The Fishman

After my initial visit to The Fishman back in 2022, I really wanted to go back.  For a place that almost exclusively features fresh (mostly live) seafood, the prices are surprisingly reasonable.  Couple that with expert execution and just outright deliciousness, you can see why they are always busy.  This time around, I am incorporating 2 recent visits into one blog post.  I got to sample a few more items this time and you know what?  I love The Fishman even more so now!

On my first return visit, we started with the Jumbo Prawns.  These could be had in 2 different preparations - Sichuan or Salted Egg Yolk.   We chose the former and they were fantastic.  When they said jumbo, they weren't lying.  These giant prawns were deep fried perfectly where the shell was crispy and edible while the meat had a firm snap.  They were naturally sweet and a bit briny but the Sichaun peppercorns added numbing spice.  There was some earthiness to the dish from the use of cumin.

Next we had the Wok Fry Clams with Black Bean Sauce that also came in a pretty large portion.  Although there were a few unopened clams, most were opened and cooked well.  We didn't notice much sand either.  The clams were buttery with an appealing chewiness.  There was plenty of sauce, so we could spoon it out with the shells.  I thought the viscosity was on point.  As for flavour, there was enough fermented saltiness and garlic.  However, a bit more spice would've made it perfect.

For our larger dish, we selected from the fresh sheet and had the Live Boston Lobster with black truffle cream sauce and yee mein.   This was indeed a generous portion as there was plenty of yee mein.  It was perfectly cooked as it wasn't overly soft (despite it naturally being on the softer side).  The black truffle sauce was earthy and creamy but I wasn't sure it necessarily went with the lobster.  I felt it was delicious on its own, but ultimately overshadowed the sweet lobster meat.

To get some balance in our meal, we got the Stir-Fried Crown Daisy with red fermented tofu and Thai chili.  This was absolutely delicious as it made me go for seconds, thirds and fourths.  You see, I'm normally not a fan of crown daisy due to its pungency.  However, the liberal use of Nam Yu (red fermented tofu) helped balance the natural taste of the vegetable.  It was also cooked properly where it was completely wilted but still had crunch in the stalks.

Normally, the Sea Scallops come in an order of 4, but they only had 3 left.  Well, we weren't going to let that small detail from ordering it!  Turns out that it was a great move since they were so good.  Each scallop was large and super sweet.  They were buttery and had the contrasting chewy mantle surrounding it.   As expected, there was vermicelli underneath to soak up the natural juices.  On top, we found plenty of garlic and scallion that offered up aromatics and pungency.  Some sweet seafood soy helped flavour the dish.

On the next visit, we went for something similar to the scallops and went for the fresh sheet again with the Irish Razor Clams.  These were steamed in the same manner as the sea scallops.  Hence, the flavour profile had the sweet saltiness of the seafood sauce, the brightness of the green onion and pungency of the garlic.  I felt the sweetness of the razor clams to be equal to the scallops but maybe with more brininess.  Vermicelli was al dente and super delicious.  Clams were buttery with some bite.

We went big with the Spicy Fish Hot Pot with the ling cod option.  This was a massive bowl of food as it took up like one quarter of our table.  It was filled to the brim with tender and buttery slices of ling cod.  The fish was supremely fresh, sweet and had a taste of the sea.  It was sitting in a fairly spicy broth, but it was balanced as we could still taste the fish.  There was some Sichuan peppercorns in there for some numbing effect. We found some glass noodles, sprouts and tofu as well.

We also got a lobster for this meal as well with the Salted Egg Yolk Whole Lobster with sliced rice cakes.  Although the lobster was fried perfectly with a crispy starch exterior and bouncy and sweet meat, the salted egg yolk was a bit too dry and crumbly.  Don't get me wrong, it was still delicious with the nutty salted egg taste.  In fact, there was many discernible pieces of salted egg yolk.  However, it wasn't a sauce per se and didn't season everything equally.  This was due to the fact they used hard salted egg yolks.  Normally, this dish employs soft, almost watery salted egg yolks to create a sauce.

Going away from seafood, we went for some BBQ Skewers in chicken hearts, pork intestine and chicken knees.  I thought these were well-prepared too.  The chicken hearts were still juicy despite the charring on the outside.  They were well-seasoned with some spice, saltiness and earthiness.  Same could be said about the chicken knees as they had a nice crunch while still being moist.  The intestines were a bit more dry, but still had a moist interior to contrast the slight crispiness of the exterior.  I didn't find them particularly gamy as the seasoning did help mask it.  So these 2 revisits to The Fishman only helped validate what I already knew - they dish up fresh seafood in a delicious manner.  Considering the portion sizes and the quality of the seafood, I find the prices reasonable.  If you haven't checked them out, I recommend that you do!

The Good:

- Fresh seafood

- Delicious

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- That parking lot is woefully insufficient

- Super busy at peak times, make sure you have a reservation

- Salted egg yolk should use liquid yolks not hard yolks

Madame Danh

You know how I feel about modern restaurants that feature what we have historically seen as "cheap eats".  I actually like them and appreciate the different perspective and elevation of the cuisine.  Sure, we have to pay more, but we are typically getting more refined food and superior ambiance and service.  For those who don't see it the same way as I do, that is fine because the less expensive spots still do exist and really, I enjoy those as well.  My belief is that you can't compare apples to oranges and all restaurants serve different purposes.  This brings me to the newest modern Vietnamese restaurant in Madame Danh out in the Fraserhood.

One look at the menu and it is clear that they are not merely going for the value conscious crowd.  They are appealing to those who seek something unique and more refine that they are willing to pay for.  That was pretty clear with the Bone Marrow.  You normally do not see this other than possibly fine dining, so it gives you a sense of what the restaurant is all about.  These were some pretty big bones with plenty of buttery and well-salted bone marrow.  Loved the smokiness and the overall richness.  This was served with crunchy crostinis with a side of pickled veg to lighten things up.

Next, we also had the Pork Liver Pâté served with the same grilled baguette slices.  This was classic French with a smooth texture, yet at the same time, had some meatiness left.  It had an initial sweetness then gave way to umami savouriness.  There was definitely the aromatics of shallots and also slight background liquor finish.  The dish would not be out of place in a French bistro or even higher end establishment.  If you look at it from this perspective, $15.00 is plenty reasonable.  On the side, it once again had the pickled veg which helped add crunch and acidity.

Staying with composed dishes, we had the Tender Charred Octopus with zesty chili sauce.  Once again, we had another dish that would look very much at home at a fancier restaurant or even Spanish tapas.  No one would blink at paying $17.00 for this plate.  It was especially true since the octopus was on point.  Each piece was tender but was still appealingly chewy.  There was a nice smokiness to it and the seasoning was on point.  However, the thing that put it over the top was the side of chili sauce.  It didn't look it, but there was considerable spice to compliment the brightness and that worked beautifully. 

Okay, moving over to some more traditional dishes, we had the Vietnamese Spring Rolls.  Honestly, I do think for this one, it could probably be priced a little less than $14.00.  Compared the previous 3 dishes, it wasn't particularly different that any other version I've had.  On the other hand, that didn't mean it wasn't good though.  In fact, it was one of the better ones I've tried lately.  The best thing about it was the thin and crispy outer wrapper.  Due to the lack of multiple layers, it lead directly to the delicious and light filling.

We also had the Caramel Garlic Wings which were fantastic.  These large flats were super crispy with fairly rendered skin.  Beyond that, the meat itself was juicy, tender and well-seasoned.  I really appreciated that the outside was firmly crispy, but wasn't hard at the same time.  This gave a real textural contrast to the tender meat.  As for the flavour, it was a good combination of sweetness, aromatics and slight brininess.  

We had one item that was not on the menu yet, but based on how much we enjoyed it, I'm confident it will be a permanent item soon enough.  This as the Beef Salad with basil and fried taro sticks.  First and foremost, the thing that made this dish was the considerable amount of tender beef.  We could really tell it was high-quality and in fact it was AAA.  It was prepared slightly rare and was buttery and soft.  The acidity of the marinade combined with the fish sauce provided a sweet tangy brininess.  The salad had it all, meatiness, herbaceousness and crunch.  Delicious.

Onto the bigger items, we had the Pho Bo with AAA rare beef, brisket and beef short plate.  Once again, they were not shy with the amount of meat they loaded into the bowl.   As with the beef salad, the rare beef was super buttery and required very little chewing.  As for the brisket, it was surprisingly soft despite being a thicker cut.  It had appealing marbling.  This made it buttery and also flavourful.  The short plate was also excellent being tender.  As for the broth, it was meaty with background aromatics.  I would say it was on the lighter side, but that also meant that it wasn't overly salty either.

I really enjoyed the Squid Ink Fried Rice as the texture was perfect.  Each grain of rice was discernible with a perfect al dente chewiness.  There was the nuttiness and caramelization from the stir-fry while being easy on the greasiness.  I found the dish to be properly seasoned with a touch of brininess from the ample amount of dried scallop as well as the dollop of tobiko on top.  Add in the usual egg and the fried rice had body and texture (other than the rice itself).  Lastly, the bits of squid were buttery with a nice bounce texture.

Our last savoury item was the Crispy Duck Noodles that featured a large duck leg confit on top.  It featured uniformly crispy skin that was fairly well-rendered.  It was nicely salted, but not to the point it was too much so.  The duck meat itself was tender and fatty while seasoned only enough that the natural meat flavour still came through.  Underneath, we found slippery rice noodles that had a slight elasticity.  We used the side of fish sauce to help seasoned the noodles.

Of course we got some drinks to go with our meal including Kumquat Red Tea, Marble Green Milk Tea and Butterfly Pea Suger Cane.  My favourite of the 3 had to be the latter as it was purposefully sweet and refreshing.  For dessert, we tried Madame's Pandan Tempration.  It consisted of fried donut sticks with a side of pandan sauce.    We found the donut sticks to be crispy on the outside and fairly fluffy on the inside.  The sweet condensed milk & pandan offered up sweetness and aromatics.   A nice way to finish off a delicious meal.  Consisting of high-quality ingredients prepared in a careful manner, the food at Madame Danh is definitely a cut above most other Vietnamese restaurants.  Sure, the menu pricing is on the higher side, but you are paying for quality and execution.  I found the dishes to be unique as well, so you are getting a different experience.

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

The Good:

- Refined dishes

- Well-prepared and delicious

- Nice dining space

The Bad:

- Although I think it the pricing is fair, there needs to be a few more inexpensive items to round out the menu

Annalena

One of my favourite restaurants in Vancouver is AnnaLena.  I've been a fan since it opened and have had many great meals there.  They are totally deserving of their Michelin-star with the combination of expertly prepared plates and stellar service.  The last time, I enjoyed a delicious tasting menu that featured their fan-favourite mussels with toasted torn brioche.  This time around, I joined Eileen in dining on their January 2025 version of their ever-changing tasting menu.  Thankfully, they still featured their signature dish.

At first, we were first seated, we noticed some small styrofoam cooler boxes being served within the room.  Turns out, that was the first course in the Oysters topped with apple and grated frozen foie gras.  Loved the presentation as it made for a fun reveal.  But this wasn't just all flash and no dash.  The oysters were fresh, sweet and briny with a taste of the sea.  The addition of apples provided another layer of sweetness while the foie was cold and buttery.  Something completely different, but it worked.

The little bites continued with La Mascotte with togarashi and squash.  This croquette was light and sweet with a slightly crispy exterior.  The squash was delicate while combined with the cheese, it had a bit of everything including nuttiness, saltiness and aromatics.  With some togarashi, we found the addition of some slight tanginess as well as spice and of course umaminess.  Another nice little bite before we got into the bigger items.

Served in crispy nori cones, we had the Bison Tartare next.  This was pretty straight-forward with tender and buttery hand-diced pieces of bison.  Although they added spices to the mix, the natural meatiness of the bison did come through.  If you were expecting a classic French tartare, this had a different flavour to it due to the spices.  It was less of that usual mustardy tang, but did have the luscious egg yolk silkiness.

Last small bite was the Sweet Onion & Bacon Tart with munster cheese.  I really loved this as the pastry was so flaky and buttery.  It had a layered crispiness on the outside that encased caramelized sweet onion.  The bacon was the perfect contrast with its smoky saltiness.  On top, the munster cheese foam was light and airy while giving off mild cheesiness in the form of aromatics and slight nuttiness.  Moving on from the snacks, we were served the Beets with sunchoke and yuzu.  This was a pretty straight-forward dish with beets served 2 ways with julienned crunchy beets on the top and tender pieces underneath.  There was the usual earthy sweetness complimented by the brightness of yuzu.

Of course, no tasting menu at Annalena would be complete without their famous Mussels with torn brioche.  This version featured dungeness crab with a blue cheese cream sauce.  It wasn't as pungent as it appeared, but definitely had a slight finish of sharpness.  Otherwise, it was aromatic and sweet with the ever-so-slight background taste of brininess.  Of course the real star of the show was the torched torn brioche that was dipped into the sauce.  The contrast of fluffiness and elasticity with the crunch and nuttiness of the outside made this brioche addictive.

Following up a variation of their iconic mussels dish would be quite a formidable task, but I found their Carrot Agnolotti up to the task.  Beyond the perfectly textured and prepared pasta, the filling was delicious.  It was smooth and sweet, but also balanced.  The pasta itself had a bite and exhibited appealing elasticity.  We ended up getting the shaved black truffles as a supplement and the earthiness paired well with the umami of the miso consomme.

With our main protein, there was also an option to pay an extra $10.00 for Black Cod, but we stuck with the regular option in the Dry Aged Lamb Saddle with ajvar, cauliflower puree and endive.  Thankfully I chose the lamb as it was supremely tender and juicy.  It was nicely medium-rare and tasted like all good things about lamb.  What made it even better was the rich and meaty jus on the side.  Rounding out the dish was some avjar or red pepper sauce that was not spicy.  Rather it was sweet and earthy.

Dessert consisted of pre-dessert, dessert and then post-dessert.  The first to hit the table was the Liquorice Root & Long Pepper Float.  These cute little mugs revealed a spiced sweetness with a hint of bitter aftertaste.  I really enjoyed this as I do like liquorice.  Next, we had the Roasted Apple with charcoal caramel and milk ice cream.  This appeared to be fairly simple but it ate more complex.  The smoky sweetness of the caramel naturally paired well with the tender apple.   Ice cream was light and creamy.

Lastly, we were served some Charcoal Cream Puff (at least that is what I think it was).  These were light with a crispy choux pastry that was airy inside.  Cream was light and not too sweet.   This was a nice easy finish to an enjoyable meal.  Annalena never fails to provide a dining experience that takes you on a journey of textures and flavours.  They have definitely earned their Michelin star and with their excellent attentive service, they will easily maintain that star moving forward.

The Good:

- Always expertly-prepared composed dishes

- Excellent service

- Menu is always evolving

The Bad:

- Parking in the area is limited

Liuyishou Hot Pot & BBQ (Robson)

Okay, you might be wondering why there is yet another Liuyishou post on my blog.  Also, why is it at the Robson location as I've visited it not that long ago.  Well, there are a few reasons for this.  First of all, I've never had the AYCE dinner menu at this spot before and more importantly, they now have the option to add AYCE BBQ in addition to the hot pot for only for $32.99 (+$2.00 on weekends and holidays).  I don't know about you, but just having the AYCE hot pot alone for that price (in Downtown by-the-way) is a steal.  Add in BBQ, then you really have an affordable meal that isn't just a burger and fries (if you haven't seen lately, that will cost you $25.00+ at most places).

In addition to their AYCE menu that you check off and hand over to the staff, there is also a Self-Serve section that consists of noodles, fish balls, tofu products and the sort.  This is a great way in cutting down the time waiting for items and being able to get cooking right away.  Next to it is the Sauce Bar, where you can make your custom dip for all the food you cook.  It isn't the most comprehensive selection, but you can create a pretty tasty concoction.  Over to the left of this section, you will find some braised pork bones as well as a jelly dessert.

Right beside the Sauce Bar, we found a few items including Boiled Peanuts, Grape Tomatoes, Pickled Daikon & Carrots, Orange Wedges, Spicy Chicken and Shrimp Chips.  Next to it, we found a selection of hot food too with fried chicken wings, salted crispy chicken and spring rolls.  There was also an adjacent chaffing tray with fried rice and 2 stir-fries.  However, that particular tray was never refilled for the 2 hours we were there.  The highlight had to be the juicy chicken wings.

So the BBQ plate sat atop the exhaust of the hot pot.  This was a space-saving way of having both types of cooking vessels.  For our hot pot broths, we chose Pork Tripe with black pepper and the Golden Chicken Broth.  Loved both as they were flavourful and naturally sweet.  Great for those who don't want spicy.  They put a piece of parchment on the BBQ plate and it was necessary as the meat got stuck on pretty hard on parts without it.  As you can see, we had the Liu's Beef & Lamb Platter that looked impressive around the hot pot.  Meats were sliced thin and cooked up tender.

In the pictures above, this was just a sample of the items that can be ordered from the AYCE menu.  These included cooked items such as Deep Fried Pork and Fried Chinese Donut.  There was also an assortment of tripe and beef aorta.  In addition, we found freshly made meatballs and also crispy sausages.  There was also a BBQ meat section that featured Signature Marinated Beef (also spicy version) and Black Pepper Chicken.  Overall, the combination of Hot Pot and BBQ with broth included as well as the wide selection of ingredients and cooked food makes this an absolute steal.  With the unaffordability of eating out these days, it is nice to see something so fulfilling for under $35.00.  Would totally do this meal again.

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

The Good:

- You get both AYCE Hot Pot and BBQ

- Reasonable price

- Lots of choices

The Bad:

- Food does get stuck onto the grill where there isn't parchment

- Self-serve area is a bottleneck and some cooked food doesn't get refilled enough  

Kamei on Broadway (Seasonal Menu)

I remember heading to Kamei on Broadway as a kid and getting my real first introduction to sushi.  It wasn't long after that I got hooked onto slices of raw fish, nigiri and maki.  Fast forward to the present and Kamei still stands in the very same spot with some of the same decor.  However, they have modernized with cocktails and creative menu items.  I sampled that last time I was here.  This time around, we got to try some of their items from the Seasonal Menu.

Although the dishes didn't arrive in this order, I will talk about the smaller plates first.  These included the Spicy Tuna Crisp and the BBQ Pork Kushiyaki.  With perfectly fried sushi rice, the textures were on point.  The rice itself was warm, chewy and seasoned while the outside was uniformly crunchy.  Tuna was buttery and mildly spiced.  As for the pork kushi, it was seared up well being a bit crispy.  With just enough fat, the meat was bouncy and tender.

Onto the bigger plates, we had the Roast Beef Pasta.  This featured thin slices of perfectly medium-rare roast beef.  It appeared to be sous-vide since it was really soft and uniformly cooked (but not completely sure).  The al dente pasta was dressed in a cream sauce with mushroom, onion and bacon.  I could definitely get the onion in the pasta and would've liked to see it cooked down a bit more.  The onsen egg on top added another layer of creaminess. 

The showstopper had to be the Nova Scotia Lobster Pasta.  For $55.00 on Saturdays, you get a whole lobster's worth of meat in a creamy pasta.  I thought this was quite good where the pasta was al dente like the previous dish.  It was creamy, but not heavy.  The sauce was like a hybrid of creamy and brothy.  Hence the broth portion was full of lobster umaminess.  The pieces of lobster were sweet and had that bounce texture.  Moreover, the claws had even more meat (once you got into them).

We also tried the Tonkotsu Ramen which was hit and miss.  I found the noodles to be perfectly chewy with elasticity.  Even the broth was fairly good having a creaminess and meatiness.  The fatty chashu was melt-in-our-mouths tender while exhibiting a rich porky flavour.  So far so good right?  Well, the addition of red onion was a real miss as it was far too strong and overtook everything in terms of impact.  If you are to order this, get them to omit it. 

We also had some Drinks to go with our food including the Sunshine Coast, Coke Float, Shinjuku Martini and Plum Spritzer.  Our last dish was almost as showstopping as the Lobster Pasta.  The Unagi Tamago Don featured a big piece of tamagoyaki underneath the eel.  About that eel, it was literally the whole thing with 2 large fillets beautifully grilled and glazed.  The tamagoyaki was also good where it was sweet and fluffy.  Overall, the seasonal menu at Kamei is quite good.  It features an array of dishes at reasonable prices.  The lobster pasta special is also good and well-priced considering how much lobster you get.  Same could be said about the Unagi Tamago Don.  Nice to see them changing it up with modern offerings.

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

The Good:

- Doing something different as opposed to the regular stuff

- Well-priced, including the cocktails

- Deluxe daily specials where you can have the expensive stuff for less

The Bad:

- Parking is still not the best in the area

- Ramen should not have red onion in it, too strong