Lift Bar & Grill

Believe it or not, I've never dined at Lift Bar & Grill before.  Yah shocking right?  I guess every time I've ever planned to go (and this is going way back), I ended up heading elsewhere.  In fact, I think I've been to every restaurant that has occupied the nearby location of the former Verde, but haven't sauntered over to Lift.  Well finally I got the chance armed with a certain amount to spend (In fact, I more than doubled that amount, so this is only a partially comped post).  Love the location of the place right in coal harbour and also the free underground parking is a real bonus.

Since we got there in time for Happy Hour (takes 20% off certain menu items),  we decided to go for a dozen Oysters on the half shell served with horseradish, lemon, mignonette, hot sauce and cocktail sauce.  These were Royal Miyagis which were fresh and well-shucked.  As you can tell from the picture, they were plump with quite a bit of oyster liquor.  As a result, these were sweet and briny on their own, but for me, I like a little horseradish and a squeeze of lemon.

Before we got to the other items we ordered, we were presented with an Amuse Bouche consisting of a scallop sashimi atop a slice of cucumber, masago, ponzu and yuzu.  Sometimes simplicity leads to the tastiest things and this was an example of that.  The fresh sweet scallop was highlighted and there was just enough yuzu and ponzu to provide brightness and saltiness.  Great little bite.

Now onto the other dishes from the Happy Hour menu...  I had my eye on the Humboldt Squid when I first checked out the menu online.  This featured large pieces of squid battered and fried until crispy.  It was tossed in Szechuan pepper salt and topped with jalapeno and green onion.  I thought the squid was super tender while retaining a bite.  There was definitely some spice, but some more salt would've added more punch.  With a squeeze of the lime wedge, things did liven up.  The tangy tzatziki also provided more brightness.

Even though it was one of the heaviest items on the HH menu, we didn't hesitate to order the Chorizo Mac & Cheese

featuring fresh spicy chorizo, mascarpone cheese sauce, elbow pasta and chives.  I enjoyed this as the pasta was al dente and there was plenty of cheesiness in terms of flavour and texture to go around.  This was rather creamy unlike some versions that are "floury".  I found the cheesy funkiness was apparent, which meant there was enough cheese used in the sauce.  As for the chorizo, it was indeed fresh being soft and juicy rather than dry.

Probably the best dish of the night was the Nova Scotia Scallops in a bacon butter sauce and topped by potato crisps.  As you can clearly see, the scallops were beautifully seared and caramelized.  Beyond that, the scallop itself was large, fresh and buttery soft.  It was just barely cooked through, which preserved its natural sweetness and texture.  The bacon butter sauce was subtle enough to not overshadow the wonderful scallops.

At first, I was wondering why the Red Crab Cakes were $29.00.  Well, it was very apparent that the cost was well worth it.  The 2 crab cakes were enormous and stuffed full of fluffy crab with little filler.  The outside was crunchy yet light and topped with crispy capers.  We felt that the red onion was not necessary as it took away from the delicate crab.  However, that was the only thing we could pick at as the crab cakes were delicious.

Next up, we were presented with a bonus dish of sorts.  The Crusted Pacific Octopus was from their Dine Out menu and I actually wanted to try it (I guess they read my mind).  The octopus was sesame and nori crusted and accompanied by braised zucchini, broad bean-avocado puree and roasted tomatoes.  The octopus was tender with a background chew while the batter was crispy.  The tomatoes were key to the dish as it provided pop and acidity.

The octopus was not the only Dine Out dish we sampled.  We were also served the Duck Confit Crispy Salad with fresh lettuce, crispy noodles poached jellyfish and plum dressing.  Even though this had a particularly Asian flair, it still had its own personality.  The duck practically melted in my mouth and featured fully rendered skin.  It was unlike Chinese-style duck, yet fit in seamlessly with the Asian flavours such as the sweet and tangy plum sauce, delicate jellyfish and crispy noodles.  This was really delicious and hope it stays on the main menu.

We ended up trying one more sample version of their Elk Escalope, also from the Dine Out menu.  It sported a cherry compote with foie-truffle jus served in halved vol-au-vent.  Normally, elk is so lean, it can be rather tough.  This was prepared medium-rare and was fairly tender.  It was only mildly gamy where it had a nice flavour on its own.  I found the cherry compote to provide a natural sweet compliment to the meat and the foie truffle jus was luxurious.

Back to the main dinner menu, we had the Sea Bass with salsa verde, red rice and winter vegetables.  First and foremost, the fish was prepared perfectly.  It featured a slightly puffed up crispy skin while underneath, the meat was flaky and super buttery.  It was well-seasoned and stood well on its own.  Therefore, the tangy salsa verde was probably unnecessary.  Maybe a lemon butter would've been sufficient.  As for the vegetables, they were cooked just enough that they retained their texture.

For our red meat dish, we selected the 12 oz Ribeye & Frites with brandy peppercorn sauce and winter vegetables.  We asked for it to be prepared medium-rare and it was perfect.  The meat was tender and meaty while well-seasoned.  The peppercorn sauce was lightly peppery and just salty enough.  We added a side of truffle mayo (with real black truffles in it) to go with the crispy frites.

We didn't get our fill of scallops, so we also had the Scallop & Prawn Linguine with Argentinean red prawns, scallops, candied salmon cream linguine and wild mushrooms.  Of course, the scallops were perfect just like the appie.  Delicate and sweet, the prawns were also good.  Underneath, the al dente pasta was bathed in a creamy sauce that had the background sweetness of candied salmon.  It was there, but not so much it took over the dish.  Really solid pasta.

For dessert, we had both the Toffee Creme Brulee and Lemon Brioche Bread Pudding.   Loved the creme brulee as it was creamy and rich with only enough sweetness with the rich essence of toffee.  That was good but the bread pudding was even better.  It was cake-like and moist while not being wet.  The lemon curd was a nice balance between tart and sweet.  It helped lighten up the heaviness of the pudding.  Overall, the meal at Lift was very good and I wondered why it took so long for me to try the place.  Considering its prime waterfront location and free underground parking, the prices are fair.  I would come back.

*Part of the meal was subsidized, but I paid for most of it including gratuities*

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Outstanding location

- Free underground parking

The Bad:

- Very minor things such as more salt with the squid and changing up the sauce for the fish

Noah's Cafe

Noah's Cafe is quite the interesting place.  One look at the menu and it has all the hallmarks of an izakaya, but at the same time, there are some minor elements of Yoshoku cuisine as well.  Whatever the case, they aren't the typical Japanese restaurant you'd find in the Lower Mainland.  That's a good thing because we don't have enough places like Noah's.  Now just be aware, don't try to bring a big group here (not that the current restrictions allow it), the place is pretty small.

Yes, be prepared to be sitting close to your neighbours but thankfully they do have plexiglass dividers.  Onto the food, we started with the Chicken Karaage with sweet ginger soy and yuzu miso mayo.  These were not greasy and lightly crispy on the outside.  As for the chicken leg meat, it was juicy and tender while sporting some inherent seasoning.  Dips on the side were good with the ginger soy having a mild sharpness.  The mayo had good acidity helping to lighten up the heaviness of the dip itself.

Onto something that was completely different in my mind than what actually was served - Squid & Chips.  This turned out to be delicate and tender squid fried in a light batter.  Served on the side was fried brussels sprouts with sweet ginger soy, parm and truffle oil.  I really enjoyed the sprouts as they were lightly crispy and completely wilted while retaining some bite.  Lots of flavour, but maybe a bit heavy with the parm.

When I saw Confit Ox Tongue on the menu, I really had no choice but to order it (I love tongue! Er...).   This consisted of tender slices of ox tongue that still had a buttery chewiness.  Good texture and due to the fat content, lots of beefiness.  The garlic butter soy and mirin mustard provided some sharp tang as well as saltiness and aromatics.  I thought that this was one of the better dishes of the meal.

Now something raw from the featured menu, we had the Scallop Tuna Crab Tartare with wasabi crab, yuzu nori tuna, scallops, lemon and capers.  Beyond the bright colours and appealing presentation, this dish was completely on point.  Lots of bright and fresh flavours combined with acidity, sweetness and a touch of background spice from the wasabi.  Saltiness was provided by the capers and yuzu.  Delicious.

From here, we moved onto some larger dishes beginning with the Scallop Risotto sporting Hokkaido scallops, salmon roe, lumpfish caviar, sea perch dashi foam and parmesan.  This could've been an awesome dish, but the risotto was completely overdone being mushy and wet.  It was really too bad since the rest of the ingredients really seem to be in harmony.  Flavours were subtle where we could really get the taste of the sea and natural sweetness.

Lastly, we had the Uni Creme Pasta with uni creme sauce, spaghetti, shrimp, baby scallop, parmesan cheese, grana padano, truffle oil and lumpfish caviar.  The pasta itself was al dente.  It was the beneficiary of the uni cream which made it bright and creamy.  They showed restraint with the truffle oil, but could've been less heavy with the cheese as it does overwhelm seafood pretty easily.  On that note, the seafood was prepared perfectly.  All-in-all, the meal at Noah's was good even with the mushy risotto.  I would come back and be interested in trying some other dishes.

The Good:
- Some unique dishes
- Appealing food
- Good service

The Bad:
- Very limited and tight seating  

Kin Kao Song

Believe it or not, I'm walking on air...  Wait, I meant believe it or not, I've never been to Kin Kao before.  Well, I did try the one in San Francisco, but most people know that they are not affiliated.  So I finally did try the place out, but not the original location on Commercial Drive.  Rather, I waited so long, they had actually opened their second spot on Broadway and named it Kin Kao Song.  There are slightly different menus for both, so one day I will still have to go to the first location.

For now, I'll just have to blog about my experience at Kin Kao Song.  So we started with the Lemongrass Wings that were split centre-cut portions.  This ensured that the wings were uniformly crispy and much easier to share and eat.  Even though the skin was well-rendered, the meat itself was still juicy.  They were aromatic and tasty on their own, but the dip on the side added a bit of spice, tang and aromatics.

My favourite dish of the night was the Grilled Pork Jowl since I personally love the fatty gelatinous bouncy texture.  This version was beautifully grilled where there was a nice char and all of the fats were activated.  Even better, the portion size was quite generous.  Again, there was enough flavour on its own, but the spicy jaew dip added elements of sweet, spicy and saltiness.

A bit of an understated dish was the Crispy Tofu with a tamarind, sweet chili and peanut sauce. Naturally, the tofu by itself was not very flavourful, but that was mainly the dip's responsibility.  It did its job with good tanginess with a mild spice and of course the smooth nuttiness of the peanut.  The tofu was soft with a uniformly crispy coating.  However, I would've liked to see a bit of seasoning on the tofu itself.

Another favourite of mine was the Shrimp Toast made with Fife milk bread topped with shrimp paste coated with eggs and a side of achat pickles.  Loved the toast as it was crispy but not completely soaked with oil.  Shrimp paste was delicate and not rubbery.  It had a good amount of herbs mixed into it.  To brighten things up the achat pickles did their job beautifully with a crunch.

One more small dish was the Beef Satay atop Fife milk bread and served with peanut sauce.  These beef skewers had a natural meaty texture while still tender at the same time.  They were nicely marinated and aromatic from the lemongrass with a moderate char.  The side of peanut sauce was really good where it wasn't too sweet and provided a nice punch of flavour.  

We did a defaultish dish in the Pad Thai without any meat.  So I guess it was a vegan version then.   Didn't matter as it was good with noticeable wok hei (good wok heat) where flavours were caramelized.  The noodles were a touch wet, but still al dente.  There was the unmistakable tang from the tamarind balanced off by enough palm sugar.  Loved the crunch from the bean sprouts but would've liked some dried turnip too.

One dish that seemed like just a side turned out to be very good.  The Vegetable Stir-fry featured cabbage, carrots, woodear mushroom, mushrooms and broccoli.  Again, good wok heat and the veggies remained crisp.  The best part was the use of the classic garlic and mushroom sauce where it had umaminess and impact.  Good that there wasn't excess moisture on the bottom either. 

For dessert, we had the Lemongrass Coconut Mousse Cake with was a collab with Oh Sweet Day! Bakery.  The mousse was smooth and light while very understated in terms of sugar.  Although there was fruit on the place, this needed something with more tang and sweetness such as mango.  Unfortunately, it isn't in season, so the dessert was mostly flat, despite the great textures.  Overall, we enjoyed the food at Kin Kao Song and for me, I want to visit the original location to try other unique dishes.

The Good:
- Well-prepared eats
- Great service
- Lots of small plates to share

The Bad:
- A little on the pricier side, but okay
- Dessert could be sweeter

 

Alouette

I have to admit that the location of the ol' Copper Chimney in the Hotel des Soleil is often a forgotten entity.  For myself, I didn't even know it existed before I actually visited it a long time ago.  I thought the food was fine but not enough for me to go back.  Apparently this sentiment was shared amongst others as the place didn't get good ratings and ultimately shuttered to make way for a new concept.  Rather than Indian food this time around, they went classic French in a spot named Alouette.  We gathered the whole family for this outing to celebrate Viv's birthday.

We ended up sharing a variety of small plates including the Beef Tartare prepared tableside will all of the individual components  including cornichons, shallots, chives, dijonaise, egg and a pecorino crisp.  This was pretty good where the beef was appealing in colour and was buttery tender.  There was the right ratio of ingredients where we got the impact without it overshadowing the beef.  Hence there was good acidity, tang, creaminess and brightness within the dish.  This was served with a side of bread on the side.

Served with toasted brioche, the Foie Gras Terrine was also accompanied by cherry mostarda and hazelnut dust.  We really enjoyed this as the foie gras was creamy and rich.  It tasted good on its own but the mostarda added a punch of sweetness.  The brioche toast fingers were a light and crispy vessel for the heavy foie gras and we wished there was more of them as we ran out of toasts before the foie.

Our next dish was along the same lines being the Wild Boar Rillette with confit boar, shallots, pickled mustard seed, watercress puree.  This was also on point with tender boar seasoned with fall spices.  Good acidity from the mustard seeds and aromatics from the shallots.  Once again, there was more rillette than bread (which is a good thing).  Maybe we should've been more aggressive with the rillette with the bread.

Yet another item with bread was the Brandad au Gratin with halibut potato purée, radish, garlic scape, egg yolk, herbs, créme fraîche and roe.  As you can see, this was a generous portion but I'm not sure our table was necessarily enamored by it.  Flavourwise, it was fine being mild and not overly salty.  However, the potato and fish mixture was a bit too dense and ate very heavy.  It should've had a more whipped consistency.

Our last starter was the classic Salade Niçoise with tuna, potato, green beans, olives, tomato, frisée, anchovies, egg and dijon vinaigrette.  This was a pleasant enough salad with all of the traditional components.  Egg wasn't overcooked, potatoes were tender, beans still had crunch and there was plenty of anchovy.  There was enough tangy vinaigrette as well.  However, the tuna did not look appetizing as it was sliced too thin and was broken.  Texturally, it was not as rare as it should have been either.

For our mains, Viv selected the Moules et Frites featuring BC mussels, pastis, fennel, tomato, leeks and herbs.  For us, we personally enjoy local mussels as opposed to PEI mussels, so this was a positive.  Yes, they were plump and cooked perfectly.  Plenty of aromatics in the broth including the briny nectar from the mussels.  The side of frites were on point being crispy with some potatoey goodness left inside.

For myself, I ordered Le Burger with 6oz, double smoked bacon, raclette, tomato, rouille, butter lettuce and egg on brioche accompanied by frites.  Okay, this was a really good burger.  The patty was large and juicy with a crispy char on the outside.  That thick slab of smoked bacon was a meal in itself - meaty and purposefully salty.  Oeey gooey cheesiness was provided by the raclette and of course the egg yolk provided more richness.  I actually couldn't finish all of it because it was so big.

My son inexplicably had the 6oz Bistro Filet with roasted whole garlic bulb, shallots, red wine peppercorn sauce and frites.  Nothing wrong with the dish itself but that wasn't enough food for him!  So I gave him half of my burger...  As for the filet, it was perfectly medium-rare and buttery tender.  Sauce was balanced with the red wine cooked down nicely where the peppercorns came through.

My daughter went for the Duck Cassoulet with confit duck, lardon, sausage, cannellini beans, carrots, celeriac, tomato and onions.  There were a few issues with this as the duck itself was super salty.  Texturally it was fine with rendered skin and tender meat.  Secondly, the cannellini beans were too firm.  They could've benefitted from more cooking because they should be creamy in the middle not hard.

My dad opted for the Bouillabaisse with scallops, shrimp, mussels, clams, crab, halibut, fennel, celeriac, tomato, saffron, fresh herbs, rouille and sourdough.  Although this was $49.00, the amount of seafood qualified the price.  However, one dungeness crab leg was not fresh.  The rest was fresh and prepared very well.  The broth was pretty salty though as it obscured the saffron as well as the beautiful seafood sweetness.

My mom originally ordered the Lamb Rack with lentil, olives, tomato, grapes, pine nuts, braised greens and lamb jus.  I say originally because she never finished eating this dish.  It is because the lamb was so rare, it was impossible to chew.  She felt bad sending back a $49.00 item, so she just let it be.  To their credit, the manager saw this and ask why she wasn't eating her food.  He saw the raw lamb and offered to send her out a new dish.  

That new dish took about 30 minutes (but they looked short-staffed).  It was the Chicken with sunchoke, braising greens, mushroom, bacon gruyere cumble and sauce espagnole.  Turns out that the chicken was pretty good (she was deciding between the lamb and chicken at first).  The skin was crispy and rendered while the meat was still juicy.  It was over-salted though.  Hence it really didn't need any sauce, yet the espagnole was tasty with rich meatiness.  In fact, even the sides were good as well.  Good textures and lots of umaminess from the mushroom and sunchoke.

Onto dessert, we only shared 2 since we had a whole cake from Remi Patisserie waiting at home.  However, the Crêpes Suzette was such a large portion, I'm not sure how even 2 people could share this after a meal.  Now size is one thing, the question is how was it?  Good!  The crepes were thin and fluffy while the peaches were flambéd tableside with brandy.  They were just sweet enough while the brown butter ice cream on the side added more sweetness.  I would eat this again.

Viv got her own personal dessert for her birthday which was the Cream Puff with vanilla pastry cream, strawberries, chocolate sauce and almonds.  This was also good with light choux pastry that wasn't dry.  The cream was lightly sweet while the chocolate sauce was silky.  Berries added tanginess while the almonds provided crunch.  The desserts were a good ending to a relatively uneven meal.  There were some highlights to go along with a few issues.  I would say the service was fairly on point tough as our server was friendly and attentive.  She even replaced my cocktail when I knocked it over.  The manager also replaced my mom's undercooked lamb.  The place was fairly busy and the food was slow to come out.  I'm pegging this on staffing issues and possibly it being a new operation.  I'm not ruling out a return, but I'll wait until they sort out some of the kinks first.

The Good:

- Most dishes were generous in portion size

- Fairly on point service

- Some dishes were very good

The Bad:

- Food came out slow

- Some dishes were not prepared properly

- Some dishes were too salty

Nancy Go Yaya

For a city that boasts some of the best Asian food in North America (and for some cuisines, in the world), it is quite disappointing that South Asia is so poorly represented.  I really enjoy dining on Malay, Indonesian and Singaporean cuisine, but there are only a limited amount of authentic spots.  So when a new one opens up in town, I'm all over it.  The newest is Nancy Go Yaya located directly below Kissa Tanto.  This is no coincidence as it is run by 2 of the co-owners of Bao Bei and Kissa Tanto.

Before we got to the good stuff, we had something that was surprisingly addictive.  The Satay Prawn Chips were impactful and spicy.  Dressed in satay spice and fried curry leaves, there was aromatics, nuttiness and heat.  The chips themselves were crispy and light, meaning they were fried perfectly in proper temped oil.  This was a bit steep at $6.00 but hey, things are worth it if they are tasty right?

The tastiest item was the Kaya Toast featuring pandan mochi toast, coconut jam, butter pat and grated salted egg yolk.  Beyond the beautiful green color of the toast accented by yellow, the toast itself was seared beautifully.  It was crunchy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside.  Got the essence of pandan that combined with the aromatic coconut and sweetness.  Then there was the hit of butter and nuttiness of the egg yolk.  I could eat this over and over again.

Onto another sandwich, we got the Roti John with an added piece of fried chicken.  It consisted of curried egg, cheese, sweet chili mayo, herbs, achar cabbage slaw and crispy stuff in between a milk bun.  This was messy to eat and quite enjoyable.  Chicken was juicy and featured a light crispy coating.  There was good spice and aromatics going on as well as crunch from the slaw.  Milk bread was soft and wrapped around the ingredients well.

Also tried the Laksa featuring spicy coconut shellfish broth, fishcake stuffed tofu puff, bean sprouts, turmeric egg, prawns and housemade wheat noodles.  Although this wasn't a very big portion, it ate well.  I thought the broth was fairly flavourful, slightly spicy, briny and rich in viscosity.  The noodles were al dente while the fish cake tofu puff was texturally pleasing.  Not the best Laksa I've ever had, but a competent one.

For dessert, we tried the Pandan Chiffon Cake with muscovado cremeux and cornflake macadamia crunch.  Again, the roll itself was pleasing to the eye and the cornflake crunch looked inviting.  I found the cake to be a bit on the wetter side and semi-sweet.  Again, it was aromatic with the cremeux offering up the necessary rich sweetness.  Yes, that crunch had a great mouthfeel and was delicious.  Overall, we enjoyed the food at Nancy Go Yaya, however the question is would we return?  I would say it is quite possible, but I'm not rushing to do it.

The Good:
- That Kaya Toast!
- Got this hole-in-the-wall vibe serving unique food thing going on
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- A bit pricey for what you get