M Cafe

Unless you live in Richmond, there seems to be a limited selection of good Hong Kong-Style cafes in the city.  Even with that, I personally believe there aren't enough HK-Style cafes in general and that includes Richmond.  This is especially true where I live, in North Burnaby.  Thankfully, there is a Happy Valley opening up in the ol' Swiss Chalet soon, but otherwise, I have to go all the way to Metrotown to the Boss for HK-style eats.  One other option is to head into Coquitlam and either hit up Copa or M Cafe, which we did this time around.

We've been here before many times, but I decided that an updated post was in order.  Like with all places like M Cafe, there is usually a soup included with most meals.  The choices range from borscht, cream of something and Clam Chowder.  This is what I had and if you've ever had a HK-Style version, you will know that it is less of a chowder and more like a cream of clams and veggies.  I found this just thick enough and loaded with clams and soft veggies.  Flavour was mild and it wasn't briny at all - a good version in the end.

For my main, I had the Dual Steak Combo and selected a chicken steak and a ribeye steak.  This came with crunchy fries, mixed veggies and I went for the black pepper sauce.  This was quite a bit of food where the chicken steak (deboned chicken leg) was juicy and well-seared.  The ribeye was medium-rare as requested and was sufficiently tender.  I found the black pepper sauce to be salty enough and quite peppery.

We had to get the classic Baked Pork Chop Rice.  This is a HK-style cafe staple with fried rice base topped with pork cutlets coated with a crispy breading.  I found the pork chops to be juicy and tender.  As for the tomato sauce on top, it was textbook being only mildly tangy (maybe could've been tangier) with plenty of sweetness.  It was thick enough to coat all the pork chops and some leftover for the rice.

Continuing on with the tour of HK-style cafe staples, we also had the Baked Spaghetti Bolognese topped with melted cheese and served with garlic bread.  For those who aren't familiar, this isn't an Italian bolognese.  Rather, think of a meat sauce with onions and carrots but with the addition of star anise (sometimes) and soy as well as some other Asian ingredients.  The sauce here was a bit tangier than usual, yet still tasty.  The noodles were al dente and overall, this was a solid.

We just had to also include the Baked Seafood Rice which also featured the same fried rice base.  It was topped with a mushroom cream sauce and assorted seafood.  Again, for those who don't know, the cream sauce found at HK-style cafes are mostly starch-thickened milk-based sauces.  With that being said, this was still flavourful and the sauce was just thick enough.  The seafood was not overcooked either.

Going for something more of a Chinese dish, we had the Curry Beef Brisket.  Although this can be found at most Cantonese restaurants, it is also another HK-style cafe staple.  This was served with a plate of rice.  Another solid dish where the pieces of brisket were mostly tender and not dry.  It appeared to be a mix where there was some beef finger meat too.  The curry itself was on the thinner side, yet was still plenty flavourful with only a mild amount of spice.

Another Chinese dish was the Scrambled Eggs and Shrimp on stir fried flat rice noodles.  My son actually wanted this one as scrambled eggs and shrimp is his favourite Chinese dish.  However, when it is served atop rice noodles, it is more of a starch-thickened sauce with egg drop and shrimp in it.  This was good though as the noodles were not mushy nor clumpy while the sauce had plenty of cold-water shrimp and delicate egg swirls.

Our last item was staying on the theme of classic HK-style items with the Clubhouse Sandwich served with fries.  This was stuffed with a fried chicken cutlet, bacon, fried egg, cheese, tomato and lettuce all on crustless toasted white bread.  It was fulfilling and the ingredients were on point where the chicken was juicy and the bacon was crispy.  As you can see, the food at M Cafe is pretty solid and they have all the favourites and then some.  Prices are reasonable for the portion size too.  Don't have to go to Richmond right?

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Fair portion size
- Reasonable prices

The Bad:
- Admittedly, Richmond HK-style cafes are better, but not significantly more

Northern Cafe

I often wonder why some restaurants get all the accolades even though it just seems out-of-place.  Michelin-star restaurant Barbara comes to mind as I never understood why it received its designation despite there being so many other worthy places.  Now we can write a whole post about this (and I did, but never posted about the restaurant), but let's get back to this particular post.  Northern Cafe has been around forever, located above a lumber supply yard.  The place is run-down and let's be honest, it is a dive.  However, there is a certain charm and the prices are quite reasonable.  Oh, and it is had be lauded as one of the best places to eat in the city.

We came here for Breakfast, but they also serve lunch that includes burgers and Canadian Chinese food.  Let's start with the basics being the Pancake Combo.  This was only $12.00 and it included 2 eggs, 2 pancakes and 2 sausages (can be bacon or ham too).  Eggs were perfectly sunny side while the sausages were meaty and not overdone.  Pancakes were a touch on the denser side, but still decent.

We also went for the Corn Beef Hash with peppers, onions, 2 eggs and toast (also a smattering of mac salad).  If you are wondering why the hashbrowns were so dark, we asked for extra crispy.  That it was while the inside was soft and potatoey.  Lots of corned beef too.  Eggs were done easy over and the toast was just right.  This was a bit more at $15.00, but it was quite filling.

Lastly, we tried the Ham Eggs Benny with shredded hashbrowns and also a touch of mac salad.  The eggs were beautifully runny while the amount of ham was generous.  English muffin underneath was toasted well too.  I found the Hollandaise to be rather thin and egg yolky.  May have needed more butter.  The hashbrowns were perfectly crispy.  This was $15.50.  Now I mentioned that the prices were reasonable and that they are, considering the high cost of eating out these days.  However, they aren't dirt cheap either.  With that being said, the food is well-prepared and the people are super nice.  Not sure I would classify this as a must eat in the city, but if you are in the area, it is worth a try just for the novelty and yes, the food is solid too.

The Good:

- Super nice people

- Inexpensive

- Solid eats

The Bad:

- Place is a dive, but I don't mind dives

- Not as cheap as you might think, but still good value

Wally's Burgers

Oh here is a blast from the past - Wally's Burgers.  I remember hitting up the original location on Kingsway near Earles back in the day.  That closed quite awhile back and I had the taste of Wally's again when they opened up a seasonal operation at Cates Park.  The current location in the same complex as the 88 Supermarket opened in 2010 and I did visit it once, but never blogged about it.  This time around, I decided why not, let's do a post!

To get things started, we had the Deep Fried Pickles with a chipotle dip.  These were some pretty large wedges that were juicy and salty-briny.  The breading was crunchy and not greasy while adhering to each wedge until the last bite.  I found the dip to be a good compliment to the salty pickle as it provided spice, cooling creaminess as well as the smokiness from the paprika.

I ended up having the Deluxe Bacon Cheese which probably had far too much romaine lettuce.  If I could redo this order, I would've added an extra patty.  The single within this burger was somewhat lost due to the amount of produce (the tomato was rather thick) as well as the bun.  I actually didn't mind the bun as it was soft (somewhat similar to White Spot), but the diameter of the bun was larger than the patty.  Bacon was nice and crispy while the fresh cut fries were fantastic being crispy and light.

For our other burger, it was much more appealing in the Hot Shot with crispy bacon, melted cheese, sauteed jalapenos, grilled onions and Wally's sauce. Due to the amount of ingredients, including the juicy and tangy jalapenos, this burger ate much more moist.  Furthermore, there was considerably more impact as it also helped there wasn't so much lettuce and tomato to dilute the flavours.

Just for kicks, I also ordered the Deluxe Spicy Chicken Burger which was nothing that memorable.  Once again, the amount of lettuce, onion and tomato watered down any spiciness there was in the first place.  The chicken was crispy, but inside, the meat was a bit dry.  I found the bun to be a little too heavy for the chicken and it was overwhelmed.  Overall, this visit to Wally's was indeed nostalgic, but other than the Hot Shot, the other burgers were "okay".  I guess if you remove the veggies (or get a burger without them) and also add another patty, the burgers would be significantly better.  I did think the patties were well-charred and tasted good.

The Good:
- It has got nostalgia
- Service was very good
- Fries are fantastic

The Bad:
- Combination of bun, the amount of veggies and the smallish burger patty means the actually meat gets lost

 

Britannia Brewing Ladner

Although there are 2 locations of Britannia Brewing in the Lower Mainland, I've never had a chance to visit either spot.  It finally took the Dine Around Delta to get me out to the Ladner store.  For those who don't know, Dine Around Delta is their version of Dine Out Vancouver.  It is running until March 19th and Britannia Brewing is offering a 3-course meal for only $40.00.  We came out here to try all of the options for that as well as adding in a few extra dishes.

There are 2 choices for appetizers including the Brant Lake Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with Dijon shallot aioli, fried capers, arugula and parmesan.  This was a large portion of thinly-sliced beef that was tender, yet retaining a meatiness.  It tasted great by itself where the creaminess of the aioli provided moisture while the fried capers and parm added saltiness (personally I could've done with even more saltiness though).  Even by itself on the regular menu, it is only $14.00!

The other option was the Beet & Goat Cheese Salad with pickled red and golden beets, whipped goat cheese, pistachio granola, gremolata and extra virgin olive oil.  This was another winner where the beets were tender, earthy and full of tanginess.  There was a considerable amount of creamy goat cheese accented by the gremolata.  To add texture, the crunch from the granola was welcomed.

We added an appie from the regular menu with the KFC (Korean Fried Cauliflower) with spicy gochujang sauce, sesame seeds and lime.  Loved how the cauliflower was cooked through without becoming mushy.  The exterior was lightly crispy, but softened by the sauce.  There was just enough of it where it clung onto each piece without being saucy.  It was tangy, spicy and sweet.

Onto the mains, we had a choice of 2 including 1 lbs of Salt Spring Island Mussels in a Adrift blonde ale broth with double-smoked bacon, tomato, garlic, cream and fries.  The mussels were cooked beautifully being plump and tender.  The broth prepared well where the ale had been cooked down enough and the plethora of garlic and bacon added aroma and flavour.  The side of fries were starch-covered and crunchy. 

The other main offered in the Dine Around Delta menu was the Red Wine Braised Lamb Shank atop Mediterranean pearl barley, winter carrots and rosemary & garlic jus.  That lamb shank was perfectly braised where it fell off the bone.  Gelatinous and moist, the lamb was not too gamy.  At first, I thought it could've used more salt, but the olives and tomatoes in the barley helped add bursts of flavour.  Loved the roasted carrots as they were crunchy with a smoky char.

We added the Truffle Mushroom Fettuccine from the main menu just for kicks and it was a good decision.  First of all, the pasta was perfectly al dente.  Secondly, there was enough crimini and portobello mushrooms for woodiness as well as texture.  Lastly, there was the right amount of cream to cling onto each noodle without being too saucy.  The amount of truffle oil was restrained, which was a good thing.

Onto dessert, we were given 2 choices including Cinnamon Sugar Churros (with chocolate ganache) and Sticky Toffee Pudding with caramel sauce.  The 2 churros were crunchy and naturally sweet due to the dusting of sugar.  We found the sticky toffee pudding to be surprisingly not too sweet.  That is what we prefer as most versions are far too sweet.  This one had nice smoky sweetness while being moist.

Of course we couldn't forget the drinks where we had a Flight consisting of Peach Witbier, Adrift Blonde Ale, Amber Lager and Stout.  Really loved the stout as it was smoky with a coffee caramel finish.  For our cocktail, we tried the Westham Sour consisting of Empress gin, egg white, lemon juice and cranberry bitters.  Naturally, this was fruity and light.  It went down really smooth even though it was a sour.  So overall, this was a solid meal and considering the reasonable prices, it is somewhat of a rarity these days with such high food costs.  I would definitely come back.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Reasonable pricing
- Nice vibe

The Bad:
- Some dishes could use more salt  

Galbi Korean BBQ

So back-to-back posts on Korean BBQ eh?  Well, never enough of a good thing right???  Well, finally made it out to Galbi Korean BBQ located in Pinetree Village in Coquitlam.  Spotted this when I went to Chapters a few months ago.  This little restaurant doesn't sport an extensive menu.  In fact, there are only beef and pork options as well as cold noodle and that's about it.  Prices are reasonable and hey, with food costs these days, this is an important factor.

So we essentially ordered the whole menu, which isn't hard considering the limited choices.  That could also be said about the Banchan as we only had kimchi, pickled radish, pickled onion and jalapeno, house salad and romaine for wrapping.  Regardless of the selection, they were good including that well-dressed and fresh salad.  Kimchi was not sour, but was light on spice.  Radish was crunchy with plenty of tang and sweetness.  The meal also included Bean Paste Stew which was quite good.  Lots of flavour and spice as well as ingredients.  Can't complain as it was included with our meal.

To supplement our meat-filled meal, we got the Cold Buckwheat Noodle.  We would've ordered the spicy one if we weren't sharing it with the kids.  This was refreshing as always and helped cool things down from the hot meats from the BBQ.  The addition of pickled radish made the whole thing on the more sour side, but we still enjoyed the chewy noodles and crunchy cucumbers.

As for the meats, the best one was the Marinated Short Ribs.  Well-priced at $33.00, these were prepped properly and also decent in size.  The marinade helped the meat caramelize and become smoky on the grill.  There was enough inherent flavour that we didn't need to dip this into the sesame oil with salt and pepper.  The meat was tender with classic short rib chew.

We also had the Fresh Outside Skirt that was sliced medium-thick and as you can tell from the picture, it was indeed fresh with a nice sheen.  This was decently marbled and when grilled, it came out surprisingly tender.  Since this was not marinated, it was best with the sesame oil dip, as well as the spicy bean paste.  This was reasonably priced at $32.00.

Our last beef selection was the Fresh Rib Finger for $28.00.  For those who are not familiar, rib finger meat is the meat you find in between beef ribs.  It is generally well-marbled and can be on the chewier side.  This cooked up well due to the fat content (also crisped up on the outside) and was tender enough for me.  When I make a prime rib roast, this is the meat I most look forward to.   

For our pork selections, we started off with the Marinated Short Rib.  Yes, same as the beef, but not.  This cooked up like a pork steak, yet with a meaty and robust texture.  Due to the fat content, it also crisped up well on the grill and of course, caramelized due to the fat and the marinade.  Again, it was sweet with balancing saltiness.  No need to dip it into anything.  Wished they included rice in the meal (you have to order it separately).

One of my favourite meats in general is Pork Jowl. If you are unfamiliar with this cut of meat, it is from the pork cheek.  It is generally fatty with a bouncy chewy texture.  With that being said, I find it tender despite being somewhat chewy.  This cut of meat is usually quite expensive, so it was reasonable at $23.00.  When we put it on the grill, once again the fat helped add charring and caramelization. 

Of the three pork belly choices on the menu, we went for the Fresh Skin Off Pork Belly.  It was equal in meat-to-fat ratio and therefore was super flavourful and tender.  This also crisped up and charred-up well.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Galbi Korean BBQ.  With high food prices these days, we felt the menu wasn't overly expensive considering the quality of the meats.  Service was also good.  We'll be back.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Quality meats
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Limited menu
- Limited Banchan selection  

 

Sura Korean BBQ (Richmond)

Believe it or not, I've never visited the Richmond location of Sura before.  I've been to the Robson location for their amazing lunch set quite a long time ago.  To me, it is one of the best values in the city.  Too bad they do not currently offer it in Richmond.  When we had the hankering for Korean BBQ one night, it looked like as good of a time to actually hit up Sura in Aberdeen Centre.  Love how spacious it is compared to the Downtown Vancouver spot.

Of course before we got to the actual food we ordered, they served us a selection of Banchan.  This included 3 types of salad, fried yellow croaker, stewed potatoes, kimchi and marinated bean curd skin.  This was a solid selection that was a meal in itself.  As much as the meals at Sura aren't exactly cheap, they are actually good value considering the portion size, quality and included side dishes.  With that being said, the potatoes were a touch underdone.  Kimchi was very mild, but wasn't too sour.  Loved the fish, we heated it up on the grill.  Flesh was very moist.

Onto the Korean BBQ, we selected the Royal Marinated Galbi.  At first glance, one would be a little troubled at the $55.00 for one serving.  However, it was a substantial amount of tender short rib.  Furthermore, it was good quality as the meat was tender with only a bit of classic short rib chew.  It was well marinated where the flavour was there without being too salty nor sweet.  It cooked up nicely on the evenly heated grill.  It was well-ventilated as well.

Although we were already served bowls of rice, we ended up ordering the Dolset Bulgogi Bibimbap as well.  This sported a plethora of tender thin slices of beef that was surprisingly buttery.  It was marinated enough that it tasted good on its own, however, the addition of gochujang was still needed for overall impact.  The stone bowl was hot enough to form somewhat of a socarrat.  Rice was chewy and wasn't too wet.

For our soup, we chose the Spicy Beef Soup that had plenty of ingredients (despite not appearing to be).  It would've helped if I actually scooped up the ingredients for the picture, but I was too busy eating...  Anyways, the soup itself was flavourful and spicy.  There was a wealth of shredded beef which was tender.  There was also a good amount of sweet potato starch noodles and green onion.  This is one of the better versions I've had lately.

Lastly, we went for the Seafood Pancake, which was not only large in diameter, but super thick as well.  This was actually not a good thing as the middle of the pancake was rather doughy.  It was great that they loaded this thing with seafood, but it didn't end up to be crispy enough either.  On the other hand, the edges were still good.  Overall, we enjoyed the food at Sura and thought it was a good value.  Prices seem high, but you do get a lot for your money.  The short rib was a real highlight too.  

The Good:
- Good portions for the money
- Quality eats
- Spacious location

The Bad:
- Seafood pancake was a doughy 

 

Double East Cuisine

Interestingly, I've never been to Double East Cuisine, even though I've been in that plaza many times to visit other establishments.  It really was happenstance that we ended up here for late night eats.  You see, we were looking for Deep Fried Silverfish and originally thought we could get some at #9.  Okay, don't freak out, we aren't talking about those critters on your washroom floor.  Rather, they are little fish that are fried and then tossed in chili pepper salt.  It is a staple of "da lang" or late night eats (smaller portions) at Chinese restaurants.  Alas, #9 didn't have any and we ended up searching Richmond for the dish.  We ended up at Double East Cuisine for that very reason.

Behold, here is the famed "Bak Fan Yue" or Deep Fried Silverfish with Chili Pepper Salt.  As mentioned, this is a late night staple that usually goes with plain congee.  Despite there being a shortage of silverfish at many places, this particular plate was not a desperation situation.  Rather, it was excellent with crispy silverfish that was light.  It was tossed in enough seasoning that it was a bit spicy and plenty salty.

We also had the Clams in Black Bean Sauce, which incidentally, is also a late night classic.  Once again, this was prepared properly with mostly opened clams (I think only one or two weren't open).  The clams were fresh and not full of sand.  They were buttery and cooked just enough.  Although there was definite black bean saltiness, we could've used a bit more of it.  We liked how the sauce was starch-thickened so that it clung onto each clam.

Next, we had something a bit different in the Sizzling Yam Leaves in a hot pot.  In terms of the overall cook on the yam leaves, they were a touch overdone where the stems lost their crunchiness.  This was further exacerbated by the scorching hot pot.  Hence, the yam leaves continued to cook and got rather soft.  In fact, the leaves became slimy.  In terms of seasoning, it was mild where I could still taste the vegetable.

On a subsequent visit, we had the Pan Fried Pomfret with Soy Sauce. Although, this was a small pomfret, there was a decent amount of meat despite not appearing so.  The fish was fried up perfectly where the skin was slightly crispy while the meat was flaky and moist.  The meat separated from the bone easily and in one piece.  Wok-fried with green onions, cilantro and shallots, the soy/oil mixture was flavourful and aromatic.

We ordered the full-sized Sweet & Sour Pork which was indeed a large portion.  Generally, the chunks of pork were medium-sized, which meant that the texture of the meat-to-crunchy-batter-ratio was perfect.  We did find some larger pieces and they were much more meaty and soft.  As for the sauce, it was delicious being a good balance between tangy and sweet.  It was also the right viscosity adhering to each piece.

For our veggie dish, we tried the A-Choy with Canned Dace in Black Bean Sauce.  I quite enjoyed this dish as the vegetable was wok-fried enough that it was cooked-through while still having a crunch.  As expected, the dish was on the greasier side due to the dace, as it fried and packed in oil.  On the flipside, this also ensured there was plenty of flavour too as the black beans added plenty of saltiness.

We came back for a third time and had the Deep Fried Egg Tofu with Chili Pepper Salt.  This was in addition to the silverfish (that we had in all 3 visits).  It was prepared expertly with delicate egg tofu that was still in one piece despite being deep fried and wok tossed (they are quite fragile).  The exterior was crispy while giving way to a silky interior.  This tasted exactly like the silverfish due to the same seasoning.

For our meat selection, we had the Honey Garlic Spareribs.  I would say that this was much more maltose spareribs than actual honey, but it still tasted great.  It was just sweet enough with some garlickiness.  The spareribs were meaty and had a properly tenderized texture where there was an appealing rebound.  However, with so much maltose, the sauce solidified quickly and hence, the ribs were glued to the plate.

Of course, we got a veggie dish in the form of Sauteed Preserve Meat with Taiwanese Cauliflower.  Another perfectly wok-fried dish where the cauliflower was crunchy and vibrant with aromatic caramelization.  It was a bit greasy though due to the fatty cured sausage and pork belly.  It did add umaminess though.  After these 3 late night visits to Double East Cuisine, it will be added to our late night rotation of restaurants.  Food is above average and prices are reasonable for the portion size.  The people there are pretty nice too.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Reasonable prices for the portion size
- Open late

The Bad:
- Not really their fault, but the clientele can be a bit rowdy due to it being late night
- Typical Richmond parking lot, narrow and often full