Sooda

When it first opened, I had visited Sooda, even before they had removed all of the previous "Firepots" table burners.  Since I was with only one other person, we ordered the Sooda dakgalbi (that big hotplate of rice) and one more dish.  I never blogged about it because that was not representative of their whole menu.  I did enjoy the rice, despite it costing like $40.00.  It took me until recently to visit it again with my family (more people = more food!).

So before we got to our dishes, we had some of the complimentary Banchan including cabbage and onion salad, cabbage kimchi and seaweed salad.  These were fine where the kimchi was very lightly dressed.  Not the typical version, but okay.  We actually started with some Honey Butter Korean Fried Chicken consisting of chicken wings.  I found the batter to be lightly crunchy and sauced enough.  However, the skin wasn't rendered enough.  The meat was tender and juicy though.

One of their signature items is their Sooda Box, so we ordered the full 46cm version.  This featured premium Korean steak tartar atop boxed sushi rice.  It was drizzled with spicy aioli and then torched.  A slice of jalapeno graced each piece.  This was really good witch chewy rice and buttery tender beef.  Lots of spice and spiciness to go around.  We didn't stop there and also got the full Cheese Sooda Box with melted and torched mozzarella on top.  We enjoyed this one very much since they didn't skimp on the cheese.  Much more rich and heavier than the regular sooda box.

We also had some Korean BBQ in the form of Beef Belly and Pork Jowl.  This was a reasonable amount of quality meat for the price.  Using their induction burners (that replaced the old firepots branded ones), the BBQ got hot enough for searing.  Hence, the meats came out well and were tender.  The pork jowl had the usual rebound texture.  As for the fatty beef belly, it was soft and buttery.  Not bad for a place that doesn't specialize in Korean BBQ.

Lastly, we had the Sweet Pork Ribs with Mozza.  The description said it all where the ribs were fall-off-the-bone while maintaining a meatiness.  They were sauced with sweet soy.  The side of melted bubbling mozzarella was a cheesy accompaniment to the pork.  Rather heavy dish, but it is meant to be shared anyways.  So I didn't get to order the rice again since we had enough food and also there was not enough table space either.  I can confirm it is a large order best shared by more than 2 people.  For the rest of the food we had, it was more than acceptable and I can see why the place is busy.  Things aren't exactly cheap, but portions make up for it.

The Good:
- Some unique dishes
- Fairly large portions
- That Sooda Box is a must order

The Bad:
- Prices are on the higher side, especially for the signature items (but portions are large)
- Place gets busy and you will need to lineup

Afghan Kitchen

Here I am out in South Surrey again visiting one of my favourite restaurants - Afghan Kitchen.  I've actually been here a half-dozen times but have only blogged about it once.  I had an updated post planned for last year, but never got around to writing it.  This time around, I was invited for a tasting along with Vic & Winnie, Alex & Jen and Craig.  So why is this one of my favourite spots?  Well, the food is really flavourful and well-prepared.  Most importantly, I think you get good value for the money (prices are not cheap, but you get a tonne of food) and the people are nice too (even before this tasting!).

One of their tastiest items in my opinion is the classic Bolani.  This stuffed-Afghani flatbread is crispy and nutty on the outside while giving way to light chewiness and then pillowy softness.  Inside, the delicate potatoes are seasoned well with herbs and spices.  In particular, the cumin and black pepper stand out giving an earthy pepperiness.  Found on the side is Afghan chutney and yogurt.  Good combination of some spice cooled down with the whipped yogurt.

Another simple, yet delicious item is the Pakawras that resemble large potato chips.  Yah, nothing complex about that, yet these thinly-sliced potatoes are coated with a spiced batter that is super crunchy.  Not only that, but they are not very greasy either.  The chips alone are plenty tasty by themselves, but add in the same fluffy spiced yogurt, then we have a cooling dip that offers up creaminess and flavour too.

Sneakily, the Afghan Chicken Nuggets are one of the best appies on the menu.  So what makes these different than any other chicken nugget?  Well, once again, it is all about the spiced batter.  It is aggressively crunchy and nicely seasoned.  Also, they use white meat that stays tender and moist (which is not always a given).  Just like the previous dishes, this came with the whipped yogurt as well as the chutney.

Drizzled with beet vinaigrette, the deep fried Brussels Sprouts will make believers out of those who don't like Brussels sprouts.  Similar to many versions out there, the sprouts are fried until crispy.  This ensures the usual mushy texture and odd flavour of Brussels sprouts are eliminated.  Completing the dish is roasted red pepper hummus that adds creamy sweetness.

Another one of my favourite dishes at Afghan Kitchen is the Mantu stuffed with minced beef and onions.  Love the texture of the dumpling wrapper as it is chewy, yet tender with appealing elasticity.  The meat is tender while the diced onions add sweetness and texture.  Each dumpling is topped with split peas, tomato sauce and yogurt.  The result is tanginess, creaminess and bite from the split peas.

There are plenty of share platters to choose from (and I've had a few of them), but we went with the KBL to YVR Platter.  This includes chicken kebab, potato, eggplant, spinach, Afghan rice and lamb shank (in the next picture).  This is actually for 2 people and if you add the lamb shank, this is a lot of food.  Now it is also tasty with tender nuggets of white meat chicken, buttery soft eggplant and spinach as well as soft spiced potatoes.  Heck, even the rice is excellent being chewy and nutty with sweet raisins and carrots.

Now about that Lamb Shank, it is fairly large and sits in a fragrant and aromatic tomato-based gravy.  Definitely can pick the earthiness of the spices including the usual cumin.  Naturally, this goes well with the rice where the raisins and carrots pair well with the spices.  As for the lamb itself, it is cooked beautifully where the meat falls off the bone and is uniformly tender and gelatinous.  Another one of my favs here.

Sticking with the same type of meat, the Lamb Shoulder offers up a completely different texture experience.  Unlike the fall-off-the-bone shank, the meat here is more robust and firm.  However, since it is roasted and then seared, there is caramelization and smokiness.  Much more depth and meatiness.  With 2 pieces of lamb shoulder, this dish would be enough for more than one person.

Moving away from lamb, their Afghan Chicken is also quite good.  It features 2 bone-in chicken legs that are cooked until they fall off the bone.  The garlic tomato gravy penetrates the meat offering up sweetness and tanginess.  For me, the trick is to shred the tender chicken and mix it with the gravy and then add it to rice.  Normally, chicken is pretty neutral-tasting, but this one is full-flavoured and rich.

For dessert, we shared a selection of Mum's Secret, Shir Yakh and Firni.  Essentially a sponge cake, mum's secret is moist and lightly-sweet.  However, when doused with the sweet milk, then things are amped up. The shir yakh or Afghan ice cream is super creamy and rich.  It also helps that they top it with dense cream and pistachios.It was aromatic and sweet with richness and creaminess.  The firni resembles a panna cotta in terms of texture and this one is mildly-sweet with the flavour of cardamom.  So once again, I had an excellent meal at Afghan Kitchen.  The food is always plentiful and delicious.  I just wished it was located closer to me!

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Good portions
- Friendly service

The Bad:
- Best to come with friends, sharing is better than trying to order one plate for yourself
- Prices aren't cheap, but portions are large

Grillzilla Bistro

Alright, I have to be pretty blunt about this...  When I first saw Grillzilla Bistro out on Victoria Drive at 49th, I was not particularly drawn to the place.  What the heck is with the name???  However, this is another case of never judge a book by its cover.  Situated in the old Victoria Restaurant (not to be confused with Victoria Seafood Restaurant in Royal Centre), Grillzilla dishes up brunch, lunch and dinner for reasonable prices.  I decided to check out the place for brunch despite the name.

We went for the Simplicity Benny as a baseline for their brunch instead of the usual meat and eggs (since that is boring).  Loved that that used thick-cut smoked bacon rather than back bacon.  The result was more depth-of-flavour and texture.  The poached eggs on top were done to our specifications (medium and runny).  The light dollop of Hollandaise (it was enough, trust me) was creamy with an appealing kick.  Could've used maybe a touch more acidity though.  Underneath the bacon was ripe avocado and the whole thing was topped with arugula.

Going for one of their fusion dishes in the Grillzilla Skillet that consisted of marinated thinly-sliced steak, 2 eggs, miso aioli, caramelized onions, mushrooms and herb-roasted potatoes.  This had bulgogi vibes all over and that was fantastic.  The meat was tender and full-flavoured from the marinade as well as the rich saltines of the aioli.  Onions were sweet while the mushrooms provided the usual woodsiness.  

Lastly, we tried the Classic Sandwich featuring a hand pressed beef patty, fried egg, bacon, meslun greens, tomato and spicy aioli on toasted brioche.  Wow, this was excellent where the beef was flavourful and moist.  Nicely charred on the outside which gave it plenty of aroma.  Once again, the bacon was thick and meaty while the bun was nice toasted.  This was delicious.  Even the hashbrowns were on point being evenly crispy.  After only trying 3 dishes, we were sold on the Grillzilla.  Weird name, but good food at super reasonable prices.  Will be back over and over again.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Inexpensive
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Small place, better get here early

Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen

It has been so long since I've visited Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen that they have moved into a newer and bigger location down the street.  So no, I do not have to lineup to get into their small and slightly run-down old location anymore.  Rather, the new spot is spacious, modern and clean.  So is the food as good as it used to be?  Well, I did end up going there for a quick visit and to go for their most popular dishes.

Of course we had the Chả Cá (Fried Marinated Fish Cake) and it was as good as I remembered it.  Their version is super fluffy and light while still have a nice rebound texture.  Lots of inherent flavour with the sweetness of fish and a slight bite of white pepper.  Unlike many other versions, the unique texture of this one makes it special.  The side of nước chấm provided a fish salty tanginess.

We also got the Cánh Gà Rang Muối (Salt & Pepper Wings) just to do a comparison with Phnom Penh.  Of course it is always difficult to find wings (of that type) that live up to those at PP, but these weren't bad.  The meat was juicy and flavourful while the outside was crispy.  The skin wasn't as rendered as I would've liked and the flavour was not as intense as the ones from PP.

I know, I know, we really should've ordered the dish that the restaurant is named after, but we couldn't resist getting the Bún Riêu (Special Crab Soup with Vermicelli).  This, to me, is one of the best in town and it was indeed delicious.  The soup base had a nice briny crab taste to it and was rather intense.  The noodles were slippery and al dente while there was plenty of ingredients to be found.

Although they are not know for their Phở, we got it anyways as a baseline of sorts.  Sure, I have been criticized in the past for not ordering the Bún Chả Cá Đặc Biệt, but that isn't what I wanted.  The Phở Dac Biệt was alright with a meaty broth (albeit a touch greasy).  It wasn't exactly clean-tasting, but had plenty of sweetness.  Maybe a bit heavy handed with the MSG tough.  Lots of ingredients and noodles were good.

Lastly, we had the Cơm Bò Nướng, Nem Nướng (Lemongrass Short Ribs and Minced Pork Patty with Rice) for good measure.  This was pretty good with chewy rice and meaty short ribs.  They were tender with a chew while being well-marinated.  Pork patty was nicely charred and on the sweeter side.  Overall, the food was quite good and well-portioned.  Loved the new location as it was much more spacious.  We will come back and have their other signature dishes next time.

The Good:
- Delicious crab soup noodles
- Well-portioned
- Spacious location

The Bad:
- A bit heavy with the MSG
- Service can be sparse due to how busy it is

Kaneko Hannosuke (The Amazing Brentwood)

Here I am again at The Amazing Brentwood.  This time around, I was invited with Roanna, Jess and Eileen to try out Kaneko Hannosuke.  Now I've been here before and in fact, is one of my son's favourite things to eat.  This happens to be the only location of Kaneko Hannosuke since the Robson store has quietly closed.  To be honest, I was initially skeptical of tempura on rice as it just didn't seem like something I'd enjoy.  But after several meals later, I have concluded that I indeed like it and have come back a few times.  Unlike those individual visits, we decided to try the whole menu out at this tasting.

So let's start with the most basic version first in the Regular Tempura Bowl sporting mushroom, shrimp, kakiage, soft boiled egg, seaweed and green bean.  Underneath the tempura was a layer of rice that was about 1/2 deep from the top (as the plastic bowl inside the paper bowl doesn't go all the way to the bottom).  On the side, we found miso soup, tendon sauce and pickled ginger.  I can confirm that this is a sufficient amount of food as it was enough for me.  The sauce on the side ensures that the tempura doesn't get soggy and also you can control the seasoning for the dish.

For those who want some meat with their seafood, there is the Chicken Tempura Bowl with everything in the regular bowl except the mushrooms were subbed out in favour of chicken.  Hence, this was a bit more filling something was like chicken karaage but not (due to the batter).  Chicken was tender and juicy while the batter was crunchy, even with sauce poured over it.  The rice was nicely chewy where the fried soft-poached egg offered up some moisture. 

Continuing on filling, the Salmon Tempura Bowl had 2 pieces of fried salmon that were the same size as the chicken.  It wasn't as juicy per se, but it wasn't dry either.  Once again, the batter was aggressively crunchy on all of the ingredients (they actually stay crunchy even if you bring it home as takeout).  The sweet and salty sauce complimented the rice and tempura nicely.  I found it similar to tempura sauce, but with a bit more depth and flavour.

One of my favourites is the Sea Scallop Tempura Bowl where if you notice, the ingredients are the same except for one item.  These are the giant scallops in this case and they were cooked perfectly.  Being buttery with a rebound, these scallops were sweet and featured a taste of the sea.  Just like the other bowls, the tempura batter was not exactly thin, but it wasn't heavy either.

Another one of my preferred options, the Oyster Tempura Bowl that, you guessed it, replaces the scallops with 3 medium-sized oysters.  The oysters were fresh and fried up just right.  They were juicy and briny with a slight amount of chew from the mantle.  Due to the shape and indentations of the oyster, there was much more tempura batter on it and hence, it was even more crunchy.

For those who really love their shrimp, the Ebi Tempura Bowl is the one for them.  It not only includes the 2 shrimp tempura from the original ingredients, this bowl added 3 more to give it a total of 5 shrimp tempura.  This featured shrimp that had a meaty snap and plenty of sweet shrimpy aroma.  Batter was aggressive and hence the crunch was firm.  I put a bit more sauce on these to soften them up a touch.

Now onto the Special Tempura Bowl, this also included the same stuff but the main ingredient was subbed for white fish.  It was quite heavily battered, but once again, the crunch was not heavy.  I didn't have the appetite to try this one, but based on past visits, the fish does remain moist.  Also love the fried nori as it eats like a chip.  The mixed seafood tempura was mostly comprised of squid which was tender with a soft chew.

The granddaddy of them all is the Premium Tempura Bowl featuring a really large piece of conger eel.  As such, this was the most filling of all and worthy of the $19.95 price tag.  My teenage son gets full after eating this and in fact, I bought one of these (on my own coin) to take home because he wanted one.  Compared to the salmon and white fish, the eel was the most moist of them all.  So as you can see, the bowls are very similar except for one key ingredient.  Prices range from $16.95 to the aforementioned premium bowl at $19.95.  If you love tempura, this will suit your fancy.  I never thought I would like this, but after many visits, it has won me over.

*All bowls were complimentary except for the one I bought for my son... LOL*

The Good:
- Crunchy tempura that isn't greasy
- Is quite filling
- That sauce is nicely balanced and not salty

The Bad:
- Only location locally for now since the Robson one is gone (so only food court for now)
- May need more sauce than what is supplied

Neptune Palace Dim Sum Service (The Amazing Brentwood)

After a good dinner service at the newly-opened Neptune Palace at The Amazing Brentwood, we made plans to return for Dim Sum.  This is my M.O. when it comes to Cantonese restaurants because their dinner and Dim Sum chefs are usually not the same person.  Therefore, judging these restaurants solely on dinner or Dim Sum alone is not only not representative of the food in general, it is rather unfair as well.  So only week later, we returned on a busy Sunday morning for the Dim Sum rush.

We started with the Lobster & Shrimp Dumplings that consisted of 4 shrimp dumplings and one special shrimp dumpling in the middle with lobster on top.  Due to that special dumpling in the middle, all the other ones got stuck to it and hence, when picked up with chopsticks, the dumpling wrapper tore.  Despite this, the dumplings were good with a wrapper exhibiting elasticity.  Inside, the large pieces of shrimp were well-seasoned and exhibited good shrimpiness.  Texturally, the shrimp had a meaty snap.

Next, we had the Truffle Siu Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumplings).  I like the trend with 5 dumplings being the standard rather than 4.  It is a much more versatile amount when it comes to multiples.  I digress.  The dumplings themselves were quite good. There was an even mix of tender bouncy pork with equally bouncy shrimp.  There was a bit of pork fat, which was fine as it added both flavour and helped bind everything.  Seasoning was on point and the whole thing didn't taste too porky.  Of course the dollop of truffle sauce added woodsiness.

As per usual, we got the kid's favourite in the Garlic Shrimp Spring Rolls.  They actually gave us a bonus order (as they messed up), but being the honest people that we are, we sent it back.  Curses for being honest!  Anyways, these were very good with a crunchy exterior.   Not too greasy either.  The filling was mostly big pieces of shrimp that were well-seasoned and had a snappy bite.

Food came out pretty fast at this point and our table got pretty crowded with food.  We anticipated this and split out order into 2 rounds.  So for some offal dishes, we had the Steamed Chicken Feet first.  Although one particular foot was mangled, the rest were decent in size and fairly plump.  All of the cartilage and fat underneath were soft, yet not melted away.  This was aggressively seasoned where it was sweet and salty.

Of course, offal isn't offall without Tripe and Tendon.  This dish was overloaded with it whereas some places give you meager amounts.  We found big strips of honeycomb tripe that was soft, yet still maintaining a bite.  Underneath, the large pieces of tendon were super tender while not completing melting away.  Both were sauced with starch-thickened glaze that was garlicky, sweet and savoury.

Very light on the greens (onion and cilantro), the Beef Meatballs were also quite good.  Although they were modest in size (cue the jokes...), the dish had 4 of them, so there was still a decent amount of meat. Texturally, they were a bit on the firmer side, but still had that whipped meat mousse bounce and airiness.  Typically with this dish, the meat is mildly seasoned and this was no exception.  That's completely alright as you need to dip it into Worcestershire sauce anyways.

One of the more disappointing dishes was the Steamed Black Bean Spare Ribs.  Now it was actually seasoned well with a garlicky saltiness.  Also, the good rib pieces exhibited that preferred meaty bounciness that you want in this dish.  So what is the problem right?  Well, most of it was cartilage pieces that had little-to-no-meat and also fatty pieces that were not edible.  So this could totally be back luck, but it wasn't great nonetheless.

Since we already ordered spare ribs, we decided to get the Cured Pork Belly and Sausage Clay Pot Rice instead.  The rice was surprisingly good with a nutty chewiness that indicated it was cooked in the clay pot itself (and long enough too).  We did laugh at the meager amount of sliced sausage though (they could've put a few more right?).  At least there was enough cured pork belly.  No matter, the rice was good and we ate it with the spare ribs.  LOL... 

For our requisite rice noodle roll, we ordered the Prawn Rice Noodle Roll with flowering chives.  Now this was stuffed full of large meaty prawns with 3 to a roll.  They were mildly seasoned where they still had the natural sweet aroma of prawns.  As for the rice noodle itself, I found this to be medium-thick, yet not heavy.  There was some elasticity to the noodle, although it was soft.

One of their grand opening specials on the Dim Sum menu is the Whole Lobster with Crystal Noodles.  Although it was a smaller lobster, we found it more than adequate for the price.  It was fresh and had a decent amount of bouncy and sweet meat.  However, the best part of the dish was indeed the crystal noodles as they were both plentiful and beautifully textured.  They were soft, yet exhibiting the classic chewiness.  This was bordering on salty, but it tasted great with the stir-fry of white and green onions as well as ginger.

To really make sure we were full, we also ordered the E-Fu with Black Truffle and Seafood (aka Yee Mein).  This was a huge portion served in a large pot.  The noodles were soft, yet still retained a bite while the amount of bay scallops, shrimp and fish was substantial.  They were barely cooked, which was perfect.  They also didn't skimp on the black truffle sauce as the whole thing was very earthy.  I'd order this again.

Onto dessert, we got 2 items including the Portuguese Tarts.  Exhibiting the classic blistered and charred top, these tarts were pretty good.  Although the puff pastry was not exactly like the Portuguese tarts that I'm used to (they were like regular egg tart shells), they were still good being buttery and flaky (fully cooked too).  In the middle, the filling was creamy and light while being purposefully sweet and aromatic.

Our last dessert was actually a combination of 2 paying homage to the Tortoise & the Hare with the BBQ Pork Tortoise Buns and Coconut Pudding Bunnies (Year of the Rabbit reference?).  The buns were good being light and fluffy with a crispy sugary topping.  The BBQ pork was lean and coated in a sweet glaze.  The coconut pudding was on the firmer side, but was just sweet enough.  Overall, we found the Dim Sum at Neptune Palace to be good.  However, the dining room is far too small and they put us at one of the "temporary" tables at the front.  These tables did not exist during dinner service on our previous visit.  Hence, it wasn't that comfortable with people nudging by throughout our meal.  So I guess your experience will highly depend on your luck with whichever table you are seated at.  For a Michelin-recommended spot, this is not optimal.

The Good:
- Generally solid eats
- Despite being busy, service was quite good
- Satisfies a need in the area (as in no place like this nearby)

The Bad:
- Dining room is far too small for the amount of tables they squeeze into it for Dim Sum