A Bao Time

I'm sure you have noticed that many restaurants are pretty pricey these days.  Even going for congee and noodles can cost you a pretty penny.  So really, eating out is a luxury, even if it is fast food.  Well, there is a form of fast food that is still quite affordable and tasty.  The stuff from A Bao Time (love the pun...) is definitely affordable for most people and they don't cheap out on the ingredients and the size of their baos.  They are also conveniently located steps from Brighouse station in Richmond.

So let's get straight to the bao where there are 12 different versions to choose from.  We had them all so it would be too many to post all the pictures, but the 3 in this picture were Bolabola Chicken Deluxe, Spicy Crayfish and Spicy Pork with Long Bean.  As you can see in the picture, they were shy with the filling.  The bao itself was fluffy and light while still holding up to the wet ingredients.  In additon to the good BBQ pork bun, my favourite was the Bolabola with a juicy pork, salted egg yolk and sausage.  It was like the Dai Bao at New Town Bakery.  So full of stuff, it was meal in itself.

Beyond the bao, the other prominent items on display are the Ha Gau (Shrimp Dumpling) and Siu Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling).  These are ready to go just like the bao.  We sampled both of them and you know what?  These were pretty solid with all things considered.  The ha gau had a semi-thick dumpling skin, but it wasn't too chewy.  Inside, the shrimp filling was decent with a nice shrimpy bounce.  The sui mai were quite good with tender pork and a whole shrimp on top.

Digging deeper into the menu, there was also a selection of Congee.  We went for the Seafood Congee with shrimp, squid and fish.  As for the congee itself, it was on the thinner side, but was properly seasoned.  The amount of seafood was modest, yet it was cooked just enough.  So the congee itself was average, but the Salty Donut was excellent being soft and a bit chewy with a crispy exterior.  It was well-salted and could've been eaten by itself.

We also noticed they had Xiao Long Bao available and of course we had to try those too!  Turns out they were decent as well.  The dumpling skin was fairly thin (despite being stamped and not pleated) where the amount of soup was significant.  It was sweet and not greasy.  Other things on the menu included Cured Sausage, Chinese Tea Egg and Salted Duck Egg.  These items were worth a shot if you wanted to supplement your congee. So there you have it, all the food you can get at A Bao Time!  I think the bao for $2.25 - $2.99 are a good value considering the size and amount of filling.  Definitely a good snack or a meal if you eat a few of them.  One of the last cheap eats we have these days.

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

The Good:
- Cheap eat
- Bao are big and have lots of filling
- Dim Sum is decent

The Bad:
- Congee is too thin
- Mostly a walk-up spot, parking is not that easy to find  

Akira Sushi

Not to be confused with the longtime Akira Sushi that existed on Hastings Street in North Burnaby, Akira Sushi on Denman has been around for 23 years.  It is amazing that I've never tried the place out despite walking past it countless times.  However, I guess it isn't surprising as there are so many places to eat in Vancouver, especially Japanese restaurants.  Jacqueline and I were invited to try out some of their new menu items as well as some classics on the regular menu. 

We were started off with the Uni Shooter with real crab meat and ikura.  For those who do not like uni, I can understand some trepidation with something like this shooter.  But I find that when uni isn't fresh, especially the local variety, it can pretty much taste like garbage.  However, for this one, it was indeed fresh being sweet, a bit briny and creamy.  Due to the combination of delicate ingredients, I could still taste the crab as well as the pops of briny goodness from the fish roe.

Up next was the Kaiseki Bento for $46.00 with an array of dishes including Zaru Soba, Albacore Tuna Mango Salsa, Spinach Gomae, Ebi Mayo, Sashimi, Pudding, Fried Chicken, Maki Roll, Chawanmushi, Agedashi Tofu, Aburi Salmon Oshi and Fruit.  With all of these little dishes, it was hard to choose what to eat first.  However, the chawanmushi was our choice as we wanted to eat it hot.  It was silky, smooth and lightly sweet.  All of the other items were solid and there was a good variety for one person (a lot of food for one person though) or to share with another.

Our next starter was the cold Gomoku Somen that is perfect for the upcoming Summer months.  It consisted of wheat noodles topped with shrimp, crab meat, egg and mushrooms served in an ice bowl (to keep everything chilled).  We drizzled the side of dressing onto the salad, then subsequently, we tossed everything together.  Due to the ice bowl, everything was uniformly cold and that was appealing.  I found the dressing to be lightly sweet and it complimented the ingredients well.

One of their newer offerings is the Sukiyaki served over a a heat source.  There was an array of mushrooms, greens and premium beef in the cast iron pot.  The sukiyaki broth was poured tableside as well as some milk.  Extra dipping sauce as well as the usual raw egg was served on the side. The trick was to have everything cook through first and then we would dip the beef into the raw egg and sauce.  The beef itself was buttery and soft with a noticeable meaty flavour.

In addition to the new features I've already talked about, we also tried some classic dishes including the Aburi Set consisting of salmon oshi, jumbo scallop, engawa, aki ebi, foie gras, hamachi and toro.  As you can see, this was appealing to the eye, but in my opinion, also great to eat.  The sushi rice was chewy and lightly seasoned while the ingredients were fresh and clean tasting.  There was enough sauce for impact.  Personally loved the scallop and the salmon.

We also sampled one roll and it happened to be the very pretty Volcano Roll with tempura sakura garnish.  The roll itself consisted of imitation crab, salmon and spicy tuna.  It was coated in tempura batter and deep fried.  Then finished with spicy mayo, avocado, tobiko and green onion.  This was texturally interesting with the crunch of the outside giving way to the soft and warm rice.  It was definitely a bit spicy, but not overly so.

For myself and Jackie, we couldn't visit a Japanese restaurant without ordering Assorted Sashimi as well as a Charashi Don.  If the picture makes you think that the slices of sashimi were vibrant and sweet with a beautiful sheen, you would be correct.  This was some pretty good stuff, especially for a smaller spot.  Furthermore, the pieces were cut properly into the right size.  We also got the spot prawn head fried up afterwards.

If we had a cold don, it was time for a hot one in the Unagi Don which featured a huge piece of unagi.  There was enough of it to compliment the chewy seasoned rice.  It was sauced rather aggressively, but the rice needed that.  We also had some Mocktails including a Passionfruit Green Tea Mojito, Lychee Mocktail and Blueberry Mojito.  These were equal parts sweet and tangy if stirred before enjoying.  As you can see, the food at Akira Sushi is legit.  They have a great mix of classics as well as some modern dishes.  Something a bit for everyone at a reasonable price.

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

The Good:
- A cut above the typical neighbourhood sushi spot
- They have the classics, but also newer modern dishes
- Good portion sizes

The Bad:
- Small spot, so limited seating

Saku (Coquitlam)

So haven't been back to Saku for quite some time and in fact, haven't been back to their original Robson location (which has now moved) since it first opened.  They've expanded several location since and their newest is in Coquitlam on North Road across from the Safeway.  We decided to hit them up because we'd already been to the close by Katsuya the last time when we were in the neighbourhood.  Have always thought that Saku is the best Japanese cutlet spot in town.

So Viv ended up with the Rosu Katsu which is a breaded piece of pork loin.  This was tender and juicy where the pork remained moist despite being lean and deep-fried.  The breading was aggressive, but not heavy.   The pork loin was evenly coated with a crunchy, yet not greasy exterior.  The set came with rice, miso soup, pickles, sesame seeds (that you grind yourself), tonkatsu sauce and salad.  You can get refills on the salad, rice and soup.

My son had the Hire Katsu which is not as lean as the loin with the little bit of fat on the side, where it provided a different texture and more flavour.  Although the difference between Hire and Rosu isn't apparent with all the breading, it is obvious when biting into the pork.  The hire is a bit more juicier and has a less firm texture.  As mentioned, the fat offers up aroma and extra porkiness.  Once again, it is served in a set with the same components.

For myself, I went for the Hire Curry Katsu which came with 2 good-sized cutlets.  Again, they were super crispy, but moist and juicy on the inside.  It sat atop a modest amount of chewy rice (but remember, we can get a refill!) that helped soak up all of the delicious curry.  Like most Japanese curries, this had a sweeter slant, but I found it not as sweet as other versions.  I could really taste the curry and the spice.  However, it wasn't spicy, which is typical of Japanese curry.

So my daughter didn't do the expected by ordering the cheese katsu.  Rather, she went for the Tomato Cheese Nabe featuring a rosu katsu bathed in a tangy tomato sauce while topped with melted mozzarella.  Hey she still got her cheese fix!  Although there was the expected sweetness in the sauce, it was surprisingly tart.  Not a bad thing as it kept things bright and appetizing.  As much as the rice went well with the sauce, this would've been better with pasta (but they don't serve pasta at Saku... LOL).

For my parents, they shared the Zenbu Katsu with almost everything including rosu, hire, chicken thigh, 2 pc cheese, 1 pc hotate, 1 pc ebi and 2 pc veggies.  For $39.95, we felt this was actually a good value.  As expected, the hire and rosu were exactly as the previous dishes.  As for the cheese, it was more cheese than pork, but that is the point.  Hotate and ebi were cooked properly being buttery while the veggies were cooked through but not soggy.  Like the first time I visited Saku, the food didn't disappoint.  Solid execution and with the refill of salad, rice and soup, you won't leave hungry.

The Good:
- Meat quality is high
- Solid execution
- Can refill rice, salad and soup

The Bad:
- Well, pretty focused menu, so if you don't like fried cutlets...
- Although I think the pricing is fair, it is getting up there like everything else these days  

Harvest Buffet

Ever since I caught wind of Harvest Buffet in Tacoma on IG, I really wanted to check it out.  Even though I like Feast buffet in Renton, I needed an alternative in the area for comparison.  Sure, there are other Asian buffets in the region, but not to the size and selection as Feast.  So on our way back from Portland, we made a stop at Harvest for an early dinner.  Upon entering the place, we noticed similarities with Feast.  Multiple food stations including a made-to-order noodles and a Mongolian grill.

But for the kids, it was all about the Sushi and really, there was a considerable selection of rolls and nigiri.  Naturally, many of the rolls were based on a California roll, but most of them were decent.  I found the sushi rice to be fairly on point, especially for a buffet.  As you can see, the nigiri was acceptable as well with a good fish-to-rice ratio.  The fish quality was also decent. They did a good job keeping most of the options well-stocked.

I personally love Soup and I swear I have an extra stomach just for that.  So I decided to try out 3 of the available 5 options (Hot & Sour, Miso, Wonton, Egg Drop and Coconut Taro Tapioca).  The Hot & Sour was surprisingly flavorful with spice and vinegariness.  Egg drop was rather bland, but the fluffy egg was appealing.  Wonton soup didn't taste like it should be, but was still okay.  Wontons were alright.  Meat was a bit weird in texture though.

Nearly the entire back wall of the restaurant was dedicated to Chinese Food (or something related to Asian cuisine) and the picture above is only one section of 4. I thought most of it was mediocre at best.  For instance, the broccoli beef featured meat that was far too overmarinated that it became too soft.  At the very least, the broccoli wasn't completely overdone.  Same with the green beans.  That was a positive.  Orange chicken had a dense texture and the sauce was sweet but lacking tang.

So the Chinese food also featured some Seafood including fried crab, honey shrimp, clams and baked mussels.  The crab was not very good as the meat was mushy, but that was to be expected with frozen crab.  Shrimp was actually quite good as well as the buttery black bean clams.  Mussels were motoyaki style and were serviceable.  There was also roast beef and that was cooked to well-done.  It was a bit dry.

Continuing on the Chinese theme, there was a small section with a variety of Dim Sum.  Most of them were some form of steamed bun while we also found Lo Mei Gai (sticky rice), Siu Mai, Beef Tripe and Chicken Feet.  The sticky rice was not bad being flavorful albeit rather wet.  The tripe was very tender, almost a bit too much as there was no bite.  Chicken feet were not fried/steamed enough as the skin and cartilage was a bit hard.  Siu mai were terrible.  Meat was mushy and it tasted weird, like there was too much onion (and there shouldn't be onion in siu mai).  The steamed bun was ok, but a bit stiff.

Over at the Mongolie Grill, there was a selection of meats, noodles and veggies.  There was also sirloin steak available.  I went for a mix of items and choose garlic and teriyaki as my sauces.  The items were cooked up nicely were the noodles were chewy while the meats were not overdone.  Veggies still had some crunch.  No absence of flavor either.  The steak was unfortunately quite chewy.  Adjacent to this was the noodle station and you could add a variety of meats and veggies to it.

Onto Desserts, we found a small section of treats and around the corner, there was a selection of fruit. Also available was hard ice cream available.  The desserts were serviceable but nothing special.  Fruit was fresh and the ice cream was good.  Overall, I found Harvest Buffet to be "okay".  Sushi and Mongolian grill were the highlights while the cooked food was serviceable.  The selection was massive though, especially for the price of $25.00 for adult weekend dinner.

The Good:
- Huge selection of eats
- Decent sushi
- Good Mongolian grill

The Bad:
- Cooked food is average
- Desserts are lacklustre

Matsunoki Ramen

While we were dining at Buranko Cafe the day before, I noticed that Pine Street Market was right across the street.  You see, we were scheduled to check out Matsunoki Ramen, which is located right in the market.  The place has only been in operation for less than a year, but the people behind it are no rookies.  They have countless years of experience in producing delicious and authentic ramen.  We were excited to try the place out and really loved the vibes of the market at this counter-service food stall.

Before we got to the ramen, we began with an array of appies including the Fried Shishito Peppers with chili mayo and the Popcorn Tofu with spicy soy-sesame sauce.  These were yummy little bites with the shishito being fairly mild except for a few outliers.  The chili mayo was a good compliment, but since the peppers were salted already, they ate well on their own.  The little fried cubes of tofu were pretty crispy and mildly-flavoured.  It definitely needed the soy sauce on the side.  Nice balance with the sauce.

As much as Matsunoki serves ramen, they also feature fried chicken on the menu.  We had their Jumbo Tenders marinated in soy, ginger and spices.  As such, the tenders had plenty of impact.  They were fried until crispy (as the menu suggested) and served with a side of curry dip.  Despite the appearance of an aggressive deep fry, the chicken tenders were actually quite moist and almost juicy.  The ginger really came through.

Onto the ramen, my son went for his usual in the Black Garlic Shoyu with fresh garlic, black garlic oil, garlic crunch, ramen egg and pork belly chashu.  This was legit with a rich broth that wasn't too heavy, but still had plenty of umaminess and aroma.  Lots of meatiness with the triple garlic making an impact where we had texture, fermented essence and the sharpness of the fresh garlic.  The thin noodles were al dente while the chashu was buttery soft and nicely torched.

My daughter had something from their Winter Special Menu in the Hokkaido Butter Ramen with a tonkotsu shoyu, black pepper, butter, diced chashu, ramen egg, corn, green onion, bean sprouts and sesame.  As expected, the broth was buttery with the nutty fattiness of the butter coming through.  It was not heavy, yet still full-of-depth with a certain silkiness.  Nice addition of some black pepper to offer a background bite.  This one had the thick noodles and there was a much more firm texture.

Viv had the Spicy Garlic Ramen with triple garlic, ma-po tofu, green onions, ramen egg and pork belly chashu.  Yah, they weren't kidding when they said "all the fire".  This had a real kick, but at the same time, wasn't painful to eat.  We could still discern the garlic from the spicy broth.  Loved the addition of the tofu as it added a silky texture while offering up another layer of spice.  This came with thin noodles and personally, I would've chosen thick instead to stand up to the intensity of the broth.

For myself, I went really off-the-board with the Vegan Tokyo Shoyu with corn, collard greens, green onion, sprouts and marinated tofu.  You know what?  This was good!  It is true that this was the lightest of the 4 bowls of ramen, but it had a clean broth that had umaminess, sweetness and surprising depth.  The thick noodles were chewy and appealing while the seared tofu did its best "meat" interpretation with a firm texture.  Overall, the food at Matsunoki Ramen was delicious and reasonably-priced.  Appies were good, but the real stars were the bowls of ramen.  Can't go wrong with any of the ones we had.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Discernible differences with each bowl of ramen
- Impactful flavors
- Things are prepared properly

The Bad:
- Being in a market, seating can be hard to find during busy times

Alpenrausch

Back in November, I did the dumbass thing of not checking as to which location of Olympia Provisions we were supposed to visit.  Hence, we showed up at the one on SE Division instead of the one on SE Washington.  Turns out that this time around, I would be going back to SE Division, but not to dine at Olympia Provisions.  Rather, it is their new concept, the Swiss-themed Alpenrausch.  They have changed up the decor to reflect that and the menu has followed suit.  Mind you, there are still some classic Olympia Provisions influences lurking around.

As such, the Venison Tartare looked suspiciously like the beef tartare we had at Olympia Provisions.  Yes, the protein was different, but it was just as delicious as previous dish.  It came with the same butter-soaked grilled bread which was the perfect vessel for the well-seasoned venison.  Usually venison can be rather tough due to its leanness.  However, this one ate quite buttery and was probably influenced by the mix of egg yolk, horseradish, capers and shallots.  Super tasty!

We also had another OP staple with the Charcuterie Platter featuring Summer sausage, fioncchiona, pâté cubes, mortadella and saucisson.  This also came with pickles, grain mustard and crackers.   Since I've already had their famed charcuterie at Olympia Provisions at SE Washington last year, I knew this would be solid.  We really enjoyed the pâté cubes as they were aromatic and meaty.  Went well with the crackers.  Mortadella was delicate while the saucisson was firm with the usual salty nuttiness.

Something specific to Alpenraush was the Smoked Trout with rösti, chèvre and trout roe.  This was not an overly complex small plate, but it was still very delicious.  The smoked trout itself was so buttery soft and lightly smoky.  Combined with the rich chèvre and a bit of trout roe, there was a bit of smoked salmon and cream cheese vibes going on.  However, this was much more elevated.  Loved the crispy rösti as it was potatoey and well-seasoned while not overly greasy.

For me, I just love fries and I'd rather have some excellent fries over a lobster tail.  No joke!  So I got the French Fries with aioli.  Um, for $8.00, this was a crapload of fries.  But they were excellent fries though!  So very uniformly crispy and served piping hot.  These remained crispy even until the very end.  To top it off, they were perfectly salted and yep, the side of aioli provided that creamy garlickiness.

Now for the thing we were really here for!  The Fondue!  We ended up with the smaller one at $39.00 that serves 2-3 people because we ordered a lot of other dishes!  This fondue consisted of melted emmentaller & gruyère cheeses served with OP kasekrainer, bratwurst, cured meats, fruit, new potatoes, pickles, seasonal veggies and bread.  This was such a treat!  The fondue was so creamy and rich with the unmistakable flavour of the cheeses and white wine.  It coated each piece of meat, veggie, potato or bread beautifully.  We had lots of fun with this!

For some bigger dishes, we had the Schnitzel a la Holstein with pasture-raised pork, soft-boiled egg, anchovy, capers and lemon.  This was a large flattened piece of pork that was a touch dry.  The breading on the outside was crispy and nutty.  With a squeeze of the lemon wedge combined with the anchovy, we had some salty tangy and briny flavors going on.  Add in the silkiness of the runny egg yolk, this was full of textures as well.

The kids just love duck and we couldn't get out of there without ordering the Duck Breast with rösti and dried cherry jus.  The duck breast was prepared to medium where it was still juicy and moist.  It was seasoned enough that it could stand on its own but the sweet and tangy cherry jus was a perfect compliment.  As for the skin, it was fairly rendered and crispy.  Once, again, we found the same crispy rösti on the plate.

Our last main was the most surprising in the Chicory Wrapped Grilled Trout with späetzle, foraged mushrooms, brown butter and herbs.  Nothing could describe how flaky and moist the fish was after we cut into it.   So natural tasting and fresh.  I would say that this might be a bit mild for some people, but we enjoyed the simplicity of the fish.  The späetzle was nicely browned in butter being nutty and chewy.

For dessert, we shared the Pannacotta with tart cherries.  Texturally, this was more akin to a cheesecake rather than a pannacotta.  With that in mind, it was good in that manner.  It was thick and creamy while being lightly sweet.  The tart cherries made this sweet and tangy.  Overall, the meal at Alpenrausch was fantastic.  Food was prepared properly and the fondue was super fun.  Loved how this was a bit different than most other meals I've had.

*Partial food credit paid for this meal*

The Good:

- Something different

- Loved the fondue

- Has some OP classics

The Bad:

- Tables can be a bit small