside, the custard was light and not overly sweet.  A pretty clever dessert in my opinion.  In general, the food at The Victor ranged from good to very good.  Service was generally top-notch except for gap in between the end of our meal and ordering dessert.  Prices are on the high-end for Vancouver, so there are also many other options as well.

The Good:
- Gorgeous dining space and location
- Generally top-notch service
- Food was good in general

The Bad:
- Prices are high, so there are plenty of other options as well
- Strange gap in service in between end of dinner and ordering dessert

Oddfish

Restaurants open, restaurants close.  It is the natural cycle that happens all the time in a very competitive industry.  To keep up with all the happenings is sometimes an exhaustive exercise since many do not even publicize.  However, those usually are Asian restaurants that do not understand the value of promotion and social media (LOL).  Lately, and I'm referring to the last quarter, there have been quite a few interesting spots open up and it has been difficult to keep up.  But slowly, I'm crossing them off the list one-by-one.  The latest was Oddfish, where I was fortunate enough to corral Mijune for dinner.

Our first dish was my favourite of the night.  Merely labeled as Spicy Squid on the menu, it wasn't very descriptive nor did it do the actual dish any justice.  Consisting of simple ingredients including garlic, chili, olive oil, parsley and chives, the flavours were layered and impactful from the high heat cookery.  Caramelized and texturally on point, the squid was intensely flavourful with an appealing chew while being tender at the same time.  Next up, we had the Dungeness Crab & Shrimp Cakes were large in size and full of actual seafood rather than filler.  The crab was fluffy and bouncy while the shrimp had a fresh snap.  We would've preferred larger chunks of crab, but that was not a huge issue.  Inside, it was rather wet, however, that was a whole lot better than dry.  The natural sweetness of the ingredient came through while being complimented by the creamy and tangy sauce underneath.

For our main entree, we shared the Whole Seabass with chermoula and cilantro & red onion salad.  When it hit the table, the large fish was rather impressive to look at.  With a squeeze of the charred lemon, the dish was light and easy to eat.  At first, we thought the amount of chermoula was rather meager, but after asking for more, it was established that the original drizzle was enough.  It would've been too bitter to have more than they put on the plate already.  As for the fish, it featured well-seasoned and crispy skin that was my favourite part.  The flesh was flaky and soft, but could've been done a bit less for my liking.  However, that did not make or break the dish.

We got a couple of sides for our main dish that included the Fries with mayo and the Roasted Brussels Sprouts with dates, pepitas, capers and Parm.  Although not uniformly crunchy, the fries were pretty solid.  They were thick cut and aggresively fried.  Firmly crisp and not greasy, the fries were still full of potato goodness on the inside.  As for the brussels sprouts, they were also quite good being cooked just enough so they maintained they firmness.  At the same time, they were also cooked all-the-way-through as well.  They didn't skimp on the ingredients as there was a nice mix of sweetness, tang, saltiness and nuttiness.  From the dishes we tried, we agreed the food was pretty solid in a relaxed environment.  Definitely should be an option for someone looking for seafood in Kits.

The Good:
- Focused menu (on seafood)
- Well-prepared food
- Friendly, relaxed service

The Bad:
- As with anything seafood, pricing can get up there, but we thought it was reasonable

Botanist

To be honest, it has taken me this long to finally dine at The Botanist for an actual sit-down meal due to one reason - there was just too much hype going on from their initial launch.  I had attended the media event where nearly every single person was invited, but really didn't get a sense of the food due to massive crowds and not being able to try any whole dishes.  So after all the social media buzz began to die down, Viv and I went on a quiet weekday to check out their current menu.

For our appetizers, we had the Pan-Seared Scallops and Charred Octopus.  Neatly plated, the scallops sat atop a madeira jus that was silky and mild.  The buttery scallops were beautifully caramelized on the outside and adequately seasoned.  It was topped with a thin slice of guanciale that added a slight saltiness while the green apple contributed a tangy sweetness.  This was a balanced and composed dish.  As for the octopus, the char was on point as it was smoky and firmly crusty on the outside.  The depth-of-flavour was evident as well as salty spiciness of the chorizo.  We found the octopus on the chewier side although it was far from being too firm.  The rest of the ingredients including watermelon radish, cauliflower and kohlrabi were beautiful to look at, but were merely a garnish.  We would've liked to see them pickled for some acidity.

For our mains, we dove into the Herb-Crusted Lamb Saddle first (at least I did, because Viv doesn't really prefer lamb).  It was pretty clear that the meat was expertly prepared being medium-rare and tender.  I didn't notice the herb crust though.  The meat itself could've been seasoned more aggressively as it was a bit bland on its own.  Hands-down, the best item on the plate was the fluffy panisse as it tasted great with the garlic really came through as well as the taste of caraway.  Loved the tart mushrooms as they brightened up the dish while the burnt shallots added aroma and sweetness.  Uniquely plated with a side of fermented vegetables in a puffed tapioca cup, the Seared Sablefish was also on point.  Perfectly crispy and seasoned on top, the rest of the fish was flaky and buttery.  It rested on an onion nage which was an excellent compliment as it was bright, light and naturally sweet.  When eaten with the tangy veggies, the flavours were balanced.

Hands-down the best dish we had was the Duck Breast with winter squash, pomegranate, brussels sprouts and natural jus.  Crispy and completely rendered, the skin on the duck couldn't have been any better.  Furthermore, the duck was served medium-rare being succulent and tender.  The combination of pomegranate and jus was the perfect marriage of sweet and savoury.  Wrapped in a carrot cannelloni, the squash was nicely spiced with the usual nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.

For dessert, we had the stunningly presented Croissant Perdue with graham cookie ice cream, apple, raisin compote and calvados mascarpone drizzle.  The combination of ingredients yielded familiar flavours that were complimentary and purposefully sweet.  Loved the light booziness and sweetness of the drizzle.  We also had the Meyer Lemon Polenta Cake which was pretty firm but understandable given the ingredients.  It was refreshing though with a nice tanginess to balance the sweetness. Loved the apples as they added a sweet tartness to go with the honey, angelica brulée and lemon buttermilk ice cream.  I especially enjoyed the angeica brulee as it added a hit of tanginess.  From this experience, we agreed that the Botanist is a great replacement for departed Oru.  Food and service were good, especially for a hotel restaurant.

The Good:
- Well-prepared proteins
- Complimentary and impactful flavours
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- On the pricier side (kind of expected due to its location and class of hotel)
- Some minor tweaks needed with certain items

Black Rice Izakaya

There are no shortage of Izakayas in Vancouver, specifically in Downtown.  They come in all forms from the relatively affordable to the downright expensive.  Mind you, with some of the premium ingredients involved (wagyu beef and seafood), it isn't surprising.  One of the more understated Izakayas is located on the edge of Downtown within the Blu Hotel complex.  I've been there in the past for some snacks after late-night hockey coming away satisfied.  I was recently invited to try their new menu items.

We started with the Dobin Mushi with hamaguri, water, yuzu peel and clams.  This was a great start to the meal as the hot broth was sweet and full of brininess.   As much as it was full of flavour, it was more than just the salt content.  In fact, the broth was not salty at all.  Rather, there was a light depth that exuded an umaminess.  I loved the buttery whole clams at the end as well.  Another light appie ws the Goma Tuna which consisted of large buttery chunks coated in just enough sesame dressing.  It was aromatic and lightly sweet with a touch of background saltiness.

Beautifully presented on the half shell, the Kimchi Scallop Motoyaki looked appealingly tasty.  Consisting of tender baby scallops, bell pepper, butter and cheese, there was a definite spice that was nicely balanced with the brininess and cheese.  Yes, it was in fact very tasty and almost seemed like it would go better with some rice or noodles.  Right on cue, we got the Napolitan Spaghetti with soba noodles, tomato sauce, ketchup, bacon, sausage and onions on top of silky egg.  This was a touch zesty and mostly sweet.  I found the noodles a touch soft, but at the same time, it was still a pleasant dish.  The barely cooked egg underneath was a nice treat.

Served in a boiling cast iron pot, the Kimchi Nabe was influenced by the chef's Korean roots.  It was served piping hot with tofu skin knots, sliced pork, seafood and of course kimchi.  It definitely captured the essence of kimchi without emulating a Korean stew.  I found it to be its own dish with a balanced sweet, salty and spiciness.  They left the best for last with the Teriyaki Wagyu Steak atop Monterey Jack and mozzarella cheeses with mashed potato.  The steak was super tender while going really well with the smooth and creamy cheeses.  Overall, the tasting provided a nice overview of their featured seasonal items.  The beef was totally the highlight while the scallop and kimchi nabe were surprisingly good.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Daring to be a bit different with Korean/Japanese fusion
- Apparent flavours

The Bad:
- Spaghetti was a bit overdone