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Other than a small tasting roughly 5 years ago, I haven't had a sit-down meal at The Poor Italian since 2011. To see it still there is somewhat of a surprise because the location hasn't fared well in the past. My original visit yielded respectable eats at a premium considering the Downtown-pricing for an Eastside eatery. Hence, I never did make any plans to return since there are many less pricey choices for Italian fare in town. However, Costanza chose the place for his birthday dinner since he has been curious about the place for quite some time.
We decided to change things up a bit going for 2 appies, 3 pastas and 3 entrees staring with the really large portion of Calamari Fritti. Even though it was $16.00, the wooden board of calamari still seemed like a good value. It consisted of largely cut rings and tentacles that were battered lightly. Although a touch greasy, the exterior was crispy while the squid was tender with a nice snap. The side of lemon was necessary as the batter was not seasoned aggressively. For our next appie, we had the Misto di Cozze e Vongole (Mussels & Clams) prepared in a light tomato sauce with Mediterranean herbs and dry white wine. This was on point as well where both mollusks were buttery, meaty and tender. The broth was superb being aromatic and impactful. The wine was properly cooked down and the tomato was only lightly tart.
For our pasta course, my favourite of the bunch was the Tagliatelle con Funghi with wild mushrooms, white wine, truffle oil and shaved parmigiano. Although a touch softer than I would've preferred, the pasta was still appealingly textured being tender and slippery. This was due to the liberal use of olive/truffle oil in the dish. That didn't bother me though as the amount of truffle oil was used with restraint. Layers of woodsy flavours came through as well as the saltiness from the cheese. My second favourite was the Spaghetti Carbonara with eggs, smoked pancetta, parmigiano reggiano and cracked black pepper. This exhibited a classic flavour profile with the creaminess from the eggs and the saltiness from the pancetta and cheese. There was a touch of spice from the pepper and the pasta was perfect being chewy while cooked through.
Costanza and I were pretty excited to try the Linguine alla Vongole featuring local baby clams, garlic, white wine and EVOO. Although it looked promising and technically good, it was our least favourite. The pasta itself was a little overdone where it lacked any chewiness. Although there was a good amount of fresh clams, there was a surprising lack of brininess and salt. Hence, the dish was a bit bland. Furthermore, it was unnecessarily greasy from the liberal use of EVOO. Moving onto the bigger dishes, the Grigliata di Carne Mista (Trio of Meats with Calvados Demi-Glace) was a complete disappointment. The chicken was stiff and dry while the medium sirloin tasted funky. Only the chorizo was somewhat appetizing.
Fortunately, the Vitello al Marsala (Veal Scaloppine sauteed with butter, mushrooms and marsala wine reduction) was much better. Featuring tender and thin slices of veal, the dish benefited from a beautifully prepared sauce that was woodsy, aromatic and full of depth. I thought it was well-balanced and not overly heavy either. The sides of veggies were vibrant with a firm texture while the roast potato was soft and well-seasoned. For our last dish, we had the daily feature being the Osso Bucco di Agnello (Lamb Shank) with a tomato sauce, garlic, white wine and herbs. The lamb itself was generally tender and moist with a few drier parts on the exterior. Underneath, the spaghetti was on point and went well with the tangy and garlicky sauce (which was a bit too salty). Overall, we found the appies and pastas to be much more superior to the entrees. Considering the pricing, we expected better execution.
The Good:
- Appealing appetizers
- Nice dining space
The Bad:
- Only one good entree
- Need more consistent execution considering the price point
Strange location - that is always a mystical draw for many when it comes to restaurants. Something about the antithesis of good business practice lends itself to the opposite effect. Take The Smoking Pig in Coquitlam for instance. Situated on a dark stretch of Brunette seemingly in some random one-story building, this Korean restaurant actually has a following. I guess it doesn't hurt that they are affiliated with the now closed Ramengers. They started out with a eclectic fusion Korean menu that has now simplified into a ramen joint with a few unique dishes.
We began with their signature item being the Smoked Pork with pickled spicy radish and salad. At first, it didn't look like much and in fact, resembled bossam. However, one bite and the smokiness really hit us hard. The texture of the pork was tender and buttery soft. I liked the fact it wasn't too fatty, so there was actually a meatiness to it. The radish on the side was on point and provided a nice counterpoint to the smoky pork. We tried the Sweet & Spicy Wings next and they were arrived scorching hot. The light tempura-like batter on the outside was appealingly airy and crispy. However, the skin wasn't able to render much due to the batter. Hence it ate greasy. On the other hand, the meat was juicy and succulent. I thought the sauce was more sweet than spicy, but it was delicious nonetheless.
Onto the main event, we had the Gamjutang Ramen for 2. Reminiscent of Ramengers on Kingsway, it was a really a large portion. There was much more ramen than broth though which was generous of them, but in reality, we would've preferred more soup. It was lightly spicy and did exhibit some depth. Perilla seeds would've been a welcomed addition though. As for the noodles, they were fairly al dente, but had soaked up much of the broth (but partly due to our fault as we took pictures first). The ample pork bones were on point being meaty, tender and full-flavoured. Although we didn't get to try the "regular" bowls of ramen, the items we did sample did provide a good enough representation of the place. The smoked pork and wings were pretty on point, however, the ramen could've used more soup. Worth a try if you can find the place.
The Good:
- Smoked pork on point
- Fairly large portions
- Friendly people
The Bad:
- Hard-to-find location and equally strange parking lot
- More soup needed for the pork bone ramen for 2
Shopping during Christmas time (yes, this was awhile ago) can often be an exercise in torture and self-punishment. Hence, going to places such as Metrotown and Guildford Town Centre is the equivalent of navigating Richmond during rush hour. Even the smaller malls aren't immune as finding a parking spot requires either overly aggressive behaviour or stalking 101. However, there is one mall that is generally not busy and finding parking near the entrances a breeze. Yes, you guessed it, the place is Tsawwessen Mills. We went all the way out there to shop and enjoy the relative tranquility. After that, we hopped on over to nearby Pho Saigon for some eats.
Just like the location in Ladner, the place is pretty humble, but decorated with customer-made scribbles on the walls. We started things off with the Banh Ba Lot that was quite good. It had the requisite chewy, sticky and bouncy tapioca texture while stuffed with pork, mushroom and shrimp. Loved the dipping it into the tangy chili fish sauce. For myself, I had the Pho Dac Biet and it was a fair portion. I thought the soup was a little light and a touch muddled. However, it was still relatively flavourful and pleasant. I found the noodles to be al dente while the meats were tender.
For Viv, she had Combo A consisting of salad roll, spring roll (made with rice paper) and chicken brochette with rice. As mentioned, the spring roll was legit being crispy while a touch greasy. The salad roll was haphazardly constructed, but was solid nonetheless. A little dry, the chicken skewer could've used a bit more seasoning. My son went for his usual Lemongrass Chicken with rice. We added an egg to the dish and it came out fully cooked. Totally disappointing because the whole point is to have a runny egg with the rice. The chicken was a bit similar to the skewer being a touch dry and lacking enough impact.
My daughter didn't go overboard this time and went small with a Kid's Pho Ga. This was quite a large portion of chewy noodles and mild-tasting chicken broth. The pieces of chicken were on the drier side, but were still okay. In the end, that is all we were looking for anyways - decent eats. Pho Saigon was more or less that, but nothing amazing. I guess with the lack of competition in Tsawwassen, they won't need to be anything more than decent.
The Good:
- Decent (LOL)
- Okay pricing
The Bad:
- Better elsewhere, but not in Tsawwassen
- Service was really lacking
When I used to live in Coquitlam, there was a real black hole when it came to tasty food. We had the usual chains in addition to some mediocre Chinese restaurants. I remember there was this casual wonton noodle joint where Kam Ding is located now. It served us red bean dessert soup that was clear in colour with food-processed red bean! Bleck! Well, luckily for Coquitlam residents, the food scene has come a long way since then where some could warrant a trek out there (by those who don't live in Coquitlam). That we did as we decided to check out Oz Korean Cuisine.
As per usual for a KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) joint, we were served sides including cabbage with dressing, pickled daikon and kimchi. Light in colour and lacking in overall spice, the kimchi had a nice crunch and tang, but really didn't have much impact. The daikon was crunchy with the usual vinegary sweetness while the cabbage was dressed in the typical "Thousand Islands-like" sauce. For our KFC, we chose the original and sweet chili. This was a decent portion size for the price where the skin was nicely rendered while the meat was still moist. I found the sweet chili to be rather saucy, being sweet with only a touch of heat. I liked the original more as it was simply seasoned and crispy.
Another prominent item on their menu is the Donkatsu (which is the Korean version of Tonkatsu). We ended up with the tenderloin and it was pretty darn good. The meat was light and almost fluffy. Outside, the breading was extremely crispy and not greasy at all. There was ample tangy tonkatsu sauce on the side for the generous portion ($11.00!). The kids really enjoyed the donkatsu as well as the Beef Bulgogi Don topped with a good amount of Japchae. This was also a solid dish with chewy rice underneath topped with a considerable amount of tender, well-marinated beef. As evidenced in the picture, there was enough ingredients to completely cover the rice which also meant there was no absence of flavour for the whole bowl.
I also added a Pork Bone Soup for good measure and it was a great choice. Arriving bubbling hot, the soup was flavourful with a good amount of spice. Loved to see the addition of perilla seeds on top (not all places do this). The pork bones were large and substantially meaty. It fell off the bone being tender, gelatinous and full-flavoured. I actually needed the side of rice as there was enough impact from the broth. So as you can see, the food is pretty solid at Oz. But the best part of all is the reasonable pricing. Normally Korean food can cost an arm and a leg. At Oz, it only required a finger or two...
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Pretty tasty
- Well-portioned
The Bad:
- Usually pretty busy
- Service is friendly, but can be sparse
When one is looking for Indian food, the most obvious places are Surrey and Vancouver. With that being said, Surrey does have the best selection of Indian food in the Lower Mainland. However, I have had decent Indian eats in Langley, Ladner and even Port Moody. So there are gems to be found if one was willing to look for them. Sometimes, the best way to do that is to read other blogs, check out IG or surprisingly, buy a Groupon. Yes, I've had some pretty good experiences with a coupon even though some might be weary of taking the risk.
For our latest food adventure, it brought us out to North Vancouver in the form of Vaades Indian Restaurant. Funny how I totally didn't even notice the spot even though we had dined next door just last year. So with our deal, we started out with 2 appies including the Appy Platter consisting of 2 veggie samosas, potato fritters and mogo served with mint and tamarind chutneys. I thought the fried cassava was the highlight as it was crispy while being tender. We weren't fans of the fritters as they were super dense. Veggie samosas were lightly spiced with soft potatoes but the exterior could've been fried a bit longer. Our second appie was the Crispy Prawns scented with curry leaves, garlic and chilli paste. These were crunchy while having a sweet snap. This was a real treat, especially dunked into the jalapeno cream sauce.
For our mains, we had the usual Butter Chicken partly because it is a standard and more importantly, the kiddies wanted it. With that in mind, we asked for all of our dishes to be prepared mild. Despite this, the butter chicken still had a slight spice to go with the creamy sweetness. I found the balance between tomato and cream to be just right. The large chunks of chicken breast were tender and remained moist. Personally, I had to order the Lamb Roganjosh and it was more or less decent. I found the lamb to range from tender to a touch dry. However, the sauce was impactful with definite hits of ginger and cloves. There was depth-of-flavour even though we asked for mild.
To get a different protein into our meal, we also had the Coastal Fish Curry sporting large pieces of basa. Say what you want about basa, but it went well with the creamy coconutty curry. It was robust enough to stand up to the spices while being tender and buttery enough for a great texture. Getting away from curry and saucy plates, we added the Tandoori Chicken as our last savoury item. We would've liked to see more charring and smokiness, but the chicken itself was succulent and almost juicy inside. That is somewhat of a rarity where we normally find dried out versions. It was lightly spicy while fully seasoned.
As for our dessert selections, we started with the traditional Indian Chocolate Cake. No I'm kidding... LOL. Yes, it really doesn't go in an Indian restaurant, but the cake was moist and actually pretty good. Not sure if they made it in-house or not, but it worked. For something more suited to the theme, we tried the Fresh Mango Mousse which was creamy and semi-sweet. It was only lightly mango-tasting though. The bits of apples and grapes were a nice treat to break up the monotony. Overall, we thought the meal was rather pleasant and a fantastic value due to the Groupon. However, there are other discounts offered by the restaurant itself on their website. Therefore, if you consider the quality and service, Vaades is a decent option for Indian on the North Shore.
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Fairly good eats
- Relatively good service
The Bad:
- Dining space is a bit small
- There is better Indian food in the GVRD, but okay for North Shore
I'm pretty sure we can agree that Vancouver goes crazy over new things. I guess that goes for many other cities as well, but honestly, every major chain of anything gets plenty of play when it first opens up here. The next one to hit our city is Milkcow out of South Korea. Employing organic natural milk and topped with unique ingredients, the stuff at Milkcow is an Instagrammer's dream come true. But what about the actual product? You can't eat a picture right? Well maybe. Anyways, a bunch of us paid the new store a visit after dinner at Beijiang.
Amy and Jo both went for the Tiramisu topped with the classic dusting of cocoa powder. The first thing I noticed was the light and airy quality of the soft-serve. Unlike the one found at Soft Peaks or even Dairy Queen, my spoon easily dug into the ice cream. There was the unmistakable flavour of milk that was very impactful. It was further heightened due to the low amount of sugar. I wasn't a huge fan of the lady fingers on the bottom as they had become rather mushy. Emily decided to try the Macao Dream with almonds and a macaron. This to me was bordering on bland. I didn't get much of anything. The macaron was solid though being crispy and softly chewy on the inside.
For myself, I had the Mango Tree featuring mangoes on the bottom and an apple syrup drizzle on top. To further enhance the treat, there was a swirl of cotton candy as well. For this one, there was significantly more flavour as the apple syrup was bright and not too sweet. Wasn't fond of the mangoes as they were mushy and not fresh. Cotton candy was fun but didn't add anything in my opinion. Topped with a different coloured cotton candy, Mel had the Snow Drop with jelly beans and sea salt. I wished they had layered the sea salt rather than put all of it on top. The first few bites were very salty. When we were done, it was pretty much unanimous that while the soft-serve was decent, it wasn't anything to get overly excited about either.
The Good:
- Can really taste the natural milk flavour
- Interesting combos, great for IG
- Creamy and light
The Bad:
- For us, it was rather bland
- Some things were too gimmicky and didn't add to the final product
After a so-so meal at Two Rivers Meats in North Van, Miss Y was in search of more paleo eats that didn't involve her cooking at home. Actually, she loves cooking at home since it lets her control what she puts into the food. Hence, it was more like I wanted to find eats and needed an eating buddy. I ended up grabbing Miss Y and made our way to the Caveman Cafe in International Village. This was as close to pure paleo that one can get in terms of eating out (some items are not really all-that-paleo, but again, close enough).
I started with a bite of the Chicken Wings (added on for only $2.99 with a meal) drizzled with a spicy BBQ sauce. As for the positives, I really enjoyed the sauce as it was as spicy as advertised. There was a bit of sweetness at the tail end of each bite. The wings themselves were a bit dry and overdone. Furthermore, the skin was not rendered at all being fatty and broken. Onto the Caveman Lasagna, I chose to have it with meat sauce and regular cheese. The rest of the ingredients included zucchini, eggplant, carrot, onion, turnip, ginger, garlic and celery. I decided against having noodles or potato which meant the whole thing was rather wet. Nothing they can do about that since there was no carb to soak up the moisture. With that in mind, I enjoyed the lasagna for what it was. Flavours were there and the amount of melted cheese was generous. I probably would've liked to see the zucchini and eggplant sliced thin and layered rather than chunks.
I also got the Beef Cheek Platter Feast with spiced rice with black beans and a meal-sized custom salad (with pomegranate dressing). For around $10.00, this was a fantastic value since there was more than enough food. Secondly, the generous amount of beef cheek was tender and gelatinous. There could've been a touch more seasoning, but it didn't make or break the dish. In addition, there was some hummus and spiced yogurt to complete the platter. For Miss Y, she had the Caveman Pizza featuring a veggie crust. It wasn't really a pizza per se, rather it was a combination of ingredients on top of a falafel-looking flatbread (it didn't taste nor have the texture of falafel though). The chicken was fairly mild-tasting, but still relatively tender and not too dry. Ultimately, there are some items that might appeal strictly to those on paleo diets. However, with the platter feasts, one can customize their meal at a very affordable price.
The Good:
- Fantastic value
- Loved the build-your-own feast
- Great for those who are on paleo or similar diets
The Bad:
- Some items may not appeal to those not on paleo diets
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Other than a small tasting roughly 5 years ago, I haven't had a sit-down meal at The Poor Italian since 2011. To see it still there is somewhat of a surprise because the location hasn't fared well in the past. My original visit yielded respectable eats at a premium considering the Downtown-pricing for an Eastside eatery. Hence, I never did make any plans to return since there are many less pricey choices for Italian fare in town. However, Costanza chose the place for his birthday dinner since he has been curious about the place for quite some time.
We decided to change things up a bit going for 2 appies, 3 pastas and 3 entrees staring with the really large portion of Calamari Fritti. Even though it was $16.00, the wooden board of calamari still seemed like a good value. It consisted of largely cut rings and tentacles that were battered lightly. Although a touch greasy, the exterior was crispy while the squid was tender with a nice snap. The side of lemon was necessary as the batter was not seasoned aggressively. For our next appie, we had the Misto di Cozze e Vongole (Mussels & Clams) prepared in a light tomato sauce with Mediterranean herbs and dry white wine. This was on point as well where both mollusks were buttery, meaty and tender. The broth was superb being aromatic and impactful. The wine was properly cooked down and the tomato was only lightly tart. 
For our pasta course, my favourite of the bunch was the Tagliatelle con Funghi with wild mushrooms, white wine, truffle oil and shaved parmigiano. Although a touch softer than I would've preferred, the pasta was still appealingly textured being tender and slippery. This was due to the liberal use of olive/truffle oil in the dish. That didn't bother me though as the amount of truffle oil was used with restraint. Layers of woodsy flavours came through as well as the saltiness from the cheese. My second favourite was the Spaghetti Carbonara with eggs, smoked pancetta, parmigiano reggiano and cracked black pepper. This exhibited a classic flavour profile with the creaminess from the eggs and the saltiness from the pancetta and cheese. There was a touch of spice from the pepper and the pasta was perfect being chewy while cooked through.
Costanza and I were pretty excited to try the Linguine alla Vongole featuring local baby clams, garlic, white wine and EVOO. Although it looked promising and technically good, it was our least favourite. The pasta itself was a little overdone where it lacked any chewiness. Although there was a good amount of fresh clams, there was a surprising lack of brininess and salt. Hence, the dish was a bit bland. Furthermore, it was unnecessarily greasy from the liberal use of EVOO. Moving onto the bigger dishes, the Grigliata di Carne Mista (Trio of Meats with Calvados Demi-Glace) was a complete disappointment. The chicken was stiff and dry while the medium sirloin tasted funky. Only the chorizo was somewhat appetizing.
Fortunately, the Vitello al Marsala (Veal Scaloppine sauteed with butter, mushrooms and marsala wine reduction) was much better. Featuring tender and thin slices of veal, the dish benefited from a beautifully prepared sauce that was woodsy, aromatic and full of depth. I thought it was well-balanced and not overly heavy either. The sides of veggies were vibrant with a firm texture while the roast potato was soft and well-seasoned. For our last dish, we had the daily feature being the Osso Bucco di Agnello (Lamb Shank) with a tomato sauce, garlic, white wine and herbs. The lamb itself was generally tender and moist with a few drier parts on the exterior. Underneath, the spaghetti was on point and went well with the tangy and garlicky sauce (which was a bit too salty). Overall, we found the appies and pastas to be much more superior to the entrees. Considering the pricing, we expected better execution.
