Festal Paleo Cafe

Yes, the last post on Manna was about plant-based meals, so the conventional thinking would be that an unhealthy gluttonous food adventure was to follow.  Well you would be wrong as we did some paleo and keto dining at Festal Paleo Cafe in Downtown.  We did get back on the meat train, but went easy on the carbs.  As much as paleo and keto diets have become more mainstream, there is a general lack of dedicated restaurants.  Now the biggest problem for me isn't the availability, rather it is about taste and texture.  I was curious if Festal could win me over.

We ordered a wide range of dishes including the deliciously-looking Butternut Lasagna featuring local grass-fed beef, butternut squash, spinach, cashew cheese, creamy coconut tomato sauce & fresh Italian herbs & spices.  Sure, there was a lack of noodles in this lasagna but I really didn't miss it due to the "layers" of textures and flavours (sorry for the pun).  This included tender meat, creamy cashew cheese and a noticeable spiciness to go with the tanginess of the tomato sauce.  This was so large of a portion, it could easily divide into 2 meals.

My absolute favourite dish  had to be the Bolognese with zucchini noodles, raw cashew cheese and cassava foccacia.  Zucchini can be a finicky vegetable as it can overcook easily.  The "noodles" in this dish were perfect being soft and cooked through without becoming mushy.  It was bathed in a flavouful and meaty bolognese with the sweetness of onion and carrots.  We fought over this dish and finished it easily.

Another well-executed item was the Butter Chicken with marinated chicken breast, spiced tomato, cashew and coconut sauce.  For a version that did not include heavy cream, this was still rich and ate very much like butter chicken.  The sauce had a thick viscosity while being "creamy".  There was a nice balance including a tangy finish with spice.  The large cubes of chicken were tender and moist.

Sticking with the theme of the restaurant, the Sirloin Burger did not come with a bun.  I really could care less as the grass-fed beef patty was topped with thick cut bacon and a giant glob of bacon jam.  The patty itself was rather lean, so it wasn't exactly juicy.  Yet it wasn't dry either.  There was plenty of natural beef flavour and when combined with the tangy jam, it was just plain delicious.  Definitely a fork and knifer.

Working our way through the menu, we decided to get a couple slices of Paleo Pizza including Wild Hawaiian (crispy bacon, Canadian black forest ham, pineapple, cashew cheese and tomato sauce) and Meatlovers (beef, bacon and Canadian black forest ham).  As much as the pizza crust was a bit dense (no grain dough), it wasn't heavy and was relatively thin.  There was no lack of toppings, which made it a hearty meal (I guess it justified the $13.95 for 2 slices).  The creamy cashew cheese was a fine substitute reminiscent of Virtuous Pie.

Completing our savoury dishes, we tried the Spicy Chicken Waffle Sandwich sporting local free-range chicken breast, bacon, no-grain waffle bread & colelsaw.  Once again, the lack of grains didn't detract from the waffle's texture.  It was soft and fluffy while holding everything together.  The chicken was thin, yet still moist and the abundance of crunchy coleslaw added moisture and messiness.  The side of cassava chips were light and crunchy.  Completing the dish was a generous portion of real maple syrup.

Onto dessert, we had a good selection including Keto Almond Croissant, Raspberry Log Cake, Keto Blueberry Muffin, Keto Chocolate Brownie and Keto Boston Cream Donut.  Since all of them employed alternative flours such as coconut and almond, the textures were predictably more dense.  However, they were still good in their own way.  I thought the raspberry log was fluffy enough and had a good balance of sweetness and tartness.  The donut was mildly sweet and almost pudding like.  I found the muffin to be close to custard quality while sporting enough sweetness from the topping.  The croissant was rather dense while the brownie ate like a typical version being chocolaty and rich.  Now I've had paleo food before at various other restaurants in town, but the one thing that sets Festal apart is that they elevate the food.  In this way, I didn't feel like I was giving up anything necessarily to go paleo and keto.  Flavours were impactful and they did their very best to keep the textures appealing.  I would definitely return with the lasagna and bolognese at the top of my list.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Impactful flavours with spice

- Nearly all the items had an appealing texture despite the lack of conventional flours

- Wide range of items

The Bad:

- Predictably, some textures were more dense, not much you can do about that

- Pizzas are a bit pricey

Manna Sacred Meals

If you haven't noticed, I don't have much of a relationship with vegan eats.  In fact, vegetarian might even be a stretch for me.  However, when done right, I'm more than happy to go meatless.  Now it gets much more challenging when you take out all animal products hence I've tread very lightly when it comes to plant-based cuisine.  Recently, Manna Sacred Meals reached out to me and asked if I would try some of their meal kits.  They consists of all of the prepared ingredients sealed in bags that you either remove and bake or boil in the bag itself.

I was rather curious how one could make a "Smoked Salmon" Sushi Bake without fish.  Well, the "salmon" was actually smoked carrot slices that were indeed smoky and sweet just like salmon.  In the bake itself, there was tofu, veggies and greens. Now this ate quite well, despite not really resembling a sushi bake.  I would say it was more like a hearty vegetarian dip.  Lots of textures at play.

My favourite item was the Bulgogi Lettuce Wraps with kimchi fried rice and marinated soy curls & veggie stir fry. Loved the use of red romaine as it was more malleable so it didn't split.  The fried rice was nutty, a bit spicy and perfectly textured.  For me, I love soy curls, so the chewy texture was appealing.  There was plenty of seasoning and the unmistakable taste of shiitake.  I would've liked less bamboo shoot essence though.

I was initially worried that Truffle Wild Mushroom Pasta would be woefully overdone due to the reheating process.  To my pleasant surprise, the whole grain pasta was perfectly al dente.  There was a plethora of mixed mushroom, garlic, olive oil, herb and truffle.  In fact, we had some leftover!  Could use that with something else.  To complete the dish, there was a lemon roasted veggies and tempeh.  Compared to a regular mushroom cream pasta, this was heartier and with more body.  Just enough truffle to go with the natural woodsiness of the mushrooms.  Really tasty.

Last dish was the Portobello Mushroom Steaks stuffed with lentils and accompanied by fresh herb spaghetti squash, braised cabbage and MANNA drizzle.  I would like to use the word hearty again to describe this.  Despite the lack of meat, this was fulfilling and "meaty".  The mushroom was well-seasoned and the lentil stuffing had body yet wasn't too dense.  Absolutely loved the spaghetti squash.  Great texture and nicely seasoned while naturally sweet.  Overall, I really did enjoy the plant-based meals from Manna.  This was a convenient way to eat more healthy while being tasty at the same time.

*Food was complimentary*

The Good:

- Not lacking in flavour

- Hearty even without the meat

- Healthier

 The Bad:

 - Bamboo shoots in the lettuce wrap could be less pungent

King's Kitchen

I have to be brutally honest with this post - the experience at King's Kitchen didn't start off well.  I noticed on IG that they were having an AYCE Dim Sum service for only one weekend, hence I decided to try it out.  Somehow, they were so swamped that our table number was mixed up with another.  Ultimately, I received 2 dishes in 1 hour.  Things were eventually corrected and I did end up with 10 of the available 20 dishes on the menu.  Since I really didn't get the AYCE experience nor did I actually get everything I ordered before I left, they didn't charge me.  I also ended up returning to try some of their takeout a week later because of the suspension of dine-in services (hence I couldn't have a do-over for their dine-in Dim Sum).  So for this post, I will talk about the food I did receive and also the take out meal that I was also comped for.  Now despite the negativity of the initial experience, the owner does care about her business and wants to do well. Regardless of the snafu, the main thing takeaway is that the food is good and definitely worth a try.

So we were served the Deep Fried Garlic & Shrimp Spring Rolls to start.  These were good with a golden brown crunchy wrapper that was further reinforced by nori inside.  The filling was properly-seasoned shrimp that had a nice bounce and was moist.  These were steaming hot and was accompanied by a big-ass bowl of Worcestershire sauce.  We noticed that the settings weren't really Dim Sum-style.

Next, we got a plate of Steamed Duck Webs, which was a pretty large portion.  We weren't sure if they ran out of steamers or this was just the way they served this dish.  No matter, it was prepared properly with tender and delicate duck webs that still held their shape.  Cartilage and fat underneath was tender but not melted.  Lots of garlicky sweetness to go with the equal parts of savouriness. 

From this point on, we waited for about an hour and then some of our other dishes showed up including the Rainbow Shrimp Dumplings.  If we overlook the colours (which were different), what we had here was legit Ha Gau.  The dumpling wrappers were thin and tender while still retaining elasticity.  Inside, the shrimp filling was on point with bounce, sweetness and natural shrimp aroma.  

A bigger dish of sorts was the Stir-Fried Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage.  Compared to the steamed version, this exhibited much more aroma and caramelization due to the cooking process in a hot wok.  The sticky rice was chewy and well-seasoned while being appealingly nutty.  The Chinese sausage added meatiness and another layer of saltiness.  Normally this is a pretty oily dish, but it wasn't overly so.

As mentioned, the previous dish is very different than the Lo Mei Gai or Sticky Rice Wrap with Meat in Lotus Leaves.  It is true the rice is still par-cooked, but it is stuffed with ground pork and Chinese sausage, then steamed in lotus leaves until fully cooked.  Hence, the rice is wetter and softer while soaking up the ground pork and accompanying sauce.  This was good with rice that was soft and sticky, but not overly wet.

One dish we do not normally see on Dim Sum menus much anymore is the gigantic Goon Tong Gau or Traditional Assorted Seafood Dumpling.  Featuring a thin delicate wrapper, the dumpling was sitting in broth while stuffed with pork and seafood.  In days past, the dumpling would be in a steamer with all of the soup inside.  It would be a precarious situation to pick it up without bursting.  However, if you do find this dish now, it is served in a bowl so you can enjoy all the delicious soup without losing it to the table.  This one was good with subtle flavours and delicate ingredients.

Moving on, we had the Steamed Pork Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce.  This was another generous portion of food that featured meaty pieces of pork rib.  Not a whole lot of fat nor cartilage to be found.  I thought the texture was more natural meatiness rather than bouncy.  However, it was marinated enough that it wasn't dry nor chewy.  There was plenty of salty and garlicky notes.

Also served on a plate rather than a bamboo steamer, we had the Beef Meatballs with green peas.  Although the meatballs could've used some form of green inside such as cilantro and/or green onions, that didn't detract from the buttery texture.  These were light and loosely packed, so there was no denseness at all.  I enjoyed that the meat was not overprocessed where I got bits of beef texture hidden within the meatball.

Our last savoury item was the Pan-Fried Stuffed Tofu with shrimp paste and black bean sauce.  Despite the name, these were actually deep-fried, but that is how they should be cooked.  It resulted in a uniformly crispy exterior giving way to soft tofu and buttery bouncy shrimp paste.  There was more than enough starch-thickened sauce to provide a bit of moisture and saltiness.

I guess our de facto dessert was the Deep Fried Glutinous Rice Black Sesame Balls.  These were on point with a thin layer of crispy glutinous rice flour that was sticky and tender on the inside.  I've tried making these before and believe me, it is difficult to regulate the exterior thickness.  Loved the light crunch giving way to aromatic black sesame inside.

So at this point I had to leave because I had an appointment.  So after being there for over 2.25 hours, we only got 10 of 20 dishes we had ordered.  As mentioned, we were taken care of and welcomed back to get the right experience.  However, due to the suspension of dine-in services, we ended up going back for take out instead.  Seeing how we never got to try the Siu Mai (or Pork & Shrimp Dumplings), we got some to go.  These were legit with tender chunks of pork that had a nice rebound texture.  Strewn within was bouncy and moist shrimp.  These were seasoned properly and were just what you expect from a good siu mai.  We also had the Black Truffle Siu Mai and unlike many of the regular version with the truffle sauce on top, these were mixed into the meat filling.  Hence, the flavour was more balanced and uniform throughout.

Onto the dinner items, the Sweet & Sour Pork ate as good as it looked.  As mentioned by a few others, this was completely legit.  Even though this was take out and had been sitting for while before we ate it, the pork was still tender with just the right amount of batter.  The sauce was tangy and sweet where it was definitely tart enough for impact.

Although the Sesame Chicken looked very similar to the previous dish in terms of colour and sauce, it tasted remarkably different.  Yes, the sauce was tangy and sweet, but it also had quite the kick.  Too much at once and you might start coughing.  Now it wasn't scorching hot, but enough to be noticed.  The nuggets of chicken thigh were moist with a light exterior batter.

For our veggies, we had the Gai Lan with Beef.  As expected, the gai lan was a little soft by the time we got to it since it was take out.  But there is no way we will hold that against them.  As for the beef, there was lots of it and it resembled the pork spareribs.  They were tender but since it wasn't aggressively marinated, the slices of beef retained more of a natural texture.

We also got the House Special Chow Mein featuring fried noodles topped with a sauce consisting of BBQ pork, shrimp, squid, carrots and broccoli.  Since they packed the sauce separately from the noodles, we could still get the contrast of crispiness with the soften noodles from the sauce.  Pretty textbook version and great with a little bit of red vinegar.  Overall, King's Kitchen offers up authentic Chinese eats such as Dim Sum and Peking Duck in a part of Downtown Vancouver not known for such.  Obviously, it isn't possible to do dine-in for Dim Sum right now, but give their take out a try.  Well-priced and legit.

*Note: food was ultimately complimentary due to errors that were made, but this post was not an invite nor comped food was expected*

The Good:

- Authentic Dim Sum

- Legit Cantonese cuisine

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- Overall service needs improvements

- Renovations would help

 

Mary Brown's

I'm not sure if you have noticed, but quietly, there is a new player in town when it comes to fried chicken.  It might appear that Mary Brown's is a completely new chain fast food joint, but in reality, it has been around for over 50 years.  Mainly located in Eastern Canada, it has found its way to the West Coast where most of their locations are in Surrey (and one just barely in North Delta on Scott Road).  I recently grabbed a bunch of their food to go including their chicken sandwiches.

So why don't I talk about them first with the Big Mary in regular and spicy.  The size of the sandwiches were pretty average with medium-sized fried chicken breasts.  I found the batter to be well-spiced, not too thick and crispy.  The meat itself was tender and not dry.  In terms of spice, I thought it was definitely there but not tongue-burning.  The mayo in the Big Mary was actually quite tasty and complimented the chicken well.  Although the sesame bun was not as dense as the ones found at A&W and Church's, it was still not as light as the brioche found at Popeye's and KFC.  A decent, if not average sandwich overall.

Moving onto their Fried Chicken, I would say the best comparison would be KFC.  Although the chicken is not exactly like KFC, the thin lightly crispy batter tastes somewhat like KFC and the meat has the same consistency where it is on the drier side.  The one big difference is the spicy version as it does have a good kick and does not have to be over-breaded like the KFC one.  I didn't mind the chicken, but my personal bias towards juicier chicken moves the needle closer to Church's and Hi-Five for me.

Off to some sides, their Taters were really good as the crunch was consistent and the potato texture inside was soft and plentiful.  They were also flavourful on their own.  We universally disliked the Macaroni and Cheese Salad as it tasted like cold pasta with a red pepper flavoured Cheese Whiz type sauce.  If this was served hot, I believe it would've been better.  However, the macaroni was al dente, which meant the texture was on point. Probably our favourite item of the bunch was their Chicken Pop-ins.  Essentially their version of popcorn chicken, these were large in size with plenty of meat.  On the outside, the coating was crunchy with enough seasoning that we didn't even need the dip.  Wasn't a fan of the gravy as it was far too thick and I could've just made some with packets of powdered gravy at home.  So overall, the food at Mary Brown's was somewhat of a disappointment.  It wasn't terrible, but compared to my favourite fast food fried chicken spots in town (such as Church's and Hi-Five), it lags behind.

The Good:
- Spice level is good
- Chicken Pop-ins are better than KFC's popcorn chicken

The Bad:
- Food lags behind some of the other fast food chains in town

South Castle Korean

I really like Soondae.  No it is not a typo for sundae... For those who don't know, Korean blood sausage or Soondae is made from stuffing pig intestines with blood, meat, vermicelli and various other ingredients (depending on who makes it).  If that doesn't sound appetizing to you, I urge you to give it a try, it tastes a lot better than it sounds.  One of the best places to get it in the GVRD is at South Castle in North Van.  Interestingly, I've passed by South Castle many times but have never spotted it due to the very poor signage in front.

We decided to get the soondae and other internal organs in their Spicy Soup to start.  At first glance, the soup looked to be like any other Korean soup, but hidden within the broth was plenty of soondae, liver and stomach.  The flavours were rich with spice and comforting.  I loved the texture of the soondae as it wasn't heavy despite the ingredients.  Sporting a glutinous chewiness, the intestine was not gamy at all.  Inside, the ingredients were almost airy.  This was very filling and worth every penny.

Not satisfied with the amount of offal we had already, we also got the Grilled Beef "Tripe".  That is what they called it on the menu, but it was obviously not tripe.  Rather, it was the small intestine.  Apparently, this dish could be made with either or both.  This particular one was pretty tasty as it had good caramelization with a nice pepperiness. The onions really added a nice aroma and bite to the dish.  There was plenty of tender intestine that had a slight chew to it.  It wasn't overly fatty nor gamy tasting.  

Although the menu is limited, the Cold Buckwheat Noodles looked good (they have pictures).  So we got that too.  Good decision as the noodles were perfectly textured being chewy and ice cold.  The gochujang-based sauce was flavourful with plenty of spicy accented by tang and sweetness.  The thinly sliced beef was tender while the crunch from the veggies added texture.  This was the perfect meal for a chilly day and definitely comforting.  Best Soondae I've had in the city.  I'll be back.

The Good:

- Beautifully textured Soondae

- Solid eats for what we had

- Nice people

The Bad:

- Limited menu

- Limited space

Marcello's

With all of the new Italian restaurants that have opened up in the last few years, it is easy to forget the OG spots such as Marcello's.  Sure, we find sexier spots such as Caffe La Tana, Oca Pastificio, Livia and even the American Italian Pepino's strewn along Commerical Drive.  However, Marcello's continues to go strong with their normal sized pastas and pizzas.  What I mean by that is you don't need to order more to get full.

I revisited the place to get a refresher of what Italian food was like along the Drive before the boutique spots opened up.  Case-in-point, the Frittura di Calamari was enough for the table to share with a pile of perfectly fried squid and foccacia.  The light batter was crispy and properly seasoned.  The squid itself was tender while retaining a bite.  This was served with 2 sides of tzatziki.  I mention this is most places do not give you enough tzatziki!

We also went for the other squid dish in the Calamari alla Griglia with peppers and foccacia.  As expected, this was considerably different than the fried version.  The tubes of squid were tender with a slight chew.  They were kissed on the grill which added some smokiness.  I would've preferred a bit more seasoning and the peppers could've been grilled a bit longer.

Our last antipasti was the Melanzane Parmigiana or otherwise known as eggplant parmigiana layered with cheese and tomato sauce.  I really enjoyed this where the tomato sauce was bright and tangy.  This was a nice counterbalance to the amount of melted cheese.  I liked how the eggplant was tender and delicate, yet not mushy.  This was rather heavy for an appetizer, so sharing it was the way to go.

Moving onto the pastas, we started with a dish I've had before in the Chef Tagliatelle in a creamy tomato sauce with sautéed mushrooms, black olives and capers.  For a vegetarian offering, this was bursting with flavour from the tangy capers and equally salty and tang olives.  Due to the amount of moisture, the tagliatelle was a bit past al dente, but this was exactly the same execution the last time I had this dish.

Next, we had the Spaghetti Puttanesca with spicy tomato sauce, black olives and capers.  This had a similar flavour profile to the chef tagliatelle due to the ingredients, yet it was considerably more impactful due to the spice in the tangy tomato sauce.  Furthermore, the lack of cream meant this was much more in your face as the capers and black olives came through with less counterbalance from the cream.  Unlike the last dish, the spaghetti was perfectly al dente.

My favourite pasta dish, if not the best dish of the meal, was the Ravioli with Beef Shortrib in Truffle Mushroom Sauce.  The fresh made-in-house pasta was thin and completely al dente.  Inside, there was a generous amount of tender and well-seasoned shortrib.  I thought the sauce with a bit of the braising jus was just the perfect compliment to the ravioli.  Naturally, truffle and mushroom go well with shortrib.

Possibly drowning in a bit too much sauce, the Linguine Carbonara ate better than it looked.  I realize without enough moisture, carbonara can often become sticky and clumpy, but this was just a bit too much.  Surprisingly, the pasta remained al dente despite this.  Also, it was tasty with enough parm and pancetta for impact.  They are consistent though as this is exactly how I had it last time as well.

For our one gnocchi selection, we chose the AI Quattro Formaggi.  This was as cheesy as its description and definitely benefited from the gorgonzola.  It provided a sharpness that brought life to the dish.  Since it was baked, there was a layer of crusty cheese on top that added both texture and nuttiness.  As for the gnocchi, the little pillows were soft with just the right amount of chew left.

If you have read this blog enough, you know my favourite pasta dish is Linguine alla Vongole and yep, we got that too.  This was a good version loaded with fresh clams and tangy tomatoes as well as plenty of garlic.  Noodles were al dente with just enough moisture to keep them from sticking together.  Possibly, the dish could've used a bit of clam nectar to amp the brininess, but other than that, this was really good.

We went basic with the next pasta in the classic Tagliolini e Polpette.  Sporting 4 large meatballs, this was hearty and comforting.  The pasta was al dente while coated with enough tangy marinara sauce for both flavour and moisture.  I thought the meatballs were on the firmer side due to the lack of filler and the leanness of the meat.  However, it wasn't dry though being tender and moist.

Transitioning from pasta to a meat dish (that still featured pasta), we were served the Chicken Parmigiana with Tagliolini Pomodoro.  I was a bit confused because the pomodoro was a bit too similar to the marinara.  However, it was still fresh and tangy, so it wasn't a huge deal.  The large piece of chicken was tender and moist with a light breading and plenty of cheese.  This was probably the best representation of ol' skool along the Drive.  You wouldn't find this at the new small craft pasta shops down the street.  Not overly fussy, this dish was both satisfying and a reminder of times past.

We finally made it to the pizzas and unlike the ones you'll find at most Neapolitan-style joints in town, this one was loaded with toppings and tonnes of cheese.  The crust was still relatively thin and uniformly crunchy with some chewiness in the middle.  We ended up trying the Carciofi e Salsiccia and the Funghi.  Naturally, with spicy Italian sausage and artichokes, the first pizza was more zesty and tangy.  The funghi was more subtle with some woodsiness.  But frankly, it was more cheesy than anything else.

Not many places in town serve up the classic Calzone these days and we were ecstatic to try the Classico consisting of ham, salami, mozzarella and tomato sauce.  Similar to the crust of their pizzas, the calzone had a crunchy exterior giving way to chewy, properly seasoned interior.  There was plenty of filling that made this a dish that definitely needed to be shared.  I liked how that the crust stayed firm even though there was considerable moisture inside.

We ended off the meal with a combination of in-house desserts and prepared Gelato from Mario's.  I'm not going to get into the Mario's desserts but say what you want, they are solid nonetheless.  As for the in-house desserts, we had the Panna Cotta, Hazelnut Chocolate Semifreddo, and Mascarpone Cream.  I thought all 3 were good, especially the semifreddo as it was creamy, purposefully sweet and nutty aromatic.  So as you can see, the dishes here at Marcello's is a little more ol' skool complete with ol' skool portions and ingredients.  Still solid after all these years and offers up a different experience than the newer spots.  Most likely you will be more full too.

*All food and beverages were complimentary"

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Fair portions
- Huge menu and equally large dining space

The Bad:
- Some pastas were too saucy
- Not sure if this is necessary a bad for most people, but maybe too much cheese on the pizza?