Mumbaiyaa

Sometimes, food gets repetitive.  Yah it is definitely #firstworldproblems and given the economic climate at the moment, the fact I get to eat delicious food is a blessing in itself.  So take what I'm saying in context.  I'm always looking for interesting eats and when I try another new Indian restaurant, the food can be absolutely wonderful, but it can be the same-o same-o.  However, when we checked out Mumbaiyaa out on Hastings in Burnaby, there were signs that it would be different.  First of all, it is vegetarian and primarily a chaat house.  Second, they are located in Burnaby!  In my hood!  So I was pretty excited for my visit.

Looking over the menu, the predominant items were the Indian Pav (butter rolls).  The Butter Vada Pav featured spicy and soft potato that was battered and fried until golden brown.  I found the layers of texture appealing with pillowy soft buns with a crispy potato patty in between with delicate potato inside.  Then you had the intoxicating flavours of garlic and then green chutney.  This was so flavourful and aromatic that you didn't notice there was no meat!

Now that was good, but the real star was the Cheese Burst Vada Pav.  This was essentially a butter vada pav with the addition of a cheesy filling in between the layers of spicy garlic potato within the crispy batter.  The same delicious green chutney was there as well.  As much as this was almost the same as the butter vada pav, this was more robust with the ooey gooey cheese and also it somewhat cooled the spice to a degree.  I could eat a tonne of these!

Looking very similar to the butter vada pav, the Thecha Vada Pav was different for one particular detail - lots of green chilies and cilantro.  This made the whole thing very green and remarkably unique in flavour.  Much more spice and also very green-tasting with the cilantro and also the green chutney.  For me, it was still all about the cheese vada pav for me as it was more subtle.

Beyond the cheese vada pav, our next favourite item was the Ulta Vada Pav.  This was huge bun was stuffed full of spicy potato masala and then coated with besan batter.  This was deep-fried until golden brown and crispy.  Oh this was absolutely delicious and had the same qualities of the previous vada pavs, but with the crunch on the outside and all of the soft textures on the inside.  This was plenty spicy as well.

Other than vada pavs, we had both the Pani Puri and Sev Puri.  With the former, the hollow crispy shells were filled with tender potatoes, a pomegranate seed and some spicy tangy water and sweet chutney.  A nice crispy one-biter that packed a lot of flavour.  As for the latter, we found a crispy puri topped with potatoes, onions, tomatoes and chutneys with thin gram flour noodles on top.  Also a one-biter, but maybe with a spoon or fork.  Flavours were a bit more complex here due to the sharp onion and fresh tomatoes.  More crispiness with this one.

Moving onto something a bit different, but featuring a side of fluffy baked kulcha, the Chhole Kulcha featured a chick pea curry that had a surprising meatiness and depth.  Slightly sweet and almost smoky with spiciness that continued to elevate and really hits at the end.  For me, the super soft kulcha was the best part as it was light as a cloud and soaked up the delicious and spicy curry like it was supposed to.

Featuring 3 soft buttered pav, the Pav Bhaji was another delicious curry that was the beneficiary of really soft bread. The cooked-down vegetables were spicy and slightly sweet with plenty of umaminess.  The curry was smooth and and impactful.  It could've been fine with naan or even rice, but the addictively soft buns complimented the curry much like the chhole kulcha.  Eating the buns by themselves would've been awesome, but pair it with a tasty curry, well that makes it more awesome!

Our one rice dish was the Tawa Pulao with basmati, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, peas, pav bhaji masala and coriander leaves.  This was a fully-loaded rice that was rather saucy.  Lots of flavour from the sweet onions and bell peppers.  There was spice to this and also plenty of impact from the coriander.   Since the rice was already cooked, the texture was a bit softer.

As for the sweets, we had an Oreo Milkshake during the meal and Falooda for dessert (Rabdi & Rose).  The milkshake was creamy and smooth being a drinkable viscosity.  It was sweet, but not overwhelmingly so.  As for the falooda, they were sweet, yet balanced.  Lots of bouncy vermicelli hidden within the milky concoction with ice cream on top.  At the end of our meal, I was really glad that we made it out to Mumbaiyaa.  Nice to try some new things and also some familiar ones.  What a nice addition to the neighbourhood as we do not have anything like it nearby.  The stuff is so tasty and fulfilling, you won't miss the meat!

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

The Good:

- Lots of flavour and spiciness

- Reasonable pricing

- Super nice owner

The Bad:

- I mean, if you want meat, but for me I didn't miss it

- A little carb heavy, but it is vegetarian though

Secret Garden

I've seen many buffets within Greater Vancouver and also along my travels.  But I haven't seen many Korean buffets.  Now let me clarify, there are many AYCE Korean BBQs that I've encountered and one of them used to be in Surrey.  They even had self-service BBQ meats as well as banchan and other Korean dishes.  However, I do believe that the newly-opened Secret Garden (in the former Red Robin) at Lougheed is a rarity.  It is a classic station-style self-service buffet that offers up various Korean dishes (without at-your-table BBQ).  We recently checked out the place for a weekend dinner.

The renovations at the place has made everything brighter, but some remnants of the old Red Robin still exist.  The buffet stations have a wide range of dishes.  I loaded up a plate of smaller items to begin with like the Kimbap, California Roll, Tuna Mayo Inari, Soft Tofu and Banchan (jellyfish salad, eggplant, kimchi & squid).  Being a smaller kimbap without the tuna, it ate more like a mini-futomaki.  However, combined with the tuna mayo inari, it kinda had the same effect.  I enjoyed the jellyfish salad as it had a nice crunch and was well-seasoned.

Off to another section of the buffet where we found things like Japchae, Bossam, Fried Basa, Kimchi Pancake and Seafood Pancake.  Japchae was not bad as it was not clumpy and not overly greasy.  It wasn't too sweet either.  The bossam was tender and fatty.  I put a good amount of soybean paste on it.  Soft and fluffy as usual, the basa featured a crispy batter and was served with a sweet mayo.  I wasn't too fond of the pancakes as they were really flat and didn't have much in the way of ingredients.

What is a Korean buffet without Korean BBQ?  Well, they have that covered too with a selection of meats including Beef, Chicken, Pork and Salmon.  There was also spicy pork, but that was on another dish.  About the rest of the meats, they were all decent.  The chicken was nicely charred and tender while the pork was also charred but just a bit chewier.  Beef bulgogi was nicely marinated and sliced thin, hence being tender.  Surprisingly, the salmon wasn't that overdone.

In the middle section of the buffet, we found 2 large sections where one of them had some seafood.  We found Sweet Soy Potatoes, Beef Bulgogi Quesadilla, Steamed Prawns, BBQ Mussels, Tteokbokki, Vegetable Fritters and Fried Meat Dumplings.  I enjoyed the potatoes as they were tender with a slightly firm fried exterior.  Would've eaten more if they weren't "fillers".  There were 2 types of tteokbokki and I preferred the rose version.  Mild flavour with chewy, but soft rice cakes.  Shrimp were good, but I didn't want to spend so much time peeling them.

Right next to the previous station was a bunch of random things highlighted by the Korean Fried Chicken in regular and sweet & spicy.  These were decent but not as juicy as freshly fried KFC.  But ultimately, they were crispy and were seasoned.  The sweet & spicy was naturally more flavourful.  Would've liked to see soy garlic (which is my fav), but the 2 flavours did fine.

Also in that section, we found Vegetable Fried Rice, Kimchi Fried Rice, Green Bean Stir Fry, Braised Tofu and Korean Donkkaseu.  Didn't like the vegetable rice as it was bland and lacked caramelization.  Kimchi fried rice was better due to the spice.  Beans were crunchy while the tofu was texturally-appealing and flavourful.  Pork cutlet was a touch dry, but crispy.  There was sauce available on the side.

So this dish was a bit of everything from everywhere.  Here is the missing Spicy Pork BBQ with 2 more items from the same section as the KFC - Sweet & Sour Pork and Stir Fried Shanghainese Bak Choy.  Saucy, but tender and spicy, the pork was screaming for rice.  Maybe the vegetable fried rice would've worked here.  The sweet & sour pork was decent as the sauce was tangy.  Since it was already sauced, the pork was no longer crispy.  Bak choy was quite good, vibrant and still crunchy.

There was also a selection of soups and also a DIY Jajangmyeon.  Of the soups, the Pork Bone Soup was my favourite as it was slightly spice and plenty meaty.  The Beef Bone Soup was clean and pure with just the flavour of meatiness.  Soft Tofu Soup was a touch spicy, but lacking depth.  Squash Porridge resembled baby food.  Wasn't my thing.  The Jajangmyeon was decent with chewy noodles and a sweet and savoury black bean sauce with plenty of onions.

The selection of Desserts was a bit weak, but I give them kudos for hard ice cream and the really good chocolate chip and double chocolate cookies.  They were thick and crispy with lots of chocolate.  Also has the pain au chocolate and they seemed to be the Costco? variety.  No matter, I like those anyways.  Overall, the buffet was quite good with a wide selection of dishes.  Pricing is reasonable at $35.99 Adult Weekday Dinner and $39.99 Adult Weekend Dinner.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Wide selection of Korean cuisine favourites

- Overall decent food

- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:

- As with any serve yourself buffets, some items are better than others

Funk Coffee X Crack-On

Not too long ago, I was able to experience the breakfast sammies from Crack-On food truck for the first time.  I ended up having the Crack Sandwich with their infamous thick-cut bacon.  Well, I got to say it was plenty delicious since that bacon was so meaty and hearty while being at its bacon-best with a smoky saltiness.  The rest of the components were on point which made this a satisfying start to the day.  So in addition to their food truck, their breakfast sammies are now available at Funk Coffee in Downtown.  Jacky and I went down early on a Saturday morning to check it out.

Sadly, they didn't have any bacon, so we had to have the Crack Sandwich with Maple sausage instead.  Well, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing as it was still very tasty.  In addition to the sausage, we found a runny yolk fried egg, havarti, candied jalapeno, tomato relish and lemon, garlic & thyme aioli on grilled sourdough.  I found the sausage nicely spiced and moist with an appealing sear.  The runny egg was still fluffy and not rubbery.  Probably the unsung hero in this sammie was the candied jalapeno with a sweet tangy spice.  Add in the extra sweet tang from the relish and creaminess of the aromatic aioli, this was a flavour party in each bite.

Now this was super delicious, but The Beast was equally so.  It featured the same aggressively-buttered crunchy sourdough bread encasing chopped beef patty, fried egg, cheddar, mozzarella, bacon jam, pickled red onions and the same aioli.  This was even more robust than the Crack Sandwich.  This was due to the beef that had much more texture and depth.  It was really meaty with some peppery notes.  With the addition of 2 cheeses, they were plenty hearty and rich.  The bacon jam afforded some tang and sweetness as well as the usual baconness.  Pickled red onions provided crunch and acidity.

So if we had pork and beef, the only one left would be chicken right?  Yep, we then tried the Kickin' Chicken with fried egg, Cajun chicken patty, Havarti, caramelized onions, tomato and the same aioli.  This was different than the other 2 sammies mostly due to the texture of the protein.  Unlike the heaviness of the pork and beef, the chicken was lighter.  It had some good spice and was still plenty juicy.  The caramelized onions added sweetness and some natural onion flavour.  With the tomato, runny egg, creamy havarti and aioli, the sammie ate a bit wet, but the crunchy sourdough held everything together.

Our last breakfast sandwich was a vegan option in the Plant in Love sporting vegan plant-based sausage, hash brown, vegan cheddar, pickled red onion and tomato relish.  Naturally, this ate even more differently than the previous 3 sandwiches.  The "sausage" actually had some meatiness to it, in a softer and looser manner.  It did taste good with sweetness and spice.  Lots of tang in this sandwich due to the other ingredients.  I think the firm crunch from the grilled sourdough helped make things more hearty.  Of course, the hashbrown in the middle added more body to the sammie.

About that Hashbrown, it was a small little thing that was freshly made and only lightly fried.  Hence, the potatoness of the filling was both evident in texture and flavour.  Just like the last time I had it, it was a bit greasy, but hey, it is a hashbrown!  Loved the Old Bay aioli on the side as it had some real spice.  For our drinks, we had the Yame 0-23 Matcha Latte and the Flat White Latte.  I felt these were not only great to look at, they were smooth and balanced.  The matcha had more impact as expected, but not in a bitter nor strong manner.  Better yet, the calm and expansive space really helped make the experience complete.  They also have a photo booth on site and it seems to be super fun to check it with your friends or by yourself!  Really cool stuff, great food and drinks.

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

The Good:

- Delicious and filling breaky sammies

- Equally great beverages

- Nice expansive space

The Bad:

- Lots of space, but more seats needed?  Maybe they are limited to that many due to regulations?  When the weather is nice, there is plenty of seating outside though.

- Too bad no bacon on the menu (was it only this time?)

Rocky Mountain Flatbread (Get Crafty Thursdays)

Boy I haven't been back to Rocky Mountain Flatbread since they had a location in Kits.  Yes, it really has been that long!  Hey, there is nothing wrong with RMF, but as I've said over and over again, with so many options in town (and out-of-town), I can only re-visit so many places!  I won't lie, it makes it easier for me to do so when they ask me to return, which is true in this case.  Along with Eileen, Roanna and Jackie, we were there for "Get Crafty Thursdays" where we could make our own pizza creations.  This included a choice of starter as well for $29.50 per person.

About those starters, there are 2 choices each of salads and soups.  We decided to try them all so we could report on them for you!  The 2 salads included Fresh Herb Salad and a Fig & Goat Cheese Salad.  I personally preferred the fig & goat cheese salad as it had more impact in terms of taste and texture.  The natural sweetness of the figs went well with the creamy gaminess of the goat cheese.  The herb salad was much more typical with some citrus to brighten things up.

For the soups, there was a choice between Tomato Basil and Potato Corn Chowder.  I really enjoyed the natural flavours of the tomato soup as it felt like I was eating a fresh ripe tomato except with it being more concentrated with a bright tanginess.  The basil really did come through and it was a nice compliment.  As for the chowder, it was not too thick, which made it easier to eat.  It was still rich and full of tender potatoes and the sweetness of the corn niblets.  I appreciated that this was not over-seasoned, so that the natural taste came through.

Onto the pizzas, we walked over to a table that already had our pizza dough ready for kneading and rolling.  That we did.  The dough was easy to work with and we had tips throughout the process.  We had the option of tomato sauce or pesto, but since we wanted it all, we chose half and half.  Onto the Toppings, we had many options including schinken speck, calabrese salami, pepperoni, salami, pesto chicken, fresh mozzarella, kale, peppers, mushrooms, sundried tomato, jalapeno, olives, artichoke and caramelized onions.  I loaded up my pizza with pesto chicken, artichoke, mushrooms and caramelized onion on the pesto side and sundried tomato, salsami, calabrese, olives and fresh mozzarella on the tomato side.

After we finished constructing our Pizzas, we handed it off to the kitchen where they placed them in a wood fire oven.  Not long after, our pizzas were done and served hot to our table.  The thin crust was uniformly crispy from edge to the middle.  However, there was still some chewy doughiness left so that it wasn't a cracker texture.  This was the case even with all of the toppings.  However, Jackie's pizza was much softer with a non-crispy centre due to the massive amount of toppings on her pizza.

In addition to the set meal, we ordered some more items to try so we could get a sense of the menu.  This included the Roasted Cauliflower Bites and the Garlic Prawns.  I enjoyed the firm texture of the fully-cooked through cauliflower florets.  When dipped into the side of vegan ranch, there was some creaminess to go with the seasoned cauliflower.  I personally would've liked to see more char, but that didn't make-or-break the dish.  At first, I was skeptical of the garlic prawns as they sat atop a slice of cucumber, but they turned out to be really good!  They were cooked beautifully retaining a meaty snap while aggressively seasoned.  That worked out well with the unseasoned cucumber.  The lemon dill sauce was tangy and herbaceous.

We tried 2 pastas as well in the Penne Bolognese and the Maple Bacon Penne.  Both featured al dente pasta and some garlic pizza bread.  I enjoyed the bacon penne the most as it was creamy, sweet and full of bacon goodness.  It reminded me of a carbonara but just sweeter.  As for the bolognese, it was plenty meaty and cheesy.  I wouldn't say it tasted like a classic bolognese though.  I thought it was more of a rich meat sauce that was good in its own way.  There was depth and the tomato-based sauce wasn't too acidic.

To make sure we got it all, we tried their classic Artisan Flatbread with fig, brie and prosciutto.  I felt this pizza had a better crust than the ones we had made.  This was probably due to the fact they know the exact quantity of ingredients to put on top of the pizza.  Furthermore, without an actual sauce, the crust was not subjected to excess moisture.  Hence, the crust was uniformly crispy with only the slightest chewiness.  The combination of flavours was familiar in the sweet fig jam, creamy brie and salty prosciutto.

For dessert. we shared the Double Chocolate Brownie and Apple Crumble.  The brownie was pretty solid with a rich, almost fudge-like consistency.  It wasn't overly sweet though and the chocolate really came through.  As for the crumble, it was full of tender apples that were tangy and sweet.  The crisp on top had good texture.  At the end of the meal, we liked the fact that we participated in making our pizzas.  Of course we didn't "make" the dough, but the construction and choice of toppings was a fun way to personalize our meal.   Price was reasonable with all things considered.

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

The Good:

- A fun activity that isn't expensive

- Good pizza dough that is also prepared well in their oven

- Generally solid food all-around

The Bad:

- For this location, parking in the area is a bit challenging

Yory Korean Cuisine

There seems to be a new Korean restaurant opening up every month now.  Way back when I was a kid (yah, that was awhile ago...), we had a limited selection of Korean restaurants.  Now, it wouldn't be a surprise to find a decent one in any location across the Lower Mainland.  I've been noticing that more and more Korean restaurants are opening up in Surrey and Langley that can rival some of the best along North Road in Burquitlam.  The latest one on my radar is Yory Korean Cuisine out in Fleetwood in Surrey.  Jackie and I were invited to check it out.

We had a wide selection of dishes including their Assorted Seafood Pancake.  This was quite the robust version with a thicker-than-usual pancake loaded with seafood and green onion.  Despite being on the thicker side, the pancake did not eat heavy.  Sure, it was not exactly light, but it was not doughy nor dense.  It was almost fluffy with a nicely seared exterior being crispy.  Inside, the seafood was not overdone while the amount of green onion was limited.  Hence it wasn't one note in flavour.

One item that really caught our eye was the Deep Fried Flounder.  For only $21.95 this was one massive flounder.  It was heavily battered and deep fried to perfection.  Beyond the crunchy exterior, the fish itself was flaky and moist.  The fish was naturally sweet and was not fishy at all.  It was served with a spicy dip that really brought the dish to life.  This was the a la carte version where one could also have it in a dinner set.  It costs a bit less and I assume the flounder would be smaller.  For this one, I found it a good value and perfect for sharing.

Next, we had the Wang Jokbal or pork hock cooked in sweet soy and served with ssam jang, shrimp sauce, lettuce, garlic and jalapeno.  Somewhat similar concept to bossam, the sliced pork hock is wrapped in lettuce (rather than Napa cabbage) with all of the condiments.  I found the pork hock to be excellent being tender with nicely gelatinized fat and skin.  It was flavourful from the sweet soy braise while balanced out by the spicy ssam jang and fermented flavour of the shrimp sauce.

We also spotted KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) on the menu and of course we ordered some!  We got half & half of Sweet Soy and Spicy & Sweet Boneless Chicken.  This was a pretty large portion where we found large nuggets of dark meat.  The batter on the outside was crunchy despite being completely sauced.  Inside, the meat was juicy and tender.  Personally, I love the sweet soy flavour the most and this one didn't disappoint.  It was plenty tasty with with more sweetness than saltiness.  The spicy was no slouch either with a good balance between spice and sweetness.

The biggest item we had was the Jeon Gol Hansang (Korean Hot Pot).  We chose the Bulgogi Mushroom Jeon Gol with thinly sliced beef ribeye, glass noodles, mushrooms, Napa cabbage, rice cake, wood ear, green onion and crown daisy.  For $46.95, this was a fair portion where it would be best to share with 4 people (along with other dishes).  I found the broth to be sweet and clean while taking on the meatiness of the raw beef and umaminess from the assorted mushrooms.  Loved the glass noodles where it soaked up all of the deliciousness of the ingredients.

Their best value, in my opinion are their Hansang (limited to 15 per day).  We had the SoonDuBu Bakban Hansang for $19.95 and it included choice of pork cutlet or fried chicken, choice of seafood, meat or mushroom tofu soup, rice and assorted side dishes.   The side dishes included japchae, banchan, octopus and pancake.  I found the pork cutlet to be crispy from the panko coating, yet a touch dry on the inside due to the leanness of the meat.  The soup was full of ingredients and naturally sweet.

Just for kicks, we added the Spicy Kimchi Cheese Fried Rice served on a cast iron plate.  Although it wasn't really sizzling that much by the time it arrived at our table, there was a cheese crust on the bottom that was both nutty and texturally appealing.  When mixed with the rice and runny sunny side egg, there were layers of texture including the stringy cheese and silky yolk with the flavourful rice.  I liked the fact that the rice was a bit spicy, sweet and savoury without being sour from the kimchi.

We also had the Corn Cheese also served on a sizzling cast iron plate.  The cheese crust for this dish was much more aggressive being crispy and nutty.  Beyond the aroma, it added a nice crunch to the corn niblets and stringy cheese.  About the corn, it was grilled enough so that there was caramelization with intense sweetness.  Overall, the food at Yory was good and well-portioned.  Loved some of the unique items on the menu too including the great value Hansang.

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

The Good:

- Generally tasty

- Good portions

- Great value with the Hansang

The Bad:

- Staff can be kept very busy when the restaurant is full