Gulberg Tandoor & Donair

I often wonder why some restaurants do not get it. Why do they charge ridiculous prices for very little food. Yes, food quality is a consideration; however, you really want to go away feeling satisfied and full. And honestly, I'm not even talking about fine dining. That's another topic altogether. I had a discussion with Milhouse the other day and he explained that all he wants is not to be hungry after a meal. He's not looking to be stuffed; rather, just no longing for more. It brings me back to the Filet-O-Fish meal example. If I have to go get a Filet-O-Fish meal after I have already eaten, then I have not been satisfied. Today, I went to a place that truly personifies good portions, good quality and reasonable prices. That, my friends, is the winning formula for success. Again, for those who are confusing my rant with finer establishments, particularly in prime locations (ie. downtown), I am not referring them here.

On a recommendation from KDee, I travelled a fair distance to the Kwantlan College campus in Surrey. Across the street is Gulberg Tandoor & Donair. You might be asking why I drove so far to get a donair. Honestly, I was asking myself the same question. To my surprise, this was not a regular donair shop. Rather, the restaurant itself was quite spacious and the menu had more items than I expected. Yes, donairs were on the menu; but there was quite the variety. On the outside of the building, it advertises souvlaki and there is actually a picture of a burger on the awning. This is one diverse place. Multiculturalism at work here.

Since I was short on time, I had to get the items to go. I ordered the Chicken Tikka, which includes a chicken leg and salad. This was a tremendous deal at $3.99. I also ordered the large Chicken Donair for $5.99. It wasn't until I got back that I realized there was so much food for under $10.00. The donair was massive, packed with enough chicken for 2 donairs. Moreover, there were plenty of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce shoehorned into the donair. What I did next made it hard for me to eat the donair - I opened it up in the middle to take a picture. Oh well, the sacrifices I make for pictures! The one thing I can say about the donair is freshness. You could tell the ingredients were good quality and fresh. That would be the same for the chicken tikka. The salad was essentially the same tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce from the donair. The chicken was tender and flavourful without being salty.

The reason for all this talk of freshness is that Gulberg is not only a restaurant, it's a market right next door. Therefore, all their produce and meats are sourced in-house. I'm sure this also helps lower the cost as well. I really wish restaurants would clue in that volume can be a money-maker; rather than charging more in the hopes of taking in more profit. Moreover, this way, the food stays fresh since the turnover is high. Ultimately, Gulberg qualifies as another hidden gem where you can find good, fresh eats at very reasonable prices.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Food is both plentiful and good
- Everything is fresh

The Bad:
- Identity problem, what kind of restaurant is this?

Business Hours:
11:00am - 9:00pm (7 days a week)

Guu @ Aberdeen

After 2 kids parties back-to-back, the last thing I wanted to do was cook. So I had made plans for us to meet up with my parents for some Guu Izakaya. There are 4 locations in the GVRD and I decided on the one at Aderdeen in Richmond. Wait, of all the locations I could've visited, I chose Richmond. Wendy (Eat `n About) must be right, Richmond is growing on me (or at least there is good food there). I guess my childhood fears which have followed me to adulthood may be somewhat subsiding. After all, I have survived going to Richmond all these years, it can't be all that bad? I don't recall being cut off this time around; but there was this person signalling right every time he turned right in the Aberdeen parking lot. Um... realistically, you can only turn right, otherwise you'll hit parked cars if you turned left. So let me get this straight, people do not signal when they cut you off; but signal in an enclosed parking lot when you have no other direction to go? Go figure.

Guu at Aberdeen is hidden away behind Northern Delicacy. If you weren't looking for it, you'd miss it. Of course when we entered the restaurant, the yelling (I mean greetings) erupted loudly. As with any Izakaya, the dining space is dark. An absolutely horrible environment to take pictures. Luckily, my built-in flash works pretty well; yet I have to get up close and personal with the food. Unlike the other Guu locations, the one in Richmond has sushi. I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing; however, it definitely blurs the line between Izakaya and a regular Japanese restaurant. I had no intentions of ordering sushi here since I could do that at any other Japanese restaurant. What I did order were the following: Beef Sashimi, Fried Prawns, BBQ Duck, Grilled Scallops, Gyu Shabu Salad, Marinated Beef Tongue, Misomayo Black Cod, Salmon Yukke, Takoyaki, Ton Toro, Unagi Cha and Yakiudon.

Arriving on a bed of daikon, the beef sashimi was impressively presented. The beef was seared perfectly with the centre exhibiting a wonderful red colour. The ginger tomato sauce was light and it didn't detract from the beef taste. However, some might find it bland. We also ordered the Fried Prawns, which were accompanied by a spicy mayo. Although the prawns were very crunchy, it seemed like they spent a bit too much time in the fryer. As you can see in the picture, they look a bit dark. On the other hand, the BBQ duck was perfectly prepared. The meat was tender and not overdone. It was also very delicately flavoured. I wasn't exactly sure what the sauce was; but my best guess is a light ponzu.

After trying Tenku Bakudanyaki last week, it made me long for takoyaki. They're not exactly the same; but they're similar. I actually prefer the smaller takoyaki because they are easier to eat. The fried octopus balls were very good. Lightly crisp on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. The sauce, which contains Worcester, added necessary flavour since the balls are delicate in flavour. Continuing on the bland theme, the grilled scallops were naturally sweet; yet other than that, they were bland. You could taste some garlic and of course the accompanying mushrooms; but that was about it. I suppose that there was a lack of caramelization, which is preferable when eating grilled or seared scallops.

Whenever it is available at an Izakaya, we always order salmon yukke. Despite this, I've never been a fan of the salmon yukke at Guu. For some reason, it seems a bit watery and bland. This time was no exception. However, the salmon was fresh and I do like the crunchy shrimp chips as a eating vessel. By now, you might be thinking that everything was bland. Well, the ton toro (pork cheeks) were not bland; in fact it was bathed in a sweet miso sauce. Yet, the highlight of this dish was the texture of the meat. It was "seong" which means the meat was the opposite of mushy. There is no proper term for this in English; however, I think the closest description for this would be crunchy (in a cold-water shrimp kind of way). Another flavourful dish was the marinated grilled beef tongue. I wasn't exactly sure what it was marinated in exactly; but it definitely was soy-based. In addition to being flavourful, the tongue was tender without being too soft.

Continuing on the flavourful theme, the black cod was quite tasty with a good balance of saltiness and sweetness. The miso mayo dressing baked on top of the piece of fish not only flavoured the fish, it helped keep it moist. Too bad it was a bit overcooked; thus it was not as flaky as it should be. We ordered the yakiudon (not pictured) mainly for the kiddies; but there was more than enough for everyone else to try. I did try it and it was pretty good. Accompanying the udon was quite a bit of beef, mushrooms and scallions. Although the udon was not bland, it was delicately flavoured, being mostly on the sweeter side. One dish that was relatively boring was the gyu shabu salad. It is boiled beef on a bed of greens with a sesame dressing. Aesthetically, it was ugly and the taste was predictably bland. There needed to be more dressing, or the beef need to be boiled in a more flavourful broth. To revert back to the bland theme, the unagi cha was the blandest of all. To be fair, it was probably the flavour profile of the dish. It was essentially ungai on rice bathed in tea. It reminded me of pouring Chinese clear soup into a bowl of rice. It's pleasant to eat; but flavourful it's not. I'm sure someone will like it; it's all personal preference.

Personal preference or not, the one thing that seemed consistent was the blandness of most of the food. Maybe I like things more salty and rich or maybe it was indeed bland. Compared to other Izakayas, including the Guu on Thurlow, the Guu at Aberdeen seems to be inferior. With that being said, I still enjoyed my meal. For what it's worth, Guu is reasonably-priced and their food is generally pretty good. The service was very good, probably because it wasn't too busy. We had servers check on us at regular intervals, helping us removed finished and dirty plates. It may not be as good as the other Guu locations; but it's certainly not horrible. It can still hold its own in Richmond.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Relatively spacious
- Good service

The Bad:
- A bit too delicate in taste
- Sushi? Izakaya or not?

Guu in Aberdeen
#2790 - 4151 Hazelbridge Way
Richmond, B.C.
604-295-6612
www.guu-izakaya.com

EAT! Vancouver 2009

Honestly, I really wasn't planning to attend EAT! Vancouver this year. I am not a big fan of crowds, lineups and noise. However, seeing that Kevin had written up a nice post about it, I decided to go. Moreover, it seemed like everyone was going - was it foodie peer pressure??? Actually I was quite famished since I really didn't eat lunch and had just finished playing hockey. I guess it was a good thing to go somewhere that was solely based on everything food.

Viv and I were lucky to get a parking spot right on Expo Blvd and we took in the nice weather as we strolled up to BC Place. Upon entering, we were overwhelmed by smoke. Naturally, we knew it was from one of the vendors cooking food. Later, we found out it was the Izakaya booth (there was lots of smoke coming from them!), and a really long lineup waiting for their food. As I mentioned, I hate lineups and didn't bother with them. The first thing we did see was the mushroom scones from the All Seasons Mushrooms booth. I've never had mushroom scones; but they were really yummy. A nice "earthy" taste to them. Pushing our way through the crowds, we ended up in front of Ace Curries. They specialize in prepackaged curry mixes that can easily be prepared at home. I tried both of their samples (Butter Chicken and Channa Masala) and I was impressed with the taste and consistency of the sauces. Compared to another exhibit, Gourmantra, Ace Curries was definitely better. The sauces at Gourmantra were watery and bland.

One booth that attracted my attention was Boylan beverages. They had unique naturally flavoured and cane sugar sweetened soft drinks. I tried the ginger ale and it was very good. The use of natural ginger really gave it a kick. Further up ahead, we spotted a really nice display of oils. Turns out, it was John Spenger's of Napa Valley Bistro Blends. We tried a few of the offerings and we came away very impressed. The ones that stood out were Truffle Oil, 18-Year Old Raspberry Balsamic, Garlic Parmesan and Chardonnay & Roasted Garlic Marinade. I particularly loved the 18-year old raspberry. It was so rich and sweet, I can see why people drizzle it on ice cream. We were actually intending to buy some of the oils; however, we got sidetracked. We later found out you can order them from the Internet.

Wandering further into the crowds, we spotted some smoked rockfish on a cold platter. The fish was delicious. It was sweet and smoky with a bit of chewiness to it. I can definitely see this on a bagel with cream cheese in place of smoked salmon. The rockfish is produced by a local company - Ocean Amber. Now onto the Consulate General of Indonesia, which apparently was Kevin's and Kim's favourite exhibit for a variety of reasons. They were serving Nasi Tumpeng which is essentially a cone of rice served with various dishes. Today, it consisted of a chicken wing, a liver & potato curry, egg and veggies. The dish looked much better than it tasted. It wasn't bad, but due to the circumstances, it was cold and mostly bland. I'm sure in a more ideal situation, it would be much better. It was quite comical with our order because the girl forming the cone of rice did an epic fail when the cone came out halfway and collapsed on the plate. Fortunately the second time it worked well. However, that must be a tough gig since it looks like a lot of effort for each rice cone. Imagine that for the entire day!

Seeing that we were still a bit hungry, we picked up a few sheets of tickets and tried some of the Bite exhibitors. While I getting more tickets, Viv got some prawns with sweet chili sauce and a mango drink from Aththi. The prawns were pretty good and the mango drink was refreshing. After that, we headed over to the Dona Cata booth and grabbed a couple of tacos. One was pulled pork and the other chicken. I was squeezing hot sauce on the tacos and it seemed to jam on some seeds. As I was still squeezing, Viv pulled the plate away. Yes, that's when the bottle became unclogged. Well, at least the carpet was the same colour as the sauce. I really liked the tacos, the meat was tender and the flour tortillas were soft. I can only imagine how good they would be at the actual restaurant.

We used nearly the rest of the tickets at Jamaican Jerk. These guys were a hoot. Very friendly and working the crowd. I was only going to get a Jamaican beef patty; but somehow came out of it with a Jamaican deep dish pizza. It was certainly interesting. I think it would be best that I sampled a full size one to make a better judgement of the food. After we briskly ate the food (there were very few places to sit), we headed back to Aquastar to try some of the food. The Aquastar booth was actually promoting sustainable seafood. Yet, they seemed to have wonderful looking food too. They had seafood curries, fried prawns and whole King Crab legs. We passed on the crab legs because it seemed difficult to eat under the prevailing conditions. We opted for the vermicelli wrapped fried prawns. These babies were awesome. The fried noodle gave a really nice crunch on the outside of the prawn.

By then we were getting a bit tired of all the lineups and people, so we tried to see what we could get for our 4 remaining tickets. Apparently there was very little choice except for the Japanese Izakaya or the kebabs at Ashaiana. Seeing that there was a 30 minute lineup at the Izakaya, we headed over to Ashaiana. We ended up choosing one pork and one chicken kebab. However, looking at the picture, why was one of them a drumstick? Either they gave us the wrong one or the chicken drumstick was a kebab??? Anyways, the pork one was very tender and packed with onions. The chicken drumstick was a bit overdone; but it did have lots of flavour.

There were many more booths that we missed, including the wine exhibits. We just didn't feel like staying for that. Again, I really didn't want to go in the first place; however, it was not too bad, overall we had a good time. But I can't get over the fact that it resembled the PNE Showmart in many ways, complete with the Sham-Wow booth. One minor gripe were the goodie bags they handed out at the entrance. They were black and if you held onto them long enough, they turned your hand black as well. Viv didn't like that since she was holding the bags. She was also quite miffed at having to carry such a heavy bag with a Mott's Clamato in it. She really doesn't like Mott's Clamato. Lastly, there was this lady trying to sell me some biscotti by trying to trick me. She asked if I wanted to "try" them. I said sure, she replied "8 dollars". I said I wanted to try them, not buy them. She replied "oh we don't have any samples". This definitely reminded me of the PNE Showmart!

The Good:
- Lots to see, lots to do
- Lots of samples
- Some interesting products

The Bad:
- Lots of people
- Lots of lineups
- Looks and feels like the PNE Showmart

EAT! Vancouver
BC Place Stadium
www.eat-vancouver.com

Mistral French Bistro

*Restaurant is now closed*

Normally, when I go out for fine dining, there are certain expressions and adjectives I use to describe my meal. There are the usual comments such as it was delicious, elegant or Filet-O-Fish meal. Wait a minute, Filet-O-Fish as in the McDonald's sandwich? Correct. When I get a plate of food that has the portion size only fit for a 5-year old, it becomes a Filet-O-Fish meal. I am so hungry afterwords, I need to go grab a Filet-O-Fish at the McDonald's drive-thru! One time, I had a halibut dish at Fennie's and it was literally a piece of fish the size of a saltine cracker resting on a dollop of cauliflower puree. I think I needed 2 Filet-O-Fishes to satisfy my hunger. However, this trend may be reversing itself with the help of some reasonably-priced and portioned French bistros bursting onto the Vancouver restaurant scene. Les Faux Bourgeois and Salade de Fruits are perfect examples of these bistros. Today, we were in the UBC area and decided to go try another one of these French bistros - Mistral. Currently, Mistral has 4 set menus for lunch which range from $19 - $24. All of them include choice of appetizer, entree and dessert. You would be hard-pressed to spend that amount of money at Milestone's or Earl's for that amount of food.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were impressed with the quaint and cozy dining space. The warm colours and the tasteful decor really helped set the mood and atmosphere. The wait staff were extremely friendly and professional. We were never left with an empty glass and they were attentive to our requests. We really didn't have to look at the menu since we had our hearts set on the set menu. I choose the French Tradition which included a Salade Frisee aux Lardons, Steak Frites and Creme Caramel. Miss Y had the Provence Menu which included an Assortment of Provencal Appetizers, Braised Lamb Shoulder Stew and Chocolate Mousse.

Miss Y's appetizer was comprised of an Olive Tapenade, Creamed Cod Puree and Garlic Anchovy dip. This was served with croutons, celery and beets. The tapenade was quite flavourful and it went well with the complimentary bread. The cod puree was quite light tasting and textured. As expected, the anchovy dip was salty and went best with the croutons. The Salade Frisee was comprised of a poached egg, bacon and croutons on a bed of Frisee. I thought this salad was well executed. The frisee was fresh and crisp with just the right amount of vinaigrette. However, the egg was poached a bit too long, resulting in very little runny egg yolk for the salad.

The lamb stew had a very pronounced red wine flavour which was rich and deep flavoured. Despite this, it was not overwhelming and each individual ingredient stood out on it's own. Although the lamb was tender, I thought some pieces were a bit dry. My steak frites was excellent. The AAA rib eye steak was cooked a perfect medium rare. The tender meat was bathed in a beautiful creamy peppercorn sauce. Despite the abundance of peppercorns, the sauce was not overpowering; rather it complimented the flavour of the meat. I could tell that the steak was the star of the show and the sauce only provided enough flavour to enhance it.

The chocolate mousse was really rich, in both texture and taste. The dark chocolate flavour was apparent in each creamy spoonful. This was an extremely decadent mousse which was deep in chocolate flavour without being too sweet. The creme caramel was equally decadent. The deep sweetness of the caramel perfectly flavoured the rich egg and cream custard.

Upon finishing our meal, we couldn't believe the quality, quantity and presentation of the food for the price. I was impressed at Mistral's delicate presentation and execution of its dishes. Moreover, the ambiance was unmistakably French. It is definitely a cut above Les Faux Bourgeios and Salade de Fruits. As for my Filet-O-Fish, I will take a rain check for that this time, I was too full to even eat a fish stick.

The Good:
- Carefully prepared food
- Good portions at reasonable prices
- Beautifully decorated dining space
- Friendly and attentive staff

The Bad:
- Parking is a bit hard to find
- I didn't have room for a Filet-O-Fish afterwords (what can I say, I love Filet-O-Fish!)

Mistral French Bistro
2585 West Broadway
Vancouver, B.C.
604-733-0046
www.mistralbistro.ca

Ikea

Ah Ikea, a great place to get some build-it-yourself furniture at reasonable prices. In fact, there is a lot of Ikea furniture in my house right now. It looks pretty good and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg! However, don't ever try to move it, most of it won't survive. Unfortunately, the value of Ikea furniture is a result of low density particle board with veneers held together by glue and funny-looking screws. So tonight, the whole family heads out to Ikea in search for food. Wait. Food? What about the furniture? Well, we actually went to Ikea to eat at the cafeteria. Isn't that the home of the $1.00 breakfast? Why yes it is! Honestly, if it weren't $1.00, I probably would take a pass. I really didn't like it. However, I've never eaten dinner at Ikea. Ever.

As we arrived at the Coquitlam store, we decided to park at the upper level parking lot. Upon entering, we passed by the fast food stand and the smell of fresh cinnamon buns filled the air. I usually get a hot dog on my way out of Ikea. Was this a precursor to later eats? Stay tuned. We headed up to the cafeteria and took a look at the specials. This month, they had a Chicken and Rib special for $10.00. Viv seemed to have her heart set on that one. So, I decided to get the Swedish Meatball Combo which included a salad and drink for $6.50 Yes, you read that right $6.50! For the kiddies, we got some Mac n Cheese which included a drink as well. That was only $2.00. You can definitely see the prices are very reasonable, it is probably in hopes that someone would end up buying a Lack shelf or Malm bedside table.

Prices aside, the food ain't bad. The Swedish meatballs were good. There was enough seasoning and they were moist. The lingonberry sauce was a nice sweet compliment to the meatballs. I've never thought of putting a fruit jelly on meatballs before. Viv's meal was pretty decent as well. The short rib was super tender and wasn't over seasoned. Plenty of meat flavour here. The chicken leg was a bit overcooked; but Viv just ended up using my leftover gravy to moisten the chicken meat. The kiddies seemed to enjoy the mac n cheese. I took some bites of it despite the protest from my son. Noodles were very soft and it was indeed cheesy, if not a bit doughy. Hey, it was 2 bucks! Our total bill with tax came to under $20. With all the money I had leftover, I was in the mood to spend more at Ikea. I bet that's music to their ears... However, I didn't go buy a chest of drawers or an end table. Rather, I revisited the fast food stand on my way out.

That's right, I picked up a hot dog for 50 cents and a cinnamon bun for $1.40. You really can't get better than that. For the price of parking in downtown for 6 minutes, I got a hot dog. Well, I'm not going to talk about it much, it's ground up "you don't want to know" nestled in a bun. Enough said. However, the cinnamon bun was pretty good. It's definitely not as buttery or moist as CinnZeo; but it held it's own. Plenty of cinnamon taste and just enough sweetness. The kids seem to really like it. Duh, of course they did. I let Viv eat most of it since I already had dinner and a hot dog.

I was pleasantly surprised at my dinner at Ikea. It wasn't bad. For the price I paid, I don't think I could've expected much more. So, the next time I need to get a chest of drawers, I'll take a side of meatballs (and maybe a hot dog too) to go with it.

The Good:
- Cheap!
- Food ain't bad
- You can eat and leave with a chest of drawers in the same trip

The Bad:
- Food was lukewarm
- You can eat and leave with a chest of drawers in the same trip

Ikea Restaurant
1000 Lougheed Highway
Coquitlam, B.C.
604-636-1000
ikea.ca

Diamond Sweets

Last time I visited Taco Del Mar, I had noticed a small Indian sweets shop 2 stores down. Not really knowing what to eat for lunch today, I decided to give it a go. Besides, it appears I eat Indian food once a week now. Too bad most of the Indian food I eat is Northern Indian food, particularly from the Punjab region of India. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy this type of Indian food very much; yet, there is limited representation from the other areas of India. While at Vivo! Gelato, ET (Doesn't Tazte Like Chicken) gave me a few ideas as to where I could get some Southern Indian cuisine. I'll definitely try them out soon. But for now, I'm doing the Northern Indian cuisine thing for lunch at Diamond Sweets. This is a very small restaurant; in fact, it's more of a sweets shop with some tables for dining in.

I really wasn't expecting much from this place since there are so many other good Indian restaurants in the area. However, these small Indian sweets and restaurant type places remind me of Chinese wonton noodle joints. They're small, usually family-run; but they can also be very good! First off, by looking at the menu, I noticed they were a bit cheaper than all the other Indian restaurants I've been to. Well, it'd better be, because I certainly wasn't paying for the ambiance or service. Service was pretty basic: take order, bring food, take bill up to counter and pay.

I decided to go for a favourite of mine, Lamb Vindaloo. I got Basmati Rice and Garlic Naan to go with my curry. I didn't have to wait long for my food, as it arrived in about 5 minutes later. I normally do not say this; but there was too much food! Yes, the Vindaloo itself was packed with tender lamb and potatoes. Moreover, the plate of rice and naan were enough for 2 people. I knew this was going to be a challenge to finish. Just like Joey from Friends, I wish I brought my eating pants (actually maternity pants...).

The server didn't ask me how I wanted the Vindaloo and it came out quite spicy. However, it wasn't spicy enough to mask the other flavours. The reason I like Vindaloo is mostly the vinegar taste, I like zing in my food. The garlic naan was quite flavourful and crispy. It reminded me of fry bread or Bannock you'd find at the PNE. I actually liked this crispy naan, it was good to have some crunch. Too bad I was getting full, but the rice was delicious. It was full of peas and caraway seeds.

This meal was much better than expected. Sometimes, the best food is found in the most unlikely of places. Of course the food wasn't the best I ever had, not even close. But at such a reasonable price, it was a satisfying and delicious lunch.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Good portions
- Food was good

The Bad:
- No ambiance here
- No service here
- Klennex instead of napkins?

Diamond Sweets & Restaurant
#160 - 8047 120th Street
Delta, B.C.
604-591-7277

Business Hours:
10:30am - 9:00pm (Mon - Thu)
10:30am - 9:30pm (Fri & Sat)
11:00am - 9:00pm (Sun)