Pablo Cheese Tart

Okay, I'm sure you've seen this before - Japanese soufflé cheesecakes with their airy and creamy textures.  People have lined up for those and hey I have to admit, I do like them.  We've also seen places that offer up cheese tarts as a different option to the soufflé cheesecake.  Pablo Cheese Tart, another brand out-of-Japan, has entered the Vancouver market offering up cheese tarts (in both large and small sizes) in a variety of flavours.  I was invited to a sneak peek of the place before it opens officially opens on July 21st at 11:00am.  Yes, that is today!

Before I got to the cheese tarts, I sampled some of their Pablo Smoothies including Mango, Strawberry and Cheese Tart.  Normally I'm not much of a dessert guy but these were just sweet enough and had some good natural flavours.  I particularly enjoyed the strawberry as it didn't have an artificial aftertaste.  It was creamy and smooth, yet being fairly light at-the-same-time.  The mango was also natural-tasting while being more mild than the strawberry.  I found the cheese tart interesting as I felt like I was drinking an original cheese tart.  Loved the cheesiness that was mildly sweet.

Onto the full-sized items, I had to go for the classic Freshly Baked Cheese Tart.  This featured a firm crust that was somewhat flaky.  It was the perfect textural contrast to the soft and creamy cheese filling.  About that filling, it had a distinct initial cheesy hit that carried on to the cheesy aftertaste.  Pretty consistent through each bite.  It was not overly sweet, rather relying on aromatics and pungency.  The apricot jam glaze on top helped keep things from drying out as well as offering up some fruity sweetness.

So for those trying to get their Japanese soufflé cheesecake fix, they have a Basque Cheesecake that is somewhat similar to that.  Unlike the Uncle Tetsu and Castella, the Basque cheesecake at Pablo has that classic sunken appearance as well as a slightly scorched top.  Hence, there is much more of a denser layer on top while the rest of the cheesecake is a touch richer.  With that being said, when cut, the cheesecake is still very light and airy (almost falling apart).  The cheesiness is evident and the sweetness measured.  I quite liked this since there was a definite delineation between the top of the cheesecake and the bottom.

Onto the real draw of Pablo Cheese Tart - the Pablo Minis!  These are so cute and aesthetically-pleasing.  Their take out boxes are well-made and sturdy, keeping those precious tarts in one piece.  I can see bringing these to a get-together and being a hero much like bringing over Beta 5 cream puffs.  They are priced at $4.99 for each deluxe tart and $4.75 for the basic ones (such as the original). These have a soufflé-like texture, but a bit firmer.  Something in between a soufflé cheesecake and a regular baked one.  I'm sure this is due to their smaller size in comparison to the large Basque Cheesecake.

I tried most of what they had including the Chestnut, Tiramisu, Ube and White Chocolate Raspberry.  I'm not a huge fan of chestnut anything but this was okay due to the modest amount on top.  It was sweet and nutty.  Tiramisu had familiar flavours, but much cheesier due to the filling.  Loved the colour on the ube and ultimately it was on the sweeter side.  Talking about sweet, the white chocolate was definitely that but the raspberry balanced it out with some tangy fruitiness.

The baseline tart was the Classic and it was similar to its bigger version except being more firm.  The Blueberry was somewhat different as the cheese filling had blueberry in it (making it look kinda grey).  As much as blueberry is a subtle fruit, the filling did taste like it.  The Crème Brûlée featured a torched sugar topping that was smoky and sweet.  Apple Cinnamon was one of the most impactful due to the amount of topping it had.  It did take on the sweet apple flavour.

Last 3 consisted of the Peach, Juicy Mango and Strawberry Mochi. These all had one thing in common - being pretty fruity.  So if you want something a bit lighter due to the fruit, these would be it.  The most flavourful was the mango since it was sweet and "juicy".  Loved the mochi on the strawberry as it provided another texture.  Overall, the cheese tarts at Pablo are good and the options are pretty extensive.  I didn't even get to try their Matcha and Earl Grey cheese tarts as well as the Chocolate and Premium Cheesecake.  Will be back.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- The minis are attractive and taste good too
- Lots of choice
- Cheese flavour is impactful

The Bad:
- With any of these Japanese cheesecake/cheese tart spots, it can get expensive  

Meet Fan

You know I go on and on about food costs these days...  This goes for groceries, restaurants and also the cost for restaurants to operate.  I understand and accept that food prices will and are going to remain high due to inflation, fuel and labour costs.  However, I'm always on the lookout for good value when it comes to dining out and I've legitimately found some.  The latest is Meet Fan out on Kingsway near Boundary.  They are primarily a takeout spot with a few seats for dine-in.  There are snacks, rice and noodle bowls that are reasonably priced and spoiler alert, they are tasty too!  Recently, we were invited to try out a good selection of their wares.

First off, we were presented with a selection of snacks including the  Mini Pork Floss Tamago Beignet Balls that were a nice little bite.  Encased in the soft and fluffy donut was a piece of tamago while the outside was coated with sweet mayo and a tonne of dried pork floss.  These had a salty sweetness to them and were quite addictive.  We also got an alternative variation of these in the Pork Floss Tamago Puff Roll, which in my mind, were even better.  The flaky and buttery pastry had an appealing softness to them.  Inside, the egg and pork floss provided texture and flavour that was akin to the beignet balls.

Continuing on with the same delicious pastry, we also had the Smoked Duck Puff Roll.   Again, the flaky pastry was a good starting point.  Inside, the smoked duck was tender and moist with plenty of smokiness and saltiness.  This was tempered by the julienned cucumbers that also offered up a cold crunch.  This was somewhat along the lines of a Peking Duck wrap, but just a bit different and much more fulfilling.

With all these things stuffed into pastry and such, it was by no surprise we also had a sandwich.  This was the Deviled Egg & Chicken Salad Sandwich.  As much as the ingredients are important, the use of brioche was perfect.  It was soft and slightly sweet while giving way to the savoury filling.  There was fluffy egg, tender chicken and crunchy cucumber that would've not looked out-of-place at a afternoon tea service.

For the next item, they ditched all forms of carbs and went just for the meat in the Grilled Chicken Skewers with wasabi mayo.  First of all, the use of dark meat helped ensure that the skewers wouldn't be dry.  Second, it provided more umaminess and body due to the chicken fat.  I liked how the chicken was completely marinated so there was plenty of salty sweetness.  The wasabi mayo was mild and that was a good thing.

Moving back to the duck, we had the Truffle Smoked Duck Salad.  Now I already knew how tender and buttery the duck was from the puff roll, so it was even more evident in this salad (since we were eating actual slices).  This was because they sous-vide the duck first.  There was a light smokiness to it while the truffle dressing was just right not being overwhelming.  We found spring mix underneath as well as some corn with imitation crab on the side.

My absolute favourite "snack" was the Spicy Mala Crawfish Rice.  Normally, I hate eating crawfish because it is so much work to gain access to so little meat.  However, they did the work here by putting a considerable amount of tender crawfish atop rice.  These were dressed in an impactfully spicy mala sauce that was delicious without hurting our tastebuds.  I could've gobbled this whole bowl myself if I didn't need to pace myself.

Onto the bigger items, we had the Garlic & Scallion Sous-Vide Soy Chicken Rice.   For $14.95, this was a good amount of delicious food.  Completely affordable in my books.  So back to the food, the chicken was super tender and the flavours had penetrated the meat.  To complement the soy flavour, the scallion sauce and fried garlic offered up brightness and aromatics.  Loved the addition of a ramen egg on the side.

Suspiciously looking like the same bowl of food, the Pesto Sous-Vide Soy Chicken Rice was completely different in flavour despite the using the same soy chicken.  You see, the pesto was quite apparent and created a non-Asian tasting concoction.  Sure it was still the same moist and flavourful soy chicken, but it suddenly tasted Italian.  Surprisingly good combination even though I wouldn't have expected it a first glance.

Here we are with the delicious smoked duck again in the form of Teriyaki Smoked Duck Rice.  The sauces were actually served on the side and that let us taste the duck all by itself.  It was really good with balanced smokiness and enough saltiness for effect.  With the side sauces, we could've made this teriyaki or truffle.  I tried the teriyaki as we already had the truffle.  Naturally it gave a sweet saltiness to the dish.

Now for our first beef item in the 24-Hour Slow Cooked Beef Rib Strips with black pepper truffle mixed noodle.  Oh I really liked this one as the black pepper sauce really made this dish sing.  In addition to providing a peppery kick to the tender beef, it made the noodles extra savoury and appealing.  There was this depth from the pepper as well as the truffle that made the al dente noodles addictive.

So another favourite of mine was the Shredded Mala Chicken Rice with lots of peanuts and nori on top.  Their mala seasoning is on point with a bite that is numbing to a degree but not really overpowering either.  The tender chicken soaked up all of the nutty spiciness and helped flavour the rice underneath.  Loved the crunch from the nuts too.  Also, those marinated eggs were nicely custardy in the middle.

A bowl with the same chicken but tasting completely different was the Shredded Chicken Shoyu Wasabi Rice.  This one was a Japanese-inspired creation complete with tobiko and nori on top.  The result was something quite creamy with a bit of saltiness, brininess and bite.  Definitely a 180 from the mala rice.  Really, that is the cool thing about Meet Fan.  They use many of the same ingredients (smart thing to do so costs are kept in check), but the dishes taste remarkably dissimilar.  Prices are reasonable and the portion sizes are good.  What's not to like about this place?

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Affordable
- Super tasty with unique flavours
- Well-portioned

The Bad:
- If you wanted to dine-in, there are limited seats
- Repeated proteins, but it keeps the costs down and they really do taste different

Thai By Thai (Scott Road)

Okay, I must profess that I was too lazy to take an updated photo of Thai By Thai and am using my old one from 2014.  Now nothing on the outside has actually changed other than grand opening banner.  You may notice the banner advertising $7.50 lunch specials.  New flash, they are now like $15.00 and hey I don't blame the restaurant.  Things have gone up a lot due to inflation.  So essentially it has doubled in less than 10 years.  However, our paycheques have not followed suit!  Anyways, we returned to see if the food was still as good as we remembered.

Starting off the meal, we had the Thai Spring Rolls as well as the Vegetable Thai Salad Roll.  Nothing out of the ordinary here with crispy spring rolls with vibrant and crunchy veggies inside.  In terms of aesthetics, the rolls could've been fried more aggressively so it would be darker.  However, it didn't affect the texture or taste.  The salad roll was pretty basic and filled with rice noodles and veggies. The rice paper was soaked properly having an appealingly chewy, yet moist texture.

Another appie we had was the Thai Chicken Wings served with a spiced fish sauce.  These giant mid-wings (or flats) were super juicy and well-brined.  They were starch-coated and fried until they had a good colour and were lightly crunchy.  Due to the brine, the wings had good inherent flavour already, but it was even better after the soaking it with the spicy and garlicky fish sauce.

Of course we had to be defaultish and get the Pad Thai.  Well it was a huge portion that is a half size bigger than most other places.  Although this had plenty of tanginess from tamarind, I found it to be on the sweeter side.  Noodles were chewy, but a bit clumpy.  We asked for our dishes to be medium and this was more or less that.  Overall, this was a respectable Pad Thai and worth ordering.

Next we went with 2 curries including the Chicken Green Curry.  Again, this was a huge portion consisting of the usual ingredients including peppers and eggplant.  We found the green curry to be flavourful but would've enjoyed a bit more brininess.  It was aromatic and lightly creamy from the coconut milk. The best part was the chicken, it was shockingly tender and juicy (possibly from being tenderized).  Sure, it isn't traditionally tenderized, but hey, we liked it more than dry white meat.

We also went for the Beef Red Curry with peppers and bamboo shoots.  Again, this was creamy and fairly flavourful with some spiciness.  This one seemed to be richer than the green curry.  As you can see, this was the same portion size as the green curry, so you must order enough rice to compliment.  Similar to the chicken, the beef had been tenderized and it was tender and moist.  I didn't mind it as it still retained a meaty texture.  Some might argue against it, but I say get over it, it still ate really well.

Lastly, we got the Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables.  Typically, this dish employs a mushroom "oyster" sauce, but there did not appear to be any in this one.  Despite that, the veggies were vibrant and crunchy while being completely seasoned.  There was a quite a bit of moisture at the bottom of the plate though.  Overall, the food at Thai By Thai was decent and well-portioned.  I've always thought it was one of the better Thai options along the Scott Road corridor (not that there is that much competition).  This most recent visit affirms this.  

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Good portions
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Love that there is a parking lot, but it is a bit tight to maneuver when full
- Some creative license over the food to make it more palatable to the area

Clove - The Art of Dining

If you haven't already noticed, Indian cuisine (particularly Punjabi) is fast becoming more refined and served in fancier digs. Much like the humble Cantonese restaurants of the 70 and 80's, we now find higher end establishments littering the dining landscape.  Of course prices go up with the territory, but we are finding superior service, modern spaces and elevated food.  One of the newer high-end Indian restaurants to hit the scene is Clove - The Art of Dining.  Jacqueline and I were invited to sample some of their wares.

There was a set menu for us that started with the Scallop & Shrimp with cauliflower alleppey, raw mango, sago crisps and curry leaf dust.  As you can see, this was nicely plated with bold colours. It ate quite well too with buttery and nicely seared scallops.  The puréed cauliflower was smooth and creamy with aromatics.  We loved the sago crisps as they were crunchy and light.  They were great to pick up the remaining alleppey.

Next we had the Goan Salmon Fish Cakes coated with rava with pickled mooli and mango sriracha sauce.  Although looking rather pale on the outside, the fish cakes were crispy and not greasy.  Inside, the salmon was moist with some drier parts.  I thought that the sweetness of the salmon came through, but it did really need the sauce to add the necessary kick as well as moisture.

Onto the mains, we had the classic New Delhi Butter Chicken.  Since this was mainly comprised of roasted tomatoes, the tanginess was more muted while the creaminess was quite apparent.  The use of tandoori chicken thighs meant the meat was more tender and moist as well as exhibiting umaminess due to the fat content.  I thought this was a well-balanced butter chicken where the spices came through with a bit of heat.

 

We were presented with something I've had recently was the Bombay-Style Parsi Lamb Kheema.  I personally think these are the tastiest "sloppy Joe's" around.  The lamb kheema was tender, moist and full-flavoured with a touch of spice.  Loved the sunny side egg on top as it added another layer of silkiness.  Those buns were toasted just right to be soft the inside and firm on the outside.

So Jacqueline isn't much into lamb (hey, but I am!), so they supplied an alternate dish in the Kadhai Paneer.  This consisted of bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, roasted kadhai masala and fenugreek.  This was a savoury and spiced concoction that helped flavour the squishy paneer.  Lots of robust spiciness from the masala that helped make this a good compliment to the rice and naan.

About that Garlic Naan, it was good.  I found the pillowy soft texture was complimented by equal parts of elasticity.  On the outside, there was leoparding providing nuttiness and some crispiness.  It was brushed with ghee and littered with garlicky goodness.  We also got the Assorted Papad with 3 chutneys including chatpatta hummus, smoked tomato garlic, and mango chili.  These chutneys really complimented the crispy papadams.  I especially enjoyed the smoked tomato garlic as it was layered with flavours and aromatics.

Onto dessert, we had the Gulab Jamun Cheesecake.  Yes, you read it right, the really sweet doughball soaked in rose water has been combined with a cheesecake.  The result was a more balanced dessert with the sweetness from the gulab jamun making up for the mild-tasting cream cheese.  I really enjoyed the bite of cheesecake and a touch of the gulab jamun.  I found the crust to be nicely firm as well.  Overall, the food at Clove was good and plated nicely.  The dining space is gorgeous and fitting of a fine dining establishement.  This is another great addition to the higher-end Indian within the Surrey restaurant scene.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Gorgeous dining space

- Solid eats

- Elevated experience

The Bad:

- Parking lot can get rather busy at times

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