Seaport City

For awhile there, especially during the pandemic (I guess it isn't really over, but you get the idea), there was a lack of new restaurants.  Business was tough and opening a new spot would've been probably not the best idea.  This also true for Chinese restaurants as many of the existing ones were struggling to survive.  Now that things are seemingly better, we find a few new spots popping up here and there including the brand-spanking new Seaport City.  It takes over the old Milestone's location above Whole Foods on Cambie at 8th.  They serve up Cantonese-style dim sum but for dinner they offer a rarity in Vancouver - Chiu Chow cuisine.  We ended up trying their Dim Sum service first.

With designated parking spots below and a dedicated elevator straight to the restaurant, Seaport City does offer up a convenient setup.  After looking over their menu, we ordered some items including the Crispy Prawn Rice Noodle Rolls. As you can see in the picture, the rice noodle was a tad too thick.  However, it was quite soft and delicate.  There was an absence of elasticity though.  Inside, the crispiness of the coating was a nice textural contrast to the overly soft rice noodle.  The prawns were meaty and cooked just right with a fresh snap.

For some reason, they did not specify the type of Spring Rolls on the menu.  So I'm happy to report they were the garlic shrimp variety.  I much prefer this over the pork and/or vegetarian one.  These were prepared well with a crunchy wrapper that was not overly greasy.  Inside, the shrimp were well-seasoned and nicely textured being moist with a rebound.

It seemed like we go all the shrimp/prawn items first and that continued with the Ha Gau (Steamed Prawn Dumplings).  Like the rice noodle roll, the dumpling skin on these were on the thicker side and slightly gummy.  They weren't terrible, but it definitely lags behind the better versions in town.  With that being said, there was some good elasticity though.  Inside, the prawn filling was good though with large buttery bouncy pieces.

One thing we do not see very often on Dim Sum menus these days is the Taro Cake (usually daikon radish cake instead).  They had it here and we were more than happy to order it.  However, it wasn't very good though. There was far too many pieces of dry taro and not enough pudding cake.  Hence the whole thing was powdery and mealy.  We had a hard time eating it without drinking lots of tea.

Coincidentally, the next item to show up was the Wu Gock (Deep Fried Taro Dumplings).  3 shrimp, then 2 taro dishes, interesting.  Anyways, these were good with a thin creamy layer of taro (love that lard in there..) with a crunchy exterior.  Beyond the lard and the deep-fry, the dumpling wasn't actually that greasy. Inside, the minced pork filling was tender and moist.  It could've used a bit more seasoning though.

Funnily enough, the Steamed Chicken Feet also had a base of taro underneath.  3 taro dishes in a row!  I digress...  This was actually very good with plump chicken feet that were larger than most I've had recently.  Hence, there was plenty of tender skin and cartilage.  Sauce was good too where it was the right viscosity, therefore clinging onto each foot perfectly.  It was sweet and garlicky with a light kick.

Staying with the offal theme, whenever it is on the menu, I always go for the Steamed Beef Tendon and Tripe.  This was also quite good with sliced tendon that was was soft, yet not completely melting away.  The big pieces of honeycomb tripe were also tender with an appealing chewiness.  Once again, the sauce was a nice consistency and quite similar to the one with the chicken feet being sweet and savoury with a slight kick.

Another one of my favourites is the Bean Curd Wraps and the one here was just alright.  I thought the bean curd skin was a little soft and lacked the fried chewiness that is the hallmark of this dish.  However, the biggest issue was the lack of filling as each roll ate very loose and did not have much substance.  It felt like we were eating only bean curd skin.  For the small amount of filling inside, it was tender though.

Now to one of the best dishes, the Steamed Pork Spareribs were excellent.  Practically all of the pieces were meaty and the desirable rib portions.  Very little cartilage and fat which meant more of the dish that could be eaten.  Now this may have been the luck of the draw though.  The texture of the meat was perfectly bouncy and tender.  Flavours were on point with plenty of garlic, slight pepperiness and savouriness.

Continuing on with good dishes, the Steamed Beef Meatballs were textbook.  That meant that the meatballs were fluffy and airy while still having some meat texture left.  I've made these before and the way you must process the meat, in order it to be perfect, rides the fine line of being too chewy or too mushy.  This was perfect.  In terms of seasoning, it was pretty mild as usual with some sweetness and bitterness from the tangerine peel.  It is intentional though, because you would typically dip it into Worcestershire anyways.

Although the Scallop & Shrimp Siu Mai looked extremely pale and unappetizing, they were actually quite good.  Maybe they should've put some tobiko, carrot and/or salted egg yolk on the top for colour.  In terms of texture, these were a bit lighter than usual due to the ingredients.  The scallop and shrimp did have textural contrast, but the result was fluffy and airy.  I personally loved the taste as they were sweet and seafoody.

 

For our bigger item, we went for the Stir-Fried Udon with Chicken and Egg.  This was a massive portion size of chewy udon that was moist from the perfect amount of sauce/oil.  There was equal parts of ingredients from the texturally appealing wok fried egg to the shredded dark meat chicken.  Crunchy cabbage and carrots rounded out the textures.  Flavourwise, it was mild, but still had enough for some background sweetness.

On the topic of sweet, we had the Salted Egg Yolk Bun which came in a shade of purple.  I assume there was some taro in the bun for it to be that colour.  As for its texture, the bun was fluffy with a somewhat firmer exterior.  It held in the liquid egg yolk center beautifully for it to be leaking out once cracked open.  That liquid gold was sweet with the unmistakable saltiness of the egg yolk.  As usual, it got a bit messy since for the picture, I split it open.

 

For the next item, I wouldn't necessarily classify it as a dessert, but we ordered it as such anyways.  The Baked BBQ Pastries were one of the best things we ate.  The pastry itself was flaky and buttery while not being heavy.  Inside, the lean pork filling was predictably sweet (so it is a dessert then?) with just enough savoury elements.  The addition of lemon really helped perk things up.

Lastly, we had the Deep Fried Egg Fritters with honey.  This was a fairly large portion of crispy and airy egg dough fritters.  They were not greasy at all and had just enough honey for effect without making them too sweet.  Some shaved almond completed the dish.  Overall, we didn't mind the Dim Sum at Seaport City where the dining room was spacious and well-appointed.  Service was quite good and the free parking downstairs made things convenient.  I realize that we went during their soft opening, but some dishes could use some tweaks.  But they were fairly minor issues.

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Attentive service

- Nice dining space

The Bad:

- Parking is free, but only for 2 hours, should be longer

- There is no real place to wait for a table (unless you wait downstairs in the parking lot), so it gets a bit crowded near the elevator and entrance

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