Seraphina

To be completely blunt, I was a bit apprehensive visiting Seraphina since I heard differing opinions on them.  However, in all fairness, they are completely new and just trying to find their stride.  Jackie and I went in with an open mind and empty stomachs.  Located right below Vesper Lounge and taking over the spot that once housed Blackbird and subsequently Royal Dinette, Seraphina has a simple elegance to its dining space with a few show-stopping pieces.  I particularly liked the light fixture in its lobby.

But really, we were here for the food right?  We kicked things off with the pepper crusted Ahi Tuna Crudo with cucumber gazpacho and cucumber salad.  So this was pretty bright and refreshing, yet at the same time, surprisingly spicy.  That gazpacho had a nice cucumber freshness to it but that kick was something else.  If we weren't awake before that, we were certainly so after digging into it.  The tuna itself was evenly seared on all sides while the centre was perfectly rare.  

One of our favourite dishes was one that didn't appear on the menu (just yet).  It was the Black Vinegar Glazed Pork Belly.  These big pieces of pork belly had a good balance between meat and buttery fat.  Hence it was hearty and meaty while still tender.  The exterior was crispy despite the amount of glaze. About that, it was sweet, sticky and had the unmistakable depth of black vinegar.  Truly a properly fused Asian-inspired dish.

Onto the mains (as if the pork belly wasn't big enough already to be considered a main), we had the Pan-Seared Ling Cod with edamame puree, tapioca crisp and apple.  This was another solid dish with perfectly seared fish.  It was slightly crispy on the outside while properly seasoned.  It was flaky and moist.  I really liked the caramelized fennel as it was aromatic and sweet.  The edamame and apple provided complimentary sweetness.

In addition to the excellent pork belly, the Pistachio-Crusted Lamb Rack was my next favourite dish.  As you can see, the lamb was perfectly medium-rare.  Hence, the meat was juicy and tender.  The pistachio crust was nutty and crunchy while well-seasoned.  Loved the gratin dauphinoise as it was delicate and creamy.  There was also a smooth and naturally sweet pea puree underneath where I used the succulent lamb to sop it all up.

We also got the Pure BC Wagyu Burger on a beer bun with gruyere, pickles, butter lettuce and caramalised red onion.  This was completely legit with a juicy and well-charred burger patty.  It was rich in flavour and that evenly melted gruyere on top added butteriness and nuttiness.  Those fresh cut fries on the side were money where they were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  It came with a side of house-made tomato ketchup which was delicious and tangy.

Onto dessert, the first one I tried was the Chocolate Mousse with pistachio, hojicha and apple.  Hidden within chocolate ganache, the mousse was creamy and light while still rich at the same time.  Balanced sweetness and plenty of slightly dark chocolate bitterness.  This was complimented by the tea bitterness of the hojicha.  However, the pops of sweetness from the apples balanced it all out as well as come nuttiness from the pistachios.

To keep things light, the Coconut Sago was a refreshing way to end a wonderful meal.  It featured coconut jelly, mango compote and tropical fruit.  It really emulated a mango sago in some sense, but had all of the aromatics of coconut.  The picture was taken before the compote was poured on top.  When combined, this was definitely fruity and purposefully sweet.  In general, the food we had at Serphina was well-prepared and you could definitely see the attention-to-detail.  Looks like the food has been more refined since I first spotted it on IG.  Looking forward in returning and sampling more of their dishes.

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

The Good:
- Well-prepared proteins
- Some bold flavours
- Beautiful dining space

The Bad:
- Still working out the logistics (including the downstairs kitchen not being open yet, that will take care of the smaller dishes and snacks)

Indian Oven

Indian food in Vancouver (the actual city, not the burbs) can a be a bit hit and miss.  Some are pretty authentic and flavourful while others can be too middle-of-the-road.  I guess that can be said about Chinese food too.  However, there are some really good Indian restaurants in town, much like the aforementioned Chinese food.  Jackie and I made our way to Indian Oven on West 4th in Kits.  Sure, the location doesn't scream out authentic Indian eats, but hey, we always have an open mind.

We began with the Indian Oven Special Platter with veg pakora, veg samosa, paneer pakora, chicken pakora, & fish pakora.  This was a large portion of food and most of it was on point.  Large and flaky, the fish pakora featured a spiced thin batter that was crispy.  The chicken had an equally thin batter but was a little more cooked than the fish.  It wasn't dry though and was nicely complimented by the chutneys.    The veg samosa was crispy and not greasy while filled with caraway-spiced potatoes that were tender and moist.

Next the sizzling Tandoori Soya Chaap arrived smoking hot at our table.  Sometimes, these cast iron platters do a little sizzle, but this one was seriously sizzling for over 5 minutes and continued on for quite some time.  Hence, the whole dish was smoky and hot with tender pieces of soya chaap.  There was nice spice to the dish and believe me, the smoke got in my eyes (The Platters, if you don't get the reference). Like the table next to us, we were coughing due to the spice!

Normally, I'm not super enthused about Veg Chow Mein at an Indian restaurant.  However, this time around, I really enjoyed this version.  Good wok hei (wok's breath) that produced delicious caramelization and smokiness.  The noodles were chewy and al dente while completely seasoned (with a good amount of black pepper).  There was a bevy of vibrant vegetables that were tender but mushy.  Even without meat, I found this hearty and satisfying.

Naturally, we had to try the classic Butter Chicken even though some consider it a bit defaultish.  It is just like how I like to try the Sweet & Sour Pork at Chinese restaurants.  That is something I do...  So this butter chicken was appealingly creamy and on the sweeter side.  Hence, both elements helped temper the tomato tang.  Not sure if they used fresh tomatoes, but it seemed like it because the sauce was less tomato paste-like.  The pieces of chicken were tender.

One of the most impactful items was the Coconut Chicken as the sauce was super flavourful.  We've had this dish many times before and it is generally aromatic and creamy (It is Jackie's favourite Indian curry!).  This seemed like it was amped with a considerable amount of coconut flavour.  It seemed to me that there was more than just coconut milk and cream.  It was purposefully sweet and balanced. As like the butter chicken, the meat was tender and moist.

My personal favourite dish was the Lamb Tikka Masala, partly because I love lamb but also it was prepared well.  The large chunks of meat were surprisingly tender consider the lean cut.  Absolutely loved the appetizing tanginess of the sauce.  It really helped cut through the heaviness of the meat.  Due to the tomato tang-forwardness of the dish, some of the spices were a bit muted.  However, the earthiness did come through and there was some spice.

In addition to the butter chicken, we went with another classic Northern Indian dish in the Palak Paneer.  Indeed, it was a familiar rendition where the ginger really stood out.  It helped keep things bright while the pureed spinach had some earthiness (from the cumin) and natural sweetness.  The ample amount of paneer was squishy and delicate, rather than being too firm like some versions.  Really good version of this dish.

One of the more striking dishes (in terms of appearance) was the Shyam Shavera (Spinach Paneer Kofta).  These beautiful spinach balls stuffed with paneer were texturally-pleasing being soft and delicate.  It sat in a tomato sauce that was more tangy than the butter chicken, but had similar elements with spice and earthy tones.  In addition to some peas pulao, we had the Wings Biryani.  Being bone-in and with the skin, the chicken wings provided the dish with more natural flavour and essence.  The hearty rice was chewy and nutty with spice and strong cardamom notes.

In addition to the rice dishes we ordered, of course we had to add in some breads too.  That we did in the Garlic Naan and the Spinach Paneer Naan.  I found the garlic naan to be soft and pillowy while exhibiting a good elasticity.  The bottom had some charring and was crispy.  Due to the spinach and cheese, the other naan was soft and more pliable.  It had more moisture too, so it ate with less chew.  Good amount of filling meant this was pretty tasty on its own.

Lastly, we were served a variety of cocktails featuring a Mojito, Rose Sangria Smash, La Vie en Rose, Blue Lagoon and Guava Martini.  As you can see, these were colourful and featured some appealing accompaniments.  I personally loved the Mojito with its usual herbaceousness and also the Guava Martini (as I love guava!).  Overall, the food at Indian Oven was really good and despite its location in Kits, is legit.  Portion sizes were good and the prices were completely fair.

 

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

The Good:

- Legit Indian cuisine

- Generous portion sizes

- Spacious dining room

 

The Bad:

- Maybe being located upstairs might be inconvenient for some

 

Broli Kitchen

At first glance, Broli Kitchen appears to be another restaurant in a strip mall in Richmond.  However, there is more than meets the eye here (and I'm not talking about Transformers either...).  The cuisine is a mix of traditional French, Italian and West Coast fused with Asian influences.  Now before you begin to prejudge this place, consider the head chef is a Red Seal certified.  Chef Zhuang Li has been the sous-chef at the Downtown Sheraton Wall Centre for 10 years and another 5 years of experience in French cuisine.  Pretty unexpected at a little non-decript bistro.  Jackie, Jacqueline, Andrew and myself were invited to try out some of their newest and most popular items from their menu.

We began with a pair of soups in the Lobster Bisque and the Wild Mushroom Soup.  These looked legit and were exactly what we expected.  The bisque was creamy and rich with a balanced amount of lobster aroma.  It was lightly sweet and properly seasoned.  Some herb oil on the top finished off the soup.  As for the wild mushroom, it was also creamy and full-flavoured with the woodsiness of the mushrooms.  With some truffle oil added to the mix, it was aromatic and even more earthy.

Next, we had the Pan-Seared Scallops with pea puree and crispy prosciutto.  This was a well-prepared dish where the scallops were beautifully seared while the middle was slightly rare.  Hence, the texture was on point being buttery soft.  The scallop itself was properly seasoned while exhibiting a natural sweetness.  On top, the crispy prosciutto added crunch and saltiness.  Silky smooth and sweet, the pea puree helped bring the saltiness down a notch.

Our last appie was the Truffle Mushroom Risotto Ball (aka Arancini) with a onion tomato sauce. This was a huge portion of 6 large risotto balls that were somewhat crispy.  This is because the onion tomato sauce was drizzled atop all of the risotto balls, resulting in them become soft and a bit crumbly.  The aborio rice seemed to be fairly al dente, but with all the sauce, it was hard to tell.  Loved the sauce as it was sweet and tangy.  Maybe they should either put it on the side or plate the balls atop the sauce on the plate.

Maybe the most interesting and delicious thing we had was the Durian Pizza.  Yah, this could be pretty polarizing due to the main ingredient.  Durian is extremely pungent and isn't for everyone.  However, in my opinion, they did a good job with incorporating it onto a pizza.  They used a cream cheese base and combined with the sweet durian and mozzarella, this became reminiscent of a Chinese custard bun, except on a pizza.  So this almost ate like a dessert and that was a good thing as the durian was definitely there, but not in a way that was overwhelming.  All of the components sat atop a pizza crust that was somewhat similar to Domino's (which is a good thing as well).

Onto the bigger dishes, we had the Confit Duck Leg with rice, veggies and duck sauce.  The duck leg meat fell apart easily and was rather tender.  It was on the saltier side, but did go well with the rice.  With the addition of some Asian spices, the duck had a different flavour than a regular duck confit.  Nice twist on this dish to make it unique.  There was a bevy of perfectly-cooked asparagus, broccolini, carrots and zucchini.  They were vibrant and still had texture.

Classic in its preparation, the Roasted Rack of Lamb was perfectly medium-rare.  It was crusted with dijon herb bread crumbs and served with Lyonnaise potatoes, veggies and lamb jus.  I was pretty impressed with the lamb as it was slow-roasted which resulted in succulent meat.  It was well-seasoned and the jus was meaty enough without being salty.  Veggies were great like the previous dish while the potatoes were tender with buttery onions.  I would've liked it to be a bit more buttery though.

One of the most surprising dishes was the Bolognese Strozzapreti.  It was super legit and could be served at an Italian restaurant.  The rich bolognese featured a mix of veal, beef and pork that was super tender.  There was a nice balance of tomato and creaminess that made this lightly sweet, aromatic and full of umaminess.   The choice of pasta was also key to making this a good dish as it captured bits of meat and sauce.  It was also al dente, yet not in an overly firm manner.

We had two of their fish dishes staring with the Ginger Miso Glazed Salmon.  Presented as a fairly large piece of salmon, this was a good portion of food.  Although the salmon was a bit over, it was still moist and not dry at all.  I found the salmon to be mildly-seasoned with some ginger flavour and miso saltiness.  Underneath, the miso cream sauce was really good with depth and a balanced flavour.  It was a nice compliment to the fish and also added extra moisture.

The other fish dish was the Pan-Seared Ling Cod with potato, seasonal veg and tomato pepper sauce.  This was another large portion that was also prepared properly.  The fish had a slightly crispy sear while the meat was flaky and moist.  Being ling cod, it had a slightly firmer texture but it was still tender.  I found it be well-seasoned and really didn't need the sauce.  Although the tomato pepper sauce was pleasant enough, a lobster bisque sauce or dashi would've been a better match for the whitefish. 

Onto dessert, we had the Lava Cake with vanilla ice cream.  We really appreciated that they prepared this from scratch and baked-to-order.  Many other places unfortunately use a microwave!  This was more like a chocolate souffle than a basic lava cake.  It was light and fluffy with a crispy exterior.  Inside, the molten centre was silky and purposefully sweet.  It was gave even more souffle vibes as it had the sauce built into it (rather than poured into it).

Lastly, we had the Caramel Macchiato Pot de Crème with pecan graham crumble and fresh whipped cream.  It was rich and creamy with smoky caramel notes intermittently interrupted by coffee.  The crumble on top added a nice crunch.  I quite enjoyed this dessert.  In fact, I enjoyed the meal as a whole.  Lots of highlights including the lamb, scallop, durian pizza and pasta.  Portions were large and proteins were mostly on point.  Flavours were textbook and although the prices are necessarily cheap, the value is there due to the generous size of the proteins and the general execution.

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

The Good:
- Textbook execution
- Generous portions
- Durian pizza!

The Bad:
- Definitely has hotel food vibes, but it was prepared well

Kurrywala Indian Restaurant

Sometimes, I cut through New West on my way home and go up 6th and onto Edmonds.  Therefore, I must have drive past Kurrywala many times over without ever thinking of stopping to eat there.  All I know is that it used to be Big 6 diner and I enjoyed their burgers.  Well, we finally made it out there since they wanted us to check out their buffet as well as some a la carte items.  More on the buffet later, but I'll start with the regular menu first!

Arriving on an extremely hot sizzling cast iron plate, the Tandoori Prawns were excellent being charred, but not burnt.  The smokiness really came through while the marinate ensured that each prawn was spiced and had some heat.  They were cooked perfectly where the meat was still juicy.  Even though the plate was super hot, the prawns were perfectly placed atop onions to ensure they didn't overcook.

Nicely plated on a long plate, the Fish Pakora came in huge pieces.  The fish they used was basa and personally, I didn't mind it.  Naturally, most people would prefer a cod of some kind, but that would make the dish ultra-expensive.  Back to the fish, the pieces were lightly coated and fried until crispy.  The fish was buttery soft and  there was a nice earthiness to the batter.  Served on the side, we found tartar sauce, which went well with the pakora.  Some people would prefer a chutney and I'm sure you could substitute. 

We tried the Vegetarian Momos, partly due to the fact they were out of the meat ones.  No matter as the dumpling skin was really good.  Being house-made and never frozen, it meant the skin was moist and not dry.  It had a nice chew to it, but ultimately was tender.  Inside, the fresh veggies offered up natural sweetness and that fresh crunch which would never be found in a frozen dumpling.  Really solid and I didn't miss the meat at all here.

We tried an array of curries including the Smoked Butter Chicken was creamy and mildly tangy with noticeable depth.  It wasn't just that it was smoky, but the richness of the flavour created a lingering effect.  The chicken was tender and moist where it had taken on the impact of the sauce. The Palak Paneer was noticeably darker in colour and as a result was also quite a bit more layered.  Rather than being one-note with just onion and ginger, this had a stronger earthiness and background sweetness. The Coconut Chicken was creamy, yet not heavy.  It was definitely aromatic and purposefully sweet. Surprisingly, I really liked the Mushroom Curry.  The problem with mushrooms is that they make most things soggy due to their moisture content.  It wasn't like this here where the flavours were still full of depth and spice.

For our carbs, we had the Garlic Naan first and it was a pretty fluffy version of the flatbread.  Most of it was pillowy soft while other parts had a nice elasticity.  On the bottom, it was slightly crispy.  There was enough ghee and garlic for impact.  We also had the Keema Kulcha featuring soft and fluffy bread while paired with a chicken curry and of course, butter.  I joyfully applied the butter generously on the bread while dipping it into the rich gravy.

Sure, usually we would get some basmati rice to pair with all of our curries and naan, but to make it more interesting, we selected the Chicken Biryani instead.  This featured some perfectly-prepared rice which was chewy, nutty and dry enough that it wasn't clumpy.  It had taken on all of the wonderful sweetness of the chicken as well as the spices.  This gave it a bit of heat as well as some earthy notes.

We also tried their buffet and we loaded up our dish with rice and a selection of curries including Goat Curry, Chicken Curry, Yellow Dal Tadka, Rajma and Makhni Paneer.  On the next plate, we had Samosas, Pasta Salad, Green Salad and Raita.  They also had Gulab Jamun, but didn't get any.  Obviously, the a-la-carte dishes we had were superior to the buffet, but the curries were still good and if you are hungry, it is a good value.  I enjoyed the goat curry and paneer the most.  Overall, the food at Kurrywala is delicious with good portions and fair pricing.  I prefer ordering off the regular menu than the buffet though.

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

The Good:

- Large portions

- Generally on point execution

- Well-priced buffet

The Bad:

- Buffet could use a few more appies

Tozen Sushi Bar

With so many Japanese restaurants in town, it is sometimes hard to wade through the mediocre to find that superior spot.  Now we aren't talking about the higher-end places such as Okeya Kyujiro and Masayoshi.  We are referring to the ones that are less pricey than the aforementioned restaurants, but also more premium than the value, mass-produced places such as Sushi Garden (nothing wrong with eating there, just using it as an example!).  Tozen Sushi Bar is one of these spots where they offer more premium ingredients, but still accessible to many.

We started our meal at Tozen with some more usual dishes in the Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki and Corn Karaage.  These were all very good with the okonomiyaki featuring a slightly crispy exterior giving way to a soft and fluffy interior.  There was a balanced amount of cabbage that was not overdone.  Yakoyaki was pretty typical, but the corn karaage was the star of the 3 dishes.  The clusters of corn niblets had pops of sweetness.  It was only lightly battered, being crispy.

We were presented with 2 platters of sashimi next including the Assorted Sashimi and the Tozen Special Sashimi.  Obviously, the latter of the 2 was bigger and cost more.  The first platter featured salmon, tuna, hamachi, amaebi and madai.  The larger platter consisted of akami, chutoro, otoro, hirame, kanpachi, shima aji, salmon belly, hotate, amaebi, and saba.  By looks alone, you can tell this was fresh and vibrant.  Naturally, the 3 types of bluefin sashimi stole the show, but the rest were sweet and texturally on point.

Moving onto our next few dishes, we had the Salmon Jalapeno Aburi Hako as well as 3 different Chawanmushi (mushroom, madai and dungeness crab).  The aburi was nicely seared where the sauce was creamy with a touch of tanginess.  Jalapeno was sliced thin enough so it wasn't too intrusive.  Rice had a nice texture, being chewy but not dry.  Silky and slightly briny, the chawanmushi was delicious.  I liked the dungeness crab version the most.

Continuing on with more sushi, we had the Negi Kanpa Hama and the Tuna Bomb.  I found both of these to be very appealing and tasty.  Bright and fresh-tasting, the kanpachi was complimented by the balanced amount of chives.  Now that was good, but the tuna bomb was my favourite with its flavourful and buttery mix of tuna.  There was nice spice to it and spreading it onto the crispy rice, it created a nice textural contrast.  There was also a good mix of warm and cold.

Okay, the tuna bomb was well, bomb, but the Bluefin Nigiri Set was truly the best thing we ate.  It consisted of Akami, Chutoro, Otoro and Negi Bluefin.  Similar to the one found at Sushi Hil, this was every bit as good.  Naturally, the best piece was the buttery and melty otoro.  It had the unmistakable umaminess and natural sweetness.  Of course the other pieces were good in their own way with the akami being meatier, but still soft and full-flavoured. 

Featuring some more akami, chutoro and bluefin negi, the Premium Nigiri Set also had hamachi, amaebi, tamago, saba, hirame, kanpachi and anago.  Neatly constructed with a balanced amount of chewy seasoned sushi rice, the nigiri was good.  Particularly enjoyed the large piece of buttery eel (and of course the bluefin).  For our roll selection, we had the Saba Bou featuring house-marinated saba with rice and shiso.  Loved how the saba was mild-tasting but still full-flavoured.  Rice was on point and the shiso added its usual herbaeousness.

We finished off the meal with 2 beef dishes.  The more luxurious of the 2 was the A5 Wagyu Nigiri.  This was served with a lid and once removed, it revealed the smoke.  Hence, beyond the butteriness of the meat, it was also slightly smoky.  Super delicious!  Last item was the Beef Yukke Salad that was quite the big portion.  I thought the beef was buttery and well-seasoned, however, maybe a bit too salad?  I prefer my yukke as it is with some crunchy vessel of some sort.  However, that is a personal preference and I'm sure others would like this as the meat was excellent and it was a fairly light dish (despite the generous amount of beef).  Overall, the food at Tozen was really good.  Things were fresh, prepared properly and visually appealing.  Yes, the food was delicious too.  Sure, the pricing will be more than the usual neighbourhood restaurant, but Tozen is not that.  Splurge a little and you will notice the higher quality of ingredients and attention to detail.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Quality ingredients
- Careful preparation
- Nice dining space

The Bad:
- Parking in the area a little difficult due to Skytrain construction
- You will be paying a bit more than the usual neighbourhood Japanese resto, but well worth it