Jojo Hot Pot

I'm sure most of you have either visited or heard of Big Way Hot Pot where you grab your own ingredients and are charged by weight.  There are a variety of broths available including some spicy ones.  Well, that concept took off and now we are beginning to see the competitors roll into the party.  I've tried Datang out in Richmond and now it is time to check out Jojo Hot Pot, in particular, the West Van location.  This is actually a rebrand of Grandma Liu Hot Pot.  Jess and I made our way to Ambleside where we found Jojo Hot Pot right on Marine Drive with its upstairs dining room.

Similar to all of the other build-your-own hot pot places, there was a selection of veggies, meats, fish meatballs, seafood, bean curd products and noodles.  Things definitely looked fresh and clean.  However, their labelling could improve as some items were not where they should have been.  I know what everything is, but for those who don't, it can be confusing.  If you look at my pot of raw ingredients, I put all of the veggies underneath and loaded up with lean pork belly, snakehead fish slices, fried bean curd, quail eggs, bean curd ribbons, lobster ball, razor clams, half-lobster, abalone and dried noodles (non-fried).  If you can believe it, this was only $37.00 even though it was quite heavy. 

I went for the Jojo Broth which was pork bone-based.  This was pretty impactful with a meaty umaminess.  It was bordering on salty, but I thought that was necessary to keep the flavour while dealing with the excess moisture from the components (such as the veggies and meat).  As for the ingredients, they cooked it nicely as the spinach was not mushy while the seafood retained their optimal texture.  Of course the broth took on some of the natural sweetness and brininess.

Jess had the Lobster Broth and yes, it tasted exactly how I would've imagined it to be.  Fragrant, briny, sweet and lobstery, this had depth and helped flavour all of the other components.  Oddly enough, she didn't pile on as many things as I did, but still ended up to be roughly the same amount as me.  I think it was the fact she had corn and a bunch of fish ball products, which are some of the heaviest things available.  Whatever the case, she still enjoyed it and the broth was excellent.

We had one more option at the table and it was the Miso Broth.  I thought this was quite impactful with the rich saltiness of the miso being front and centre.  Now it wasn't salty though.  The fermented flavour was dominant and it helped season all of the components.  That was especially true with the wide noodles.  Sure, you could dunk everything into the custom dip you make at the sauce bar, but things would be flavourful on its own.

On the topic of the Sauce Bar, it was simple but had all of the necessary items to create your custom dip.  We also had some of their drinks including the Passion Fruit Tea and Cloud Milk Tea.  I really liked the passion fruit tea because it was light and refreshing.  Perfect compliment to the hot pot.  The cloud milk tea was good too being just sweet enough while being creamy with nice tea flavour.  I liked it by itself, but probably not with my hot pot.  In the end, Jojo hot pot was solid with flavourful broths including lobster.  This is a great alternative to Big Way.

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

The Good:

- Flavourful broths

- They have lobster broth!

- Fresh ingredients

The Bad:

- This particular location has limited space, especially in the ingredients line

Edokko Nigiri Sushi

We have an overwhelming amount of Japanese restaurants in the GVRD.  So much so, it would take you over 3 years just to visit all of them if you were to eat out every day.  However, as many of you already know, less than 10% of them are actually Japanese-run.  Now, don't get me wrong, just because they are Japanese-run, that doesn't guarantee anything.  However, it does mean that the food is more simple and of course, authentic.  As much as I enjoy specialty rolls with sauces and fried things on them, that is usually a fusion creation of some sort.  Recently, I made 2 visits to Edokko Nigiri Sushi out in Richmond.  They are most certainly authentic and also feature some pretty interesting items.

During my first visit, we had a few smaller items including the Spinach Gomae.  Sure, this was a simple few bites, but it was done right.  Tender with some crunch, the spinach was at its optimal doneness.  It was dressed lightly with a mildly sweet sesame dressing that was nutty and aromatic while not being too overwhelming.  In addition to the regular version, we also ordered the Uni Seafood Chawanmushi.  This featured ikura, snow crab and uni atop a silky steamed egg.  It was delicate with only a hint of dashi.  The beautiful seafood on top made this a bit more special than the regular version they have on the menu.

Continuing with my first visit, I decided to try their Edokko Special (half portion) with various pieces of sashimi, nagaimo, cucumber, ginger and shiso.  This was a very subtle-tasting roll with the shiso standing out with its herbal and minty flavour.  I thought the layer of rice was a bit thick, yet at the same time, it wasn't an issue since it was beautifully textured with a chewiness.  On my next visit, I had the Futomaki (also half version) with the usual components.  Although I loved the sushi rice, I would've preferred less of it (as mentioned with the Edokko Special).  With that being said, the pickles and mushroom did provide enough flavour for the roll to stand on its own.  Served along the Futomaki was Saba Battera.  The pressed sushi was good since it employed the same sushi rice and the balanced amount of saba was flavourful.

On that note, we also had the Salmon Battera and it was comparable to some of the best in the city.  The salmon was buttery and complimented the chewy rice while the torched mayo-based sauce was a bit tangy, smoky and sweet.  There was the requisite thinly-sliced jalapeno on top.  Also had the Dynamite Roll and Chopped Scallop Roll.  Both had a generous amount of filling where the tempura ebi was huge while the delicate scallops were sweet.  As you can see, we had a selection of Nigiri including Chopped Scallop, Toro, Chutoro and Kanpachi.  They were well-constructed and the sashimi had a nice sheen and textures were on point.  The Tamago was also quite good being fluffy, moist and sweet.

On my initial visit, I also ordered a selection of Nigiri including Hokkaido Uni, Chopped Scallop, Chutoro and Otoro.  The uni was fabulous being bright, sweet and creamy.  Chutoro was buttery and sweet while the Otoro was curiously chewy in spots.  Other parts were melt-in-my-mouth buttery.  It had the brightness from the sea in every bite.  Second visit yielded some Toro and Atlantic Salmon Sashimi.  Once again, nice sheen on the slices and they were perfectly bite-sized.  Soft texture on both and naturally sweet.

Staying with raw fish, we had the Chirashi Don with tuna, salmon, tamago, ebi, hotate, abalone, tako, ika, ikura, flying fish roe and red tuna.  This was a good amount of quality sashimi on top of nicely-textured and seasoned sushi rice.  On our second visit, we had the Assorted Tempura with ebi, ika, hotate and veggies.  As you can see, the batter was lightly applied to each piece.  Hence, it was crispy and not overbearing.  That meant each component could shine on its own.

At the front of their menu, they feature a Shokado Dinner with a selection of items.  Many of them we'd already had as a la carte dishes.  But for those who want variety all in one box, you would find some sweet & sour chicken, sashimi, zaru soba, tempura, gindara, salmon battera and aburi tuna nigiri.  On the side, there was chawanmushi and a seasoned rice.  This was more than enough food for one person and for $40.00, this was a good way for one person to try it all.

Yes, the place has Nirigi in its name, but another dish they are known for is their Unagi Hitsumabushi Set.  Sure, the whole top of the bowl was covered in buttery soft unagi, but there is an option to have it layered in the middle too.  We got that and literally every bite was more unagi than rice.  Nice flavour on the unagi too where it was glazed but not doused.  Hence, we got the sweetness and caramelization, but not sickingly sweet.

Another dish that caught our attention on the menu was the Kamonan Soba featuring roasted duck breast, green onion, seaweed, fish cake and tenkasu.  Although robust due to the duck, this was a subtle dish where the flavours were balanced.  The broth had depth with some background smokiness to go with the umami and sweetness.  The duck itself was super tender and had a nice brine on it.

For my first visit, we ordered dessert in the form of the Hojicha Panna Cotta.  This was quite good with a silky panna cotta that was creamy and not "jello-like".  It was mildly sweet and aromatic while the hojicha exhibited some smokiness and sweetness.  Overall, these 2 meals at Edokko were enjoyable and satisfying.  They really live up to their namesake with a wide selection of well-made Nigiri.  However, their Unagi Hitsumabushi Set is also a must order.

The Good:

- Delicious authentic nigiri

- Unagi Hitsumabushi Set

- Excellent service

The Bad:

- Maybe their maki sushi could use a bit less rice

- Hard to get a seat without a reservation

Mr. Bowl

We've all seen our share of hidden restaurants in the city including ones in alleys, interior walkways and even ones that don't have actual signage.  Now here is another that is found near UBC.  You would never know it was there unless you were actually in the know or were looking for it.  Once inside, the place is quite large and spacious, especially for a restaurant near a University.  Mr. Bowl, as the name implies serves up rice and noodle bowls with a variety of components. In addition, the menu is a collection of small snacks and larger Northern Chinese, Szechuan and Taiwanese dishes.

We began with the smaller items including the Fried Chicken Wings and the Fried Pork Cutlet.  Nice touch with them being served on a wire rack as it kept things crispy.  The wings were golden brown with crispy well-rendered skin.  The meat was nicely brined being juicy and well-seasoned.  As for the cutlet, it was crunchy despite sitting for a bit (while we took photos).  The pork was moist and tender.  It was served with a tangy sauce that was akin to BBQ sauce.

We had a few more small dishes in the Braised Wheat Gluten and Braised Pork Trotters.  The wheat gluten was more or less pretty standard where they were rehydrated and then braised in a sweet sauce.  Each piece was tender and fully soaked.  As for the pork trotters, they were also tender, but still had bite.  The skin beautifully gelatinized and flavourful from the braise.  The meat was also tender.

We also ordered a small bowl of Hot & Sour Soup.  Although served in the size of a rice bowl, the soup was packed with ingredients.  There was more of that than the actual soup!  The usual bamboo shoots, carrots, tofu, wood ear, pork and egg drop were all there providing texture.  The soup itself was balanced with a good spice level.  To go with our dishes, we had the Scallion Noodles and the Soup Noodles as well.  I would say that both of them weren't particularly flavourful, but again, we were pairing it with the dishes that did have plenty of flavour.  The noodles were al dente with a nice chewiness, especially the scallion noodles.

Onto the biggest item we had, the Pickled Fish Soup was massive where the slices of snakehead fish seemed endless.  They were cooked perfectly being buttery and soft with a slight bite.  The broth itself was pleasantly tangy with a touch of sweetness and spice.  In addition to the mustard greens, we also found some bean curd strips and luncheon meat (aka Spam).  Normally, I don't really drink the soup because it can be salty, but this was quite nice.

 

Another large dish was the Tomato Braised Beef Brisket with Chinese Fried Dough Stick.  We added another dough stick for good measure!  It was a good idea because the dough stick (Yau Tiao) was excellent.  Light and fluffy inside with just the right amount of chew while the outside was crispy and not overly greasy.  It was also perfectly salted.  As for the stew, it was tomatoey but in a sweet way where the sauce was relatively thick.  The beef was fatty and tender.

 

We ended up ordering the Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs and these were quite good except it was on the greasier side.  Despite that, the meaty rib pieces were tender with minimal fatty portions.  The ribs seemed to be stewed before they were deep fried and then wok-tossed in sauce.  Hence, it would explain the fall-apart texture.  On that note, the ribs had an inherent flavour already that was complimented by the sweet and sour sauce that had the unmistakable taste of black vinegar.

 

As much as it didn't look overly impressive at first glance, the 3-Cup Chicken was rather delicious.  It was aromatic, tangy and sweet.  The dark meat was moist and juicy.  There was enough wok hei for caramelization as well.  Deceptive in size, the Cumin Beef Fried Rice didn't look like a lot in its modest-sized bowl.  However, there was actually lots of perfectly wok fried rice.  Each chewy and nutty grain was discernible with aromatics from the caramelization and earthy cumin.  This was one of my favourite dishes!  In fact, the food here at Mr. Bowl was super surprising.  We thought they were merely a place for rice and noodle bowls (like Dragon Bowl), but they are much more than that.  It is a full-blown restaurant dishing up classic dishes that are both well-portioned and well-executed.

 

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

 

The Good:

- On point food

- Large portions

- Reasonably-priced

 

The Bad:

- Location is not obvious, hope the word spreads

- Drinks are so-so 

Sura Korean Royal Cuisine

If you can believe it, I have not been back to the Downtown location of Sura since 2013!  For whatever reason, I have totally forgotten about the Sura Lunch Set Menu.  Back in 2013, it was only $20.00 for 12 small dishes along with 3 different banchan.  If you can imagine, that was a fantastic value, especially since it was tasty (and located in Downtown).  Fast forward to the present and they still have the lunch set, but it is $25.00 for the same amount of dishes and banchan.  So yes, it has gone up in price, but not by much (considering inflation).  Still a great deal in my books!  Jackie and I stopped by to try this out.

We were started off with the Daily Congee that seemed to have some minced beef in it.  Unlike the Chinese version, this was silkier and more cooked down.  It was thick, sweet and full of umami.  We had a selection of Banchan including a Mashed Potato Salad, Fried Fish Cake Strips and Kimchi.  We really enjoyed the potato salad as it was creamy and light with the natural flavour coming through with some sweetness.  The fried strips of fish cake were chewy in a good way while dressed in a sticky sweet glaze.  The kimchi was a touch on the tangier side with some spiciness.

Things started to arrive fast and furious, quickly filling up our table.  I decided to go for the Green Salad first as it seemed like the obvious choice amongst all the hot dishes.  It was nothing out-of-the-ordinary, but had fresh mesclun greens dressed in a tangy dressing.  Next, we had the Soy Bean Paste Soup that was somewhat bubbling in the cast iron bowl.  It was not bad with umaminess and some sweetness.  It was filled with various veggies.

A few smaller items arrived at the table and didn't look like a lot of food.  That is true, especially in comparison to the 2013 portions, but in reality, that was probably too much food.  Also, costs are high and I understand the need to give just enough food.  With that being said, I wished there was more of the Mung Bean Jelly because it was so good.  Slippery and soft textured, the jelly was lightly seasoned.  The Spicy Squid Salad was also fantastic with a good sweet spiciness with crunchy veggies.  However, it was pretty low on the squid content.

Onto some more robust dishes, we had the Herb Pork Belly aka Bossam.  This featured 4 slices of tender and fatty pork belly that had a nice aroma in itself.  But of course, it was even better after the addition of the spicy radish and wrapped in the pickled daikon.  Lots of crunch to contrast the soft belly.  The Kimchi Pancake was pretty tasty too with a certain sweet tangy spice.  It was fairly soft and airy with only the slightest of crispiness on the surface.

Some of the more filling plates included the Deep Fried Fish with sweet & sour sauce.  Sure it was basa, but it turned out flaky and moist with a crispy tempura batter encasing it.  The sauce was a nice balance of sweet & sour which went well with the fish.  As for the Sweet & Sour Pork, it was more sweet than sour, but still tasted good.  The pieces of pork were lean, hence being more on the drier side, yet they were still tender.  Some crunch was provided by the woodear, carrot and cucumber.

So the last 2 dishes were a bit bigger in the Japchae and the Spicy Sliced Pork.  Both were pretty solid with the japchae having a nice balance of sweet and savoury as well as some nuttiness.  The sliced pork was slightly spicy while completely seasoned.  The meat was soft and tender.  Naturally, this also went well with the rice.  In the end, we were stuffed and had a few pieces of food we couldn't finish.  Yes, the portions are smaller than in 2013, but there is ultimately enough food for 2 people.  For $25.00pp, it is a freaking steal, especially given its Downtown location on Robson.  Go check it out if you are in the area!

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

The Good:
- Amazing value
- Food is also good
- Lots of variety

The Bad:
- Sure, the portion size has shrunk, but you still get enough food
- Your table might now be big enough

Kosoo Cardero

The last time we were here at Kosoo Cardero, it was only myself and Jackie.  Now, there isn't anything inherently wrong with that since there are many dishes 2 people can share here.  However, we were sampling some pretty large items and yah, it was hard to finish, let alone actually having the appetite to try them all.  This time around, we had more people, which meant the food could be spread out a bit more.  Hey, the portions here are quite generous!  We also had a few new dishes too.

We began with the Fresh Seaweed Kimbap that was overstuffed with radish, egg, spinach and carrot.  I thought this was pretty solid with plenty of filling with only a thin layer of rice around it.  The rice itself had an appealing chewy consistency.  I also enjoyed the aromatics from the roasted sesame seeds.  In the background, you will notice the Banchan including bean sprouts, fish cake strips and kimchi.  The kimchi was rather tangy with some sweetness and spice.

We tried one of their new dishes in the Prime Rib which was plated with the bone.  The meat itself was sliced into medium thick pieces that were against the grain.  Most of the meat was prepared to medium and was buttery tender.  This was served with an egg yolk which we dipped the meat into.  It added a silkiness to each bite, which was already savoury and full of umami due to the soy glaze.  We also found a refreshing scallion salad on the side.

Continuing with new items, we had the Cream Sauce Gnocchi with potato, perilla, bacon and jalapeno pickle.  Other than the addition of perilla, this would pass as a non-Korean dish anywhere else.  As such, there was a a mild herbaceousness to the dish that was dominated more by the salty and smoky bacon.  The gnocchi were medium-firm with a minor pillowiness.  With the addition of pickled jalapeno, there was so needed acidity and spice.

With another dish that we've never had before, we tried the Manila Clams Pasta.  At first glance, this looked at home on an Italian restaurant menu, but alas, this had a fusion component of Korean sake.  This in itself added a brightness that had some sweetness.  That complimented the brininess of the clams beautifully.  We also found the more conventional components such as garlic, olive oil and crushed red pepper flakes.  The linguine itself was nicely al dente.

Onto another noodle dish, we had the Truffle Japechae.  We've already had this before and it is an interesting take on the classic dish.  It featured the same potato starch noodles as the traditional dish, but is dressed in a rich black truffle sauce that is definitely earthy, but not overwhelming.  There was the usual sweetness and soy elements.  On the sides, we found beef dduk galbi (shortrib patties) that were meaty, sweet and nutty.

Staying with the truffle theme, we had the Truffle Cream Tteok-Bokki.  This was an enormous amount of cream sauce that was rich, nutty and of course earthy.  This went so well with a bowl of white rice as it soaked up all of the creaminess.  As you can see in the picture, there was no shortage of fish cake sheets to go with the rice cakes.  Both were chewy (in a good way) and provided plenty of texture to go with the cream sauce.

We moved to some bigger plates (as if the others weren't big enough already).  The Cheese Dakgalibi was served in the classic UFO cast iron plate with the chicken in the middle and surrounded by melting cheese and corn.  This was delicious (a little sweet, a little savoury and a touch of spice) and although we didn't finish off the remainder with rice (basically stir fry with the scraps in the middle), we did eat with a bowl of rice.  This was the best way to do it and also to enjoy the corn cheese while we were at it.

Another interpretation of an existing dish was the Beef Sukiyaki presented atop a butane burner.  I think the pan they used was a paella pan because I have the same one!  LOL.  Anyways, this had all of the usual components including thinly-sliced beef, various veggies and mushroom in the sukiyaki broth.  It cooked slowly at our table and our served tended to it at the start and at the finish.  The result was some tender slices of beef that had taken on the sweet saltiness of the broth while the veggies did the same, but even more so.

 

The meatiest dish of the meal was the Galbi Jjim featuring large braised short ribs with onion and plenty of melted cheese.  As mentioned earlier, Kosoo has some really large dishes that are best shared.  This is one of them and even with several people, we couldn't finish it.  The fall-off-the-bone meat was super tender and moist with rich flavours.  The sweetness of the onions really came through.  As you can see, the food at Kosoo Cardero is perfect for sharing since many items come in big portions.  So bring your friends and family because not only is the food unique and delicious, it can be a great value when shared.

 

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

 

The Good:

- Large portions

- Interesting mix of dishes from classic Korean to outright North American

- Good eats

 

The Bad:

- Food can be rather heavy, so even sharing, you may not finish (not really a bad thing right?)