Douce Diner

Fresh off my road trip in the States over the Summer, it occurred to me that there is a black hole of sorts when it comes to diners in Vancouver.  Driving through big cities and small towns in the Western states yielded a variety of diners.  I guess it has a lot to do with the prevailing culture and food preferences in Vancouver.  We really can't complain that we aren't blessed with Asian restaurants, so for those who do not have access will marvel at our good luck.  Well, I personally love diners and was especially happy I had to drop by the newish Douce Diner in North Van for the Burger Challenge.  Of course I went ahead and ate a full meal there to try the rest of their wares.

I brought the fam and my daughter didn't fail me by ordering the Cookies and Cream Milkshake (because she wanted to...).  Rather than being super thick, it was on the milkier side, but this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.  It was easy to sip and it wasn't crazy sweet.  We definitely got the hits of Oreo, yet it was nicely balanced by the milk.  Okay, the reason we were here was for me to try the Double Douce Burger featuring natural Beretta beef patties, vintage cheddar, house zucchini & red onion pickles, shredded iceberg and special sauce on a toasted brioche bun.  This was super messy and required at least 5 napkins (a good sign).  The meat patties were moist and a bit crumbly (in a good way).  Loved the creamy cheese and the tang from the pickles.  As much as the bun looked weak, it was able to surround the ingredients without falling apart.  Not to be outdone, the side of shoestring fries were super crispy with tender potatoey insides.

My daughter wasn't done with just a milkshake.  Pffttt...  She also had the French Toast sporting thick cut Challah, lemon curd, mascarpone cream, seasonal fruit and real maple syrup.  What set this apart from any other French toast we've had recently was the tangy lemon curd.  It really brightened up the dish and made it incredibly easy to eat.  Rather than being merely sweet, the curd and mascarpone afforded layers of flavour that definitely elevated the dish.  Not deviating from his usual favourite, my son went for the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benny served atop a house buttermilk biscuit.  The fact that they used a crunchy biscuit completely changed the narrative on the dish.  Instead of a chewy English muffin, the crumbly and soft biscuit helped soak up the tangy Hollandaise (which was not too heavy, yet still creamy) and perfectly runny poached egg.  Crispy with soft portions, the shredded hashbrowns were also on point.

Viv decided on the Panko Crust Chicken Sammy with buttermilk brined boneless chicken breast, house zucchini & pickles, shredded iceberg and special sauce on a toasted brioche bun.  With similar ingredients as my burger, it set a good base for the sammy.  Firmly crunchy, the panko coating wasn't greasy while the chicken was juicy and tender.  To really kick the sammy up a notch, we added the house hot sauce which was indeed spicy with an nice tang.  To ensure I tried almost everything, I added the In House Buttermilk Waffle.  It was dressed with whipped butter, seasonal compote and house vanilla crème fraiche.  This may have appeared to be super sweet, yet it really wasn't.  Rather, the fruit was able to shine (even the mild blueberries) while the waffle itself was crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle.  We found it a bit pricey at $13.75.  For all of the items we tried at Douce Diner, nothing made us wanting for more.  Execution was good and the food was just plain tasty.  We'll be back.

*The burger and one beverage was complimentary*

The Good:
- Carefully executed dishes
- On point textures
- Balanced flavours

The Bad:
- On the pricier side
- Kinda cramped seating

Papi's Seafood and Oyster Bar

For the longest time, the corner of Denman and Morton Ave in Downtown Vancouver was occupied by Raincity Grill.  We've had some good times there including birthday dinners and also date night.  It was sad to see it go and replaced with Beach Bay Cafe in 2015.  Nothing against Beach Bay, but it didn't have the history and charm of Raincity and it has now gave way to Papi's Seafood and Oyster Bar.  Without even considering the food, this location is one of the best in Vancouver with prime English Bay real estate overlooking the water.  However, my blog is about food, so yes we went there recently to check it out.

I've had many of the seafood platters in town and for $60.00, the one here at Papi's has to be one of the most visually sparse.  Consisting of 6 oysters, cocktail shrimp, ahi tuna ceviche and lobster salad, the Seafood Platter wasn't bad per se (nor overpriced for the ingredients), but it just didn't "appear" to be substantial.  Either charge more and fill in the empty spots or charge less and remove the lobster.  In terms of eating enjoyment, the oysters were shucked properly and supremely fresh.  Lobster was buttery and bouncy while the shrimp were on point.  The tuna was a bit too sour in our opinion.  We also went for the Popcorn Octopus which was not what I was expecting.  Rather than fried bits, we got braised octopus with red pepper and smoked paprika topped with popcorn.  Texturally, the octopus was tender with just enough bite.  Flavours were smoky and umami-like without being salty.  I just wished the dish was less saucy as it became sloppy to eat.

Just because the kiddies love Burrata, we go an order which consisted of heirloom tomatoes and basil puree.  This was a large portion where the burrata was fresh and creamy.  It went really well with the charred bread which was nutty and smoky.  The abundance of fresh and bright tomatoes were a welcomed accompaniment to the cheese.  There wasn't a whole lot of seasoning other than the basil puree, but that was fine as it let the natural sweetness of the tomatoes to come out.  My dad decided to have the Prix Fixe menu which included 3 courses including the Lobster Soup.  Unlike a bisque, this was a lobster broth which was light and aromatic.  It definitely had the taste of lobster shells in addition to seafoody brininess and sweetness.  

For his main, he had the Confit Sablefish with tomato and bonito broth.  Visually, this looked fantastic and indeed it was.  All aspects of this dish was on point and full of impact even though flavours were subtle.  Starting with the fish, it was buttery and just barely cooked through.  What brought it all together was the fantastic broth as it was similar to a dashi except without the saltiness where it was replaced with the essence of tomatoes.  We could've had several bowls of this alone.  For myself, I had to get the 2 piece Fish n' Chips with triple-cooked potato wedges and slaw.  I felt this was also very solid where the cod was flaky and full of moisture while the beer batter was crunchy and not overly greasy.  I enjoyed the wedges as they were crunchy on the outside while retaining plenty of potato goodness on the inside.

Being the only person to not order seafood, my son went for the Beef Burger with pickles, onions, lettuce and mayo on brioche with potato wedges.  The beef itself was fairly lean meaning it wasn't exactly juicy.  There was a smokiness from the grill while the bun was soft enough to not interfere with the ingredients yet staying intact throughout.  Viv decided on the Lobster Brioche which was essentially an open-faced lobster salad sandwich.  This was the same as the one found in the platter which meant there was plenty of meaty chunks of lobster mixed in with the slaw.  However, the red cabbage was far too bitter for the subtle lobster and it overwhelmed it.  Furthermore, the brioche was rather dry and hard, so it didn't compliment the delicate lobster.  I realize that the brioche needed to stand up to the wet ingredients, but it needed to be softer.

My mom ordered the Lobster Risotto with lobster oil and zucchini that also featured an abundance of well-cooked lobster.  As for the risotto itself, we felt the rice was a little overdone, yet not terribly so.  The risotto didn't eat heavy and was actually rather light.  Aromatics were apparent due to the lobster oil and of course, the actual chunks of lobster as well.  Other than the sablefish and fish n' chips, the best dish of the nice was the Clam Spaghetti where there was much more in the way of fresh clams (which were perfectly cooked being plump) than spaghetti.  Hence, the classic clam brininess was evident as well as the plethora of garlic and olive oil.  The spaghetti itself was firmly al dente and soaked up the prevailing flavours.  The only thing I would change about this dish is to add a bit more pasta to balance off the generous amount of clams.

We were far too full to entertain dessert, but my dad did have one include with his 3-course meal being the Espuma with bits of what appeared to be biscotti.  These combined with the coffee foam created the effect of dipping actual biscotti into creamy coffee.  This was actually rather sweet, which would satisfy those who have a sweet tooth, but for us, it was a little much.  In the end, we felt the meal at Papi's was better than most of reviews have indicated, however, it wasn't without issues.  With new Executive Chef Jefferson Alvarez at the helm, I'm sure there will be changes (menu has indeed changed) for the better and I would be open to returning to see the final results.

The Good:
- Outstanding location
- Some real highlights
- Great service

The Bad:
- Some tweaks needed with several dishes

Jingle Bao

I guess it is fitting with Christmas less than a month away, we have a new dumpling spot opening up on Denman called Jingle Bao (get it, Jingle Bells...).  Situated in the old location of Ritual, Jingle Bao is the first spot in Vancouver to offer the IG-worthy rainbow Xiao Long Bao featuring different flavours including the traditional pork soup dumpling.  They will be also offering the massive XLBs that need a straw to eat them in the future, but for now, they only have the regular size during their soft opening.  I gathered up the fam to go check it out.

Okay, I'm not going to talk about the other food that came first because this place is all about the Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings).  We got 2 steamers of the original at $5.95 for 5 dumplings.  These were made-to-order so it took a bit of a delay to get them.  But it was worth it as the dumpling skin was fairly thin and had a nice elasticity.  Inside, the meat filling was loose and moist while the soup content was generous.  It was mild-tasting with natural pork sweetness.  The Rainbow Xiao Long Bao featured one each of the original, spinach, mushroom, spicy and shrimp.  Texturally, there wasn't much difference and in terms of flavour, I found them very much vanity over function.  That didn't mean they weren't any good, but the flavours were quite muted except for the spicy.  These were very reasonably-priced at $6.95 per steamer.

In addition to these Shanghainese dumplings, they also featured Cantonese ones in the form of Ha Gau (Shrimp Dumplings) and Siu Mai (Pork Dumplings).  Surprisingly, the ha gau were pretty legit.  Large in size and sporting a thin elastic and translucent dumpling skin, these were steamed just right.   Inside, the whole shrimp filling was moist and buttery while giving way to a sweet snap.  I swear these were just as good as some Dim Sum spots in town.  The same could not be said about the siu mai though.  Visually, they looked alright with its usual shape and topped with tobiko.  However, they were composed of pork only without any shrimp and shiitake (at least I didn't get any in my dumpling).  Hence, the whole thing was one-note and bordering on bland.  Really needed hot sauce with this one.  In terms of texture, it was also too firm where it needed the other ingredients and maybe a bit more fat.

On the other hand, the Crystal Shrimp Dumplings were pretty good even though they were meant to be more IGable than the standard ha gau.  What I mean by this is that they were solid despite sporting a pinkish hue and edible flowers.  That same couldn't be said about similar dumplings at Ampersand.  However, just like Ampersand, these contained frozen veggies mixed in with the ha gau filling.  I wasn't particularly fond of that part, but the shrimp portion was just as good as the ha gau.  Drizzled with a spicy mayo, the Crispy Snowflake Pork Dumplings were also quite good.  Loved how the pan-fry on the bottom of the dumpling was aggressive enough to create a crunchy crust where it was bordering on burnt, but just stopped short.  The dumpling skin was medium-thin and had a good chew to it.  Inside, the pork filling was tender, juicy and mild-tasting.  Finally, the spicy mayo really brought impact to the dish.

Sadly, the Beef Noodle Soup was one of the weaker items we tried.  Although it was crammed into a small bowl, there was actually plenty of al dente noodles hidden underneath the melt-in-our-mouths slices of beef shank.  However, the soup itself was too light in terms of appearance and taste.  I could get a sense of meatiness as well as some spice and star anise, yet it pretty bland at the same time.  Furthermore, the Shanghai bak choy was overcooked to a mush.  To get some greens into the meal, we ordered 2 plates of the Chilled Garlic Green Beans.  At first, I wasn't too thrilled with it being cold, but in the end, it kept the crunch and vibrancy of the green beans intact.  There was some enoki strewn throughout and we did get the garlic.  I wished they has more aggressively salted the dish though.

Onto some fried things, we had both the Crispy Fish Fillets and the Salt & Pepper Chicken.  I found the fish to be tender and flaky while the panko coating was lightly crispy.  There was enough seasoning that the side of mayo wasn't really necessary.  One problem with the dish was the amount of residual grease.  Either the oil wasn't hot enough or they did not drain the oil from the fish properly before plating.  Same problem existed with the chicken as well where each nugget was glistening.  Despite that, the dark meat as juicy and well-seasoned.  Plenty of five spice as well as the advertised salt and white pepper.  If we take into account that this is only their soft opening, it is forgivable that there will be some hits and misses.  Also with that being said, their XLB game is already in high-gear and in reality, the most important item on the menu.  Those are definitely worth trying and I'm curious about the gigantic ones available upon their grand opening.

The Good:
- XLBs are made-to-order and legit
- Reaonable-pricing
- Those rainbow XLBs

The Bad:
- Flavours can be more impactful (especially in the rainbow XLBs)
- Fried items too greasy
- Beef Noodle needs work

The Holy Crab (Brunch Menu)

Once an overlooked part of the menu that only existed by default, Brunch has become the thing to do on weekends (or any day of the week at some spots).  Sure, we can do Dim Sum or early morning Pho, but it appears that everyone is getting in on the action these days.  All the chain restaurants are on board and there are many independent options around town.  In terms of originality, that gets a bit more sparse as we find the usual 2 eggs with choice of meat, hashbrowns and toast as well as the classic eggs benny.  Trying to offer something a bit different, The Holy Crab is set to launch their brunch service on Saturday, November 30th.  I was given a sneak peak recently where they definitely put a Southern twist on the usual brunch menu.

Case in point, their Egg Bennies included such options as Blackened Catfish and The Holy Crab Cake.  Other than the different proteins offered (which also included smoked salmon and lobster klaws), the Hollandaise was Cajun-spiced.  Hence, there was definitely a smoky kick to dish.  I found the Hollandaise to be very rich and creamy with a smooth consistency.  All of the eggs were perfectly poached where they were super delicate and burst with a runny yolk on contact.  There was a choice of either English muffin or biscuit as the base of the benny.  I found the biscuit to be a little too dense for the concoction as it added even more heaviness to an already decadent dish.  As for the proteins, the catfish was flaky and moist where the blackening spices were apparent and impactful.  The crab cake was a little dense, but had a crispy exterior with fluffy crab.  On the side, we found crispy red potatoes and a salad.

The most interesting option on the menu was surprisingly the Toast Boards.  For $14.00, one could chose 2 of them to go with a side of black bean, corn and wild rice salad.  The Shrimp & Egg was loaded with cold-water crunchy shrimp tossed in a cajun-spiced mayo topped with soft-boiled egg segments.  This was all about the shrimp texture and spice contrasting the crunchy toast.   Straight-foward in construction, the Smoked Salmon featured cream cheese, capers, shallots and fresh dill.  Classic combination with buttery salmon with the saltiness of the capers and creaminess of the cheese.  My favourite was the Truffled Scrambled Eggs as it was silky smooth and barely cooked through with lots of earthiness and a touch of spice.  This was served atop fried tempura tempeh which offered crunch and heartiness.  Last one was the Vegetarian with avocado, cherry tomatoes, alfafa sprouts and radish.  Again, this was straight-forward except for the tempeh underneath.

There was a vegetarian-option on the menu consisting of poached eggs and Cajun Hollandaise on pan-seared artichoke hearts atop creamed spinach.  Named the Egg Sardou, this was indeed vegetarian, but also one of the heaviest offerings of the bunch.  Consistent with the eggs bennies, the Hollandaise was creamy and spicy while the eggs were super soft poached.  What made it extra rich was the creamed spinach.  It was really thick and despite being mild-tasting, it would not be easy for one person to finish.  Continuing on the theme of heavy, we had the Breakfast Poutine sporting shrimp and snow crab claws atop Cajun-spiced fries along with legit cheese curds, house-made gravy and a fried egg.  Since they had a base of their addictive crunchy and spicy fries, the poutine already was good from the start.  The crunchiness of the fries ensured they could stand up to the mild-gravy and runny egg.  

One of my favourite items was the Southern Fried Chicken and Pancakes for $14.00.  This was a considerable amount of food where the 3 cornmeal buttermilk pancakes were fluffy and substantial at the same time.  Fried until super crunchy and in a dark golden hue, the chicken thigh was juicy and moist with a touch of Cajun spice.  The combination of salty spiciness combined with the syrup made the dish even more appetizing.  Our last dish was the Grilled Cheese (also available with shrimp or lobster for $3.00 and $6.00 more) served with Seafood Chowder.  Constructed with a blend of mozzarella and cheddar, the sandwich was crunchy with plenty of melted goodness inside.  I would definitely add a seafood to give it more body and texture.  The side of somewhat thick chowder was full of seafood and was mild-tasting with a minor taste of the sea.  Overall, I thought the brunch items were pretty good and well-priced.  It also didn't hurt they were not shy in adding some spice too.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Something different
- Spice added to most dishes
- Well-priced

The Bad:
- Heavy, if you care
- Biscuit too dense for my liking

Bob Pochana

One of the biggest complaints about Thai cuisine in the GVRD is that it has been "watered-down" so that it appeals to as many customers as possible.  While that maybe true, you can't blame restaurants in trying to maximize its target audience.  After all, they are in the business of making money to feed their own families as well as the staff.  On the other hand, it leaves the hardcore foodies wanting for more.  Fortunately, there are a few spots in town that do their best to offer up flavourful eats that may alienate the causal customer.  Bob Likes Thai Food happens to be one of my favourites in town and now they have decided to open up a casual take-out spot on Robson.  Paying homage to Thai street food, dishes are served up in wax parchment paper ready-to-go.  With prices ranging from $10.00-$12.00, it is also accessible.

I was recently there for a tasting and we had many of their most popular dishes including their take on a Portland favourite - Kao Mung Gai.  Yes, it is spelled different phonetically, but I assure you, this version could even be better than Nong's Khao Man Gai!  Featuring fluffy, yet still firm broken chicken rice, this ate well even before the addition of the "sauce".  Ah yes, the explosion of ginger, garlic, vinegar, soy and fermented soybean is essential to the dish.  When combined with the fragrant rice and tender chicken, this was addictive and really, I could've eaten 2 orders.  Now that was one of the highlights, but their version of Pad Si Ew is the best in town in my opinion.  Exhibiting serious caramelization, the rice noodles were subjected to plenty of intense wok heat (or wok hei).  Add in the pepper, dark soy, oyster sauce and sugar, there was a bit of everything in there including noted spice.  Moreover, the texture of the noodles were on point being soft with plenty of chewiness.

Let's not forget their Pad Thai as it was equally good compared to the previous 2 dishes.  Just like the pad si ew, there was noticeable wok heat where the noodles were slightly charred.  This produced a smoky caramelized aroma that only further enhanced the palm sugar and tamarind.  There was a dash of spice combined with some brininess that just completed the dish of al dente noodles.  One of the better versions in town in my opinion.  Back to a rice dish, the Kao Kah Moo or pork belly was simmered in anise, cardamom, cinnamon, garlic and bay leaf served on rice with pickled mustard greens and hard boiled egg.  Possessing many of the same qualities as the Chinese dish known as "cau yook", the pork belly was melt-in-mouth worthy.  Flavours were balanced without being too sweet nor salty.  The listed spices came though while the mustard greens cut through the heaviness.

Staying with the same cut of meat, the Kana Moo Krob also had similar qualities to Chinese roast pork where the cracklings were crunchy yet still airy and not hard.  With a 50/50 even balance between tender meat and fat, the belly also ate very well.  Despite being wok fried with gai lan, garlic and chilis, the crackling stayed crunchy and the roasted aroma was not lost.  Vibrant and crispy, the sliced gai lan segments benefited from the wok heat and added not only a different texture, it was tasty on its own.  Topped with a runny fried egg, the Wok Fried Pork & Garlic was yet another tasty concoction.  Maintaining the same and consistent high wok heat, the marinated pork was cooked beautifully where it was tender yet at the same time was dry on the outside without an excess moisture.  Savoury and slightly spicy, this went well with the rice and yes, the runny egg didn't hurt either.

On the topic of eggs, we had a dish that was predominantly made of eggs.  The Kao Kai Jeaw or Thai omelette was a simple dish with spring onion and cilantro served on top of rice.  Aggressively fried, the crispiness of the omelette on the edges was a nice textural contrast to the rest of the fluffiness.  Even before we dug in, the aroma from the fried egg was appealing.  Now this alone was good, but I found that when we added some of the vinegar chili sauce (as found in the stewed pork dish), it really brought things to life with spice and tang.  A visit to any "Bob" Thai restaurant isn't complete without Bob's Poutine.  Okay, this isn't really a poutine, but consider it chips and sauce consisting of thinly-sliced deep fried taro root topped with lemongrass, lime leaf, deep fried tofu, chili and green curry sauce.  If you can imagine, this was a flavour bomb with all of the usual Thai aromatics to go with their spicy green curry.  I got a few samples in before the chips got soggy.

About that curry, we did end up trying 2 of them including the aforementioned Green Curry (Gang Keaw Whan Gai) with chicken, bamboo shoots, basil and eggplant.  Unlike many versions of green curry in town, there was much more in the way of ingredients than actual sauce.  The big chunks of chicken were tender and almost juicy while the eggplant was soft, but not completely mush.  Best of all, the curry itself was aromatic from the coconut milk while exhibiting a noticeable amount of spice and brininess.  Exhibiting beautiful colours from the red and green peppers, the Panang Beef Curry (Panang Nua) was also very good.  The curry here was a bit richer and thicker with the usual hit of spice.  Pops of sweetness and aroma from the coconut milk provided balance.  As much as the portion size didn't look like much, the richness of the curry combined with the rice made it a filling dish.

Just before we got to the dessert, we did things a bit backward by having the Tom Ka Gai.  Sporting lemon grass infused coconut milk with chicken and mushrooms, this was both subtle and a flavour bomb at the same time.  I could get all of the ingredients with every sip, yet it wasn't overpowering where it was balanced and hit my sense of smell first.  Simple and delicious, the Mango Sticky Rice was a fitting end to an array of well-prepared Thai street eats.  The warm sticky rice was mildly sweet sporting aromatic coconut milk.  Tangy and sweet, the mango provided a shot of brightness and life to the heavy rice.  The surprise of the dessert was the chunks of coconut custard on the side - so creamy and tasty!  So you can see I enjoyed the food at Bob Pochana, but that was a given since I already enjoy Bob Likes Thai Food.  Best of all is the accessibility of the food figuratively and literally.  I even bought some to go with my own coin!

*Food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Good wok heat (wok hei) resulting in intense flavours
- Not afraid to add in spice

The Bad:
- Mostly take out as there is only one large table available