Monzo

The burger scene in Vancity can only be described as "adequate".  Sure, you can grab some pretty good burgers here but I find the selection limited.  Between 2 Buns has always been a favourite of mine and unfortunately, Sirius Cravings is closing down at the end of the month (September 2023).  Of course there have been some great one-hit wonders that have come and gone (such as the Dirty Burger at Upstairs @Campagnolo).  The Pourhouse still serves up a great burger, so there are options.  However, we need more!  Well, let's welcome the latest entry from the Kitchen Table Restaurant Group with Monzo at Vancouver House.  With modern retro decor and an Italian flair, Monzo intends to capture the fancy of the gourmet burger crowd.  I was invited for a sneak peak of their menu.

I started off with their 16oz Chocolate Milkshake sporting premium Motoretta soft-serve and whole milk.  The result was a noticeable rich thickness that was creamy but still completely drinkable.  It was chocolatey and sweet but not overly sweet.  Being a fairly large size, the milkshake was quite filling by itself.  I tried to be conservative and not spoil my appetite, but it was so good, I ended up downing the entire thing!

For my choice of burger, I had the Bacon Double Cheeseburger with diced onions, sour pickles, American cheese and burger sauce.  Those smashed patties were cooked to perfection with crispy edges while still moist in the middle.  Even the cheese sported a crispy skirt.  The crispiness was further elevated by the bacon.  This was nicely balanced off by the soft toasted brioche bun.  Solid burger.

Being greedy, I also had the Chicken Milano Sandwich featuring the biggest house-made chicken cutlet you would ever see between a sesame brioche bun.  There was enough meat to do 2 sandwiches!  This was one crunchy cutlet with garlic aioli, parmigiano and arugula.  I felt the flattened chicken breast was not exactly juicy, but the ample aioli and cheese did help add moisture.  The sandwich ate quite well as a whole though.

The Bacon Double Cheeseburger was definitely delicious, but the King Monzo only helped amp things up with the addition of lettuce and tomato minus the bacon.  We found a sesame brioche bun subbing in for the regular one.  Now with the pickles and burger sauce as well as the American cheese, this had some Big Mac vibes but with higher quality meat that was moist with the same crispy edges.

Taking it another step up from the Bacon Double Cheeseburgers, The Wrangler added house BBQ sauce, aioli, charred onions, Swiss cheese and spicy pickled jalapeños.  There was the same crispy edge patties and also crispy bacon, but the addition of tangy sweet and smoky BBQ sauce provided layers of flavour.  Charred onions were caramelized and the jalapeños provided tangy spice.  Lots of flavour in this one.

Onto the sides, we got an order of Chicken Strips (choice of 3 or 5).  These were fairly large and featured juicy breast meat coated in a thin crunchy batter.   There was a choice of dips and we ended up with the honey mustard.  Personally, I would've liked to see something other than Heinz though.  Despite that, the chicken strips were solid and I'm sure they were on the menu to provide an option for those not wanting a burger (especially kiddos).

Of course we had to try the 2 main sides in the Beef Fat Fries and the Onion Rings.  I found the fries to be pretty good being crispy while enough soft potato texture left inside.  Naturally, being fried in beef fat, there was good aroma.  However, the star of the show was the onion rings as the batter was uniformly crunchy with tender sweet onions inside.  They tasted great on their own with any ketchup.

Onto dessert, we tried their Hand Pies fried in, of course, beef fat.  They were stuffed with apple and coated with cinnamon sugar on the outside.  So this was a sweet concoction, but interestingly, there was a real kick.  It felt if there was some chili powder in the mix.  Overall, I was rather happy with my meal at Monzo.  Burgers were good while the sides were solid.  Prices are definitely on the higher end, but unlike typical fast-food joints, things are made from scratch here with high-quality ingredients.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:
- Well-prepared burger patties with crispy edges
- Those onion rings
- Loved the high-quality milkshakes

The Bad:
- On the higher end of the pricing spectrum for burgers

Shoom

Talk about perfect timing.  I had just returned from my 3-week vacay in Europe and really needed excellent Chinese food.  I had been anticipating our dinner service tasting at Shoom since the beginning of August (when I made the plans).  Shoom is actually one of my favourite Cantonese spots in town where they dish up large portions of expertly-prepared plates.  We recently did their late night (Da Laang) menu and that served as only an appetizer of things to come.  I rounded up the foodie fam and we planned to feast!

To start things off, we were served the Fish Maw & Crab Meat Soup.  This featured a starch-thickened broth that had the perfect viscosity where it coated the ceramic spoon but was not clumpy.  The broth was mild with some sweetness and being not overly salty.  There was a bountiful amount of diced fish maw that was slightly on the crunchier side.  Small strands of crab meat were strewn throughout the soup.  Naturally, I did the red vinegar and white pepper thing (makes thing taste even better!).

Next, we had the Appetizer Platter sporting roast suckling pig, sliced pork hock, marinated jellyfish, salt & pepper wok-fried shrimp and marinated woodear mushrooms. Solid dish where the sliced roast pork was fatty and gelatinous.  The crackling was airy and crispy.  Shrimp shells were crispy and edible while coated with plenty of seasoning with some spice.  Sliced pork hock was tender and went well with the spiced vinegar on the side.

Getting down and serious right off the bat, the next plate that hit the table was the Creamy Lobster with Yee Mein.  Loved that there was enough starch-thickened sauce to coat all of the fried lobster as well as the abundance of yee mein underneath.  Sauce was just thick enough and balanced in flavour.  The lobster was springy with its classic sweet brininess.  Although yee mein tends to be soft, this one here was not so much that it couldn't be picked up with chopsticks.

Why not also have the other crustacean as well in the Dry Curry Dungeness Crab?  We were actually served 2 large crabs, so there was more than enough for all of us.  They were fried up where the body meat was slightly crispy while still moist and bouncy underneath.  It was coated in a dry curry mix which also included chilis and plenty of garlic.  The aromatics of this dish were apparent and the seasoning was on point with some spice.

Another classic dish we find in Cantonese restos these days is the Truffle Chicken.  At Shoom, it is similar to other spots but they hand-toss the truffle sauce table side.  Hence, you really do see how much black truffle there put into the dish.  There was no denying the woodsiness of the truffle as well as the tang and saltiness from the filler ingredients (olives and mushrooms) in the sauce.  The chicken itself was free-run and had a tender chewiness as well as gelatinized skin.  It could've used a bit more seasoning beyond the truffle sauce though.

So "The" dish to have at Shoom is their Plum Sauce Pork Chops and after one bite, it was completely confirmed that this rocked.  The manageable-sized slices of pork chop were super crispy despite being coated with sauce.  The meat itself was tender and had a nice rebound texture.  As for the sauce, it was tangy and sweet with the unmistakable essence of black vinegar.  Loved how there was just enough sauce to coat each piece. 

Yet another "must-order" at Shoom is their Broccoli with Egg Whites & Scallops.  Not sure how much more perfect this dish could be as the egg whites were pillowy soft with on point seasoning.  The scallops were tender with a sweet bounce texture.  Loved that they put a raw egg yolk on top to mix into the egg whites.  This added another layer of creamy silkiness.  As for the broccoli, they were seasoned and still crunchy.

Continuing on with the luxuriousness of this meal, we had the Black Pepper Beef with Foie Gras.  The cubes of beef were super tender and coated in a savoury black pepper sauce that was also garlicky and slightly spicy.  The red onion and peppers added some vibrant crunch.  As for the foie, it was cubed, coated and deep-fried.  Hence there was a contrast of crispy and fattiness.

Next dish was a personal request by myself in the Sweet & Sour Pork.  I've always enjoyed the version here and this time was no different.  The cubes of fatty pork were bouncy and juicy.  Just the like the pork chops, the exterior of the pork was crispy despite being coated in sauce.  This time around, I wished there was a bit more sauce, but despite that, it was still flavourful with a balanced sweet tanginess.

Onto some veggies, we had the Stir-Fried Garlic Pea Tips.  This was a huge portion and if you know the vegetable, you need a lot of it to yield such a large dish (it cooks down quite a bit).  The pea tips were fresh being tender with a slight crunch.  They were cooked perfectly where they were wilted but not too soft.  The dish wasn't overly greasy and had enough seasoning as well as garlic.

Our last dish was the Dried Scallop Fried Rice which sported green onion as well as tobiko on top.  Normally, this dish can be pretty plain, but they didn't skimp on the dried scallop (that had been rehydrated, then wok-fried).  Hence, the nutty and chewy rice was the beneficiary of the briny and slightly chewy strands of scallop.  This made each spoonful of rice interesting, full of flavour and also texture.

For dessert, we were served 2 items including the one I chose, Mango Pudding.  Loved the glass jars as they looked rather cute.  In terms of viscosity, the mango pudding was rather light and almost soupy, but I'd rather have that over hard gelatin.  It was lightly sweet and only had a mild mango essence.  So I actually returned to Shoom only a few days later for dinner with the fam (on my own coin) and it was just as good as this meal.  Yet really, I didn't need to reconfirm anything as I have always maintained that Shoom is one of, if not the best, mid-range Cantonese restaurants in town.

*This meal was complimentary*

The Good:
- Solid Cantonese cuisine
- Large portions
- Consistent

The Bad:
- Prices aren't expensive, but definitely mid-range, so it is creeping up to the higher end restos in town  

Daan Go

Ever since I dropped by Daan Go before their initial grand opening, I was smitten by their whimsical cakes, treats and macarons.  So much so, I ordered my mom's birthday cake from there!  I believe that they have the right combination of pricing, quality and uniqueness.  Sure, there are higher end places in town that go beyond what Daan Go offers, but they are also very much more expensive.  Recently, I was invited back to try a bunch of new items.  I was so excited that I ended up purchasing even more to make this a real haul!

So let's get to something new with their Ice Cream.  Yes, they have ice cream in several flavours including Rich Matcha, Hong Kong Milk Tea and Mango Passion Fruit.  These were creamy and not icy.  I found it smooth and it was also purposefully sweet.  The matcha was impactful with a mildly bitter finish.  Absolutely loved the milk tea as it tasted like the real thing with strong tea notes and a considerable milky aftertaste.  My favourite was the mango passion fruit because I love fruity things.  This was refreshing and had the natural flavours of the ingredients.

Probably not the most aesthetically-pleasing, the Crème Brûlée featured a puff pastry tube with a sweet custard filling and caramel on the outside.  This ate significantly lighter than it appeared.  The pastry was flaky and had discernible layers while the custard in the middle wasn't heavy and was only lightly sweet.  The caramel on the outside was pretty sweet though.

Something I wanted to try due in part that I had a good version in Montreal was the Choco Chip Kouign-Amann.  Compared to the last item, this was definitely heavier, sweeter and more rich.  Lots of butter and sugar here created a crunchy exterior while the inside was denser with lots of sweet buttery goodness.  The addition of chocolate chips only made this even sweeter with a slight variation of flavour.

Onto one of the most anticipated items (for me at least) was the Salted Egg Yolk Croissant.  This spiral Croissant was tightly wound and had a crunchy exterior.  Inside, there was a considerable amount of salted egg yolk custard that was not as sweet as it looked.  It had a good balance of salty creaminess and some sweetness to balance.  On top, there was an appealing amount of salted egg yolk crumbs.

Along the same lines and style, I had the Coconut Kaya Croissant.  This was quite the pastry as it was heavy and a meal in itself.  The outside was extremely crunchy and shattered with my first bite.  This was filled with coconut jam that made the whole thing appealingly sweet and completely aromatic.  With the sweet topping on the side of the croissant, it added both a different texture as well as more sweetness.

Staying with the same pastry, I also had the Pineapple Pandan shaped like the leaf and in a rich green colour.  Definitely representative of the Pandan leaf.  There was a good crunch to the pastry while the layers were quite evident.  I would've liked it a bit lighter, but this was still quite good.  I got the sweetness of the pineapple and also the floral aromatics of the pandan.

Moving onto something with the same flavour profile but completely different, we had the Pandaan Signature Cake featuring coconut curd, pandan chantilly, roasted pineapple confit and coconut graham base.  The sweet pineapple layer was at the forefront while the sponge was super moist and light.  I thought the pandan was subtle and could've been a bit stronger.  However, this cake was light and ultimately delicious.

So the slice of 24K Gold Mango Cheesecake was quite familiar yet different at the same time.  This was refreshing, especially for a cheesecake.  It was actually light mango cheesecake, so it had all the flavour of such without being as heavy as a brick.  The sponge was light and moist while the addition of mango chunks only amped the mango flavour.  We also had some passionfruit puree in there to add some more tangy sweetness.

Something far more subtle was the Peach Garden with a layer of Osmanthus Jelly on top.  This was fragrant and semi-sweet.  Below that we found cream with both yellow and white peach.  Again, the same soft and moist sponge cake followed while layered with yellow peach mousse.  I found this cake to be very Asian with its mild sweetness and restrained flavours.

Onto those whimsical treats that Daan Go is known for, we had the Tira Meow Su featuring vanilla chiffon 24-hour cold brew, coffee syrup, mascarpone and crema in a Chocolate Cup.  Yes, this was extremely cute and a nice play on words as well.  It also ate quite well too with a creamy texture and a good punch of coffee.  I found this just sweet enough.

Another cute treat was the Carrotail featuring carrot cake, dulce de leche cream, toasted milk Bavarian & pecan crisp.  Sure, the cute bunny was probably enough to win me over, but it really did taste good too.  Loved the cream on the outside as it was rich without being heavy.  However, the crunch from the crisp is what made this dessert.  Nice textural contrast with the rest of the bunny.  It was sweet, but retrained while the carrot came through.  Overall, this wide range of items were good and of course whimsical.  Hence, I think Daan Go offers a good mid-range experience with lots of choices.

 

*Partial comp on this order*

 

The Good:

- Wide range of products

- Cute

- Classic Asian, "not too sweet"

 

The Bad:

- Compared to higher-end spots, maybe not as refined, but then you are not paying high-end prices either  

Ratatouille Bistro

After picking up some Opulence Coffee, we needed to grab some eats before we prepared to check-out of our hotel and make our way to the airport.  We took one last go-around Byward Market and perused a few places for brunch/lunch but nothing seemed to catch out eye.  We finally settled on Ratatouille Bistro for brunch due to some pretty good online reviews.  Sure, those can be sometimes misleading (dependent on who are doing the reviews) but so far in Ottawa, they have been spot on.

So things started off with the Hungerman Breakfast which was a lot of food!  This sported 3 eggs, applewood double-smoked bacon, pork sausage, crab cake, crispy smashed baby potatoes, mixed greens, fruit and toast (all for $19.00).  As you can see, things looked good and in fact, they were good.  The bacon was crispy, eggs were done to our liking and the fruit and salad were fresh.  Only thing that was not-so-good was the crab cake as it was more of a croquette with potato than a crab cake.

On that note, the Crab Cake & Chipotle Crema Benedict suffered from the same issue with the crab cakes.  They were crispy but quite heavy due to the potato and whatever fillers they were using.  Naturally, for $21.00, we weren't expecting 2 crab-filled cakes, but they should either not offer this or charge more money for more crab.  On the positive side, the spice was welcomed and it mixed well with the creamy and tangy Hollandaise.  The soft-poached eggs were perfect too.

Costanza went for the Ratatouille Sandwich featuring 2 fried eggs, bacon, applewood smoked cheddar, avocado, salsa and spicy chipotle mayo.  So no, there wasn't actually ratatouille in the sammie, but it still ate real well with nicely grilled and charred sourdough with perfectly prepared ingredients.  Hence the bacon was crispy and the eggs were done right while the mayo provided spice and the avocado added a creamy counterpoint.

For myself, I had the Short Rib Hash Skillet with wild mushrooms, caramelized onion, cheddar, smashed potatoes and 2 sunny side eggs.  This was quite good with tender braised short rib flavoured with its own braising jus.  The potatoes were creamy and soft with a crisp exterior.  Combination of sweet onions and earthy mushrooms added depth while the cheddar provided smokiness.  Adding a bit of hot sauce on the side would complete the dish.  Overall, the brunch at Ratatouille Bistro was good and well-portioned.  Prices are completely fair and the service is friendly.  They just need to rework or get rid of that crab cake.

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Large portions
- Overall well-prepared brunch

The Bad:
- That crab cake is not very good

Gyubee Japanese Grill

Call it the power of suggestion.  Since we were staying at the Marriott Courtyard adjacent to the Byward Market, we had walked past Gyubee Japanese Grill quite a few times.  It got us thinking that we might just go there for dinner.  In fact, our room faced the restaurant, so every time I looked out the window, it was right there staring at me.  Costanza looked at the menu and suggested we just go have their AYCE dinner.  Okay fine, we put our name on the Yelp waitlist and patiently waited for our turn.  Seems like some others didn't do that and were turned away at the door.

Now the fact it is called a "Japanese Grill" is a loose interpretation of the cuisine.  Let's just say it was more Korean BBQ than Japanese grill.  No matter to us though since we only care if it tastes good or not!  Yes, we got a selection of Banchan as well as the usual romaine lettuce for wrapping our BBQ meats.  I quite enjoyed the bean sprouts as they were crunchy while the kimchi was a little one note.  Cold tofu was good being smooth and the cabbage salad was topped with kewpie dressing.

Onto the meats, the first set we got included also some of our favourites in the Miso Pork Belly and Sweet Soy Marinated Short Rib.  Since these were fatty and also marinated, they cooked up with plenty of char and aroma.  We found the meat quality to be quite good where the meat was well-marbled.  Hence, the result was thin slices of tender meat that cooked up quickly.

We also had the Kurobuta Sausage, Squid, Black Pepper Kalbi and a plate of both Chicken Cartilage and Chicken Thigh.  Surprisingly, we really enjoyed the sausage as it was meaty and firm, yet juicy and flavourful at the same time.  The best item in this selection was the black pepper kalbi as it was meaty and tender with lots of bite from the black pepper.  For me, I love chicken cartilage, so I got more of it after we finished this round.

Next set of dishes came pretty fast and they included Pineapple, Corn, Miso Beef Brisket, Shrimp, Prime Kalbi, Pork Belly and Thick Cut Pork Belly.  Yes, we got another black pepper kalbi as well, so good!  As for this batch, the buttery corn was yummy while the pineapple acted as a nice refresher.  Naturally, the fatty pork belly was delicious, if not sinful.  Brisket was a touch on the chewier side but it had good beefy flavour.

Onto 2 very different items in the Sake Steamed Clams and the Salmon.  They were presented in small tin bowls with tin foil over the top.  So it effectively steamed the items when placed on the grill.  We were given instructions as to how long we should cook it for.  The result was some pretty tender and moist salmon.  However, the clams were the main attraction.  They were plump with the essence of sake.

So we needed to get some veggies into the meal too right?  Well I've already discussed the pineapple and the corn, so won't comment on that any further.  We also had Oyster Mushrooms, Zucchini and Enoki Mushrooms.  Nothing unusual with the oyster mushrooms and zucchini but the enoki were bathed in a bit of butter and when they were cooked through, they were pretty tasty.

To compliment our meals, we got some starches including the Cold Noodle and Bibimbap. If we weren't convinced this was more of a Korean BBQ, then these would confirm this.  I found the cold noodle to be serviceable with chewy noodles while the bibimbap was alright.  Naturally, it didn't have all of the usual ingredients, but it did have beef, sprouts, egg and gochujang.  We mainly used this to fill our lettuce with the BBQ meats.  You could also get plain rice too, but at least this could be eaten by itself.

At the very end of the meal, we had dessert and honestly, the Crème Brûlée was shockingly good.  Beyond the torched hard shell, the custard was creamy and rich while purposefully sweet.  Then we could also choose any flavour of Melona and have that too.  What a refreshing way to end this satisfying BBQ meal.  Sure, it is still $38.00 for dinner, but we thought we got good value considering the selection and quality of the meats.  Furthermore, the service was pretty on point and efficient.  Wish there was one of these closer to me.

The Good:

- Nice selection of quality meats

- Efficient and friendly service

- They change the grilling grate often

The Bad:

- Can feel a bit rushed as all of the items come out at once, but there is a time limit (which is reasonable)

- Front door needs to be fixed as it slams really hard and loud (not good if you are sitting near it)