Phoenix Garden

A really long time ago, when I was pre-school age, we lived near Broadway and Nanaimo. Interestingly, if we had not moved to Oakridge, I would've went to Laura Secord Elementary and subsequently Van Tech, which incidentally were the schools Viv attended. Wonder how things would've turned out if that had happened? Her answer: no way she'd go out with me... Thank goodness the things turned out the way they did! Back then, sandwiched in between Bon's and Trocadero, there was a restaurant called Golden Phoenix. It was eventually sold and the former owners went on to open up Golden Swan on Victoria (which was bought by Golden Ocean). Golden Phoenix went on to bite the dust and become East Ocean. Rising from the ashes like in Harry Potter, Golden Phoenix existed once more (under a new Chinese name). Now, all of sudden, it closed again and now is Phoenix Garden. Confusing? Yeah. But for me, that just means more eating...

As such, we met up with Viv's parents for Dim Sum. For a weekday, the place was packed and bustling with activity. Due to the physical size of the restaurant, the tables were very close to one another and having push carts didn't help either. The result of having push carts in such a small restaurant was the instantaneous appearance of food. Our table was full after 2 carts since they had most of the stuff we wanted. Starting with the classics, we had the Haw Gow and Sui Mai. As illustrated in the picture, the shrimp dumplings were pretty large. The filling was a good mix of whole crunchy shrimp and shrimp mousse. It was well-seasoned and sweet. It was really too bad that the dumpling skin was a tad thick and chewy. We weren't that enthused with the Sui Mai as it was pale and "loose"-looking. In fact, the appearance pretty much summed up the pork dumpling. It was too soft, possibly either over-tenderized or mixed with too much filler (fat). Hence, there was not much texture nor meaty flavour.

The same could be said about the Beef Meatballs as well. Once again, they were fairly pale which wasn't exactly aesthetically pleasing. I don't know about you, I like my balls with colour... er... One bite into these and yup, these were some mushy balls. Too much baking soda and/or processing. Too bad really since there was a nice balance of seasoning from the green onion and dried orange peel. On the other hand, the Bible Tripe was properly tenderized where it was soft, yet still retaining a certain level of chewiness. It was a fairly large portion as you can see in the picture as it was spilling out of the sauce dish into the bamboo steamer. Funny how I just mentioned this recently in my Golden Lake (what's with all these "golden" restaurants?) post. Anyways, there was ample seasoning with good hits of ginger.

From tripe, we moved onto chicken feet or Phoenix Talons as they are more affectionately known. Well, despite the restaurant's namesake, these phoenix talons were pretty average. Definitely overcooked with the skin and gelatin detaching from the bones. Hence, it was clumpy, especially with the abundance of overly sweet sauce. A bit heavy on the MSG here. The Shrimp Stuffed Eggplant was good and bad at the same time. First with the good where we found a large amount of whole shrimp atop the large slices of eggplant. We surmised that they used the haw gow filling as the stuffing. This was further enhanced with the flavourful black bean sauce. However, the whole thing was fried probably too long which made the exterior too crispy which in turn made the dish taste oily. I could actually taste the oil when I bit into the shrimp, which was not really all that appealing.

Despite its plain appearance, the Steamed Pork Spareribs were pretty good. The best thing going for it was the meat itself - there was plenty of it. With very little fatty or cartilage-laced pieces, we got the cream of the crop in terms of spareribs. Furthermore, the meat was tenderized and marinated properly where it was soft enough to chew while still exhibiting the "bounce"-like texture at the same time. Lastly, it was seasoned with plenty of garlic and sodium (yes, it is necessary). So far into the meal, we were munching away, including my daughter. She was happily eating most things. Not my son though. He was waiting for the rice noodle rolls. So we grabbed the first one that passed by being the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll. Of course I had to take all the shrimp out for him (his loss!). Overlooking the poor preparation of the roll (see the exposed shrimp on top), it was pretty good. Inside the fairly soft noodles were large whole shrimp that exhibited the requisite "snap".

Then finally, the dish my son had been waiting for passed by - the Pan-Fried Soy Rice Noodle Rolls. Good thing I acted fast, since it was the last one on the push cart. Plated neatly and showing a pleasant caramelized colour from the dark soy, the noodles looked good. And yes, they were good. I particularly liked the balanced sweet soy mixture they used while frying up the noodles. It really did exhibit a caramelized flavour which matched its appearance. Texture-wise, it was soft while still having enough chew that it didn't fall apart during cooking. By now, we weren't really all that hungry anymore due to the generous portion sizes. However, with push carts, food kept coming around and hey, it did have an influence. Hence, the Fried XO Daikon Radish Cakes caught our attention. Normally, these are sliced into squares and pan-fried, but the fried cubed version is becoming more prevalent. In fact, this preparation would in theory result in a less oily product due to the quick flash frying in high heat. It was such the case here where the daikon cake was crispy and not greasy-at-all. It was tossed in XO sauce which added some spiciness. However, we felt the daikon cakes were far too dense and lacking in inherent flavour.

In order to defeat the evil "Chinese Dim Sum food expeditor" and his sinister ways, where s/he sends out dessert first, we asked for it last. And wow, did they really save the best for last. After an uneven Dim Sum service, we didn't expect these awesome Egg Tarts. We agreed that these were some of the best Dim Sum egg tarts we've had lately. The puff pastry tart shell was light and buttery (or lardy). It was baked beautifully where we could taste the nuttiness from the copious amount of butter (or lard). It was flaky from top to bottom. Moreover, the egg custard filling was light and just sweet enough. Again, the nuttiness from the butter really helped make this egg tart. That was a sweet finish to an up and down Dim Sum service. Although pretty average as a whole, the large portion sizes and reasonable pricing makes Phoenix Garden an option for those who are not picky.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Inexpensive

The Bad:
- And I thought the seating at Western Lake was super tight, it's worse here
- Hit and miss food

Wild Rice

*Location is now closed*

You might wonder why I have never been to Wild Rice. After all, the place has been around for over 10 years. It would be within the realm of possibility that I could have eaten here, especially since I've lived nearby at one point. Nope. Did not and really had no burning desire either. You see, the "Modern Chinese" part concerned me a bit. Since I am so used to eating traditional and/or Hong Kong-style Chinese cuisine, it is almost a given I would be biased even before the food hit the table. However, with my recent visits to Terracotta and Bao Bei, I have gained an appreciation that we need to accept food for what it is - not for what it should be. The authenticity and the question of value always come into play when we deal with a take on ethnic food. However, shouldn't we just base everything on whether the food tastes good regardless of anything else? So what if it is a bastardization of something? Or does it really matter if the staff are not of that ethnicity? If we are that picky, then we have overlooked what is most important, which is the food itself.

So Viv and I decided to give the Wild Rice a go with no preconceived expectations nor any "Chinese" food snobbery. We started with the Hot and Sour Soup which was exactly as advertised. It was definitely spicy with a noticeable tang. The spice was thanks to red chili peppers which had a lingering effect on our tastebuds. There was a good amount of julienned carrots and bamboo shoots with shiitake mushrooms, green onions and tofu. The soup was not starch-thickened, yet there was enough flavour to make up for any concerns about the lack of body. Next up was the Seared Albacore Tuna with ginger shallot daikon and a black vinegar reduction. I gotta admit I liked this one, especially the shredded daikon underneath the tuna. The ginger infusion was so intense, I didn't even realize it was daikon. The tuna itself was seared nicely with a rare centre. I thought it went with the other components, in particular, the sweet sticky vinegar reduction.

We moved onto another fish offering in the form of the Steamed Ling Cod with fried ginger, pickled radish and honey soy marinade. This was beautifully presented in which we thought the fried ginger would add texture and flavour. Well, not really. It did look nice, but it was neither that flavourful nor crunchy. The fish itself was a little overdone and became stiff. We did like the pickled radish though, it contributed a crunch and tang to every bite. Something that could've been a great dish was the Sticky Beans with roasted peanuts. I stress the "could've" since the beans had a boiled consistency to them. I mean, they most likely were wok-fried or something, but they did not exhibit such texture. Hence, the sauce just "slid" off each bean resulting in a bland product. What we would've liked to see was oil-blanched beans that would be further wok-tossed with the sweet sticky mixture. That would've resulted in a flavour explosion, especially combined with the good roasted peanuts.

On the other hand, the Sweet Soy Chicken Wings were a winner. The wings were perfectly fried until crispy while the meat was moist and juicy. The sweet and sticky sauce clung onto each wing providing just enough flavour. There was a little of everything from sweet, tangy, spice and savoury. However, it was predominantly sweet though. Our last item was a large plate which was recommended as a favourite. It happened to be the Kung Pao Chicken with rice noodles and twice cooked peanuts. The peanuts, by far, were the star of the show. Fried, baked and then dusted with icing sugar, these were a treat by themselves. There was a rich roasted flavour that was accented by a sweet glaze. As for the noodles, the best word to describe them would be clumpy. Due to the deep serving bowl, the noodles were compressed. That didn't mean they were overcooked (in fact they were still chewy), yet picking them up was not easy (came out in actual clumps of noodles). This would've been much better if served on a plate. Actually, serving it on a plate would showoff the massive amount of food, rather than being hidden in a bowl. In the end, I liked the flavours (albeit sweet). There was a good coconut milk kick combined with some spice and the aforementioned peanuts. So really, to be honest, the food was better than I expected. Now, this is from the perspective of eating the food with my "Chineseness" temporarily on hold. Even with that, there were some dishes that could probably need some injection of authenticity such as the beans (I know I am contradicting myself, but it's true).

The Good:
- Loved the high ceilings in the main dining space
- Some dishes were surprisingly good
- The service we got was very good

The Bad:
- Well, it ain't cheap, but then again, this is not a wonton noodle joint (can't compare)
- Dishes like the beans could benefit from injection of some "authenticness"

Paul's Place Omelettery

An all-day ball hockey tournament. That's what Costanza proposed to a few of us via email. Boy, I haven't played ball hockey in quite awhile. It's been strictly ice hockey, in particular, playing goal. I do like ball hockey, but do I have the stamina to keep up? Also, if I recall, most of my injuries stemmed from ball hockey. Oh fine, why not, it was for charity anyways. Apparently, he was successful in filling the rest of the roster with familiar friends such as Chill, Bubbly, Rock Guy and Slash & Whack Girl. Now, any all-day activity requires nourishment and lots of it. Yet, with very little in the way of downtime, Costanza and I decided to grab some early morning breaky at Paul's Place Omlettery prior to the tourney. After we sat down, I took a quick gander at the dining room and something triggered my memory. Hey! This place used to be Magnum's! For those who are unfamiliar, Magnum's was a popular restaurant with the late-night post-clubbing crowd in the 90's. A bunch of us spent a lot of time in the early morning hours here... It was an alternative to Denny's.

With nostalgia out-of-the-way, we settled in on deciding what to eat. For Costanza, it was easy, he thought that trying out the Meatlover's Omelet would best represent the place. Boy, was the egg portion of the omelet ever thin. So much so, we could see the filling through it! For some, that would be too little egg. For us, it was perfect - more filling. That meant the bacon, sausage, ham, onion, cheddar, edam and romano cheese really showed up in terms of flavour. The side of pan fries was soft potato goodness. However, we would've liked to see more crispy bits and surfaces. For myself, I had a hard time deciding between the Pulled Pork Hash and the Traditional Eggs Benny (with black forest ham instead of Canadian back bacon). The solution? Have both! No need to be like Pippin and Merry with 1st and 2nd breakfast. Just have them both in one meal!

I tackled the Pulled Pork Hash first and it was concoction of pan fries, peppers, onions, pulled pork topped with 2 poached eggs and cheese. Although a tad greasy, I found the hash to be flavourful and satisfying. The pulled pork was tender and moist with a BBQ sauce that was tangy and sweet. The free-range eggs were poached perfectly runny. Onto my second breakfast, I had the Traditional Eggs Benny. Not sure if Black Forest Ham would've been my first choice of meat (I prefer back bacon), but it was okay nonetheless. I liked that the egg was poached free-hand and done perfectly runny. The cheese sauce (instead of Hollandaise) had a nice consistency and a hint of lemon (although I'm thinking was it really lemon? Not sure, it was good though). I didn't end up eating the potatoes on this place since I was stuffed. Our server was impressed that I finished that much. You know what was more impressive? That I didn't puke the whole thing up after a whole day of hockey.

The Good:
- Relatively good portions
- Above-average eats
- Comfy surroundings

The Bad:
- A tad expensive
- I know this is nit-picking, but I would've liked back bacon on the Traditional Eggs Benny

Sampaguita Cafe

It's always exciting to see new restaurants. For obvious reasons, it means I get to try new things and hopefully the food makes an impression. Now out along the Scott Road corridor, it is even more exciting if the new restaurant is not Indian. Again, I love Indian food, but variety is important! Fresh off trying out Maria & Maria Cafe nearby (which has since closed), there is yet another new Filipino restaurant. Located in the partially deserted Kennedy Heights Shopping Centre, we now have Sampaguita Cafe. Similarly to Maria & Maria, they are a catering business which also operates as a cafe. They offer the regular wraps and sandwiches in addition to Filipino food.

For me, there was no way I was going to have a sandwich. Instead, I went for 2 items and rice starting with the Caldereta (beef stew). This version was slightly bland and it was quite obvious it wasn't exactly ready since the potatoes were still firm and the meat slightly chewy. It was pleasant enough if not a touch mild (and I'm not talking about spice). There are different recipes to this dish and I once had it with coconut milk (which is rare) and that made it more rich. For my second item, I had the Afritada (chicken in a tomato-based sauce). This one was also quite mild with the pieces of meat being the chicken wing. Therefore, the meat was moist and tender with the skin being slightly rendered. The veggies in this dish were cooked down more so than the caldereta, which made it easier to eat.

Seeing how my first visit was a little
underwhelming, I wanted to see what some of the other dishes were like. Despite all indications they should be open at 10:30 (according to their website), they never seem to be. Thus, after a couple of fails, I finally caught them open (more like at noon). Since I had no time to actually sit down and eat, I got 2 items to go. Their rice was not ready yet, so I had to do the no-carb diet for lunch. I decided to to give the Laing (pork with taro leaves) a go and boy was it salty. Okay, to be fair, I didn't have it with rice and that would skew things a bit. Whatever, the case, it wasn't lacking in flavour. Lots of coconut milk in an extremely rich sauce with fatty pieces of pork. The taro leaves were predictably wilty, but I didn't mind it. Lastly, I had to try their Pork & Chicken Adobo. This was also not lacking in flavour although the potatoes were probably a tad too vinegary. Again, I ain't complaining since the meat was moist and the flavours seemed to have had time to meld. It was pretty obvious my second visit yielded different results than the first time. Textures were better and flavours were more pronounced. It could be that the food was more "ready" this time around than last. I would say Sampaguita is pretty decent place for lunch with not much in the way of competition nearby.

The Good:
- Decent amount of choice (that is ready to go)
- Prices are reasonable
- The ladies there are friendly

The Bad:
- The times I've been there, certain things are not ready for lunch (ie. the Calderta and the rice)

New Macaw's Cafe

Almost 10 years ago, I had a temporary gig at a company near the Great Pacific Forum. Now, if you are familiar with the area, it is not exactly a hotbed of culinary excitement. So for one month solid, I went on the Jared diet at Subway. No, I really wasn't on a diet, but other than Burger King and Tim's, there was not much to choose from for lunch. After a month of sandwiches, I'd had enough. Not only was it getting expensive (Subway is not cheap), I had actually gained weight. See what carbohydrates can do to you! So I went searching for alternative eats that didn't involve going upstairs at GPF. Little did I know, there was a small cafe hidden on Swenson Way.

Fast forward to the present and it suddenly hit me that this place still exists. I decided it was time to go back and as I pulled up, the sign read "New Macaw's Cafe". Was it just "Macaw's Cafe" before? Since the menu is so varied, I decided that more than one visit was in order. Thus, on my first go around, I went for the infamous Chinese combo lunch. No, it wasn't combo #5, rather it was Combo F. It included chow mein, sweet 'n sour pork, broccoli beef and lemon chicken. This was a relatively large plate of food reminiscent of places such as Hang Lee Wok and Manchu Wok. However, it costs significantly more at Macaw's. Granted, the food is prepared fresh and served steaming hot. And you know what? The food was pretty good North American Chinese. The chow mein was well-seasoned and exhibited good wok heat. Crisp and vibrant, the broccoli was good while the beef was tender. The sweet & sour pork was meaty and crisp. Although it was flavourful, I would've preferred the sauce to have a bit more tang. The lemon chicken was crispy and meaty with a tangy sauce.

On my second visit, I wanted to try their Sushi. Yah, it looked kinda shady since there was not a lot of choice and there was no sushi chef on the premises. With that in mind, I was prepared to be bitterly disappointed. However, that wasn't really the case. Sure, the sushi was pretty average and in fact, the tuna nigiri looked like it was prepared with a butter knife. On the positive. the rice was actually acceptable and the fish was okay. Seeing how some sushi might not be enough, I also ordered the Ma Po Tofu on Rice. This was actually pretty good. The tofu stayed in tact and the ground pork was moist. The mix of peppers and pickled veggies added some texture as well as hits of flavour. For a lil' cafe out in the middle of nowhere, this was not bad. In fact, the Chinese food in particular is a whole lot better than some actual Chinese restaurants in North Delta.

The Good:
- Lots of choice from Chinese, Japanese and American food
- Food is actually pretty good (particularly the Chinese food)
- Friendly family-run operation

The Bad:
- Not as cheap as you would think
- For those who care, it's mostly serve yourself (get your own cutlery, water, condiments)

Fortune Garden

After a crazy visit to Seattle for Black Friday, I swore to not go out on Boxing Day here in Vancouver. Even after purchasing a few items off Futureshop and NCIX on their online Boxing Day sales, I still held steadfast on the notion of sleeping in on Boxing Day. Well, I did end up sleeping in. But Viv suggested we head out anyways... and with the kids! Okay, it wasn't that bad since we weren't going to visit any big box stores nor the mall. Seeing how it was almost time for lunch, I suggested we head out for some Dim Sum first. We decided on Fortune Garden since we had just talked about it. You see, Viv and I were across the street at McD's a week prior and remarked that it has been at that location forever (in one shape or form). It was about time we paid them a visit considering the last time I was here, my age was in single digits.

Being a Szechuan restaurant, we decided the Szechaun Beef Noodle was a must try. It arrived first and it was hit and miss in one bowl. We really liked the beef, since it was super tender and not overly fatty. The thin noodles were al dente, yet gooey for some reason. The soup was pleasant enough, not lacking flavour per se, but it was not in the least spicy. So much so, my daughter ate it without complaints. This was an okay bowl of noodles which could be a whole lot better. We then proceeded to some Cantonese Dim Sum items starting with the Haw Gow (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings). For a Szechaun joint, these were pretty good. Although the dumpling skin was a touch sticky, the shrimp filling had a good snap and was seasoned just enough that it didn't overwhelm the shrimp.

As a filler of sorts, we got the Pan-Fried Daikon Pudding Cakes. I use the word "filler" because it essentially fills up your stomach, which means you order less. Not sure why we did this since it was only Viv and I with the kids. And no, we didn't finish it. It was not bad though. A touch on the stiffer side, yet fried until crisp on the outside, there was enough slivers of daikon and Chinese Sausage for flavour. From the
subtle-tasting back to Szechuan, we got the Spicy Wontons. I wouldn't necessarily have called these bland, but it wasn't as impactful as I would've liked. Sure, there was chili oil as you can clearly see in the picture. I guess we could've just used a bit more. I'm pretty sure they make this dish to appeal to as many people as possible. Thus, someone could easily asked for it to be prepared spicier. As for the wontons, they were pretty standard pork wontons which more or less did their job (as a blank canvas for the spicy oil and soy mixture).

Now drumroll... Yes, it is the ever-so-ordered Soy-Fried Rice Noodle Rolls. Although I am completely indifferent about this dish, my son can't do without it. These were pretty typical. The texture was about right where it was chewy while soft at the same time. They were quite greasy though and could've stood for more browning. Also, for some odd reason, there was no accompanying sauces such as the usual hoisin and sesame. Onto something that my son wouldn't even considering eating (which is not a stretch because there are many people who are probably in the same boat) was the Phoenix Talons or otherwise known as Chicken Feet. For those unfamiliar, these are first fried, then tossed in an oyster-based sauce with garlic and peppers, then steamed. What makes a good chicken feet dish? Well, first of all, the skin should be in one piece and not shriveled up and peeling (yes, not a great gastronomical description). Furthermore, the gelatin underneath the skin should be intact since that what makes this dish so good. This was more or less the case here and it was surprisingly decent.

Another decent offering was the Steamed Black Bean Spareribs. Despite its compacted appearance, the meat was tenderized enough so it was easy to chew. Yet, there was still plenty of meat texture left. For those sparerib connoisseurs, you will notice from the picture that the pieces were good quality. There was a minimal amount of cartilage and fat while most were actual rib pieces. Although there was not a whole lot of black bean itself, the rest of the seasonings (such as the peppers, chili flakes and garlic) made up for it. Okay, we decided to get the Xiao Long Bao even though Fortune Garden is a Szechuan restaurant. We were expecting an average attempt and it was pretty much bang-on. The dumpling skin was on the thicker side and the amount of soup was pretty meager. The meat filling wasn't too bad though. It was not gritty and had some good meat flavour. It could've used some more ginger though. But then again, I'm not going to be too hard on them since they are not a Shanghainese restaurant.

Lastly, we added an order of the Vegetarian Spring Rolls because they didn't have the Chinese Donut. My son was pretty annoyed since he was expecting the latter. In the end, he was happy he got something deep-fried and crispy. These were very crunchy and a touch oily. The shredded cabbage and carrots remained crisp inside. Not sure what type of clientele they are hoping to attract, but the inclusion of sweet plum sauce as a dip was not exactly what we were expecting. Worcestershire sauce please! Whatever the case, the food in general was alright and did the job. Not necessarily anything special enough to compete with the big boys and many of the Dim Sum joints in East Van. However, considering its location where there are not really all that many choices (Szechuan Chongqing and Dynasty), it is no wonder it still exists to this date.

The Good:
- Service was above-average
- Food is serviceable

The Bad:
- Food is alright for the area, but there is better elsewhere
- Szechuan items are watered-down to satisfy a wider range of customers (well, bad for us that is)