House of Chicken

If I seem to be going on and on about food prices these days, it is with good reason.  You see, I'm very fortunate that I can afford to buy groceries and eat out.  So I'm acutely aware that the bottom line is very important to many people.  This brings me to the newly-opened House of Chicken on Scott Road.  It is directly related to Chicken World, so if the menu items look familiar, you aren't hallucinating.  In fact, this concept is a sit-down full-service restaurant with a "blues"-type atmosphere and vibe to go with shockingly low-prices for their food.  A family of 4 can come eat here and have leftovers for less than $50.00!

With a name like House of Chicken, it isn't a surprise they have Fried Chicken as well as Grilled Chicken.  Yes, these are exactly like you would find at Chicken World (which is a good thing).  Sporting a crunchy coating, the fried chicken is juicy and moist while nicely seasoned.  As for the grilled, it can also be original or spicy. For this one, it has a definite kick.  Skin is well-rendered and the meat is juicy and tender.

Featured prominently on the menu are their burgers including the Nashville Hot (there are 2 of them in this picture), Classic and Mega Crunch.  If you've been to Chicken World, then you have had these before.  Served on a soft but sturdy bun, the fried chicken thighs are juicy with a uniformly crunchy exterior.  These can be had in either original or spicy.  My pick is the Mega Crunch featuring 2 large fried chicken thighs.

Also on the menu is a few options for those who do not want chicken in the form of their Veggie Burger and Philly Cheesesteak.  Unlike other versions, their veggie patty is made with paneer and then fried.  Hence, the texture is much softer and moist.  The crunch of the exterior gives it a great contrast.  As for their cheesesteak, it features thin slices of beef that are lean, yet not chewy.  It features peppers, onions and cheese in a soft roll.

For their version of Popcorn Chicken, they use large pieces of dark meat that could easily pass for nuggets.  This is a version of popcorn chicken that needs to be shared or if it is all you are eating , you will be full!.  Naturally, these feature the same crunchy seasoned batter as the fried chicken.  Also similar is the juicy and well-seasoned chicken.  On the side, there is a spicy and sweet chili dip.

Beyond their fried chicken and burger options, they also have a few daily Indian specials.  On Wednesdays, they have the Grilled Chicken Skewer atop spiced chicken rice for $7.99.  This is more than enough for one person where the chicken is flavourful with spiciness.  Despite not looking as such, the chicken is tender and juicy.  Underneath, the ample amount of chicken rice is fluffy while chewy with spices.

Also available as a daily special on Mondays, the Chicken Biryani features large pieces of chicken thigh nestled within the spiced rice for $9.99.  I found the chicken to be succulent and spicy while the chewy (in a good way) rice was equally hot.  Full of flavour and a steal for the price.  Due to popular demand for this item, it is available every day of the week for the non-special price.  On weekends, they offer Hungry Habibi Hours that includes chicken biryani, butter naan bread, pink tea and dessert. It is available from Friday to Sunday from 5:00 - 10:00pm.

In terms of sweets, they have milkshakes such as the Mango Milkshake (there is Oreo too!) as well as Cheesecake.  The shake is creamy and purposefully sweet while the cheesecake was quite light and airy with plenty of cheesiness.  It is on the sweeter side due to the caramel drizzle.  As you can see from this post, the food at House of Chicken is very affordable and well-portioned.  Add in the fact that the food is delicious as well, then you have a real winner.  I actually work nearby so, I am going to be quite the regular now and grab some takeout for lunch!

 *All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Inexpensive (almost unbelievable)
- Generous portions

The Bad:
- Could add a few more options for sides

 

Sushi Hil

I'm sure the rising cost of almost everything is quite noticeable these days.  Inflation is real and is hitting restaurants hard.  To get a premium sushi experience these days, the price has gone up considerably.  Places I've visited in the past are now out-of-reach for many people.  However, there is a new spot on Main Street that offers up premium sushi for a not-so-premium price.  I mean it isn't "cheap", but the value is definitely there.  Sushi Hil by Chef Hil Nguy (who opened Temaki Sushi) is a no-fuss experience where the ingredients are high-quality and prepared with care.  I finally was able to make it out to see why it has been garnering so many accolades since it opened.

There is no Omakase here, rather, you merely order a la carte from their focused menu.  We started with something simple, yet often not done right, the Spinach Gomaae.  However, in this case, it was really good.  Beyond the perfectly-textured spinach (cooked through and tender, but still had a slight crunch), the sesame dressing was so full of aroma and intense sweetness.  This was sesame-forward like it should be.

As intense as the gomaae was, we moved onto the New York Steak Tataki which was much more subtle.  For some, the ponzu sauce might've be too mild, but this allowed the natural beef flavour to come through.  Also, if it was too acidic, the dish would be out-of-balance.  As for the thin slices of NY steak, they were buttery tender while still retaining a meaty texture.

For our next item, we went even more mild with the Oyster Motoyaki.  Loved the motoyaki sauce as it was creamy with a good hit of acidity.  Hidden within, we found plump chunks of briny oyster mixed with tender spinach leaves and mushrooms.  Due to the amount of these ingredients, there was an excess amount of liquid at the bottom of the shell.  However, the liquid did taste great with the sweetness of the oyster and earthiness of the mushrooms.

For good measure, we also had the King Salmon Tataki in addition to our New York Steak Tataki.  Oh this was such a treat as the king salmon was super buttery and required little-to-no chewing.  It was supremely fresh with the bright taste of the sea.  Once again, the ponzu dressing was restrained where it allowed the main ingredient to be the star of the show.  Loved the crunchy garnish with the cucumber and radish as it added texture.

For $45.00, the Sashimi Moriawase was very reasonably-priced in my mind.  It featured 15 pieces consisting of shima aji, kanpachi, madai, hamachi, amaebi, hotate, tako and tuna gomaae.  The slices of fish were fresh with a nice sheen and clean taste.  Absolutely loved the amaebi as it was bursting with natural sweetness.  Also, the tuna gomaae was excellent featuring the same impactful dressing as the spinach gomaae.

Now the sashimi was awesome, but the Nagasaki Bluefin Tuna Tasting was the highlight of the meal.  Again, for $48.00, we found this a good value as it featured 2 pieces each of Negitoro, Chutoro, Otoro and Akami.  Believe me, this was such a treat with super buttery and sweet bluefin.  My favourite was the fatty otoro followed by the soft chutoro.  I could eat these 2 all day long!

Just for curiosity's sake, we added the King Oshi with shiso, serrano chili and tare sauce.  Naturally, the salmon was just as buttery and soft as the tataki, but offering up more aroma due to the activation of the fats from the torching.  The sushi rice was on point with an appealing chew that contrasted the soft salmon.  A definite kick was provided by the thin slice of serrano while the tare added a sweet saltiness.

To end things off with a bang with the A5 Wagyu Nigiri as well as the Hokkaido Uni Nigiri.  For myself, I feel that the A5 Wagyu nigiri was a steal for $10.00 a piece.  Lightly torched and sauced, the buttery and fatty slice of beef provided both luxurious texture and aromatics.  So decadent.  Not to be outdone, the Hokkaido uni was bright and sweet with the definite taste of the sea.  A bit of wasabi on top for some bite.  These were 2 really nice bites to end off a fantastic meal.  The quality of the ingredients and their preparation blew me away, especially for the price.  This is a real gem here and I recommend that you head down to Sushi Hil if you enjoy premium sushi.  I will be returning for sure (actually have resos already).

The Good:
- Premium ingredients
- Prepared properly
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Would like an Omakase menu (maybe in the future?)
- Place is really small, make resos and don't bring a large group

Published on Main

So you know the saying that "you can never have too much of a good thing?", well I think it is completely true when we are referring to Published on Main.  Fresh off a visit back in September, I felt that I needed to come back again.  Not only do I love the food there, the biggest reason for another visit was that Viv had never been.  So I took her there for her birthday and coincidentally, I made the rez just prior to Published being awarded a Michelin star.  Oh and also being recognized as one of the best restaurants in the world as well.

With those lofty expectations, we started simply with the Chips & Dip.  Yes, this isn't the most sexiest dish on the menu, but it is one of my favourites.  Those thick cut house potato chips arrived crunchy and nicely salted.  The accompanying sour cream and onion dip was the perfect temperature being cool and creamy.  There was a natural sweetness from the onions as well as a background sharpness.  What really made the dip was the smoked fish as there was an appealing fishiness and depth.

Next up was the Chicken Fried Maitake with garlic scape ranch.  Although there was no meat in this dish, the meatiness of the mushrooms made this rather fulfilling.  Beyond the aggressive crunch of the cornmeal batter, the maitake were tender with a meaty chew.  Creamy and aromatic, the ranch helped cool things down, much like the sour cream dip, but with more effect since the mushrooms were hot.  As much as garlic scapes can be rather strong flavoured, the dip was balanced.

One of the prettiest dishes was the Albacore Crudo with an ajo blanco, almonds, olive and lemon.  It ate as well as it looked where the tuna was super buttery with a fresh taste of the sea.  Underneath, the ajo blanco was rich but had a nice bit of acidity to compliment the fish.  The crunch of the almond crumble added the necessary texture as well as nuttiness.  Providing saltiness and a touch more tang, the olives were more than a garnish.

Continuing on with the seafood, we had the Roasted Octopus with turnips and a lemon guajillo dressing.  I found the texture of the octopus to be perfect for my liking.  Often, restaurants overcompensate for the chewy texture of octopus by making it too soft.  Here, the tentacles still had a good chew but was not hard to eat.  That dressing was just plain delicious where it had great acidity as well as a smoky and sweet finish.

One of my favourite dishes at Published is their Winter Squash.  I was pretty glad that they still had this on the menu. It featured roasted squash with a pepita miso glaze, fermented currants and a koji butter sauce.  The glaze itself was almost like a brulee and had an intense sweetness accented by a rich saltiness.  The sweet squash was firm, yet still tender.  To add even more luxuriousness to this dish, the koji butter sauce was rich, yet not too heavy.

We ended up ordering 2 of their features for the night including the Pickerel Filet with rosti, celery, Brussels sprouts and green dashi butter.  The fish couldn't have been prepared any better.  It was flaky, buttery and moist while the skin was crispy and well-salted.  That green dashi butter tasted like its colour yet was not heavy.  The accompaniments were excellent as well with vibrant veggies and a crispy rosti.

The other feature was the Beef Cheek with red wine cabbage puree, German gnocchi and Brussels sprouts.  Gelatinous and fork tender, the beef cheek was rich and delicious.  However, the puree was just a bit too tangy for our tastes.  It was in a beautiful shade of violet though and really popped.  Those gnocchi had a great mouth feel with a slight chew giving way to fluffiness.  Nice sear on them with a butteriness.

Onto dessert, the Elderflower Mousse with yogurt sorbet and lemon verbena was plated interestingly and was rather functional.  Alternating between sorbet and verbena, the sliced discs were easy to pick up and eat.  Nice tang on both while the verbena was super creamy.  I gotta say that this meal lived up to our expectations.  I've never had a bad experience at Published and I think they are fully deserving of their Michelin star.  Of course I'll be back sometime soon.

The Good:
- Beautifully plated and delicious food
- On point, but not fussy, service
- Excellent cocktails

The Bad:
- Can get pricey since 3 dishes (excluding dessert) at minimum per person is needed to be satisfied
- Getting a table these days is difficult

Arike

Back when it first opened, I had hit up Arike out on Davie Street.  It was one of the rare African restaurants in the GVRD and even more unique, it had a Nigerian focus.  I came away quite satisfied with my meal, but apparently, this was confusing for people looking for Nigerian cuisine.  It was not the big share portions of home-style cooking normally associated with Nigerian cuisine.  So on this recent visit with Mijune, we discovered they feature only a tasting-menu that focuses on a variety of dishes that have African-influenced flavours and ingredients.  I guess they are doing something right as they have been recently graced with the Michelin-recommended status.

For $65.00, we felt this was a reasonable price for a tasting menu in a Downtown restaurant.  We began with the Herbed Foccacia with peanut hummus and chili oil.  Normally, I don't rave about bread, but I'm going to do it this time.  Crispy and nutty on the outside, the foccacia was soft and warm on the inside.  That peanut hummus was smooth with a spicy nuttiness that elevated the bread.  I could put spoonfuls of that in my mouth.

Up next, we had something I wouldn't have expected, but at the same time, shows the creativity of the chef.  Featuring a beautiful lightly torched Scallop atop jerk pork belly rice, this was a great interpretation of nigiri.  Beyond the buttery sweetness of the fresh scallop, the luxurious and richness of the rice underneath was a nice counterbalance.  Add in the sharpness of ginger and the tang of lemon, there was enough acidity to make the flavours pop.

Pretty with mandarin, mint and coconut ricotta, the red kuri Squash "tart" was perfectly-placed in the progression of dishes in the tasting menu.  The squash base was sweet, nutty and soft.  The addition of mandarin added some sweet and juicy tanginess to break up the heaviness of the squash.  Providing some crunch, we had some nuts and creamy aromatics was provided by the ricotta.  To top it off literally and figuratively, we had the herbaceous hit of the mint.

After this fairly rich course, we were treated to a Palette Cleanser in the form of lemon ginger granita.  Once again, the use of lemon and ginger provided a refreshing combination of acidity and sharpness.  This took away any of the flavours of the last dish.  The granita was fluffy, yet crunchy at the same time.  It did not melt and was consistent in texture.

Good thing we had the palette cleanser as it allowed us to enjoy the Duck ravioli to the fullest.  This was an overstuffed creation with perfectly thin and al dente pasta encasing a considerable amount of moist and tender duck (that also had a good rebound texture).  On top we found some grated cured egg yolk, pickled mustard seed and fermented iru bean.  I can't tell you how delicious this was where the duck was definitely the star.  I found the flavours of the other ingredients to be complimentary and in balance.

My favourite course was the Lamb shoulder sausage atop chermoula with pickled carrots and grilled yam pita.  That sausage was so juicy and well-spiced, I would've been happy with it alone on a plate.  However, the chermoula complimented the rich sausage with acidity and brightness.  The carrots added another layer of tanginess and a bit of crunch.  Loved the soft chewiness of the yam pita as it was a nice foil to the meat.  The trick here was to have everything in one bite.

For dessert, we were served the black Sesame cake with cappuccino panna cotta with cardamom and ginger.  Soft and warm, the sesame cake was nutty and only semi-sweet.  Digging into the panna cotta, it revealed a creaminess accented by spice and slight sharpness.  I enjoyed how this dessert was more about subtly rather than sweetness.  In the end, I was truly blown away with the tasting menu at Arike.  It was thoughtful and the progression of courses made sense.  I love the direction they have taken with the menu as it is creative and delicious.  I will be back 100%.

The Good:

- Just downright delicious

- Creative incorporation of African spices and influences

- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:

- Currently open everyday in December, but only on Friday and Saturdays in January, hence it will be difficult to get a reservation

- Location is a bit hidden, but IYKYK

La Meza Grill

It has been awhile since I've been back to La Meza Grill.  I personally think it is one of the best, if not the best Filipino restaurant in the Lower Mainland.  The place isn't fancy, but it is modern and comfortable, complete with a Filipino grocery store attached to it.  I've said it before and have said it again, I'm still waiting for Filipino food to be the "it" cuisine.  They've been saying for years that it will happen and well, it hasn't.  Whatever the case, I brought my resident Filipino food expert in Steph to ensure that I'm not liking something that I shouldn't.

Trying to hit some of their greatest hits, we started with the Lumpiang Shanghai.  These Filipino spring rolls were on point featuring the classic thin wrapper.  It was wound up tightly enough so that the layers were crunchy.  I enjoyed how they were not overly greasy.  Inside, the pork filling was excellent.  It was juicy and delicate with a good rebound texture.  There was also no absence of flavour where the sweetness from the onions and veggies came through.  This was served with a side of sweet & sour sauce.

Moving on, we also had the Pork BBQ skewer.  As you can see in the picture, this was beautifully charred and sporting a sweet banana ketchup-based glaze.  They used pork belly and that resulted in very tender and fatty pieces of meat.  With the fat activated, there was plenty of natural pork flavour that was caramelized by the grilling.  With the charring of the sweet glaze, there was both smokiness and intense caramel notes.

We really couldn't be dining on Filipino food without including the Crispy Pata right?  So of course we ordered it!  This was excellent where it was pretty large and also fried up beautifully.  The pork hock meat was gelatinous and super tender.  Now the best part is the crackling and it was crunchy while not being hard.  It was almost airy with some sinful fat and gelatin underneath.  As usual, it was served with a soy vinegar dip on the side.

One item I've never had before was the Bulalo or beef bone marrow and mixed veggie soup.  This was a great suggestion by Steph as it was comforting, especially during these cold days.  This wasn't a complex soup, but it had a good meatiness complemented by the sweetness of corn, cabbage and bak choy.  Hidden underneath, there was quite a bit of tender beef shank.  This could be eaten as a meal by itself.

Continuing on the greatest hits of Filipino cuisine, we got the Filipino Spaghetti.  To be honest, I really like this dish, so it didn't matter if it was rather defaultish.  The pasta was prepared fairly al dente and it was sauced with the classic sweet tomato and banana ketchup mix (maybe a bit too sweet).  There was plenty of ground pork and beef with minor hints of onion. I would've liked to see a bit more hot dog wiener though.

Another favourite of mine is the Pork Sisig or aka sizzling pig face.  Yes, that doesn't sound super appetizing, but trust me, it is!  The fatty and gelatinous texture of the fatty meat crisps up with the hot cast iron plate.  Despite the heaviness of the main ingredient, things are balanced by the calamansi as well as the lemon wedge on the side.  This is best eaten with a side of garlic rice, which of course we also ordered. 

To complete all of our savoury dishes, we had another classic in the Mixed Pancit featuring stir-fried egg and rice noodles with chicken, pork, shrimp and vegetables.  At first, I thought this was a bit too mild-tasting, but as I dug into it more and mixed everything together, we found hits of garlic, sweetness and brininess.  Noodles were slippery and not clumpy while the veggies were cooked through without being soggy.

Hey, if we were doing the greatest hits, we just had to get the Halo Halo for dessert!   This had all of the elements including the base of shaved ice, gelatin, beans, flan, ube ice cream and evaporated milk.  However, the ice itself was not crushed properly where there was literally a big ice cube in the middle.  Oh well, just one minor detail in an otherwise delicious and affordable meal at La Meza.  If you haven't had Filipino food before, this is a great place to try it.  Portions are large and prices are small.  Did I mention it was yummy too?

The Good:
- On point food
- Inexpensive
- Large portions

The Bad:
- Not the biggest place, so not a lot of room for large groups
- Hopefully the next time I have the Halo Halo, there isn't a large ice cube in the middle  

Rio Brazilian Steakhouse

Fresh off a visit to Fogo de Chão earlier this year in Bellevue, it got us craving for some Brazilian BBQ here in Vancity.  Now that isn't necessarily an easy task as there is only one place to get it - Rio Brazilian Steakhouse.  They have 2 locations, one in Downtown Vancouver and the other is in Coquitlam.  Yes, there used to be Samba (run by the Thai House Group), but they have long closed.  So we headed out to the Coquitlam Rio to see if anything has changed since the last time I visited the place (that was pre-covid and I didn't blog about it).

So the concept for this form of dining is that they put a card on the table that has a green side and a red side.  They will keep bringing over various BBQ meats if your card is green.  When you want to throw in the towel, you turn it to red.  But before even getting to the meats, you can help yourself to the Salad Bar, that also featured other dishes such as beans & rice, sauteed mushrooms and paella.  Nothing out-of-the-ordinary here.  Be careful of how much you eat because it just fills up space in your stomach that could otherwise be used for meat...

Yet, even before the meat, we got the requisite sides to any Brazilian BBQ meal in the Fried Banana and the Tapioca Flour Cheese Buns (Pao de Queijo).  The fried bananas were rather starchy and not that sweet.  For me, I enjoy them this way (almost like plantains) rather than overly ripe ones.  As for the buns, they were chewy and gooey due to the tapioca flour and also the amount of cheese inside.

About that meat, the first one that came to our table was the NY Striploin.  Now this is usually my favourite cut of meat, but this was not as tender as we would've preferred.  It was, however, beautifully medium-rare, which meant it was juicy.  Despite that, it was rather tough and we didn't have that much fun eating it.  Lots of meat flavour though while the exterior was nicely salted.

Now the Picanha (or Top Sirloin Cap) was much more tender, despite not being as sexy as a NY steak.  This was also done medium-rare, hence it was juicy and moist.  The fat cap did help offer up some pretty delicious meat flavour as well.  Even though we got a thick slice from our server, it still cut easily and was easy to chew.  Once again, this was well-salted.

Another decent cut of meat was the Ribeye.  As you can see in the picture, it was also perfectly medium-rare.  You can also see on this cut, the large salt crystals on the outside.  This was also rather juicy, yet decently rested, so that it didn't leak all over our plate.  This was fairly tender and only second to the Picanha.  Of course, this was better than the striploin.

One of our favourite cuts of meat wasn't beef at all.  Rather, it was the Bacon-Wrapped Chicken featuring white breast meat.  We actually had this on 2 separate occasions and the second time, it was much more juicy and tender.  The smokiness and saltiness of the bacon really penetrated the chicken meat offering up impactful flavours.  In theory, it also kept the chicken moist and prevented juices from leaking out.

Although the Chicken Drumsticks should be more tender and juicy than the breast meat, it really wasn't.  That didn't mean they were dry, but they weren't that moist either.  However, the byproduct of being slightly overdone was that the skin was properly rendered and sported a golden brown sear.  The meat wasn't as aggressively seasoned, hence it as a bit bland tasting.  I didn't get a good picture of the Chicken Hearts, but they were one of our favourites being juicy and well-salted.

The worst cut of meat had to be the Pork as it was super dry and chewy.  This had a lot to do with the cut as it was super lean.  Secondly, this appeared to be put back on the BBQ (which is standard, to keep the meat warm and to cook the meat further as the middle portion is often less done).  To top things off, this was also lacking in seasoning, so we did a hard pass on the second go-around.

Another table favourite was the Slow-Cooked Beef Short Ribs.  Oh boy, these were so tender and fatty, that they practically melted-in-our-mouths.  Good thing the cooking process helped render the fat, so we were left with flavourful and well-seasoned meat.  Naturally, this was served on a platter and since we were sitting upstairs, it didn't make it up to us.  Rather, they sent us up a plate, showing that they remembered we were up there.

Even though Pork Sausages aren't the most sexy item to have here, they were still quite good.  They were well-charred on the outside without being burnt.  Nice smokiness and slight crispiness on the casing.  Inside, the meat was not overprocessed.  Instead, it was had good chunks of meat that was mixed well with just enough fat.  I found the sausages not that fatty.

Lastly, we had some slices of the Cinnamon Pineapple that was cooked enough so it was warm and juicy with the sugars activated.  The charred cinnamon on the outside was slightly sweet and smoky.  So I'm sure the biggest question you are wondering is: how does Rio compare to Fogo de  Chão?  Well, not well to be honest.  Fogo is superior in meat quality and selection.  However, Rio does hold the advantage of being considerably less expensive.  Furthermore, until Fogo opens up a location here (which is rumoured to be coming), there is no competition for Rio.

The Good:
- Only Brazilian BBQ in town
- Excellent service
- Fun eating

The Bad:
- Meat quality isn't the best
- Meat selection is limited