Ramen Taka Notsume

There was a time when I thought that the saturation of Ramen joints in and around Robson Street had reached its threshold.  Well, most of them are alive and well, so what do I know?  Located in the spot formerly occupied by The Ramenman, Ramen Taka Notsume has thrown their hat into ramen central in Vancouver.  The first location outside of Japan, this Hokkaido chain specializes in Asahikawa-style ramen where their pork-based broth is topped with a layer of lard.

We stopped by one day to sample most of their offerings including the signature Dragon's Dewdrop or shoyu ramen (which is the synonymous with Hokkaido).   As mentioned earlier, the soup featured a layer of fat on top that kept the broth hot to the last drop and also added an aromatic silkiness to each slurp.  The meat flavour was obvious as well as equal amounts of umaminess.  We could taste the shoyu, but it was not as pronounced as the natural taste of the broth.  We also had the White Dragon or shio ramen which was equally good.  There could've been a case for this one being even better as the rich meatiness of the broth was further accented by the simplicity of sea salt.  It was extremely impactful while not being overly heavy (despite the layer of fat).

The Supreme Dragon or miso ramen exhibited the most depth and umaminess due to the red miso paste.  It wasn't salty per se, but it was richly flavourful due to the fermented nature of the miso.  The noodles in all of the aforementioned bowls were medium-thickness and perfectly al dente.  As for the large slice of chashu, it was of the lean variety which meant it required a bit of chewing.  Not our preference, but it is their style though. Rounding out the ingredients, we found soft-yolk egg, wood ear mushroom, bamboo shoots, nori and green onion.  For myself, I got the $22.00 bowl of Deluxe Truffle Ramen with truffle salt (in the broth), sliced black truffle and rare roast beef.  I found the truffle essence to be slight while the broth was pretty salty.  The roast beef was excellent being thick cut and tender with a roasted meatiness.  Honestly, the regular shio ramen was better in my opinion.

For our sides, we got the Dashimaki Tamago and Gyoza.  Made-to-order, the tamago was neatly layered and legit.  We found it a bit more done than our liking but it was still fluffy and lightly sweet.  It was visually-appealing due to the care taken in preparing it.  As for the gyoza, it featured a thin skin that retained some elasticity while being tender.  Inside, the pork filling was equal in ratio to the diced cabbage.  Hence it was light and not heavy.  We would've liked to see a more aggressive sear on the bottom though.  Thanks to Vancouver Gourmet Club, I got 50% off the gyoza (essentially $3.00 off).  Overall, we enjoyed the ramen at Taka.  Broth was impactful, natural-tasting and full-bodied without being too heavy.

The Good:
- Full-flavoured broth
- Reasonably-priced except for the truffle ramen

The Bad:
- Not a fan of the lean pork

Coquille Fine Seafood

For a city that has access to some of the best seafood in the world, Vancouver doesn't boast many restaurants that specialize in it.  Sure, we see plenty of Chinese seafood restaurants and of course, the plethora of Japanese establishments.  However, the number of truly local seafood joints barely break 10.  I'm not going to include oyster bars and places that serve seafood as only part of their menu.  So when Coquille Fine Seafood set up shop in the thankfully gone Secret Location, it was on my hit list.  Since my mom absolutely loves seafood, we celebrated her birthday there.

There was no way we were going to dine there and not try their Seafood Platter.  We chose the medium version and it consisted of oysters, king crab, scallops, sea bream, hamachi, octopus, lobster with XO and side stripe shrimp cocktail.  Although the sticker shock of $110.00 might scare some, I thought it was reasonable given the contents and the overall quality.  The highlight for us was the lobster as the tail was stuffed full of bouncy nuggets that were sweet and fresh.  It was tossed with celery and XO sauce where there was a slightly spicy and briny flavour.  After that, the buttery hamachi ate as good as its beautiful hue while the sea bream was refreshing and tasted like the sea.  Scallops were buttery and only lightly seasoned, but the octopus could've been a bit firmer as it was didn't retain a chew.  It tasted really good though with a lightly spicy meatiness.

Onto another seemingly decadent and subsequently expensive item, we had the Crab & Spinach Dip served with grilled sourdough.  This was $48.00.  Why you might ask?  How about an entire dungeness crab nestled in the cheese and spinach?   Even though the picture doesn't do it justice, there was indeed a mess of fluffy crab in there.  As such, the whole thing ate like a crab toast rather than a dip.  We spread it onto the smoky and crunchy charred sourdough and ate it as such.  Very cheesy with the subtle sweetness of crab.  With that being said, there wasn't enough dip left for the last piece of bread though.  We also ventured into the happy hour menu and got the Fritto Misto which consisted mostly of fish with some jalapeno and fennel.  This was very good though as the batter was super crispy, yet thin and not greasy at all.  It was seasoned enough where the ailoi wasn't even needed.  The fish was flaky and almost juicy.

For the kiddies, my son decided to try the 2 Piece Fish & Chips with tartar sauce.  Although the batter looked rather thick, it was fine.  It was mostly crispy except for a few spots in the centre.  It was well-seasoned on its own, so that the fish tasted good without the tartar sauce.  The fish itself was supremely fresh where each flake was tender but still had a slight bite.  On the side, the tartar sauce was chunky with a balanced amount of tang and sharpness from the onions.  My daughter ended up with the Albacore Tuna Club with bacon, avocado, lettuce and tomato.  This was also very good with rare tuna that was soft and buttery accented by thick-sliced bacon.  Although the toasted roll looked dense, it was actually very light and airy.  Hence, it held everything together and didn't overwhelm the delicate tuna.  On the side, the triple-blanched fries were outstanding.  Even though they were uniformly crispy and aromatic, there was still plenty of potatoness left.

To get a sense of the larger hot plates available on the menu, we chose the Poached Filet of Halibut with a oyster butter sauce as well as the Bucatini all'amatriciana with clams.  If the aforementioned dishes weren't proof enough that the fish at Coquille was fresh, the halibut was the proverbial cherry on top.  It was perfect.  No really, it was!  It was buttery and flaky where it was just barely cooked through.  Halibut that is not fresh (ie. frozen) can never attain this texture.  The oyster beurre blanc was silky and really briny which could've been dialed back a abit.  As for the bucatini, it was firmly al dente and bathed in a noted garlicky and onion tomato sauce.  The guanciale was prepared crispy and added both texture and depth.  The star of the place was the enormous and plump clams.

Another happy hour item we ordered was the Lamb Ribs with mint chermoula.  Although this was the one non-seafood item we ordered (and there aren't many of these on the menu), it was nicely executed.  Crusted with a herb rub, the outside was crispy and lightly spicy.  Underneath, the meat was fatty, juicy and melt-in-our-mouths tender.  Again, the ribs alone were flavourful enough on their own, but chermoula added an earthy garlicky tartness.   At this point, we were stuffed and couldn't down dessert.  Was a moot point anyways as there wasn't much of a selection.  Regardless of that, the seafood we had at Coquille was indeed fine and fresh.  It was prepared properly and although the pricing for some items are on the higher side, we thought it was well worth it.

The Good:
- Supremely fresh seafood
- Prepared expertly
- Not lacking in flavour

The Bad:
- Some items are rather pricey (but worth it!)
- Limited dessert menu (but we never tried it, it could've been good)

Bells & Whistles

Unless you've been stuck to your own neighbourhood in the past few years, it has been increasingly obvious that Fraser Street is taking over from Main Street as hipster central.  Gradually, we've seen more and more additions that include Sal y Limon, Earnest, Carano, Bows & Arrows, Crow Bar, Jethro's and if we stretch it a bit, Savio Volpe.  The latest spot to set up shop is Bells & Whistles near the intersection with Kingsway.  It boasts a great selection of draft beers in addition to a decent selection of eats.  We decided to check the place out after softball practice with the team.

We got there shortly after 8:00pm on a Monday night and the place was bustling.  After some bevvies, we moved onto the food starting with the Pimento Cheese Dip accompanied by pretzel crisps, mini-pickles and grainy mustard.  This was pretty straightforward with a cold and thick cheesy dip.  It had the appealing sharpness from the cheddar combined with the sweetness from the pimentos.  The pretzel chips were firm enough to scoop the cheese as well as remain crunchy.  This went well with my light and crisp passionfruit ale.  Next up, we shared the Pineapple Sriracha Chicken Wings which happened to be gluten-free.  I thought the flavour was spot on being a great combination of aromatic sweetness with a spicy kick.  The skin was fairly well-rendered with a few fatty parts while the meat was succulent and almost juicy.

Bam Bam and Pebbles started with both the KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) and the Chili Cheese Fries.   I found the KFC to be very saucy, hence, the flavours were pretty intense.  There was this smoky, sweet and richly spicy hit that was quite good.  The pieces of chicken needed to be bigger as it was completely overwhelmed by the sauce.  It felt like I was eating sauce, but at the very least, it was tasty.  Despite being tiny, the chicken stayed moist and tender with the batter being soft due to the amount of moisture.  As for the chili cheese fries, I thought they were fantastic.  Although appearing to be generic, the fries were nothing but.  They were hot and uniformly crispy.  Meaty and not overly wet, the chili was a nice compliment to the fries as it was flavourful without being too spicy.  The aged cheedar added a sharpness as well as the ooey gooey factor.

Miss Y decided on the gluten-free Baha Fish Taco with tempura cod, Mexican slaw, cilantro crema and chipotle salsa.  She added a side of fries with garlic rosemary aioli to round things out.  Since the batter was gluten-free, the textures were definitely different.  She remarked that the whole thing turned out to be too wet and not crispy at all.  The fish was fresh and flaky though.  The fries were the best part being even crispier than the chili cheese fries as there was nothing on top.  They were even better dipped in the creamy and noticeably garlicky aioli.  Continuing with fish, we also had the Ahi Tuna Poke with green onion, cilantro, cucumber, black sesame seeds and avocado.  This was served with gluten-free tortilla chips.  Although the poke wasn't the easiest to pick up with the chips, it was fresh, clean-tasting and nicely textured.  A bit pricey at $14.00, but good nonetheless.

In terms of the bigger dishes, I shared both the Fancy Burger and the Crispy Chicken Sandwich with R2D2.  At first glance, many might wonder why their burgers and sandwiches are on the higher end of the pricing continuum.  However, upon finishing it with the accompanying fries, it as pretty filling.  I found the fancy burger messy to eat (not a bad thing) due to the combination of a house-made patty, thyme-roasted mushrooms & onions, goat cheese, truffle and basil aioli, alfalfa sprouts and tomato.  Although the beef patty consisting of short-rib, brisket and chuck was not exactly juicy, it wasn't dry though.  There was a nice char that elevated the existing meatiness.  We thought the crispy chicken to be quite good as well.  It was indeed crispy and also rather moist too.  The black pepper mayo really came through.

Since their ice cream machine was busted, we returned for another visit.  Before dessert, we decided to try their Nachos Grande with aged cheddar, beef chili, corn, fresh guacamole, black beans, chipotle salsa, pickled onion & jalapenos and olives.  This thing was incredibly massive.  It didn't look like much in terms of table space occupied, but the amount of layered ingredients made the nachos hearty and filling.  Despite the plethora of wet toppings, the house-fried thick chips remained crunchy while not being greasy nor heavy.  Loved that there was a noted spice as well.  There was no need to dip them into anything as the dip was built right into the dish.  Bam Bam and Pebbles got the Popcorn Shrimp which looked like a pretty small portion.  Indeed it was, but the quality and execution made up for that.   The little nuggets were crispy and light while the shrimp was perfectly cooked.  They were buttery with a cold-water snap.

Almost everyone at the table decided to go with the All-Day Breakfast Burger consisting of thick maple sausage pork patty, American cheese, hashbrowns and a fried egg.  This was a great decision because for all the hype this thing has received on social media, it delivered.  First off, the thick sausage patty was moist, well-seared and flavourful.  The fried egg was perfectly runny while the hashbrowns were notably crispy.  With everything combined, the burger was filling and well-balanced in terms of texture and taste.  Milhouse decided to be different and had the Big Ring consisting of BBQ sauce, onion rings, blue cheese and rosemary bacon.  Made with the same meaty and flavourful (naturaly meat flavour) beef patty, this was as good as the fancy we had last time.  However, that also meant that the onion rings were not crispy enough (same as last time).  Flavourwise, the tangy BBQ sauce and sharp blue cheese offered enough impact while the bacon was crispy and aromatic.

On yet another visit (they recognize us now...), we finally got around in trying one of the cheaper items on the menu - the sour cream and onion Corn Nuts.  Not bad for $3.00 as it was actually a good amount.  Naturally, this was a nice compliment to our beverages.  The nuts were crunchy with a creamy tang and an onion finish.  On our original visit, we had tried the pineapple sriracha wings, so we ended up with the other flavour this time being the Sweet & Sour Mustard.  Served as whole wings, these were crispy and fairly well-rendered.  Exactly as before, the meat was tender and juicy.  However, the actual flavour was meh.  It was neither very sweet nor sour.  Rather, it was actually kinda bland.  Either there needed to be more glaze or the glaze itself needs something.

I ended up sharing the Fat Stevens with R2D2.  It consisted of beer-brined chicken, gravy, mayo and crispy fried onions stuffed into a milk bun.  This was reminiscent of the Brass Chicken Sandwich of the long gone La Brasserie food truck.  The entire thing was saucy and messy, but ultimately delicious.  I found the generous chunks of chicken to be super tender and moist.  Enveloped by a thick and flavourful gravy, there was enough saltiness to go around including the bun.  The crispy onions on top added a sweet crunch. For the first time ever, there was a salad at the table.  Pom Pom wanted to be healthier with the Big Salad comprised of arugula, quinoa, goat cheese, lemon-caper vinaigrette, candied pecans, seasonal berries, pumpkin seeds and cucumber.  This was a good balance between sweet and acidity where it brought brightness to the peppery arugula.  The combination of sees and pecans provided the textural crunch.

We've been always curious about the other 2 types of fries (other than the chili fries), especially the Chowder Fries.  Yah, it really was fries topped with chowder consisting of cream corn, local fish, fresh dill and paprika.  In all honesty, I wasn't a huge fan of this.  I did enjoy the chowder by itself as it was briny and fishy (in a good way).  The creaminess was just right and the sweet corn did its usual thing.  But when used as a sauce for the fries, something got lost in translation.  It just wasn't appealing to eat.  On the flip side, the Lamb Curry Fries were magnificent.  The fries were just another starch to go with the curry rather than rice or naan.  Just spicy enough and full-bodied, the curry was aromatic and well-seasoned.  I found the chunks of lamb to be tender and well-portioned.  To top it all off literally and figuratively, the mint-lime yogurt provided a bright creaminess.

All the food was fine and dandy, but the real reason we were here was for the soft serve ice cream.  For myself, I chose the Stout Float mostly due to the fact no one ordered it.  To be honest, I was not too sure of this when I spotted it on the menu and wasn't too sure after the first sip either.  However, after I vigorously mixed the soft-serve into it, the flavours were more balanced.  There was an initial creamy sweetness that gave way to a bitter finish that was akin to dark chocolate.  Since I'm not a huge fan of sweet desserts anyways, it worked for me.  With that being said, the best choice was the Coco Crisp with salted caramel soft serve, chocolate sauce, Skor bar crumble, white chocolate and pretzel bits.  I loved the balance between sweet and salty while the soft-serve was creamy and purposefully sweet.  The crunch from the toppings was light and didn't take away from the creaminess.

Bear and Milhouse had the other 2 options in the Demar Deraspberry and Berry Rice.  Sporting original and blueberry twist, Oreo chunks, summer berries and sprinkles, the demar deraspberry was fruity as expected.  It didn't eat very sweet despite the ingredients listed.  With that being said, the crunchy Oreo pieces did add pops of sugar intermittently.  As for the berry rice, it was comprised solely of blueberry soft-serve with "lemonade" and poppy seed rice crispy squares.  Although blueberry anything usually means bland, this was aromatic enough.  The crispy squares added texture while the lemonade topping provided the "pop" needed to liven up the blueberry ice cream.  So after these 2 visits, we nearly demolished the entire menu except for a few things and the salads (LOL).  It is safe to say the food is generally good while the selection of brews adds to the dining experience.  However, for some, the pricing may seem high, but remember, many chain restaurants charge even more than this.

The Good:
- Generally good food
- Good selection of bevvies
- Creamy soft-serve

The Bad:
- On the pricier side, but not outrageous either
- Onion rings need work   

Brunch @ Gyoza Bar

Alright, the title of this post is not a typo nor some half-hearted attempt to offer food on weekend mornings and early afternoon.  Rather, Gyoza Bar has developed some dishes strictly for brunch in addition to their usual favourites.  Similar to Chinese Dim Sum, Japanese "brunch" does not resemble what we expect in North America.  With that being said, I'm sure with the inclusion Hollandaise sauce in one of their items, they are doing their best to incorporate familiar brunch staples into their Japanese specialties.  I was recently invited to check it out and made it a family meal by including the wife and kids.

Of course a visit to Gyoza Bar is definitely not complete without an order of their Pork Gyoza.  We went for the 12 piece mostly because it looks better in pictures.  The dish was as good as any other time we've been here.  On the bottom, the dumplings were crispy and well-seared with a smoky caramelization.  The thin and tender dumpling skin retained an appealing chew while the pork and cabbage filling was moist, meaty and flavourful.  Served on the side was their umami soy and spicy miso.  Both went well, especially the spicy miso as it added a salty heat. 

Onto brunch, our first dish was definitely the most fusion of the bunch being the Pulled Pork Benny Bao.  Served on a lightly fried mantou, we found moist pulled pork and a perfectly runny poached egg topped with a maple miso Hollandaise.  This was really good as the Hollandaise had a background umaminess that complimented the sweet and salty aspects.  In addition, there was enough acidity to balance the richness.  Since the pulled pork was on the sweeter side, the jalapenos and onion were imperative.  On the side, there was a togarashi-spiced kimchi corn hash that was sweet (from the corn niblets) and spicy with firm, yet cooked through potatoes.

Another interesting offering was the Okonomiyaki and Chicken Karaage.  Underneath a runny sunny side egg, the thin okonomiyaki was firmly crunchy with a loose and light centre.  It consisted of finely chopped cabbage and chunks of ham.  There was an appealing ginger flavour to go with the slightly smoky and caramelized crust.  The balls of chicken karaage were very crispy while meaty, albeit somewhat dry, on the inside.  As it was doused with plenty of tartar sauce, it reminded me of a chicken nanban rather than karaage.  About that tartar, it was fresh-tasting and sharp from the raw onions.  

Onto a more traditional Japanese brunch/lunch item, we were presented with the Gyoza Bar Brunch Teishoku.  It consisted of an albacore tuna tataki rice bowl with lettuce and a wealth of green onion, onsen tamago (for the rice), siero mushi steamed shrimp & veggies, sesame dipping sauce and wakame dashi soup.  Besides being beautiful to photograph and look at, everything ate really well.  When combined with the egg, the chewy rice was bathed in a umami silkiness that had brightness from the greens and a buttery meatiness from the tuna.  We found the sesame sauce to be aromatic and tangy which was super impactful when we dipped the shrimp, mushrooms, tofu, squash and eggplant.

The kids didn't really stray far from their favourites with my daughter choosing the Bacon N' Egg Ramen.  This was situated in a smoked soy chicken broth that was full of subtle, yet impactful flavours.  There was a light smokiness combined with the meatiness from the chicken and of course the saltiness of the soy.  As the menu description suggested, there was a strip of smoky bacon and a barely cooked egg within the hot broth and chewy al dente noodles.  This was certainly interesting where the egg added a silkiness to the bowl and the bacon provided even more smokiness.   Green onion, sweet corn and pea shoots rounded out the ingredients.  

For my son, he had his standby with the Tamari-Shoyu Tonkotsu Pork Ramen.  Consistently good, the broth was its usual umami-self (is that a word?) being rich and meaty.  The noodles were chewy and firm while the chashu was fatty and tender.   Oh and that ajitama egg, it was well-seasoned and creamy soft inside.  Although Gyoza Bar is more know for their dumplings, the ramen has come a long way since their opening in 2014.  Very solid.  Overall, we found the brunch at Gyoza Bar both unique and tasty.  If you were looking for something beyond the ordinary, then you will definitely find that at Gyoza Bar.

*All food was complimentary*

The Good:
- Beyond the ordinary
- Fair amount of food for the price
- Good execution

The Bad:
- Chicken karaage was a bit dry

Kosoo Restaurant

With so many different ethnic foods available in Vancouver, it is with no surprise to see a few of them team up to create unique combinations.  Of course, there are some expected fusion between Vietnamese and French in addition to Japanese and Pacific Northwest.  Kissa Tanto brought us Japanese-Italian while we've seen Dynasty venture into various cuisines matched up with traditional Cantonese.  Something a bit unexpected is the newly opened Kosoo with it French-trained chef doing some fusion with Korean cuisine.  Recently, I attended a tasting of their new menu items.

Despite the French-Korean fusion that was expected, we started with an Italian dish in the Caprese Salad.  Well, I'm happy to report that their take on it was successful with impactful flavours that were a good mix of acidity, bright herbs and sweetness.  The ample garlic and onions along with the requisite basil created an aromatic hit that went well with the fresh tomatoes and mozzarella.  As much as the additions seemed minor, the dish ate very differently than a traditional Caprese.  Next up, we had a Japanese-influenced dish in the Toro Sashimi that was neatly plated as a flower and served essentially straight-up.  Hence, this depended on the freshness of the fish and it was on point.  Buttery soft while retaining a meatiness, the fish was naturally sweet.

Onto something that was mostly Korean, we had the trendy (at least in Vancouver it is) Spicy Chicken Galbi served in a UFO grill.  In the centre, we found tender nuggets of chicken mixed with onions, cabbage and sweet potato-starch noodles bathed in a pointedly spicy sauce that had a nice kick as well as a background brininess.  On the side, there was the usual melted mozzarella cheese, but the other part wasn't just plain corn.  Rather, it was a yam puree with corn.  Something a bit different than the usual corn and/or egg.  Moving back to Japanese with a twist was the Spicy Popeye Gyoza filled with a whole prawn, spinach and cream cheese.  This was as good as it looked with a firmly crunchy shell with a meaty prawn and creamy spinach.  The spicy creamy dip in the middle amped it up a bit.

Completely back to Japanese, we sampled 2 rolls with the Spicy Tuna Roll and Unagi Roll.  These were pretty typical, but that didn't mean they weren't good.  In fact, I found the rice to be on point being chewy with enough moisture where there was just enough of it.  The Unagi Roll was akin to most other dragon rolls consisting of a imitation crab, avocado and a generous amount of unagi on top.  The spicy tuna had a similar base roll while topped with seared tuna, jalapenos, spicy mayo and special sauce.  As expected, this roll had more impact due to the added spice and sauces.

Taking inspiration from the chef's French-training, we had the Tomato Mussel Stew that exhibited Korean spices.  Hence, there was a unique zestiness that was more spicy than what you would normally see in tomato-based mussel dish.  That was a good thing though as the mussels were extremely briny.  This helped balance the strong seafoody flavours.  Beyond that, the mussels were buttery and on point.  Going in yet another direction, we had mussels again, albeit in the Spanish Gambas featuring classic EVOO and garlic with a Korean twist utilizing Korean dried chilies.  Hence, we got the usual garlickiness combined with some heat.  The best part was dipping the side of bread into the oil.

We then came all the way back to Japanese with a large serving of Gomae.  Beyond the unique plating where we found the gomae an interesting geometric shape, the Korean sesame sauce underneath was not as sweet as it appeared.  Rather, there was some nice aromatics going on.  I would say that it wasn't as strong as some other versions I have tried though.  We had the Tartare Sampler that was not on the new Spring menu but was beautiful to photograph and equally tasty.  The sesame mustard dressing for the tuna had an umami quality to it with a bite at the end.  I thought the sweet soy, tako, wasabi and Korean pear was a flavourful compliment to the buttery beef.  The one thing that stuck out from this tasting was that their form of fusion was restrained where flavours were complimentary rather than reinventing the wheel.  It reminded me of Indian-Chinese food, where the dishes looked familiar, but the flavours were uniquely different.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- They didn't go overboard with the fusion
- Varied menu
- Subtle, but flavourful spice additions

The Bad:
- Some might want more daring fusion