Elem

The fine dining scene in Vancouver is ever-changing and slowly catching up to the rest of the world.  You can't really compare with places that have lower operating costs, so in Vancouver, it is always a challenge to invest so much in decor.  One of the newest spots, Elem on Main, takes you to New York with its modern, yet simple design.  Top Chef alum Chef Vish Mayekar is at the helm and offers up a global menu that incorporates sustainability.  My visit here was only 5 days into their full operations, so keep that in mind when reading this blog post.

Now food is one thing, but their cocktail program run by Beverage Director Winnie Sun receives equal billing at Elem with a beautiful and spacious bar that conveniently faces the kitchen from the other side of the restaurant.  There are 4 distinct sections to the restaurant that represent the elements including Earth, Water, Air and Fire.  They have a commitment to no-waste as all the trimmings go into the mother stock and any other scraps goes into fermentation. Even the copper that frames the kitchen will change organically over time.  

We began out meal with some Prosecco with elderflower, peppercorn and cardamom.  This was served with a side of Winnie's Szechuan Peanuts.  As for our first round of cocktails, we had the Best Tacos Pepe and Butternut Squash first.  Topped with candy lego bricks, the BTP was smooth with an almost vanilla finish (from the evaporated & condensed milk).  As for the second cocktail, it was a take on an old-fashioned with smokiness and the mysterious woodsiness of the shiitake mushrooms.

To start our dinner, we had the Bread & Butter featuring brioche Parker rolls with truffle honey butter.  Elevating this even further was the addition of fresh shaved black truffles.  These buns were soft and fluffy but still had a bit of density.  The truffle was impactful while not being overwhelming.  We went for 2 more cocktails during this time in the Mango Rasmalai and Mumbai Biryani.  Wow, that mango rasmalai was so delicious.  I could've easily downed this in gulp.  By virtue of it being gin-based, it was a bit light to begin with and with the addition of fresh mango, cardamom and clarified saffron milk, it went down real easy.  Some saffron white chocolate paint on the side provided some sweet aromatics.  As for the Mumbai biryani, this really did drink like a meal.  Furthermore, the spiced tequila made this a stronger drink.  This consisted of lacto-fermented grape, kewra, rosewater, salted ghee-caramel foam and fried onion.  If you can imagine, this made for a spice-laced concoction that had some real savoury elements.

Taking elements of Indian cuisine with the classic Behl Puri, we find the Yellowfin Tuna Behl served with semolina crackers.  This really did have all of the elements of the dish with cilantro mint chutney, puffed rice, onions and tomato.  However with the addition of tuna and avocado, it made the whole thing more hearty and gave it some ceviche vibes.  In fact, the whole thing was possibly too acidic for some (okay for me personally), which totally made for a bright and ceviche-type experience, especially with the light and crispy crackers.

Loaded with fluffy crab on top, the Dungeness Crab Toast was a real hit.  It sat in a lemongrass ginger foam that had not only SE Asian aromatics, the essence of crab shells was prominent.  The well-toasted milk bread had enough integrity to stand up to the sauce, yet at the same time, not be too firm that it would overwhelm the delicate texture of the crab meat.  About that crab, it was naturally sweet and barely cooked through.  The contrast in textures between the crab and toast was perfect.

One of our favourite dishes was the Grilled Lamb Skewers in a medjool date glaze.  The caramelization and char were evident visually and totally confirmed tastewise.  The flavours were super intense with a nutty sweetness.  The lamb belly was super fatty and totally melted in our mouths.  As gamy as lamb can be, especially with so much fat, this was quite mild due to the perfect char and seasoning. The sweetness was balanced off well by the ginger labneh underneath and the pickles on top.  The crunch from the buckwheat added the necessary texture as well.

The hits kept coming with the beautifully-plated Squash Caramelle.  These precious little pasta pockets shaped like candy wrappers featured the ideal texture for freshly-made pasta.  It was firm and chewy while still giving way to the soft and sweet squash filling.  Love the fall flavours including the background nutmeg.  The miso buerre blanc was rich and smooth while not being too heavy.  It had the classic fermented saltiness of miso complimented by the sweetness of the squash.  We also found chanterelles and pumpkin seeds finishing off the dish.

The other pasta on the menu was equally fantastic in the Rabbit and Chestnut Cavatelli.  First and foremost, the pasta was next level (just like the previous dish) where it had a firm resistance upon first chew, but then transitioned to a pleasant denseness inside.  The ridges on the pasta held the white sauce well and we could taste the sweetness of the rabbit.  Normally, the lean meat can be dry, but it wasn't the case here.  So tender and well-incorporated into the sauce.  Little nuggets of chestnut and thin slices of matsutake mushrooms added texture and mushroominess to the dish.  To top it off, aged toma added nuttiness and tang to the pasta.

As if the pastas weren't blowing us away already, but the Honey Mussels Curry was so on point.  First of all, the use of honey mussels was already a bonus as they are some of the most plump mussels available.  Unlike Kiwi mussels, honey mussels are delicate and more flavourful.  This was further enhanced by the tomato-based curry which was spiked by the tanginess of tamarind and sweetness from all the cooked down onions.  The addition of crispy rice balls provided not only texture, it also helped soak up the delicious curry.

Probably the best dish we had all night was the Duck Fried Rice.  The aroma and umaminess emanating from this dish was intoxicating.  We had the duck fat really coming through with a luxurious silkiness while the caramelization of the rice added to the nuttiness already present.  Some chili crunch added texture and spice while the house-made kimchi provided acidity and another layer of spice.  To top it off literally and figuratively, we found fresh mint and cilantro to give the dish some brightness. 

We finally made it to a vegetable dish in the Barbecued Carrots with mandarin kosho, smoked yogurt and bubu arare.  I found this dish to be just alright.  The carrots were a bit too firm but not hard.  There was a natural sweetness to them which was contrasted by the sourness of the kosho.  Underneath, the smoked yogurt was pleasant and not overwhelming.  The addition of rice crackers provided that crunch that was needed in the dish.

Onto more cocktails, we had Chef's Negroni and Duck Fried Rice.  Consisting of dark chocolate gin, spent mulberry campari, Stoney Paradise tomato vine vermouth and applewood + cedar smoke, this was rich and smoky.  Definitely a full-bodied drink with lots of strong flavours.  As for the duck fried rice, it was mirroring the menu dish in some ways.  With duck fat washed gin, we could definitely get the essence of duck, while the kimchi maraschino provided a tangy sweet spice. The rice milk gave a lightly milky nuttiness and the thyme provided some earthiness.   Something a bit more refreshing, the Tokyo featured matcha vodka, banana, shiro shoyu, tonic water and a side of yuzu mochi.  The brightness of the tonic water hit me first then the bitterness of the matcha vodka next.  Mid drink, I got the essence of real banana while the shiro shoyu came at the end in the mildest manner.

Onto the showstopper main dish in the Loong Kong Chicken with a maple espresso glaze and farm side vegetables.  This free-range chicken with everything attached (including the foot) was lean and appealingly chewy.  It was still moist and tender though with properly rendered skin.  The chicken was well-seasoned with the glaze being sweet and savoury with a hint of bitterness.  The buttery sunchoke puree added some moisture and an extra layer of nuttiness to the dish.  The side of veggies were bordering on salty, but was just right adding more flavour to the dish.

So dining with Mijune means we have to get all of the desserts...  Yes we did...  The first was the Banana Ice Cream cradled in a mochi donut with buckwheat granola and toffee sauce.  Loved the creaminess of the ice cream and the aromatics of real banana.  The donut was perfect with a crunchy exterior and a chewy interior.  Next, the Masala Chai Kulfi was presented as a popsicle.  I definitely got the earthy spices combined with the black tea as well as the sweetness.  This was accented by the some crunchy and sweet pistachio brittle as well as the creamy and light brioche Chantilly.  Some spruce oil finished the dish adding a bright woodiness.

Our last 2 desserts consisted of the Japanese Pudding and the Sweet Potato Churro.  Oh that pudding was so perfect.  Super smooth and creamy with a consistent texture.  It was lightly sweet with burnt caramel notes.  A little addition of Vecchio Amaro tableside provided some bitter-sweetness.  Lastly, the churro was crispy and intensely sweet.  It was topped with some sticky quince marmalade and cereal crumb.  The miso vanilla ice cream afforded some rich salty sweetness.

We ended off with one more cocktail in the Build Your Own Chai featuring Elem chai liqueur and tea biscuit milk.  We could adjust the mix to our own preference and that we did with more milk!  This was aromatic and creamy with a touch of booziness.  Nice finish to our dinner.  In fact, we actually ended off the meal with some Dark Chocolates.  Oh and what a meal it was!  The food was so on point and especially impressive since this was only the 5th day of operation!   Such a beautiful room (or rooms) with Chef Vish Mayekar's finely crafted global cuisine complimented by inventive cocktails by Winnie Sun.  I'm planning to come back.  In fact, I've got reservations already!

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

The Good:

- Genuinely delicious food

- Stunning room

- Such creative cocktails

The Bad:

- Cocktails and food are competing against each other sometimes

Pizza Maru

Maybe it is a bit ironic that I featured Roseto Bistro in my last post where they offer a small selection of K-Pizzas.  This is because this post is about Pizza Maru that is a new spot on North Road (Burnaby side) almost exclusively specializing in K-Pizzas.  So what is a K-Pizza?  Well, it is Korean-style pizza that features a wide range of Korean toppings.  Also, if you know Korean cuisine, they love their cheese and on K-Pizzas, they aren't shy about piling it on.

So let me feature their most striking option on the menu is the Maru 5 that consists of, as you might've guessed, 5 different themed toppings on a large pizza.  Looking at the picture, you can see that there is Bulgogi, Corn Cheese, Pepperoni, Potato Chunk and Chicken.  Naturally, there is a whack-load of cheese too.  They cut this pizza lengthwise and it is great for people who want it all in one pizza.  I particularly enjoyed the corn cheese as it was so cheesy with sweet pops of corn.  The chicken was great too with some tangy sauce on top.

Of course we tried other pizzas too including the Bulgogi and Hawaiian Shrimp.  I felt that having the whole Bulgogi pizza made a difference compared to the slices in the Maru 5.  I was able to get a whole slice with more beef.  It was hearty with tender meat that was sweet and savoury.  As for the Hawaiian shrimp, this was more about the peppers and onions than the shrimp.  They were merely there for some coldwater crunch. A bit of sweetness from the pineapple and saltiness from the olives completed the flavour profile.  As for the crust, all them so far were uniformly crunchy with a soft chewiness inside.

To get something a bit different than all of the available K-Pizzas, we tried their Real Chicago Pizza.  Now I've had some Chicago deep dish before and this was their interpretation.  I enjoyed their version as the thick crust was completely stuffed with stringy cheese.  In the middle it was a lake of cheese with tomato sauce and pepperoni.  If you like cheese, this would be the pizza for you.  The addition of powdered sugar was a small detail, but it helped balance all of the cheesiness.

In addition to pizza, they also have a selection of pastas.  We chose the Baked Meat Cheese Spaghetti loaded with onions, peppers, mushrooms and ground beef.  Now this was not any ordinary pizza joint spaghetti as the tomato sauce had white wine and stock.  Hence there were more layers of flavour than just plain tomato.  We also tried their Korean BBQ Wings and they were fantastic.  The sweet and sticky glaze was nicely caramelized while the chicken itself was moist and tender.

Lastly, we tried the Red Carbonara Topokki. This was great though as it combined Korean rice cakes with a spicy and creamy carbonara sauce with shrimp, bacon, onion, sliced mushrooms and cabbage.  Definitely a meal in itself and being so rich, best to be shared.  Overall, the stuff at Pizza Maru is pretty solid and unique enough.  The pizzas are loaded with cheese and the crust is good with a uniform crunchy texture.  The rest of the items on the menu are pretty solid as well.

*All food was complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Pizza has a uniformly crunchy crust

- Not shy with the toppings

- Sides are good too

The Bad:

- Pizzas are on the sweeter side

Roseto Bistro

Now here is an interesting blog post.  It is about Roseto Bistro located in PoCo.  Now that doesn't make it particularly strange or unusual.  However, if you tried to search it on Google, it wasn't showing up for the longest time.  In fact, you'd find Hearthstone Pizza as a result.  You see, the reason for this is that Roseto Bistro replaces Hearthstone Pizza, but still has some of the K-pizza options leftover from the 2nd iteration of Hearthstone Pizza.  Okay, if you are confused, I don't blame you.  Currently, Roseto Bistro offers up legit Italian eats prepared by a chef who has worked for years in Italy, but also has some Korean influences in the pizza and the pastas.  In fact, RoSeTo represents Rome, Seoul and Tokyo.  The fusion between all 3 cuisines are evident in the menu.

I think they should add Athens as well since we started with the Calamari Fritti.  Sure, this dish can be every bit Italian as it is Greek.  However, let's just say there are influences.  We found this dish to be prepared quite well with tender pieces of squid that also retained a pleasant chewiness.  The light and crispy batter was properly seasoned where the tzatziki on the side wasn't completely necessary.  However, for me, I always like to dip my calamari into it.  This was a good start to our meal.

Next, we moved onto some pizzas, 2 of which were very similar.  What you see in the picture is the Capricciosa.  We also had the Proscuitto e Funghi which looked exactly like the Capricciosa except without the salsiccia, bacon and artichoke.  Both featured a uniformly crispy crust that was nicely browned, but could've been a bit more charred.  The crust was properly seasoned while the tomato sauce was balanced.  Good amount of toppings and the proscuitto added salty meatiness.  Both featured arugula on top.

Onto the pastas, the fusion aspect of the menu really showed.  This was particularly true with the Kimchi Fettuccine with bacon and mushroom.  I quite enjoyed the layers of flavours in this dish where the kimchi offered up mild spiciness along with tanginess and sweetness.  The addition of cream toned down the spiciness but also made the pasta a bit heavy.  The fettuccine itself was house-made and cooked until al dente.  The addition of bacon added salty meatiness and the mushrooms added some pops of moisture and woodsiness.

On the topic of mushrooms, we had a new menu item in the Mushroom Pasta.  It consisted of firmly al dente spaghetti with a good amount of mushrooms.  This had a certain Japanese flair to it with the addition of butter and soy.  This was full of umamainess as well as the classic Asian flavour to the pasta.  This also sported a good amount of olives and capers which totally amped the overall flavour profile.  There was more saltiness (in a good way) and tanginess to provide impact. 

For our non-pasta dish, we had the Cotoletta di Maiale.  This featured a pork cutlet breaded and fried until super crispy.  The meat itself was tender and moist.  However, the best part of this dish was the Japanese demi sauce.  It was super savoury with sweetness and a touch of tanginess.  It was super addictive and honestly, I could put that on anything and it would taste good.  This came with some perfectly cooked veggies and nicely seared gnocchi.  They were firm, but soft enough to be appealing.

For dessert, we had the Frittelle tossed in sugar.  These little donuts were very soft and fluffy while the outside was crispy.  They were a touch greasy though.  I enjoyed the mild flavours and the slight crunch from the granulated sugar.  Overall, the food at Roseto is quite good.  The pasta is freshly made and totally legit.  The incorporation of Asian influences is seamless and reasonably-priced.  Totally loved the pork cutlet where it is a crazy good value at $22.00.  If you are needing to eat out as a family in the area and were going to spend chain restaurant money anyways, go check out Roseto Bistro.   You will be surprised.

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

The Good:
- Well-prepared eats
- Totally reasonable pricing
- Quality is there with house-made pasta

The Bad:
- Wished the pizza was more charred

Poke Club

Remember that Poke craze from 10 years ago?  It seemed like a new poke spot was opening up every week!  If you've ever been to Hawaii far before that, you'd know that the poke we have here is an interpretation of the original dish.  Save for a few places that serve up authentic poke, most places here make it accessible and as familiar as they can for the local population.  Hey, I don't blame them as restaurants are there to profit and they will serve whatever the masses are willing to pay for.  They are not there to satisfy the 10% who want it a certain way (those who are always complaining something isn't authentic).  This brings me to Poke Club in PoCo.  Sure, they have poke, but they also have some hot classic Hawaiian and Korean dishes.  Yah, that isn't poke, but really great for these never-ending cold and rainy days.

So we didn't have any cold poke bowls but did have something that was in-between in the Aburi Poke Bowl.  This was a pretty good value at $19.45 with 3 scoops of protein.  In this case we found tuna, salmon and bay scallops that were beautifully torched.  Hence there was some textural contrast as well as smokiness.  With the other components such as imitation crab, corn, cucumber, green onion and fried onions, there was plenty of toppings for the amount of chewy sushi rice.

Sticking with the Hawaiian theme (it is a poke joint after all!), we tried the Garlic Butter Shrimp for a reasonable price of $17.95.  These large shrimp (an oxymoron?) were meaty with a sweet snap texture.  They were garlicky and buttery, but I thought they were much more savoury with an intense sweetness from the caramelization.  The rice underneath soaked up all the juices and was delicious as well.   Some pineapple and imitation crab were added to the bowl too.

Now we can't have garlic butter shrimp and not have a Loco Moco on deck right?  Yet another classic Hawaiian dish, we found a house-made beef patty that was fairly lean.  Hence, it wasn't exactly juicy, but we really appreciated the natural beef texture and flavour.  Of course, this was served with a sunny side egg and gravy to go with the rice.  This was hearty and definitely great for the rainy weather we have right now.

So the Seoul Ra-Myun was definitely not Hawaiian but hey, with the large Asian population in Hawaii, I'm sure you'd find this dish somewhere.  This was so comforting and delicious with Nongshim noodles and beautifully seared thinly sliced beef.  This also came with a bowl of rice and kimchi.  Sure, nothing complex about this dish but for $12.99, it isn't any more expensive than typical fast food these days.

Lastly, we tried their Shrimp Burger that could be had in a spicy version as well.  I thought this was on point with a crispy patty that had soft fluffy shrimp paste in the middle.  It was not dense and went well with the soft toasted bun.  Overall, the warm and hot dishes we had at Poke Club were well-portioned, delicious and reasonably-priced.  Something a bit different for these cold and rainy days.  So you can have something other than poke bowls at Poke Club.

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

The Good:

- Tasty

- Good portions

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- Loved the lean burger patty, but maybe too lean? 

Osaka Kitchen

There was a time when travelling into Surrey for sushi would be contentious at best.  Times have changed where not only can we find good Japanese food, we can find all kinds of delicious eats.  You already know my love for Mauna Sushi and their high-quality aburi sushi located near Guildford Town Centre, where I regularly visit.  However, there is another spot also nearby in Osaka Kitchen.  This fairly spacious restaurant sports appealing decor combined with really large portions.

But what about the food quality?  We started off strong with the Hokkaido Hotate and Ebi Ceviches.  Buttery and sweet, the Hokkaido scallops were delicate and fresh.  It was served with a modest amount of yuzu citrus which added some acidity.  As for the ebi, it was not dressed very aggressively having just enough acidity for effect.  The ebi was meaty with a slight rebound texture.  The avocado and tomatoes were fresh.  This came with tapioca chips.  We wished they were just a bit larger in size and firmer in texture.

After the ceviches, we started with some specialty rolls including the David Shot Roll with spicy tuna and avocado in the middle topped with torched chopped scallop, jalapeno, spicy mayo and eel sauce.  Yes, this was a saucy roll, but it didn't eat heavy as it appeared.  The rice was nicely textured being chewy while not dry.  There was only a modest amount of it while the bulk of the roll was dedicated to soft spicy tuna and buttery scallops.

The plate of Assorted Tempura was absolutely gigantic consisting of 5 large ebi and an array of veggies.  We found the tempura batter just a touch thick, but it was still crispy outside.  Things were cooked just right.  Something very familiar to me was the Menbosha.  It is a Korean-Chinese dish which is like the Chinese shrimp toast.  This version was a lot less greasy than the Chinese Dim Sum dish.  It appears that they used brioche here and the bread didn't soak up as much oil.  Inside, the shrimp paste was firm, yet still naturally sweet and had a meaty rebound texture.

To get a sense of all the available options, we decided to try some aburi sushi.  Rather than the standard salmon version, we chose their recommended Ebi Oshi with a creamy and tangy sauce on top.  It was evenly seared with some smokiness and a pleasing appearance.  I liked how the sauce was not greasy despite being mayo-based.  The ebi underneath had a nice sweet snap texture.  Rice was good too being soft enough to hold its shape while still being chewy.

Not sure if the next 2 pictures do the following dishes any justice, but the plates were more like platters that were like 14" in diameter!  The first was the Godzilla Bites.  Sure, the amount of greens gave the illusion there was more food on the plate, but in reality, it was still quite a bit of components.  The Godzilla Bites consisted of a deep fried rice base topped with torched tuna, salmon, chopped scallop, alfalfa sprouts, tobiko, spicy mayo and eel sauce.  I found the rice to be quite firm.  I wished it was just a bit lighter and less dense.  Beyond that the generous amount of fish and scallop were sweet with a background smokiness.  Combined with sweet and tangy salad dressing, the salad was actually addictively delicious.

As for the Osaka Castle, it was more of a fancy seafood salad with a bevy of fresh greens as well as a tower of tuna, salmon imitation crab, hokkigai tobiko and chopped scallops.  When mixed together, along with the salad dressing, this was something I couldn't stop eating.  Normally, at other Japanese restaurants that offer a seafood salad, there is much more greens than seafood.  Not this one here.  There was enough for every bite to contain a cube of fish.

For those who want a one-stop shop for a meal, they can opt for the Osaka Course (for 2 people).  This included Mixed Tempura, Salad, Miso Soup, Mixed Sashimi, Osaka Roll and 2 Ice Cream (Black Sesame and Matcha).  This was only $68.00 and given the quality and quantity, it is a good deal.  The sashimi had a nice sheen and fresh smell.  Texturally it was on point too.  The roll stayed together and wasn't wound too tight.  Loved the mochi added to the ice cream as it gave the dessert texture.

Moving onto the rice part of the menu, we tried the Chicken Katsu Curry as well as the Unagi Don.  Being mild, but not overly sweet, the curry had a nice viscosity and we could taste the spices.  The rice was chewy and dry enough to accept the sauce and maintain an appealing texture.  As for the chicken cutlet, it was barely cooked, which meant it was juicy and moist.  The breading on the outside was crispy and not overly thick.

As much as an Unagi Don can be rather defaultish, not all are made equal.  As for this one, it was decent.  The rice was, by no surprise, exactly the same as the chicken katsu curry.  Being chewy, yet still soft, it went well with the proportionate amount of buttery soft unagi.  It was charred slightly, so it was smoky and full of caramelization.  There was enough eel sauce to help flavour both the eel and rice.

Not being specific enough, we accidentally ordered the Seafood Udon instead of the Seafood Yaki Udon.  Well, we ended up getting both and you know what?  We preferred the soup version more!  It sat in a flavourful dashi that took on the brininess of the mussels, hokkigai, squid and prawns.  Furthermore, the noodles were perfectly al dente.  As for the yaki udon, it had the same seafood and came sizzling on a cast iron hot plate.  We wished the plate was even hotter, as it didn't really caramelize the noodles.  It was still tasty though and at least, nothing was dry nor burnt.

Lastly, we had Tonkotsu Ramen with a side of gyoza (which is included in the combo).  We found the broth to be rather light, yet still was decent for a non-ramen spot.  The noodles were really good though being chewy.  The chashu was more meaty than fatty, yet it was still tender.  Gyoza were good with a thin wrapper and completely seared bottom.  Overall, we found the food at Osaka Kitchen to be rather tasty and generous in portion size.  There are a few items that could use improvement though, namely the tempura and the ramen.  Other than that, I found it good an am planning to bring my family back for a revisit.

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

The Good:

- Generally well-prepared eats

- Generous portions

- Nice dining space

The Bad:

- Some further refinement needed with the tempura batter and the ramen broth