Mauna Sushi

So you might be wondering why I'm blogging about Mauna Sushi so soon after the last post...  Well, I really love the place and have actually been back 5 times since then.  Now why am I travelling to Surrey for sushi since I live in Burnaby?  Simple, the food is excellent and well-priced.  To refresh your memory, the chef/owner used to work at Minami and hence, all of the delicious aburi is served at Mauna for a more reasonable price.  Not to mention, their other menu items are rock solid as well.  Sure, the menu is somewhat limited and tends to appeal to the less adventurous diner, but I assure you the aburi is the star of the show.

With so many visits to include in this post, I'm going to try to condense as much as I can.  Now before we get to the aburi, their smaller "appetizer" dishes are really good too including the super tasty Chicken Karaage.  Rather unassuming, these little fried nuggets of leg meat are addictive.  The meat is super tender and juicy with a flavourful marinade.  It is salty, sweet and has a perfect amount of ginger.  There is a light coat of batter and  they are fried until crispy.  One of the best versions I've had in town!

Something that I do not usually get to order is the Takoyaki.  Not sure why because I personally love these little morsels of batter and octopus topped with takoyaki sauce, mayo, aonori and bonito flakes.  These here are solid.  I'm pretty sure they don't use a takoyaki mold, but that doesn't matter as they are lightly crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside with pieces of octopus.  There is just enough sauce and toppings on the outside to make an impact without creating a mess.

I've had their Assorted Tempura many times now and each time it has come out beautifully.  It consists of 2 pieces of yam and fresh shiitake as well as 3 pieces of green bean and ebi.  Although the amount of tempura batter may seem a bit much at first glance, it is crispy, light and easy on the grease.  The items themselves are cooked just right with the beans still being crunchy and the mushrooms being delicate and not overdone. With a light buttery snap, the ebi is on point while the yam is cooked through without going mushy.

The level of care put into preparing the cooked food is apparent and it is best illustrated by the Gyoza.  By appearances alone, the dumplings are good due to the even browning on the bottom.  This in turn means that it is crispy and nicely caramelized.  We find the dumpling skin to be thin and full of elasticity.  Inside, the pork and cabbage filling is well-seasoned while the texture is juicy and tender.

One of the most surprising dishes is the Miso Tofu Salad.  To be blunt, it doesn't look very attractive and in certain aspects, it appears to be unappetizing.  Now don't let that fool you.  The tofu crumble on top has a feta-cheese-like texture and there is plenty of umaminess to it.  Dressed in a sweet and tangy vinaigrette, the spring mix underneath is super delicious.  I highly recommend this.

Staying with the cooked food, the Chicken Katsu Don features a perfectly fried chicken cutlet.  It is coated with crispy panko that is, once again, not too greasy.  Inside, the dark chicken meat is succulent and moist.  It is marinated and seasoned enough on its own that it tastes great without anything added.  Underneath, the rice is dry enough that it isn't soggy, yet at the same time being moist.

Moving to the raw stuff, their selection of sashimi is pretty basic, but it is intentional.  They do not want to stock things that people will not order.  Hence, we have tried almost all of the options in the Atlantic Salmon, Albacore Tuna and Wild Salmon Sashimi.  The slices are fair in size being not too small and not ridiculously large.  Freshness is apparent where there is a nice sheen and things smell right.  Texturally, the tuna is buttery soft without being mushy and the Atlantic salmon is buttery with a bite.  The wild salmon is firmer but still delicate.

If one wanted something more flavourful from the start without needing to dip into any soy, there is the Spicy Tuna Sashimi (also available with salmon).  Unlike some other versions, there is just enough sauce in this one, so it isn't drowning.  The buttery chunks of tuna are coated in a spicy sauce that has a kick, but isn't overwhelming.  There is a background fermented flavour to it that adds depth and umaminess.

Like always, we always in some Nigiri as well.  We've had the chopped scallop, unagi, tamago, salmon and tuna before, but in this picture, it is all salmon and tuna toro..  If you are looking for insanely large pieces, then look elsewhere.  This is more about quality than oversized food.  With that being said, these are not small by any means.  The buttery toro for both types of fish are soft and fatty.    Rice is proportionate to the toppings and is texturally on point being chewy while still delicate.

One particular nigiri that needs to be highlighted is the Tamago.  I'm sure you are wondering why I'm drawing attention to egg sushi...  Well, if you look at the picture, you will notice that it is made the traditional way with proper layering.  Some sushi restaurants serve a solid piece of egg that is just poured into a mold.  This exemplifies the effort and attention to detail the chef puts into his food.  The egg is fluffy and slightly sweet from the mirin.

All of this is delicious, but the real star of the show is the aburi sushi!  The most popular and well-known of the bunch is the Aburi Salmon Oshi featuring wild salmon, aburi sauce and jalapeno.  Now you might expect me to say something like it is just as good as Miku/Minami, but let me say this is better since there is more salmon.  All of the other components are on point as well including the chewy sushi rice, thinly-sliced jalapeno (some places cut it way too thick) and the creamy, yet not greasy aburi sauce.  Equally tasty is the Ebi Aburi Oshi with perfectly cooked prawn and a bright lime spiked sauce on top.  As for the Saba Aburi Oshi, there is a more fish-forward flavour due to the mackerel.  It is also firmer.  The most under-the-radar aburi oshi is the Hotate as the sauce is indeed creamy, yet has a nice finishing kick.

There is one boxed sushi that is not torched.  The Hoki Poke Box (interesting name) consists of sushi rice topped with real crab meat, tuna and avocado.  This is a must order if you have already had a few of the previous aburi oshis.  It is almost like a palate cleanser of sorts that is a nice break from the heavy sauces.  This one is more a study of textures rather than strong flavours.  The fluffy crab, buttery tuna and soft avocado have a good combined mouth-feel.

As much as you can enjoy the nigiri sushi as they are, you can also opt for the Aburi Nigiri.  Here we have the Tuna Toro and Salmon Toro (belly meat) topped with aburi sauce and torched.  The torching affects the nigiri in 2 ways.  First, it caramelizes the sauce and adds a smokiness.  Secondly and most importantly, it activates the fats in the belly meat and it becomes super buttery and the resulting aroma is delicious.

We can't forget about Mauna's Aburi Tart comprised of sushi rice, avocado, seasoned tuna, wild salmon, aburi sauce, baby scallops and ebi.  This is best shared since it may not look that big, but it is quite filling.  The flavours in this work in harmony with the sweetness of the fish complimented by sesame oil and the aburi sauce on top.  Creamy avocado adds another layer of texture that works well with the buttery tuna.  This is a must order.

Onto some rolls, the most popular is the Explosion Roll which is like the Miku Roll consisting of imitation crab, cucumber and tuna on the inside with a mess of torched tobiko on the outside topped with aburi sauce.  The tobiko on the outside gives the roll a nice crunch with pops of the sea.  With soft tuna and imitation crab on the inside, it is a nice textural contrast.  Of course the aburi sauce is the literal cherry on top with smoky creaminess.

The second most popular roll is the Hawaiian with prawn tempura, avocado and cucumber on the inside.  This is topped with spicy tuna and spicy mayo as well as tempura bits.  I can see why this is ordered by so many customers.  It is essentially a dynamite roll, which makes it rather familiar and safe.  However, the buttery and spicy tuna on top adds a kick and plenty of impact to an otherwise mild-tasting roll.

Another Miku-inspired item is the Red Seal Roll consisting of a base California roll topped with red tuna and house-special Nikirri onion sauce and black pepper.  Once again, the roll itself is a California roll, yet the topping of red tuna adds some meatiness.  The real star of the show is the marinated onions as they are crunchy, sharp, sweet and purposefully salty.  In front of it is the Tiger Roll that is has a California roll as its base with the addition of prawn tempura.  On top, there is tiger prawn with kabayaki sauce, special spicy sauce and sesame seeds.  This is rather saucy, yet it is more sweet and slightly spicy than salty.  Lots of meaty prawn texture as well as prawn aroma.

Possibly the largest roll of the bunch is the Spider Roll.  Sporting 10 big pieces, it is stuffed with fried soft shell crab, avocado and deep fried green beans.  Compared to the other rolls, it certainly doesn't look as impressive, yet it is good in its own right.  Since there is so much soft-shell crab, there is a crispy texture giving way to softness.  Love the creamy avocado and the crunch of the beans.

Something that is a bit more usual is the Dragon Roll with a dynamite roll base adding avocado, unagi and tobiko on the outside.  This is a pleasing sushi roll that most people are familiar with.  There is just enough rice on the outside, so it isn't dense.  The combination of unagi and sauce as well as the dynamite roll makes this full of sweetness and some crunch.  So there you have it, a comprehensive look at the menu at Mauna Sushi.  Yes, it is your prototypical neighbourhood sushi restaurant and in reality, the menu is rather basic.  However, if you dive into the specialty items (marked by a blue check mark on the menu), you will come away with food that is served in higher-end spots in town.  I've been here 7 times total and the count will just keep going up.

The Good:

- The specialty items are impressive

- Well-priced

- Super nice people

The Bad:

- Limited menu (exotic items just don't move in this neighbourhood)

Prince Seafood Restaurant

I know that I've blogged about Prince many times in the past, but just like everything in this world, things change.  As such, it is nice to update every now and then.  In this case, the last time I had Dim Sum here was pre-pandemic.  So it has been seemingly years ago I've been here.  Wait, it has been years ago!  We gathered everyone together for this visit including the Mother-in-Law.  Fortunately, Prince is usually pretty busy and the ambient noise tends to drown her out.  

I'm not sure who ordered the Egg Tarts but as expected, they came out first.  Everyone knows that you order it afterwards since the kitchen will send out things that are ready first...  Anyways, dessert before the savoury items, why not?  Well, not a bad start as they sported a flaky shell that was buttery (more like lardy) and nutty.  The egg filling was silky and light.  It was purposefully sweet with an aromatic finish.

Keeping the kiddos happy, the Deep Fried Prawn Spring Rolls arrived next.  The trend is to cut them diagonally these days and these were no exception.  It revealed that there were whole pieces of shrimp that were buttery with a light snap texture.  The addition of processed cheese created a certain amount of saltiness.  I wasn't sold on this combination, but the kids didn't mind.  As for the wrapper, it was crunchy and mildly greasy.

We moved onto the Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings) and they were medium-sized.  Although the dumpling skin was a touch thick, it wasn't tough nor too chewy.  There was good elasticity.  Inside, the whole shrimp filling was a bit loose, but that was because there was no shrimp mousse nor small pieces to keep bind it.  Texturally, it was on point with a moist snap where the natural sweetness came through with a touch of sesame oil.

I thought the Siu Mai (Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) to be quite good.  It was a 75/25 ratio of shrimp to pork.  Again, the whole shrimp had the same qualities of the aforementioned dishes with shrimp.  Hence, the texture of the dumpling was full of snap and it wasn't dense at all.  For the small amount of pork, it was meaty with a nice rebound.  My only wish would be a little less pork fat as it was chewy and I had to spit it out.  Dumpling was well-seasoned without being salty.

We hadn't ordered the Stir-Fried Radish Cake in Spicy XO Sauce for some time, so when we saw it on the menu, it was a no-brainer.  This version was only "okay" in my opinion.  The large cubes were not crispy at all and the overall density of the pudding was on the firmer side.  I found that the stir-fry was a bit greasy (I understand XO is oil-based, but this was greasier than usual).  There was decent XO brininess with some spice, yet it could've been more impactful.

Onto some Rice Noodle Rolls, we had both the shrimp and the BBQ pork.  Just slightly on the thicker side, the rice noodles were definitely soft with a bit of density.  I would've liked to see more elasticity though.  In terms of filling, the shrimp were large (oxymoron I know...) with the desired meaty snap texture.   The BBQ pork was a good mix of lean and fattier pieces, but I'm not sure why they added so much cilantro.  It definitely took over the flavour profile and that is all that I tasted.

So normally I would order only one type of tripe, but someone else marked off the Sliced Beef Tripe with XO Sauce (Bible Tripe) while I marked down the Beef Stomach & Tendon with Chu Hou Sauce (Honeycomb Tripe).  Hey, I ain't complaining about that!   I really enjoyed the tripe as it was soft while retaining some bite.  It had completely soaked up the sweet garlicky braising liquid.  Underneath, there was some soft taro that also benefited from the sauce.  Equally as good, the bible tripe had a rebound texture that was initially chewy, but gave way to softness.  It was also completely seasoned with the spicy XO sauce.

So the MIL loves Steamed Chicken Feet with Hoisin Sauce and of course we got that too (no, that didn't prevent her from being her loud obnoxious self...  I wish...)  Anyways, this featured larger-than-usual chicken feet that were quite plump.  Except for one of them (which was completely destroyed), they were mostly intact.  The skin was tender, yet still retaining a chew.  Underneath, the fat and cartilage was tender but not melted away.  This was plenty garlicky and well-seasoned.

One dish we normally do not order is the Deep Fried Fish Skin with Salted Egg Yolk.  Not because we don't love this, but not many restaurants offer it.  So consider this a freshly-made version of the infamous Irvin's fried fish skin.  These were uniformly crunchy while coated with a decent amount of salted egg yolk.  As such, there was the nutty salty aromatics that makes this delicious.  These were a bit greasy though due to the salted egg yolk slurry on the fish skin.

Another item we are seeing less and less of on Dim Sum menus is the Deep Fried Squid Tentacles in Spicy Salt.  These are found more often at the Richmond Night Market and Taiwanese restaurants.  Interestingly, this was more akin to the Taiwanese version as it was all tentacles (rather than just squid) and lightly dusted with 5-spice powder.  I found the tentacles slightly on the chewier side, but it wasn't too bad.  They were crispy and well-seasoned if not a touch greasy.

As if we didn't have enough offal in the meal already, I spotted the Beef Brisket & Tendon with Thick Rice Noodles (these were actually thick mung bean noodles).  Both the tendon and brisket were tender completely soaking up the braising liquid.  However, the liquid was far too runny to actually flavour the noodles in any fashion.  Hence they were bland.  Texturally, the noodles were chewy and springy in a firm manner.  Just the way they ought to be.

This was not the end of the bigger items as we also got the large size of the Seafood Congee.  Now you can't really see it, but there was a considerable amount of fish, scallops and prawns hidden within the thick congee.  They were all prepared properly maintaining their desired cooked textures.  The congee itself was a little on the milder side, but we added white pepper to it.  We liked the addition of dried scallop on top, it added some aroma.

One dish I would've never considered ordering, but am glad that someone did, was the Silky Tofu Stuffed with Shrimp Paste.  This was a rather large portion that really should only be ordered if you have enough people.  We found the silky tofu to be as such, but with a delicately crisp exterior.  The generous amount of shrimp paste on top was bouncy and sweet.  we could've done without the sweet chili sauce on top, but it wasn't offensive.

Interestingly, their version of Deep Fried Minced Pork & Shrimp Glutinous Dumplings arrived in yellow and green.  They didn't eat much differently than the usual version (which is light golden brown).  I found the exterior glutinous rice to be just a tad too thick.  Hence, the dumplings weren't as crunchy as it could've been.  It also made them denser.  Inside, the filling was moist with little nuggets of pork and shrimp.

Onto a Dim Sum staple: Steamed Angus Beef Meatballs.  Well, the Angus beef part of it isn't typical though.  Not sure if it mattered since the meat typically gets aerated through a food processor or stand-up mixer.  This was prepared right as the meat was super light and airy with an appealing spongy texture.  Seasoning was mild, but we could taste the meat as well as some of the green onions.

Since we are on Dim Sum staples, let's do one more in the Steamed Spareribs in Garlic Sauce.  I really enjoyed this dish as its preparation was almost flawless.  First of all, the rib pieces were meaty and on the bone.  Not much in the way of cartilage and fat here.  Texturally, the meat had a good rebound while being tender at the same time.  Loved there wasn't a pool of oil at the bottom either.  Seasoning was on point with garlic and just enough salt.

Not that we didn't have enough carbs already, yet the kids always enjoy the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Wild Rice Wrap).  The addition of wild rice added a really nice bite to a usually soft and mushy product.  Not to say that the sticky rice was mushy though.  It was soft with a glutinous chewiness.  Inside, the dried scallop and pork filling was plentiful and well-seasoned.  It was in good proportion to the rice where every bite was balanced.

Lastly, we had both the Steamed BBQ Pork Buns and the Steamed Egg Yolk Buns.  Sorry, not sexy shots of the insides of the buns this time...  The texture of the bun was light and fluffy while still retaining a chew.  Inside the BBQ pork was fairly lean and glazed in a sweet sauce.  As for the salted egg yolk filling, this was less runny than most and that was fine by us as it was easier to eat.  It was sweet and aromatic.  So overall, the Dim Sum at Prince was pretty solid across the board, considering the variety that we ordered.  Pricing is on par with most places in the same class.  We found the service to be decent but a bit sparse (hard to find servers these days, so we aren't pinning that on them).

The Good:
- Solid Dim Sum
- We got our reservation on time
- Service was okay with all things considered

The Bad:
- Even though we are giving them pass on the service, it did take long to get items we requested
- Parking lot is a disaster

 

Pho Super Bowl

There are definitely some really good spots for Vietnamese in the GVRD and many are still well-priced.  However, it is increasingly clear that the rising prices of raw materials, rent, wages and other operating costs have resulted in noticeable price increases.  As a result, portion size and food quality are important factors when determining whether a restaurant stands out or not.  Of course we can talk about service too, but that is a whole other story altogether.  So when I heard about Pho Super Bowl and their significantly larger portions as well as providing good food, it was a place I needed to try.

So after arriving back from Seattle, we made our way over there for some soupy things.  Before, that I got an order of Salad Rolls to start.  In reality, we really didn't need it because I should've taken the "large portion" thing more seriously.  Whatever the case, the salad rolls were good with a perfectly-textured rice paper on the outside.  It was chewy, yet soft while not dried out.  Inside, there was the typical ingredients such as lettuce, vermicelli and halved shrimp.  Loved how they provided plenty of sauce on the side (I love to saturate my rolls in it!).

For myself, I chose the Pho Dac Biet as usual because I like all the meats including the offal.  At first, I did notice the bowl was bigger (I did get the large).  However, I didn't realize the portion size until I dug into the bowl of noodles.  There was at least 1/2 more noodles than most other bowls of Pho in town (maybe 1/4 more than Viet Noodle Guy).  Those noodles were al dente and not clumpy.  As for the meats, there was a good amount of it and by eye-balling it, there was definitely more than usual.  Meats were tender except for the brisket which was a bit chewy. Due to the large bowl, there was also more broth which was clean and mildly meaty.  With all things considered, it was a good bowl of Pho.

My daughter ended up with a small bowl of Pho Ga Vien, as per usual.  Instead of going for chicken meat, she decided on chicken meatballs instead.  More often than not, the chicken is chewy and dry.  However, we found a few stray pieces of chicken (intentionally in there?) that were actually decently tender.  As for the meatballs, they were the typical bouncy and airy type.  Again, the portion size was generous, even for small, and the noodles were plentiful.  Compared to the beef broth, this was actually more impactful with noticeable sweetness and definite chicken essence.

Viv ordered the Vermicelli Bowl with lemongrass chicken and 2 spring rolls that was, of course, generous in portion size.  Spring rolls were crunchy and the meat was moist while not overly packed.  Would've liked to see rice paper used, but it was still good nonetheless.  Chicken was fairly flavourful with a char.  It was generally tender.  Underneath, there was a good amount of noodles which were still chewy.

Of course my son went for the Lemongrass Chicken with rice and 2 fried eggs.  Although this was the most "normal-sized" dish, it did come with 2 eggs rather than 1.  Chicken was exactly like the previous dish.  So as you can see, the combination of good portions, reasonable-pricing and above-average eats puts Pho Super Bowl at the top of the available Pho spots in the area.  Mind you, there isn't much competition, but that is besides the point.  I'll be back.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Above-average eats
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Maybe the flavours could be even more impactful
- Parking can be an issue at times

Big Way Hot Pot

Generally, I'm pretty famished after Sunday morning hockey, so we are always on the lookout for food.  This time around we decided on something close to Kingsway and Boundary.  Now you might be wondering why we wanted that specific location...  Well, I'm getting back into Magic: The Gathering and I wanted to drop by Magic Stronghold to pick up some cards (yes, my inner geekiness is coming out...).  So we ended up at Big Way Hot Pot down the street.  This place lets you choose from a selection of meats, veggies and noodles for a customized hot pot.  You bring it up to the counter, choose your desired broth and they will cook it and bring it to your table.  Apparently, this is popular in Australia and has finally made its way to Vancouver.  Think of it as the hot pot version of Mongolian grill or U-Grill at Metrotown.

So the deal here is that you walk in, scan a QR code and get into a virtual lineup.  You can see the updated status of this lineup by refreshing your browser.  Once there are enough tables available, you get a text and are welcomed to grab a bowl and fill it up to your heart's content with items from the refrigerated displays.  With the exception of Abalone and Crayfish, it is $3.68/100g.  Now you can easily blow your budget if you pile it on too much and/or fill out your bowl with heavy items such as clams and shrimp.

Now once you have filled up your bowl, you take it up to the counter and they weigh it.  You select your broth with options like Signature Ma La Tang, Szechuan Green Peppercorn, Tom Yum, Collagen Bone Broth, Sa Cha, Tomato, Peanut Sauce Dry Mix, Ma La Dry Mix and Szechuan Dry Mix.  For the spicy broths, you can choose the heat level as well.  From here, you can also order a drink to go with your meal.  After this, you are presented with a order number tag that you place on your table so they know where to serve your cooked bowl of selected ingredients.

On this visit, I selected the the Signature Ma La Tang while Milhouse had the Tomato broth.  In general, the items that I selected were cooked nicely due to the fact they didn't cook everything all at once.  Some items cook faster than others and they accounted for that.  The seafood was not overdone, nor were the veggies.  Best of all, the instant noodles were barely cooked through so that they retained an al dente texture.  As for the broth, I chose hot and it was indeed spicy.  However, it wasn't so much so I couldn't taste anything else.  The tomato broth was delicious being sweet and tangy.  It was impactful and was good to drink on its own.

So before we left, we were offered a Soft-Serve Matcha Cone (pardon the out-of-focus picture...) to eat in or take out.  This is included in the meal and really a nice way to finish off.  Now the soft-serve was a bit icy, yet was refreshing after the hot pot.  It was lightly sweet with a mild matcha flavour.  Loved the waffle cone with its crunch.  In the end, we enjoyed out meal and thought the pricing was fair.  Now with that being said, you need to be careful with the heavier items as the total cost can get up there.

The Good:
- Fresh ingredients
- Great service
- Fun concept

The Bad:
- Can get pricey if you aren't careful
- Sauce bar is a bit basic