Jinya Ramen Bar (Metrotown)

TBH, I was not impressed with my first ever visit to Jinya at their original Robson Street location.  Now this was quite some time ago, so things do change and of course, my opinion can change too.  To give you some background, my initial thoughts were that the ramen was okay, but really small in portion size.  Furthermore, with their pricing, it just wasn't worth it in my opinion.  Lastly, their richer broth was not my cup of tea and for some reason, it was pretty salty that day.  Now with the addition of more ramen joints since then, I've warmed up to the heartier broths and have accepted that ramen can not be considered a cheap eat anymore.  With that in mind, I visited the newish Burnaby location at Metrotown.

To start, I ordered 2 of their most popular appies including the Crispy Chicken (Chicken Karaage) and also the Deep Fried Brussels Sprouts.  Actually, I had these 2 before as this was my second visit (I forgot my camera the first time...).  These were so good, I had to order them again!  The 5-piece small order of crispy chicken was actually a decent size and quite filling.  Large and plump, the dark meat was fried up perfectly where the juices were still flowing and the seasoning was just enough.  The side of vinegar soy dip provided an appetizing zing.  Outside, the chicken was crispy and not greasy.  Coated with crispy and light tempura batter, the brussels sprouts were firm, yet cooked all-the-way-through.  Lightly seasoned, these were nice bites and really, even people who hate brussels sprouts would probably like them.

I was pretty hungry, so I selected one of the heartier offerings in the Cha Cha Cha Ramen featuring a rich and fatty pork fish broth with thick noodles, fatty chashu, egg, sprouts, raw onion, green onion, chili powder and of course garlic (also raw garlic on the side).  I found the broth to be silky and rich, but not thick.  It was garlicky and featured fatty floaties throughout.  There was a depth-of-flavour that was meaty but curiously not fishy.  The noodles were chewy and stayed that way until the end.  Egg was perfect being runny while the chashu was buttery soft. The portion size was pretty large and I struggled to finish it.  My son decided on the same one he had last time in the Jinya Tonkotsu Black.  Now this was a much more modest portion with thin noodles and a semi-rich pork broth with wood ear mushroom, green onion, dried seaweed, egg, garlic chips, garlic oil, fried onion and a dollop of spicy sauce.  Due to the black garlic oil, the umaminess was maxed out.  Noodles were chewy, but got softer as he ate it.  A good bowl of ramen, but small for the price.

On another visit, we decided to skip the usual gyoza (as we've had it before and it was okay) and go for the Parmesan Meatballs and also the Spicy Prawn Tempura.  If you were thinking we were in the wrong restaurant to order the meatballs, you might have a point, but hey they have it on the menu!  They turned out to be pretty good where we really didn't think it was served from the same kitchen as ramen.  These were moist and meaty while mildly seasoned.  The real flavour came from the tangy tomato sauce as well as the ample amount of freshly grated parm on top.  Incidentally, these seemed to be the same as the ones found in the meatball ramen (minus the tomato sauce of course!).  As for the shrimp, they were a bit small, but barely coated with tempura batter.  Hence, they were not heavy and plenty crispy.  The shrimp itself had a firm meaty snap while spiced with an impactful mayo.

Unlike last time, my son went big with the Goku Midnight Cowboy featuring a really big slice of braised beef brisket atop thick noodles, sprouts, wood ear mushroom, seasoned egg and pork broth (he omitted the green onions this time around).  This was a substantial portion that was almost as big as the Cha Cha Cha.  It was plenty pricey at $24.00, but I'm sure the brisket had something to do with it.  Fatty and almost melt-in-your-mouth tender, the brisket was legit.  The pork broth tasted familiar with a rich silkiness with once again, plenty of fatty floaties.  We thought the salt content was just right where it didn't overwhelm the rest of the ingredients.  For myself, I ordered something I've had before in the Spicy Umami Miso Ramen with pork broth, ground pork soboro, bean sprouts, bok choy, chili oil and thick noodles (no green onion this time around as well).  Again, the broth was slightly thick, balanced salty and sweet while moderately spicy.  The noodles were chewy and the same could be said about the pork, but that was fine.  As you can probably guess, my thoughts on Jinya have changed, yet at the same time I do think it is still overpriced.  Yes, some of the ingredients are deluxe and yes the atmosphere is pretty hip, yet I can eat almost anywhere for the prices they charge

The Good:
- Food was good for all 3 times we went
- Decent service, but sometimes a little slow
- Nice dining space

The Bad:
- Pricey
- Broth is pretty fatty (only if you like that kind)

Floata

Oh lookie here, I've actually gotten a chance to do a re-visit at Floata after all these years.  It wasn't as if I was anxiously planning this because this has to be one of the lowest on the priority list.  Why is that you ask?  Well, let's just say my previous experiences have been atrocious.  From the rude service to the mediocre food, I often wonder how such an expansive restaurant can still be business.  However, Viv and I were in the area and it was darn early.  Try 8:30am early.  Yep, we went for super early Dim Sum at Floata (20% off yay!) where we got 1.5 hours of free parking.  At least that was a good start.

It was either due to the fact the place was empty (except for the usual Chinese seniors) or there must've been an attitude adjustment because the service was downright friendly.  But how about the food?  Well, the first 2 dishes were actually more than respectable.  The Sparerib Rice was not lacking in tender and bouncy pieces of meaty pork.  There was only one piece that was cartilage.  It was mildly seasoned with lots of garlic.  Underneath, the rice was a bit wet though, but hardly a problem.  Unlike the crappy XO Daikon Radish Cake we had at Ming Yan, this one was actually fluffy and soft.  However, it wasn't crispy enough on the outside.  I really enjoyed the big dollop of XO sauce on top which made the whole thing more flavourful and aromatic.  The crunchy and not-overcooked bean sprouts were a plus too.

For our usual Rice Noodle Roll, we got shrimp since it has been ingrained into us that we must order the seafood over beef and BBQ pork.  Yes, the Chinese way, get the item that is worth more at the same price!  It turned out to be pretty good with soft layers of rice noodle that retained an mild elasticity.  Nestled within the sheets of noodle, we found medium-sized shrimp that were buttery with a snap.  They were well-seasoned as well where we only needed a bit of sweetened soy.  One of the best items of the meal was the Steamed Honeycomb Tripe.  It ate as good as it looked with large pieces of tripe that were properly rinsed so that the gamy flavour was kept to a minimum.  Furthermore the texture was on point being buttery and appealingly chewy.  Lots of seasoning going on as well as a pronounced garlickiness.

Based on looks alone, I was a bit concerned with the Beef Meatballs.  There was far too much cilantro and often that amount just overpowers the entire dish.  That it did, but it wasn't as bad as it could've been.  Texturally, it was textbook with a moist bounce while still being meaty at the same time.  It wasn't over processed nor over tenderized.  This would've been nearly perfect if they eased up on the greens.  Another so-so item was the Steamed Chicken Buns.  There wasn't anything inherently wrong with the bun itself as it was fluffy and light.  However, the chicken filling was a bit chewy and completely blasted with ginger.  Don't get me wrong, we both love the taste of ginger, but there was no balance here.

Onto the make-it-or-break it dishes, the Ha Gau and Siu Mai were pretty solid.  As much as the dumpling skin on the ha gau was too wet, it did tighten up after a few minutes.  There was a nice chew to the relatively thin skin.  Inside, the whole medium-sized shrimp filling was just right.  There was a buttery moistness to it while the meaty snap was also apparent.  Seasoning was mild though and I would've liked to see more white pepper and sesame oil.  As for the siu mai, they were large and balanced.  There was just the right mix of tender bouncy pork with shrimp and shiitake.  Textures were on point while the seasoning could've been more aggressive. 

Our last dish was the Bean Curd Skin Roll which was "okay".  I though the bean curd skin was a bit too soft where the classic chewiness was missing.  Inside, the pork filling was good though being loose, yet still exhibiting the classic bounciness.  There wasn't the usual goopy watered-down and starch-thickened oyster sauce, so the dish was a bit underseasoned, but nothing a side of Worcestershire sauce couldn't solve.  So there you have it, a fairly surprising Dim Sum service at Floata.  Not only were we not yelled at, the food was more-than-acceptable.  Maybe this was a one-off?  Dunno, but that is why one should go back to some places once in awhile to see if things have changed.

The Good:
- Decent service, shocking
- Decent food, shocking
- Washrooms work now, shocking

The Bad:
- Needs some repairs and renos still, place is looking worn down

Como Taperia

Being Chinese, it has always been pretty normal that we shared food, whether it be at Dim Sum or a Chinese multi-course meal.  Of course that was not the case when we ate at most North American restaurants when I was growing up.  We'd get our own plate of food where sharing wasn't exactly practical or encouraged (however, my mom would help herself to everyone's food anyways).  Who knew it, but my mom was ahead of her time since sharing plates seem to be the trend these days.  Yet, much like Dim Sum, Spanish Tapas has always been about sharing as well as having a few bevvies to go with good company.  Unfortunately, we aren't blessed with many great tapas spots in the Lower Mainland.  So, with the opening of ¿CóMO? Taperia, I just had to check it out.

We started the meal with the Patatas Bravas and Garlic Shrimp.  Featuring the Spanish flag on top, the fried potatoes were quite good being perfectly fried.  They were as golden brown as potatoes can get where the exterior was crispy with firm crunchy bits.  They weren't oily at all where the inside retained a soft potatoey texture.  These were dusted with smoked paprika and drizzled with mildly spicy aioli.  We could've eaten a few plates of these, but there was much more on the menu to try!  Next, the garlic shrimp looked fairly simple, but was executed properly.  They were fairly large in size and exhibited the classic shrimp aroma.  I found them meaty and garlicky with a touch of smoked paprika.  This was good, but probably one of the more average dishes we had.

Talking about smoked paprika, there was a whack load of it atop the Galician Octopus.  As such, the entire dish was intensely smoky and earthy.  The generous amount of sliced octopus was on point tender with an appealing chewiness.  These were served with tender slices of fingerling potatoes which were soft enough, but also sturdy so they didn't fall apart either.  We found this dish rather salty though. Although the Huevos Roja seemed to be a simple dish, it was probably one of my favourites.  It was a bed of creamy mashed potatoes topped with a fried runny egg sauteed diced chorizo.  Beyond the tasty visuals, it was outright delicious due to the smoky and meaty chorizo oil.  That and the silky egg yolk mixed with the mashed potatoes, it created a tasty bite that went well with our bevvies.

Although the Croquetas de Jamon were fairly good, we also found them rather salty.  In fact, most of the dishes were on the saltier side.  Of course, if you ordered the appropriate beverages, this would completely balance things out.  We did order bevvies, but we all agreed that the salt content could be more conservative.  Texturally, the croquetas were crispy with a creamy centre.  Another seemingly simple, but good dish was the Meatballs with pine nuts and sauteed apples.  They were meaty and moist while seasoned mildly, unlike the rest of the dishes.  There was a natural meat flavour accented by an equal amount of umaminess.  The nuttiness of the pine nuts added aroma and the apples provided a nice tough of sweet and tang.

Now the next dish was a Spanish omelette or Tortilla.  It was filled with slices of potato and onion.  This was fluffy and thick with a fairly runny centre.  The slices of potato were tender and soft while still retaining their robust texture.  Compared to the salt-heavy dishes we had so far, this was delicate and possibly under-seasoned.  However, that didn't bother us much because it was all about the fluffiness of the egg.  I've used the word simple to describe a few of the dishes already, but the Mojama and Marconas was pretty straightforward.  Consisting of thin air-dried tuna with a marcona almond to compliment, it was as basic as it could get.  It was a pleasant little bite though with the crunch of the almond combined with the mild and delicate tuna.

Two of the relatively larger items was the Hamburguesa Con Foie and Bikini sandwich.  As the name implies, the basket contained a small burger with a side of foie mousse and a side of chips.  I thought this was pretty decent with a moist patty that was a touch salty.  Pretty good but not something I'd order again.  As for the Bikini, it was essentially a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.  I would forgive this one for being salty because the ingredients were meant to be as such.  The bread was beautifully crispy while the serrano ham was its usual flavourful self.  I couldn't figure out if it was indeed manchego cheese they used or not because it wasn't particularly pungent.

Lastly, we had the Mushrooms & Sherry which were pretty textbook.  We realized that this wouldn't be mind-blowing but it was a "vegetable" for the meal.  They were buttery while not overdone while the sherry was very understated.  In general, we enjoyed the tapas at ¿CóMO? Taperia.  Mind you, there aren't many places to compare with it.  Furthermore, the style is not the same as Bodega on Main or Espana.  This would be more in line with The Sardine Can in terms of environment and menu focus.  The question is would I come back?  Sure, it was a pleasant enough experience to warrant another visit.

The Good:
- Fairly spacious for a small tapas joint
- Attentive service
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- A bit salty

Rhinofish Noodle Bar

When Rhinofish Noodle Bar first opened in Chinatown a year and a half ago, I was invited to try the place out.  Well, I never did make it out there due to my busy schedule.  Now with that being said, there was another reason I wasn't super-motivated to head out there as well.  Based on the comments of some fellow foodie-friends, the place had some work to do still.  Although there was some positive elements, there was equal concerns over the beef broth in the Taiwanese Beef Noodle.  So I just didn't end up going until recently (more than one visit).

Of course, the aforementioned Taiwanese Beef Noodle was at the forefront.  So much so, we ordered 3 bowls.   Upon hitting the table, we liked how it was plated where the ample amount of pickled mustard greens were piled high.   The individual components of the bowl were actually very good.  We found the noodles to be perfectly al dente with a rebound that resulted in an appealing chew.  Ample in portion, the beef was tender and gelatinous where the light seared added a nice bark that resulted in an extra layer of texture.  Onto the soup, it was definitely different than most of the other versions in town.  There seem to be a wine essence and finish which was pretty pronounced.  The meatiness and salt content of the soup was acceptable but definitely could've been more strong.  For myself, I went for the Zhang Ji Mein that was topped with a plethora of finely julienned carrot and cucumber.  There was also more than enough meat sauce with pressed tofu.  Although there was a noticeable garlickiness and slight spice, the meat sauce needed more punch.  Possibly a bit more chilis and more salt.  However, that was easily rectified by the side of hot sauce.  As with the previous noodles, these were perfectly al dente.

For our sides, we tried their Chicken Nuggets with nanjing sauce.  At first glance, they appeared to be dry and over-fried.  However, that was not the case at all.  The crunchy exterior gave way to truly succulent and juicy dark meat.  Each nugget was spiced enough that we could taste the five-spice without it being too licorice-focused.  On the side, the dip was lightly tangy and sweet.  We also ordered a couple of the Bao stuffed with pork belly, mustard greens and ground peanut.  This was classic Taiwanese and ate really well.  The bao was soft while the pork belly was just fatty enough where it nearly melted in our mouths while retaining a meatiness.  There was a nice balance of ingredients where the combination of sweet, savoury and tangy was on point.  Overall, the food was actually decent.  However, the TBN could've had more depth and impact.

The Good:
- Clean and modern
- A few appealing modern modifications
- Good service

The Bad:
- TBN could be more flavourful
- Prices are not cheap

Popeye's Lousiana Kitchen (Port Coquitlam)

Lost within all the hype of Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen opening up in PoCo is that this is not its first foray into the Lower Mainland.  There once was a location in Coquitlam's Pinetree Village which closed in 2006.  There may have been many reasons why the place didn't survive, but I remember it being one of my favourites (as I lived nearby).  Sadly, I didn't get another taste of Popeye's until 2013 when I was down in Orlando.  Well, as mentioned, I don't have to wait until another visit to the States as Popeye's has opened up shop in PoCo's Fremont Village.  We headed out there for a taste during the holidays and let's just say everyone else had the same idea.

We decided to share the 8-Piece Bonafide Meal consisting of chicken, 4 biscuits and one large side.  I went for half mild and half spicy.  Basically, this was a whole chicken with 2 wings, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs and 2 breasts.  For me I enjoyed the spicy more due to the layers of heat and spices combined with the crunchy rendered skin.  Naturally, the dark meat was juicy, but the white meat was equally moist and tender.  I actually preferred that more, especially dunked into the hot sauce.  We got the Cajun Fries as our large side and they were very crunchy and slightly spicy (probably too crunchy though).  I added a small Mac n' Cheese and it was very buttery with overly soft pasta.  As part of my daughter's meal (yes, she had her own), she had the small Mashed Potatoes with Cajun gravy.  I would say the gravy was more spiced than spicy.  Good though.

So my daughter was too good for our fried chicken and had the mild Chicken Tenders Platter with Onion Rings and the aforementioned mashed potatoes.  Honestly, I thought the tenders were only okay because they weren't as juicy as the fried chicken.  However, the batter was crunchy and they weren't greasy.  They were very tasty when dunked into the amped blackened ranch dressing.  We weren't impressed with the onion rings as they were soggy and not crunchy.  Despite this, the fried chicken is as good as I remembered and can be a legit contender in the Lower Mainland.  Think of it as a cross between LA Chicken and Church's, but I would still give them the edge over Popeye's at the moment.

The Good:
- Juicy, tasty and crunchy fried chicken
- Nice spice
- Those dipping sauces are good

The Bad:
- Tenders are "okay"
- Sides need work and the onion rings were terrible

Golden Swan

As much as we have a multitude of choices when it comes to Dim Sum in the Lower Mainland, they are generally the same ones over and over again.  Most of us have our standbys and rarely venture beyond them.  Furthermore, not everyone lives in Richmond, so the trek out there and subsequent driving obstacle course may not be practical.  Interestingly, we rarely see new Chinese restaurants popping up with Dim Sum service.  That also encourages us to stay with the existing ones.  Hence, when Guy Smiley wanted to meet up for Dim Sum, we went to the good ol' Golden Swan.

One of the last places left with push carts, it is pretty easy to get all of your food quickly.  That we did with everything hitting the table at once.  We started with the BBQ Pork Rice Noodle Roll.  Now we usually get the shrimp, but they didn't have any.  Although one could technically order it, this is one of the negatives of push carts as you are privy to only what is available.  Or you can do the Hong Kong thing and run up to each cart and hog all the food...  Anyways, the noodle roll was good though as it was stuffed with a bevy of lean BBQ pork.  I found the rice noodle to be soft and thin with an appealing elasticity.  For no good reason, my Mother-in-Law ordered the Osmanthus Jelly right off the bat.  First of all, we didn't need dessert at that moment.  Second of all, she is diabetic...  Nothing she does makes sense!  Well, it was good though with a light sear being semi-sweet and not overly dense.

Since the deep fried cart was the next to arrive, we got everything off of it including the Deep Fried Taro Dumplings and its cousin, the Deep Fried Glutinous Dumpling.  One common thing among them, that I personally dislike, was the addition of both cilantro and green onion.  I'm okay with the green onion as it adds flavour, but the cilantro is just too strong for both items.  With that being said, I thought the taro dumpling was good nevertheless.  There was a fluffy taro exterior surrounding tender morsels of pork.  As for the glutinous dumpling, the layer of mashed sticky rice was a little thick, but not dense.  Both were a touch greasy, but not to the point where it wasn't appealing.  Back to the negatives of push carts, these were not cold, but hardly hot either.

Also from the same cart, we got the Deep Fried Shrimp Spring Rolls.  It came with a plate of 4 smaller rolls.  As such, they were wrapped more tightly and had more layers.  This meant the roll itself had a considerably more firmer crunch.  This is completely subjective, but I personally prefer a bigger spring roll with more shrimp filling and a lighter crunch.  Despite this, the spring roll was still good and the shrimp inside was buttery and meaty.  Due to the fact we probably caught the cart early, the Fried Eggplant stuffed with shrimp mousse was served hot.  The eggplant itself was tender while not too mushy.  It had a crispy exterior and was blessed with a good amount of buttery and bouncy shrimp mousse.  Luckily it had enough inherent seasoning as the black bean sauce was pretty bland.

Onto some steamed items, we had the Beef Meatballs and the Bean Curd Skin Roll.  Although a bit small in size and pale in appearance, the beef meatballs were pretty textbook.  Beyond the initial bounce and resistance, the meatball was soft while retaining some meatiness.  There was a balanced amount of greens and the seasoning was mild.  Great for dunking into the side of Worcestershire sauce.  Usually, the bean curd skin roll is doused in an obscene amount of watered-down and thickened oyster sauce.  This was lacking that and as such, ate rather dry.  Inside, the filling was dominated by wood-ear mushroom which gave a nice crunch.  There was only a smattering of tender pork which was a bit fatty.

My favourite items were next in the Steamed Honeycomb Beef Tripe and the Phoenix Talons (Chicken Feet).  Presented as a fairly large portion, the beef tripe was not bad.  I thought the texture was on point riding the fine line between soft and chewy.  There was a good amount of garlickiness mixed with a touch of spice and sweetness.  There was a tinge of gaminess that I didn't mind, but for some, could be a turn-off.  As for the chicken feet, they were equally bathed in a sweet, garlicky and slightly spicy sauce.  I though they were cooked enough so that the cartilage and fat underneath were soft while not melted away.  The skin itself was tender and plump.

For some odd reason, the lady with the Ha Gau (Shrimp Dumplings) on her cart nearly whizzed right past us if we hadn't stopped her.  There was no Siu Mai, so we didn't end up ordering it because it would've been a 15 to 20 minute wait.   Served as a steamer of 5 dumplings, they were a bit smaller, but great for sharing.  The dumpling skin was chewy and on point.  Inside, the whole shrimp filling was buttery and moist with a sweet snap.  This was a solid rendition of this classic Dim Sum dish.  For the kiddies, we got the obligatory Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice).  Again, this was textbook with soft chewy glutinous rice that was not too wet.  There was a balanced amount of ground pork filling that was mildly seasoned.

To carb up even more, we ordered the Pork Spareribs on Rice served in a clay pot.  This was a special order and took about 25 minutes to arrive.  Loved the plethora of tender spareribs on top as they maintained a meatiness while having that classic bounce.  There was a bit of spice to go with the ample garlickiness.  Unfortunately, the rice underneath was pretty mushy and wet.  This was exacerbated by adding the sweetened soy to it.  Yet another form of carb, we had the Preserved Egg and Salted Pork Congee.  Normally, I find the Dim Sum version of this usually watered-down and lacking in ingredients (especially from a push cart).  However, this was full of egg and pork.  Hence, it ate robust and was full of flavour.  Furthermore, it was fairly thick and consistent throughout.  So despite so inconsistencies, the Dim Sum at Golden Swan is still pretty solid.  If you like push carts, this is is a place to reminisce, but prepare to wait for your favourites.

The Good:
- Still good Dim Sum
- Push carts if you like them
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Push carts, food can get cold and also run out
- Service can be hit and miss