Happy Tree House BBQ (Kingsway)

It's been quite some time since the last time I visited Happy Tree House BBQ.  This was pre-pandemic and all I can remember is that they were really busy and the K-Pop music was far too loud.  However, I do love meat on a stick and when Costanza wanted to meet up (a bit of a pun regarding one of their competitors) for eats, we settled on the Kingsway location of Happy Tree.  It was a convenient drive for them, but I'm still not a fan of their parking lot.

Naturally, we ordered a variety of meat skewers, but the first thing to arrive was the Crispy Tofu served with a sweetened soy dip.  This featured small deep fried wedges of medium-firm tofu.  The outside was uniformly crispy without being hard nor greasy.  There wasn't any seasoning on the tofu itself as it left the heavy lifting for the soy.  Nothing very interesting about this dish other than it was fine and it served its purpose.

Onto the skewers, the Sausages, Lamb and Chicken Wings were the initial ones to arrive.  They really should label the sausages to hot dog wieners instead.  They were fine and dusted in a lot of paprika.  Same could be said for the wings as they were not as spicy as they appeared.  The skin was rendered and crispy while the meat was still moist.  The lamb skewers rocked as they were moist and delicious sporting the usual cumin and spice.

Interestingly, the Scallops arrived in a half shell and were BBQ'd as such.  I've been to other places before and the scallops have been bigger and were skewered. Hence there would be grill marks and much more caramelization.  For these ones, they were cooked right being soft and buttery, but they might as well been steamed.  Sure, these were too expensive, so I wasn't expecting big scallops.  However, I wasn't a fan of its preparation.

Back to meat on a stick, we were served the Pork and Chicken Skewers next.  As you can see, the chicken skewers featured peppers in-between the chunks of meat and that worked well.  Since chicken can be rather bland, this added both extra flavour and moisture.  Seasoning was mild, but had a bit of spice and earthiness.  As for the pork, it was less juicy than the chicken but was seasoned similarly.  The kids seemed to like them

The Angus Beef Skewers made up the bulk of our order since the kids wanted it.  Turned out to another good choice as the meat was tender with a meaty chew.  It was also seasoned well with plenty of aromatics and a touch of spice.  We also got some Chicken Gizzards and they were predictably chewy.  However, they were not dry and for those who enjoy that texture, it was good.  Once again, the seasoning was tasted similar, but still tasty.

Initially, we wanted to get a spicy fish, but since the kids don't prefer it, we ended up with the Fish with Pickled Veggie.  We added beancurd skin, quail eggs and tofu for good measure.  For $29.95 excluding the add-ons, this was a huge portion sporting flaky and moist fish with a broth that was mild, yet flavourful.  It did have a slight tang to it from the pickled mustard greens as well as the sweetness from the fish.

For no other than to add carbs to our meal, we got the Grilled Buns as well as the Chinese Donut with Cheese.  Nothing really special with the grilled buns.  We found them a bit dry though.  Nice crunch on the exterior.  The donut was a bit greasy, yet fun to eat due to the plethora of melted cheese in the middle.  In the end, the meal at Happy Tree was exactly how I remembered it being solid and decently-priced.  Yes, the K-Pop was still loud (maybe less loud this time) while the service was good if not indifferent.  Solid choice for BBQ skewers.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Okay pricing
- Fairly big restaurant

The Bad:
- Service was fine but indifferent
- Parking lot sucks

Black Rice Izakaya

I'm going to go on a rant here about Black Rice Izakaya.  For those who don't know, it is a Korean-run Japanese restaurant.  For some reason or another, that is somehow a negative for certain people.  Even if the food is consistently good and the chefs are legitimately trained to produce quality Japanese dishes, it still isn't enough.  Besides, Sushi Jin is Korean-run and I believe it is one of the best in town.  So my question is: what if there is a Japanese-run Korean restaurant?  How about an Asian chef at a French restaurant?  Those do not seem to be much of an issue and frankly, it shouldn't be an issue.  In a day and age of inclusion and equality, why do we still prejudge things like this?  Okay, onto the post...  Mijune and I dropped by to try some of their new menu items.  Before the haters start hating again, I've been here on my own coin before, so no, I didn't rant because I was invited.

Before we got to new stuff, we had the 5 Kinds of Sashimi Platter albeit a more "special one".  This featured kinki, chutoro, hirame, madai, shima-aji and Hokkaiko uni.  The kinki (channel rockfish) was torched rather than blanched, which meant it remained sweet bearing natural flavours.  Naturally, the bevy of Hokkaido uni was a real treat with an intense sweetness.  Everything else had a nice sheen, but the chutoro was my favourite since blue fin tuna is so buttery and delicious.

We were then presented with the Aburi Hakozushi Platter consisting of Aburi Salmon, Aburi Negitoro, Aburi Ebi and Aburi Saba.  Our favourite of the bunch was the negitoro as it featured buttery albacore toro mixed with just enough green onion.  It was topped with spouts as well.  The saba was pretty solid with a flavourful miso sauce while the ebi featured a briny and creamy mentaiko mayo.  Lastly, the salmon was different than most places imitating Miku, this was a bit spicer and more zesty.

Before we moved onto the new menu items, we had the B.T.S. (Black Rice's Top Secret) Box featuring fresh items on hand and also curated to not duplicate (as much as possible) what was already ordered.  So we ended up with a selection including steak bites, a fish croquette, lollipop roll, black angus beef, chicken nanban, grilled sablefish and salmon tataki.  This was a nice array of small dishes where I thought the beef, salmon and sablefish were the best items.

Onto the new dishes, we had the Nori Soba first.  This was a cold noodle with house-made seaweed pesto, shiitake mushroom, pickled onion and topped with tobiko.  We thought this was an absolute umami bomb with earthiness, brininess and tang.  Being a cold noodle, the soba had an appealing chew with a nice rebound.  I felt that if this noodle was hot, it would lose some of the fresh seafoody flavours, so being cold worked.

Next dish was the Rose Ragu Soba, which to me, was good enough to be served in a fine Italian restaurant.  No joke!  This consisted of a spicy ragu made with minced Black Angus beef, bacon, onion, sundried tomato and Parmesan cheese served with crispy parmesan chips.  Once again, the soba was firmly al dente.  The ragu was impactfully spicy with a meaty richness (with help from the cream) that helped temper the heat.  Pops of tang and sharpness were provided by the tomato and onion while the cheese helped add even more body.  I absolutely loved this dish.

Last noodle we had was the Pad Thai Yaki Soba with black tiger prawns, bay scallops, egg, chives, peanuts, micro cilantro and Thai chilli pepper.  Okay, you might be thinking...  Pad Thai?  In a Japanese restaurant???  Well, rest assured, this was actually quite good with great balance of sweet, tangy and spice.  The noodles were al dente again and the prawns had a sweet snap. Personally, I would order the first 2 noodles before this one, but for those who want something familiar-tasting and sounding, this would be it.

Okay, if we didn't have enough sashimi already, we also got the Kaisen Donburi featuring 10-12 kinds of local and daily catch sashimi including hotate, tamago, ikura and kaki pon.  This was served on a separate dish atop a bowl of sushi rice (with the ikura on top) so that it would be easier to eat.  All of this was served with fresh grated wasabi.  As you can see, they did not skimp on the sashimi and it also included a spot prawn with a fried head.  The rice was on point in texture with a chewiness while completely seasoned (sweet with tang from the vinegar).

If that wasn't enough, we had the Aburi Salmon Donburi for good measure.  This sported Atlantic salmon sashimi, salmon tartare, tobiko, ikura and chopped shiso on top of sushi rice.  The fish to rice ratio was 50/50 so that each spoonful was balanced with chewy seasoned sushi rice with buttery torched salmon.  This was as simple as it gets and the freshness of the fish (as fresh as flash frozen can get) was evident with a seafoody sweetness.

As a bonus of sorts, we were served an off-menu item in the Grilled Eel.  Already par-cooked, the buttery soft eel was finished off on a hotplate at our leisure.  This helped crisp up the skin even more than it was already crispy.  Therefore, the contrast between the buttery eel and skin was an absolute delight.  Eating it with the julienned ginger and garlic chips was good enough (ginger helped cut the richness), but for those who want unagi sauce, there was some as well.

For dessert, we were served one each of the Tiramisu Tart and the Yuzu Custard Tart.  The tart shells were on the softer side (I would've liked them firmer) while the fillings were creamy and flavourful.  This was especially true for the yuzu custard with a sweet tanginess.  They were finished off with fresh whipped cream.  Overall, the new noodle and rice dishes we tried were quite good.  I especially enjoyed the rose ragu soba and the kaisen donburi.  Honestly, I don't care what other narrow-minded people think about Black Rice.  The food is solid and prepared with high-quality ingredients.  For those haters who want to keep on hating, do they know that there is a Japanese-trained chef as well as a French-trained chef in the kitchen?  It isn't as if this is Sushi Garden!  If there are Michelin-Star restaurants in France with Asian Executive Chefs, then people should have open-minds to who is in the kitchen.  I do admit I had some of those negative views before, but as I experienced more, it became clear to me is that we judge the food regardless of who is preparing it.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Fresh high-quality ingredients

- Well-prepared food

- Fairly reasonable pricing

The Bad:

- Seating is fairly spacious but I'm not a fan of the hard chairs

Congee Noodle House

It has been over 3 years since Congee Noodle House has last been open.  Ordered to shut down due to a partial collapse of their parking lot into an adjacent construction site, we lost a great place to grab quick Chinese eats.  Due to insurance issues and of course the pandemic, it stayed closed, seemingly never to serve their wondering wonton noodles, congee and Chinese BBQ again.  Well, I've been back twice since they returned from the dead.  Oh and by-the-way, I'm using a stock picture of the front since there is Skytrain construction along Broadway.

Let's get to the items that are in the restaurant name first.  I ended up with the Wonton & Siu Gau Noodles instead of just the plain wonton noodles because I wanted more variety.  For those who are unfamiliar, the large wontons here are primarily comprised of shrimp with some binding from shrimp mousse and pork fat.  These had a sweet snap from the shrimp.  As for the Siu Gau, they were larger and added wood ear mushrooms that provided some extra crunch.  The noodles were perfectly prepared having a good chewiness while the broth was mild, yet still had plenty of depth.

Alright, the second item in the restaurant name is congee, so we got the Sliced Fish and Beef Congee.  The viscosity of the congee was on point with a silkiness that was thick, yet was still drinkable.  Properly cooked down, the rice was barely there with only some bits.  The sliced fish was tender and flaky while the sliced beef was marinated enough that it was tender while still retaining a meaty texture.  In terms of seasoning, the congee base was flavourful without being too salty.

So in the Chinese description of these types of restaurants also include "rice", so we got the 3 BBQ Meats on Rice.   This included roast pork, soy chicken and BBQ pork.  The rice was chewy and nutty with a good amount of braising liquid for flavour.  Sporting crunchy crackling and fatty belly, the roast pork was good.  Despite being served the wing, the soy chicken was tender, but it could've been more flavourful.  It was our mistake to not specify that we wanted fatty BBQ pork, so we ended up with lean.  Therefore, it was a little dry.

Since we didn't have the BBQ Duck with the combo plate, we got half a duck to test it out.  It was a good decision since the duck was huge and very meaty.  The breast meat was tender and moist while the rest of the duck was brined well, but not salty.  The skin was still mostly crispy while the fat underneath was fairly well rendered.  This was the best BBQ meat of the 4 we tried.

To compliment the congee, we ordered the Deep Fried Silverfish with Chili Salt.  For those freaking out, no these aren't the little crawly things on your washroom floor.  Rather, they are little fish that are battered and fried until they are super crispy.  Then they are wok-tossed in garlic, chilis and salt.  This particular version was solid with fairly large silverfish that were indeed crunchy and completely seasoned by the ingredients.

For no other reason that we love Sweet & Sour Pork, we got that too.  Despite being a lighter shade of red-orange (not as much food colouring), this was quite good.  The batter was slightly on the thicker side, but was not a huge detriment.  This was because the chunks of pork shoulder were large and also juicy.  There was enough sauce to coat each piece without excess.  I found it sweeter than sour, but still tasty.

Trying to go for the classics, we ordered the Curry Brisket on Rice.  Another solid dish in my books where the large chunks of brisket were tender and only somewhat fatty.  The curry itself was thick and creamy with enough coconut milk for aroma and viscosity.  The peppers and onions were still firm, yet cooked all the way through.  Just like the previous rice dish, the rice was dry enough that it was perfect to go with sauce.

Lastly, we had the House Special Noodles with a bevy of seafood and veggies.  The noodles were crispy and nicely browned from the deep fry in the wok while there was enough starch-thickened sauce to soften it up.  It was flavourful enough, but I personally like to add red vinegar to the mix.  As for the ingredients, they were cooked just right with nothing being overcooked.  Overall, this was exactly what I expected from Congee Noodle House and it was good to visit an old friend who has returned after 3 years.  Prices have gone up but that is normal across the board.  Food is still solid and of course the wonton noodles and congee rock.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Decent service
- It is an institution in Vancouver

The Bad:
- Currently parking is an issue

Eat For Good

I know I have been going on and on about the cost of food these days, whether it be at the grocery store or a restaurant. Hey, I get it though since the prices are only a reflection of the increasing costs from suppliers as well as transportation (fuel prices) and all other expenses.  So is it really possible to get a good deal when it comes to eating out?  Well, I think I've found it at a very non-descript place in North Burnaby where the old La Villetta Restaurant used to stand. Strangely named Eat for Good, this place is a Chinese restaurant.  However, it is more like a Manchu Wok or Flaming Wok, that you would find at a mall food court.  Interestingly, you can still order off the menu if you really wanted regular-sized portions.  Yet, the thing to get here is the combo plates where the 3-item plate is only $13.95 (includes rice or noodles too)!

So Milhouse and Juju joined me after Sunday morning hockey to check the place out.  We were tempted to order off the menu since the food would be fresh rather than sitting in a chaffing tray.  However, we couldn't resist the $13.95 3-item combo.  he went for the Thai Crispy Fish, Chicken Curry and Sweet & Sour Pork on Fried Rice.  As you can see, this was a mountain of food.  Well Juju is a mountain of a man, so he dusted this off impressively.  The sweet & sour pork was rather dry, possibly the victim of sitting in the chaffing tray.  It was mild-tasting and could've used more tanginess.  Curry was pretty typical with mild flavours with tender pieces of chicken.

For Milhouse, he selected the Sweet & Sour Pork, Mandarin Orange Chicken and the Thai Crispy Fish on Fried Rice. So the only thing different that he had from the previous dish was the orange chicken.  The colour was quite appealing and the flavour was a good balance between tangy and sweet.  The chicken itself was tender and moist while the batter was a bit doughy.  The rice could've been wok-fried more aggressively as it was on the softer side.

For myself, I went for the Chow Mein with Sweet & Sour Pork, Mandarin Orange Chicken and Honey Garlic Spareribs.  I found the chow mein soft with a nice chew despite looked dry.  The one different item I had was the spareribs and they were meaty with an appealing chewiness.  They were sweet, but not overly so.  After it was all said and done, I was completely stuffed.  This was enough food for 2 smaller appetites.  For $13.95, this would be considered one of the better deals in town.  I think I'll stop by to get some takeout if I'm lazy one night.  It is no more expensive than McD's and you get more food.

The Good:
- Inexpensive combos
- Decent eats
- Nice people

The Bad:
- When some of the items have been sitting around, the textures are compromised
- Maybe a bit too much seating for this type of restaurant, will it be cost-effective to stay open? 

Singapore Hawker (Sperling)

I personally believe that Singapore Hawker is one of the best values in town especially considering the rising prices of food these days.  Yes, there are cheaper spots in town, but you must factor in the food quality and general lack of Singaporean food.  We've been to the location in Coquitlam and were thoroughly impressed with the place including their on point efficiency.  However, it gets quite busy there and the seating is not that comfortable.  Now that they have a new spot in Burnaby, we had to see if things would be the same or better.

One look at the place and it is apparent that it does not resemble the previous tenant (Deer Garden).  The place has an open concept and is brightly lit.  They are counter service only and that helps lower the price.  To start, we had 3 pieces of the Chicken & Beef Satay Skewers each.  These were rather meaty where the chicken was moist while the beef was tender with some chew.  As you can see, there was a nice char from the grill and that came through with some smokiness.  The side of sweet peanut dip was tasty and complimented the skewers nicely.

We actually ordered 2 each of the Nyonya Sambal Egg and the Roti Canai, however I must've not paid attention to the cashier repeating my order because we only got one each (we ended up going up and getting 2 more).  No matter, the sambal egg was not overdone and the sweet, briny and spicy sambal was addictive.  As for the roti, it was featured some crispiness on the outside while soft and chewy on the inside.  Side of curry dip had some mild heat.

Again, I must've blanked out because I swore I ordered the Malaysian Laksa, but I ended up with the Singaporean Laksa instead.  No big deal as this was pretty good, if not too mild for me at least.  It was creamy with enough coconut while the brininess was definitely there as well.  All the usual ingredients were on top including tofu puffs, fish cake, shrimp, fish balls and egg.

For our one veggie dish, we opted for the classic Sambal Green Beans.  I would say this was pretty much the same as the other location.  Hence, the flavours didn't pop like I expected it to be, especially with their delicious sambal.  Although there was some spice and shrimpiness, the entire dish was a bit underwhelming.  Beans were good though with a nice vibrant crunch.

One of my favourite items from Singapore Hawker is their Hainanese Chicken on Rice.  The dark meat deboned (like it should be) chicken was tender and "wat" (which means buttery texture).  It was flavourful, but the side of ginger and chili condiment made it even better.  The side of chicken oil rice was nutty and chewy with a touch of sweet soy on the bottom.  Still a good deal at $14.95 (was $12.95 one year ago).

I guess we ended up ordering almost the same things as last time as we also got the Kari Lembu with Rice.  This was a good thing though as the beef brisket was fatty and tender.  The chunks of potato were fried up nicely where they softened, but did not melt into the curry.  About that curry, it was rich and flavourful while mildly spicy.  In addition to the rice, it was served with some veggies.

Not to be outdone, we also added the Nyonya Rendang Lembu with Ginger Rice too.  Unlike the previous dish, this sported lean brisket, where it was less tender and more meaty.  Also the use of coconut milk as well as shredded coconut, there was some definite aromatics happening here.  In addition the lemongrass came through too. There was some mild spiciness as well.

I wanted to add another curry to our order and I asked for their recommendation and it resulted in the Nyonya Yellow Curry Chicken with Ginger Rice.  Not sure if this would be my personal choice, but it turned out to be not bad.  Naturally, the use of chicken breast meant the meat wasn't super tender, but it wasn't dry either.  I found the curry to be aromatic yet quite mild.  The ginger rice had an appealing colour but wasn't that flavourful.

Lastly, we had the Char Kuey Teow.  No, there was not cockles in this version and not expected (especially in Vancouver).  However, it was pretty good with lots of ingredients and decent wok hei that ensured caramelization.  Overall, the food at Singapore Hawker is good, especially for the price.  Are there better versions of some of the dishes in the GVRD?  Yes, of course, but for me at least, Singapore Hawker is a place that is good enough for me with all things considered.

The Good:
- Yes, the prices have gone up, but still good value
- Decent eats
- Efficient service

The Bad:
- Things are efficient and you will be finished eat quickly, so not a place to eat slow and enjoy your meal

Afuri Ramen + Dumpling (Main Street)

If I had to be blunt, our first visit to Afuri Ramen + Dumpling in Richmond back in early 2020 (yah, just before the pandemic) was "okay".  However, that was then and this is now.  They've recently opened up their second location on Main Street at 12th in Vancouver offering up familiar items as well as new ones.  Jacqueline and I were invited to check out the new spot.  Ironically, it was myself and Jacqueline the last time we had visit Afuri in Richmond.

We started with a bunch of appies including a new one in the Yasai Mochi filled with daikon, edamame and kikurage mushroom.  On top we found pickled vegetable, green onion, sesame seeds, shichimi pepper and sweet soy.  I loved the soft texture of the mochi as it gave way to the earthiness of the mushroom.  The pickles on top provided tangy saltiness while the sweetness of the soy balanced things out.  Slight spice from the shichimi helped hit all the flavours.

Another new item was the Winged Ebi Shumai stuffed with pork, shrimp, ginger and cabbage.  On top, there was green onion, sesame oil and hazelnut ra-yu with sweet soy served on the side.  These resembled wontons more than shumai with thin and barely there dumpling skin.  They were nicely seared on the bottom and featured a juicy flavourful filling.  Loved the nutty spice from the ra-yu which was complimented by the sweet soy.

Back to the classics, we went for the Winged Buta Gyoza with a pork, ginger, cabbage and leek filling  This came with a light and crispy skirt that blended into the seared bottom of the gyoza.  From what I can remember, this was executed better than the last time.  The dumpling skin was fairly thin and tender with elasticity.  I found the filling to be moist with enough seasoning but of course I dunked it into the soy dipping sauce.

Now the best thing we had last time was the Softshell Crab Bao and we weren't getting out of there without it.  This did not disappoint with a large and meaty softshell crab inside.  It was delicately crispy with all of the crab custardy texture and flavour front and centre.  This was complimented by the spicy mayo and kimchi which added a creamy kick as well as a tangy crunch.  Some sliced cucumber provided even more texture.

For good measure, we ordered the 3rd and final new item which was the Tonkotsu Tsukemen.  This featured a plate of al dente thick noodles accompanied by kakuni pork, bamboo shoots, half ramen egg, nori and key lime.  Since this was a dipping noodle, we had on the side a bowl of tonkotsu shoyu tsuyu with yellow onion, green onion, bonito powder, sesame seeds and Sichuan pepper.  I thought the dipping broth was flavourful enough with inherent meatiness, silkiness and saltiness.  The addition of Sichuan pepper afforded spice while the bonito provided more umaminess.  The fatty braised pork melted-in-our-mouths and was plenty flavourful.

The Yuzu-Tsuyu was somewhat similar with a bowl of thick noodles, kakuni pork, bamboo shoots, frisee and kizami nori.  On the side, the dipping noodles were served with a yuzu shoyu tsuyu spiked with chili sesame and green onion.  As you can imagine, the flavour profile of this dish was very different than the last with tangy spice complimented by the nutty sesame.  This almost ate like a tan tan noodle.

On the topic of tan tan noodles, the Hazelnut Tan Tan was a complete surprise.  This vegan offering (yes, really) was absolutely delicious!  There was considerable nuttiness from the broth as well as the diced nuts on top.  However, the spicy miso tare added a fermented rich saltiness that also had a balanced kick.  Add in the chili oil and there was some added smokiness.  The noodles soaked up some of the broth and I just couldn't stop eating it.

Of course we had to get their signature ramen in the Yuzu Shio.  Personally, I'm more into the richer tonkotsu broths, so this wouldn't be my first choice.  However, I can see the attraction of this bowl of noodles though.  For those who do not want something heavy nor too salty, this checks all the boxes.  We dug into this where the chicken broth was lightly sweet and refreshing with an aromatic acidity.

Onto some rice dishes, we had both the Aburi Koro Chashu Don and the Spicy Karaage Don.  As you can see in the first picture, the kakuni pork was well-charred.  There was a caramelized smokiness that was complimented by the salty pickles and fresh grated daikon.  Some shoyu sauce helped add flavour to the chewy rice.  As for the spicy chicken karaage, it was full-impact from the spicy mayo on top.  Furthermore, the chicken was juicy with a crispy exterior.  This would be my pick between the two.

Onto dessert, we had the Yuzu Graham Cracker Cheesecake as well as the Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich.  I thought the cheesecake was quite good with prominent cheesiness complimented by the slightly sweet blueberries.  Emulating a graham cracker crust, the "tart shell" was soft and aromatic.  As for the ice cream sandwich, the cookies had an interesting depth of flavour from miso.  Hence, there was this richness and umaminess that was unexpected.  It was a nice foil to the sweet and creamy ice cream in the middle.  Some sesame seeds added nuttiness.  These 2 treats were a fine ending to a delicious meal.  Jacqueline and I agreed that this was significantly better than the first time we had Afuri.  Granted, we had many more items to try and they had 3 years in between to refine their food.  Would like to come back to have their Hazelnut Tan Tan again!

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Well-executed eats
- That Hazelnut Tan Tan
- That Softshell Crab Bao

The Bad:
- The Yuzu Shio is not my thing, but others seem to like it