Bahubali Biryani House

For the longest time, there was this Fijian restaurant sitting in this strip mall on the Southwest corner of Scott Road and Nordel.  I always wanted to try it, but it never seemed to be open and neither was there much information about it.  Well, no matter now as it has been replaced by a brand-new spanking Indian restaurant called Bahubali Biryani House.  Loved they have a green theme to the exterior, as it blends it completely with Dollarama next door!

Getting right to the food, we started off with something so addictive and delicious, I wanted to have the dish to myself.  Alas, I had to share the Crispy Corn with the rest of the crew.  These little plump and sweet niblets were lightly coated so that they were crispy without being heavy nor greasy.  They were nicely spiced with a bit of earthiness that paired well with the sweetness of the corn.  The acidity from the wedge of lime made this a bit tropical in flavour.

It always seems like we ordered Fish Pakora whenever we get the chance.  I guess it the contrast between the crispy spiced batter with the flaky and moist fish.  Well, the version here definitely fulfilled that criteria even though the fish came is thin strips.  Due to this, we felt it ate crispier but at the same time, the fish wasn't dry.  To bring down the spice of the dish (even though it wasn't spicy), the mint chutney on the side did just that.

Arriving on a sizzling hot cast iron plate, the Tandoori Prawns were definitely the beneficiary of some charring and caramelization.  Hence, there was some appealing smokiness and intense flavours.  To go with the nuttiness from the char, we also found that the spices were quite apparent with some earthy fall-flavours.  Furthermore, the prawns themselves were cooked just right with a buttery meatiness that was not overdone. 

Now a dish we usually do not order is the Murgh Malai Tikka.  I guess that is my own personal bias as I find it rather heavy.  Well, this version was a bit different than the ones I've had before.  Normally, the chicken is tenderized by the yogurt lemon juice marinade, but I think in this instance, it was marinaded quite aggressively.  Hence, the chicken became super tender and almost became pulled chicken in the end.  Maybe a bit to soft, but still okay.  Flavours were quite nice with a spiced creaminess.

We continued on with another chicken appetizer in the Chicken Majestic.  This is a Southern Indian dish that is marinated until tender and deep fried.  It is coated in a spiced yogurt mixed with curry leaves.   Well, they nailed it with their version with big pieces of tender chicken that had a slightly crispy exterior.  The creaminess of the sauce was appealing with a bit of heat and spice as well as some earthiness.

Onto the mains, we got a few including the Butter Chicken, Guthi Vankay Curry, Goat Curry and Mutton Maratha.  The fan favourite of the bunch had to be the eggplant curry with tender and delicate baby eggplant.  The curry was nutty and tangy.  The butter chicken was more on the creamier side with only a slight tanginess with tender nuggets of chicken.  The other 2 curries featured goat and both were tender with the unmistakable gelatinous quality to the meat.  I preferred the goat curry more due to its robust flavour and fall-like depth.  On the side, we had Garlic Naan, Spinach Paratha and Rumali Roti.  Naan was blistered and crispy in parts on the outside while chewy and soft on the inside.  Paratha was soft and warm with a slight chew while also blistered.  As for the roti, if you ever have seen it made, it is cooked on a half-dome element and comes out as a huge round piece.  This was soft and a bit chewy with lots of elasticity.

Of course we couldn't finish the meal with a biryani right?  So we got the Hyderabad Mutton Biryani.  Bearing the city's namesake, Hyderabad, the biryani is cooked slowly while being spiced with saffron.  This particular version was really good with chewy and fragrant rice.  Didn't get a whole lot of saffron but definitely lots of meat flavour and depth.  There was a good spice to it too.  In general, the food at Buhubali Biryani was pretty solid and well-portioned.  Love the renovated dining space and also the ample parking available.  A great addition to Scott Road.

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

The Good:
- Developed flavours
- Nice dining space
- Ample parking

The Bad:
- Was the Murgh Malai Tikka overmarinated?

 

Kosoo Pocha at Sai Woo

What's with the name you may ask?  Yah nothing strange about Kosoo Pocha.  Kosoo is a chain of Korean restaurants in the Lower Mainland and Pocha refers to the type of food they serve (typically street food).  But what about the "Sai Woo"?  Yah, that name has been around for a long time (since 1925).  It was reincarnated in 2015 complete with a new replica neon sign.  Kosoo decided to keep it in the name of the restaurant even though there is nothing in common other than location and history.

Well, Jackie and I were here for late night Korean as well as so soju.  Starting with the Clam Bibimbap, this was the perfect compliment with our bevvies.   On the plate, we were spoiled by the considerable amount of plump clams that were tossed in a sweet and spicy marinade.  Combined with some seasoned rice and wrapped in crispy nori, these little bites were fun to make and a delight to eat.

We also had the Seafood Pancake with veggies, prawns, imitation crab, squid and clams.  I liked the fact that this pancake had very little green onion.  Sometimes, they put so much of it, it should just be called a green onion pancake. The outside was nicely seared and crispy.  Inside, some parts were a bit doughy, but mostly tender.  Lots of seafood to be found and the textures added some robustness.

Impressive in size, we got the Colossal Pan Fried Egg Roll topped with ketchup.  Yah, when they say colossal, they weren't kidding as it appeared to be 2 feet of rolled egg omelette.  This was fluffy and light while completely seasoned.  I liked how they didn't overload it with carrots and green onion as it overwhelms the delicate egg.  This one had just enough to compliment while letting the egginess shine.

The most impressive item was the Chef's Choice, that consisted of the daily recommended dishes.  This one included Deep Fried Sea Eel, Spicy Whole Squid Mixed Seasoning, Korean Omelette, Spicy Fish Stew and Kimchi.  The best thing in this combo was the eel as it was massive and perfectly prepared.  Outside was super crispy and inside was moist and buttery.  Add some ginger and gochujang and we had a nice little bite.  When mixed together, the rice noodles and the squid had plenty of texture while having a sweet spiciness.  In the pot, we found various fishballs and fishcakes sitting in a spicy seafoody broth.  Reminded me of oden to a degree.  We had cups on the side to drink the broth when poured out of the pot.  With this selection of eats, it is clear that Kosoo Pocha is a bit different that the usual Korean restaurant.  Featuring street-type eats that goes into late-night, Kosoo Pocha is a lively place from open to close.

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

The Good:

- Interesting and delicious food

- Nice vibe

- Portion sizes are large

The Bad:

- The area is still in transition

Rendezvous Pub

It's not often I head to the pub for a tasting, let alone an ol' skool pub out in Langley.  But hang on here, there is a twist to this visit though.  You see, the ownership has changed and they are in the process of altering the look of the place as well as the menu.  So I accompanied Roanna and Eileen to see for ourselves.  Now the outside doesn't look much different, but there have been subtle changes to the interior without taking about the "pub" vibe.

As for the menu, I'll get to that in a bit, but I'll talk about some of the drinks first.  From left-to-right, we had the Jolly Rancher, Mango Daiquiri, Rendezvous Fishbowl and the CoronaRita.  My favourite was the CoronaRita as the sweetness and tanginess helped balance the Corona.  Also enjoyed the mango daiquiri as it was balanced, where the rum wasn't overpowering.  The Jolly Rancher was sweet as expected, but did have quite a boozy kick.

Onto the food, we started with a pub classic with the Salt & Pepper Dry Ribs.  I liked how these were in fairly large pieces, which allowed them to be juicy inside despite deep-fried to crispy goodness on the outside.  There was enough seasoning for them to stand on their own, but the ribs were extra tasty when dipped into the soy chili.  A second option was the garlic lime spinach-infused mayo.  Personally, I enjoyed the soy dip more.

Next up was the Garlic Prawns sauteed in white wine with garlic, tomatoes and green onions.  This was pretty good where the prawns were delicate with a snap texture.  Lots of buttery garlic goodness where the garlic bread was the perfect vessel to soak it all up.  Personally, I could've done without the green onions as I believe they obscure the delicate flavour of the prawns.  But I get it, the green looks nice.

So I had mixed emotions with RP's Wonton Soup.    It is because they were just too generous with the components.  I mean, look at it, you can't even see the soup.  There was a bevy of cabbage, carrots and red/green peppers.  I thought the peppers dominated the flavour profile just a bit too much.  On the other hand, the wontons were pretty good with a juicy pork filling.  Hidden within, large tiger prawns were to be found as well.

Off their happy hour menu, we got Butter Me Up, which was naan topped with house-made butter chicken covered with melted cheese.  This ate a bit like pizza bread as the naan was on the thicker side and quite fluffy.  I found the butter chicken to be partially obscured by the considerable amount of cheese.  I did get the tangy creaminess though with a bit of spice.

Onto the mains, we started with the Route 56 Burger with bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, jalapenos, LTOP and mayo on toasted brioche.  This was a solid burger despite the premade burger patty.  It was nicely seared while still being moist.  The bacon was crispy and the produce was fresh.  I liked how the bun was toasted properly as it crispy with a soft and warm interior.  Fries were the typical starch-covered variety, but were prepared properly.

Coming from one pub classic to another, we had to order the 2 piece Fish & Chips featuring Pacific cod.  I found this to be very good where the fish was coated with a thin crispy batter.  It wasn't greasy and the large pieces of fish were flaky and moist.  The batter was properly seasoned too.  On the side, the tartar was typical and did the job.  Same with the fries, just like with the burger.

Hey, pub food usually includes some type of steak, and this one happened to be the 7 oz New York Striploin served with fries, garlic bread and Caesar salad.  We requested it to be prepared medium-rare and it was exactly that.  Considering it was only $21.00, this was a surprisingly tender and nicely charred on the outside.  The side of Caesar was quite good with crisp romaine and just enough dressing.

To get a sense of all the types of dishes, we got a pasta as well.  Our choice was the Parmesan Chicken Fettuccine.  So this was essentially an Alfredo with a chicken parm on top.  Both components of this dish was solid as the pasta was al dente and the sauce was creamy.  The chicken was tender while coated in a medium-thick breading.  There was a tangy marinara on top with melted parmesan.

Probably the sneakiest item was the Creole Chicken with mashed potatoes and mixed veggies.  Why?  Because it was sneaky good!  The chicken breast was charred and caramelized on the outside but moist and tender on the inside.  The creole butter was nicely spiced and slightly sweet while the mash was homestyle.  Loved how the veggies were cooked just enough to be still vibrant and crunchy.

So we already had fish & chips, burger and steak, so why not a Hot Dog & Kettle Chips too?  Nothing much out of the ordinary except some pretty tasty caramelized onions atop a jumbo dog.  This elevated a simple item with intense sweetness.  Those housemade chips were super light and crispy while not greasy nor over-salted.  Lots of mustard on the side for the hot dog and if you wanted to dunk the chips into it.

We also had the Mac & Cheese that featured a creamy "Velveeta"-type sauce.  Hence, it was saucy and didn't yearn for more saltiness. The noodles were not too soft, which added texture.  This came with some garlic bread.  For our dessert, we had the Chocolate Lava Cake with a side of vanilla ice cream.  This was pretty textbook with fluffy cake and a molten sweet centre.  In the end, the food at Rendezvous Pub did the trick with some surprises.  Considering the price point, the food is a good value.

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

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Well-priced
- Adequate portion sizes

The Bad:
- May need further renovations
- Wonton soup needs work

Mui Ngo Gai

Ever since the modernization of Anh & Chi, we have slowly begun to see the transformation of many other Vietnamese restaurants as well.  One of the more recent ones to change their formula is Mui Ngo Gai out on Kingsway.  They've been there forever dishing up traditional Vietnamese eats that are not normally found at the run-of-the-mill spots.  Now, they have gone higher end with ornate furnishings as well as an updated menu that includes a Singaporean section.

Without further delay, let's get straight to the crown jewel of our meal with the Singaporean specialty - Chili Crab. There are many versions of this dish, but this one has to be one of my favourites in town.  The Dungeness Crab was bathed in savoury sauce that was full of awesome umaminess.  Furthermore, there was a balanced spiciness that was also equal parts sweetness.  It had such depth-of-flavour, we needed some starch to go with it.  It included 4 pieces of roti, but really, it would've been best with plain rice.

Another interesting item we had was their version of Nasi Lemak.  In the middle, we found rice coloured with butterfly pea flower.  Then we had some sambal clams as well as sambal whole squid.  Sliced cucumbers and radish rounded out the plate.  This was so tasty due to the sweet and spicy sambal.  There was plenty to go around to flavour the buttery clams and firm squid.  It also helped make the rice super tasty.  Heck, even the veggies were extra delicious with the sambal.

On the topic of sambal, we also tried the Sambal Prawns and they were absolutely fantastic.  These butterflied prawns were huuuuge and fried perfectly, so that the shell was completely edible.  On top of that, the prawn itself was just cooked through being juicy with a meaty and sweet snap.  But the thing that really made this was again, the sambal.  It gave each prawn a savoury and sweet spiciness that was also briny.  So delish!

Onto some Vietnamese dishes, we went for something big in the Deep Fried Crispy Whole Fish in Tamarind Sauce.  This was indeed very crispy, especially the edges, fins and head.  It was like eat fish crisps.  The tamarind sauce was the perfect compliment to the fish as it provided a sweet tanginess.  For the actual meat, it was still moist near the middle body, but progressively got drier near the ends.  Understandable given the different thickness.

The fish was a good segue to an equally crispy item.  The Banh Xeo was a textural delight with an appetizingly uniform crispy exterior.  The crunch was so satisfying with each bite and also the aroma was addictive.  Inside, there was a good amount of pork, shrimp, squid and sprouts.  So much so, it was rather shocking to see.  When wrapped in lettuce and complimented by mint, pickled carrot & daikon and spicy fish sauce, this was a delicious bite.

Of course we had to get the veritable Pho Dac Biet, but this was served in a really small ornate bowl.  In terms of portion size, there was just as much as any bowl of Pho I've eaten recently, but since it was crammed into this bowl, there was barely any soup.  With the little soup I could scrounge, it was clean and meaty without being too intensely salty.  The meats were good and well-portioned and the noodles were al dente.  Maybe they need to use a larger bowl or offer extra soup on the side.

Another classic Vietnamese dish we had was the Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew) served with a warm baguette on the side.  This was pretty solid with big tender chunks of beef shank.  This was a satisfying dish were the strewing juices were meaty and had the unmistakable taste of star anise, ginger and sweetness.  The baguette was crusty on the outside ans soft on the inside.  Great from sopping up all the flavour.

Some smaller items we had included the Crispy Fried Chicken Wings and Bánh Bột Lọc (Shrimp & Pork Tapioca Dumplings).  I found the wings to be crispy as advertised.  The meat was still fairly moist except for one of the smaller drumettes.  As for the dumplings, they were bouncy with seasoned pork and shrimp in the middle.  Pretty solid "regular" dishes off a revamped menu.  Overall, the food was excellent and the addition of Singaporean favourites provided the most flavour and impact.

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

The Good:
- Those Singaporean dishes, especially the Chili Crab!
- Updated decor
- Still solid Vietnamese fare

The Bad:
- Increase in prices
- The Pho needs a bigger bowl

Golden Time BBQ

Remember around 8 year ago, when the Chinese skewer restaurant craze became a thing?  Happy Tree was one of the first to be truly successful and for me, I really enjoyed it despite the overly loud K-pop music.  Subsequently, I tried many more and they were quite good, but not really all that different.  So now we have a newer spot in Golden Time BBQ along restaurant road (aka Alexandra Road) in Richmond.  The thing that sets them apart from the others is that the skewers cook at your table on a rotisserie.  It is all due to the metal skewers with gears that fit into rotating gears on the grill.  Ingenious.

So before we got to the skewers, we snacked on some small cold plates including the Preserved Egg & Tofu, Pickled Radish and Kelp.  A classic Taiwanese dish, the silky tofu with a century egg was pretty typical, but not sure about the peppers.  Pretty strong flavours.  Loved the radish as it was crunchy and had a black vinegar sweetness.  Kelp was soft and garlicky.  Due to it being kelp, it was more delicate that full of texture.

Continuing on with more small dishes, we had the Grilled Squid Tentacles and Pig's Ear with Chili Oil.  Texturally, I really enjoyed the squid tentacles since they were appealingly chewy while still tender.  Plenty of savouriness and earthiness.  As for the pig's ear, they were soft with a nice crunch from the cartilage.  The chili oil wasn't as spicy as it appeared, but was still flavourful.

Adding some veggies to the meal, we had the Grilled Eggplant with Garlic as well as the Enoki Mushroom.  Absolutely loved that they did not cut up the eggplant into smaller pieces.  It was butterflied and served whole with a tonne of garlic on top.  Nice soft texture and super tasty.  The enoki mushroom were cooked with some vermicelli and was quite mild in flavour, but was soft in texture while still having a bite.

Some items, such as the vegetables, cannot be prepared at the table, so they are served already grilled.  We got some shellfish in the form of Grilled Garlic Scallops, Grilled Oysters with Garlic and Grilled Abalone with Garlic.  Once again, there was a boatload of minced garlic atop these, but still not sold on the peppers as they were too strong for the delicate flavours of the shellfish.  These were cooked perfectly with the buttery scallops and chewy mantle, soft and plump oyster and bouncy and sweet abalone.

Onto the Skewers, they were brought to our table raw (of course) and then we could place them onto the rotisserie grill.  Once they were done, we placed them onto a separate plate (there is also a heating rack above the grill too).  As you can see, the BBQ does a great job in searing the meat and creating smokiness and caramelization.  My favourites were the wings, lamb, squid and believe it or not, the grilled bread!  Yes, so crispy and buttery...

The last dish to arrive was the Shiitake Braised Pork on Rice.  Although this is a BBQ skewer joint, they didn't mail it in when it came to this dish.  It was so full of depth and meatiness as well as lots of umami.  The pickled greens helped lighten the dish while chewy rice was completely flavoured by the braised pork.  In the end, one can conclude that the rotisserie at your table is a gimmick and it is for show.  However, what a fun show it is!  To top it off, the food is good and that is the most important thing.  

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

The Good:

- Rotisserie for your skewers right at your table!

- Skewers are good

- Good cooked items too

The Bad:

- Gets hot at your table

- Parking lot is insufficient

Meet Oyster

As mentioned in many previous posts, AYCE (All-You-Can-Eat) has become a thing again in the GVRD.  For awhile there, it seemed to go the way of the Dodo (infamous bird that went extinct), never to be seen again.  However, with rising restaurant prices and the overall cost of food these days, an all-inclusive price for everything seems like a good value.  One thing that I have seen across-the-board is the generally higher quality of eats available for AYCE.  Now, don't get me wrong, AYCE is still very much a quantity-over-quality endeavour, but if you have reasonable expectations, it can be completely acceptable or even very good.  The latest AYCE I visited is Meet Oyster with its individual hot pots and Japanese food.  This time, I was here for their Late Night Set, but I also go to order off the AYCE menu just to try some more items (that were not included in the Late Night Sukiyaki Set).

Let's get right into the Late Night Sukiyaki Set for only $29.99.  Yes, you really get all that you see on the table for one low price.  I honestly can't see you spending less money at a variety of restaurants considering the quality of the ingredients you get here.  In addition to the included broth (additional cost for more premium broth), we had 2 choices for seafood (abalone & oyster), 2 hotpot classics ( tripe & beef meatballs), 2 beef choices (Wagyu beef & premium beef chuck), 2 soy-based items (fish tofu & crispy tofu skin rolls), 2 noodles (konjac noodles & fresh ramen noodles), 3 veggies, 6 pcs sashimi and 6 pcs sushi.  Also included was an array of sauces and condiments for the sauces.  This was more than enough food for 2 people.

Not that we didn't have enough food already, but we also decided to try out some items from the AYCE menu for "informational purposes" including the Aburi Oshi with salmon, unagi and hamachi.  Sure, these wouldn't be mistaken for Miku, but they were good in their own way, especially for AYCE.  I particularly enjoyed the salmon as it was lightly-torched being buttery soft atop chewy sushi rice.  The amount of mayo sauce was modest, so it didn't get too creamy nor greasy.

From there, we tried a few of their other items including the Meet Oyster Tartare, Unagi Rice and Sashimi.  I thought the salmon tartare was pretty decent and they did pile on a tonne of tobiko on top as well as a quail's egg.  So it had so nice buttery silkiness.  The unagi was pretty standard and adequately sauced.  We found the sashimi decent much like the one included in the Sukiyaki set except this one had tamago and unagi.

One of the best things we ate was the selection of Oysters including one topped with cheese, one topped with durian and the last one topped with garlic.  Beyond the fact that the oysters were gigantic and plump, the toppings made all the difference.  I enjoyed the garlic one the most because it kept things simple and I could still get the full brininess of the oyster.  The durian was just enough that I got a taste without it being overwhelming.  I found the cheese to be pretty good too, but less interesting at the other 2.

To give a bit more of an overview of the items you can choose from other than the ones we chose for the Sukiyaki Set.  These included Sliced Snakehead Fish, Fish Meaballs and Scallop (we also got another oyster because the place is called Meet Oyster!).  As you can see, it maybe AYCE, but the quality of the items weren't compromised.  The fish cooked up buttery soft while the meatballs were bouncy and sweet.  Scallop was big and included the mantle.  Yup, the oyster was buttery and soft with its classic sweet bininess.

For dessert, we ordered the Fried Coconut Milk and it was so good, we got another plate!  These were lightly breaded and fried with creamy and sweet coconut milk that was super aromatic.  Not sure about the mayo on the side, it didn't need it.  Lastly, we had the Kirkland Hagen-Daas Ice Cream Bars to finish and hey, pretty generous offering for dessert!  In general, the food at Meet Oyster is quite good in terms of quality and quantity, especially for the price.  That late night sukiyaki set is a really good value and if you want even more food, then just go for the AYCE.

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

The Good:

- Good quality ingredients

- Overall decent food

- Well-priced, especially that late night Sukiyaki Set!

The Bad:

- It isn't the biggest place, so seating will be limited