Published on Main

Here I am at Published on Main once again.  This is my 7th visit and if you know me, a restaurant has to be damn good for that to happen.  I truly believe it deserves all the accolades it receives.  Recently, it was named #3 restaurant in Canada by Canada's 100 Best.  #1 is Mon Lapin in Montreal and I dined there a few weeks ago.  Spoiler alert - I know I haven't posted Mon Lapin yet, but for me personally, Published wins hands down.  Love their creative dishes with equally unique plating.

This time around, we had to start with one of their classics - Chips & Dip featuring smoked fish and onion mixed within the creamy dip.  Some fresh dill on top finished this concoction.  Absolutely love the viscosity of the dip as it adhered to each chip with a certain richness.  The chips were semi-thick and uniformly crispy with enough saltiness.  The smokiness of the fish came through while it provided body to the dip.  Naturally, the onions provided a fresh and bright sharpness.

Believe it or not, for all the times I've been here, it has never occurred to me to try the Aebleskiver.  Very shocking as this is one of their classic menu items.  It consisted of 3 savoury Danish donuts filled with stewed herbs.  One bite and the cake-light texture of the donut was not exactly light, but it was appealingly moist.  The herbs offered up plenty of flavour but the herb emulsion really put the dish over the top with a creamy and bright condiment.

To get fill our veggie quota, we had the Grilled Summer Vegetables with miso bagna cauda.  On this plate, we found charred broccolini and snap peas that were pretty well-salted.  Hence, they ate with a well-seasoned smokiness even without the bagna cauda.  However, the fermented saltiness really help bring out the natural flavours of the crunchy snap peas and broccolini.  Impactful veggies, beautiful dish.

Not to be outdone, we were also served the Summer Bounty with both yellow and green zucchini atop a tasty paste.  Edible flowers and truffled marcona almonds finished off the dish.  Tender with still a buttery crunch, the zucchini slices were perfectly prepared.  We felt the tasty paste had a particularly Asian flavour and the texture of pureed beans.  It has was on the saltier side with hits of sweetness and spice.

I guess we didn't delve heavily into the meats for our initial dishes, as the Ravioli alla Vodka featured a creamy fresh cheese filling.  The pasta itself was fairly thin while still tender and al dente.  It was bathed in a rich and creamy vodka sauce where the alcohol was properly cooked down (and also restrained in the amount).  So I could taste the essence and that was it.  Love the chanterelles as they had a buttery texture with bite while offering up the usual light fruitiness. 

Off to our first protein, we had the colourful and beautifully plated BC Halibut with fresh summer veggies and a vierge dressing.  The combination of grape tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil and herbs really made this dish bright.  The citrus segments provided another layer of acidity as well sweet juiciness.  We found some tender, yet firm pieces of squash that had slightly soaked up the sauce.  However, the star was the halibut (as it should be).  It was flaky and buttery, as with perfectly prepared and fresh halibut should be. 

You can never go wrong with any form of Scallops at Published.  So we got their current iteration, which consisted of expertly-seared scallops that were caramelized on the outside while still rare on the inside.  The result was a buttery and sweet scallop with proper seasoning on the outside.  In the middle, we found fresh corn in a smoked garlic popcorn butter.  This was aromatic, sweet and had the essence of popped corn.  This was our favourite dish.

As always, we also go for the beef dish, whatever it is and this time around it was the Beef Striploin with chanterelles and grilled kale in a cowboy sauce.  As you can see, the steak was prepared a perfect and uniform medium-rare.  It was properly rested too, so it was juicy and tender.  The combination of chanterelles (and their jus from the saute) and the cowboy sauce added body, earthiness and buttery tanginess to the dish.

We were also served the Lamb Belly with gem lettuce with a cilantro dressing.  This sported fatty and super tender lamb belly that practically melted-in-my-mouth.  It was grilled enough to have a smoky char and resulting caramelization on the outside.  It was sauced with a sweet BBQ glaze that helped balance the savouriness.  On the side, the crisp lettuce was tangy and sweet with a cilantro-forward dressing.

For dessert, we went for the ol' standby being the Hay featuring aerated hay custard with green apple, meringue and chamomile.  If you ever wondered what hay tasted like, this would be the perfect way to do it.  In addition to some dry grassiness, there was earthy and nutty notes.  The custard was light, creamy and purposefully sweet.  The key to this dessert was the broken meringue as it added an airy crunch.  As you can see, this was another delicious meal at Published.  We come here so often that 2 of the dishes were comped. I truly think that they need to return to their #1 ranking for the following year.

The Good:

- Expertly-prepared dishes that shows attention to detail

- Intentional flavours that are impactful

- On point service

The Bad:

- Need to order lots in order to be full, but not a bad thing if you want to try more

Archer

Well, this is not really how I wanted to visit Archer for the first time.  No offense to brunch in general, but I originally wanted to come here for dinner.  However, due to a multitude of factors, I never made it out to do that and now we ended up here for brunch instead.  Situated in the former location of Pink Elephant Thai, Archer dishes up West Coast cuisine in a pretty nice dining space.  The brunch menu isn't very extensive, so we were able to get to most of their offerings.

For myself, I went for the Smoked Brisket Sandwich with potato hash, sauerkraut onion slaw, beer mustard and alfalfa on brioche.  I quite enjoyed this sandwich since the Montreal-style smoked brisket was tender with a rebound.  It was also flavourful and complimented nicely by the tangy sauerkraut as well as the mustard.  The aggressively fried hashbrown added some great crunch.  The toasted brioche was light enough to keep the sammie from being too heavy.  As for the house-cut fries, they were limp and soggy.  These needed to be oil-blanched and dried out quite a bit more in order to be crunchy.  I suspect these were not Kennebec potatoes.

Viv had the Croque Madame and it was excellent.  It was chock full of mortadella and gruyere cheese.  Hence, there was no absence of meatiness to the sandwich as well as the saltiness of the meat and nuttiness of the cheese.  The bread was soft and extremely easy to cut through and eat.  Hence, the sandwich was not as heavy as it appeared.  There as plenty of mornay sauce on top that helped moisten the bread as well as adding creamy cheesiness.  A perfectly fried egg finished off this concoction.

My son only had eyes for the Pork Belly Benny and it was an excellent choice.  Look at that thick slice of pork belly (which was melt-in-your-mouth tender) atop what looked to be a slice of baguette.  Due to the egg yolk (perfectly soft-poached) and Hollandaise, the bread was sufficiently soft with some crusty edges.  About that sauce, it was creamy with a good amount of acidity.  Unlike the limp fries, the hashbrowns were crispy.  They were properly salted too.

My dad went for the other non-vegetarian Benedict in the Fish Benny with cold smoked sablefish.  Unlike the pork belly, the sablefish made this dish predictably much lighter.  It had a balanced smokiness and was buttery soft with a light bite.  The medium-poached eggs were done correctly with a runny yolk and firmer whites.  We liked how they added a side salad to break up all the heaviness.

My mom went back to the well and had the Steak Frites with a 6oz Denver cut steak, chimichurri and house cut fries.  She asked for it to be prepared medium-rare but closer to rare and it was done so perfectly.  Nice char on the outside and the steak was sufficiently tender with good flavour.  The blended chimichurri was creamy with a cilantro-forward taste.  Once again, the fries were a letdown as they were limp and too wet.  They were nicely salted though.  So overall, we thought the brunch at Archer was pretty good..  Portions were fair for the price considering its prime Alberni location, welcoming dining space and attentive service.

The Good:

- Brunch in general was prepared well and tasted good

- Excellent service

- Nice dining space

The Bad:

- Those fries were not very good

Brix & Mortar

Boy, we haven't been back to Brix & Mortar for quite some time!  The last time was in 2017 and unofficially, I was back in 2021 for a wedding.  So it was about time we returned to see what has changed (or not changed).  Well the first thing we noticed was the live music (which was fantastic) where a booth used to be in the corner of the restaurant.  Predictably, the menu is completely different.   We arrived in time for happy hour, so we scored on some bevvies as well as some appies.

The first of which was the Albacore Tuna Tartare served with prawn crackers and a sesame tapioca crisp.  Buttery and soft, the tuna tartare was mildly-seasoned which meant we could taste the fish (which is a good thing).  It was fresh and had the taste of the sea.  It was accented by scallions that gave it some brightness.  Personally, I could've done with a bit more acidity though.  The crackers were a great vessel for the tartare since they were light and crispy. 

Next we had the Popcorn Halibut with tartar sauce and house-made potato chips.  I quickly ate some once it arrived since I knew they would only get drier as they sat.  Good thing too as the first few bites yielded moist and flaky halibut coated in a light tempura batter.  The ones I ate at the end were less moist.  Absolutely loved the tartar sauce as it was creamy with plenty of acidity.  Chips were thin and crispy.

We ended up with one appie from the main menu in the Seared Sea Scallops.  They were perfectly prepared as evidenced in the picture.  Beyond the caramelized sear, the scallops were buttery and slightly rare on the inside.  Tender and sweet, those scallops would've been great on their own, but the accompaniments underneath elevated the dish.  We found confit pork belly that was crispy and provided salty fattiness to the dish.  This was balanced off by the acidic and sweet pickled pineapple that was also rather spicy (loved the heat!).  Cilantro, radish and peanuts gave this dish a uniquely Thai-flavour to the dish.

For my main, I went for the Grilled "Lumina" Lamb Neck with curry-braised lamb & potato gnocchi, green peas and grana padano.  I absolutely loved this dish as the lamb neck was super tender and fatty.  It was cooked just enough and the inherent flavour was enhanced by the spiced curry.  The flavours were rich and full-bodied (especially with even more lamb).  The salty and nutty cheese went well with this.  Also loved the gnocchi as they were tender with a bite.

Viv had the Wild Sockeye Salmon with lentil cassoulet, peppergreens and meyer lemon habanero beurre blanc.  That piece of salmon was prepared expertly with an aggressive char on the outside that resulted in crispy skin that was smoky.  It helped activate the fats and the fish was tender and flaky.  It was seasoned enough on its own, but the beurre blanc was really flavourful with hints of saffron.

For dessert, we had the Strawberry Pannacotta which was super refreshing and great for a Summer day.  The pannacotta itself was creamy and not too stiff.  The corn flakes on top added a wonderful crunch and sweetness.  We found passionfruit pearls that afforded some tropical notes while the sorghum strawberries were sweet with some pop.  What brought this all together was the lemon curd as its tanginess balanced off the layers of sweetness.  Pretty solid meal at Brix & Mortar where the outdoor seating was great on a moderate temperature day.  Service as solid and prices were fair.

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Excellent service

- Nice outdoor dining area

The Bad:

- Other than the first few bites, the halibut was rather dry

Mama Said Pizza Co.

Once upon a time, the pizza scene in Greater Vancouver consisted of Pizza Hut, Panago, Pizza 222, Domino's and a bunch of Greco-Italian restaurants.  How times have changed...   We now have many more options including different types of pizza including Neapolitan-style and Roman-style.  There are the most usual places such as Farina, Bufala, Via Tevere, Carano and many others.  Heck, we even have Pizza Garden dishing up gourmet thin-crust by the slice!  One place I haven't tried yet is Mama Said Pizza Co, that was once only a food truck but now has a B&M location.  We headed out to PoMo to check it out.

Just FYI, the place has limited parking in front, but there is a parking garage at the back.  We did that made the short walk to the restaurant.  We started with a Caesar Salad with house made croutons and a mix of romaine, frisee and arugula.  That in itself made this salad more interesting due to the textures and bitterness of the arugula.  Even the dressing was different where it was on the sweeter side, hence making it less sharp.

Onto the pizzas, we had to get the baseline - the Margherita.  It consisted of the usual ingredients including fresh basil leaves on top (after the baking process).  As you can see, the leoparding along the edges of the crust was pretty consistent.  As a result the crust was nutty and crunchy.  It was also properly salted.  I found the crust to be fairly even in texture up until the middle which was more tender.  This is optimal and they achieved that.  The tomato sauce was tangy with some sweetness.  This was a good Margherita pizza.

The Papa Roni was pretty similar except without the basil but add pepperoni, grana padano and fennel seed.  Again, the crust exhibited good leoparding including the bottom.  With the addition of a lot of pepperoni, covering almost every inch of the pizza, the pizza was more robust and a little spicy.  The oils from the pepperoni added aroma and body.  With some fennel seed, we also got background licorice notes.

Going another few steps forward, we had the Brooklyn which added pepperoni cups, bacon, sausage, mushroom, onion and grana padano.  With all of this meat, the pizza ate saltier, but in a good way.  The roni cups provided a totally different texture with a meaty chew.  Even though we had more toppings, the crust held up and didn't soften.  The fact that the onions weren't cooked too long meant there was some sharpness.

Our hands-down favourite pizza was The Mama with mozzarella, ricotta, prosciutto, pesto, arugula and grana padano on a honey sesame crust.  Oh where to start?  The crust was outstanding with nuttiness from the black and white sesame seeds while the honey helped balance off the saltiness of the prosciutto.  With some pesto, we got aromatics that were herbaceous, cheesy and nutty.  Arugula provided its usual pepperiness.  As you can see, we enjoyed the pizzas at Mama Said Pizza Co.  Good pies and killer tunes (mostly 80's), I'll be back.

The Good:
- Excellent thin crust that is consistent in texture
- Flavour combos are good especially The Mama
- Super awesome people there

The Bad:
- Place is small so it will fill up easily

 

Golden Spring Restaurant

The restaurant one storefront to the South of Bon's Off Broadway has changed hands a few times.  Currently, it is Golden Spring and honestly, I've never kept it with what is going on with that restaurant.  I do remember frequenting the place when I was a kid where it was always bustling with a lineup.  Nowadays, I've heard that Golden Spring is a good value and their food is pretty solid too.  Hence, we gathered up the family and headed out to see for ourselves.

Starting off the meal, we were served a daily soup.  I didn't post a picture because it wasn't that interesting, but it was decent.  Our first dish was the first course of the Peking Duck.  As you can see, the skin had a beautiful lacquered appearance.  In terms of texture, the skin was uniformly crispy with the fat removed.  Therefore, it ate light with uninterrupted crunch.  The accompanying crepes were thin with a nice elasticity. 

The second course of the Peking Duck consisted of the Duck Lettuce Wrap.  We asked for the green onions to be omitted and they did so.  Believe me, 9 out of 10 Chinese restaurants manage to mess this up!  As for the execution of the dish, it was quite good with enough wok hei to caramelize the ingredients.  The dish was on the saltier side though but it was partially offset by the crisp lettuce and hoisin.

To ensure we got more veggies in this meal, we ordered the Gai Lan with Beef as well.  This was a large portion of thick stalks of gai lan.  I found them to be ever-so-slightly on the older side so some pieces were a touch fibrous.  However, the dish still ate well with barely cooked through gai lan that maintained a crunch.  The beef was tenderized enough so it was soft yet still retaining natural meat texture.  This dish was seasoned mildly.

Onto another beef dish, we ordered my son's favourite in the Curry Beef Brisket.  However, this was clearly made with beef rib finger meat instead (which is a good thing).  This was a huge portion of finger meat that was moist and tender with not too much fat.  With an appealing viscosity, the curry was flavourful and notably spicy.  I liked how they used red peppers rather than green as there was a sweeter flavour rather than raw vegetable aftertaste.

We also ended up getting a Dungeness Crab in cream sauce atop wonton noodles.  Although not plated particularly well, the dish ate much better than it looked.  The noodles were al dente and were a nice blank canvas for the cream sauce.  The sauce was well-seasoned with salty and sweet notes while thickened just enough.  The crab was on the smaller side but still had a decent amount of meat.  It was possibly fried a touch too long as some of the meat became dry.

We didn't plan on ordering a Steamed Rock Cod because that could mean taking out a second mortgage these days.  However they had a special where a whole fresh rock cod was only $48.00.  Yes, that is not a typo.  It was good being steamed just enough with springy flaky meat that was sweet.  It was further enhanced by the sizzle of hot oil and sweetened soy. The fish was also of a good size considering the price.  

Our last dish was the Peking Pork Chops and once again, the portion size was massive.  It was also very good too with large slices of pork chop that were properly tenderized.  The exterior was still crispy while there was just enough tangy sweet sauce clinging onto each piece.  I liked how there was very little fatty portions too.  Overall, you can tell that the food at Golden Spring is pretty solid.  Portions are huge and the prices are reasonable.  Definitely a dinner option for any night of the week.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Reasonable pricing
- Large portions

The Bad:
- Place could use a refresh (but I guess prices would go up)
- That parking lot is super tight

 

Moxie's West Georgia

It has been awhile since I've last been to Moxie's.  I remember it expanded to several locations in the GVRD and then it closed a few locations.  Now it is back with a brand new spot at 180 West Georgia in Downtown.  If this sounds and looks familiar to you, it can be found within the Sandman Inn.  I was offered a $150.00 gift card to try the brand new digs out and also a revamped menu (well, at least since the last time I went).  I ended up bringing the fam with me and went far beyond the $150.00.  So I didn't hold back and topped it up with my own coin.  Loved this new location as it is modern and has some pretty comfy booth seating.  I imagine this would be great before a Canucks game since it is a block away from Rogers Arena.

Back to our dinner, we started with one each of the Salt & Pepper Wings and the Hot Wings.  Both were served with celery sticks and ranch dressing.  These wings were quite large and meaty.  When combined with a perfect fry job, the meat remained juicy and tender.  On the outside, there was a light batter that made things crispy with fairly rendered skin.  As for the hot wings, they were not crispy due to being tossed with sauce.  It was mildly spicy with some tanginess.

Onto the Tiny Tuna Tacos, they were made with wonton shells encasing diced ahi tuna (topped with furikake) and guacamole.  These actually reminded me of the ones I had at Telefèric Barcelona in Palo Alto.  So light and crispy, the wonton shells did not interfere with the delicate, yet meaty tuna.  The guac underneath added some creaminess and a binding agent to keep the tuna from falling out.  That sesame soy sauce was classic Asian with a surprising kick at the end.  The squeeze from the lime wedge added some needed acidity too.  One thing I would like to see is that they plate these in a stainless steel taco holder stand so that they do not get wet from contact with the lime wedges.

Something similar, yet different was the Tuna Stack consisting of diced ahi tuna atop fresh mango, avocado and seasoned sushi rice.  It sat in a soy ginger glaze and was drizzled with spicy mayo.  Loved the addition of furikake prawn crackers as they were super light and crunchy.  As you can clearly see, the stack was made with the freshest ingredients.  Colours and textures were on point.  Loved the sweetness from the mango as well as the sweet soy that had a gingery kick.

Off to our mains, Viv opted for the Chiptole Mango Chicken with atop grilled asparagus and ancient grains.  This was finished with avocado and pico de gallo.  She found this quite filling since it sported 2 chicken breasts.  These were well-charred, yet remained tender.  Lots of smokiness that was tempered by the sweet mango.  With the addition of fresh pico de gallo and avocado, this had a tropical Mexican flavour.

My daughter predictably ordered a fish dish in the Lemon Basil Salmon.  Gently-seared, the salmon was perfectly flaky and moist.  The lemon basil sauce was buttery and rich where the squeeze from the charred half-lemon provided balance.  It sat atop barely-cooked through asparagus and ancient grains.  The grains were chewy and nutty while benefiting from the butter sauce and the lemon juice.  Really brought it alive with flavour and acidity.

For myself, I had the Loaded Cheeseburger with aged white cheddar, 2 strips of bacon, sautéed mushrooms, LTOP, burger sauce and BBQ sauce.  Yes, this was a lot of stuff and the soft potato roll held it altogether conforming to whatever was left after each bite.  I found the burger patty to be fairly large, meaty and moist with a good char.  Bacon was super crispy while the mushrooms were well-seasoned.  Combined with fresh produce and some nuttiness from the cheddar, this was a pretty solid burger.  Fries on the side were crispy and well-salted.

My son had the most expensive item (as opposed to what my daughter usually does) with the 10oz CAB New York Steak with buttered mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. As seen in the second picture, this was prepared medium-rare as requested.  Possibly a more aggressive char on the steak would've made it perfect, but ultimately, the meat was high-quality and super tender.  It was well-seasoned and properly rested with no juices leaking onto the plate.  Creamy and buttery, those mashed potatoes were quite good.  This also came with some demi-glace which was silky and full of meatiness.  Great with the steak and the potatoes.

For dessert, we shared the Key Lime Pie with fresh whipped cream topped with graham crumb and lime zest.  I believe there was both pecans and coconut in the firm and sweet buttery crust.  As for the key lime filling, it was smooth, tangy and sweet.  It was a good thing that they did not sweeten the rich and thick whipped cream since the dessert would've been too sweet.  This way, it as balanced and ate really well.  Loved the aromatic and slightly bitter lime zest.  After we were finished I had to think hard to compare my last visit to Moxie's with this current one.  I have to say this was better since the new menu items were prepared properly and were tasty.  Sure, Moxie's is a chain restaurant, but I am not a food snob.  I judge food independently regardless of where I ate it and who made it.   Bottom line is that we enjoyed our meal.

*Partial comp on the meal for this post*

The Good:
- Properly prepared proteins and vegetables
- Well-seasoned
- Nice location, close to many venues

The Bad:
- Restaurant is a bit hidden

 

Suyo

It goes without saying that Vancouver is well-known for its diverse eats...  in Asian cuisine.  Yep, we got all the Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Indian eats that you want including a spattering Thai, Singaporean and Indonesian.  However, when you want something that is Eastern European and South American, well you might have to look real hard.  Well, we have a newish addition to that in Suyo, that dishes up modern Peruvian cuisine.  It has gotten a lot of positive praise, so Eileen and I decided to hit it up for dinner.

After starting with a few cocktails, we moved onto our first dish - Steelhead Trout Tartare.  This was nicely plated and served with nori-dusted tapioca crisps.  I found the tartare to be buttery due to the trout mixed with creamy avocado.  Naturally, the crisps provided not only a vessel, but also textural contrast.  Nice pops of brininess was provided by the ikura on top.  On the plate we found an aji amarillo sauce that provided a creamy spiciness.  The drops of avocado mousse added even more creaminess.  The only thing I would add to this is a bit more acidity.

We moved onto another raw dish with the Beef Tartare with capers, cornichons and salsa anticuchera.  This was rather saucy and was even more so after mixing the beef with the egg yolk.  It got even more wet when we added a dollop of huancaína.  Despite this, it ate quite well with plenty of tanginess, spice, sharpness and the butteriness of the beef.  Again, the tapioca crisps were the perfect vessel.

One of the best dishes of the meal had to be the Dungeness Crab Croquette Causa.  The croquette itself was practically all crab that was fluffy and light.  There was enough acidity to keep things bright and the outside was light and crispy.  It was topped with spicy aji amarillo aioli.  There was some avocado mousse for extra creaminess while the potato was smooth and extra tangy.  We also found grape tomatoes and quail's egg on the plate.

Also featuring aji amarillo, the Pork Chicharron was accompanied by polenta tamal, yam puree and rocoto emulsion.  Each chunk of pork belly was tender and fatty with some crackling on the top.  It was well-seasoned and tasted great by itself with roasted pork essence.  However, the spicy emulsion helped liven things up.  I found the polenta tamal squares to be delicate and mild-tasting, but some tapenade on top added the necessary saltiness.

Onto the bigger plates, we had the beautifully-plated Haida Gwaii Halibut Sudado with charred broccoli, peppers and onions in an aji amarillo shellfish broth.  Loved the tangy aromatic broth as it complimented the fish well without being overwhelming.  The charred broccoli was off the hook with a firm crunch, noted smokiness and a buttery exterior.  The side of chocio rice (with garlic and corn) was excellent.  It was chewy and fluffy at the same time while completely flavoured with aromatics and butteriness.  As for the halibut, it was a considerable portion, but it was not moist.  It wasn't completely dry, but it was dense.

By the time we got around to the Arroz con Pato, we were completely stuffed.  However we needed to at least try this dish.  It featured a seared duck breast atop cilantro-beer rice with a fried duck egg, huancaína and Peruvian salsa.  The duck was cooked perfectly being barely medium.  It was tender and moist with enough seasoning.  The skin was a bit tough though.  That cilantro-beer rice was delicate and flavourful while the addition of the egg added a rich silkiness.

For dessert, we shared the Chocolate Tres Leches with whipped toasted honey and berries.  This was a fine finish to the meal as it was super moist due to being soaked with condensed milk.  However, the cake itself was excellent with plenty of chocolaty goodness complimented by balanced sweetness.  As a whole, the meal at Suyo was quite good and well-portioned.  Suyo reminds me a little of Andina in Portland, but with even more modern touches.

The Good:
- Nice vibe, modern and inviting
- Overall good food
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Food is good, but could use a few touch-ups