Afterparty Club Cafe

Sometimes, there are restaurants that serve amazing food but the decor consists of a few folding chairs and a mah jong table.  Oh, and the service?  Yah help yourself to the napkins (if there are any) and dirty utensils in a hopefully clean metal container.  Yes, those places have their charm, but most times, I want good food AND also an inviting decor as well as some form of service.  However, it is like you can't have both because you then have places that are high on style but low on food quality.  So I had to put this to the test when I got an invite from Afterparty Club Cafe.  You see, they have an impressive display of collectables when you first walk in and then further into the dining space, there are floor to ceiling shelves of books.  Very impressive.  But how about the food?

We ordered a few items, but they decided to throw almost the kitchen sink at us with a table full of food.  The Dirty Fries were still crispy even though we had taken plenty of photos before digging in.  There was good spice and they weren't greasy.   A touch greasy, the Fried Frog Legs were crispy and nicely seasoned.  The meat was tender and moist.  Something a bit unique was the Mentaiko Potato that featured mashed potatoes topped with a creamy mentaiko sauce.  I thought the seafoodiness of the sauce was appealing.  Mashed potatoes could've been creamier.  I found the Salted Duck Yolk Rice Cracker to be crispy and fairly well-seasoned, but a bit more salted egg yolk flavour would've really put it over the top.

Carved tableside, the Champion Pork Hock was quite the specimen.  After it was deboned and cut, there was a lot of meat for our table of 5.  The meat itself was tender and gelatinous while the skin was crunchy.  Some parts were a bit hard, but nothing got soft, which is good.  The way they prepared it, there wasn't a lot of fat underneath the crunchy skin, which I much prefer.  To add more flavour, I liked dusting it with the spicy seasoning on the side.

Presented underneath a glass klosche with smoke, the Beijing Smoked Duck Breast was accompanied by julienned veggied underneath and what was a sweet sauce akin to hoisin on top.  I thought the smoke was mild while the duck itself was natural tasting.  The skin could've been more rendered in my opinion, but it wasn't too fatty.  The duck itself was tender and quite moist.

Another dish served tableside was the Truffle Oil Diced Beef Rice prepared in a heated stone bowl.  The rice was mixed at our table and there was a moderate socarrat at the bottom of the bowl while the rest of the rice was fairly dry and nutty.  There was a decent amount of truffle oil, but not overwhelmingly so.  The beef was in small cubes and was fairly tender if not a touch dry.  Maybe bigger cubes would be better?

I used this rice to pair with the Westcoast Curry which was very mild and had the aromatics of coconut milk.  There was some soft veggies in the mix as well as nuggets of chicken.  I found the chicken to be tender despite being small in size.  In terms of viscosity, the curry was silky and medium-thickness.  It mixed with the rice well and did provide some flavour that was mild as mentioned as well as sweet.

Another saucy dish was the Tomato Braised Chicken also with veggies and a light sprinkle of cheese on top.  I guess the best way to describe this dish is to compare it to HK Cafe-type flavours of tomato sauces.  It was tangy, but also sweet with a touch of cheesiness.  The veggies were soft but soaked up the flavours while the chicken was tender and also took on the tomatoness of the dish.

Onto another item served in a hot pot, we found the Braised Cod Soup that also featured plenty of veggies.  Hidden at the bottom of the pot, there was a cod steak that was fairly flaky, especially since it had been sitting in hot broth for awhile.  The broth itself was generally light with only the slightest of fish flavour.  It was lightly sweet with equal parts of savouriness.  Not sure if all that onion belonged in the soup, but that's just my preference.

One of my favourite dishes of the meal was the Slow Braised Pork Belly with Abalone.  I found the pork belly to be equally fatty and meaty.  Generally I don't like chomping down on big chunks of fat unless it is prepared properly.  This was and the fat was more gelatinous than fatty.  Although there might've not been any in the glaze, if tasted like there was black garlic due to some umaminess.  Whatever the case, the dish was well-seasoned.

When we were presented with the Tea Tankotaki, it looked more like oden than an udon dish, but alas it was.  Underneath all those processed fish products was indeed udon.  I must say there was a good array of some of the most appealing fish dumpling/balls that one can find.  As for the broth, it was clean and light with a touch of sweetness.

I'm not sure why I'm ending this post off with the APC Salad, but probably there isn't much to say about it.  I mean the greens were fresh and there was enough vinagrette.  Prawns were sweet with a snap too.  maybe the egg could've been cooked less, but it was a pleasant salad.  I guess that would be the theme of the food too.  It was pleasant enough with a few highlights.  Considering the decor and ambiance of the place, the food is decent enough to put it into the good category.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Appealing decor and dining space
- Food is decent

The Bad:
- Faces a lot of competition in Richmond

Between 2 Buns

The smashburger trend has been around for quite some time.  I remember having one in San Diego at aptly named Smashburger over 10 years ago.  Yes, there have some versions of smashburgers in Vancouver before and in fact, Rogue has one on their menu (which isn't bad by the way).  However, there is finally a place that I can honestly say that does it right and generally only serves just smashburgers.  Located in the old location Bestie, Between 2 Buns keeps things simple and does it well. This post actually is an amalgamation of 3 separate visits.

To get a baseline of sorts, one must try the Single Cheeser with pickles, cheese, shredduce and sauce on a vegan brioche bun.  Now you can also order this with meat and cheese only, but no other alterations are allowed.  For me, this was good, but since the meat patty was so thin, it felt like more bun than anything.  Loved the crispy edges of the meat and also the salty American cheese on that soft brioche (with a bit of chew) bun.

This brings us to the Double Cheeser with the same stuff as the single but with 2 patties and 2 slices of cheese.  This was much more fulfilling and meaty.  Again, the crispy bits combined with the fatty and meaty bits made for fantastic textures and meaty saltiness.  This balanced off the bun much better than the single.  Hence, my choice would be the double if you want to get the full benefit of the smashed patties.

Now if you wanted a bit more to the burger, there is also a bacon cheeser and something with more spice, the Jalapeño Bacon Cheeser.  This not only featured the same ingredients as the previous 2 burgers, but added bacon, pickled jalapeños and fried jalapeños.  As you can see, this burger was messy (like it should be) and each bite yielded a dripping mess.  As much as I thought that the spice, tang and extra textures made for a more layered burger, I would still go for the Double in my opinion.

So at certain times, there are things on the menu that aren't beef such as the veggie burger and the Vegan Fried Chicken Sandwich.  Okay, I was a bit skeptical of this, but I have to admit, it was pretty good.  The Beyond Meat chicken patty could've fooled me and was crispy.  It was bathed in a spicy sauce that was impactful and the vegan cheese was sorta just there.  Pickles and shredduce completed the package.  I would eat this again, seriously...

Now they did have this one collab with Backyard Chicken to produce a Spicy Chicken Burger with pickles, shredduce, hot mayo, chili dust and Chinese chili oil.  This was pretty good with a large chicken thigh which was juicy with a crispy coating.  The layers of spice were quite evident and discernible.  Good heat in general and all sandwiched between 2 soft brioche buns.  Hope they do this collab again.

Of course we have to have some sides right?  They only have one in the Fries.  These are starch-coated, so they are extra-crispy.  Personally, I like fresh-cut without anything on them fries, but with that being said, these were more than acceptable.  An order is enough for 2 people to share.  So you can see that I like the place as I've been there a few times already.  If you haven't been, I suggest you give them a shot. Don't let the lineup discourage you, it moves fast.

The Good:

- Love the texture of the smashed patties

- That bun is a good compliment to the meat and cheese

- Food comes out fast (as the patties cook fast), so the wait isn't bad

The Bad:

- Limited seating if you want to dine-in

- You will come out of there smelling like a smashburger (could be a positive to many)

Food by Fanta (Brunch)

Brunch and Langley does not resonate with many people who do not live out in the burbs.  For some reason, many of my Vancouver friends feel there is some barrier that prevents them from leaving the city to search for good food.  Well, since I've lived in Vancouver, Coquitlam and Burnaby, I can safely say that there is indeed good food to be found by crossing a bridge or two.  Mijune and I have visited Food by Fanta out in Langley for a Thai feast before (run by the same owner as nearby Ban Chok Dee), but this time around, we were invited to try out their brunch menu.

We were started off with the Grilled Cheese Chicken Waffle with BBQ sauce, cheddar, mixed greens, avocado herbal mayo & microgreens.  So this was their take on chicken and waffles where they added cheese and coated the fried chicken in sauce.  In that respect, there was more flavour going on rather than dousing it in syrup.  The waffle itself was soft with a bit of crispiness on the outside.  Chicken was moist and the sauce was tangy and sweet.  Best to be eaten in one bite with all of the elements together.

We were presented next with beautiful Chor Muang Flower Dumplings filled with 2 x Chicken, 2 x Pork and 1 x Veggie seasoned filling with peanut, sweet radish, onion & cilantro.  Due to the similarities in flavour, it was mostly just a textural thing with the different proteins.  However, I enjoyed the vegetarian one the most where the filling was more harmonious rather than having some meat interrupt the crunch of the radish and sweetness of the palm sugar combined with the peanuts.

Onto something on the sweeter side, we had the Menagerie French Toast Brulée with pandan leaf custard & bacon bread, peach cream stuffed French toast with banana brulée, topped with coconut caramel sauce & syrup.  I liked how they didn't just make a standard French toast and went for it, especially incorporating Thai flavours.  The toast itself was soft and moist while seared evenly.  Lots of sweetness from the cream, custard, syrup and brulée.  Ate like a dessert and not that we were complaining...

Another mash-up was the Bechamel Taro Nachos with marinated tamarind prawns with avocado bechamel sauce served over fresh taro chips and mozzarella.  First of all, I love taro chips, so these crispy lattice versions were great on their own.  Well, these were topped with the aforementioned bechamel sauce as well as little nuggets of tangy prawns and cheese.  I think if there was some heat (spiciness), these would've been over the top.

One of the nicest-looking dishes was the Seared Mango Tuna with ginger marinated seared ahi tuna, served with fried taro strips, green mango salsa and avocado.  Yes, this ate as good as it appeared with tender rare tuna with a slightly crispy cornmeal crust.  The ginger did come through with brightness and the mangoes provided a nice crunch.  This was the entree version and more than enough for a meal.

Back to the sweets, we had the Soufflé Pancake with fresh fruit, topped with crème brûlée sauce.  With this dish, one pancake (the top one) was perfect and could rival many of the other ones in town.  The one on the bottom was a bit flatter and less fluffy.  So maybe this was just bad luck.  Anyways, as said, the top one was airy and light.  The sauce was sweet and had the richness of burnt sugar.

Moving back to appetizers, we tried the Ballerina Wings that were boneless and fried with tamarind-palm sugar sauce & tropical fruit salsa.  Being boneless, this made eating the wings much easier.  It also highlighted the crispy exterior even more so.  Inside, the meat was juicy and tender while the skin was semi-rendered.  Loved the sweet tang from the sauce as well as the extra sweetness from the mango.

We then went on to try some mains including the Sablefish Risotto.  Although the green sauce looked like green curry, it was quite sweet.  The risotto itself was overdone where it was soft and a bit gummy.  However, the sablefish itself was excellent.  As much as it is a forgiving protein to prepare, this was super buttery and flaky.  It was as fresh as it was prepared properly.  The charred lemon on the side was key to brightening things up.

Another dinner item we had was the Massaman Lamb Shank with hand mashed pomme purée, tamarind, carrot and broccoli.  So this was essentially a lamb curry and since they used the shank, it featured tender gelatinous meat.  The massaman curry was nutty and sweet which went well with the creamy potatoes.  Veggies were prepared properly being firm yet cooked all-the-way-through.

If you noticed 3 beautiful drinks in the background, they were part of the Rainbow Sangria Flight.  These were actually very light tasting and suitable for those who don't like strong drinks.  Onto the desserts, we were served 4 including the Mango Pannacotta Cheesecake with strawberry and raspberry.  This was my favourite because I like fruity desserts and also cheesecake.  This was a whole lot lighter but had the flavour of cheesecake.  Next was the Coconut Crème Brûlée made with coconut milk, palm sugar, egg and pandan leaf.  This featured a firmer custard that was aromatic and on the sweeter side.  Then we had the Poached Pear in red wine with crème Anglaise.  The pear itself was tender and full of wine flavour.  For me, it was a bit strong, but the crème Anglaise did help balance that off a bit.  Lastly, the Banoffee Crumble featured layers of banana, strawberry, cookie and cream crumble.  This ate like a parfait in some sense except with the egg custard.  But there was plenty of creaminess to go with fruit and crunch.  This was the sweetest dessert of the bunch.  So there you have it, a comprehensive look at Food by Fanta.  There is nothing quite like it in Langley and really, is there a Thai fusion brunch spot in Vancouver in general?   Definitely interesting and worth checking out.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Something different
- Thai fusion works in most dishes
- Cute spot

The Bad:
- Many dishes were on the sweeter side (I guess that would be a "good" for some people)

Sushi Jin

Much like many other cuisine, Japanese can be good value and also be super expensive.  It all comes down to quality and preparation.  Places like Sushi Garden are accessible to most people and offers up everyday sushi that does the job.  However, for those looking for something more special, these include Tetsu, Masayoshi, Tojo's, Maumi, Stem, Yuwa and Miku/Minami.  I've been to them all, but I've been meaning to try Sushi Jin for quite some time.  Fortunately I made it in before they raised the price of their Omakase by $50.00

Yes, their Omakase is a wallet burning $250.00 now, but with the cost of food and operations skyrocketing, it was only is a matter of time we see increases across the board (if it hasn't happened already).  So to start things off, we were served Steamed Live Abalone (including the innards).  Preparation was simple and was only accompanied by some freshly grated wasabi and salt.  The natural flavours and sweetness was on display as well as the classic abalone texture.

One glance at the Hirame Carpaccio and it was pretty clear that the fish was high quality.  Exhibiting a beautiful sheen, the flounder was firm and sweet.  Topped with some grated ginger and dressed in ponzu and oil, the hirame was complimented but not overshadowed.  Plenty of brightness around that kept things fresh and light.

We were then presented with the Grilled Black Cod served in a sheet of nori.  The cod itself was buttery and sweet with a sake finish.  Texturally, it was perfect being barely cooked all the way through.  As for the nori, it had softened up due to the hot piece of fish.  That made it a bit difficult to eat.  However, a minor detail compared to the deliciousness of the black cod.

Somewhat of a palate cleanser, the Asari no Sumashijiru was so simple and delicate.  It consisted of a broth with scallop, squid and clam.  The flavours were subtle exhibiting the natural sweetness of the seafood.  It was clean and straightforward where the textures were buttery with a bite.

Onto the nigiri course, we had the Shima-Aji which had a fresh snap yet was still buttery in texture.  It was clean, bright and sweet.  Underneath, the rice was chewy while soft at the same time (it was on point).  Next, we had the Kanpachi which was buttery and soft.  It was sweet with an appealing fishiness.  The green onion was bright and offered a good punch.  Oh we were so spoiled by the Bluefin as it had a clean taste and was fatty in texture.  It was aged for 2 weeks, hence there was a definite seafoodiness to it (but it was delicious).  Lightly torched, the Tsubugai (Whelk) was smoky and garnished by a bit of wasabi.  It was lightly chewy with a crunch and natural sweetness.

Oh the deliciousness was only getting started as we were served the Botan Ebi with Hokkaido uni in nori.  This was so intensely sweet due to the ebi and the supremely fresh uni.  Definitely a taste of the sea as well.  The King Salmon Aburi completely melted in my mouth with a fattiness that was both a textural delight and burst of flavour (including the torched smokiness).  If we didn't get enough already, the Hokkaido Uni was such a treat.  It was served ice cold which further enhanced the bright sweetness.  It was creamy and super fresh.  Yah, things just kept getting better with the Hon Maguro no Otoro which was creamy and fatty.  All the flavour from the fat was impactful and memorable.  The salt from the caviar helped balance the sweetness with some saltiness.

What could be any better than combining all of the good stuff into one?  The Luxury Gunkan featured toro, Hokkaido uni, ikura and baby shrimp.  Yah, this was full of seafoody brightness and sweetness.  Naturally, we found layers of flavour and once again, the cold temperature was key.  The temp was equally important with the Anago as it was warm with just enough sauce.  It was soft and moist with a mild salty sweetness.  Wrapped in some crispy nori, the Negitoro Temaki was truly beautiful. The crunch from the nori gave way to fatty tuna that was accented by just enough green onion.  Before headed to dessert, we got the Tamago which was custardy and consistent texturally.  It had a mild mirin sweetness.

So for dessert, we were served the Monaka Matcha Gelato.  Love their version with a wafer shell.  Fits the seafood theme very well.  This was a light, crispy and creamy all in one.  Nice way to end a fantastic meal at Sushi Jin.  The quality of the ingredients was evident and the preparation was excellent.  Sure, it is expensive, but you won't many places with this quality of sushi.   If you have money to burn or you have a special occasion coming up, keep this place in mind.

The Good:
- High quality ingredients
- Prepared properly
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- You need to spend some green here

Siam Le Bien

In my neighbourhood, there are actually a decent amount of good Thai restaurants including Thai Cafe and an ol' favourite in Chad Thai.  However, I was really intrigued with the addition of Siam Le Bien on Hastings.  This location was some noodle place before (name escapes me) and a diner before that.  I've been to all of them and never actually returned.  Wonder if Siam Le Bien will be the one to change that trend?  I guess we will find out...

Viv and I visited the place before watching a movie at Brentwood VIP theatres (this was when the weather was better...).   We started with the Green Papaya Salad with shredded green papaya, green beans, tomatoes, roasted peanuts, fresh chili, plum sugar and lime dressing.  This was really good, especially the elevated spice level.  It helped balance the sweetness and tang.  Things were fresh and the crunch was satisfying.

Next we had the excellent Spicy Eggplant with fresh chili and garlic, bell peppers, onions and Thai basil.  There was good wok hei where the high heat caramelized the ingredients without making them soggy (while cooking them through).  Lots of natural sweetness (and added sweetness from the palm sugar) to go with the seasoning and noticeable heat.  This was texturally on point and went well with the coconut rice.

Also going well with the rice was the Chicken Green Curry with green curry paste, coconut milk, bell peppers, eggplant and Thai basil.  Again, this was another solid dish with a rich curry that had layers of flavour including that impactful level of spice.  I also got the fermented shrimp flavour at the end.  The chicken was well portioned and tender (for white meat) and the peppers were still vibrant. 

Lastly, we went for the default in the Pad Thai with prawns, tofu, egg, shallots, bean sprouts, chives and ground peanuts in tamarind sauce reduction.  The caramelization from the wok heat really showed here with chewy noodles that were not clumpy.  They were bathed in a tangy and spicy tamarind sauce that had enough sweetness to balance.  Now if you are wondering why I don't have more dishes here is because Viv did go back, but I wasn't with her.  However, I can report the food was just as good as the first time.  It won't be our last.

The Good:
- Good heat level
- Impactful flavours
- Good wok heat

The Bad:
- Super tight seating
- Smallish portion sizes  

Street Food City (2022 Dine Out Vancouver Festival)

It is nice to see that food truck pods are becoming a thing in the Lower Mainland.  However, this is still a temporary occurrence as there never seems to be any consistency.  Sometimes they only exist as part of a special event and sometimes, they just get their permits cancelled due to complaints from surrounding businesses. So let us celebrate when we have a good collection of diverse food trucks in one spot for us to enjoy.  This is the case for Dine Out Vancouver Fest with Street Food City at the Vancouver Art Gallery plaza from Jan 15th - 23rd.

I was invited to sample something from every food truck on sight including one of my favourites in Disco Cheetah.  We decided to get the KFC Rice Bowl with multigrain rice, greens, corn, edamame, pickled red cabbage, scallion, Oriental vinaigrette, Korean fried boneless chicken thigh, chili mayo and garlic mayo.  Beyond the punch provided from the mayo and various textures from the veggies, the KFC was the star for sure.  It was in large pieces, crispy and juicy.

I've also had Super Thai in the past and we decided on the Pad Thai Chicken in medium spice.  This came with wider rice noodles which afforded a chewier texture (also was prepared properly so it wasn't overdone).  In terms of flavour, there was plenty of tang from the tamarind and sweetness from the palm sugar.  This was balanced off by the good heat provided by the chili powder.  My only wish would be for some preserved turnip or radish.

Staying with South Asian cuisine, we got the Beef Rendang with coconut rice from Kampong - Taste of Malaysia.  This featured tender morsels of beef bathed in a rich gravy.  This was definitely cardamom-forward with obvious hints of star anise, cinnamon and lemongrass.  The rice underneath was aromatic and dry enough to compliment the rendang properly. Normally, when I eat this dish, I don't like it spicy, but you can request for it.

I must've had Reel Mac & Cheese a dozen times already because I seem to see them everywhere (including the PNE)!  No big deal because I do enjoy their mac & cheese.  I let them choose the Kevin Bacon to try this time because I've already had almost of the variations already.   This was the beneficiary of a 7 cheese blend and al dente macaroni.  The ample amount of meaty  bacon on top made this quite the meal.

One of the most surprising items we tried was at Mama's Fish & Chips.  Well, first of all, I've never had the pleasure of trying this particular food truck and second, the 2 pc Fish & Chips with 2 prawns added was fantastic!  Normally, fried prawns are pretty standard, but these were so buttery and cold-water crunchy while the batter was lightly crispy.  As for the fish, it was flaky and moist with the same light crispy batter (which wasn't greasy either).  The fries were crispy and the tartar sauce was balanced.

Probably the one picture that didn't do the food justice was the Arancini Trio from Mr. Arancino.  Inside the lightly crispy exterior, there was the usual aborio rice and 3 different fillings including the Mozza with mozzarella cheese; the Beef Ragu with mozzarella and the Pizza with pepperoni, veggies and mozzarella.  These featured al dente risotto with lots of inherent flavour and plenty of melted mozzarella.  I loved the pizza one the best!

Another food truck that I tried for the first time was Melt City Grilled Cheese.  When I asked which one I should try, they suggest the Meat City Melt featuring handmade meatballs with marinara, pineapple and jalapeño jack cheese on sourdough topped with shaved parmesan.  This was a beast with so much going on.  Loved the amount of melted cheese as it had impact in terms of flavour and texture.  The meatballs were indeed meaty, but tender.  Bread choice was perfect with a crunchy exterior and chewy interior.   Not sure about the pineapple, but overall the sandwich was on point.

Last but not least, we had the Connecticut Lobster Roll and Lobster Bisque from Salty's Lobster Shack.  For those who are unfamiliar, this version features butter poached lobster without any mayo or other ingredients (this had a bit of dill though).  This one here had a mixture of lobster and imitation lobster which I didn't mind as the texture was pleasing and there was plenty of buttery garlic goodness.  Bun was toasted well too.  As for the bisque, it was rich and a bit chunky.  That I also didn't mind as it was full of flavour and aromatics with chunks of lobster and bits of veggies.  This was a yummy end to some real gluttony.  Okay, I'm not suggesting you order from every truck, but I'm not stopping you either!  Go check it out if because there are some really good food trucks participating!  There will be a rotating lineup where hours are 11:00am - 2:00pm weekdays and 11:00am - 5:00pm on weekends.

*All food was complimentary for this post except the bisque*

The Good:
- Diverse lineup of food trucks
- Lots of space and outside for those who are not comfortable dining in at this time

The Bad:
- Limited tables and seating