Katsuya

My kids love to eat.  Duh, it goes without saying right?  Well, they have many favourites, possibly too many to list.  However, one thing they generally do not get enough of and also would never turn down is Katsu.  They have tried Saku, Daeji, Mr. Tonkatsu and Saboten, where so far, Saku has been their fav.  So when my parents wanted to go out for dinner, I suggested we do either the new Saku in Coquitlam or the nearby Katsuya.  I secretly wanted to do Katsuya as I've never been.  Good thing they chose that!

So we got some appies to start including the small order of Chicken Karaage with some wasabi mayo on the bottom of the plate.  This featured large pieces of chicken thigh which were super juicy and flavourful.  The batter was crunchy and stayed as such even after sitting for awhile.  I wasn't exactly sure I liked the wasabi mayo with this and would've preferred just some kewpie mayo and lemon instead. 

We also had the Tartar Shrimp that featured essentially shrimp tempura with a huge side of tartar sauce.  The shrimp itself was fried up nicely with a crunchy batter than wasn't overly greasy.  Inside, the shrimp had a nice buttery snap.  That tartar sauce was on the sweeter side with a bit of tang.  We thought it was good and didn't even end up using half of it.

Our last appie was the Cheese Crabmeat Croquettes smothered with the same sweet tartar sauce.  Okay, we weren't big fans of these as the copious amount of tartar sauce made them soggy.  Also, the potato, imitation crab and mozzarella filling was far too dense.  It was a real struggle to finish even one of these.  Maybe it would've been better if the sauce was served on the side?

For my choice, I went for the baseline in the Original Pork Loin served with refillable rice, salad and miso soup.  As you can see, the pork loin was fairly large.  It was also not flattened to the degree where it was too thin either.  Hence, it was moist and meaty with a crispy panko coating.  The sauce was tangy and sweet from the fruits and vegetables used to make it.

My daughter predictably had Brick Cheese Katsu in Gold & Silver (Cheddar & Mozzarella).  She absolutely loves cheese and she got her fix here with ooey gooey goodness.  Of course the outer layer of pork had been pounded thin and it was more about the cheese.  She happily ground her own sesame seeds and added it to the rice.  However, she wasn't sure that that tangy BBQ sauce was a good match for the cheese katsu.

My son loves Terimayo Japadogs, so I guess he thought the Terri Mayo Katsu would have all of the same flavours.  That it did with a sweet and tangy teriyaki sauce, a bevy of bonito flakes and mayo.  His pork loin katsu was exactly like mine being moist and tender while still having a meatiness.  The panko was crunchy and not overly greasy.  Possibly this may have needed some grilled onions to add some moisture to the dish as well as staying true to the terimayo flavour.

My parents weren't super hungry and ended up sharing the Mushroom Cream Chicken Katsu.  By virtue of being a flattened chicken breast, this was lighter and a little less moist.  However, with the considerable amount of creamy mushroom goodness on the plate, it alleviated any dryness issues.  It was definitely mushroomy and thick.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Katsuya except for the croquettes.  Portions were large and of course the rice, salad and miso soup were refillable.  Definitely an option for katsu.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Decent eats
- Service was pretty good (as opposed to the online reviews)

The Bad:
- Those croquettes...
- Parking in the lot is difficult when busy

Burger Crush

So I finally made it out to Burger Crush located in the spot that use to house Johnny Rockets (really too bad as I actually liked the place).  They are originally from Victoria and offer up a simplified burger experience.  No bells & whistles according to their website, only burgers, fries and milkshakes (also some tofu nuggets...).  This is not the first burger chain to make its way into the Lower Mainland from Victoria, Bin 4 was the first.  

So I wandered into Downtown since I was already getting my hair cut nearby.  My son was with me and he didn't object to some burger and fries.  Usually, I'm a "more meat" kinda guy, but I went for the Single Cheeseburger as a baseline.  Well, I have to say that it was substantial enough that I really didn't need to make it a double.  The beef patty was thick and juicy with a good char on the outside.  It tasted beefy and combined with the LTOP, cheese and burger sauce, it was messy, but good.  The brioche bun was on point being robust enough to keep things together without being dense.

For a growing boy, my son really didn't think twice and had the Double Cheeseburger with all of the same fixin's but of course with 2 patties. Okay, this was really substantial and although he dusted it off, he did admit it was filling and he didn't need a third patty.  One of the biggest differences between this and the single was the bun-to-meat ratio.  He noticed the bun less than I did and it didn't keep everything in as successfully.  Hey not a bad thing because burgers are supposed to be messy!

Onto the sides, he had the single order of French Fries.  This was quite a lot of thin crispy fries and it could easily be shared amongst 2 people with smaller appetites.  As mentioned, they were crispy with potato texture left inside.  They were properly salted where he didn't even need ketchup. I would say that they were solid, but personally I still love McD's the best.

For myself, I went for the Crush Fries with fried onions, cheese and Crush sauce.  Okay, if these remind you of In-N-Out Animal Style, you would be correct.  I felt they were very similar, even down to the type of fries (albeit these were crispier and better than regular In-N-Out fries).  There was a lot of onions, but that was a good thing as it added sweetness.  My son thought these were better than the plain fries.  We also tried their Vegan Nuggets made out of firm tofu.  Honestly, I did not like these.  They were rather dense and pretty bland, but crispy.  I felt that if they seasoned the tofu more, it would've been better.  We got all the dips including Hot Crush, Sweet Crush, Herb Crush and Original Crush.  I thought the hot one had the most impact, but still, that didn't save these nuggets.

For his beverage, my son had the Chocolate Milkshake (that could be made vegan too).  He thought that it was pretty sweet and actually quite runny.  It wasn't necessarily a bad thing as it was easy to slurp.  However, it wasn't as creamy as he wanted it to be.  Overall, we thought the burgers at Burger Crush were on point with well-prepared patties, fresh produce and an excellent bun.  Fries were okay while the vegan nuggets were not good.  We'd come back for the burgers.

The Good:
- Excellent burgers with thick moist patties
- Simple menu that makes it easy to order

The Bad:
- Not a fan of those nuggets

Chongqing (Surrey)

Since Chongqing on Scott Road is near my work, I've been there many many times since it opened almost a decade ago.  However, I haven't blogged about it since 2016 and hey, it is always good to get an update.  I'm sure things have changed since then!  Sorry, I used an old pic of the front because I was too lazy to cross the street...  Anyways, nothing outwardly has changed but they do have rice noodle rolls on the menu now (they didn't before).

On the note about the Rice Noodle Roll, we did order the shrimp version and it came out fully-stuffed.  Usually, there are empty pockets of just rice noodle, but this one has shrimp in almost every bite.  Hence, it ate very hearty and was quite the good value.  Texturally, the shrimp had a good meaty snap and was well-seasoned.  As for the rice noodle, it was on the medium-thick side but was not dense and still had some elasticity.

Sticking with shrimp, we had the usual Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumpling) which featured a fairly thin dumpling skin.  It was rather wet, so it was a touch soft.  However, there was still elasticity and some chew to them.  Inside, the shrimp filling was quite good.  It was very moist (hence the wet dumpling) and had a nice sweetness.  In terms of texture, the shrimp had a buttery snap and was rather light.

So of course we had to get the ying with the yang in the Siu Mai (Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) as well.  These were also solid with a moist buttery texture.  The pork was classic bouncy with equally rebound textured shrimp.  Dumplings were also well-seasoned so it didn't taste "porky".  On top, there was a dollop of raw tobiko which made it more appealing.

If we didn't get enough shrimp already, we also had the Shrimp Spring Rolls.  As you can see, they added a layer of nori in between the shrimp and the wheat wrapper.  This enabled the wrapper to be extra crispy because the nori sealed the moisture in.  Also, the slight seaweed flavour added extra umami.  As for the shrimp filling, there was lots of it and the sweet buttery snap was definitely there.

Normally, the Deep Fried Taro Dumplings look like footballs, but some places add a swan's head to create a "bird".  Well, they are cute and sure why not have something more aesthetically-pleasing right?  However, those head/neck things were not tasty.  On the other hand, the dumplings themselves were good with soft creamy mashed taro (love that lard!) with a tender and properly seasoned pork filling.

One of my favourite dishes is the Bean Curd Skin Rolls.  They consist of a fried bean curd sheet outer wrap with a ground pork filling.  I found the one here to be good with a chewy bean curd skin while the filling featured pork that had a good rebound.  It was mixed with some veggies and the filling was not too heavy.  The starch-thickened and watered-down oyster sauce provided enough flavour, but the peppers on top added a weird aftertaste.

So we got the usual BBQ Pork Buns just because it is something we always order?   I got lazy and didn't open one up for the picture, but you can see the filling peaking through.  It was good with lean BBQ pork that was not too saucy.  However, there was still the usual sweet elements with a bit of savouriness.  The bun itself was soft and fluffy and stayed as such even after sitting around.

One of the best dishes of the meal was the Steamed Pork Spareribs.  As you can see, there was a bevy of meaty rib pieces (with minimal fat) that were overflowing out of the sauce plate.  The rib pieces were tender with a rebound chew.  Seasoning was on point with enough salty garlickiness without going overboard.  There was pumpkin underneath to soak up all the flavours.

Yep, another favourite of ours is the XO Daikon Radish Cake and this was done right.  Each cube was fried enough to be crispy on the outside while the inside was soft without falling apart.  Beyond the inherent seasoning in the radish cake, the amount of XO in the wok-fry was sufficient to add both spice and brininess.  They did this without making the dish greasy, even though the pieces were deep fried. 

We got the Singapore Fried Noodles as a larger dish and indeed it was overflowing on the plate.  There was a sufficient amount of ingredients to be found including peppers, onions, BBQ pork and shrimp.  This was wok-fried properly as the noodles were chewy and not clumped together.  There was caramelization of flavours and the curry provided some spice.  Veggies were still vibrant and crisp.

Inexplicably, the Steamed Beef Meatballs came last.  They were fairly large and sat in broth.  They were a bit firmer than what I personally would've liked, but that didn't make or break the dish.  The whipped meat was still tender and of course was bouncy.  They kept the greens to a minimum so it didn't overwhelm the flavour profile.  So as you can tell, the Dim Sum service was solid.  Yes, Chongqing is mainly a Szechuan spot, but they manage to do proper Cantonese Dim Sum. Pretty good given its location and good all around for GVRD.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Reasonable-pricing
- Spacious dining room

The Bad:
- Parking lot is a bonus, but the spaces are super narrow

Bánh Mì Très Bon (White Rock)

How far will I travel for food?  Well I guess since I do go as far as overseas, I guess it is limitless.  However, on a daily basis, I've headed out to Chilliwack a few times for eats and that would be considered far.  So when I had an invite to to try out the new location of Bánh Mì Très Bon in White Rock, it didn't take much convincing.  Besides, it is always nice to dine with Roanna and Eileen.  Beyond the difference in location, there are also unique dishes that are exclusive to White Rock.

One of which is the Caramel Fish Sauce Brussels Sprouts with lap cheong, scallions and crispy shallots.  This was so impactful and delicious that I really wanted the whole dish to myself.  Those sprouts were prepared perfectly where they had a crunch and life left in them.  At the same time, they were cooked through and completely dressed in a briny, salty and sweet sauce.  The fat from the lap cheong added an aromatic meatiness to the whole dish.

The other White Rock exclusive item is the Duck Confit Bao with scallions, jalapenos, cilantro and pickled carrots & daikon.  I enjoyed these as the bao was fluffy and light while stuffed with enough shredded duck breast confit for maximum meatiness.  Hence, these were filling with hits of duck, spice, tang and aromatics.  There was the option of adding hoisin and sriracha if one wanted either sweet and/or spicy.

Onto another sandwich, we had the Bánh Mì Poulet Gà with lemongrass chicken, cucumbers, jalapenos, sriracha, cilantro, pickled carrots & daikon and Maggi sauce.  Unlike some other spots in town, the baguette here was more crunchy on the outside and it didn't shatter.  The bun itself was a bit chewy, but not too dense.  The chicken was nicely charred and had good flavour.  The rest of the classic ingredients afforded a familiar taste.

So one of my favourite items was the Buttery Salt & Pepper Squid seasoned with smoked paprika, red chili, jalapeno and lime.  They aggressively battered the squid and the result was a firm crunchiness.  The tentacles were the classic rebound chewiness while still tender.  Nice wok-toss on the squid were the combination of spice, tang and smokiness came through.

Another classic dish that I'm glad they served us was the Butter Garlic Chicken Wings.  Beautifully crunchy, the skin was mostly rendered.  I did get some butter and garlic from the outside, but I could've done with a bit more.  Inside, the meat was juicy and tender enough inherent flavours that I didn't really need the sweet chili dip on the side.  A squeeze of the lemon wedge was more than enough for me.

So one of the most understated dishes visually was the Green Papaya Salad.  However, it was more about textures than appearances here.  This consisted of shredded green papaya, beef jerky, carrots, roasted peanuts, fresh basil, sriracha drizzle and soy sauce dressing.  This was solid with bright crunchiness with hits of spice, tang, saltiness and nuttiness.  With the soy dressing on the side, it allowed us to customize the saltiness.

Lastly, we had the Savoury Mini-Crepes with shrimp, onion and crispy shallots.  Soft and fluffy while crispy along the edges and bottom, these little crepes were delicious.  Add in the crunch from the shrimp and aromatics from the shallots and onions, this was a nice little bite.  We also had some fish sauce served on the side to add some briny saltiness.  Overall, the food was solid at Bánh Mì Très Bon at their new location.  Love the decor and the ambiance too.  A nice addition to the neighbourhood close by to Chez Christophe and the Wooden Spoon.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Beautiful space
- Solid eats
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Parking is a little hard to find

Addah

Unexpected restaurants, you know, the ones that are located in the strangest of places and/or serve something we don't usually find in town.  Well, how about Addah located in Chinatown?  It fits the criteria for both where it is located upstairs where The Emerald use to reside and it serves authentic Himalayan cuisine.  Honestly, if Mijune and I weren't invited to try the place out, I wouldn't even know it existed.  Well, beyond the sketchy entrance, the upstairs is well-appointed and a nice place to be in general. Their menu features both Himalayan dishes as well as Westcoast plates.  You see, Chef/Owner Rakesh Tamang is French-trained but also grew up in a Northeast Indian village.

We began with Syelroti & Tingmo served with spiced baby potatoes.  As simple as they appeared, this was super delicious.   The syelroti or cardamom-infused rice donut was crispy and sweet.  Since the tender potatoes were spicy and tangy, this went well together.  I just loved snacking on them and taking sips of my cocktail. Soft and fluffy, the tingmo was the perfect thing to pick up those spicy potatoes.

Next, we had both the Wagyu Beef Momos and the Veggie Momos.  These were attractively pleated and constructed where the wrapper had an appealing elasticity.  There was a chewiness that had a good mouth-feel without being dense.  Inside, the beef was tender and juicy with some soup inside.  It was gingery and naturally meaty tasting.  As for the veggie momo, the ginger came through even more so and the veggies retained a nice crunch.

Off to one of our absolute favourite items of the  meal, the Shyafaley featured a juicy and fatty beef filling that was naturally meaty tasting with the benefit of sweet onions.  It was encased in a flaky fry-bread that was crispy, yet light.  I would've loved to walk around with this in my hand as a snack!  On the side, this was served with feta chili that had a both a spiciness and cooling effect all in one.

So remember when I mentioned that the menu also consisted of West Coast dishes?  Well the Short Rib and Lobster Flatbread was definitely not Himalayan.  This featured 24-hour braised short rib, Nova Scotia lobster, peppers and cheese.  The result was a hearty slice of crunchy flatbread with meatiness, bursts of moisture and lots of cheese.  Pretty tasty and was a bit unexpected.

With eye-popping colours and a bevy of fresh ingredients, the Kale & Pineapple Salad was a nice palate cleanser of sorts.  It featured a sweet and tangy pineapple with a smoky char that was complimented by fresh local kale with berry and lime juices.  Hence it was tangy and sweet, but then amped by the chunks of sharp creamy blue cheese.  It was finished with fresh berries and crunchy hazelnuts.  

The next dish exemplified the skill of the chef as the Scallops on Watermelon was a composed dish that had expert execution.  It featured 4 perfectly-seared scallops atop crispy rice chips and chunks of fresh grilled watermelon.  On the plate, we found a saffron sauce that was gentle enough to let the sweet buttery scallops stand on their own.  Same could be said about the watermelon as it was subtle and didn't interfere with the scallops either.

If we thought the scallops were good, the next dish was even better.  Pheasant 2 Ways featured a thigh meat galantine of sorts packed in crispy skin and roasted breast with a kumquat sauce, grilled rum grapes and preserved morels.  This dish was outstanding and could be served in any fine-dining establishment in the city.  The galatine was juicy and flavourful while the skin was rendered and crispy.  I found the breast meat to be tender and moist with also crispy skin.  The tangy sweet kumquat was a nice compliment to the meat as well as the earthy morels.  Absolutely loved this dish!

Back to the Himalayan side of the menu with the Druk Entrée sporting dried pork belly, shamu datshi and faley.  Oh wow, this didn't look like much, but the whole thing was a flavour bomb, especially the pork belly.  It was so concentrated with sweet and savouriness as well with some numbing spice.  This was balanced out by the shamu datshi or mushrooms and cheese.  We took the faley (bread) and filled them with both and it was a beautiful little bite.

Sticking with Himalayan, we had a very simple dish that was actually very delicious.  It was the Aloo Chew-Ra with baby potato stew topped with crispy flattened rice and green salsa.  When mixed together, we heard the rice singing and crackling.  The result was a mix of ingredients that worked well with each other.  We had the savouriness of the tender potatoes, the crunch from the nutty rice and then the freshness and brightness of the salsa.

Moving back to the Western eats, we had the Pork Tomahawk served atop butter couscous.  Fatty and well-seared, the pork chop was tender and juicy.  It was properly-seasoned with caramel butter, but the citrus mango compote really brought the dish alive with tangy sweet brightness.  However, as mentioned, the flavours were already apparent with umaminess and also nuttiness from the liberal use of butter.

Moving back to the other side of the menu, we had the Aged Beef Stew with butter rice (topped with grilled garlic scapes) and spinach.  Although this looked rather unassuming compared to the previous dishes, this was also money.  That stew had such a wealth of flavours that ranged from the anise to the Szechuan peppercorns.  So we had savoury, sweet, spice and meatiness.  Definitely fall flavours and the meat was super tender and flavourful.

A dish that was stealthily one of the best was also one of the most unassuming.  With fresh turmeric-infused hand cut noodles, the Thenthuk was very home style and comforting.  It sat in a beef broth that was slightly thickened.  It was sweet and slightly spicy with plenty of natural meatiness.  The noodles were perfect being slippery and appealingly chewy.  There was a nice elasticity to them and great mouthfeel.

We also had the Mughlai Biryani which was their interpretation of the dish.  Yes, the traditional dish is layered and is cooked in a sealed clay pot (with pastry).  In this version, there was pieces of tender chicken breast underneath the biryani spices and ingredients.  Hence, we go the spice, slight heat and tang as well as the moist chicken.  It was served with basmati rice and we merely combined it for a robust dish.

Before we got to the dessert, we were served Fermented Black Tea with butter.  Normally, there would be yak butter (which is richer) in this tea, but it is not readily available.  This was smooth and nutty from the butter and went down easy.  So for dessert, we had the Tsampa consisting of Himalayan grains folded with burnt butter, coconut sugar and nuts.  The result was a nutty and crumbly concoction that was only mildly sweet.  That was amped up by the chef's interpretation with some fruit and cream.  Oh man.  What can I say about this meal?  It was really good!  This place should be getting much more business than it is currently.  The Himalayan food was tasty and prepared with passion.  Chef Tamang was also able to nail local cuisine with excellence as well.  Sure, the location is not the best and the entrance isn't inviting, but who says that about Kissa Tanto a block away?  This place should be on many more people's radar.  It is on mine now.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Authentic and delicious Himalayan cuisine
- Equally tasty Westcoast dishes
- Surprisingly nice dining space (you wouldn't know it from the outside)

The Bad:
- The outside is not super inviting
- Maybe they should focus on Himalayan cuisine only, it felt like 2 separate restaurants in one