Honey Salt

Fresh off the all-you-can-eat $40.00 Dim Sum at 1886, we returned the day after for brunch at Honey Salt.  We decided to do a low-key brunch for Father's Day after the extravagance and pricey brunch at H2 in the Westin for Mother's Day.  Besides, my mom cares way more than my dad about where to eat in general.  For those unfamiliar with Honey Salt, the original location hails from Las Vegas (or more accurately Summerlin).  Their country-style theme meshes well with their farm-to-table concept.  Upon entering the dining space, I would say they have succeeded in executing their vision with an inviting and airy decor.

We ended up ordering a few dishes for the table including the Honey Salt Market that was mostly a glorified crudites.  It was whimsically plated with charcoaled beets, asparagus, heirloom tomatoes & carrots, crispy kale, pickled veggies, sweet potato chips, charcoal salt, cauliflower hummus and goddess dip.  Although it wasn't a very complex concoction, the appealingly plated veggies were fresh and crunchy.  I wanted to like the dips, but they were not impactful.  Firm and almost crunchy, the outer layers of the citrus brioche Monkey Bread were caramelized and smoky.  Yes, it was pretty sweet, but it worked in this case as the interior of the bread was spiked with cinnamon and little sugar.  For those who wanted to up the sweetness, there was a side of honey bourbon sauce.  As much as I enjoyed the flavours, I would've preferred a softer bread (on the inside).

For my main, I went for the Fish & Chips with smashed peas, tartar sauce, malt aioli and fries.  In terms of execution, the fish (I believe it was cod) was perfectly flaky and almost buttery.  As for the batter, it was crunchy on the edges, but not-so-much near the centre.  This is illustrated by the lighter colour too.  I found the tartar to be thick, creamy and tangy while the malt aioli was a nice compliment to the crunchy, yet airy fries.  Viv had the Biloxi Buttermilk Fried Chicken Sandwich with creamy slaw, durkee's dressing and pickles on brioche.  We liked how they included 2 thick pieces of fried chicken since it made the sandwich hearty and filling.  Tangy and acidic, the slaw and crunchy pickles brought the heaviness down a notch.  The little salad on the side was not an afterthought as it was bright, sweet and tart.

My dad ended up with the Dungeness Crab Roll which was served as a trio of mini-rolls.  It was supposed to come with salt & vinegar chips, but he opted for a salad instead.  Although the description on the menu stated celery salad, there was little in the way of filler.  Rather, there seemed to be only fluffy crab throughout with a light mayo dressing.  It was a nice little bite with the buttery toasted roll.  Our only complaint was the bits of shell we found with the crab.  As per usual, my mom went for the Steak & Eggs consisting of RR Ranch strip loin, 2 eggs, latkes and house-made tomato jam.  This was a nicely composed dish with a beautifully charred medium-rare steak and equally well-executed sunny side eggs.  Nutty and crunchy, the latkes were nicely textured inside and out.

The kiddies decided to share 2 dishes in the BC Smoked Salmon Board and Eggs Benedict.  Again, the smoked salmon board wasn't particularly complex, but the plating was appetizing.  They didn't skimp on the big slices of buttery salmon and there was a side of potted salmon as well.  Completing the spread was onions, capers (he omitted these), tomatoes and soft yolk egg.  The benny featured peameal back bacon, soft poached eggs, spinach and Hollandaise.  Runny, but with completely cooked whites, the poached egg was perfect.  Silky and buttery, the Hollandaise was good, but could've used a touch more lemon.  In terms of atmosphere and service, Honey Salted nailed it.  As for the food, it was mostly good with some issues here and there.  But it wasn't enough to prevent us from going back.

The Good:
- Comfortable dining space with appealing decor
- Attentive service
- Brunch was above-average

The Bad:
- Some minor issues with a few dishes
- No validated parking

1886 Chinese Fine Dining (AYCE Dim Sum)

We've seen this story before.  All-you-can-eat Dim Sum was a thing back in the 90's at a restaurant on Broadway upstairs (Top Gun?).  It didn't last long though and we haven't really seen it again since.  Well, not until now...  The upscale 1886 in the Parq Vancouver next to BC Place surprisingly is offering AYCE Dim Sum for $38.88.  Factor in that most of the dishes there are around $10.00, the price tag for the AYCE doesn't seem all that outrageous.  With that in mind, JuJu declared we should try it out, so we rounded up the gang including Milhouse, Kaiser Soze, Dre and Ro.

We got right down to business and ordered all of the steamed items first starting with the Shanghai Pork Soup Dumpling with Lobster Bisque.  Although the dumpling skin was a touch thicker and doughy than I would've preferred, the strong lobster aroma made up for it.  It was very tasty and impactful with an umaminess that was complimented by the sweet and tender pork.  There was plenty of soup that really did taste like a bisque. Of note, the second time around, the dumpling skin was thinner.  Next, the Scallop Dumpling with Black Garlic featured a medium-thick skin that had nice elasticity.  It was full of scallop that was buttery, sweet and lightly briny.  There was a certain aromatic umaminess from the black garlic that was not overpowering.  Mixed in with the scallops were bits of crunchy veggies.

Even by visuals alone, we  were concerned with the thickness of the dumpling skin on the Spinach Seafood Dumpling.  After one bite, it was confirmed as it was doughy.  However, it still exhibited elasticity and rebound, so it wasn't all a loss.  Inside, the spinach was tender and didn't become mushy.  The seafood (mostly shrimp) was on point having a moist snap.  The flavour profile trended towards sweet rather than savoury, but was still balanced.  We ended up ordering the Vegetable Dumpling just because we could say we ordered everything from the menu.  Turns out it wasn't just a throw in.  Sporting a relatively thin glutinous wrapper, the dumpling ate well with tender, but not overcooked veggies.  I wasn't a fan of the peas though as they were chalky.  The dumpling ate mildly sweet with a background pepperiness.

We found the Ha Gau (Shrimp Dumplings) to be pretty textbook.  They were on the smaller side, but since it was AYCE, who cares?  We thought the dumpling skin was just the right thickness and texturally, it wasn't too soft while retaining a chewiness.  Inside, the shrimp filling was sweet and buttery.  It was a touch on the saltier side, but it didn't cross the threshold where one would actually say it is salty.  As for the Siu Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumplings), they were on point.   Buttery and bouncy, the pork was perfectly textured while the amount of shiitake ensured variance in flavour and umaminess.  I thought the seasoning was bang on where it was impactful without being oversalted.

Okay, here we go with the dud of the meal.  The Bean Curd Skin Roll with sea cucumber, enoki mushroom and shrimp could've been good.  However, the goopy sauce killed the dish.  There was far too much of it where the rolls literally drowned in it.  Furthermore, there was so much starch, the sauce could be picked up with chopsticks.  As for the roll itself, the bean curd skin had a bite while being tender.  Having quality ingredients as the filling was a plus too.  One of the more standard items was the Lotus Leaf Wrapped Chicken, Pork and Glutinous Rice (Lo Mai Gai).  By no means was it bad, in fact, it was very good.  The rice was nicely textured while not being too mushy while the meat was plentiful and tender.

Onto the Rice Noodle Rolls, we tried them all including the BBQ Pork, Prawn and Mushroom Trio (not pictured).   Texturally, the rice noodle was quite good.  It was soft and buttery.  I would've liked to see more elasticity, but it didn't make or break the dish.  I wanted to like the BBQ pork rice noodle roll, but there was  just too much cilantro for my tastes.  This was purely subjective as many at the table loved it.  Surprisingly good, the mushroom trio consisted of enoki, shiitake and straw mushrooms.  It was woodsy and was chock full of filling.  However, the best of the bunch was the prawn since they were large and beautifully textured.  Meaty with a sweet and aromatic snap, the prawns were the right textural contrast to the soft rice noodle.

We also got the trio of steamed buns including the BBQ Pork Bun, Chicken & Ginger Bun (not pictured) and the Egg Yolk Bun.  Consistent throughout, the buns were fluffy and airy.  There was just enough moisture where the bun came cleanly off the parchment paper on the bottom.  Meaty and lean, the BBQ pork was sauced with a sweet and savoury glaze.  However, I much preferred the chicken bun as the meat was super moist and tender with the bright and sharp taste of fresh ginger.  If you look at the picture of the egg yolk bun, Dre couldn't split the bun successfully since it was super hot and pretty runny.   It did taste good though with just enough sweetness and the unmistakable salted egg yolk finish.

It was interesting how the menu didn't have beef meatballs nor phoenix talons, but at least they had Black Bean Spareribs.  This was one of my favourite dishes as the texture was on point.  There was a butteriness to the meat, yet it still had a bite with plenty of rebound.  I found the pieces to be mostly meat and rib portions.  There was plenty of seasoning that was a nice balance between garlickiness and saltiness from the black bean.  Mijune, who was sitting nearby, remarked that the dish they had was pretty fatty.  One bonus item was the Potstickers as we were served them despite it not being on the menu.  These were also good with thin delicate dumpling skin.  It was uniformly seared where the filling was succulent and peppery.

As much as we normally do not tend to order congee during Dim Sum service, we were dedicated to trying the whole menu.  Hence, we got both the Preserved Egg & Salted Pork Congee as well as the Seafood Congee.  The reason why we tend to shy away from congee is that it is viewed as a filler.  So for this case, we only got one bowl each.  Turns out it was a nice departure from everything else as we were getting pretty full.  The broth was semi-thick and had a "home-style" quality to it.  It wasn't inundated with MSG nor salt.  Therefore, it ate very light.  With that being said, they didn't skimp on the ingredients as you can see in the picture.  We liked how they diced up the egg into small pieces since we got an equal bite in each spoonful.  The seafood congee was mostly fish with some shrimp and scallop.  It was cooked just enough so that the seafood was the right texture.

For our next round, we got more of the aforementioned dishes, but also added the baked and fried items (which we ordered by the piece).  I absolutely loved the deep fried Minced Pork Dumplings (Ham Sui Gock) as they were super crunchy with only a thin layer of glutinous rice.  Inside, the pork filling was plentiful, lean and well-seasoned.  Moreover, the dumpling was not greasy as it can usually be.  On the other hand, the Duck & Mashed Taro Puff (Wu Gock) was a little oily on the bottom.  That is pretty normal as taro can soak up oil like a sponge.  I found it a little dense due to the amount of filling, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing because the duck was quite tasty.

The aforementioned 2 items are generally pretty standard offerings for Dim Sum, but the next 2 were more unique.  I really enjoyed the Signature Crispy Chicken & Mushroom Pastry as it was aromatic and crispy.  Inside, the chicken was super tender and moist.  The addition of mushrooms added another layer of flavour.   The whole thing was served hot, so all the flavours were activated.  Next up, the Black Pepper & Angus Beef Cake was also served hot out of the oven.  The pastry was flaky and buttery while combined with the filling, it was a touch dense.  The ample amount of beef was tender and moist while the pepperiness was actually rather mild.

Back to the regular, the Crispy Shrimp Spring Rolls lived up to its namesake.  Wrapped tightly, the rolls were firmly crunchy while not greasy.   I personally like them a bit more loose, but that wasn't a huge problem.  The shrimp filling was once again buttery with a sweet snap.  It was well-seasoned, yet I could still taste the natural essence.  Cute as button and small as one, the Pineapple Buns were a table-favourite.  Although a touch dense, due to their small size, the buns were aromatic and nutty from the lard (yes, lard).  On top, the sugar flour crust was sweet, but restrained.  It was also aromatic and caramelized.

We also ordered all the desserts including the refreshing Chilled Mango Sago Cream with pomelo.  This was classic in its preparation with a semi-sweet creamy mango "soup" mixed with mini-tapioca pearls, fresh mango bits and of course pomelo.  The result was a tangy and sweet concoction that was a nice break from the savoury items.  On the same theme, the Mango Pudding absolutely killed it.  Unlike cheaper versions, this mango pudding was creamy, rich and tasted like fresh mangoes, there was an aromatic tang from the bits of mango that made this refreshing.

When it arrived, I was a little concerned with the Egg Tart's appearance.  They looked a bit shriveled and dry.  Well, that was somewhat true as the edges of the custard were gummy and not silky.  However, the middle was good while being sweet with a coconut finish.  As for the puff pastry tart shell, it was buttery and nutty.  Texturally, it was flaky and light.  Trying to be a bit different, they mixed the usual Coconut Pudding with a layer of red bean pudding.  The result was a contrast in both textures and flavour.  I found the coconut pudding to be mild and smooth while the red bean pudding to be somewhat gritty with more body.

Our last 2 desserts and dishes in general was the Deep Fried Durian Pastry and the Crispy Sweet Potato Puff.  With the unmistakable smell of durian, the pastry was crispy with a strong hit of creamy durian.  Dre really enjoyed it, but Kaiser Soze thought it was too strong.  Lastly, the potato puff was really a fried sesame glutinous ball with potato and salted egg yolk filling.  In a reversal of ingredients, the glutinous exterior was spiked with red bean (normally, the filling is red bean paste).  This was aromatic and lightly crispy on the outside while the filling was starchy and semi-sweet with an salted egg finish.  As you can ascertain, we were quite impressed with the overall quality of the Dim Sum at 1886.  Sure, their a la carte pricing is overpriced, but the AYCE deal is actually reasonable in our books.

The Good:
- Decent variety with quality ingredients
- Overall, the majority of dishes were good
- Service was attentive and friendly

The Bad:
- Some might shy away from the $38.88 price tag, but considering the a la carte pricing, this was reasonable 
- No validated parking

Bean Bánh Mì

Gracing the corner of Kingsway and Inverness, Tung Hing Bakery was one of the most beloved Bánh Mì joints in the GVRD.  They pioneered the freshly-baked baguette that would encase their delicious ingredients for their sandwiches.  BaLe (which came first, but sourced their bread from somewhere else) followed suit with their own baked bread, but when it came to the complete package, Tung Hing had the edge.  With the proliferation of Bánh Mì joints, especially with the introduction of Bánh Mì Saigon, worthy competitors started to crowd the scene.  Suddenly, Tung Hing closed up shop and has been replaced by a modern Vietnamese sandwich shop called Bean Bánh Mì.  Naturally, I had to stop in to try everything!

To start, it was only natural to go with the standard - Special Tri-Meat Classic with house-made pâté, steamed pork loaf and Vietnamese ham.  If you look closely, you can see the sliced pork ear, it was jelly-like and super tender.  There was a good amount of ingredients stuffed into the baguette which meant the sandwich ate hearty.  I thought the pâté was impactful where it really came through with an appealing gaminess.  Veggies were fresh and provided a bright crunch.  The house-baked bread was crusty, but a bit too dense for my liking.  The Pork Meat Balls Bánh Mì was my least favourite as it was one-note in flavour.  I found it sweet from the onions, but no tomato sauce flavour as promised on the menu.  Despite this, the rest of the ingredients made up for it and the sandwich still ate well.

Normally, one would find lemongrass chicken at a Vietnamese sandwich shop, but they went in a different direction with the Five-Spice Chicken featuring pulled chicken marinated in a house-made five spice sauce.  Although the chicken was a touch on the dry side, it was delicious.  They didn't skimp on the seasoning where the 5-spice really came through with cloves, cinnamon and the unimistakable licorice aroma from fennel.  The most filling sandwich was the Grilled Pork Patties as it barely fit into the baguette.  Juicy and moist with a rebound, the patties were impactful with both sweetness and some brininess from the shrimp paste.  Again, the ample pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, hot pepper and cilantro ensured that the sweetness was balanced out.

Saving the best for last, the Beef Stew was #LIT.  Yes really.  Not really noticeable in the picture, but definitely when I bit into it, there was a plethora of tender beef.  It was moist and completely spiked with whatever they stewed it with.  Hence, I could get hits of cloves, star anise, fennel and considerable amount of sweetness.  Again, the hot pepper, pickled veggies and in this case, fresh basil, was necessary to vary up the flavours.  So I'm sure you can ascertain that Bean Bánh Mì has some pretty impactful ingredients.  I was really impressed with the sandwiches as a whole.  Their bread needs a bit of work though, yet they are a worthy replacement for Tung Hing.

The Good:
- Impactful flavours
- They don't skimp on the ingredients
- Friendly people

The Bad:
- Bread needs a little work

H2 Rotisserie & Bar Mother's Day Brunch (Westin Bayshore)

As much as we believe that all "special days" are overly hyped and commercialized, there are some reasons for giving into "spending the money".  Yes, I'm talking about Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day.  Honestly, do we really need to pick out one specific day to love somebody?  So we ignore them all of the other days???  With that being said, I realize that Valentine's Day could be merely an excuse to take someone out for a date and/or it is fun to join in on all the fun.  The same could be said about Mother's Day since many places make it into an event and honestly, moms do deserve to be spoiled...  So with that in mind, we booked H2 Rostisserie & Bar for their Mother's Day Brunch.

Whenever we hit any buffet, we head straight for the Seafood (because it was ingrained into us as kids that it was worth the most...).  I did what I was programmed to do and helped myself to Snow Crab (which turned to King Crab later on into the service for some reason), Shrimp, Clams and Mussels.  This was a good start as the clams and mussels were prepared properly being buttery and not overdone.  Exhibiting a fresh snap, the shrimp were also on point.  Although a bit salty, the snow crab was fluffy and also cooked just right.  Next, I moved onto some hot items including the Rack of Lamb and their signature Rotisserie Chicken.  I found the lamb to be perfectly medium-rare (closer to rare), tender and moist.  It was nicely seasoned with rosemary, but the dollop of mint jelly was good too as it was not too minty.  The chicken was flavourful exhibiting rich roasted caramelization.  I found the meat (drumstick) to be moist while the skin to be beautifully rendered.  Benedicts were also good with runny poached eggs and a silky Hollandaise.  However, the Halibut was a miss as it was rock hard and not seasoned enough.

My last savoury plate (due to the modest selection) consisted of Ha Gau, Siu Mai, BBQ Pork Bun, Charcuterie, Sushi and Baby Scallops.  Now if you are wondering why my one ha gau looked all sad and deformed, it is because that was the only one left.  There was a whole large steamer to begin with, but they were packed-in so tight, they all stuck together.  This was not replenished for the time we were there.  The sushi was pretty limited and it was the typical Sunday brunch variety (average).  Much like the ha gau, the charcuterie was not replenished fast enough, so I was stuck with salami only.  As you can see, this was the "meh" part of the meal.  However, the Made-to-Order Crepes were outstanding.  Light and fluffy while decently thin, these were buttery and delicious.  There was fresh whipped cream, chocolate and berries available as toppings.

Other than the rotisserie and seafood, the highlight had to be the Dessert spread.  It featured a chocolate fountain with fruit, various candies, petit fours and really good Macarons.  Texturally, they were almost perfect with a crispy shell giving way to a soft chewy centre.  They were very generous as little bags were available where we could take some candy or even a Macaron or two to go.  The pricing for Mother's Day brunch at H2 Rotisserie & Bar was $70.00 per adult and $25.00 per child.  For those who are in the know, this pricing was actually one of the least expensive for Downtown hotel restaurants (especially for the kids).  Once we took a look at the spread, it was also obvious why it was less than, say, Notch8 at the Hotel Vancouver.  So if you aren't too picky about the selection of food, then H2 has some hightlights such as their chicken, crepes and desserts.  However, if you were looking for a more elaborate spread at a higher price point, I would go with Notch8.

The Good:
- One of the lowest-priced special brunches in Downtown Vancouver
- Inviting dining space near the water
- Great service

The Bad:
- Selection was small
- Some items were not replenished fast enough