The Wooden Spoon

Wow, we are on a roll with restaurants I have not revisited in a long time.  This is especially true with spots in South Surrey/White Rock (there will be some more upcoming ones from this area!).  I originally dined at the Wooden Spoon over 10 years ago and then a few more times since then.  I always thought their brunch was very good and could challenge for the best in the GVRD.  We were invited back to try some classics as well as many new favourites. No, they didn't have to ask twice!

Going in order from the menu, we went for a Benny in the Bay Benny with crispy Cajun prawns, tomato jam, guacamole and smoked paprika.  This was very delicious where 

the Champagne 

Hollandaise was velvety and surprisingly bright-tasting.  Mind you, with the spiced prawns, these were the main flavouring agent in this dish.  Loved the chive cheddar biscuit as the base since it was buttery and soft with a crispy shell.  Egg was soft-poached and added moisture to soften the crispy parts.  Side of herb & garlic baby potatoes were soft and creamy on the inside with an aromatic taste.

Next up was the Pulled Pork Hash with house-made BBQ sauce, roasted bell peppers & onion, pulled pork, crisp baby potatoes, crispy shallots, chive gremolata and sunny side eggs.  This was a fulfilling and almost zesty-tasting concoction.  I say almost because it really wasn't spicy per se, but it was flavourful in an intensely sweet and tangy way.  The perfectly sunny side eggs added the silkiness of the yolks while the gremolata provided an herbed brightness.

Possibly their most classic brunch offering is the Sweet & Salty featuring French loaf, aged cheddar, double-smoked bacon, poached

eggs, Champagne Hollandaise, Maple syrup and chive gremolata.  As its name suggests, the whole premise behind this dish is that it meshes savoury with sweet.  It was completely achieved with the syrup mixing with the smoky saltiness of the bacon.  Moreover, the Hollandaise made the entire dish creamy, yet not heavy.  Nice textures were at play too with the crispiness of the bacon, crunch from the crust and also the stringiness of the cheese.

Onto the breakie sammie section of the menu, we decided to try the Sausage & Biscuit sporting pork sausage patty, scrambled egg, aged cheddar, garlic mayo and cheddar chive biscuit.  Looking at the picture, this had Pine State written all over it, except I liked the biscuit at Wooden Spoon more.  This was crispy on the outside, while full-flavoured and soft on the inside.  Add in the meaty home-style pork sausage with the melted cheese and creamy eggs, there was no shortage of classic breakfast flavours and textures.  You would be full on this sammie.

Looking quite inconspicuous, the Steak & Egg brioche bun hid shaved ribeye, house-made BBQ sauce, sunny egg, aged cheddar and horseradish mayo.  Unlike most breakfast sandwiches on brioche, this one had more richness due to the fatty ribeye.  The popped egg yolk provided the necessary moisture to soften the thinly sliced meat.  Horseradish mayo did its job providing a tangy creamy heat.  Side of fresh-cut fries were good too being crispy.

Off to something sweet, we tried Nana's House French Toast with banana mascarpone, caramel, whipped cream, chocolate chips and sliced banana.  We made it a Dad's Plate and added 2 slices of double-smoked bacon and a chicken apple sausage.  Yah, this was pretty awesome as the bread was properly soaked where it was custardy in the middle while the outside was aromatic and slightly crispy.  The banana aroma permeated through the entire dish while the sweetness was just right.

Going in a completely different direction in relation to the other dishes we had, the Smoothie Bowl brought back memories of Carioca Bowls in Portland.  It was a combination of fresh berries, coconut milk, almonds, pumpkin seeds and granola with a side of vegan banana bread.  It was almost like a palate cleanser with a cold and refreshing fruitiness.  Nice texture from the nuts, seeds and granola.  Oh and that banana bread... So freakin' awesome!  Super moist with a balance sweetness and a smoky caramelized bark.

From there, we ordered off the lunch menu with the BBQ Smoked Meat Poutine firmly in our sights.  This was made up of BBQ Montreal smoked meat ends, cheese curds, homestyle gravy, fries, crispy shallots and chive gremolata.  Oh yes, this was even better than it sounded!  With a base of the same crispy fries, it was a nice canvas for the rich (not salty) gravy and melted cheese curds.  Naturally, the tender smoked meat was the star.

Of course we were going to ordered the OG Spoon Burger as well!  This thing was pretty large with 2 smashed beef patties, aged cheddar, Co Sauce, double smoked bacon, crispy onion ring, pickle and arugula on brioche.  Yah, this was no sissy burger because they loaded up with the thick bacon and there was no shortage of moist beef.  The soft brioche formed to hug all the ingredients so we had a little of everything in each bite.

Completing our selections from the lunch section, we had the Mac & Cheese topped with breadcrumbs and parmesan.  We added bacon for good measure.  This featured al dente noodles that held onto the cheese sauce quite well.  There was enough of it to keep things saucy and cheesy.  I would've liked a bit more sharpness, but it was still well-seasoned and the bacon didn't hurt either.

So we ended things on a sweet note with the Cinnamon Bun and also the Sticky Toffee Pudding.  With a cream cheese frosting, the cinnamon bun was full of sweetness and of course, cinnamon.  It was soft and best shared (which we did) after such a filling brunch.  As for the sticky toffee pudding, it was moist and full of rich smoky sweetness.  It wasn't crazy sweet though compared to other versions I've had.

Our final item was something we were looking forward to since walking in the door.  They had 2 featured Malasadas that were as good as the ones I've had at Leonard's in Oahu.  They were light but still had an appealing chewiness.  They have rotating flavours, so be sure to call ahead to check.  Oh and don't go too late in the day as they sell out fast!  Gotta say this visit to the Wooden Spoon exceeded my expectations.  As mentioned, I've been here several times in the past and this time was even better.  Worth the drive out to White Rock!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:

- Delicious food across the board

- Good portion sizes

- Those malasadas!

The Bad:

- Well, far for most people, but worth it!

- It gets rather busy, but yah, it is good duh...

Koto Izakaya

Here we go once again with a place that I visited quite some time ago but got lost in the new restaurant shuffle.  Hence, I never got a chance to return despite it being the appealing combination of decent eats, large portions and fair pricing.  The place is Koto Izakaya in Richmond.  This time around, it is the same story where an invite has both reminded me this place still exists and also gives me a chance to see if they have changed in any way.

We started with a pair of small dishes including the Tako Wasabi and an Appetizer Sashimi.  I thought the tako wasabi was pretty textbook with tender little pieces of octopus mixed with crunchy pickled veg while dressed lightly with wasabi.  This came with nori sheets as per usual.  As for the sashimi, you can clearly see in the picture that it was vibrant, colourful and had a fresh sheen.  I particularly enjoyed the hamachi.

Continuing on with some fried items, we had the Chicken Karaage as well as the Assorted Tempura.  Presented in large chunks of dark meat, the chicken karaage was tender and juicy.  I found the batter to be just a hair thicker than I would've liked, but it was still crunchy and well-seasoned.  The tempura was neatly plated and was also flawless in execution.  The batter was crispy and light while the veggies were not overcooked.  Ebi was buttery and had a nice light snap.

Onto some Aburi with the Aburi Salmon Oshi as well as the Aburi Nigiri Combo.  Despite being quite good, the oshi needed a bit more colour on the top from the torching.  I guess we eat with our eyes and it just would've looked more appealing.  But the rice was good, fish was buttery and the sauce was flavourful without being greasy.  As for the nigiri, there was more colour and hence, they looked more appealing.  These were pretty solid with vibrant fish and chewy seasoned sushi rice.

We got a bit fancier with the A5 Wagyu Beef Roll with avocado and asparagus on the inside with some green onion on top. This was a fairly straightforward roll that featured a soft texture with the butteriness of Wagyu beef.  One of the biggest treats was the Uni & Ikura Don.  Sometimes, uni can be a crapshoot, but this bowl was sweet and creamy with pops of brininess from the ikura.  The sushi rice also on point with an appealing chewiness.

We also got a selection of Robata including Beef Short Rib, Unagi, Angus Beef and Chicken Yakitori.  As you can see, the portion size was fair while the meat exhibited charring.  They were seasoned well with the short rib being my favourite.  The chicken and beef was also good with a nice marinade while being juicy.  Overall, the food at Koto Izakaya is a good value.  Prices are completely fair and the food is quite good.  Portion sizes are also decent.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:

- Fair pricing

- Good portions

- Overall good food

The Bad:

- Charring on the salmon oshi could've been more aggressive

- Parking can be limited

Match Eatery & Public House Burger Bender 2024

Here we are again...  Another year, another Burger Bender!  Yep, I look forward to this every time Match Eatery & Public House invite me to try all, and I mean all of their featured burgers for this event (which runs until February 25th).  I believe that Match serves some of the best burgers amongst the chain restaurants in the Lower Mainland.  Actually, they compete pretty well with all burgers in general.  I visited the Ladner location in Delta as usual since this is the newest of the bunch.

Let's start off real strong with their ode to Anthony Bourdain with the "No Reservations" Burger with a 6oz smashed patty, griddled mortadella, white ribbon cheese, dijonnaise, lettuce and red onion on a croissant roll.  This was so delicious with a nicely charred patty that was still moist inside.  The mortadella did its best impression of bacon while cheese was definitely noticeable.  What brought the whole thing together was the croissant roll as it was crispy, flaky and light.  For the side, we had the Breaded Onion Rings (thick cut too) and they were on point as usual.  I feel this is the only way to do onion rings because the breading is crunchy while the onion still retains its shape and texture.

Close behind in our favourites of the bunch was the Seared Tuna Burger with lemongrass seared rare ahi tuna, Asian slaw, avocado, wasabi aioli, sprouts and wonton crisps on a black sesame brioche bun.  The large and thick piece of tuna was cooked to perfection being rare in the middle while charred crispy on the outside.  It was smoky and aromatic while the Asian flavours such as the sesame oil in the slaw and the wasabi were the right compliments for the fish.

So another winner was the Italian Stallion Chicken Parm featuring 2 pieces of crispy breaded chicken thighs with spicy marinara, fresh mozzarella, pesto, butter lettuce and roasted garlic mayo on a herbed parmesan panini.  This was a properly executed sandwich where the chicken was super juicy while the breading was crispy.  Nice tang and spice from the marinara while the cheesiness really came through.  The bun was nicely toasted with a crunch but also soft and flavourful.  We had a Green Goddess Salad served on the side and the dressing was creamy and herbaceous.

The hits kept coming with the Mighty Mushroom with the same 6oz smashed patty with sauteed cremini & button mushrooms, Boursin, dijonnaise, tomato, red onion and lettuce on a brioche bun. This was not devoid of impact since there was plenty of woodsiness from the mushrooms while the boursin did its cheesy herb thing.  Lots of crunch from the fresh veggies and all encapsulated in a aggressively toasted bun.  The side of fresh-cut fries were crispy and plenty potatoey. 

Onto the Burger Bender 2023 Champion, we had the French Onion Big Dipper.  This thing sported the same smash patty with a crispy onion ring, caramelized onions, double Swiss, dijonnaise and arugula on brioche.  However, the one thing that put this over the top was the side of French onion soup serving as a dip for the burger.  Beyond the already deliciously cheesey and onion-forward burger, the dip was rich and sweet without the usual saltiness associated with the soup.  The side of Yam Fries were crispy and sweet.

Lastly, we had the Veg Head and yes, I know what you are all thinking...  But really, I enjoyed this!  The house-made wild rice and black bean patty was super crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Compliments included avocado, red onion, tomato, jack cheese, sprouts and house mayo on a multigrain bun.  The side of Dirty Fries was a meal in itself with cheese sauce and bacon bits.  As you can see, there is a little of something for everyone at Match's Burger Bender.  Nice job on creating 3 new ones for this year with my favourite being the "No Reservations".  That one is definitely worth trying.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:

- They put in the effort to create some unique burgers

- Each one is very distinct from each other

- On point execution

The Bad:

- Still longing for their donut burger from 2 years ago, are they bringing it back?

Hải Phòng

Here is another ol' favourite of mine that I just really haven't gotten a chance to revisit as of late.  I've been to Hải Phòng on Kingsway many times over the years.  Whether it be with the family or with friends, it was a dependable spot for Vietnamese fare.  Well, things have changed as the next generation has taken over and there have been some subtle renovations to the dining space.  Well, there have been some changes to the menu as well, hence, we were invited to try a wide range of dishes.

Before we get to the sexier items, there is nothing wrong with the classics.  We had the Spring Rolls first and yes, this was prepared with wheat wrapper rather than rice paper.  However, it is really personal choice as to which wrapper is used.  These were really good with an almost fluffy texture beyond the initial light crunch from the exterior side of the wrapper.  The filling was airy, but not crumbly.  It was sweet and had the unmistakable brininess of fish sauce.

One of the more interesting dishes of the meal was the Lotus Salad with lotus rootlets, carrots, shrimp, pork, fried onions cilantro and peanuts with fish sauce.  Without looking at the menu description, I was expecting the usual lotus root slices, but being rootlets, it was a totally different experience.  I really enjoyed the crunch and juiciness of salad as well as the ample amount of meat (who doesn't like meat in their salad???).  Add in the fish sauce, then there was also the usual sweet salty brininess that helped whet our appetites.

Whenever we have a chance to order wings, we do so!  Thus, we got the Garlic Butter Chicken Wings served with lemon pepper dip.  This was a large portion and a great value especially for only $11.95.  Not only that, the wings were also very good!  Beyond the crispy batter we found juicy and moist meat inside.  The quick toss in garlic butter made things rather aromatic and of course buttery.  The aggressive amount of black pepper added much more bite to the dip.

So one of my favourite items was actually a last minute add on to our order.  The Chinese Sausage Omelette was exactly like its description.  It was scrambled egg and sliced Chinese sausage with some white onion and green onion.  As simple as this was, it was super delicious and aromatic.  Naturally, the fats from the sausage as well as the copious amount of oil used to fry this up in the hot wok created lots of umaminess and crispy textures.

For some reason or another, I've had a few versions of Banh Khot lately.  Whether it be from Banh Mi Tres Bon or Pho 101, there has been big differences between them.  The one here at Hải Phòng was much more robust with lots of coconut milk creaminess and density.  It was aromatic and featured a firmly crunchy bottom shell.  It was also sweeter and had more seasoning in general.  Nice large half shrimp on top.

I guess we couldn't ignore the more classic soup noodles such as the Phở Dặc Biệt and the Bún Riêu.  I found the pho broth to be fairly meaty, yet with a clean taste.  It wasn't salty per se, but it did have enough flavour.  Noodles were al dente while the meats were plentiful.  As for the Bún Riêu, it also had a clean and sweet flavour.  I actually prefer this one over the popular one at Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen since it wasn't as "porky".

Staying with the theme of soup, we had the majestically served Vietnamese Hot & Sour Soup.  Loaded with prawns, fresh pineapple, bean sprouts, tomato, okra, taro stem and topped with fried garlic and herbs, this was a meal in itself.  The tamarind broth was pleasantly sour and sweet.  It also had a balanced spiciness that made for a wealth of flavours.  This was one of my favourite dishes of the meal.

Initially, I was a bit apprehensive with the Vietnamese-Style Beef Sashimi as it didn't appear to be very tender.  However, I was very wrong about this.  The beef was buttery soft while the dressing did the heavy lifting.  It had sweetness, acidity, saltiness and aromatics.  As much as there seemed to be a really unbalanced ratio of meat-to-sauce, it really wasn't.  Every piece of beef was completely seasoned.

Back to something more standard in the Lemongrass Chicken & Pork Chop with fried egg on rice.  As you can see, this was a very generous portion of food with beautifully charred meats.  Hence, there was a certain smokiness and caramelization going on.  Yet, the meats were still tender and succulent.  They were also marinated well with flavours throughout.  Broken rice was great too being chewy and slightly dry.

Another super delicious item we had was something that was off-menu.  Sure, they had the Vermicelli Sheets with various proteins, but not the beef short rib.  However, I assure, you, this can be ordered regardless.  These sheets were made from vermicelli noodles, which were texturally appealing.  Fluffy and slightly chewy, the noodles complimented the caramelized short rib in the lettuce wraps were constructed.  Fun and delicious dish!

As if we hadn't already experienced some bold and mouth-watering flavours already, we then got to try the Vietnamese Braised Pork & Fish.  This was also a custom dish as both proteins are usually separate, but we combined both for this one.  Oh man, the intense caramelization of the sauce created rich sweetness complimented by intense savouriness.  This was so good with white rice!  The pork was super tender with some appealing firmer parts while the fish was cooked through but still delicate.

Now here was the dish we were waiting for - the Tamarind Crab!  Yes, this live crab was cooked to perfection while tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce.  I've never had crab prepared this way before and I wish I did sooner!  Such intense flavours that we normally do not get in Cantonese prepared crab.  So in general, this meal reintroduced me to the classics, yet at the same time, exposed me to some dishes I've yet to try.  They were so appealing and full of flavour.  Will need to come back sooner than later.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Has all of the usual dishes but also many unique ones you don't normally see

- Intense flavours

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- Not a fan of that parking lot as it can get pretty full

Paella Guys: Live the Experience (Dine Out 2024)

With memories of their Paella cooking class still fresh in mind, I was looking forward to the Paella Guys Live the Experience as part of the Dine Out Vancouver Fest.  Rather than being in their commissary kitchen, they take over a quaint spot at Dageraad Brewing just next door.  Seated at a communal table, it is a night truly to be with friends and to make new ones.  This I did since Jackie was stuck at Metrotown due to a shutdown of Skytrain.  The people around me were fun and we had great conversation.

Onto the food, much like the Paella cooking class, we were presented with a collection of tapas to share.  This included Marcona Almonds, Tortilla de Patatas, Anchovy Marinated Olives, Spanish Iberico Meats and Jamon Iberico.  These were a nice start to the meal and as I've said before, Marcona almonds are the best!  So light and crunchy.  Meats were solid but the tortilla was my favourite as it had just enough potato to compliment the fluffy egg as well as some onion for sweetness.

Now the tortilla was delicious, but the Empanada Gallega de Atun was even better in my opinion.  These little pies featured a light and flaky crust that was a good match for the tuna filling.  With olives, tomatoes and peppers, the filling did have some antipasto sauce vibes (yes, I know that is Italian, but you get the idea).  For my beverage (extra cost from the meal) was the Japanese-style Dark Larger with wild rice.  Despite the dark hue, this was still refreshing and crisp with more depth.

Usually, I'm as excited about a salad as a root canal (I've had one, so yah, I'm serious).  However, this Ensalada Mediterranea was absolutely stunning to look at and super delicious to eat.  When they were preparing it, they tossed in a good amount of salt.  This really helped bring out the flavour of the vinaigrette as well as the natural sweetness of the beets, tomatoes and corn.  As such, I went back for seconds!  A salad!  Beneath the vibrant veggies, we found a mix of crisp greens.

Onto the main event - the Paella Mixta with bomba rice, chicken, red peppers, mushrooms, onions, shrimp, prawns, tomatoes, garlic, pimenton and house-made seafood stock.  As big as this paella was, the entire thing was perfectly cooked.  Beyond the al dente and super aromatic rice, we found pieces of socarrat that was both nutty and provided a nice mouth feel.  The chicken thighs were still tender while the shrimp and prawns were just barely cooked through.

For dessert, we had the Tarta de Santiago.  I've had this before and yah, this was just as delicious as last time.  This almond tart had aromatic and buttery crunchy edges with caramelized sweetness.  Inside, the almond was nutty, buttery and purposefully sweet.  Loved the obvious taste of lemon in these as it brightened things up.  Overall, this was a fun night that was more than just the food.  Yes, it was fantastic (and also plentiful, because you can have seconds), but the communal table, live music and vibe were the things that made this a unique experience.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- This is how we should eat this food, with friends, music and drinks
- Excellently-prepared Paella
- Unique

The Bad:
- Once again, the parking situation in the industrial parking lot is challenging

Roadside Spicy Pot

Saying things are expensive right now would be an understatement.  From consumer goods to food, inflation has hit prices hard.  Sure, some things are coming back down, but as a whole, our dollar doesn't stretch very far.  I've highlighted some of the best values in town recently, yet here is another in Roadside Spicy Pot.  Normally, hot pot can be an expensive night out since you have to pay for the broth and then to be completely full, you will have to order lots of dishes.  Well, at Roadside, they have some reasonable pricing but also some killer deals as well.

One of best values are their 59 Cent Skewer specials.  Like really, you could just get full on these skewers alone, but I would urge you to try their other selections too.  Now there are a few skewers that cost a bit more like shrimp and chicken wings which are $1.00 yet the majority of them are really only 59 cents!!!  They are kept in a refrigerated display where you can choose yourself.  As you can see, we got quite a few and my favourites were beef tripe, beef tendon, duck tongue, fried gluten and spicy beef.

Another one of their crazy specials is the $2.99 Half-Lobster Tails.  Sure, they aren't very big, however, they are freakin' lobster tails!  Some of the regular priced Seafood Dishes we had was the fish slices, scallops (complete with the mantle) and squid tentacles.  As you can see in the picture, things were well-portioned and appealing.  As for the broth, we had one that was the Classic Spicy and the other was Tomato.  Although I love spicy, the tomato was really good too as it had plenty of natural flavour that helped elevate each ingredient.

Now looking at the picture of our spread, we also had quite a few meat items including their 4th Anniversary Promotion $1.99 American Wagyu Beef.  Just like the skewers and the lobster tails, this is a fantastic deal.  It is a full plate of the Wagyu Beef, not per piece!  We also got some sliced lamb, fatty beef and also some pork jowl.  Also you can see we really loaded up on the skewers.  Anyone could do that affordably.

Sure, these are the same skewers in the previous picture, but I want to highlight the spicy dishes (cooked) that we also tried.  They included Sweet Potato Noodle, Spicy Tender Beef, Spicy Clams and Spicy Beef Tripe.  Naturally, these all had a similar flavour profile being spicy, a touch smoky and earthy.  My favourite was the tripe as I just enjoy the chewiness.  Clams were also good as they were buttery and briny.  Beef was tender and soaked up the spice really well.  The noodles were slippery with a chew and also took on the flavours.  We were also served some spicy oil dip and also the spice rub.  Both really helped elevate the already tasty boiled items from the hot pot.

For dessert, we were served the Brown Sugar Rice Cakes and oh boy, were they super delicious!  Beyond the crispy exterior, we got a soft and sticky inside that had a great mouth-feel.  As much as there was a brown sugar drizzle on the outside, it was balanced in terms of sweetness.  Really enjoyed this dessert and in fact, the entire meal was excellent.  Add in the fact that they offer up some pretty good specials, it isn't expensive eating here.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Reasonable pricing

- Ingredient quality is solid

- Love the decor

The Bad:

- They are going for the street food decor, but the seats are not great to use for an extended period of time