Top King's

Places like Panda Express and Manchu Wok are often ridiculed for their unauthentic take on Chinese food. Yah, that is a fair assessment. After all, the last time I visited a Panda Express, the staff were all non-Asian and in fact, I was the only Asian eating there. Usually, that is a sign to leave... But honestly, the food is alright if you have the right attitude. For some, it might be accepting mediocre North American Chinese food. Now fortunately, since we live in the GVRD, there are better options for Chinese take out. Kent's Kitchen is a prime example where the food is getting a whole lot closer to real Chinese food. There is T&T as well; but personally, it would not be my first choice.

Now if you live in Surrey, specifically Whalley, you have Top King's. Directly across from the Surrey Central Skytrain station, the place not only serves up take-out Chinese food, there is Pizza as well. If that hasn't scared you off, please continue reading... I suppose they are trying to be all things to everyone, much like a politician. And similarly, everything is a bit greasy. At the very least, they don't try to rob you of your hard earned money since 3 items with rice will only set you back $6.00 (including tax, well not the HST...).

For me, I was not in the mood for pizza and neither were Hot Mama and Ma. Thus, we all got combos with a choice of 3 items with rice. Honestly, some items look better than others. I can see that someone who is less familiar with the food could make some questionable choices. I thought that the standard North American Chinese food to be quite solid, such as the Sweet n Sour Pork, Sesame Chicken and BBQ Pork. For myself, I went for some Fried Squid, BBQ Pork and Fish & Tofu. The nice man behind the counter was adding some random items to each plate as a "bonus". We really appreciated that; but the one thing I didn't want, Beef & Tomatoes, he gave me a honking scoop. Oh well...

In general, the food is acceptable for the price and given its location. Definitely something to consider if you wanted a quick take out of Chinese food for lunch or dinner. Nothing that will necessarily impress (and some dishes might even disappoint); but with reasonable expectations, it does the job.

The Good:
- Cheap
- Lots of variety, including pizza...
- Friendly staff

The Bad:
- Greasy
- Some items may not cut it

Wing Yuen

Whenever there is a mix of different ethnic cuisines within the same restaurant, it is often a recipe for disaster. It's difficult enough to master one type of cuisine let alone many. Of course, you'll get the spin that it's "fusion". Oh, that word again... Merely an excuse to use when the food is neither authentic or tasty. "Yah, it's fusion, the food tastes that way because of it!" Fusion? Fusion with what? Sometimes I wonder if these type of restaurants are a fusion of (insert cuisine) and dog food. "This doesn't taste like Beef Bourguignon!" "Oh, that's fusion between French and Alpo..." I digress... So, I was a bit concerned when I spotted Pho and Chinese food at Wing Yuen. Yes, both cuisines have similarities and use similar ingredients; but similarity doesn't mean "the same". The only reason I decided to try it out was that I wanted Pho and honestly, there are not a lot of choices in Newton. Wait, I think this is the only choice in Newton!

Being the first to arrive, I picked a wonderful corner seat surrounded by windows on both sides. Excellent soft light for my picture-taking. Thus, I wanted to take full advantage of this by not only ordering Pho. I decided to get 3 dishes and take leftovers home. The first dish is a favourite of mine - Salted Fish & Chicken Fried Rice. Mind you, it is not a favourite of anyone around me at work. Let's just say it smells pungent. This particular version was good and bad at the same time. I really liked the texture of the rice. It was perfect day-old rice being dry and chewy. I liked how there was plenty of salted fish which made for a well-seasoned fried rice; but it was a bit too salty.

Now, at this point I waited and waited for my other dishes to arrive. Well, they didn't because the server misunderstood me and packed the other 2 to go. Darn, all this great light wasted! Although the meats in the Pho were quite tender, I really didn't like the soup. It lacked depth and flavour. I can sum up the the Sweet & Sour Pork in 2 words - it sucked. No flavour, barely any pork and lack of colour, it was a total miss. Manchu Wok makes better. Ouch! To be fair, the food is edible; but if I had a choice, I would gladly drive up to New Town and eat there instead.

The Good:
- Okay pricing
- Diverse menu (can be a bad too)

The Bad:
- Each item that I tried had their own issues
- Portion size isn't exactly small per se; but it is on the smaller side or lacking substance

Fireside Cafe House of Cheesecakes

*Restaurant is closed*

As we were finishing up dinner at Afghan Chopan, there were thoughts of ordering dessert. However, much like usual, we tossed around ideas of going to a place specifically for sweets. Bubble World in Guildford was considered; but that was way too common and normal. We wanted something different, exciting and adventurous... You know how curiosity killed the cat? I think we were tempting fate this time around. For the longest time, a few of us have seen this place on King George Hwy and 108th. Yes, it's in the heart of Whalley. That itself was not really troubling to me honestly. The area is in transition. However, the place does not really look like a dessert shop at all. Rather, it could easily pass as a tatoo parlour from the outside. Since the place is named Fireside House of Cheesecakes, it really is a bit confusing.

With that in mind, we headed over there. When I pulled up, it appeared that this was no ordinary night. Apparently it was drag night and they had a schedule show. You see, Fireside has a small stage at the back just for times like these. Despite being a bit apprehensive, we thought what the heck, let's just see what's in store. Of course, we let Kim go first... So we all followed him into the place and we drew a lot of stares from the patrons. We, being 5 Asians, were not their typical customers. Undeterred, we walked up to the cheesecake display and proceeded to order. I went for my favourite, the Key Lime Cheesecake. Jenny and R had the Blueberry Cheesecake while Kim opted for the classic NY Style Cheesecake. Miss Y did her thing again and went for brownie of all things. We all gave them a try and there was something familiar about the taste. Well, being that it was frozen also gave it away. Yup, they don't make their own cheesecakes; rather, they get it from a supplier. I can't definitively say from where; but I have an idea. That is not necessarily a bad thing though because the cheesecakes were decent. As Kim remarked, they were textbook cheesecakes. With that being said, the key lime was probably the best since it had a bit of tartness. The other 2, with the blueberry especially, lacked punch. But honestly, the cheesecakes were not the star of the show. Rather, it was the entertainment and the eclectic atmosphere. Although we stood out like sore thumbs, particularly when we pulled out our cameras with flash... We thoroughly enjoyed the rendition of Daydream Believer being performed on stage.

The Good:
- Eclectic
- Inexpensive

The Bad:
- A bit difficult to get to other than from 108th going West
- Cheesecakes are decent; yet generic

Afghan Chopan

This meal has been a long time coming. Jenny had intended for this meal to happen a month ago; but it appears that the location wasn't all that attractive. You see, Afghan Chopan is in Surrey. For me, that's perfect since I work nearby. I am so game to try this place out. Being only open for dinner, I have never been able to make it there. Surprisingly, TS/JS from Eating Club Vancouver were game as well. TS rarely ventures out of Vancouver for eats, so this was a real stretch for her. To illustrate her lack of knowledge of anything out of a 8 block radius of her house, TS thought it would take an hour to get to Afghan Chopan from her place. In actuality, it would only take 30 minutes. You see, things are not as far as they seem! For some inexplicable reason, just as I was about to leave the house, Miss Y calls me up and ends up joining us for dinner. If it wasn't annoying enough that she has to put up with my picture-taking antics normally, she would need to bear with Kim and Jenny taking photos as well.

If you've never ventured out to these parts of Surrey before, Afghan Chopan is located in the unlikeliest of places. Located amongst industrial parks and other businesses, it is actually a bit difficult to locate even if you have a GPS. Trust me, I was driving through the parking lot and wondering if the place actually existed. It does; but hidden quite well on the Northeast corner of the complex. When we arrived, JS already had a plan. Apparently, she had perused the menu and figured out the best deal among the combo dinners. Apparently the Kebab Combo seemed to offer the most amount of meat for the money. Ah yes, nothing beats the inherent deal-seeking gene in us Asians... With that established as the "meat" of our meal, we proceeded to add an order each of the 3 available appetizers. The first to arrive was the Bolani, which resembled bannock. However, in this case, it was stuffed with a thin layer of potatoes. This crispy and fluffy bread went well with the 2 provided chutneys - Raita and Cilantro.

The other 2 appetizers were closely related with the Mantu, being a meat dumpling stuffed with ground beef and onion while the Ashak, being a veggie dumpling, stuffed with leeks and coriander. Both were topped with the same meat sauce, yogurt and dried mint. If I had to choose, I much preferred the Ashak since the leeks provided both a textural and flavour contrast not found in the Mantu. However, the Mantu had some kick with a multitude of spices present. We also added an order of the Qabeli Pallow which consists of braised beef shank hidden beneath basmati rice with carrots and raisins. The daily vegetable dish was served on the side. I believe it was eggplant? As for the beef shank, it was indeed very tender, mild-tasting and almost possessed a braised lamb-like quality to it. The rice was just how I like it, soft while still chewy. The raisins were a nice treat as it provided a natural sweetness. I wasn't particularly enamored with the mushy veggie side dish. It was tart and goopy. This is probably just a matter of personal taste and has nothing to do with the execution.

Finally, the star of the show, the Kebab Combo, arrived on a really large platter. It consists of the following kebabs: Chopan, Tekka, Chicken, Shami and Chaplee with tossed salad in the middle. If you look at the picture with all the meats, starting from the left, the Shami (ground beef mixed with onions, garlic, chili peppers and spices) was almost meatball-like and quite mild. Looking like a burger patty, the Chaplee consisted of ground beef with herbs, spices, green onions and coriander. I found it a tad spicy and very flavourful. Next were the Chopan or lamb kebabs which seemed more like mini-chops. I found them to be overcooked; although they were still tender and well-seasoned. The Chicken Kebabs resembled tandoori chicken; but don't let the colour deceive you. They were extremely mild and tender. The Tekka, which is top beef tenderloin cubes, were tender while other pieces tended to be quite chewy. I guess it depends on how much it was cooked. The accompanying Naan was nothing like the Indian version that we are all accustomed with. Rather, the one here was appreciably thicker, denser and chewier. To me, it reassembled bread with sesame seeds on the outside. In terms of personal taste, I wasn't a huge fan of it. By no means is this a criticism of its preparation though.

By the time we finished most of the food, we were all quite stuffed. Despite not looking that impressive when it arrived, the kebab platter had more than enough meat for all of us. Since I've only been to one other Afghan restaurant in my life (The Afghan Horsemen), it is quite difficult to do a fair comparison. Therefore, from a purely eating enjoyment point of view, the food was generally quite good. Sure, some of the meats were cooked well-done; but that is the way it is prepared. By focusing on the flavours alone, I found some of the spices quite complex and tasty. That in itself made for a good meal, especially with the given dining companions.

The Good:
- Flavourful food
- Reasonably-priced
- Clean, nice dining space

The Bad:
- For first-timers, it's a bit hard to find
- Meats are generally well-done, may not appeal to all

City Temple of Shanghai

* Restaurant is now closed*

A week ago, I was heading down Main street and something caught my attention. Despite what you think, it wasn't a pretty female. For me, restaurants catch my attention. Yup, I can't resist the lure of a sexy storefront... However, the restaurant that caught my attention was really not a looker. In fact, it looked quite awful. The place is City Temple of Shanghai. Definitely a mom & pop operation, you wouldn't even know if it existed unless someone told you or like me, look out specifically for restaurants. So when I briefly chatted with Degan (Ethnic Eats) at the Granville Foodie Tour about Xiao Long Bao, I thought this would a great place for a meetup. Apparently she'd already visited the place; yet she was up to visiting it again. Rounding out our dinner party was Kim and Elaine. When I originally made a reservation (which is quite laughable for a place like this), I tried to do it in English. No dice. The woman on the other end did not speak it. So I tried Cantonese. That was moderately more successful, although it was clear that she was a Mandarin speaker. Somehow during the phone call, she asked if I wanted to reserve a Peking Duck. Assuming that is must be good, I went ahead and made an executive decision to order one. I really hoped everyone likes Peking Duck! Otherwise, I'd need to eat the whole darn thing...

I arrived a bit early and it turns out that a reservation was not necessary. If I thought the place didn't look like much from the outside, the inside was not much better. Resembling an old wonton noodle joint, the dining space is purely for function only. Adorning the whole side of the place were menu items, surprising in both Chinese and English. Once again, I was in charge of doing the ordering since I could speak the language. I had to decipher what the lady was saying to me since it was a mix of Mandarin and Cantonese. So we started with the aforementioned Peking Duck. It consisted of 2 courses, with the first being the classic crispy skin wrapped in flour crepes. The skin was quite crispy with very little fat or meat attached. It may have been a tad too dry in some areas. Also, I felt it was cut into pieces that were too small. The flour crepes were not very good. They were too thick, cold and gummy. The second course consisted of the Duck Lettuce Wrap. This was better than the duck skin. Curiously, the veggies were crisp; but the overall filling was mushy. I think that there may have been a lack of "wok hay" or wok heat; thus not enough caramelization occurred. That would explain the lack of colour and flavour. Other than that, it wasn't too bad.

Now for the litmus test, the Xiao Long Bao. We got 2 orders since one is never enough. Call it unrealistic expectations because I thought they were only alright. I liked the filling and there was enough juice; but (agreeing with Kim) the dumpling skin was a thick and gummy. Don't get me wrong. They were more than acceptable, much better than Legendary (which inexplicably were in a XLB competition). We also got 2 orders of the Potstickers. I felt that these were better than the XLB. With an appetizing crisp bottom and a surprising amount of juice, the potstickers delivered. I enjoyed both the taste and texture of the filling as well. The meat was not gritty and modestly-seasoned. Our obligatory bowl of noodles came in the form of Tan Tan Mein. It consists of flour noodles topped with either a sesame or peanut based sauce. In this case, it was a slightly spicy peanut sauce topped with green onion and ground peanuts. Possibly because I ate it last, I found the noodles to be a bit soft. Otherwise, the sauce itself was decent with enough soy sauce to balance the peanut.

We also got the Shanghai Fried Noodles as a recommendation. Once again, I found that the noodles were soft. Other than that, the dish was quite alright. It had good colour, just enough dark soy flavour and plenty of spinach, cabbage and pork. Although the nature of this dish results in a large usage of oil (so the noodles don't stick), there wasn't an overload of oil in this case. Everyone knows the cliche, "save the best for last"; however, this really didn't apply. The Pork Chops & Sliced Rice Cake was terrible. I found the rice cakes themselves to be almost gummy rather than chewy. The pork chops were terribly over-tenderized resulting in a mushy texture. To top it all off, the sauce was just too sweet with little in the way of any other flavour.

When we thought our meal was over, we got a complimentary dessert in the form of Pumpkin Rice Pastry with Red Bean. These were pretty good with a nicely pan-fried exterior and a soft rice flour interior. The red bean paste was only semi-sweet. Served hot, these little treats were a nice end to the meal. And about that meal... I gotta admit it was pretty average at best. Even the XLB were average. I mean, the pricing ain't bad and most of the food was very edible; but with some many choices for Shanghainese food in the GVRD, this would not be my first choice. I'd gladly pay a little more and head over to the nearby Shanghai Village or Lin instead.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Friendly owner-lady
- Vast menu

The Bad:
- Average food at best
- So-so Xiao Long Bao
- The place has no ambiance

Terracotta

Chinese tapas... It is a concept that is fairly new. However, if one really thinks about it, the idea is actually quite old. Under the guise of late night "da lang" and Dim Sum, Chinese tapas has existed long before Bao Bei and Terracotta. Of course, da lang and Dim Sum are generally not very sexy. In fact, most of the time, both are uniquely un-sexy. With bright fluorescent lighting, linoleum floors, vinyl chairs, librarian servers and greasy kitchens, the most sexy you'd get out of these places are tongue and balls on the menu. Honestly, I have absolutely no problem with these joints since they offer decent eats on the cheap late into the night. Perfect for my lifestyle of late night hockey and such.

However, there are times when we might want to experience ambiance, style, vibe and scenery of a trendy place. Yup, I put away my "value" hat for a moment in return for unnecessary frills. So believe it or not, my visit to Terracotta followed dinner at Miku. Although the dinner at Miku wasn't exactly a "Filet-O-Fish meal", there was room for 2nd dinner (or snack in this case). Actually, Lionel Hutz hatched the idea of going for more eats well before we made it to Miku. He really enjoys scenery and apparently Terracotta has many peaks and valleys...

So while Lionel was initiating small talk with our server, Milhouse and I set about ordering some food. We started with the Short Rib Sliders which were ingeniously served on fried "man tau". These fried buns are usually served with condensed milk at Shanghainese restaurants. With tender whole pieces of short rib, I must admit that these sliders were decent. Only problem are the fried buns, they were quite greasy. Now the Duck Wraps were a complete fail. I mean, they weren't horrible. There was plenty of tender duck and veggies hidden in the flour pancakes; however, there were plenty of duck bones as well. All 3 of us got it and trust me, that is not a fun thing to chew into. When we alerted our waitress, she merely giggled a sorry. How about some Orajel here? However, the Potstickers were a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting much out of these honestly. What we got were perfectly crisp dumplings with a thin wrapper and juicy, flavourful pork filling. This happen to be the least expensive of the items we ordered as well.

Finally, our last item could be considered a classic - Beef Pancake Roll. Normally, we would find marinated slices of beef shank, cucumber and onion rolled up in a green onion pancake. In this case, the filling was braised short rib. I found that the short rib to be too fatty and loose for this application. Furthermore, the pancake was not very good. It was gummy and a bit oil soaked. Combined with the fatty short rib, it was far too rich to be considered a "snack".

Okay, here is the thing, I'm fully aware some people will cry foul over a place like Terracotta. After all, it doesn't fit the conventional mold of an Asian restaurant. However, Terracotta is not just a "restaurant". If someone was wanting Chinese food in small little plates, they could easily get better and cheaper at a multitude of places around town. However, the premise behind Terracotta is to blend location, style, drinks and food into a hip "to be seen in" atmosphere. If that is what you want, then that is what you'll get here. If you just want good tapas-style Chinese food for better value, then I suggest you go elsewhere.

The Good:
- It's a place you can grab some drinks
- Service wasn't bad, except for the non-response to the duck bones
- Hip

The Bad:
- You don't necessarily come here for the food
- Pricey for what you get

Miku

Polka King's birthday was coming up and I asked him where he wanted to go. He's not a picky guy, so he usually doesn't have an opinion one way or another. However, ever since his first visit to Miku, he has been raving about it. For him to rave about anything is something special. Other than his beloved music equipment (for his polka'ing), it would be hard to get anything out of him. Thus, he was pretty much in agreement that we meet up at Miku for his birthday. Hey, that worked for me. A visit to Miku has been a long time coming. Situated where the Spotted Prawn used to reside, the dining space is modern, trendy and comfortable. Joining us tonight were Emilicious, Lionel Hutz and Milhouse. When Milhouse and I arrived, we were given the opportunity to sit out on the patio since it was a fairly nice day. Probably the best day so far in our Spring/Summer.

Initially, I was pushing for the Omakase; yet it probably wasn't a good choice because a few of us were planning on more eats and drinks afterwards at Terracotta. Yes, 2nd dinner much like Merry and Pippen. That is quite a feat since I already had High Tea earlier in the day. Thus, we settled on ordering 2 dishes each and share. What makes Miku unique is the Aburi (torched) Sushi. The premise is to top maki and oshi sushi with sauce and caramelize it via torching. The question: is it a gimmick or does it really enhance flavour and texture? I guess we'll have to see...

We started out with the a Abu Tuna which was comprised of a sliced seared pieces of tuna rolled with red onion and peppers topped with masatake sauce. I'm not a huge fan of raw onions, so it was not really my cup of tea. Actually, I found that the copious amount of onion detracted from the tuna and it seemed to get lost flavour-wise. Yet, it did succeed from a textural standpoint since the crunchy onions were a nice contrast to the soft tuna. Usually, when we order a Sashimi Salad, it can be somewhat of an underwhelming experience because you really don't get much in the way of seafood in relation to the lettuce. However, the version at Miku was quite substantial. Consisting of 2 separate sections with one topped with a generous amount of sashimi and the second topped with 2 ebi and 2 hotate, it was no whimpy salad. It would've been perfect if they hadn't drenched the whole thing with dressing.

By virtue of already dining at Miku twice, we got Polka King to suggest a few dishes. One of which was the Chicken Nanban. When I read the description on the menu, I thought it was a misprint. House-made tartar sauce on fried chicken? Then I thought about it, I personally like tartar sauce on anything, especially fries. And you know what? This wasn't bad. The lightly battered (and I mean barely there batter) chicken was tender and lightly seasoned. I found it pleasant to eat, if not slightly bland. From fried to raw again, we had the Gyu Carpaccio with 2 different dressings. The first was a black sesame and the second appeared to ginger? I wasn't paying attention. The beef was really tender and sliced perfectly thin. I particularly liked the black sesame dressing, it had a understated nuttiness to it.

For me, I ordered the highly unsharable Sablefish Saikyoyaki. Well, it is sharable, it just becomes a bloody mess once divided. As Victoria and I discussed a while back, it's pretty hard to mess up sablefish (aka Black Cod). It does happen; but rarely. So I was expecting this dish to be good and it was. Simply marinated in miso and baked, the fish was buttery soft and had the right amount of seasoning. Arriving on a big platter, we got Miku's specialties last. Polka King really likes the Aburi Salmon Oshi, so we got 2 orders. It's pressed salmon sushi dressed with Miku sauce and jalapeno then torched. The premise behind this is to combine flamed French sauces with sushi to create flavours that are both unique and tantalizing. I liked how the jalapeno was there to provide a contrast to the fatty sauce while not intruding. As with most pressed sushi, the rice is denser. I decided to order the Miku Roll which consists of salmon, snow crab and cucumber rolled with tobiko and topped with Miku sauce. This was my favourite since the entire roll was fluffy (unlike the stiffer pressed sushi) highlighted by a natural sweetness which was accented by the Miku sauce and pop from the tobiko. I thought the sushi rice was prepared properly with a nice "bite' and a sweetness of its own.

With the same masatake sauce as the first roll, the Red Wave consisted of snow crab and avocado with maguro on the outside. The roll was good with the same fluffiness of the Miku Roll while exhibiting a slight crunch from the sauce. Yet, this was ultimately a so-so roll compared to the first 2 offerings. Finally, the Seabreeze was probably our least favourite. Probably because it was not visually appealing, it was both small and lacking in colour. Consisting of maguro, avocado with nori sauce and grated shiso leaf on the outside, I found it bland. I know the point of this roll is to be subtle, but it was just not my favourite.

Albeit on the expensive side, I found that most of the food at Miku to be crafted with care. The flavours are well-thought out and are clean. However, if someone was merely looking for "regular" sushi, this may not be the place. That is not their specialty. With the different sauces used in their sushi, the texture and tastes are definitely different. I personally like the concept while I can see how some would not. Thus, I tend to look at a place like this from a different point of view (ie. not looking at it as purely a Japanese restaurant). Ultimately, as with anything trendy and unique, we end up paying for it.

The Good:
- Something a bit different
- Comfortable and trendy dining space
- Attentive, yet not intrusive service

The Bad:
- Dinner is pricey
- Order their specialties, you can get regular sushi somewhere else for cheaper