The Gray Olive

If you don't already know, The Gray Olive out in North Burnaby has expanded.  They have taken over the insurance agency that was next door on the corner.  Hence, they have tripled their capacity and now are a full-service restaurant (rather than the counter service they had before).  I've actually been here somewhat recently and enjoyed the fact I didn't have to wait in line and also could have my order taken at my table.  The best thing of all is the food is still on point and there are even some new items on the menu.  I had a chance to try more dishes as we were invited to do so!

Things got off to a great start with the GO Breakfast Platter featuring 2 eggs, bacon, pork & leek sausage, chimichurri, tomatoes, toast and a side (cubed hashbrowns in this case).  So on the surface, preparing a plate of breakfast items doesn't seem overly complex.  However, to create an appealing plate is another matter.  They did that well here with thick cut and meaty bacon as well as a juicy and flavourful leek sausage.  The addition of bright chimichurri atop fresh grilled tomatoes made things a bit more brighter.

We can't forget about their Chicken & Waffle and as much as this version is pretty straightforward, it was executed properly.  The generous portion of fried chicken thighs were juicy and tender while having a uniformly crunchy batter.  The chicken itself and the batter were both properly seasoned.  As for the waffle, it was crispy on the outside while fairly airy on the inside.  On the side, we found creamy honey butter and maple syrup.

Staying with fried chicken, you know that the fried chicken thigh would be repurposed in some way.  Well, if your guess was a Fried Chicken Sandwich, then you would be right.  As you can see in the picture, there was more than enough chicken for every bite of the sandwich.  It sat in a soft, but toasted brioche bun with cabbage, pickles and dill aioli.  Side of fries were super crispy. Solid sammie, but I personally like the spicy version more for an extra $1.00.

 

One sandwich that I've never tried before was the Cheesesteak Dip.  All the usual ingredients were there including shaved beef, sauteed peppers, onions, mushrooms and shredded cheese on a toasted baguette.  By itself, I thought it was already a substantial sandwich that had plenty of umami, sweetness and cheesiness.  However, when it was made into a beef dip, this added more saltiness and of course moisture to the crunchy baguette.  Personally I would've eaten it without the dip as the sandwich was great already with a nice crunch from the bread.

They also have a nice selection of Bennys and for myself, my favourite is the Crab Cake Benny.  Now if you have tried different versions of crab cakes, you will find this one a bit lacking in crab.  However, for me at least, it was still tasty since the texture was light and fluffy while being crispy on the outside.  Besides, this Benny costs as much as the other ones, so we wouldn't expect a jam-packed crab cake for that price.  These sat on top of a biscuit with red pepper relish and arugula.

Yes, that means the Pulled Pork Benny costs as much as the Crab Cake Benny.  But don't worry, they pile so much tender pulled pork on top, I believe you still get your money's worth.  For this version, everything sat on corn bread.  It was crispy with a fairly moist interior.  Good call on using that as the bread because it went really well with the pulled pork.  Eggs were soft-poached with a runny yolk while the Hollandaise was creamy, not overly heavy and well-seasoned.

Another favourite of mine is the French Toast made with slices of baguette.  These were soaked enough so that the texture became more like bread pudding.  Hence, there was this custardy, soft thing going on that was rather appealing.  Don't mistaken it for soggy though as it wasn't.  These were seared up nicely with a nutty flavour from the butter.  This was served with syrup and even more butter on the side.

Making sure we represent the whole menu, we got both of their daily soups including Mushroom and Tomato.  I thought the mushroom was tasty without being salty.  The earthiness did come through, not only from the mushrooms, but also from the thyme and rosemary.  Tomato soup was somewhat creamy and sweet, hence it took some of the harsh acidity out.  It was smooth and had great natural flavour.   The missing side to the GO platter was the cubed hashbrowns in this picture.  Last item was the Pancake and it was fairly fluffy and aromatic.  As for our beverages, I was the only one to select something hot in the Spanish Latte.   It was creamy and lightly sweet.  We also had the Thai Iced Tea, Cold Matcha Latte and the Thai Iced Ying Yang.  So, The Gray Olive has been around since 2017 and they have consistently put out quality and delicious food for breakfast & brunch (also some lunch items in the past).  It is nice to see things are still on the right path with more seats!  

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

The Good:

- Solid breakfast and brunch

- Well-portioned

- Now with more seats!

The Bad:

- Like with everything else and everywhere else, prices are creeping up there

 

Combine Cafe & Bar

For those who are not in the know, Surrey Central has become (or already is) a bustling and modern community that is on an upward trajectory.  Sure, there are still remnants of the old Whalley that has yet to be redeveloped, but the place is attracting people and businesses alike.  So it wasn't surprising to see a beautiful restaurant in Combine Cafe & Bar open up shop along King George Hwy near Fraser Hwy.  It is actually right across from the King George Skytrain station and dishes up food that is both sustainable and locally-sourced.

Jackie and I were invited to try the place out and we were impressed with what they have done with the space as it is inviting with lots of natural light.  We started with the some drinks including the Wine Flight and also a mocktail in the Cosmo.  The appetizer menu is fairly simple and at first, we were not interested in ordering the Baked Focaccia.  Well, thank goodness they recommended it because the bread was super fluffy and soft with a slightly crispy exterior.  The addition of tomatoes and peppers on the top afforded some moisture and pops of sweet tanginess.  They finished it off with some herbed butter and that just helped amp up the aromatics and butteriness.

Next, we had the Oysters Rockefeller that were a bit different than the traditional version.  It still had a creamy butter sauce, but had far more melted cheese on it.  In a sense, that helped lock in the moisture of the oyster and they turned out to be juicy and soft.  Lots of natural brininess from the fresh oysters.  There could've been a bit more sauce, but otherwise, this was a serviceable version.

We ended up building-our-own Charcuterie Board with cured salmon, smoked duck, gouda, chili jam, toasted almonds and pickled vegetables.  They did a fine job in arranging the items on the board where it looked appetizing.  I particularly enjoyed the cured salmon as they were in large slices and the texture was buttery.  Nice sweetness accented by just a bit of saltiness.  The smoked duck was good too being tender with a quick sear from the torch.  Not a fan of the pickled vegetables as I would've preferred distinguishable pieces rather than a blitz through the food processor.  Almonds were fantastic with a sweet crunch.

Onto the mains, we had the Chilean Chicken with chorizo, white wine cream sauce, mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables.  I thought it was artfully plated with well-prepared components.  The root veggies were cooked through, yet still had a firmness to them.  They were intensely sweet from the caramelization.  The swaft of mashed potatoes was smooth and creamy.  Wished there was more of it though!  Chorizo was seared, hence it amplified the salty spice.  There was some smokiness too.  The chicken itself was a bit hit and miss.  The interior of the chicken leg was tender and moist, but the outer parts were a bit dry.

For the Oyster Cream Pasta, we added Teriyaki Salmon so that it would have some more protein.  We found the spaghetti to be perfectly al dente and bathed in a minimal amount of cream sauce.  I thought that was okay, but the promise of oyster sweet and brininess wasn't really there.  I mean, the pasta was solid and it did have enough seasoning, just needed more oysters or oyster liquour.   I would be fine paying more money for more oysters in the dish.  As for the salmon we added, it was not dry, but not moist either, somewhere in between.  The sauce was tasty though and the amount of it helped keep the salmon from being dry.

For dessert, we had the Ooops! Ice Cream which was more playful than anything else.  Consisting of vanilla bean ice cream with a waffle cone inverted on top, the dish also had berry compote, poached pear and cookie crumbs.  So was this something I would normally order?  Well no, but I enjoyed it all the same.  The ice cream was rich and creamy while the cone was crispy and aromatic.  The compote and pear added some bright fruitiness and the crumbs provided more texture.  In general, Combine Cafe & Bar is a stylish place where you can enjoy drinks with friends.  The food is quite serviceable but some further refinement is needed for them to be competitive with similar restaurants.

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

The Good:

- Wonderful space

- Serviceable eats

- On the right track

The Bad:

- Food needs further refinement

Sol Lee's

Some might suggest that the best Korean food outside of Korea can be found in K-Town in Downtown LA or even in NYC.  Having visited both in the past, I can attest that the Korean eats are indeed excellent at both locations.  However, I personally think that the Korean food in the GVRD is pretty good too.  Sure, I might have a bias here, but I truly believe in that sentiment.  Look no further than our very own K-Town along North Road straddling the border of Burnaby and Coquitlam for authentic Korean eats.  There are many to choose from and now, we have another in Sol Lee's within the H-Mart shopping complex.

If you have been here, you will know parking is quite the challenge, yet I assure you it is worth it for all of the available restaurants.  I will of course concentrate on Sol Lee's with their well-priced menu.  The one dish that I would absolutely recommend that you order is the Deep Fried Rex Sole.  For $18.95, you get not one, but 2 huge perfectly crispy whole sole.  Beyond the light batter, the fish itself is flaky and super moist.  With a bit of spicy sauce on the side, this is hugely addictive.  Despite being 2 whole fish, you could eat all of this since it was not heavy.

Going with one of the classics, the Pork Back Bone Soup (Gamjatang) is solid as well.  This is pretty textbook with a hearty broth bubbling within a hot stone bowl.  It is full of depth and has meatiness, tang and plenty of savouriness.  A background spiciness exists too.  There is no shortage of meaty pork bones sitting within the hot broth.  The bones feature super tender meat that takes on all of the flavours of the broth.

When in a Korean restaurant, we can never pass up the opportunity to order some Grilled Beef Ribs (Kalbi) and this one doesn't disappoint.  It arrives on a sizzling cast iron plate and each piece has plenty of beef where the fat is minimal.  They are evenly grilled on each side displaying appealing sear marks that are smoky with sweet caramelization.  The marinade ensures that each piece is a good balance of sweet and savoury.  Being tender, the meat still exhibits some chewiness for a great texture.

Sticking with the greatest hits, the Seafood Pancake (Haemul Pajeon) is another textbook item.  This is a fairly thin version, which is actually a good thing.  I find the overly thick ones end up to be much too dense and doughy.  Hence, this one has a uniformly crunchy exterior that is nutty and not too greasy.  The inside is delicate and moist with only a modest amount of green onion.  Some versions have far too much green onion and it overwhelms the dish.  There is a modest amount of seafood bits strewn throughout that gives the pancake some texture.

Onto some noodle and rice dishes, another staple is the Hot Stone Bowl Rice (Dolset Bibimbap).  This arrives sizzling hot and stays as such even after some picture-taking.  As such, I can mix the components with gochujang and I am able to get a socarrat by pushing the rice onto the sides and bottom of the hot bowl.  It also helps that the rice is not too soft, which means it can crisp up properly.  There is a good amount of toppings which in turn gives each scoop of rice some substance.

Lastly, the Cold Noodles with Raw Skate Fish is an under-the-radar dish.  This is something I don't remember having before.  Well, I've had the cold noodles, but not the raw skate fish.  It will not be the last time either as the fish has a wonderful chewy texture that exhibits a pleasing rebound.  The soft cartilage is easily chewable and the sweet and slightly spicy sauce goes well with the skate.  Noodles are pleasingly chewy too.  Overall, the food at Sol Lee's is solid and pleasing to eat.  Prices are reasonable and portion sizes are generours.  Great addition to the strip mall full of many other restaurants.

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

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Large portions

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- Parking lot is a disaster

Red Burrito (Cambie)

Wow, this is a Vancouver classic isn't it?  I'm sure all of you are familiar with The Red Burrito that graces the corner of Commercial Drive and 1st Ave.  They have been there since 2006 and have kept to their mission simple, offer quality food at reasonable prices.  To be honest, I haven't been there for quite some time, despite the fact I drive by it all the time on my way home.  Well, it was time we got reacquainted with an invite to try out their Cambie Street location.  It is a small counter service outfit that is great for a quick meal or take-out.

Of course, we need to get their most popular item on the menu with the Red Burrito.  This thing is huge with a choice of red, white or whole wheat tortilla.  If you want to be authentic, you chose the red one of course!  It is filled with rice, beans, choice of meat (or meat substitute), an array of veggies and choice of salsa.  This one has chicken with all the veggies (including onions, cilantro, cabbage, lettuce etc...) and tomatillo salsa.  Looking at the picture, see how they completely load it up and it is a plenty filling.  The chicken is moist with enough seasoning.  If you want a "drowned burrito", you can go for the Burrito Ahogado.  This is essentially a Red Burrito with extra hot tomato salsa, cheese, and sour cream.  Instead of chicken, we had beef with this.

There are six different meat/veggie options for all of their burritos, bowls and Tacos.  What better way to get a sense of all of them?  The available choices include spicy beef, grilled chicken, tinga chicken, pasilla pork, vegan meat and vegetarian.  If you want your tacos to be traditional, they only top them with onion and cilantro.  However, you can have all the veggies on top too if you want it that way.  They aren't shy about loading them up with meat either.  I find that all of their meats are generally moist and tender.  My favourite of the bunch is the spicy beef as well as the pasilla pork.

So another item that features much of the same items, but without the tortilla, is the Burrito Bowl.   Despite the same ingredients (with spicy beef this time), the bowl eats different than the burrito.  Obviously without the tortilla, it is more rice and meat focused.  Personally, I prefer this as it is easier to manage.  Also large and containing lots of meat, their Tamale Ahogado iw plenty hearty and delicious.  I find the masa to be a bit on the firmer side with a considerable amount of tender and spiced meat in the middle.  It is topped with all the sauces and sour cream.

One of the more under-the-radar items is the Nachos with queso, pork, sour cream, onions and cilantro.  What really makes this dish is the crispy and fresh tortilla chips.  Also the cheese and meat add the necessary flavour and body.  These same crispy tortillas make the Tortilla Soup quite good too.  It has a tangy spiciness to it with melted cheese and crunchy fried tortilla pieces.  There is also a bright cilantro hit too.

Lastly, how about a few drinks in the Horchata, Jamaica and Cherry Blossom Horchata.  I think the horchata is purposefully sweet and aromatic with cinnamon notes.  The Jamaica is tangy and fruity from the hibiscus while only mildly sweet.  As for the last item in the picture, it is a Cherry Blossom Rice Pudding.  This is floral and pretty sweet with firm rice.  A nice end to a delicious sampling of their food!  I have forgotten how good the meats are at Red Burrito and they are definitely the star of the dishes.  You can't go wrong with any of them in the burrito, bowls, tacos and nachos!

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

The Good:

- Moist and flavourful meats

- Loaded burritos, tacos and bowls

- Affordable

The Bad:

- Limited seating, so better for take out

Elem

Here is another double-post on Elem, where it was my 4th and 5th visits respectively.  I bet you can tell I really enjoy the place and am willing to spend my hard-earned money on their delicious and carefully-crafted eats.  I truly believe the team of Vish, Winnie, Hasib and all the great people in the kitchen and front-of-the-house are doing all the right things to put Elem in the running for both a Michelin-Star and to be included in Canada's Top 100 restaurants.  So without further ado, I will talk about all the plates I had in both meals!

Of course I start off every meal at Elem with their wonderful Bread & Butter featuring their rye Parker rolls.  For the first meal, the butter was citrus fennel pollen.  The second was a koji butter with chives.  As usual, the warm rolls were slightly crispy on the outside while soft and fluffy on the inside.  They were lightly sweet while the butter added an aromatic creaminess.  If I had to choose, the koji butter really did it for me since it was lightly tangy and plenty bright from the chives.

Winnie and I had a convo last time I was here where we expressed our common love for corn.  Hence, she surprised me with a Elote cocktail.  It consisted of grilled corn tequila reposado, corn-honey-cilantro-cumin syrup, chipotle chili, lactose-free cream, fresh lime and shaved cojita cheese.  This was rather creamy and sweet with a hint of spice and earthiness.  The cheese on top really added depth and an extra layer of savouriness.  I want this again!  Staying with the classics, we also had the Jakarta, which is the most fruity and lightest of all the cocktails on the menu.

Onto what I consider their signature dish - the Dungeness Crab Toast.  This house made milk bread was toasted and then set in a lemongrass ginger crab foam.  As you can see, they also are not shy about laying on the fluffy dungeness crab on top of the toast.  Every component in this dish served a purpose and they worked harmoniously together.  Aromatic and full of sweet brininess, the foam helped bring out even more of the natural crab flavour.  The toast had a nice sturdiness to it, so it did not get soggy from the foam.  The crispiness was a nice textural contrast.

It all started with the duck fried rice, then transitioned to the Shrimp Fried Rice and finally to the BBQ Chicken Fried Rice.  They all shared similar traits such as the chewy and nutty rice that was the beneficiary of high heat and aromatic oils.  They all came with the addictive chili crunch that added both texture and spice to the dish.  With the herbs, it helped the rice gain some brightness and balance out the heaviness of the oil.  With the shrimp, they were meaty with a sweet snap while the chicken was nicely seared from the stir-fry.  On top of the chicken fried rice, we found a fried egg that added a custardy texture to the rice.

So for our most recent visit, we had two cocktails to start including the Salsa Verde and the Mexican Coca-Cola.  With a beautiful spiciness balanced off by sweetness, the Salsa Verde benefits from the pear cordial and lime.  These offer up brightness to counter the strength of the mezcal and tequila.  As for the Mexican Coca-Cola, don't let the name fool you into thinking this was so weak drink.  Rather, it had some real bite from the mezcal and tequila.  Some Coca Cola syrup provided the background essence of the drink.

A dish that is not currently offered, but has stuck in my mind was the Mackeral with pickled ramps cream sauce.  This was ever-so-simple with super-fresh mackeral (like flown in the day of) that was salted and seared until the skin was super crispy.  It remained rare and was perfectly deboned.  Each piece had the freshness of the sea with natural sweetness accented by sake. The sauce was mild and added some tanginess.

Still on the menu, the Buckwheat Spaghetti was a robust and hearty dish.  I felt the texture of the spaghetti was perfectly al dente while being firmer than its wheat flour version.  The generous amount of duck ragu was meaty with equal parts umami and sweetness.  This was accented by the kombu, pickled ramps and sake where there was acidity and added sweetness from the sake.  As mentioned, this was pretty hearty, which would be paired well with a refreshing beverage.

On that note, two of the more refreshing cocktails are the Seoul and Tokyo.  Both from the Lightness part of the cocktail menu, they helped cut the heaviness of the pasta.  For the Seoul, it had some kick due to the gochujang, but also sweetness from the grapefruit soda.  In typical Korean fashion, we found some sesame oil for that unmistakable aroma.  As for the Tokyo, it had all the colour from the matcha, but in reality, the banana came through with sweet aroma.  But then some curious saltiness comes through too.  A soft ice cream mochi on the side was great too.

We had two off-menu items that were similar, yet remarkable different as well.  The first was the Argentinian Prawn Risotto with mushroom XO sauce and scallion oil.  Absolutely adored this dish as the rice itself was al dente, bordering on hard, but wasn't.  This was a flavour bomb with sweet and briny hits of Argentinian prawn shells cooked down into the broth.  The XO sauce provided an umami tang that helped bring the dish alive.  As for the other risotto, it was a Snow Crab Risotto with New Brunswick Acadian Caviar and scallion oil.  This was much more subtle with the sweet saltiness of crab.  The caviar wasn't just there for decadence's sake.  Rather, the pops of briny saltiness only provided another layer of flavour.  The generous amount of snow crab leg meat was buttery and soft while naturally sweet.

At first, I was thinking that the Octopus was a bit too chewy for my liking.  But as I ate more of the dish, I started to understand it more.  Sure, it was not exactly super soft, but that wasn't the point of the dish.  Instead, the extra chewing involved allowed the flavours to be more pronounced.  The red zhoug afforded heat, sweetness and some smokiness to the dish.  The topping of tomato chili salsa added brightness and freshness.  The side of cuttlefish ink aioli helped cool things down nicely.

We ended up with a few vegetable dishes off the menu including the Roasted Brussels Sprouts and the Cauliflower.  Really enjoyed the sprouts as they were cooked just enough so that they retained some crunch.  There was also some lightly blanched leaves on top for colour and a different texture.  What really made this dish was the sultana raisins as they added an intense sweetness.  That was further aided by the pear agrodolce with more sweetness and balanced off with tanginess.  As for the cauliflower, it was beautifully plated with fasoulia, crispy chickpeas and saffron tahini.  Nutty and seasoned, the cauliflower was still firm while cooked through.  It sat atop a bean stew that had some slight sweetness while the saffron tahini was aromatic and nutty.  The crunch from the chickpeas was an appealing addition.

Onto some heavier meat dishes, we had the Korean Braised Shortrib with gochujang glaze, bak choy condiment and shaved pear.  The large pieces of deboned shortrib were fall apart tender and moist.  I felt that the gochujang was evident with mild spice and tanginess but the dish could've used a bit more salt.  Loved the subtle addition of shaved Asian pear as it provided freshness and the classic mild floral sweetness.

We ended off the savoury dishes with the AAA Bone-in Striploin with some side condiments.  The steak itself was prepared a perfect medium-rare where it was well-rested.  Hence, the meat was juicy while not exhibiting any moisture on the plate.  The steak itself was well-charred and salted.  However, we found some tangy and salty castelvetrano salsa verde, a silky and earthy rosemary jus and pickled mushrooms.  The mushrooms acted as a palate cleanser in between bites of the steak.

 

Onto the sweets, we had a playful creation in the Popcorn consisting of cheddar cake, caramel sauce, corn mousse & foam and aged cheddar.  So yes, this was savoury and sweet as well as cheesy.  The popcorn aroma did come through while the cheese made this dessert in my opinion.  The added salt and nuttiness created loads of umami.  Something familiar to me, the Sticky Toffee Pudding was like a warm hug with rich winter spices., this was not super sweet like the classic rendition, rather it offered depth and smokiness.  The peppercorn and white chocolate crema provided the necessary moisture to soften up the slightly firm pudding.

 

One of the best desserts I've had at Elem was the Koji Banana Bread with toasted meringue, pear sorbet and toasted hazelnuts.  Completely caramelized and crispy, the outside of the banana bread was smoky and sweet.  Beyond that, the bread was soft and moist with the sweet aroma of ripe bananas.  Good choice of the pear sorbet as it complimented the dish without taking over.  We also had the Nemesis Cake with miso vanilla ice cream, tarragon wafer and pine nuts.  This flourless cake was creamy and ganache-like.  Modestly sweet, the dark chocolate vibes came through with a bit of bitterness.  Nice crunch from the wafer and the fermented saltiness of the ice cream acted like flakes of salt with the cake.  Yes, this basically covers most of the menu and naturally, some dishes stand out more than others.  That goes for any menu especially when we are dealing with subjective tastes.  As a whole, the food delivers and there is a concentrated effort going on to be one of the best in the country.  As I've said, they are well on the road to accomplish that.

 

The Good:

- Vish knows when to be bold and when to dial it back when it comes the flavours

- Winnie dares to be a mad scientist with her cocktails

- Hasib and the restaurant team make every experience memorable

 

The Bad:

- As with any sharing plate restaurant, prices can get up there if you aren't careful, I'm not careful...