Regal Mansion (Dim Sum Service)

Here we are with an updated post on Regal Mansion Dim Sum service since the original post about a year ago.  During that time, we actually have re-visited the place a total or 8 times, so I can confidently write an informed post.  I have introduced Regal Mansion to my parents and slowly but surely, we are weening them off Victoria Seafood Restaurant (which is their favourite restaurant).  They are all about the convenience and Regal Mansion has that in spades with validated 3 hour (not 2 hours as advertised) parking underground.

So this will include some dishes from several visits including the usual Ha Gau (Regal Shrimp Dumplings).  Continuing the trend in offering up five dumplings rather than the traditional four, it almost seems like you are getting a bonus one (but you are actually paying for it or they are smaller).  I like this number as it is luckier than "4" (LOL) and makes it easier to share with a table of 10.  These are actually quite good with a medium-thick dumpling skin that has appealing elasticity.  The shrimp filling is moist and buttery with the desired snap texture.  Seasoning is mild but the usual white pepper and sesame oil do come through (as well as the MSG).

Now we go back to four dumplings with the Lobster Dumplings.  I'm sure they took away one dumpling because they charge the same price for these and the shrimp dumplings.  In reality, these were actually shrimp dumplings with some lobster added to it.  Therefore, they ate exactly the same as the shrimp dumplings in terms of texture and almost taste except with the unmistakable aroma of lobster.

I have to say their Truffle Siu Mai (Steamed Pork Dumplings) are consistently topped with too much black truffle sauce.  Well, never enough of a good thing right?  I'm not sure because in my mind it is a bit overwhelming with too much woodsiness but then again, I'm sure those who love black truffle will disagree with me.  Beyond that, the siu mai here are comprised mainly of bouncy shrimp with only a bit of pork to compliment.  I find the pork more of a binding agent with the same rebound texture as the shrimp.  Hence the dumpling eats lighter and requires less chewing.

By virtue of so many visits to the place, we've tried a variety of their Rice Noodle Rolls including Salty Donut, Prawn, Beef and Mushroom.  I would say they are fairly consistent with the rice noodle sheets ranging from thin to medium-thickness.  Texturally, they have been the same with a soft butteriness while having elasticity (so they don't fall apart on contact).  My favourite filling is the prawn as they are large and have the classic snap texture.  The mushroom is pretty darn good too where they completely overload the noodle roll with a variety of them.  I find that for the beef, they put too much onion in it for my personal tastes.  It takes away from the buttery tenderized beef and it tastes mainly of green onion.

If you dine-in and order before noon, you can get the Clay Pot Rice at a discounted price.  You have the choice between Sparerib & Chicken Feet and Cured Sausage.  We usually go for both because the kids love rice and also it makes for great leftovers.  Although the rice isn't cooked until it has a socarrat, it is usually fairly dry and nutty.  In terms of toppings, the sparerib version has much more than the cured sausage.  The ribs are tender with a nice rebound while seasoned well with garlic black bean.  I would like to see more cured sausage because it never seems to be enough for the amount of rice.

On that top of Chicken Feet, we often get another order since 2 of them in the claypot rice is not nearly enough for everyone.  This generally is a consistent dish except for one time where some of the skin was hacked up.  Other than that, the chicken feet are medium in size and somewhat plump.  The skin is tender with soft cartilage and fat underneath.  Seasoning is on point with equal parts sweetness and savouriness with plenty of garlic and a touch of spice.

Of course I can't do without the offal and their option is the Tendon and Tripe.  I find that most times, it is more tendon than tripe.  In terms of execution, the tripe is tender and buttery soft while still having a good chewiness.  They are usually medium-size strips which makes it easy to pick up and substantial enough for a few bites.  I find the tendon to be usually on the softer side with portions falling apart.  Not a big issue because the alternative would be chewy tendon.  Flavours are similar to the chicken feet except being a bit sweeter with lots of garlickiness.

One of my Dim Sum favs is the Bean Curd Skin Roll featuring a filling of pork and some veggies.  The one here is quite good with properly fried bean curd sheets that were soft but still retained plenty of that appealing chewiness.  I also thought the colour was right as some places fry it too dark or too light.  Inside, the pork filling had the same rebound texture found in the siu mai.  There was also some shrimp, carrots and celery in the mix.

Normally, the Deep-Fried Eggplant with Shrimp Paste is a dish that consists of four pieces.  Not here though as they take a whole Japanese eggplant and cut it lengthwise and stuff it with shrimp paste on both sides.  The last time we had it, the Thai chili sauce they put on top of it was a bit too sweet.  Best to have it served on the side.  The eggplant itself was tender and the shrimp paste has a good rebound.

One of the best BBQ Pork Pastries can be found at Regal Mansion.  We've had quite a few in the Lower Mainland and this one is our favourite.  On our last visit, it would've been the 5th time we've had the dish and it was consistent.  The buttery and fairly light pastry encased a considerable amount of lean BBQ pork that was sweet and savoury.  The fact they use hawthorne meant it was sweet, but had a nice tang to it.  Delicious.

Like we always do, we get at least one order of the Garlic Shrimp Spring Rolls.  These were good as usual with an overstuffed roll with cold water shrimp that were bouncy and had a moist snap.  They were well-seasoned without being salty with plenty of garlickiness.  The rolls were wound not too tight, but tight enough to be uniform in size.  They were crunchy while not being overly greasy.

One item that we weren't necessary fond of was the Fried Black Swan Taro Dumplings.  Essentially, these were the classic deep fried taro dumplings except with black colouring (squid ink I believe) and swan heads poked into the body.  We found the mashed taro quite dry, possibly in need of more lard (can't believe I said that, but it is true).  Other than that, the pork filling was fine being flavourful and moist.

We normally do not order the Steamed BBQ Pork Buns here, not because they aren't good, but there are just many other things to eat!  Well, we had it the most recent time and it was textbook.  The bun itself was split nicely, revealing the filling.  Texturally, it was fluffy while not being too soft.  The filling was quite sweet with a thick glaze while the BBQ pork consisted mostly of lean pieces.

It isn't very often we order the Lo Bak Goh (Pan-Fried Daikon Radish Cake) because we would rather order the XO Lo Bak Goh.  Well, we've had the latter many times and it is pretty good.  Therefore, the pan fried version would be good too since they are essentially the same cake.  As you can see, this was nicely seared and none-too-greasy.  The cake itself was on the firmer side, but still soft.  It was seasoned well with little nuggets of cured sausage strewn throughout.

Getting to some bigger dishes, the Fried Halibut with Supreme Soya Sauce was very good.  Featuring large pieces of meaty halibut, the dish featured very little filler.  The flaky and moist fish was fried just enough.  Hence, even the outer layer was still tender.  Each piece soaked up the sauce where there was not any left on the plate.  This ensured the dish didn't eat too wet.  The soy sauce was nicely balanced by enough sugar to keep it from being salty.

Now one of our favourites is the Pan Fried Crystal Noodles with Prawn and BBQ Pork.  We seem to get this every time and it is for good reason.  The last time we had it, it was consistent with plenty of ingredients to go with the noodles.  These mung bean noodles were soft, but plenty chewy (in a good way).  Wonderful mouth-feel and not overly greasy.  The marginally-cooked bean sprouts added crunch.

 

Another excellent noodle dish is the HK Style Fried Seafood Noodles.  We had this last visit and it was expertly prepared.  The wok deep-fried noodles were crispy and nutty (yet not too greasy).  They were topped with a starch-thickened sauce that yielded yau choy, scallops, prawns and squid.  These were cooked to perfection with buttery scallops, snap-textured prawns and vibrant vegetable.  Sauce was flavourful enough without being salty.

Of course we would have the Baked Macau Egg Tarts because that is a must-order for Dim Sum. These were also quite good were the puff pastry tart shell was baked enough so that it was flaky and buttery with a bit of browning on the edges.  However, the egg filling itself was missing the usual charring found in a Macau-style egg tart.  Despite this, it still ate well and was silky and creamy. 

 

The best dessert here must be the Golden Sweet Egg Twists coated in a honey (and maltose) sweet glaze and topped with coconut.  I've had these at several restaurants that actually serve it and this has to be the best of them all.  We had it last time and the egg pastry was light and crispy as always.  Even though the glaze itself appeared to be sickingly sweet, it really wasn't.  Very addictive dessert.  In all honesty, we had more items than this over the many visits, but I just didn't want to put all of them in here because this post was getting a bit long.  You get the gist of it though.  The Dim Sum at Regal Mansion is pretty solid and they have a nice dining space.  I guess this is our regular spot now.

The Good:

- Solid Dim Sum

- Validated parking downstairs

- Fairly good service

The Bad:

- A/C is a bit weak (They did say they are fixing it though)

- Elevator leading up to the place is too small and takes forever

Spice Club Indian Cuisine

It seems like there are a whole lot of new Indian Restaurants (predominantly Punjabi cuisine) opening up these days.  There are a couple of things they have in common though.  Firstly, they are located in Surrey in and around Scott Road.  This is no surprise as Scott Road is the Indian equivalent to #3 Road in Richmond (in terms of Chinese food) and North Road in Coquitlam (in terms of Korean food).  Secondly, they are much more bougie with beautiful decor and usually a fancy bar.  One of the newest is Spice Club Indian Cuisine, you guessed it, on Scott Road at 96th.  This used to be the location of Mehfil Indian Buffet, which closed many years ago.

We were invited to try the place out and for our first starter, it was definitely fusion with the Indian-style Nachos.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting very much from this, but it completely blew me away.  The bed of tortilla chips were evenly topped with ooey gooey melted cheese, crispy papdi, spicy paneer, beans, onion-tomato salsa, yogurt, cilantro chutney and sweet chutney.  The combination of cheese, spice, sweetness and creaminess was addictive and we dusted this off quickly.  We could've done with another order but there was more food to come.  Texturally, the chips were crunchy while the amount of toppings made every chip fulfilling.

One of my personal favourite starter dishes is the Fish Pakora and the version here was exactly how I like it.  The fairly big chunks of fish were moist and flaky.  They were coated with a well-seasoned batter that was light and crispy.  There was enough seasoning that these could be eaten by themselves without any other condiments (however, it did come with green chutney).  The flavours were a bit spicy, some earthiness and sweetness.

Another really good dish was the Chicken Momos that were deep-fried and served with red chili chutney and tomato chutney.  I really enjoyed these as the dumpling skin was fairly thin and lightly crispy with an appealing elasticity.  Inside, the chicken filling was savoury and somewhat zesty.  It had some spice and sweetness while the texture was moist and tender while being a bit loose.  Loved dipping this into the tomato chutney as it was creamy, sweet and aromatic.  The red chili chutney had more spice and was also tangy with some sweetness.

We had 2 more starters in the Golgappa and the Butter Chicken Poutine.  Served on a long metal plate, the puri were ready for us to puncture a hole into.  We filled it with the side of potato and chickpeas first and then poured in the theeka pani and khatta meetha pani.  I personally love the khatta meetha pani due to the use of sweet and tangy tamarind extract.  However, the mintiness of the theeka pani was good too.  As for the butter chicken poutine, it featured starch-covered fries (appeared to be Cavandish) that were crispy and held up well with the creamy butter chicken sauce.  I found the sauce quite balanced with equal parts creaminess, tanginess and sweetness.

Since we couldn't decide on which item we wanted from the tandoor, we had the Tandoori Mix Platter as well as the Tandoori Prawns for good measure.  The mix included chicken tikka, tandoori chicken, seekh kabab and tandoori fish.  I thought this was well-prepared with large pieces of meat that were nicely-charred and flavourful from the marinade.  The chicken was tender and moist while the fish was flaky.  The seekh kabab was also moist with plenty of flavour including the usual earthiness from the cumin.  As for the prawns they were meaty with a snap texture while lightly charred on the outside.

We then ordered a good mix of mains that included some vegetarian items including the Eggplant Bharta.  I don't get to order this enough, but it is one of my favourite dishes as I love eggplant.  This one was prepared well with tender cooked-down eggplant that was tasty with the sweetness of onion, tang from tomato and a background smokiness.  Of course we also got ginger and garlic notes as well as a touch of spice.  Jess decided to order the Dal Makni and honestly I have a love-hate relationship with this dish.  I love the buttery creaminess of the sauce (due to the use of butter, cream and ghee) as it goes wonderfully with garlic naan.  However, it is so rich and sinful.  This one here was all that and was delicious.  It had background spice and earthiness as well as the natural sweetness.  The lentils were tender and delicate without being too soft.

We also had the classic Palak Paneer and this was textbook.  It featured tender cubes of paneer bathed in a smooth spinach sauce that had the usual garlicky gingery notes as well as some spice and sweetness.  Sticking with the same main ingredient, we went for the Paneer Tikka Masala as well.  However, this was completely different not only because of the sauce, but since the paneer was cut up into bigger pieces, the texture was firmer with more body.  In terms of the sauce, it was tangy with good spice and a touch of smokiness.  Even though it was rich in its own way, it had bright flavours.

Onto the non-veg, we had the classic Butter Chicken with a pat of melting butter on top for good measure.  Since we already had this with the poutine, we had an idea of how it tasted already.  However, since we were eating this with naan and rice, it ate completely differently.  With more of the sauce, I could see that it was even more flavourful than in the poutine.  It really was balanced with plenty of creaminess, tanginess and sweetness.  There was a touch of spice and of course the earthiness of cumin as well as gingery notes.  They used chicken thighs here and it was tender and in large chunks.

If it were me, I would've ordered a lot more lamb, but we only had one in the Lamb Curry.  This featured fairly tender cubes of lamb where some were a touch dry.  The curry itself was pretty concentrated with strong fall spice notes such as cloves, cardamom and cinnamon.  Hence, this had considerable body and earthiness.  There was also a cooked-down tomatoness to the curry where it was not sharp tangy, but tangy with depth.  I believe that this was reduced to the point where the salt content was a bit higher than the rest of the curries we had.  It wasn't a huge problem since we were eating it with naan and rice.

One of the table favourites was the Coconut Chicken that featured chicken breast that had been fried first.  Hence, the chicken was still plenty tender and moist even though it was sitting in a hot (temperature-wise) coconut sauce.  About that sauce, it was aromatic due to the coconut but it also featured honey, lime juice, garlic, ginger and asian sweet chilli sauce.  Therefore, it had many different layers of flavour including sweet, tangy and some spice.  Yet all of this was muted due to the creaminess of the dish.  Went well with rice.

Trying to get a variety of proteins, we had the Masala Fish cooked with coriander seeds, cloves, nutmeg, cassia, cardamom and spices.  This had a surprising amount of spiciness, but that was completely welcomed due to the mildness of the protein.  The fish itself was in large chunks like the pakora.  It was equally flaky and moist.  With all of the spices listed on the menu description, the cloves and nutmeg came through giving the dish a fall-type flavour profile.  Of course, the coriander added the usual earthiness while the onions provided sweetness.

For our carbs, we had Cumin Basmati Rice as well as Green Pea Pulao Rice (not pictured).  They were nicely textured and mild, perfect for being the blank canvas.  However, we also wanted a flavoured rice in the form of the Prawn Biryani.  This was also texturally on point with a dry chewiness, yet at the same time having enough moisture.  It was flavourful with a touch of heat and benefited from the slight brininess of the prawns.  Once again, due to the ingredients, there was a fall-type earthiness to the dish as well as some nuttiness.

For our breads, we got both the Butter Naan and the Garlic Naan.  These were fluffy on the inside with a nice chew with elasticity.  On the outside, it was crispy and nutty with plenty of butteriness.  Although not evident on the topside of the naan, the bottom (portion that is slapped on the surface of the tandoor) was beautifully charred.  As for the garlic naan, there was plenty of fresh garlic to give it delicious aromatics.

Onto dessert, we chose the Gajar Halwa, Kulfi Bar and the Cheesecake Trio (more on that later).  Absolutely loved the warm shredded carrots of the gajar halwa.  They were texturally appealing (cooked-down, but not mushy) and was purposefully sweet with cardamom notes.  As for the kulfi bar and ice cream, it was pretty sweet, but had the classic flavours of cardamom and pistachios.

 

Our last dessert was the Cheesecake Trio consisting of Chocolate, Mango Lassi and Red Velvet.  I loved the mango lassi the most as I have a bias towards fruitier things.  However, this was just sweet enough and tasted like its namesake.  The chocolate was quite rich, but smooth and also just sweet enough.  Red velvet featured some cake at the bottom underneath a semi-rich cheesecake cream with 2 cubes of cheesecake on top.  As you can see, we tried a boatload of dishes and it was a delight to see nearly all of them were on point with a few surprises.  I really didn't think the nachos would work, but I loved them.  The curries were on point as well as the starches.  Solid eats, good portions and reasonable prices considering the whole package.  Spice Club Indian Cuisine is another excellent addition to the food scene on Scott Road.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Nice decor

- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:

- A few items were a bit salty, but they go with starches anyways

Ajishou Japanese Cuisine

So here we are, my son's second birthday meal of the day.  Again, lucky kid.  He has plenty of favourites, but Japanese food is one of his go-to cuisines.  We ended up choosing Ajishou in The Amazing Brentwood (adjacent to Neptune Palace on the same floor) due to a couple of factors.  We mainly liked the location as it is close to us and it does have plenty of parking.  Also, it is a step above the regular sushi spots (this is for his bday after all).  I won't get into the debate whether Ajishou is authentic or not because there aren't many Japanese-owned and operated restaurants in the Lower Mainland in general.

Honestly, I ordered the Ajishou Sampler Box for the gram.  However, the selection of 9 items were not bad.  They included Takoyaki, Hiyayakko, Wakame, Chicken Karaage, Tai, Tako Wasabi, Seared Scallop, Cucumber Roll and Marinated Sea Snails.  I found the tako wasabi to be quite good with lots of wasabi flavour.  The scallop was buttery and sweet while the snails had a nice bite and were well-seasoned.  Also loved the cold tofu where it was silky smooth.

We got a few more small appies to share including the Chikuwa Cheese.  Interestingly, the chikuwa was stuffed with a cheese string.  It was fine and ultimately was stringy and cheesy.  Just looked a bit strange.   Since one piece of Chicken Karaage in the sampler box didn't cut it, we got a separate order.  In the end, it was not very good where the chicken was dry and chewy.  The exterior was nicely crunchy though.  Essentially yam tempura, the Yam Fries were good with a light crispy batter with a tender interior.

So that we had enough to go around the table, we got 3 orders of Chawanmushi.  In general, these were quite good with a silky texture and subtle flavours from the dashi.  There was the requisite piece of chicken, prawn and mushroom hidden within, but a bit too much veg in my opinion.  I thought that completely broke up the appealing texture of the egg and added chewy stringiness that was counter-intuitive to the dish.

Attractively-plated, the Chef's Choice Sashimi consisted of Kanpachi, Nishin, Hamachi, Ebi, Hotate, Shimaaji, Bluefin Akami and Salmon Belly.  As you can see, this was a premium assortment of sashimi that exhibited a nice sheen.  The assortment smelled fresh and ultimately, the slices of sashimi were fresh.  I particularly enjoyed the hamachi and kanpachi as well as the bluefin.  Sure, it wasn't the best part of the fish, but it was still sweet and delicate.

Although the selection of sashimi within the Chef's Choice was good, we still got a single order of the Sockeye Salmon Sashimi (since it was not part of the aforementioned dish).  Once again, this was both fresh in appearance as well as in texture and taste.  The cuts were a bit clunky for this one, but it still ate well.  We also got a selection of Nigiri including my son's favourite - Chopped Scallop.  This was solid with actual pieces of chopped large scallops.  We often see smaller bay scallops, but due the use of large scallops, the texture was much more buttery.  They were also supremely sweet.

Of course my son wouldn't be happy with just 3 pieces of nigiri, so we also got 3 each of the Tamago, Unagi and Atlantic Salmon.  Once again, this was an attractive plate with a good ingredient-to-rice ratio.  Loved that the tamago was not some generic version while the unagi was buttery soft and lacquered with enough sauce.  As for the salmon, it was buttery and soft.  Underneath, the sushi rice was chewy and mildly seasoned.

To get a taste of their aburi sushi, we ordered both the Salmon Hako and Tuna Hako.  We were pleasantly surprised at how good these were.  As you can see, these looked legit with enough a decent torching on top.  Beyond the nicely textured sushi rice (just moist enough, but still chewy with discernible grains), the fish was fresh and well-portioned.  I thought the sauces were flavourful enough without taking over the dish.

We ended up with 2 rolls including the Spider Roll and the Red Dragon Roll.  Naturally, there was nothing unusual about the spider roll as it consisted of a deep fried soft-shelled crab.  It was crispy while the crab itself was fluffy.  It was rolled tightly enough that everything stayed intact.  The red dragon consisted of ebi tempura and cucumber on the inside with fried unagi and avocado on the outside.  This was pleasant and full of textures and flavours.  We ended up with this one mainly because my mom doesn't eat raw things.

On that note, we also got the Assorted Tempura because it was more cooked food.  This was on point with a crunchy and light batter that was not greasy.  We found ebi, sweet potato, green bean, zucchini and eggplant.  Every piece was cooked properly where the green bean was still crunchy while the eggplant and zucchini were not overcooked.  Shrimp were a decent size while having a cold-water crunch.

Our last dish was also cooked in the form of the Chicken Yakisoba, served on a sizzling cast iron hot plate.  I found the noodles a bit too soft, but the veggies were perfectly crunchy.  There was enough seasoning to give the dish a savoury, sweet and tangy flavour.  There was also plenty of tender chicken hidden within the noodles.  Overall, the food at Ajishou was good except chicken karaage.  Pricing was fair considering the quality, level of service and dining ambiance.  It wouldn't be the top of my list for this type of restaurant, but I certainly wouldn't be opposed to going back either.

The Good:

- Above average eats

- Nice dining space

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- A bit pricier than "regular" Japanese restaurants, but this also features a nice location and a more extensive menu

- Could upset a few "authentic-police" customers, but didn't bother me

Sho Bu Japanese Noodle

My son really wanted to go for ramen as his birthday dinner.  Loved that he didn't pick something exorbitant, but at the same time, ramen isn't an experience that lasts very long.  Also, we go for ramen all the time and it was more of an "everyday" meal.  So he chose Japanese for dinner instead.  However, to keep him happy, we ended up grabbing some ramen for his birthday lunch.  Lucky kid, 2 birthday meals in one day!  We ended up going somewhere obscure in Sho Bu in Henderson Centre.

Sure, there are more obvious and "better" ramen spots to choose from, but we weren't going into Downtown nor did we want to visit the usual places.  So we got a couple of appies to start including the Gyoza.  These could've been seared a bit more aggressively, but they were fine nonetheless.  Dumpling skin was fairly thin and delicate.  Although the sauce could've been bottled (not sure, could be house-made too), it didn't matter because it was very good with nice tanginess.

We also got the Chicken Karaage and it was excellent.  Not sure if they used any rice flour as part of the batter, but it had an appealing hard crunch and was not greasy.  Underneath, the chicken skin was rendered properly so no flabby portions.  The boneless leg meat was juicy and tender.  It had been marinated enough that we didn't need any dip.  But it was served with kewpie mayo with togarashi on top.

I decided to get the baseline ramen choice in the Chashu Ramen featuring tonkotsu base, chashu, green onions, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and 1/2 egg.  I found the broth to be on the lighter side, yet not devoid of flavour.  I would've preferred more depth, but this was completely serviceable.  As for the noodles, they were al dente, but on the softer side.  The chashu was fatty, yet not buttery, it was more meaty in texture.  Egg was on point with a custardy centre and being flavourful.

My son went for the Cha Ku Ramen that featured both chashu and kakuni (hence "cha ku").  This was essentially the same as my bowl of ramen except with the addition of the stewed pork belly and wood ear mushrooms.  Therefore, the broth was also tonkotsu and the chashu was the same texture.  As for the kukuni, it was fatty and tender with penetrated saltiness.  Of course the wood ear added some crunch.

My daughter ended up with the Kimchi Ramen in "1" spice level (on a scale of 0-5 with 5 being the hottest).  It featured a miso base with hot oil added for the heat.  It essentially had the same items as my bowl except with the addition of kimchi.  Even though this was only at a 1, this was still spicy enough to create an impact.  The miso was definitely there, but due to the lighter base, it was not super rich.

Viv went big with the Spicy Beef Ramen off the house special ramen section.  This was at least a half size bigger than our bowls.  It sported beef, cabbage, carrots, onions, woodear, bak choy, sprouts, spinach and swirled egg.  This, by default, was a spice level "3" and it was definitely spicy.  With all of the ingredients, it ate very hearty and could feed some big appetites.  There was a lot of veg and if you like that, this is for you.

As part of my ramen, I got it as a combo with a Pork Belly Bowl for an extra $5.95.  This had a strong dark soy flavour, but it was appealing and full of depth.  The pork belly was on the drier side, but when combined with the softer rice, it worked.  The pops of sweetness from the corn as well as the pickles added layers of flavour to each bite.  So as you can see, this ramen spot has Korean influences and for those bowls, they were good.  I would have to say there are better ramen spots around for sure, but his was more than serviceable at a reasonable price.  Loved the people there, they are so nice!

The Good:
- Fairly good value
- Decent eats
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Soup base is a bit light

 

Little Beetle

As much as there has been a number of brunch-focused spots opening up around the Lower Mainland, nothing has really captured my imagination.  In fact, with my most recent visit to Coast to Toast, I experienced sticker-shock as to what brunch costs these days.  Yes, we have ol' standbys like Red Wagon, Yolks and Egg & Co, but I just need something that would stir my soul.  Well, I have found that place.  One caveat...  It is in Chilliwack.  Yes, this cute lil' store out in the Wack has a brunch that I'm considering returning for, even though it is over an hour drive away!

Beyond the cute farmhouse-inspired decor, there is a tranquil outdoor dining space.  We ending up enjoying the fresh air and soothing instrumental music.  Our first dish was the Brekkie Croffle with house-baked croissant waffle, avocado, thick bacon, hashbrowns, 2 poached organic eggs, Hollandaise and maple butter.  Oh gawd, this couldn't have been prepared any more perfectly!  The croffle was crispy and super flaky and buttery.  That bacon was thicc while beautifully seared and caramelized.  Eggs were runny and delicate while the cubes of potatoes were crispy, well-seasoned and fluffy inside.

Equally delicious, the Fried Chicken Benny featured 2 buttermilk fried chicken thighs, 2 organic runny poached eggs on lightly-toasted English muffins topped with Hollandaise.  Since the fried chicken was already crispy (in an airy way), the softer English muffin worked.  Otherwise, it would've crunchy on crunchy.  The chicken thigh was juicy while nicely seasoned.  That Hollandaise was rich and creamy with mild acidity.  Crispy and well-seasoned, the potato wedges were soft and fluffy inside.  Even the salad was was on point with fresh organic greens with a sweet acidic vinaigrette, shaved parm and a slice of fig.

Our last dish was something sweet in the Maple Butter French Toast topped with house-made moscato berry compote and accompanied by whipped cream, banana, warm maple butter and farmer's sausage.  The thick-cut French toast was completely soaked through, hence it was almost like bread pudding inside with a soft eggy texture.  Outside, it was well-seared and aromatic.  Sweetness and moisture was added by the compote while the big scoop of whipped cream added cool creaminess.  That maple butter added another layer of sweetness and flavour.  Loved the sausage as it was meaty while juicy with a good amount of herbs.  Absolutely loved the brunch here and especially appreciated the sincere service and gratitude from the family-run business.  We could really tell they cared about their customers, food quality and cleanliness of the restaurant.

The Good:
- Well-prepared and tasty food
- Generous portions
- Lovely people

The Bad:
- Well, far for everyone other than people who live in Abby and the Wack