Mei Le Bakery & Restaurant (Dim Sum)

Not too long ago, we visited the newly opened Mei Le Bakery & Restaurant for dinner.  In actuality, it didn't change too much from the previous occupant - Grand River Chinese.  The major addition was the Chinese bakery and BBQ that now occupies the right side of the restaurant.  They took away some seats to accomplish this, yet funnily enough, this is where they added some seats back right in front of the BBQ display and within a few feet from the bakery display cases.  This is where we were seated for our revisit for their Dim Sum service.  Suffice to say, the foot traffic around us was pretty brisk and staring at BBQ ducks throughout our meal was interesting.

The first 2 items to arrive were larger in size including the XO Fried Daikon Cake.  This was decent with soft cubes of daikon cake that held together.  They were crispy on the outside and not overly greasy.  There was some spice, but I would've liked to see more XO tossed in.  Sometimes a minor detail, but the bean sprouts were still crunchy and also not too greasy.  I'm not sure if it was because the Lo Mei Gai was sitting in a steam warmer at the bakery, but it wasn't hot.  It was actually lukewarm and the middle wasn't even moist.  In fact, it was hard and dry.  Did it need more time in the steamer before they put it in the display?  Was the warmer not hot enough?  Not sure, but greatly impacted this dish and due to the texture, it wasn't very good despite the ample ingredients.

Next, the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll looked absolutely bizarre where it was one continuous ribbon/sheet of noodle with lots of green onion throughout.  As you can see in the picture, the shrimp was strewn everywhere like some open face version of this dish.  The noodle quality was actually quite good being buttery soft with some elasticity.  However, they completely overdid it with the green onion and should've called it a green onion rice noodle roll instead.  At least the Shrimp Spring Roll was more typical.  It featured plenty of shrimp and shrimp mousse packed into the middle.  So much so, it was a touch dense.  Whatever the case, it was still juicy with a buttery snap.  It was well-seasoned and the wrapping itself was crunchy.

Onto the Ha Gau (Shrimp Dumplings), it was a bit hit and miss.  Nothing wrong with the filling as it mimicked the spring roll with a moist buttery snap as well as being properly seasoned (but not too much, as we could taste the natural shrimp sweetness).  The real problem (and you can see in the picture) was the thick and gummy dumpling skin.  This made for a unpleasant mouth feel and also lead to the shrimp filling falling out.  On the other hand, the Siu Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) was remarkably better.  These featured a buttery and juicy bounce where the pork and shrimp were nearly the same texture.  Seasoning was on the milder side, but that wasn't a bad thing as the dumpling ate mostly sweet.  I dunked it in hot sauce anyways.

In a very deep shade of brown, the Beef Meatballs were probably the victim of too much dark soy.  Visuals aside, the meatballs ate a whole lot better than they looked.  They were airy and bouncy with quite a bit of beef flavour (which is usually not the case).  I guess other than the dark soy, there wasn't a whole lot of seasoning.  There was bits of water chestnut to add some crunch and the amount of green onion was surprisingly low.  On the flip side, the Steamed Pork Spareribs were a bit pale in colour.  Once again, appearances didn't mean much as these also ate well.  Loved how most of the pieces were meaty rib portions where the fat and cartilage was kept to a minimum.  Beyond the natural meatiness, there was a firm rebound.  There was plenty of garlickiness to go around, yet there was lots of pork flavour left.

With our last 2 dishes, we went for the Bean Curd Skin Roll and the proverbial Egg Tarts.  Featuring tender, yet chewy fried sheets, the bean curd skin roll was texturally on point.  Inside, the bouncy pork filling was well-seasoned and moist.  Now if you were wondering why the egg tarts consisted of 2 small and 1 large, it was because they ran out of the smaller ones.  By virtue of being plucked from the bakery display case without reheating, these were not a their optimal state.  Even with that being said, they were average with a dense pastry that was still buttery.  The egg custard was stiff due to the temperature where it was semi-sweet.  This was not really the ending we were hoping for here.  But it really did reinforce the feeling that the Dim Sum service is merely average at best.  It also didn't help that some items were not freshly made which didn't help in terms of eating enjoyment.

The Good:
- Lots of options (ie. Dim Sum, BBQ, Bakery, Cantonese dishes)
- Provides a one-stop shop for those who don't live near Vancouver/Richmond

The Bad:
- Average at best
- Seating arrangements are awkward
- Might want to ensure ready-to-go items are heated to a proper temperature before they serve it

The Meat Up 聚点串吧

After my initial visit to Happy Tree on Kingsway, I've been in search of another Chinese skewer spot that didn't blow my eardrums out with loud K-pop.  Furthermore, the thought of ordering minimum 10 skewers of each meat didn't impress either especially with only 2 people.  Let's just say that my recent visit to Chi House BBQ didn't challenge Happy Tree.  In fact, it merely reinforced the fact I would have to endure loud music while eating an over-ordered amount of skewers.  However, The Meat Up on Granville caught my eye after taking in dessert at the Snackshot right next door.  I returned to see if they could satisfy my urge for meat on a stick.

As with any of these skewer places we got the basics in the Traditional Lamb and Black Pepper Beef. Not that there wasn't any meat on the sticks, but as evidenced in the picture, there could be a touch more in my opinion.  In terms of texture, I thought the lamb was pretty moist with a good amount of cumin and spice.  The beef wasn't as flavourful since the black pepper was a bit weak.  The meat was definitely more firm, but yet again, it was tender.  Something that was different and interesting was the Signature XL Lamb Skewer for $9.95.  Yes, it was long, but in between the chunks of lamb, there was plenty of green pepper and onion.  Value is debatable, but in terms of eating enjoyment, this was excellent.  The meat was appealingly gamy and well-spiced while being super tender.  One of my favs of the meal for sure.

Just to get some variety, I decided to try the Spicy Pork Spareribs.  Since they were ribs, I already knew that half of it couldn't be eaten, so I'm not going to comment on the value.  In terms of texture, they were pretty good exhibiting the classic chewy bounciness.  It wasn't as spicy as I would've liked, but then again, I like things spicy.  At the very least, I wasn't forced to order 10 of these.  For some seafood, we had the Scallop, Spicy Shrimp and Squid.  The scallop was pretty mild-tasting which was fine as I prefer to taste the subtle sweetness rather than being overwhelmed with seasoning.  Texturally, it was a touch overdone.  Again, the spicy shrimp wasn't really that spicy, but there was a kick.  They had a nice snap texture.  The squid was good being just cooked being an appealing chewy.

Some items that didn't include skewers was the Cold Liang Pi Noodles.  As much as the colour was pretty monochromatic, the flavours were pretty good.  There was mild spice to go with some sweetness and plenty of peanut.  Personally, I would've liked more chili oil and vinegar though.  Yet at the same time, it wasn't as if this wasn't good either.  Texturally, the noodles were chewy, but could've been less soft.  For our one vegetable, we had the grilled Eggplant with plenty of minced garlic on top.  I enjoyed how the eggplant was tender and delicate without becoming mushy.  Due to the copious amount of garlic on top, there was no absence of aroma and flavour.  The only thing that I didn't like was the greasiness of the eggplant itself.

Back to the skewers, we got the Honey Chicken Wings and the Grilled Rice Cake.  Surprisingly to me, the wings were my second favourite items as the skin was well-rendered and crispy.  As advertised, they were indeed sweet and sticky with honey.  Also crispy on the outside, the rice cakes were chewy on the inside.  Our last item was the Special Spicy Tripe Pot featuring tripe, beef, beef throat, beef tendon, black fungus and seaweed.  One thing that struck me about these skewers was the meager amount of meat.  Aside from that, the spicy broth was delicious achieving the balance between heat and flavour without one dominating another. Overall, the skewers at The Meat Up were good and the service was fairly decent.  I thought the prices were consistent with other restaurants of this ilk.  A good option for those wanting this type of cuisine.

The Good:
- Above-average
- Decent service
- Flavours were good

The Bad:
- A bit meager with the meat on some skewers
- Total can get up there if you are not careful of what you order

Savio Volpe

My first ever visit to Savio Volpe was fairly good except for a few dishes.  However, we never really did an extensive overview of the menu, so maybe we missed some of the better items.  Furthermore, that was 3 years ago and the menu has changed (save for some of the classics) and as with any restaurant, the kitchen staff has too. So when Mijune needed a +1 to tackle the menu at Savio Volpe, I jumped at the chance.  Now a menu tasting with Mijune is exactly that, she tries to sample nearly everything to get a comprehensive look at the restaurant.  That makes for a pretty large feast, which was not particularly a great idea as I had to play a hockey game afterwards.  I guess #firstworldproblems...

So we got right down to it starting with the Grilled Sourdough with 'nduja with caramelized onion butter. First off, the bread itself was excellent on its own with an airy chewiness that was appealingly dense in some parts.  The crunch of the toasted crust was nutty and firm.  Drizzled with olive oil and lightly salted, there was enough flavour even without the butter.  Oh, the butter, so rich, fatty, sweet and spiced.  This was addictive and although we had so much more coming, we finished the bread.  At first glance, the Bagna Cauda with various crudites looked like a light health-conscious dish (still healthy if you are looking it from a paleo perspective!).  Well, the buttery hot anchovy and garlic bath made this super decadent.  Dipping these fresh and crunchy (except for the parcooked squash) veggies (endive, radish, squash, beets and radicchio) into the bath yielded briny saltiness that was indeed garlicky and rich.  So yum.

Again, this richness was exemplified by the Kale with lemon pepper dressing, pecorino and pangrattato.  This would probably even be appealing to those who hate salads and kale for all that matters.  Aggressively dressed, the wilted kale was merely a vessel for the impactful dressing that was indeed peppery and tangy.  Providing a toasted crunch, the pangrattato also added nuttiness.  The salty cheesy factor was there thanks to the ample dusting of pecorino.  Something as simple as Burrata atop Salt Spring olive oil and house vincotto was one of our favourite dishes of the meal.  Supremely fresh, the creamy burrata was texturally and taste-wise on point.  This would've been great with just the aromatic olive oil even without the sweet vincotto.  However, soaking it up with the bread wasn't necessarily a bad thing either.

Moving onto some pastas, the Nettle Raviolo with runny egg yolk, ricotta, mint, pecorino, stracciatella and crispy stinging nettle was really good.  As clearly shown in the picture, the free-range egg yolk was perfectly runny while the pasta itself was firmly al dente.  Flavours were subtle except for the cheesiness.  Best part was the egg yolk (combined with the cheese) as it became the de facto sauce.  Covered with pangrattato, the Cavatelli came with romanesco cauliflower,chili and garlic.  The pasta couldn't have been any better texturally.  There was an appealing chewiness that had a great mouth feel.  On top of that, the tomato sauce was mildly tangy with a noted spice.  As mentioned, it was liberally topped with pangrattato which added an impactful crunchiness.

Continuing with pasta, our absolute favourite of the bunch was the pork, veal and chicken Agnolotti with roasting juice, pepe nero and crispy sage.  Again, the texture of the pasta was spot on being thin and gelatinous buttery chewy (if that makes sense).  Inside, the veal was full of meatiness and umaminess.  The silky jus was reduced enough to be slightly thick and concentrated.  This further amped the meatiness of the pasta.  I only wished there was more crispy sage.  Not particularly photogenic, the Sunday Sugo with beef braciola, meatball and pork ribs was rustic and comforting.  Prominent amongst the al dente tubes of rigatoni, the abundance of meat made this robust and filling.  Ribs were fall apart tender while the meatball was naturally textured with little filler.   The tomato sauce was tangy and chunky being the right amount without drowning the pasta.

Their wood-burning oven is one of their signature features and the meats are some of the highlights of the menu.  We tried the Suckling Pig with fried egg, cracklings and salsa verde.   Stunningly beautiful from the deep hue of the free-range egg and the green from the salsa verde, it could've been almost taken as green eggs and ham.  But the pork was far from ham as it was fatty and tender with a nice rebound.  Cracklings were airy and crunchy while the salsa verde added a bit too much grease to an already rich dish.  Behold, the Grass-Fed Veal Chop topped with prosciutto, taleggio and sage was both majestic and outstanding.  The meat was tender and moist while completely taking on the properties of the intense heat of the oven.  Literally topping it off, the salty prosciutto added salty depth while aromatics from the taleggio really came through as well. 

For the sides, I found the simple Grilled Cabbage with chopped grabiche (eggs, pickles, capers and parsley) and lemon to be my favourite.  Charred just enough, the cabbage was smoky without being completely burnt.  It still retained a crunchiness that was necessary as soft-wilted cabbage would've been less appealing.  I found the grabiche (thankfully this was not the creamy type) to be impactful with the usual herbs, but the amount of lemon helped bring the dish to life.  Also very good was the Polenta with velvet pioppini mushrooms, ash roasted garlic and grana padano.  Smooth and creamy, the polenta still had some bits here and there.  Good contrast of textures.  On top, the cheese and mushrooms predictably added salty nuttiness combined with buttery mushroom essence.

We had one more side in the Roasted Parsnips and Carrots with stinging nettle and mustard green pesto as well as hazelnuts.  Exhibiting a similar flavour as the raviolo, the bright and slightly sharp pesto balanced out the sweet earthiness of the parsnips.  About those parsnips, they were cooked all-the-way-through but maintained a firmness.  I also enjoyed the crunch from the hazelnuts.  Not a side, but more like a salad, the Farro with squash, chickpeas, dates, pine nuts, ricotta salata and mint was stunning in terms of colour.  It also ate quite well too.  What made this salad of sorts was the sweet sticky dates.  Little bursts of intense sweetness intermittently mixed with nuttiness, cheesiness and earthiness created a unique flavour profile.  Due to the squash, there was more than one layer of sweetness, but they were different.  Loved the mint on the tail end of the flavours too.

Of course we had to get dessert as well with 3 selections including the Cannoli with ricotta, citrus, cocoa and hazelnuts.  Okay, I've had a quite a few cannolis and this one has to be one of the better ones.  The best part was the pastry shell itself as it was firm but still exhibited a light crunchiness.   The filling was also very nice with a lightly sweet creaminess that was still rich.   As much as it was just a touch on top, the grated lemon rind added brightness at the end. Consisting of 3 large scoops, the Tiramisu Sundae featured house-made gelato flavours - zabaglione, espresso and chocolate hazelnut on top of corn sponge cake, mascarpone and marsala sprinkled with cocoa and hazelnuts.   So rich and creamy (especially for gelato), these were consistent texturally throughout.  Flavours were bang on with the combination of all 3 scoops emulating a tiramisu and with the sponge cake underneath, I didn't mind this over a regular version!

Our last dessert was a classic Meyer Lemon Tart atop crema and sprinkled with Sicilian pistachios.  Consistent with the other desserts we had, the lemon tart was balanced and texturally on point.  I found the lemon curd to be tangy and just sweet enough.  Lots of natural lemon flavour.  Although the bottom of the tart was soft, the edges were firmly crunchy and aromatic.  This was a fine way to end a feast where we tried nearly everything that needed to be tried (except for the Vitello Tonnato which we've had before and it's excellent!).  Except for a few minor things here and there that partly could've been attributed to personal tastes, the food we had at Savio Volpe was on point and delicious.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- On point pastas (improvement over the first time)
- That Bagna Cauda!
- Meats from the wood-burning oven

The Bad:
- Portion sizes are on the smaller side, so you will need to order more which means the total gets up there

Kook Korean BBQ

If you are familiar with the T&T complex on 1st and Renfrew, you will know parking there sucks and even a fist fight might break out over a parking spot.  Beyond that, there are many places to shop and eat (which would explain much of the parking chaos).  Just above T&T on the South side, there has been a Korean restaurant wanting to open up for over a year.  It seemed to be stuck in restaurant opening purgatory and I wasn't holding much hope it would ever come to fruition.  Well it finally has arrived in the form of Kook Korean BBQ.  We recently checked the place out after Sunday morning hockey where I smartly parked on the street.

One of the things that sets Kook apart from all of the other various Korean BBQ joints is their selection of Banchan.  There was such a variety, it completely encircled the grill (however, the sliced garlic and pepper don't count).  Starting with the one to the right of the pepper going counter clockwise, we had the spicy squid, stewed potatoes, bean sprouts, bean curd skin, kimchi radish, broccoli, pickled garlic, seaweed, spicy radish salad, pickled daikon, turnip, garlic scapes and mung bean jelly.  As you can see, the portions were quite small, but then again, one could ask for more.  Nothing out of the ordinary other than the mung bean jelly not be seasoned with anything.  For our BBQ meat choices, we had the Spicy Pork and Chicken on one plate.  Chicken was pretty typical being the leg meat, so it was tender and juicy.  We really enjoyed the spicy pork since it was marinated enough so that there was ample impact and it charred up well.  The meat was tender and cut thick enough that it didn't fall apart on the grill.

We also got the Beef Brisket that was sliced ultra thin which was good and bad at the same time.  Of course the positives of thinly sliced beef is that it will be more tender, easier to eat and quicker to cook.  The big negative here is that it stuck to the grill where more than 30% was lost.  Too bad really because the buttery beef was good when we could get some off the grill.  On that note, they were helping us grill the meat, so the service was pretty attentive in our minds.  To get a taste of the menu, we also got the Japchae that was served on a long plate.  This was actually a decent portion here and the amount of ingredients was substantial (including thin slices of tender beef).  They were able to keep the noodles dry, non-greasy and chewy without it being too clumpy.  Flavours were mildly sweet with a balancing amount of saltiness. 

Just because we felt like getting the greatest hits, we also ordered the Dolset Bibimbap and Gamjatang.  Sizzling and hot enough to create a modest rice crust, the bibimbap had a healthy topping of ingredients (as evidenced in the picture).  Things were prepared properly and textures were subsequently right as well.  As for the gamjatang, the broth had a good kick with the taste of hot pepper complimented by black pepper and perilla.   The three large pork bones sported tender meat that soaked up all of the flavours.  Overall, we were quite satisfied with our meal at Kook.  Prices are fair given the food quality, portion size and location.  I do mention location because there isn't anything nearby like Kook, so it does fill a need.  Personally, I would go back.

The Good:
- Above-average eats
- Lots of Banchan
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Not the best of parking lots (park on the street)
- Some items are pricey, but not out-of-line with similar restaurants

Ricky's Cafe

So this post about Ricky's Cafe fits into the same category as the recent one I did on Swiss Chalet.  I'm no food snob, but there are certain restaurants that are never at the top of my list to visit (especially when there are so many interesting ones at the same price point or even less!).  However, I've heard that some changes have been made and the food has gotten appreciably better (it's all relative right?).  Things are particularly different at the specifically branded "Ricky's Cafe" located at the SOLO District.  So yes, I grabbed the family and decided to give it a shot.

We got the Big Buffalo-Style Wings as an appie with hot and sweet teriyaki sauces on the side.  These did live up to the promise of being big as evidenced in the picture.  Fried up perfectly, the skin was rendered and crispy.  Loved how the meat was still juicy and tender as well.  Other than some Asian places, I find it difficult to find juicy fried wings at chain restaurants (they accomplished it here!).  Nothing much to say about the sauces other than hot was typical and the teriyaki had quite a bit of ginger zing.  For my daughter, she got the Kid's Lasagna, where she proceeded to eat it without letting me take a picture first (hence the messy appearance).  This was pretty standard stuff with soft noodles in a meaty tomato sauce.  There was lots of cheese on top (that you can't see because it had been mixed up).

For myself, I went with the Radical Bacon Cheeseburger loaded with a 1/2 lb Angus patty, maple bacon, sharp cheddar crisp, melted sharp cheddar, lettuce, Windset tomato, onion tanglers and mayo.  With all things considered, this was a solid burger.  The meat was charred, yet not dry while the crispy onions added a nice texture and sweetness.  Lots of cheesiness to go around in terms of taste and messiness.  Normally, chain restaurant fries are as exciting as doing taxes, but these Kennebec fries were legit being even par with fresh cut versions elsewhere.  Viv decided to try the Chicken Cheddar BLT stuffed with chicken breast, maple bacon, lettuce, tomato and cheddar on focaccia.  This wasn't very complex but things were prepared properly though.  The chicken breast was moist and not dried out while the bacon was meaty and crispy.

My son didn't do the burger or sandwich thing and decided on the Blackened Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo instead.  The chicken itself wasn't blackened too aggressively, yet still was flavourful and slightly smoky.  As such, the meat was still somewhat moist and completely tender.  Noodles were on the softer side of al dente, but hardly overdone.  Thick and creamy, the alfredo sauce was a bit one-note though.  Interestingly, they were very generous with the loaf of bread, it was almost as big as the pasta.  My dad opted for the 2 pc Beer-Battered Fish & Chips with coleslaw and tartar sauce.  Being made-to-order with hand-dipped into fresh batter, the fish turned out very good.  Moist and flaky with a thin crispy exterior, these were surprisingly good for a chain restaurant.

Lastly, my mom had the lunch special consisting of a half Classic Clubhouse and a Cream of Mushroom Soup.  Similar to Viv's sandwich, this was pretty good with tender slices of real turkey, the same thick crispy bacon and fresh produce.  On the side, the soup was also good being creamy, but not too thick.  It was full of infused mushroom earthiness and didn't rely on salt for impact.  So as you can guess, I didn't mind the food at Ricky's Cafe.  In fact, it gives Whitespot a run for its money and more when it comes to casual family-friendly eats.  Sure, it isn't gourmet and neither will it replace more independent and interesting food options in the GVRD, yet it does provide decent eats for those wanting something familiar and convenient in the neighbourhood.

The Good:
- Surprisingly decent with freshly-made dishes
- A little something for everyone
- Service was good

The Bad:
- There are many other interesting places to eat at that price point
- Free parking is limited, other spaces are not free