Mr. Chicken

So what is the latest thing to hit the Lower Mainland?  If you said rain, you are completely right, but let's focus on eats.  Just like how the poke trend descended on the city about 5 years ago, we are witnessing a new trend - KFC.  No, not Kentucky Fried Chicken...  Rather Korean Fried Chicken!  There seems to be one in every neighbourhood now and it really is a great takeaway treat.  Think of it, fried chicken in either bone-in or bite sized pieces sauced with delicious flavours that can be shared with a group of people (or eaten by yourself too...).  We were recently invited to try out Mr. Chicken in Langley which boasts flavours from around the world.  One thing that struck me right away was the pricing - it ranged from around $17.00 to $20.00 for a full order.  That is considerably less expensive than most other KFC joints in town.  

To get a taste of the menu, we had the whole thing including the Korean flavour that was sweet & spicy with a thick glaze.  All of our orders were 9 pieces of bone-in chicken.   They ranged from drumsticks to cut-up thighs as well as wing portions.  I found the deep hue of the glaze to be appetizing and indeed it was delicious.  There was a rich sweetness that was accented by enough saltiness to keep it from tasting too sugary.  At the very end, I found a bit of heat.

One of the most interesting flavours was the Mexican where it looked to be oversauced while emitting a very strong smell.  One bite into the chicken and it turned out to be one of the best of the bunch where we really got some of the Mexican spices as well as a good amount of heat.  So while I thought there might've been too much sauce to begin with, it was actually a good thing as it was necessary to get the desired impact.  Furthermore, the sauce didn't seem to impact the crunchiness of the batter very much as it wasn't soggy.

Staying with something more familiar, we tried the Japanese with the classic sweet soy marinade.  With a little less sauce or glaze on this one, the batter was noticeably more crunchy.  The flavours here were a bit more subtle than the previous 2, but still had enough for impact.  I found this one to be less sweet than other versions I've had and that is a good thing since some can get pretty syrupy.  The chicken itself was juicy and since it was on the bone, there was more natural chicken flavour as well.

One of the most surprising flavours was the English with house-made cheddar cheese powder.  I guess this was classified as English due to our love of mac n' cheese in North America?  Whatever the case, this has to be the best cheese-flavoured KFC I've had in town.  The difference is that instead of using store-bought cheese powder (that has all kinds of non-cheese ingredients), this one looked and tasted like cheddar.  No strange aftertaste and not overly sweet powder.  I recommend that you try this one for sure.

I would say the French flavour was definitely the most subtle tasting of them all.  Well, it certainly was not very discernible from the regular fried chicken (Canadian Flavour) due to its plain appearance.  However, it did ultimately taste good though.  The honey butter did not hit me in the face like the spice of the Mexican or the sweet glaze of the Korean.  Yet, the aromatic nuttiness of the butter and the natural sweetness of honey made for a very pleasant taste.  This would be perfect for those who were wanting something less powerful.  Also, it meant the batter was crunchier too.

Another interesting flavour was the Italian where the spices adhered to the batter after the toss.  So this had a distinctive aroma of the usual oregano, basil and thyme where it stood out from the others.  I would say it was trending towards the other KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) territory where we were dealing with herbs and spices on the batter.  Now that would not be very interesting, so their twist was to make it into a vinaigrette.  So yes, we had the Italian herbs in there, but also some background acidity for good measure.

So the award for "most out-there" KFC was the Thai flavour.  So one would think that tossing the fried chicken in Thai sweet chili would be the thing to do here right?  Well only for a place being lazy and not creative...  The chef decided to take the Canadian (just regular fried chicken on the menu) and add a side of coconut chili dip on the side.  I enjoyed the creamy and lightly spicy dip so much, I started dipping the other flavoured chicken into it as well.

We also tried all of their sides including Crackling, Milk Balls and Wedges.  The fried chicken skin was crunchy and the fat had mostly been rendered.  It came with a ranch dipping sauce.  With a crunchy breading, the thickened milk balls were quite good, reminded me of the Chinese version.  Rarely seen, the breaded wedges ensured that the outside was crispy while the inside was soft and potatoey.  Even though it was merely a Cabbage Slaw, I really enjoyed it because it was fresh and completely dressed.  Good compliment to the rest of the fried menu items.  Lastly, we tried the Mr. Tiramisu which was their version that didn't included mascarpone and any coffee.  Hence, it was mostly creamy with soft sponge and chocolate.  I have to say this was the most interesting KFC joints in the Lower Mainland.  Not only are their prices super reasonable, the flavours are uniquely different.  Definitely one of the better options.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Resonable pricing

- Unique flavours

- Well-executed

The Bad:

- Parking in the area is challenging

Straight & Marrow

Originally, I was supposed to dine at Straight & Marrow back in early January.  Well, just like I mentioned in my Carlino post, Omnicron happened and we didn't end up going.  However, we didn't forget about our postponed reservations.  So when we got the chance, we made another rez and made our way to a location that used to house Bistro Wagon Rouge.  It is an intimate spot with a nice bar and a limited amount of seats.  For those who don't know, Straight & Marrow are known for their share plates featuring less popular meats and cuts (such as offal).  Hey that is right up my alley and we were excited to try as many dishes as possible.

Since I was not with Mijune and Viv isn't the biggest eater, we settled on 8 dishes, which was short about 5 of trying the entire menu.  Where is Mijune when you one needs her???  Anyways, we started with the Octopus Carpaccio which featured thinly sliced braised octopus loaf with peppercress, bone marrow confit tomatoes and smoked paprika aioli.  Loved the texture of the octopus as it was tender yet still possessing an appealing chew.  The smoky paprika in the aioli provided depth while the pops of tomato added a luxurious tang (due to the fattiness of the bone marrow).

We were presented next with the Chicken Oyster Kyiv with garlic purée, tabouleh salad, tomato shio koji aioli, watermelon radish and brown butter powder.  Crispy and light, the best part of the chicken (as mentioned in the movie Amélie) was tender and buttery.  I'm not normally into raving about a tabouleh salad but this one was so bright and well-seasoned, I wished there was more of it.  Really enjoyed the take on the dish by using a brown butter powder rather than straight up butter.  Also, that aioli was so complex with subtle notes and umaminess.

Now one of the stealthily good dishes was the Eggplant Parm "Double Down" which is a take on the KFC sandwich.  Rather than 2 fried chicken breasts, we found breaded eggplant sandwiching torched halloumi cheese, basil and marinara.  This was great texturally and tastewise.  Loved the crunch giving way to delicate eggplant and the classic squishy texture of halloumi.  A bit of smokiness from the torching and the side of marinara added moisture and more tanginess.  Yum!

There was one daily feature and I ended up ordering it because it was the Lamb Sweetbreads (due to the fact I love lamb AND sweetbreads...).  This was served with fried cauliflower, cucumber, romesco sauce, watermelon radish and cashews.  I could definitely taste the lamb in the tender sweetbreads.  They were properly prepared (as in soaked enough so they were buttery tender and no membrane still attached).  I thought the romesco complimented the sweetbreads with an aromatic nuttiness and background tang.   The fried cauliflower was nicely crunchy and a bit smoky while the crunch from the other veggies added texture.

Alright, our favourite dish of the meal was the Squidtzel where they subbed in squid and prepared it like a schnitzel.  The humboldt squid was super tender while still having a bouncy bite.  I found the nicely browned breading to be buttery and crunchy.  Underneath, there was a squid ink scallop spätzle (yes made of pureed scallop) which was soft and squishy (in a good way).  The whole thing was brought together by a sweet and savoury uni demi.  I would eat this dish all day.

Now a close second would be the Rabbit Gnocchi with lardons, brussels sprouts and brown butter butternut squash purée  Pillowy soft and almost creamy, the house-made gnocchi still had a light chew and a perfectly seared exterior.  Strewn throughout, the house-cured rabbit confit was tender with a bite.  Beyond the textures, everything was seasoned properly.  To top it off figuratively and literally, the purée was smooth and creamy with a natural sweetness complimented by the aromatic nuttiness of the brown butter.

Of course I ordered the other lamb dish in the Braised Lamb Neck with tomato potato “risotto”, anchovy breadcrumbs and castelvetrano gremolata remoulade.  Oh that braised lamb was so tender and fatty, it merely melted in my mouth.  The braising liquid was flavourful and hence the lamb as well.  I thought the whimsical take on risotto by employing little cubes of potato flavoured with tomato was genius.  Texture of the potato was still firm on the outside, but fully cooked and tender enough.  The remoulade added a salty tangy creaminess to the already rich lamb which to me, emulated a richer and more impactful tzatziki (due to the use of mayo rather than yogurt).

Onto dessert, there was only one item I would choose which was the Hoof Wing and Fin Mille Feuille sporting puff pastry topped with chicken liver mousse, fish sauce caramel and duck fat icing sugar.  Okay if you read the description carefully, you would realize that this would ultimately be a combination of savoury elements with sweetness.  I thought it worked beautifully where things were balanced.  The chicken liver mousse was there but it did not overwhelm the dessert portion of the dish.  Also, the fish sauce was restrained so that there was a little salty something something to go with the sweet caramel.  Puff pastry was light and crispy with defined layers while the richness of the icing sugar completed the creation.  I gotta say, this was one impressive meal and I really have nothing but praise for the execution of some creative dishes.  I definitely will return

The Good:
- Creative dishes
- Well-execution of these dishes
- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:
- Limited seating

Bamboo World Kitchen (Granville Street)

It goes without saying that eating healthier is a good plan when one normally dines on an abnormal amount of rich foods.  So with that in mind, I did not hesitate to accept an invite to try the newly opened Bamboo World Kitchen in South Granville.  Not only do they want the customer to be served healthier options, they are committed to be as sustainable as possible with local organic ingredients and Oceanwise seafood.  Furthermore, their packaging is plant-based and even their countertops are made from recycled chopsticks.  Now that is commendable, but honestly, we need to see if the food can pass the taste test too right?

So getting right to it, we sampled their Dim Sum items first including Bamboo Gyoza, Prawn Dumpling and Bean Curd Rolls.  So I gotta tell you, these were pretty legit.  The gyoza was vegetarian with a combination of cabbage, carrots and shiitake which was tender and moist.  I found the wrapper to be thin and al dente in texture.  There was enough flavour on its own due to the white pepper, five spice and black truffle oil, however, the side of citrus soy helped brighten up the flavour profile.  So if you are wondering how the prawn dumplings turned out, I'm glad to report that they were really good.  The dumpling skin was medium thickness but tender with a slight chewiness.  Inside, the buttery shrimp did that sweet snap thing with the unmistakable hint of sesame oil and white pepper.  There was a chili lime sauce that predictably added tang and spice, but I much preferred dipping it into the Royal Bamboo Sauce that came with the bean curd rolls (think of it as a hot sauce with tang and sweetness).  About those bean curd rolls, they decided to make them semi-crispy rather than the traditional soft version we find at Chinese restaurants.  I thought it was a good decision as it was less messy to eat and it had an airy crispy texture encasing bamboo shoots, carrots, wood ear and mung bean vermicelli.

Off to their main part of the menu where any of their creations could be had in a wrap or a bowl.  We decided to give their Bangkok Bowl a try that consisted of organic tofu (+$2.00) marinated rice noodle, tomato, cucumber, pickled carrot, romaine lettuce, cilantro, scallions, coconut curry sauce and royal bamboo sauce.  I thought that the ingredients were fresh and appealing while the sauces combined to offer up all of the flavours including spice, tang, sweet, savoury and even a touch of bitterness.  The noodles were soft due to being marinated and I personally would've preferred a chewier version.  However, Jacqueline's parents tried the bowls too and they liked the texture of the noodles.  So each to their own.

To get a sense of what things would be like in a wrap, we had the Bombay in a flour tortilla (also can opt for a sundried tomato or spinach tortilla as well).  This wrap contained organic local chicken (+$4.00), bamboo brown rice, red onion, cucumber, marinated chickpea, mango chutney, grape tomato, spinach and cilantro with a curry yogurt sauce.  Of course this ate very differently than a bowl where I was able to get almost every ingredient in one bite.  Therefore, I got the meatiness of the tender chicken, crunch from the greens and firmness of the chickpeas.  In terms of flavour, the curry yogurt was tangy with unmistakable Indian spices.  This was tempered by the sweetness of the chutney.  In my opinion, the wrap would be my choice.

Too add even more greens to our order, we also had the Bamboo Forest (which is more of a salad) with Oceanwise shrimp (+3.00), mixed greens, marinated rice noodles, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, edamame, mint, basil, cilantro, scallions, cashews, black sesame seeds, radish, sweet chili sauce and citrus soy vinagrette.  I really loved this bowl as the shrimp was perfectly prepared and once again, the ingredients were fresh and vibrant.  Lots of crunch from the veggies and a soft nuttiness from the cashews.  The combination of sauces added tang, saltiness and a minor touch of spice.

I feel that their Smoothies were their most stealthily awesome item on the menu.  We ended up trying the Raspberry (raspberries, banana, dates, vanilla extract and almond milk) and Blueberry Maple (blueberries, maple syrup, banana, dates, vanilla extract and almond milk).  These could also be had with soy milk if desired.  We finished these aggressively as they were smooth, fruity and smooth with just enough sweetness.  A really nice compliment to our mains and dim sum without feeling heavy or overfilling.

We saved a bit of room for dessert and had the Vegan Coconut Panna Cotta topped with cherry compote and toasted coconut.  Being a vegan version, there was no gelatin in this and hence it was more akin to yogurt in texture.  It tasted great with a mild sweetness complimented by the semi-sweet compote.  Texture and aroma was provided by the toasted coconut.  So you know what?  I guess it sounds clichéd to say this, but we really did feel good after eating this meal.  Nothing was heavy, yet still satisfying and full-of-flavour.  Bamboo World is a good option for those who need to grab lunch everyday but want to avoid the usual fast foods.  Looks like people agree with this sentiment as they are opening up their second location on Broadway close to VGH shortly.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Fresh local sustainable ingredients and plant-based packaging
- Flavours from around the world
- Reasonable pricing considering the quality of ingredients

The Bad:
- For me, the rice noodles could've been chewier, but then again, other people liked it  

Mauna Sushi

Last year, I visited Mauna Sushi with Jacqueline to pickup some of their takeout aburi sushi platters.  They weren't doing dine-in at the time, but we were invited to go back when they were back to normal operations.  Since the chef/owner used to work at Minami, it wasn't much of a surprise that the aburi sushi was pretty on point.  So all this time, I was anxious to try the food in-store because it would be freshly made and served at the optimal temperature.  So we ventured out to Surrey as soon as we were able.

Now they are more than aburi sushi, so we decided to have the Assorted Tempura as an appetizer (a large one at that).  Yes, the ebi and pieces of shiitake, yam and green bean were indicative of portion size.  They still ate well though with a crunchy, yet not overly thick batter on the outside.  I particularly enjoyed the shiitake as it was tender and was nicely contrasted by the tempura batter.  The ebi was good too being buttery sweet with a light snap.

Onto some specialty rolls, we got the Explosion Roll (imitation crab, cucumber, spicy tuna with tobiko, torched oshi sauce & black pepper on the outside) and the Red Seal Roll (California roll topped with red tuna, house special nikiri, onion sauce and black pepper).  If the first roll seems familiar, it is because of the Miku connection again.  This was done well with the pop of torched tobiko on the outside lead to a pleasing mouth feel.  The onion sauce on the red seal roll did the heavy lifting in adding a salty sharp sweetness.

Okay, we had one more specialty roll in the Spider Roll featuring the usual fried soft shell crab, avocado and deep fried green beans.  This was a substantial offering in that it was cut up into 10 large pieces.  It is best that you share this one, however, I can also see a scenario that one eats it all by themselves.  This is due to the crispy soft shell crab (was crispy even when sitting around for awhile) encased in chewy seasoned sushi rice.  

Okay onto the aburi sushi, we had the Salmon, Mackerel and Ebi first.  If you take a close look, these will remind you of Miku.  One taste and I would say that these were every bit as good as the ones from Miku (albeit at a lower price around $13.00).  Now to be fair, the pricing at Miku is based not only on the food costs (there is higher operational expenses as well).  My favourite of the bunch was the ebi as it had some appealing acidity and brightness.

We had one more aburi oshi in the Hotate and that was my absolute favourite of the selection we ordered.  Interestingly enough, this was the one of the unique creations by the chef.  Initially, I was a bit concerned with the spice added to the delicate scallop.  But in the end, it as balanced whereby the scallop was definitely noticeable (in texture and taste), but the spicy-creaminess elevated the flavour profile as scallop alone is rather mild-tasting.

Another original creation by the sushi chef was the Hoki Poke Box consisting of real crab, red tuna and avocado.  Now this was more about textures and subtle flavours unlike the hotate.  The ample (and I mean a lot) amount of real crab meat was fluffy and had the unmistakable essence of crab.  There was added creaminess from the avocado and a mild sweetness from the red tuna.  This was one of the few I dipped into soy.

If you remember my post for the takeout platters on IG, I tried their beautiful Mauna's Aburi Tart.  However, it was in a box and frankly, the picture I took didn't do it justice.  This combination of sushi rice, avocado, tuna with sesame and sockeye salmon topped with aburi sauce, tempura crunch, scallop and ebi was a meal in itself.  It was also delicious with a smoky creaminess combined with the sesame in the tuna and natural sweetness of the ingredients. 

For good measure, we added the House Poke Bowl with chewy and seasoned sushi rice topped with a generous portion of imitation crab, marinated red tuna, avocado, tamago, seaweed salad and tobiko.  When combined together, this was hearty and truly filling.  This also benefited from more ingredients than rice.  Hence, every bite was flavourful and full of textures.  All-in-all, Mauna Sushi offers up finely crafted eats ranging from the usual to more creative dishes at a reasonable price.  Definitely a hidden gem and I would actually say worth making the trip out to dine at.

 

*All food was complimentary*

 

The Good:

- Carefully prepared dishes

- There are higher end sushi creations that are reasonably priced

- Well-portioned

 

The Bad:

- Not close for the Vancouver crowd, but I encourage you to try it.  Good for us in the burbs. 

Nello's Bar & Restaurant

I'm sure everyone has seen the cost of food these days - it is through the roof.  Inflation is real and it has affected prices in the grocery stores and of course also the restaurant industry.  To get a half-decent meal these days, we are looking at paying minimally chain restaurant prices.  So what if I told you there is a new spot located on the corner of Lougheed Highway and Brunette dishing up Italian eats for a reasonable price?  With inspiration from Chef Nello of the former Rossini's (hence the name of the restaurant Nello's), we find pastas for only $18.00 each.  

Before the mains, we got some antipasti to begin including the Burrata and Prosciutto with confit garlic, arugula and aged balsamic.  Sure, this could be classified as a simple starter, but this was priced at a reasonable $16.00.  As you can clearly see, there was a good amount of creamy burrata (which was fresh) and also good-quality prosciutto.  I liked the addition of confit garlic on top as it provided a bit of aromatics to the burrata.

If we didn't have enough burrata in the previous dish, we got more of it in the Tomato Onion Burrata (a take on Caprese salad except with burrata instead of fresh mozzarella).  Again, this was simple, yet ultimately appealing due to the fresh ripe tomatoes, creamy burrata, red onion, fresh basil and aged balsamic.  Having vine ripened tomatoes was key as they ate well on their own, but was extra delicious with burrata.

One of the most surprising items was Shayne's Black Sambuca Prawns.  Honestly, I would've never imagined something grey blackish in colour would be so delicious.  That unmistakable hit of licorice was just right with equal amount of sweetness.  It was almost candy-like, but not quite.  Instead, it complimented the sweet snap of the prawns beautifully.  This was accompanied by an arugula salad and garlic bread.  Yes, I used the bread to soak up all of the remaining sauce on the plate.

For good measure, we also ordered the Garlic Cheese Bread as a side for our pastas.  This was the same garlic bread as in the previous dish and topped with cheese and toasted.  As you can see, the cheese was completely melted and there was a some charring on the top of the bread.  It was crunchy in spots while soft and chewy in the centre.  I personally would've liked an airier bread choice, but there was nothing wrong with this version either.

Moving onto the pastas, I gave the Bolognese with linguine first.   This version was more tomato-forward with beef, pork, garlic and red wine topped with fresh basil and parm.   There was no shortage of tender meat that was bathed in a tangy sauce.  I found the noodles just a tad past al dente, yet not overly soft either.  I would classify this as more home-style than high-end pasta, but for $18.00, this was very solid and well-portioned.

Sporting two gigantic meatballs, the Marinara with spaghetti was comforting and filling.  Meaty without much in the way of filler, the meatballs were on the denser side, but still tender.  The spaghetti was al dente and the marinara was tangy and thick.  Again, this more family style but then again, their motto is "Welcome to Our Family".  Therefore, this was something familiar and comforting.

Staying with tomato sauce, we tried the Pescatore with a marinara sauce, seafood, chili flakes and parsley.  The linguine was similar to the bolognese being just a tad past al dente.  The marinara ate very differently than the spaghetti and meatballs due to the addition of seafood.  There was an unmistakeable brininess to the sauce, which was good.  However, the shrimp were a bit overdone.  The rest of the seafood was fine though.

One of the most surprising pastas was the Penne Luxardo featuring the same sambuca as the prawns.  It was combined into a cream sauce with mushrooms, peas and pancetta.  With a similar flavour profile to the sambuca prawns, this dish took it a bit further with a touch of creaminess as well as the salty-fattiness of the pancetta.  Pasta was nicely al dente and held onto the right amount of sauce.

I think the best dish of the night was the Chicken Parm featuring a panko-crusted chicken breast in a mushroom rosé sauce topped with mozzarella and basil atop fettuccine alfredo.  That chicken breast couldn't have been any more tender and juicy.  It was perfectly prepared.  The rosé was balanced with both tangy and creamy elements while there was a generous amount of cheese on top.  I found the fettuccine alfredo to be creamy and well-seasoned.  We added extra grilled chicken to emulate the actual Fettuccine Alfredo on the menu.  This was not juicy like the chicken parm and I recommend that you go for the chicken parm instead.

A very close second best dish was the Veal Marsala with seasonal veggies and confit garlic mashed potatoes.  At first, I was wanting pasta rather than mashed potatoes underneath, but really, the potatoes were really good.  Nicely mashed where it was creamy with a few potato bits and skin, the garlic really came through.  This helped soak up all of the rich marsala sauce where I could taste the marsala as well as the ample mushrooms.  Really good as the veal was super tender while the root veggies on the side were still crunchy and vibrant.

Onto dessert, we tried the Tiramisu which was nice presented with a half cocoa powder dusted top.  Underneath, we found it to be more whipped cream texture than mascarpone but that just made things a lot lighter.  It wasn't too sweet and the hits of espresso were also on the milder side.  On the bottom, the lady fingers were properly soaked being soft and fluffy without being too wet.

Our other dessert was a selection of Matteo's Gelato featuring Strawberry, Hazelnut and Blood Orange on top of house-made granola.  Texturally, the gelato was creamy and light, while melting quite fast (which is a good thing for gelato since that would mean no thickeners or stabilizers).  I enjoyed the blood orange the most as it was fruity and purposefully sweet.  In general, the food at Nello's was quite good at a reasonable price point.  Since they just practically opened, some things might need a bit of tweaking, but there were some standout dishes such as the Sambuca Prawns, Chicken Parm, Veal Marsala and Penne Luxardo.  Ultimately, Nello's is a good addition to Maillardville and offers a better alternative to all the chain restaurants and pubs in the area.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Something more upscale in the neighbourhood
- Well-priced
- Solid eats with some stand-out dishes

The Bad:
- A few tweaks needed, but common for a brand new restaurant 

Gangnam Tofu Soup

Okay, let's get the joke out of the way first...  Yup, I recently visited Gangnam Tofu Soup in Coquitlam - "Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style".  Alrighty, with that taken care of, I'd like to say that I do enjoy a good Korean tofu soup and according to my friend, Gangnam Tofu Soup & Korean Grill does it well.  Better than House of Tofu Soup apparently (but honestly, that isn't a high bar IMO).  Well, we met up for some tofu soup and other eats on a Monday night.

So I'm not sure if it is the pandemic (supply issues and/or not wanting to carry too much inventory) or it was a Monday night, but they didn't have many of the dishes we wanted to order.  Well, they still had some Banchan for us in the form of kimchi, bean sprouts, stewed potatoes and tofu skin.  I gotta say that their kimchi was legit where it was flavourful without being sour and had a nice balanced spice to it.  Stewed potatoes were soft and full-flavoured.

Of course we had to indulge in some soft tofu soup since that was the point in dining at Gangnam.  We ended up having the spicy Beef Brisket Tofu Soup.  Gotta say that this was pretty darn good.  Broth was spicy and had depth that exhibited some brininess as well as spice from the kimchi.  I thought this was pretty spicy but not to the point it was overwhelming.  The brisket was super tender and the tofu was buttery soft.

As part of the tofu soup, one could make it a combo with a side of Beef Bulgogi and rice for a total of $19.95.  That we did and it really made the whole thing a filling meal.  There was a considerable amount of rice (which was meant for both the bulgogi and the soup) served in a stone pot.  The bulgogi itself was served on a cast iron hot plate on a bed of white onions.  Sweet and well-seasoned, the beef was tender and went well with the rice.  Could've used a bit more searing, but it was still delicious.

We didn't end there with the soup as we also got the Gamjatang (Pork Bone Soup).  This came steaming hot with the usual perilla seeds on top.  Oh, I really loved this soup as well where it was full-flavoured and also exhibited depth.  I could really taste the meat and also the sweetness of the veggies.  The large pork bones had plenty of buttery and tender meat falling off of them.  I also enjoyed the soft chunks of potato.

 

So there was one order of boneless chicken left, so we had to make a decision as to what flavour we should choose.  We ended up with the Soy Garlic Korean Fried Chicken because the kids said so (yes, they matter the most...).   Although the colour was a bit pale, the batter was crispy and the dark meat chicken was tender and juicy.  I found the sauce to be sticky and sweet with only a bit of saltiness.  Plenty of fresh garlic though.

 

Going for the usual dishes we order at Korean restaurants, we had the Dolset Bibimbap.  This came sizzling and we were able to get a rice crust.  The trick is to mix everything and then push the rice against the bowl with nothing really in the middle.  There was plenty of ingredients and they were well-prepared.  The rice was a little on the wetter side so the parts not touching the stone bowl was soft.  Of course we mixed in some gochujang (but after the fact because the kids don't prefer it.  The server was a bit horrified that we didn't originally mix it in.  LOL).

Continuing on with the usual, we also got the Japchae.  Portion size was decent, but wasn't huge by any means.  It was $21.00, which is pretty standard at most Korean restaurants.  However, I still think this particular dish is usually pricey at most places.  Anyways, as for this version, it was very black-pepper forward.  I personally enjoyed that as it was flavourful and not overly sweet.  The noodles were not clumpy nor greasy.  Plenty of ingredients too, so all-in-all, solid dish.

Lastly, we decided to try the Rice Cakes with Cheese which was indeed very cheesy.  However, we thought there was a bit too much in the way of white onion.  As such, the flavour profile was sharp rather than merely being cheesy.  There was a bit of spice and the rice cakes were nicely textured being soft with an appealing chewiness.  Overall, we thought the meal at Gangnam was solid where the tofu soup was excellent.  People are super nice and the place is spacious with lots of parking.  A good choice if you are in the Coquitlam Centre area.

The Good:

- Excellent tofu soup

- Super nice people

- Generally solid eats

The Bad:

- I guess this might be a one off, but they didn't have much stock in certain things (not blaming though because Covid, high food costs and supply chain issues might have contributed to this)