Vivace on the Drive

When Eileen asked if I was available for a meal at Vivace on the Drive, I wasn't too familiar with the place.  The only thing I knew was that it took over the spot where Federico's Supper Club used to be located.  Upon arriving at the place, I quickly knew we weren't in Kansas anymore...  Sporting a beautiful bar that occupies most of the restaurant, the place is now much more modern and completely inviting.  With a stage at the back of the restaurant, there continues to be live music as well as a big screen for all those soccer and rugby matches.

We arrived for a late lunch and as a rugby match was just coming to an end.  Loved the atmosphere of the place where it was packed and fans that were into the game as well as enjoying some eats and drinks.  So we decided to get in on the action with our own bevies including Blueberry Mojito, Mezcal Sour, La Vie Lavende and Peachy Paradise Orange Sour.  These were all very good and balanced.  My mojito had some fruitiness and of course herbeceousness.  The mezcal sour was tangy and lightly sweet.  Naturally, the lavender came through on the la vie lavende with some sweetness and gin finish.  For the peachy paradise, it was a virgin drink that was sweet and tangy.

Onto the food, we started with the Terrine made with ham hock, piccalilli and toasted brioche on the side.  This was a nice appie where the pork was tender and nicely brined.  It paired well with the lightly toasted brioche.  The bread stood up well to the hearty terrine, but was not dense nor hard to eat.  The piccalilli condiment added a mustardy tanginess to the mix that helped cut through the heaviness of the ham.

Next, we were presented with the Mushrooms on Toast topped by a soft-poached egg and whole seed mushroom dressing.  Although there was no meat to this dish, it ate very well with plenty of body.  Those sautéed mushrooms were earthy and buttery.  Soft-poached egg was perfectly delicate with a runny yolk while the mustard dressing was sweet and slightly tangy.  The bread held up to the wet ingredients without being too hard.

Although seemingly simple, the Full English Breakfast was satisfying and well-prepared.  It featured a plethora of back bacon, sausage, sautéed mushrooms, baked beans, grilled toast and sunny-side eggs.  As you can clearly see, the eggs were perfect with runny yolks and tender whites.  The bread was nutty and nicely charred.  Mushrooms were like the previous dish while the sausage was meaty with little fat.

The following dish did not belong to their regular menu.  Rather, it is part of the Pasta Challenge until October 29th.  The L'Oceano Vivace featured squid ink tagliolini, lemon butter foam, chorizo, pan-seared scallops and trout roe.  Some EVOO on top for good measure.  This was fantastic with al dente pasta and when mixed with the foam, there was significant lemon tanginess.  Scallops were buttery and tender.

We also tried a few items from their dinner menu including the Pork Belly with pumpkin puree and cranberries.  This was fantastic where the large chunk of pork belly was tender with just enough fattiness.  It was nicely seared on all sides for caramelization and aesthetics.  Puree was creamy and sweet while the cranberries added another layer of sweetness combined with tartness.

Another seemingly simple, yet delicious dish was the Radicchio with grapefruit, pumpkin and fig.  The slice of radicchio was seared up nicely where it was smoky and tender.  However, it was still firm and wasn't overdone.  The sweetness of the pumpkin and fig helped temper the considerable amount of bitterness.  The grapefruit on top added both colour and some acidity to compliment the other flavours.

For dessert, we shared the Brioche & Butter Pudding with white chocolate and cardamom.  Oh wow, this was insanely delicious!  Beyond the appealingly charred exterior, the bread soaked up all of the white chocolate sauce.  Hence, it was well, pudding-like.  However, it contrasted beautifully with the crunchy and smoky exterior.  So we went into this meal not knowing what to expect.  But we came away impressed at the plating, overall execution and deliciousness of the meal.

*Partial comp on the meal as the drinks were extra

The Good:

- Appealing plating

- Well-executed

- Nice vibe and drinks

The Bad:

- Lunch menu is good but may need a few more items

Bánh Mì Très Bon

Yes, I realize that it hasn't been long since I made my last visit to the White Rock location of Bánh Mì Très Bon.  However, they have begun to add more dishes to their menu as they get settled into the groove of operating a second store.  So that is the main reason for being there again so soon.  However,  we were able to sample some of the favourites as well as their surprisingly good cocktails.  So I met up with Roanna and Eileen for another tasting.

We started off with their Savoury Mini-Crêpes and I thought this time, they were even better than the last time I was here.  The edges and bottom of the crêpes were uniformly crispy and light.  Each one was filled with fried shallots, shrimp and green onion.  This combination ensured there would be aromatics, brininess and a bright sharpness.  But to complete this concoction, we were served a side of fish sauce to up the salty briny flavour quotient.

So we couldn't do food here without some of their excellent drinks either right?  We got the Taste of Vietnam Cocktail Flight featuring Smooth Landing (plum wine, rambutan juice, ginger, & jalapeños),  In the Air (rice wine, soho lychee, & crème de cassis), Taking Off (hpnotic & coconut liqueur).  My favourite of the bunch was In the Air due to the lychee and creaminess.  We also had the Bonsoir Saigon and Parisian Nights.  Loved the coffee in the Bonsoir Saigon and the fruitiness of the Parisian Nights.

So we had 2 versions of their next dish including the Sweet Tamarind Crispy Prawns as well as the Sweet Tamarind Crispy Tofu & Cauliflower.  Loved the tanginess of the tamarind that was tempered by the sweetness and slight spice of the sauce.  The prawns were indeed crispy with a meaty snap texture.  However, I enjoyed the vegetarian version even more with the firm cauliflower and the tender chunks of crispy tofu.

The next 2 dishes we had also featured the same main dish but with different starches.  We had the Vietnamese Free-Range Chicken Curry served with rice vermicelli or their house-made baguette.  Really enjoyed this dish as the curry featured coconut milk, but wasn't heavy at the same time.  We got the aromatics as well as some sweetness with some spice.  The chicken was certainly tender while the little nuggets of purple yam were texturally appealing.  We also found eggplant, green beans, carrots and daikon hidden within too.  I thought the vermicelli went really well with the sauce.  The bread was fantastic too being soft with a crunchy exterior, but it would go better with a beef stew in  my opinion.

So you can't dine at Bánh Mì Très Bon without having their Bánh Mì Trio right?  Well, this featured braised pork belly & Vietnamese ham, grilled lemongrass chicken and pork meatball.  Again, the bread on these were good with a crunchy crust giving way to a soft chewy interior.  This held all the wet ingredients at bay very well.  My favourite was the meatball as it was soft and meaty with lots of sweet onion flavour as well as a meatiness.

Going for all the greatest hits, we had the BMTB Signature Beef Tenderloin Bone Marrow Phở.  Okay, yes, this was money with a clean-tasting broth that had plenty of meatiness.  It wasn't too heavy on the seasoning though as it was not too salty.  I found the meat to be tender and sliced thin.  Of course the star of the show was the large bone marrow with plenty of fatty goodness in the middle.

We ended our savoury portion of the meal with the delicious Caramelized Fish Sauce Brussels Sprouts.  Yes, to most this would look very unassuming, but rest assured, the flavours in this pop.  With the briny saltiness of the fish sauce and the sweetness of caramel, the balance was all there.  Coupled with aromatic crispy shallots and firm, but cooked-through Brussels sprouts, we had textural and flavour contrast.

Onto dessert, we tried the Apple Cream Puff Tart.  Oh I really liked this as the contrast between the fluffy & crispy choux pastry with the firm tart shell worked.  Also, the sweetness was just right where it was impactful without being overly sugary.  So nice end to this delicious meal.  Things were carefully-prepared and tasted great.  Definitely an elevated Vietnamese dining experience.  Perfect for the neighbourhood.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post

The Good:
- Elevated food
- Good flavours
- Nice dining space

The Bad:
- On the pricier side (but what isn't these days?)
- Parking is a bit difficult

Boardwalk Burgers, Fries & Shakes

So why am I out in Abby again?  No, it isn't for a concert and no, it isn't to meet up for dinner with Nikita and Bluebeard either.  Rather, I was invited to try out Boardwalk Burger, Fries and Shakes at their S. Fraser Way location.  Did I really drive all the way out there for burgers?  Hey, I've done that before, I've even gone as far as Chilliwack for a fried chicken sammie.  For me, I will travel for food and sometimes, the best things are not within Vancouver itself.

To get a taste of the menu, I went for the baseline with the Boardwalk Classic sporting cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and secret sauce.  This was a fairly substantial burger since the patty was large in diameter and thick.  I found it to be on the leaner side, yet still tender at the same time.  The brioche bun was a sturdier version where it held up the wet ingredients well.  I would've liked it toasted just a bit more to soften the interior.  Despite being a small detail to some, I thought the uniformly even piece of lettuce and ample tomato ensured that I would get some in every bite.  It also looked nice too.

Going with a fancier burger, I also tried the Mushroom Swiss with sautéed mushrooms, grilled onions and mayo.  This was a very good burger with the same thick patty topped with a mountain of fresh mushrooms.  They were laced with creamy mayo and melted cheese.  These classic ingredients combined together made for pungent flavour profile of cheese and earthy mushrooms.  Lots of moisture provided by the mayo and the whole thing ate really messy, but it was worth it.

Onto a different type of meat, I went for the Hawaiian Grilled Chicken with lettuce, tomatoes, pineapple, cheese and mayo.  Despite being rather thin, the chicken breast was still quite moist and tender.  It sported nice grill marks and had a bit of smokiness.  Once again, the lettuce and tomato were fresh.  The addition of pineapple added a tangy sweetness while the cheese added more body.

To complete the variety of burgers, I also had a fried version in the Spicy Crispy Chicken with lettuce, tomato, cheese and spicy mayo.  You know my love for fried chicken sammies, so I have a good handle on what is good and what is not.  Well, this one was definitely good.  The chicken was juicy and not overdone while the batter was uniformly crunchy.  I also enjoyed that this had a good kick and lived up to its name.

Onto the sides, I had the regular fries with my classic burger which could've been just a bit more crispy.  I also had the Bacon Cheddar Ranch as well as the Poutine.  I thought there was a good amount of crispy bacon with enough cheese for some ooey gooey texture.  I enjoyed the poutine more since it was pretty traditional.  It sported legit cheese curds topped with a rich gravy that wasn't too sweet.  Those Onion Rings were also good being the breaded type. They were crunchy with tender onion within.

Of course I couldn't forget about the various types of Milkshakes they had on the menu.  I went for something a bit different in the Strawberry Cheesecake Shake.  This was served in a clear-domed cup that held more shake than a flat lid would.  Also, I could see my shake.  This was one thick shake that was still quite drinkable.  I found it quite sweet, but it worked for this flavour.  I did get the cheesecake hit while adding some strawberry notes.

For dessert, I ironically had Cheesecake.  Well, it didn't look like much, but I found it quite good.  The texture was rich and thick with plenty of cream cheese flavour.  It was only purposefully sweet.  I also had the Lava Cake as well as the Brownie.  The lava cake was pretty typical with chocolate sponge encasing a molten centre.  However, the brownie was surprisingly good.  It was rich, chocolatey and just sweet enough.  Loved the crunch from the walnuts.  So for a fast-food concept, Boardwalk offers up quite the extensive menu.  They really nail it with the burgers, whether it be beef or chicken.  I do think the fries could be a bit crispier, but they are still good.  As for the desserts and milkshakes, I appreciate they are trying to offer more than the usual limited varieties at other places.  Overall, it was a great experience and I hope they expand closer to Vancouver!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post

The Good:
- Solid burgers
- Such a huge menu
- Lots of choices for shakes and dessert

The Bad:
- Fries were good, but could be crispier

Match Eatery & Public House (Delta)

Here I am at the Delta location Match Eatery & Public House again.  Sure this was in celebration of its 1st anniversary along with the Cascades Casino and Delta Hotels.  They have really injected a bit of excitement into sleepy Ladner with some pizazz and also delicious food.  I believe Match is one of the most underrated chain restaurants in the Lower Mainland.  It is reasonably-priced and way better than places such as White Spot and Boston Pizza.  That is why I spend my own money coming back over and over again.  However, I would never turn down an invite from them either!

So the thing to have here is their wings.  I think of all the chains out there, they have some of the best.  I also find them consistent as I've never had a bad batch.  We went ahead and ordered the Game Day Salt & Pepper Wings as well as the Hot Wings.  We wanted to have their awesome Nashville Wings, but they are only available on NFL game nights.  Just like all of the other times, the wings featured rendered crispy skin.  At the same time, the meat was still moist.  The hot wings did have a vinegary kick to them.

So we actually ordered the No Bib Dry Ribs after all our food had arrived, but I'll put them here since it is an appie.  Much like the wings, the dry ribs were uniformly crispy on the outside.  While on the inside, they were almost juicy and not chewy at all.  Loved that most pieces were rather meaty with only a bit of bone.  Also like the wings, the amount of salt & pepper was on point providing flavour without going overboard.

Normally, we would order a full-sized burger, but since we wanted to get some things we've never had before, it was the Twin Car Hop Burgers this time around.  It was an excellent decision as the patties were much larger than the soft & toasted buns.  Hence, the charred crispy edges of the meat was very noticeable.  These little burgers were very good and I would say they give the regular-sized ones a run for their money.  Patties were also meaty and not dry at all.

Continuing on with the smaller items, we had the Food Truck Blackened Halibut Tacos & Tots.  Although the halibut was cooked right being moist and not dry, it was a bit lacking in terms of blackening spices.  However, the side of pico de gallo helped things along with tangy spice.  This complimented the other ingredients, which included coleslaw, fresh avocado, honey-lime crema, pickled onion and cotija cheese.

Another item I've never had before is their pizzas, so we decided on the You Had Me At Pepperoni sporting double pepperoni, roasted garlic, pepperoncini peppers and mozzarella on a honey-sesame crust.  Oh wow.  Why did it take me so long to try this???  It was #)$*$)#$* good!  The crust was crunchy and aromatic while nicely sweet.  It worked really well with the pepperoni and the peppers.  One of the better chain restaurant pizzas I've had!

Originally, when I was invited to try out their Little Italy promotion, I really enjoyed their Garlic Shrimp Alfredo.  Naturally, I ordered this time around and it didn't disappoint.  The pasta was al dente and remained as such until the end.  It was tossed in just enough creamy alfredo sauce to coat the pasta without being too saucy.  The shrimp was definitely garlicky and buttery tender.

I've always been intrigued with the New York State of Mind on the menu and finally went for it.  Turns out that they know how to grill steaks too!  The 8z NY Steak was perfectly medium-rare.  Look at it!  Well-rested, the steak was juicy and flavourful while being tender.  It was also properly seasoned and sported some smokiness from the char.  It came with perfectly prepared veggies which were still firm.  Mashed potatoes were good too being well-seasoned.

Onto dessert, we shared the 4-Layer Chocolate Cake.  Oh this was good too!  The rich and chocolatey sponge cake was layered with equally rich chocolate butter cream which was purposefully sweet.  I didn't think we would eat all of it, but we did!  So as you can see, the food at Match is solid across the board and offers up something for everyone.  This is why I come here on my own coin in between invites from them.  I especially love this location in the Cascades Casino as it sits in a lovely and spacious dining room while being attached to the equally beautiful casino and Delta Hotel.  Congrats on their 1st anniversary!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post

The Good:
- Solid eats across the board
- Nice dining space
- Lots of parking

The Bad:
- Maybe the blackened halibut could've used more spice

The One BBQ Kitchen

For a city with so many Chinese restaurants, it is quite interesting that there aren't many more superb Chinese BBQs.  We all know the usual suspects, but the really good ones don't even number 10 in the GVRD.  So it is always nice to see new spots popping up, especially in the not-so-obvious-locations.  This would be the case of The One BBQ Kitchen out on Victoria Drive at 57th in Vancouver.  If you weren't paying attention, you might even drive right past it.  Alas, we didn't do that as we were invited to try out their wares.

To get a sense of their BBQ, we went ahead and ordered all 3 versions of their BBQ Pork including Devil's Char Siu, First Cut Char Siu and the regular BBQ Pork.  Gotta say that all 3 were on point.  With that being said, the Devi's Char Siu was our favourite.  I guess it had a lot to do with it being pork belly as well as being prepared expertly.  There was balanced charring on the outside that ensured we'd get smokiness, caramelization and crispy bits.  That gave way to tender, yet not overly fatty, pieces of pork.  Loved the honey glaze as it was sticky and addictively delicious.  As for the First Cut Char Siu, it was much leaner, yet at the same time, was still moist and tender with a tasty bark.  It was firm on the outside with plenty of sweetness as well as balancing meaty savouriness.  Surprisingly, the plain ol' regular BBQ Pork was almost as good as the Devil's Char Siu.  It was fatty enough to provide a luxurious and soft texture, while not being flabby.  It was also charred nicely and coated with the honey glaze.

We went big and ordered the Whole BBQ Duck which was quite impressively plated.  It was large and well worth the $50.00 as the breast meat was substantial and meaty.  However, the thing that wowed us the most was the uniformly rendered skin.  It was not fatty underneath, even where it is usually quite fatty (ie. the breast).  Hence, they must've used the right breed of duck (with less fat) and also roasted it perfectly.  With crispy skin, it was a delight to eat in itself, but it also revealed tender and moist meat underneath as well.  The duck itself was also brined properly where the flavours penetrated into the meat.

Moving away from the BBQ items, we dove into some classic casual Cantonese dishes including the Sweet & Sour Pork.  Yes, it seems rather defaultish, especially all of us at this tasting were well-versed in traditional Chinese eats, but hey, we love Sweet & Sour Pork and do not pass off any judgements!  Well, it was a good move anyways as this plate of S&S Pork was very good.  The large chunks of pork were tender and moist without being super fatty.  The batter was medium-thick but was not doughy.  In fact, it still had a bit of crunch left despite being coated with sauce.  About that sauce, it was balanced with plenty of acidity and sweetness.

One of the most majestically-looking dishes was the Prawn in Soybean Paste with Vermicelli Hot Pot.  Butterflied and deep-fried, the prawns were meaty with a sweet snap.  Since it was fried in-the-shell, it was possible to eat it whole with a nice crunch on the outside.  There was a good amount of al dente and not clumpy mung bean vermicelli underneath that had soaked up all of the flavours including the fermented saltiness of the soybean paste.  Naturally, there was some background brininess as well.

We went for another hot pot dish in the Sizzling Chicken Hot Pot.  This was chock full of dark meat chicken that was just barely cooked-through.  Hence, the chicken was juicy with a meaty bounce texture.  It was also well-seasoned with equal parts of sweet and salty with some pepperiness and slight gingeriness.  This was almost prepared similarly like a Taiwanese 3-cup chicken without the same seasonings.

Of course we wanted to get some veggies into our diet, so we went for the Vegetable & Buddah's Feast featuring bak choy, lotus root, mushrooms, baby corn, carrot, wood ear, white cloud fungus and water chestnuts.  All of these ingredients were cooked properly where they retained their crunch and vibrancy.  Seasoning was mild, but that was welcomed as many of our dishes had plenty of bold flavours already.  Only thing I would've liked was the starch-thickened sauce (residual cooking moisture) wasn't so gooey.

Even though we didn't order any congee, we just had to get the Salt & Pepper Deep Fried Noodle Fish.  Sometimes this is identified on menus as "Silverfish" but I'm sure that doesn't sound as appetizing as noodle fish...  Anyways, these little fishies were actually quite large and battered up nicely where they were crunchy and light.  There was enough chilis, garlic, onion, salt and pepper to give these fish plenty of impact.  Would like to dunk these into plain congee next time!

Another classic Cantonese dish we had was the Stir-Fried Clams in Black Bean Sauce.  There was a good amount of manageable-sized clams that were all open.  Coated with just enough sauce, these clams were buttery and tender being cooked just right.  I think they might've water-blanched them first, hence, I didn't get any sand in my clams.  As for the sauce, it was properly thickened and had a balanced saltiness to go with the garlic.  Dish wasn't overly greasy either.

One of the most surprising dishes was the Kung Pao Chicken as it was actually spicy!  I can't tell you how many times I've had this dish and all I taste is sweet and maybe a bit of tanginess.  This had heat that lingered!  On first glance, the dish looked like some peppers with a tonne of roasted peanuts on top.  However, upon digging deeper, we found little nuggets of chicken that were super tender.  The veggies were still vibrant and crunchy too.

For some carbs, we ordered the Seafood Fried Rice which was pretty jacked with shrimp and bay scallops.  These were cooked beautifully maintaining some bounce and butteriness.  The rice itself was seasoned enough, yet still allowed for complimenting the bold flavours of some of the dishes.  I wished that the rice was a bit more dry though as it was on the softer side.

Seemingly a side order that was destined to not be talked about, the bowl of Lai Fun was the talk of the table!  Usually, when we get Lai Fun anywhere, it is soft and breaks on contact.  Not here though as each strand was al dente with a bouncy chewiness.  Such wonderful mouth feel and it stayed that way despite sitting in broth.  The broth itself appeared to be the BBQ duck bone broth.  I would eat this plain!  But we ended up dunking some BBQ duck into it and we had our small bowls of BBQ Duck Lai Fun!  Overall, the food at The One BBQ Kitchen was quite impressive, especially the BBQ.  Prices are fair and the portions are medium-sized.  Definitely a good place for a casual meal with the fam.

*This post features complimentary food

The Good:
- Excellent BBQ
- Solid eats
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Portion sizes are fine, but on the smaller side