The Living Room (Hotel Belmont)

It's been awhile since I'm been down to the Granville Entertainment District in Downtown Vancouver.  So it is no surprise I was clueless that Doolin's had shuttered and the Comfort Inn became The Belmont Hotel.  Okay, I've actually been down there not that long ago, but obviously I wasn't paying attention.  Well, I was invited with a bunch of the other awesome foodies in town to try out The Living Room (that replaces Doolin's) and to check out The Basement as well.  Gotta say that underground space is a perfect party room for those looking for a place to book.  But back to The Living Room, they have a nice bar in the middle and they still have those large windows that open up and you get fresh air including all the people watching on Nelson Street.

Onto the food, we were served a bunch of appies including the KFC Bao with crispy chicken, pickled vegetables, gochujang aioli, cilantro and sesame seeds.  I enjoyed these as the steamed bao was soft and fluffy while not stuck to the steamer (probably placed in the basket afterwards).  The chicken was crunchy while being juicy inside.  There was the classic sweet and spicy gochujang flavour that was complimented by the crunchy pickled veggies.

The next plate to hit the table was the Braised Meatballs in a rosé sauce topped with grana padano and basil pesto.  I found the meatballs to have a natural beef texture while still being moist and tender.  There wasn't a whole lot of filler in these.  They were mildly seasoned with enough inherent flavour to stand on its own, but the sauce was totally welcomed.  I thought it was more tangy than being a creamy rosé, but that was a good thing as some versions are far too muted due to the addition of cream.  Loved the basil pesto as it provided some herbaceousness.

Normally, ordering Burrata in a restaurant is never a bad decision, but ultimately, some versions are pretty boring.  So when this one was topped with a considerable amount of chili oil tapenade, it really brought the whole dish alive.  First and foremost, the burrata was creamy and acted as a blank canvas for the tangy, salty and slightly spicy tapenade.  We found uniformly toasted foccacia on the side that was crispy and light.

Yes, the next appie we had was actually handmade by The Real Dumpling King but hey, they were good and prepared properly.  The Pork Dumplings were shaped like an XLB, but they featured a very thin, almost translucent wrapper.  The texture was appealing with a good mouth feel and elasticity.  They were seared well with crispy and browned bottoms.  Inside, the pork filling was meaty and juicy with a wealth of seasoning that meant that the dip wasn't even necessary.

Last small plate we had was the Lobster & Prawn Rolls tossed in lemon aioli and herbs.  These were pretty good with a soft split bun stuffed with plenty of filling.  The textures were on point with cold-water crunchy prawn meat as well as lobster with an appealing rebound.  Naturally, the sweetness and brininess of the two ingredients were present, but the lemon aioli with herbs complimented them beautifully.  The balanced acidity really helped keep things bright and light.

Onto the mains, I had the Smash Burger with two patties, American cheese, caramelized onion, lettuce, tomato and burger sauce on a toasted brioche bun.  As you can see, this was a substantial burger where the bun was perfect.  It held together, but was light enough to not be a distraction from the meat.  Those smashed patties were medium-thick, nicely charred and still moist.  Slathered in salty melted cheese and tangy sauce, this ate messy and very well.

Interestingly, almost everyone at the table ordered the Hanger Steak Frites featuring Bulleit Bourbon peppercorn sauce, roasted tomatoes, skinny fries and for this plate, garlic prawns for an extra $7.00.  Due to it being a hanger steak, the meatiness and beef flavour was at the forefront.  It was prepared a perfect medium-rare with an even cook on both sides.  Properly rested and nicely charred on the outside, there was very little in the way of meat juices leaking out.  The steak was sufficiently tender for the cut and the peppercorn sauce was creamy and full-flavoured.  There was a considerable amount of fries and they were uniformly crispy.  Prawns were excellent too with a sweet snap and lots of garlic buttery goodness.  For $29.00 and considering the execution (and since we were in Downtown), this was a good vaule.

Even though the Pan-Seared Steelhead Salmon was not as sexy as the steak and burger, it was also one of the best.  It was seared nicely while still moist and flaky on the inside.  The lemon butter emulsion was creamy but not overly heavy due to the acidity.  Of course it worked well with the salmon.  Underneath, the fluffy quinoa combined with the sauce was delicious.  On the side, the zucchini, red pepper, cherry tomatoes and peas were beautifully prepared.

Beyond all these dishes, it would seem that the Spicy Rigatoni would be an afterthought, right?  Not so.  It was also very good with al dente pasta bathed in an arribiatta rosé sauce with foccacia bread crumbs, grana padano and garlic prawns ($7.00 extra).  I found the sauce to be tangy and not that creamy (same as the meatballs), but again, that worked for me.  It was mildly spicy with plenty of nutty cheesiness from the grana padano.  Again, the prawns were cooked right and added some nice texture.

Onto dessert, we had two of them including the New York Cheesecake with berry compote.  This was textbook with a rich and creamy texture that was only semi-sweet.  It was uniformly shaped and featured a buttery graham cracker crust.  As much as the berry compote was a bit pale in colour and chunky in appearance, it was good.  There was a nice balance of sweetness to go with the considerable tang which brought some brightness to the heavy cheesecake.

My favourite of the two was the Warm Chocolate Brownie drizzled with salted caramel and topped with candied nuts and whipped cream.  Texturally, the brownie was rich, chewy and not overly dense.  It was chocolaty without being too sweet.  Good thing because the salted caramel did its thing with heightened smoky sweetness.  The nuts added some crunch to the dessert.  Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at the food quality and execution at The Living Room.  Given its reasonable pricing, especially for its Downtown location, The Living Room is a great place to grab some drinks and food all served in an eclectic modern space.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Solid eats and cocktails

- Reasonable pricing

- Nice eclectic vibe

The Bad:

- Street parking is limited and parking lots are pricey

Paliotti's (Abbotsford)

Having been in Abby the night before (while attending the I Love the 90's concert), I wasn't really planning to come back out again anytime soon.  Well, that wasn't until I double-checked my sched to see that we made plans to meet up with Nikita and Bluebeard for dinner at Paliotti's.  Yes, the Paliotti's that is only a stone's throw away from the Abbotsford Centre, where I was enjoying one-hit wonders less than 24 hours prior.  Thank goodness I own an EV!

So I don't usually talk about complimentary Focaccia Bread, but I had to mention the one we had here.  Okay, at first glance, it didn't look like much and in fact, looked rather pale and lifeless.  However, don't judge this bread by its cover!   Beyond the slightly crispy exterior, the bread was super fluffy and light while having a slight chew.  There was the woodsiness of the rosemary and of course we dunked it into the EVOO and balsamic vinegar.

Not to be outdone by the bread, we got more carbs (this is an Italian resto right) in the form of the Meat Deluxe Pizzetta with pepperoni, ham, sausage, capicollo, onions, peppers and garlic.  In addition to the crunchy crust, the best part of the pizza was the delicious sausage.  Nice spice on it and the texture was meaty while moist with a rebound.  That crust was also chewy and soft inside and the entire pizza was flavourful.

For our pasta dish, Viv and I shared the Chicken & Sausage Ravioli with stuffed mushroom ravioli, roasted garlic, chicken, Italian sausage, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, garlic and creamy asiago sauce.  Although this looked to be super rich, it actually didn't eat as such.  Sure, it was creamy and cheesy, but I didn't want to stop eating it.  There was plenty of roast garlic aroma as well as the tang from the tomatoes and the meaty spice from the sausage.  The pasta was fairly al dente while full of umaminess.

We also went for the Veal Marsala with a side of spiced fries.  I found the veal to be meaty, yet tender.  It was topped with a rich sherry cream sauce that was earthy from the mushrooms and slightly sweet.  The alcohol had been properly cooked down and the dish was quite tasty.  The veggies on the plate were not overdone while the fries were crispy and flavourful with a touch of spice.

To my horror, Bluebeard and Nikita ordered the same dish, again (last time they did that at Chameleon).  However, there was one key difference, Nikita's was gluten-free.   They were both the Curry Sausage Prawn Penne with peppers, onions, garlic, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and artichokes in a medium spicy rose sauce.  I thought the flavours in dish were super impactful with a zestiness and mildly creamy viscosity.  Nice combination of spice, tang, cream and earthiness.  As for the gluten-free pasta, it could easily pass for regular pasta except it was a touch lighter and softer.  So this is only a snippet of the large menu found at Paliotti's.  I thought it was pretty good with impactful flavours.  I guess I wouldn't mind driving out to Abby to have this again...

The Good:

- Impactful flavours

- Decent portions

- Friendly service

The Bad:

- Not sure if the menu has to be that large, maybe reduce some of the choices

- Well, far for those who don't live nearby 

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?