Bonjour Vietnamese Bistro

While dining next door at Nammos Estiatorio, I was wondering when I could check out Bonjour Vietnamese.  I've seen it all over IG with its ornate decor with flowers everywhere as well as a modern approach with cocktails and a wine room.  So in my mind, I thought, "why wait?" and decided to bring the fam for dinner a few days later.  We didn't make any reservations but still scored a table at opening.  I took a peek at their rez list and there was indeed quite a few of them.  Best to make one if you intend on eating there.

We ended up getting a few appies to start including the Spicy Tamarind Wings.  These were firmly crunchy as there was a relatively thick batter on them.  However, it wasn't heavy nor unappealing.  The skin was well-rendered and the meat was still juicy and tender.  I found the tamarind glaze to be sweet and tangy with just a touch of spice.  There was just enough for impact without over-saturating the wings. 

Next appie was the standard Spring Rolls served in a bamboo weaved plate.  This reminded me somewhat of the presentation found at Anh & Chi.  Actually, the whole concept was very similar with the cocktails and elevated decor.  As for these spring rolls, I thought they were really good.  The wrapper was super crispy and light giving way to plenty of filling.  This, to me, has to be one of the best spring roll wrappers I've had in a long time.  As for the filing, it was moist and flavourful with meatiness, sweetness and umaminess from the fish sauce.  Served on the side was some lettuce and basil to wrap the spring rolls if you choose to.

Viv had the standard being the Phở Dặc Biệt with rare beef, beef brisket and beef shank.  This one was a more simplified version without tendon, tripe nor meatballs.  No matter as there was enough meat and it was plenty tender.  There was a modest amount of noodles which were al dente and not clumpy.  As for the soup, it was on the lighter side being clean and slightly sweet. Beyond that, we could still make out some of the other layers of flavours such as the licorice essence from the star anise.

For myself, I had the Bún Bò Huế with rare beef, beef brisket and beef meatballs.  Of course it is very rare to find a bowl of BBH in town with pig's blood and knuckle, so I'm going to give them a pass here.  Again, the meats involved were tender and decently portioned.  The broth was lemongrass forward being fragrant and flavourful.  There was some spice, but not heavily.  Not sure if they used shrimp paste in this version, but if they did, there was not much of it.  Overall, it was still enjoyable.

My daughter went for her favourite, the Phở Gà with grilled chicken rather than poached chicken. Broth was quite impactful and full of depth.  It was a good combination of savoury and natural sweetness.  The grilled chicken was nicely charred and flavourful.  This was a good bowl of noodles and broth.  So the food was pretty solid in general.  Of course we had to pay a premium given the decor, service, presentation and ambiance of the place.  We do appreciate the aforementioned factors when it comes to restaurants, so it was a good experience overall.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Attentive service
- Snazzy decor

The Bad:
- You pay more for the elevated experience

Castaway Bar & Kitchen

As much as I love to travel for food, I'm not usually in Kits and especially the far reaches of the area.  However, with a few softball games scheduled for Canarvon Park (this was awhile ago), it gave me some opportunity to check out some spots nearby.  One of them is Castaway Bar & Kitchen in the former location of Nevermind (and before that, Fogg n' Sudds).  Something about the place screams out Margaritaville with the decor theme and some of the menu items.  We ended up visiting the place twice within a few weeks of each other.

The one thing we got both times was the Nacho Grande with four cheese blend, pickled onions, roasted corn, banana peppers, black beans, avocado cream, green onions, spicy Cheetos dust and chicken ($4.00 extra).  Served on the side was sour cream, salsa and guac ($3.00 extra).  This monstrosity was actually too much appie for 4 people (since we ordered our own food too).  There was enough cheese on top and overall, it was just a good mass of nachos.  Loved the corn on top as well as the Cheetos dust.

On my first visit, I ended up with the Cheeseburger in Paradise with house-made AAA beef patty, burger sauce, lettuce, tomato and pickles on brioche.  I had it Maui style by adding fresh grilled pineapple and teriyaki sauce (extra $2.00).  Finally, I also got bacon for an extra $3.00.  This was a very good burger where the patty was thick, well-charred and moist.  Loved the use of fresh pineapple as it provided a bright tangy sweetness.  Bacon was crispy and the bun was soft, but held together.  One of the better burgers I've had of late.

We also had a couple of Cubanos at the table that consisted of pulled pork, roasted ham, Swiss, mustard and pickles on a crispy artisan bun.  Although it is hard to get an authentic Cubano in Vancouver, this was a good homage to the real deal (I've had a few in Miami).  Bread was crusty and not dense while the ingredients were good.  Even the side salad was well-done with a greens, grape tomatoes, blueberries and sunflower seeds.

In hindsight, it was probably better than we had cut this Burrito in half to show the insides, but I guess you'll just have to trust my description.  This one had chicken inside along with 3 cheese blend, black bean puree, rice and avocado cream.  This ate well and resembled our nachos to a degree due to the similar ingredients.  However, it was stuffed in a soft tortilla and had the robustness of the black bean puree and chewy rice.  Side of tater tots were yummy.

On another visit, I decided to try the Korean Chili Wings with a side of blue cheese dressing, carrots and celery.  The wings themselves were tender and moist with a crunchy batter.  Skin was somewhat rendered.  The chili sauce was a bit too sweet for me, but it did have a nice background spice.  The size of the wings were pretty large and I didn't end up finishing it because I also ordered the...

Fish n' Chips featuring 2 beer-battered cod fillets served with curly fries, pickled ginger slaw and house-made tartar sauce.  This was so massive where one piece of fish was already pretty filling.  It was also prepared perfectly where the fish was flaky and moist while the relatively thin batter was crispy, light and not-too-greasy.  I loved the crunchy curly fries and happily dunked it into the creamy tartar sauce.

Shockingly, everyone else ordered the Taco Supremo and it was pretty decent with 2 crispy corn tortilla stuffed with beans, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce & green onions wrapped in a soft flour tortilla loaded with cheese and reaper sauce.  This one in the picture featured beef.  This was a bonanza of ingredients that wasn't as impactful as it would've suggested, but there was still good spice.  Solid stuff, but the other dishes we had were better.  That is essentially the theme of the place though - good food served in large portions.  If it weren't in Kits, I'd be here more often.

The Good:
- Just solid eats
- Large portions
- Lots of spacious seating

The Bad:
- Some of the food came out slow, but it came out right, so we didn't mind (probably shortage of staff too)

Egg & Co.

I gotta admit that I don't go out for brunch all that often.  To be honest, it isn't like I cannot make brunch at home for much less money.  However, that is not to say I don't enjoy going out for brunch, especially when the menu is interesting.  It also helps when some of the dishes are difficult to cook at home and/or I couldn't be bothered in making it myself. Final and most important point..  The point of eating out is also the social aspect and that cannot be completely replicated at home.  So with that in mind, I finally made it out to Egg & Co. - for the food and also for the sake of eating out.

At first, I wasn't so sure about the Black Truffle and Mushroom Toast.  But Ophilia assured me that it wasn't only good, it would come as a huge portion.  Well, she wasn't wrong.  This featured a bounty of buttery mushrooms topped with perfectly soft-scrambled eggs.  Truffle was subtle while the amount of parm was evident.  This was tasty and I would order this again gladly.

What I did order was the Scallop and Bacon Benny with hashbrowns.  I thought this was a good value since there were 4 large scallops.  They were buttery and sweet while beautifully seared.  Bacon was plentiful and fell in between being crispy and meaty.  Eggs were soft-poached and runny while the lemon hollandaise was creamy and rich with a good smack of acidity.  Hashbrowns were decent being crispy and a bit squishy, but they were well-seasoned.

Instead of hashbrowns for the mushroom toast, we had the Fries instead and in my opinion, they were the better choice.  These were fresh-cut and excellent.  They were medium-thick which meant that there was plenty of soft potato goodness in the middle.  On the outside, the fries were lightly crispy.  The result was that the fries were almost airy.  I kept eating these as they were addictive.

On another visit, we had their brunch pastas (only on Tuesdays) including the Carbonara topped with a poached egg, pancetta and grana padano.  This was very good with a tonne of lean pancetta, which afforded a luxurious saltiness.  Pasta was al dente and coated with just enough moisture to keep it from clumping.  The whole thing was pretty cheesy and well seasoned from the pancetta.  Would totally order this again.

The other pasta was the Truffle Mushroom Carbonara with the mushroom essentially replacing the pancetta.  Naturally, this was less salty and instead of fatty meatiness, we had the earthiness of the mushroom instead.  I thought this lacked impact compared to the regular carbonara.  It probably needed a bit more salt to make up for the lack of pancetta.  Otherwise, the whole thing was still good with most of the same qualities as the previous dish.

Lastly, we ordered the Chicken & Waffle featuring chicken kaarage on a waffle with bacon, nori, sriracha mayo and syrup.  This was pretty good with a slightly crispy waffle that was soft and a bit chewy.  On top, the chicken was tender and juicy with a light crispy batter.  Bacon was excellent being meaty with just a touch of crispiness.  Overall, I think Egg & Co is a solid place to grab brunch and some pastas.  I will add this to my rotation.

The Good:
- Solid execution
- Good portions
- Like the addition of pastas

The Bad:
- Seating is tight
- Pastas are only available on Tuesdays (but I understand it would overwhelm the kitchen on weekends

Maxine's

For a place that loves brunch, Vancouver doesn't have as many great brunch spots as it deserves.  Granted, there have been many places opening up in the past few years, yet to varying degrees of tastiness.  These include OEB, Egg & Co, Jam Cafe, Eggspectation, Palate Kitchen and a few more.  Of course we also have the existing ones including hotel restaurants.  Now let's add another participant in Maxine's on Burrard.  Being the sister restaurant to Tableau, there is some potential even before I even considered trying it out.  That I did one weekday morning (since they don't take resos for brunch and parking is a real pain in the area).

We decided as a table to share 5 dishes starting with the Smoked Salmon Rosti with potato rosti, poached eggs, dill cream cheese, pickled shallot, capers and hollandaise.  Not to be anti-climatic, but this was our favourite item hands down.  The rosti underneath was delicately crispy with a soft and moist potato centre.  On top, there was an abundance of buttery and smoky salmon with acidity provided by the pickled shallots and capers.  The combination of creamy Hollandaise (with a touch of tang) and perfectly poached runny egg added a luxuriousness to the dish.

Of course we had to order the Crispy Chicken Sandwich (as per my @shermaneatschickensandwiches IG account) with Carolina BBQ sauce, pickles and iceberg lettuce on brioche bun accompanied by a bounty of shoestring fries.  This was a solid sammie with a tender and moist chicken spiked with mustardy tangy BBQ sauce.  Pickles added even more tang while the restrained amount of lettuce didn't get in the way.  Brioche was expertly toasted where it held up with a light crunch yet giving way to fluffiness.  Side of fries were excellent, so much of it and good mouth-feel.

Another solid dish was the Dutch Baby featuring fried egg, shaved ham and Gruyère cheese mornay.  Although the pancake itself was on the thicker and denser side (should've been thinner), it was still tasty due to the rest of the ingredients.  The mornay sauce was cheesy and creamy while the perfectly fried egg added more silkiness.  Taking into account the ample ham, there was lots of classic breakfast flavours to be had.

Similar to a Shakshuka, the Eggs Cocotte sported soft baked eggs, San Marzano tomato, olive, spinach, Fiore di latte and grilled bread.  This was also well-prepared with runny soft-poached eggs and a beautiful tomato sauce that was tangy and rich.  Add in the stringy cheese and salty tanginess of the olives, it was a good compliment to the smoky, nutty and crunchy grilled sourdough.  Even the salad on the side was well-dressed and delicious.

To end things off with something sweet, we had the Brioche French Toast with whipped mascarpone, candied walnuts and preserve.  The toast itself could've benefited from a more aggressive soak of eggs and milk (as it was a bit dry), but the toppings were in perfect harmony.  Loved the combination of blueberry, lemon and mint on top.  With a side of real maple syrup, this was just plain delicious.  Overall, all of the dishes we tried were well-executed and appealing.  Would come back.

The Good:
- Well-executed
- Loved the dining space (inside and out)
- Fairly good service

The Bad:
- French toast could've been more fluffy and moist inside
- Parking in the area is terrible

Natalino's

If you have followed this blog long enough, you do know that I have a soft spot for food in the burbs.  Well, it helps I live in the burbs because it directly involves me...  So when a tasting at Natalino's Pizza out in South Surrey/White Rock came calling, I didn't need much convincing.  Seriously, why are so many people so skittish about leaving Vancity to try food out in the burbs anyways?  Maggi joined my on this food adventure where we sampled authentic Roman-style pizza with quality imported ingredients.  The owner/chef is from Italy and really prides himself on creating the best Roman-style pizza in town.  

Before we got to the pizzas, we were served individual ingredients, so that we could appreciate the quality.  That we did with the made from scratch San Marzano tomato sauce, fior di latte, meats and the crust by itself.  When combined into the Queen Margherita, the flavours really melded into something balanced and delicious.  The thin sourdough crust was crispy on the outside while soft and chewy on the inside.  Due to the flavourful sauce, the pizza was plenty tasty and it didn't hurt that there was an even amount of cheese on each slice as well as fresh basil.

Up next, we tried the King Pepperoni with tomato sauce, mozzarella, Spanish chorizo salami, fresh mozzarella, lemon zest and parsley.  Naturally, with so much salami on top, there was much more body and saltiness.  However, this was completely balanced off by the lemon zest.  Something unexpected, but it worked.  As you can see, there was lots of cheese and fresh parsley on top as well.

Continuing on with the local classics, we had the Hawaiian with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, bacon, fresh pineapple, coconut flakes, green onions, and cilantro.  Here was yet another twist with the addition of coconut flakes.  This created a de facto "pina colada" effect where it was indeed very tropical.  Lots of tang as well as sweetness in this one.  Once again, with so much topping, it was quite filling.

Their most popular pizza happens to be the Montanara with white truffle sauce, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, sausage, cherry tomatoes, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and basil.  This was very good with just enough truffle essence for effect without being overwhelming.  The ample amount of tender sausage made this hearty while the bursts of tang from the tomatoes and the brightness of the fresh basil lightened up the heaviness of the sauce.

One of their newer offerings is the Santorini with feta, kalamata black olives, artichoke, red onions, bell peppers, oregano, orange zest and a drizzle of one of the best extra virgin olive oils imported from Italy Chiaro Scuro by De Robertis. This was probably the most loaded pizza, yet the crust held up.  Lots of classic Greek flavours here from the gaminess of the feta to the salty tang from the olives.  Orange zest was the wildcard and it was mostly in the background.  Could really taste the olive oil as it was high quality.

Going a bit spicy, we had the Manila with Spicy sauce, mozzarella, pork belly, banana peppers and cilantro.  This wasn't spicy as in "mouth on fire", rather it was heat that was manageable.  Hence, we could still taste the other ingredients including the buttery pork belly and the tang from the banana peppers.   This was nice spicy finish to an eye-opening experience at Natalino's.  This has to be the best Roman-style pizza I've had in the Lower Mainland.  Not only is the crust excellent (not being too thick, yet still a good contrast of crunchiness and soft chewiness), the toppings are top-notch and plentiful.   Yes, this is not remotely close to where I live, but I'll gladly do a return visit.

The Good:
- Not too thick Roman-style crust
- Excellent toppings
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Mostly takeout, save a few tables. Best eaten fresh

Chef's Plate

Seeing how I usually gather up ingredients from the supermarket to make home-cooked meals, I never really considered ready-to-cook meal kits as an option.  Maybe call it stubbornness or pride, but to me, it always seemed like cheating to go that route.  However, I was ready to see for myself as Chef's Plate came calling and asked if I wanted to give it a go.  Sure, why not, I'm always up for new things and honestly, I've been so busy with life in general, trying to go shopping and then meal plan for the week has been tough.

So I was able to pick 3 different dishes for Sunday delivery to my doorstep for the week.  The thing about these meal kits is that although all of the ingredients are included, the veggies generally still need to be cut up.  That is actually a good thing as it ensures freshness and it keeps longer.  There are some items that you will need to have on hand, but they are common - like salt, pepper, oil, butter and milk.  Otherwise, the meats and seasonings are neatly portioned for the recipe (for 2 or 4 people).  Generally, each recipe took around 30 minutes to prepare.

The first dish we tried was the Harissa Salmon with Moroccan couscous.  This was possibly one of our favourite dishes where the salmon was fresh and when cooked to the recipe's specifications, came out moist and delicious with harissa really coming through.  We felt there was probably too much couscous (but I guess more is better?).  It was fluffy and was accompanied by roasted cauliflower (with curry spice), onions, tomatoes, toasted almonds, feta and lemon juice.

Although simple in appearance, the kids loved the Bavarian Pork Chops with roasted potatoes, broccoli and remoulade.  Once again, following the instructions, I coated the pork chops with mayo and then a breading blend.  Cooked it for the time suggested and it came out moist and tender with a crispy coating.  The remoulade consisting of mayo, dijon and garlic was tangy and flavourful.  Potatoes were tender and the roasted broccoli still had a bite.

The last dish we prepared was the Pork Pomodoro Pasta with pesto pull-apart bread (we omitted the pesto since the kids didn't want it). Due to the absence of pesto, the bread was a bit plain in appearance.  It was fluffy inside though.  As for the pasta, it was fully-loaded with pork and zucchini.  Really could taste the sweetness of the onion while the Italian herb spice blend was nicely balanced.  Again, the instructions were on point with al dente pasta.  One doesn't need to be super-skilled to make this dish.

So we were quite impressed with the meal kits and I had a new appreciation for the convience of it all.  Therefore, I put in a personal order for the following week consisting of 4 different dishes.  I prepared the Creamy Beef Penne with mushrooms first.  Again, the pasta was al dente and there was more than enough beef to make it hearty. With the use of cream cheese, this was indeed rich and creamy. Interestingly, the combination of beef stock reduction and soy sauce provided just enough salty meatiness for the dish.

Something a bit familiar but with a few differences, the Breaded Pork Chops with roasted broccoli and cheesy orzo was still its own dish.  Like last time, the pork chop came out perfectly juicy and tender.  The mayo mustard dill sauce was tangy with brightness.  With an ample amount of orzo underneath, this was a filling meal.  Only thing that could've been better would be more cheese for the orzo.  Despite that, it was still plenty flavourful.

Possibly one of the plainest-looking dishes was the Chicken & Creamy Mustard Pan Sauce with garlic mashed potatoes.  However, it happened to be one of the tastiest.  The deboned chicken leg was prepared in a way that it sported appealing browning while still remaining juicy.  That pan sauce took all of the reserved chicken juices and combined it with shallots, butter, dijon, chicken stock, cream and sour cream.  Rich and full of umaminess.  Only thing is that this was the least filling of all the dishes (most are more than enough food).  Maybe use 2 chicken thighs rather than the leg?

We left the Oven-Fried Fish Tacos with avocado salsa and lime slaw til the very end.  Turned out this was another favourite with flaky fish and a crunchy (and healthy) coating.  The crunchy slaw was so refreshing and tangy.  Coupled with the ripe avocado and lime mayo, this had lots of brightness.  Really enjoyed these tacos.  In fact, there wasn't a dish we disliked amongst the 7 we had.  Chef's Plate is definitely a go-to solution if we are short on time and still want a home-cooked meal.  Usually I do the cooking, but sometimes, I'm not at home due to events I have to attend.  With everything ready-to-go, Viv ended up making dinner with these kits.  We ultimately ordered another week (I didn't take pics of those) and enjoyed those dishes too.  Will definitely order more in the future when my schedule gets hectic.

*The first 3 dishes were complimentary*

The Good:
- Fresh ingredients, portioned out for you to cook at home
- Overall, good recipes
- Delivered right to your door

The Bad:
- Most recipes are more than enough food, even for big appetites, but there are some that are not as filling, just need to choose carefully depending on your family 

 

Fiorino

If you haven't noticed, Chinatown has been going through quite the transformation in the last 10-15 years.  Once bustling with crowds looking for the freshest veggies and seafood 7 days-a-week, we now find stores closing and being replaced with hipster joints.  The gentrification of the place has drawn a variety of reactions across the board.  For myself, I do reminisce about my childhood and the memories of accompanying my parents on weekend shopping trips and dim sum.  However, I also realize that change is inevitable and sometimes you just have to see things through.  Much like I value family, the owner of the newly opened Fiorino does the same with his Florence-inspired street food, with pictures of family and memories from Florence itself adorning the walls.  Located in the former Brixton, Fiorino adds to the growing mosaic of business that call Chinatown its home.

I brought the family to the media launch so that we could not only share the plates of food, but to properly experience the concept.  We were started off with the Crostini consisting of tomatoes with garlic on artichoke puree, porcini puree with mushrooms and chicken liver mousse.  The crostini itself was crunchy holding up to the wet toppings.  I found the chicken liver to be rustic and chunky while flavourful.  Mushrooms were earthy as expected while the tomatoes were tangy and spiked with plenty of garlic.

Sliced paper thin, the Beef Carpaccio was visually-appealing and topped with capers, shallots and truffle oil.  This also ate very well too with buttery melt-in-our-mouths beef that was well-seasoned yet not overdone.  There was enough truffle oil for effect without being too pungent while the saltiness was just right as the natural meat flavour still came through.

Next up was probably our favourite dish being the house-made Gnocchi with wild boar ragu and parmigiano reggiano.  Although it was on the greasier side, the flavours benefited from the fat as the ragu was rich, meaty and full of body.  At the same time, it wasn't heavy due to the chunks of onions that weren't completely cooked down.  The large gnocchi were tender and somewhere between fluffy and firm. 

We then moved onto the Gnudi Cacio e Pepe.  For those unfamiliar, gnudi are essentially "naked" dumplings where it is all filling and no pasta.  These consisted of spinach and ricotto in a cheese and pepper sauce (hence cacio e pepe).  These were soft and well seared.  The sauce itself was a bit thin but not lacking in flavour.  It was indeed cheesy and a bit buttery.  Fried sage on top completed the dish.

For me, I always happy to see a lamb dish and yes, I was pleased to see the Polpette D'Agnello hit the table.  These were huge meatballs where the lamb was just barely cooked through.  Hence, they were moist and juicy with the unmistakable flavour of lamb.  It sat atop Tuscan salsa verde which was bright, tangy and aromatic.  I ended up eating most of it since I am the only lamb-eater of the family.  No complaints from me!

One dish that maybe needed a bit of refining was the Verdure Fritte featuring semolina-battered vegetables.  We found the batter too thick and dense which also meant it wasn't particularly crispy either.  On the other hand, the veggies were perfect though as they were still crisp while cooked through.  It did state that there was a side of mushroom spread, but I didn't really taste mushroom.  Whatever it was, it was tasty.

Now the other fried dish was appreciably better in the Fritto Misto with semolina-battered local seafood (shrimp and calamari) and roasted garlic aioli.  Although the pieces of seafood were on the smaller side, they were not overdone in any way.  The shrimp was bouncy while the calamari was tender with a slight chew.  The batter was crispy and not greasy.  Side of aioli was creamy and garlicky.

The kids love Arancini, I guessed they saved the best for last (well, everything came pretty quickly, so they didn't have to wait long!).  This was one giant-ass arancini that was crispy on the outside with semi-soft aborio rice and cheese in the middle.  This sat atop a pomarola sauce that was tangy and slightly sweet.  Normally, with such a big arancini, getting the outside crispy (while not burning it) and ensuring the middle is melted, would be somewhat difficult (trust me, I've tried).  However, this was executed well.

For desert, we were served the classic Tiramisu with mascarpone crema, ladyfingers, cocoa powder and sour cherries.  The crema was rich and sweet while the ladyfingers (there wasn't many in ours) were properly soaked and moist.  For some reason, we didn't see or taste any sour cherries.  I'm sure that would've helped cut the sweetness.  In the end, the food we did try was mostly good and great for sharing.  Prices are reasonable and the place has a nice vibe in a Seattle-Portland type of way.  I'm curious about their sandwiches they serve for lunch and some of the new items they have added for dinner.  I just might try that too!

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Generally good sharable plates
- Modern rustic vibe
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Need to refine those fried veggies