Centro

Redevelopment.  That is the reality in Vancouver as precious pockets of land and storefronts are transformed into multi-level housing.  This led to the closing of Pronto on Cambie Street and the subsequent opening of Centro on Denman (until that also is redeveloped?).   We recently visited the place for dinner with Elaine and Costanza.  Upon entering, we were greeted with "Bino's-eque" 1970's decor that pays homage to the original building (where a Bank of BC used to reside).

Since we didn't ask them to course out our food, things came fast and furious.  We had to dig into the Wild Boar Pancetta-Wrapped Prawns quickly due to lack of space on the table (they did add another one to give us more room though).  These were baked and served with gremolata.  Meaty while retaining a firm snap, the briny prawns were amped by the salty and cooked-down pancetta.  I didn't notice much of the gremolata though.  Served with spicy pomodoro, the Calamari Fitto was well-executed.  Although the pieces were small, they were not dried out.  There was an appealing chewiness underneath a razor-thin batter that was crispy and well-salted.  The spicy sauce on the side really added a kick.

After that, a bunch of pastas arrived including the Spaghetti with mushrooms and veal cheek ragu.  This was a substantial portion of al dente spaghetti with a generous amount of ingredients.  Since it was piping hot and full of sauce, the longer it sat, the more soft the pasta got.  I was fortunate enough to sample some right away and it was very "mushroomy" with only intermittent hits of tender veal.  The sauce itself was quite mild and completely dominated by the mushrooms.  I personally love the taste of mushrooms, but for others, it was not balanced.  Another daily feature was the Capellini Nero with clams, mussels, calamari, tomatoes and plenty of garlic.  I thought this was pretty tasty with hits of brininess accentuated by plethora of roasted garlic.  Hence, there was a robust flavour that was blessed with strong umaminess.  The thin pasta was still relatively al dente while the seafood was on point.

We also selected one pasta from the regular menu in the Linguine Prawns Picante with capers, roma tomatoes, Calabrian chili, EVOO, lemon and fresh herbs.  This was the favourite of the table since it had plenty of punch from the chilis.  There was balanced combination of acidity, sweetness, saltiness and spice without going over the top.  Of all the pastas, the linguine was the most al dente (even as it sat for awhile since there was no "sauce", just EVOO).  The large prawns were also done right having a meaty snap and being properly seasoned.  Another daily feature was the Duck, Gorgonzola and Pear Flatbread.  This featured a soft crust that was only a bit crispy on the edges.  The wealth of ingredients on top helped soften it up.  On the other hand, the generous toppings ensured there was plenty of punch too with the sharpness of the gorgonzola paired with the muted sweetness of the pear.  The large slices of duck breast ranged from tender to a bit chewy.

Yet another daily feature was the Pork Belly with apple puree and roasted onions.  This was a pleasant with a meaty piece of roasted pork belly.  The fat had been rendered enough where there was a meatiness to the pork belly that was natural-tasting with the roasted aroma really coming through.  I found the apple puree to be lightly sweet but not really all that impactful.  This was probably the weakest dish that we had for the meal.  We also got a Caprese Salad to balance out our meal, but then I went ahead and substituted in burrata for $5.00 more.  They didn't hold back as the fresh campari tomatoes were coated in a good amount of burrata.  It was fresh, creamy and really made the salad.  The usual fresh basil, EVOO, arugula and balsamic reduction added the classic flavours, but we wished there was more vinegar.

The Good:
- Well-portioned
- Friendly service
- Solid eats

The Bad:
- Seating and tables are tight
- Smaller dishes were not as strong as the bigger ones

Crowbar

With a clever name that does capture the spirit of the place, Crowbar is in fact, a bar.  However, there is much more than balanced tasty cocktails to be found here.   Beyond the beverages we find a one-man show in the kitchen, Chef Justin Ell.  One could call him the mad scientist of chefs due to his background, but also the risks he takes with his creations. I've been waiting to try the place out, yet I needed some adventurous dining mates as there is offal on the menu.  I ultimately did find these people in Maggi, Kristina, David and Hanson.

Upon perusing the menu, there was no doubt we would be tackling the $60.00 tasting...  in addition to 2 orders of their off-menu burger!  More on that later, as we began with the house-baked Farro Honey Bread with shallot oil and black vinegar.  So this was just bread, but oh was it tasty bread.  Beyond the chewy and firmly crunchy exterior, the bread was soft and fluffy with a muted sweetness.  Aromatic and impactful, the shallot oil was beautifully married with the robust sweet and tangy vinegar.  Addictive to say the least.  I could dip my shoe into that and eat it.  Not particularly pleasant to the eyes, the Roasted Beets with cuttlefish ink and guajillo ate much better than it appeared. Tender and sweet, the beets were also smoky and lightly earthy.  Other flavours that were present included tang, saltiness and spice.  These were evenly layered with different tastes as we chewed.

We were each presented with bowl of Smoked and Braised Pork Tendon in hot and sour broth with confit potatoes and celtuce.  As much as the description of hot and sour often elicits thoughts of strong flavours, this was actually a very delicate dish.  As such, the broth was only light tangy and barely sweet.  Tendons were perfectly tender retaining a bite while the relatively firm potatoes were a nice counterbalance.  Nice touch to add the celtuce on top at the last minute as they retained their crunch and brightness where some of them cooked slightly in the broth.  Sporting stunning ingredients, the Heirloom Tomato Salad featured cannellini beans, wild boar nduja, Domenica Fiore olive oil, burrata and herbs.  I'm normally not a huge fan of tomato salads, but this was flavourful enough to win me over.  The tomatoes were sweet and juicy while dressed with peppery floral oil accented by acidity and spice.  Creaminess from the burrata and depth from the beans made this "meaty".

I was really looking forward to the Milk Braised Beef Tongue because if you didn't know by now, I love tongue!  This tongue here was seared and accompanied by gigande beans and turnip greens in a beef fat vinaigrette.  I've made beef tongue at home on my occasions and really, it isn't difficult to prepare.  However, to make it more interesting than merely braising it and then searing it can be challenge.  Pairing it with earthy sharp greens coated in a creamy and tangy dressing made the dish even more rich.  I guess the greens was the light part of the concoction?   Oh and the large beans were tender with a minor firmness.  Delicious.  Our made-to-order Dealer's Choice Pasta consisted of Cheese Tajarin.  As expected, the pasta was extremely eggy while retaining an appealing chew.  It was delicate, but completely cheesy with a yummy saltiness.  Super impactful while being refined at the same time.

Onto some serious meat action, we were presented with the Smoked Bone-In 18 oz. Pork Belly glazed in Korean hyssop and squid ink.  The large pork belly was definitely smoky, but the sauce was not our favourite.  It was sweet with a slight tang, but due to the richness of the pork belly, it could've used more acidity.  As for the belly itself, the meat was tender and melted-in-my-mouth while the fat was gelatinized.  Probably the best part was the meat attached to the bone as it was tender and full-flavoured.  Okay, behold!  Look at the Whole Roast Duck!  This gigantic thing was dark soy-brined and aged so the meat was succulent and well-seasoned.  It was tender, but at the same time, had a meaty chewiness to it.  As you can clearly see, the skin was beautifully roasted and rendered.  It was crispy and super tasty.  On the menu, it is $120.00 alone, but my word, it is worth it!

On the side, the duck included Duck Heart Sticky Rice (or a form of Lo Mei Gai).  For those who are familiar with Chinese cuisine, certain roast ducks are often stuffed with sticky rice and offal.  So this was a natural accompaniment in my opinion.  I found the rice a little on the wetter side, but it was still appealingly sticky.  Of course the little nuggets of duck heart were a nice treat as they were tender and not overdone.  Remember when I mentioned their off-menu burger?  It isn't some ordinary one as it is a 67-Day Aged Burger with taleggio and beef fat mayo on house-made challah bun.  Funky with a "blue cheese" sharpness, the meat was lean and fairly firm.  There was enough inherent flavour that the burger didn't need much else.  However, the mayo and cheese did contribute more richness and nuttiness.  The toast challah bun was soft with a touch of crispiness.

Onto dessert, the creative use of offal didn't end there because we were served the Blood Almond Nougat with whipped sea salt espresso.  Other than the colour (which looked like chocolate anyways), I really couldn't tell the nougat had blood in it.  There was just enough sweetness to go with the firmly crunchy nuts and the chewy nougat.  The airy whip was creamy with a light coffee taste that was elevated a bit by the salt.  Our last dish was the Caramelized Rice Panna Cotta with Sylvia's lavender, olive oil, cashew, roasted melon and herbs.  This was creamy and light with a buttery finish.  Due to the ingredients, there was a nutty sweetness as well as a bitter and spiced finish.  Geez, why did it take me this long to dine at Crowbar?  The creativeness and originality from the chef are already great reasons to dine here.  However, add in some killer dishes and tasty cocktails, it is a must-try in Vancity.

The Good:
- Inventive
- Some dishes were completely off-the-hook
- Balanced cocktails

The Bad:
- Be patient, food comes out as fast as the one-man show can pump it out
- Not exactly cheap (but worth it IMO)
- Limited seating

Crabro Restaurant

It seems that there is usually a select few restaurants that get all the coverage on social media while others exist with barely a mention.   Let's be frank here, many of the newer restaurants are well-known due to the immense social media exposure created by large group events.  I'm not being critical here, it is merely an observation and really, can you blame anyone?  Business is business, they are out to make money.  However, some independent joints get lost in the shuffle since they either have not clued into social media and/or do not have the budget to do any big promotions.  Crabro out on Edmonds seems to fit into that category as they've been around for a year with barely a whimper.

We headed out there to check it out randomly one day.  With a fairly limited menu, we decided to give the Cumin Lamb a try.  Although it was decently spicy with the unmistakable hit of earthy cumin, we felt they could've amped the flavours even more so.  The lamb itself was sliced a bit too thick which meant it was not exactly super tender.  Lastly, there was more veggies then lamb itself.  Conclusion - this dish was a miss.  Okay, the main event here is the choice of wet or dry hot pot with choice of seafood.  We went for the whole Crab Dry Hot Pot with added ingredients of lotus root, rice cake, pork belly, enoki mushrooms and cauliflower in medium spice.  This was not cheap at $29.99 for the crab and another $22.00 for the ingredients.  It was pretty tasty though with a noticeable spice that wasn't overwhelming.  Everything exhibited the right textures while the crab was fresh and not overdone.  It was a one-clawed crab though (there was a small regenerating claw).

To complete our meal, we got Steamed Oysters with Garlic and Steamed Scallops with Garlic.  They ended up serving us 3 oysters instead of the 2 that we originally ordered because they deemed them "too small".  That was very honest of them and I applaud them for that.  Much like the crab, the oysters were fresh and buttery.  They were a bit underdone, but I didn't mind that.  It was topped with vermicelli and a tonne of garlic as well as some red chilis.  The scallops were equally fresh and cooked just right.  They were soft with an appealing chew while being sweet and topped with the same condiments.   For a small restaurant like this, I was rather impressed at the quality and execution of these 2 dishes since they were better than some higher end restaurants in town.

For dessert, there was a slight confusion as we actually wanted coconut juice, but was served Coconut Jelly instead.  It was served inside a real coconut and cost us $12.00.  We lived with their error and it turned out to be really good.  It was lightly sweet and aromatic being delicate in texture.  There was plenty of it and after we were done, the fresh coconut meat on the side was a treat.  In general, most of the food at Crabro was pretty solid and tasty.  Seafood was on point, but the pricing was a little high with all things considered.

The Good:
- Fresh and well-prepared seafood
- Unique food experience
- Although not particularly attentive, service was friendly

The Bad:
- See above, service was somewhat aloof
- Pricey

Royal Oak Restaurant

I'm sure you've noticed all the newer restaurants that I have blogged about recently.  Well, let's be honest here - people like reading about the latest spots to open because they want to know if they are worth going to.  But what about the long-standing joints that have been around for decades?  It goes without saying that people have either heard of them or have already eaten there.  So yah, not the sexiest places to blog about.  Yet, they always remain somewhere in the back of my mind and are an option when the situation presents itself.  Yep, that was the case when we needed a family-friendly spot to celebrate Girl Smiley's birthday as it was also close by to her house.

It's not like I haven't wanted to try the place out over the past decade and beyond, but recent reviews have indicated that it has gone downhill and things weren't the same as before.  I try to ignore those to find out myself.   As part of what the dishes ordered, we were served both Greek and Caesar Salads to start.  They featured fresh veggies where the Caesar was dressed just enough.  We found the Greek salad to be under dressed though.  To get a taste of the menu, we got a medium half and half Pizza consisting of the Royal Oak and the Meat Lovers.  Underneath the considerable amount of melted cheese was layers upon layers of meat.  It was more like a pizza sandwich or a quasi-deep dish.

For the kiddies, they wanted pasta so we got the Baked Spaghetti and Meatballs as well as the Baked Penne Carbonara.  These were both the large size, but the portions were rather modest in my opinion, especially for the price.  However, the spaghetti was acceptable though being just a touch soft while bathed in a balanced tomato sauce.  We added meatballs and they were meaty and moist (yet small).  When it came to the carbonara, the penne was pretty much cooked to death.  Think soft and then one more level past that.  Hence, it was our least favourite dish despite the ample bacon and flavourful creaminess (yes, not an authentic carbonara, but that is not what they serve here).  As with both pastas, there was a layer of ooey gooey melted cheese on top.

Okay, onto the main event, the Greek Dinner for 2 consisted of spanakopita, calamari, lamb chops, moussaka, chicken souvlaki, rice, lemon potatoes, tzatziki and pita bread.  Although it was $52.99, this was more than enough food for 4 people, let alone 2.  Beyond the portion size, the food was quite good.  I particularly enjoyed the moussaka as the meat was tender and well-seasoned while the bechamel was creamy and not too firm.  The souvlaki was charred and tender.  One thing that stood out was the thick and garlicky tzatziki - perfect for dunking the crispy and tender calamari into. For good measure, we also had the Roast Lamb which came in a generous portion.  It was fatty and succulent while well-seasoned.  On a side note, the lemon potato was really tangy which didn't bother me one bit.  Ultimately, this dish along with the platter and pizza won me over.  I thought they were all well-executed and a good value.  On the other hand, the pastas lagged behind.  But I would come back for the Greek food.

The Good:
- Greek food was on point and well-portioned
- Service was friendly for us (unlike the online reviews)
- Lots of toppings on the pizza

The Bad:
- Pastas were meh and overpriced

Zipang Provisions

Quite awhile back, I had visited Zipang Sushi on Main and came away impressed with the food.  It was a small little joint that dished up authentic Japanese eats that wasn't glitzy or over-complicated.  Well, the place eventually closed up shop and moved into larger digs further up Main in the former Bo Kong space.  I've been meaning to see what has changed ever since the move, but didn't really have the chance.  However, with Pom Pom declaring that she wanted Japanese eats after softball, that gave me the opportunity to suggest the place.  With no one objecting, we made our way over to the hipsterish decor of Zipang Provisions.

We decided to share a bunch of dishes including the Gyoza and the Chicken Karaage Poutine.  Lightly seared (at least 3 of them were), the bottom of the gyozas were uniformly crispy.  Aesthetically, I guess if they were all the same shade, it would've looked better.  However, they ate well with thin dumpling skin that has some elasticity and chew.  Inside, the pork filling was moist and tender.  Now the Chicken Karaage Poutine was a bit of a surprise as I don't remember that on the old menu.  It turned out to be pretty spot on with crunchy fries and legit cheese curds.  On top, the chicken karaage was juicy and lightly crispy.  I found the gravy to be mild-tasting which was fine since I don't like it too salty.

Next up we had the Chicken Yakisoba which was inundated with a good amount of veggies.  In fact, there was more veggies and chicken than actual soba.  There are 2 schools of thought here - in terms of material costs, meat and veggies are more expensive, yet if this is a noodle dish, then there wasn't enough of it.  For me, I wanted more noodles as there was a big mess of ingredients on the plate leftover since there wasn't enough noodles to accompany them.  Whatever the case, textures were on point and there was enough tang to balance the sweetness.  One of the best dishes of the night was the Veggie Okonomiyaki.  This was super crispy on the outside while airy and light on the inside.  There was just enough veggies to have an impact while not making everything wet.

Featuring thin layers of pork formed into a cutlet and fried, the Mille-Feuille Pork Cutlet Don was pretty good as well.  Served atop chewy, yet not dry rice, the crunchy cutlet was topped with egg, sauce and onion.  Although the pork was not exactly juicy, it wasn't overly dry either.  We found it tender while retaining a definite meatiness.  One thing that we would've liked to see was more sauce as the rice was pretty bland.  Boss Woman didn't feel like sharing with the rest of us since she doesn't do raw fish.  So she got the Pineapple Fried Rice for herself.  Served in a hollowed-out half pineapple, the rice was on the softer side, but not mushy.  It was sweet with little nuggets of meat strewn throughout.  She enjoyed her rice but thought there could've been more a nuttiness from the stir-fry.

On that note, onto the raw stuff, we had the Chef's Assorted Sashimi consisting of sockeye salmon, red tuna, hamachi, toro, ebi, ika and hotate.  As evidenced in the picture, the sheen on the each piece was apparent.  As such, textures were what they were expected to be and the natural sweetness was there.  I personally enjoyed the buttery hamachi the most as well as the ever-so-lightly torched hotate.  Toro was fatty and tender as well.  As much as we know that Miku serves possibly the best Salmon Oshi in town, we decided to give the one here a try as well.  This one featured chewy sushi rice that was on the softer side, but again, not mushy.  There was significantly more sockeye salmon than the one found at Miku/Minami.  Hence, the oshi ate rather robust and the salmon was noticeable.  It wasn't as delicate though and the charred caramelized flavours were less pronounced.

Arriving on one plate, we got an assortment of rolls including Toro, Negihama, Spicy Cactus and Unagi.  Interestingly, we didn't remember ordering a toro roll and really, there wasn't one on the menu (maybe it was negitoro missing the green onion?).  Anyways, it was fine, but the negihama was better since it did have the green onion and the hamachi was on buttery and sweet.  The spicy cactus was coated with toasted sesame seeds (topped with tobiko) and inside, there was imitation crab, tempura bits, avocado, mayo and spicy sauce.  The dominant flavour was the spice as well as the nutty sesame seeds.  With enough eel and sauce for impact, the unagi roll was flavourful on its own.  Pom Pom ordered a Rainbow Roll all for herself and it was pretty much a repeat of the sashimi on top of a California Roll.  So nothing much to comment other than it was solid.

The grilled Beef Short Ribs arrived much later than expected because it was left off the bill.  When it did arrive, it wasn't really worth the wait because the meat was overly chewy.  Furthermore, there really wasn't any char or caramelization to speak of.  The glaze was definitely there, but it lacked depth.  Hence, there was noted sweetness, but it wasn't complex nor was the saltiness. No matter, we were looking forward to dessert anyways and we went all in with 5 of them including the Souffle Cheesecake (yes, a la Uncle Tetsu-style).  This was crumbly and light, yet still retained a cream cheesiness to the texture and taste.  There was a surprise inside in the form of raisins which provided a burst of sweetness to the otherwise light-tasting cake.  This version was reminiscent of the one found at Cake-Ya.

Moving onto a more traditional form of baked cheesecake (texture-wise), we got the Matcha Cheesecake.  This was smooth and creamy while having a touch of density.  It wasn't like a NY-style cheesecake as the overall texture wasn't heavy at all.  With a light dusting of matcha, the cake did exhibit a balanced flavour that wasn't bitter nor overwhelming.  It was lightly sweet and had the aroma of cheesecake in the aftertaste.  Continuing with our desserts, the Taiyaki served with Yuzu Ice Cream was better than it appeared.  Crispy, giving way to chewy mochi and subsequently red bean paste, there was a nice variation in textures.  The filling wasn't crazy sweet, so the taiyaki was pretty good.  On the side, we found the ice cream to be more of a sorbet as it was pretty icy.  It was refreshing and full-flavoured.

Exhibiting the same icy texture, the Black Sesame Ice Cream was actually a bit crunchy.  Bigger sheets of ice ensured this wasn't going to be creamy.  Whatever it gave up in texture, it completely made up with flavour.  The unmistakable black sesame aroma was evident from the first spoonful.  Sweet and nutty, this was Bear's favourite.  Lastly, we had the Matcha Brulee that featured a hard sugar topping.  It was beautifully caramelized so there was a strong smokiness and deep sweetness.  This was necessary as the custard itself was not very sweet.  There was a light matcha taste, but it wasn't very strong.  Overall, we thought the food at Zipang to be solid and well-priced.  Nothing wowed us, but that wasn't a negative.  Zipang is a definite option if one was in the area.

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Solid eats
- Good service

The Bad:
- Portion size was modest
- Ice cream too icy