Dong Tai Xiang Shanghai Dim Sum

I'm sure this isn't a revelation to most people, but the increasing number of Mainland Chinese restaurant chains popping up all over the GVRD is becoming a regular occurrence.  Many of them involve a hot pot or something like that while others focus on Northern Chinese cuisine.  One spot that hasn't received much attention is Dong Tai Xiang Shanghai Dim Sum.  With locations in Shanghai and Macau, it specializes in pan-fried steamed dumplings rather than the usual Xiao Long Bao.  I paid a couple of visits to the place recently and this post is an amalgamation of both.

In addition to not featuring XLBs on their menu, the selection in general is pretty limited.  Their main focus is on their dumplings, wontons and noodles with a few side dishes.  I decided to go with the Shanghai-style Sauce Stirred Noodle with a side of Brasied Spareribs (looked more like a pork chop).  Topped with 2 pieces of Shanghainese bak choy, the noodles were appealingly chewy with just enough sauce for flavour.  It could've been more stronger tasting in my opinion, but it was still good being salty and sweet.  I really didn't like the pork chop as it was too soft from the braise and completely drenched in oil.  On the revisit, we had the Noodle Soup with Shanghai-style Sweet & Sour Pork Rib.  We found the soup to be fairly bland yet clean at the same time.  The noodles were a touch overdone which made this bowl fairly average at best.  Similar to the previous side dish, the spareribs were super greasy and the "sauce" was basically oil.  Not good.

Onto the wontons, on my initial visit, I decided to try the Fresh Shrimp & Meat Wonton Soup.  Similar to Cantonese-style wontons, this featured a delicate wrapper with pork and shrimp filling.  I thought these were actually quite good except that the wrapper was overdone and soggy.  The filling was meaty with a bounce and the shrimp had a snap.  Broth was mild, but I liked the julienned egg.  It provided a bit of umaminess and texture.  Now this was good, but the Shanghai-style Pork & Vegetable Wonton Soup was not.  Obviously this was a different style, but the thicker wrapper was far too dense and chewy.  These larger wontons ate heavy despite the tender meat centre.  Once again, the soup was lightly sweet and mild-tasting, but then again, that was the intention too.

Some of the other side dishes we tried included Sauce Egg, Deep Fried Shanghai Steamed Gluten and Braised Wheat Gluten & Dried Mushroom.  Unlike the meat side dishes, these were far less greasier (makes sense as there was no rendered fat from the meats).  Of the 3, I liked the deep fried steamed gluten as it had a good rebound texture in addition to be delicate.  I also enjoyed how it was balanced between salty and sweet.  As for the braised wheat gluten, it was too soft where the classic chewiness was not present.  Furthermore, the pieces could've been larger as they were too tiny.  This dish was also far too wet as there was a lot of residual sauce on the bottom.  It was also too sweet in my opinion.  Lastly, the sauce egg was pretty typical being overdone due to the being in the braising liquid after being fully cooked.  Flavours were not overly strong but enough savouriness for effect.

While looking at the menu, we thought the picture of the Spring Rolls looked appetizing, so we went by that and ordered it.  They were indeed golden and crunchy, but also very greasy.  Furthermore, the vegetable filling was very mealy and wet.  There was probably too much cabbage that had not been properly prepared (ie. not salted and then residual moisture squeezed out of it). Since the Pan-Fried Dumplings were made-to-order, they arrived last.  This was worth the wait as these dumplings were the best dish by far.  Sporting a thin layer of soft bun, the bottoms were fried up aggressively crispy.  Inside, the meat was tender, bouncy and naturally sweet.  We tried both the regular pork dumplings as well as the shrimp and pork.  I didn't think the shrimp was worth the extra costs as the regular ones were good already.  Overall, I thought the food at DTXSDS as average at best.  However, their pan-fried buns made up for everything else.

The Good:
- Those pan-fried buns
- Service was pretty good
- Low-key dining room

The Bad:
- Other dishes were average
- Expensive

Mink Chocolates & Cafe (South Surrey)

Fresh off a satisfying and extremely filling meal at Afghan Kitchen, we were debating whether to order dessert or not.  Whilst in discussion, I quickly did a search on my phone for nearby dessert options.  Unbeknownst to me, Mink Chocolates had opened up a location within The Shops at Morgan Crossing.  That was music to Girl Smiley's ears as she has been dying for something other than the usual dessert options (ie. fast food spots) in the area.  So after paying the bill, we made the short jaunt over for some chocolate treats.

The kids were most interested in the S'mores prepared table side.  I'm not sure how safe it was to do this, but the kids had a blast roasting the marshmallows and then squashing them into the supplied graham crackers.  The proverbial icing on the cake was the smooth 38% chocolate served on the side.  It was creamy and quite sweet, but that was what we were aiming for.  We did have to wait for a bit for the chocolate to warm up as well as the burner for the marshmallows.  For the adults, we opted for the Chocolate Fondue served with a variety of fruit and cubes of pound cake.  We decided on 70% dark chocolate and it was an excellent decision as it wasn't too sweet with an appealing bitter finish.  Once again, it took awhile for it to heat up.

That wasn't all that we got as we tried the both the Tutti Fruiti and Belgian Monkey Waffles.  If I had to choose, I personally enjoyed the tutti frutti more since I like lighter desserts.  The waffle itself was pretty good being crispy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside.  We thought the amount of whipped cream was excessive and frankly messy to eat, but that could be rectified by a custom order.  Naturally, the drizzle of chocolate was probably the best part, especially the 70% in my opinion.  Since it was on the menu, we also had the Seasonal Fruit Parfait and well, it was a pretty much what we expected.  It wasn't bad, but nothing out-of-the-ordinary.  Good mix of fruit, oats, bananas and chocolate.  Again, we chose the 70% and it kept the sweetness level to a minimum.

Of course we couldn't get out of there without a Hot Chocolate.  We had both versions including the 38% and 70%.  My daughter insisted on the 70% and I completely agreed with her as the chocolate really came through with a pleasant bitterness at the end.  Sweetness was of course muted and it came with a little chocolate square for good measure.  Overall, Mink is a great addition to the area and no, they don't have the most outstanding desserts, yet there isn't much competition nearby.  Chez Christophe opened up shop nearby recently and they offer more refined options, but they aren't open as late though.

The Good:
- Something different for the area
- Lots of chocolate options
- Open late

The Bad:
- Desserts are not particularly creative, but decent for the area

Afghan Kitchen

The state of Afghan cuisine in the GVRD is pretty much limited to a few spots scattered here and there (mostly in the 'burbs though).  I've had fairly decent meals at Afghan Chopan and Afghan Bakery, but the most well-known of them all (also oldest in town), Afghan Horseman was a bit of a letdown.  More recently, my visit to Pamir Diner in Surrey yielded a surprisingly solid meal.  Recently, I finally made it out to South Surrey for the well-reviewed Afghan Kitchen to see if it could rival the aforementioned restaurants.

To get an idea of the menu, we went for the Triple Dip Taster consisting of Chilled Eggplant Essential Dip, Orange Hummus Re-imagined and Green Avocado Dream Dip served with Afghan Bread.  The best part of this was actually the fluffy bread.  Now this didn't mean that the dips weren't good.  In fact, they were tasty with the eggplant being delicate with little nuggets that provided texture.  As for the 2 types of hummus, I liked the orange more than the avocado since it had more impact.  Both were smooth and light though.  Somehow I missed the full description of the Happy Taster as it not only included batter-fried chicken bites, gold wedges and pakawras, there was also the very same dips as the aforementioned dish.  Oh well, we didn't mind more of it!  The kiddies really liked all the fried potato goodness on the plate.  On the other hand, the chicken nuggets were a little dry, albeit really crispy.

One of my favourite items was actually a very unassuming version of Bolani.  This usually consists of a flatbread stuffed with potato, herbs and spices.  I've had some that are stuffed far too much with green onion which completely dominates the flavour profile.  I was delighted to find that the filling in this one was fluffy potato with just the right complimentary amount of herbs (including green onion).  There was a balance of flavours to go with the delicate naan.  This was extra tasty when we used the side of hot sauce.  Equally delicious, the Mantu featured a thin translucent dumpling skin that sported appealing elasticity.  Inside, the minced beef and onion filling was loose and tender with a peppery finish.  These were topped with the usual tomato sauce and yogurt.  There was the earthiness of the cumin combined with the tang of the tomato which was eased by the cool yogurt.  Yummy.

The meat of the meal was exactly that as we ordered the Nights in Kabul consisting of 3 each of the chicken and beef kebab atop Afghan bread.  This was supposed to serve 4 people, but honestly, it could feed much more especially since it included sides (more on that later).  Back to the meat, it couldn't have been prepared any better as the chicken was juicy and the beef was barely medium.  As a result, the meats were succulent.  The only thing we would've liked to see was a bit more seasoning.  But that wasn't really a big issue as the spicy hot sauce rectified that and beyond.  If you want to enjoy the bread underneath, I would suggest you remove it immediately as it got rather soggy when we left the meat on top.  On the side, we found a large plate of Kabli Pulao with the familiar raisins, carrots, almonds and spices.  This was well-executed with fluffy and chewy basmati rice that was aromatic and sweet from the raisins.

In addition to the rice, we were also served  sides of Eggplant and Potato.  Nothing particularly interesting about these as the eggplant somewhat resembled the dip except it was hot and a bit more savoury.  The potato was soft and very mildly-seasoned.  On the other hand, the Kofta was a total 180 as the there was a noted spiciness  The meat patties were large and beautifully textured where the natural beefiness was present while still being super tender and moist.  If this looked like a lot of food, you are absolutely right.  It was far too much for the 4 adults and kids at the table, yet at the same time, not overpriced.  Not only is the food good at Afghan Kitchen, it is also well-priced.

The Good:
- Proteins cooked properly
- Large portions
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Kebabs could've been more flavourful on their own
- Service was friendly, but hard to flag someone down during peak times

The Red Accordion

Keeping up with all of the new restaurant openings can be very difficult, especially with some opening to little fanfare.  Add in the plethora of Asian restaurants that quietly open and close as well as changing names, this makes the exercise extra confusing.  Anyways, to get to the point, I had no clue that The Red Accordion had opened up shop since February in the old location of Forkhill Bistro (and before that, The Fat Badger and Le Gavroche).  If it weren't for the Burger Challenge, it would've taken me awhile to realize this and hence, Nancy and I wouldn't have been there for a meal (in addition to sampling the burger).

Prior to the burger, we had the "Play With Fire" Shishito Peppers with Spanish chorizo, onions, garlic, maldon salt and California olive oil.  Much like the Dorito's Roulette, I hit the jackpot with the first pepper as it was pretty hot, but at the same time, super flavourful and layered with flavours.  Loved the charring as there was an aromatic smokiness to go with the chorizo and activated onions and garlic.  Such a simple plate while at the same time addictive and great with a beverage.   Without any delay, we got right to the TRA Burger as we still had an appetite.  This consisted of Brandt Lake Waygu ground chuck, Mozza & jalapeño Havarti cheese, sun-dried tomato & roasted garlic aioli, arugula, crispy pancetta, beefsteak tomato, pickled red onion & home made bun and served with kennebec fries.  We added an egg for good measure and this burger required many napkins.  I found the burger patty to be very moist and meaty with lots of natural beef flavour.  There was an appealing combination of spice, aromatics and tang as well.  I did wish the bun would've been a bit softer since things slid out as a result.

Unlike the menu description, the featured Burrata was not accompanied by tomatoes.  Rather, we found a trio of foraged mushrooms within a smoked mushroom broth where the creamy burrata was sitting on top.  It was further amped by shaved black truffle and greens.  Served on the side was grilled toast baguette.  Normally, I much prefer some form of acidity with burrata, but this was still plenty tasty with lots of umami and aromatics.  The mushrooms were buttery and well-seasoned while the broth was quite mild.  I would've preferred a bit less broth as the whole dish became wet including the cheese.  Despite this, the dish was still quite delicious and the cheese went well with the crunchy charred bread.  Another daily feature was the Tempura Mexican Prawns which were absolutely humongous.   Coated with panko, it tasted like classic Chinese prawn toast.  In turn this went well with the sweet nuoc cham sauce underneath. Loved how the prawns were propped up with fried egg whites, which prevented them from getting soaked.

Other than the burger, our favourite dish of the meal was the Steamed Mussels and Fried Dough.  Featuring large honey mussels, they were cooked to perfection being plump and delicate.  They were naturally sweet and of course had the classic taste of the sea.  Sitting in an Asian-inspired broth consisting of lemongrass, ginger, tumeric, bok choy, shitake mushrooms, smoked paprika oil, tomato & coconut milk, it was super aromatic and plenty tasty for the fried bread to soak it all up.  About that fried bread, it was akin to bannock but with elements of Indian naan (pleasing elasticity and fluffiness).  It was excellent eaten on its own even without the broth.  Another on point dish was the Haida Gwai Humboldt Squid with lemon aioli, smoked salt and chimichurri.  Lightly coated, the squid was marginally crispy on the outside while plenty tender on the inside.  There was still a pleasing chewiness though.  The dish wasn't aggressively seasoned, but when all of the elements were combined, we found a bright creaminess that had some acidity.

From that, we ended off heavy with the Lobster "it's the claw" Gnocchi with lobster bisque, fennel, spicy rose, fresh herbs, potato gnocchi and claw meat.  This was super rich and it indeed tasted like a bisque with lobster essence, cream and booze.  I would say that for one person to finish this, it would be too heavy so it is best to be shared.  The gnocchi were relatively firm with a soft interior.  There was no shortage of lobster meat which was on point with a bounce and natural sweetness.  For dessert, we ended up trying the Chocolate Budino with dark chocolate, olive oil, maldon salt and orange essence pound cake.  The budino was super rich, yet not heavy at the same time.  Mildly sweet accented by the natural bitterness of the dark chocolate, the budino was complimented nicely by the semi-soft toasted slices of pound cake.  When we were done, Nancy and I exclaimed that The Red Accordion is a little gem that really needs more exposure.  Food is on point and the service is genuine. 

*The burger and one beverage were complimentary*

The Good:
- Menu is a bit all over the place, but somehow it works
- On point execution
- Genuinely nice people

The Bad:
- Some of the seating looks cool, but really isn't that comfortable
- Food is on the heavier side, so order accordingly

Jin Soo Sung Chan Korean

While we were making our way over to Mr. Tonkatsu a few months ago, we had to take the back route since making a left on 152nd is impossible going Southbound.  Normally, I wouldn't drive on 152A as it doesn't really go anywhere.  To my surprise, we found a few hidden restaurants with Sushi California being the most recognizable.  Right next to it was a Korean BBQ spot called Jin Soo Sung Chan, which wasn't an easy name to remember.  Yet, I did remember it in general when my daughter wanted to head out for her birthday dinner.  We ended up ordering the Deluxe Dinner for 5-6 people.

It included the usual Banchan with a small selection of bean sprouts, stewed potatoes, kimchi, pickled daikon and pickled onions.  Not particularly an impressive amount considering the newer spots in town offer more than double the variety.  Whatever the case, the banchan was good though where the potatoes were soft without disintegrating while the sprouts were crunchy and not drench with moisture.  I found the kimchi to be spicy enough but could've used more brininess.  There was also a Green Salad that was drenched in an orange dressing that looked almost like mango that we figured would've been really sweet.  Surprisingly, it was not, and in fact, tasted more like a Japanese ginger carrot dressing.  Nothing more to be said about this other than it was fresh with no browning on the leaves.

Considering that the Deluxe Dinner is $152.00, one would think that is expensive.  Alas, it was not as the plate of Meat was impressive to say the least.  There was more than enough for 6 people if not more. It included both types of beef short rib, chicken, pork chop, thinly sliced beef and beef steak.  I thought the overall quality of the meat was good where there was the right amount of fat.  This helped with not only keeping the meat moist and tender, it also built flavour and sizzle.  Marinade was typical sweet with a touch of saltiness, including the pork shoulder (no spicy pork here).  They were very generous with the short ribs as we got both cuts.  The one downer was the grill as was either too weak or too strong.  Somehow we weren't able to get the right setting where it would caramelize the meat without burning.

Also included in the meal was Soft Tofu Soup and Japche.  With only a few small shrimp, the soup base was a little weak in terms of depth in my opinion.  However, it was plenty spicy where if we drank it too quickly, it would invoke coughing.  There was plenty of soft tofu which was had a good mouth feel.  It came bubbling hot which enhanced the spiciness and was welcomed since it was a cold night.  As for the small plate of japche, it was quite good.  Despite not showing up in the picture, there was plenty of thinly sliced beef underneath.  The noodles were moist and not clumpy with an appealing chewiness.  I liked how this version wasn't overly sweet where there was a balance of flavours.  Moreover, the level of grease was low which was also quite remarkable since the noodles didn't stick together.

Lastly, the Steamed Eggs was as fluffy as it appeared.  However, it was also as watery as it appeared as well.  So we were a bit indifferent about it as some parts were good while others were not.  I understand why there is moisture in the hot stone bowl as the egg does cook really quickly, but this was just a bit too much water.  In the grand scheme of things, the egg was not a big deal as it wasn't terrible.  Furthermore, the amount of food we got for the price made this a good value.  Food quality was fine and the service was decent as well.  If I had the chance, I'd got back.

The Good:
- Well-priced
- They don't skimp with the meat
- Decent service

The Bad:
- We couldn't get the grill to cook at the right temp
- Parking spaces are limited

Hydra Estiatorio Mediterranean & Bar

Sometimes, our lives get so busy and complicated, we do not get a chance to hang out with friends.  Okay, let me rephrase that.  We do meet up with friends, but it is usually with family (aka with the kiddies), so it really isn't a night out.  So when Chill and Bubbly wanted to grab some dinner in Downtown on a Friday night, this was something out-of-the-blue.  In fact, we hadn't had dinner without the kids since we last ate at the long gone Cru on Broadway.  That was like 10 years ago!  LOL.  This time around, we decided to try out the new Hydra Estiatorio Mediterranean & Bar out on Pender near Chill's office.

Despite being very tempting, we decided to order a la carte rather than share their family-style meals (maybe next time).  Before, that we got a few appies including 1/2 Dozen of Oysters with the usual accompaniments.  We had 3 each of Royal Miyagi and Kushi oysters which were shucked expertly without any shell fragments.  Both were fresh and I really liked how they included a wide variety of sauces such as mignonette, horseradish, cocktail sauce and aioli.  Looking like they forgot to plate the rest of the dish, the Grilled Octopus made up with quality over quantity.  Retaining an appealing firmness, the octopus was tender to the chew.  It was mildly seasoned with lemon and oregano while served with a fava bean puree.  This was pretty good, but for not a whole lot for $21.00.

Next, decided on one of their many spreads served with pita bread being the Menta.  As expected, there was a natural mint flavour to the spread as well as tangy creaminess.  At first, we thought the bread was oversalted, but on further inspection, it was in fact the dip that was salty.  It wasn't a huge deal in my opinion, but for those who want more balance, they might've disliked this.  We decided to get one side which was the Charred Cauliflower with grated mizithra and green herb oil.  We really loved this as the cauliflower was cooked all-the-way-through while still crunchy and vibrant.  It was charred just like its description where the smokiness came through.  Unlike the spread, this was not overseasoned which allowed the herb oil to come through.

Onto the mains, I ordered the Lamb Chops with aged vinegar drizzle over oven-fried potatoes.  I personally love lamb and since Viv doesn't really eat it, I tend to get it whenever I have the chance.  This was a good decision as the 3 portions of lamb rack were cooked to medium and well-seared on the outside.  Again, the seasoning was mild while the aged vinegar was also not very apparent.  Moving away from the red meats, Viv decided on the pan-roasted Pacific Salmon with lemon dill sauce.  This was a simple creation that was executed quite well.  Featuring well-seasoned crispy skin, the salmon itself was flaky and moist except for the thinner section.  The lemon dill wasn't exactly super impactful, but it was there.  Once again, the protein rested on the same over-fried potatoes.

Chill didn't stray far from the regular and had the Beef Tenderloin.  He asked for it to be prepared medium rare and it was char-grilled perfectly.  The meat was moist, well-rested and tender.  This was finished with a braised garlic sauce which was either subtle tasting or possibly there was just wasn't enough of it.  Hence, the fairly well-seasoned meat stood on its own. The most impressive-looking plate was the Grilled Angus NY Steak Skewer ordered by Bubbly.  This mostly had to do with the side of fire-roasted veggies served on the same plate.  For everyone else, it was served separately.  We really enjoyed the layered dish of potatoes, onion, green pepper, eggplant and tomatoes.  However, it was overly greasy.  As for her skewer, it was prepared medium and sported a delicious char.  Meat was moist and completely tender. The tangy yogurt added a refreshing bite to the dish.

No one was really interested in dessert, but Viv and I decided to get the Cream of the Crop anyways.  It was beautifully plated and didn't eat as sweet as it appeared.  Lots of tanginess provided by the lemon curd hidden within the meringue flower.  It was surrounded by praline sponge, more lemon curd, berries and a side of mandarin & blood orange caramel.  Even after dousing the meringue with the caramel, the dessert was balanced where the various flavours were not dominated by sweetness.  Overall, we felt that the meal was pleasant where it was served in a gorgeous dining space.  Service was top-notch as well.  Price point is a bit high for the type of food though.

The Good:
- Nice dining space
- On point service
- Proteins prepared properly

The Bad:
- Prices are high for the type of food
- Some portion sizes could be slightly bigger