Golden House

A couple of weeks ago, the hockey team tried to grab some dessert a Breka Bakery at a relatively early hour. Well, the place was packed and that plan fizzled before it even started. We decided to hightail it out of there because we had already eaten at Sawasdee Thai. It wasn't imperative that we have dessert. Somewhere I can imagine Mijune sheding a tear... While I was walking out the door, I spied with my little eyes (and they are little), a tiny Chinese restaurant advertising daily Dim Sum service. Really... I was intrigued. Further to this, LotusRapper reminded me of this place in the comment section of the Golden Harvest post. Okay, I just had to try the place out. But with who? Ah yes, Rich Guy, the ever-so-willing dining companion that I have suddenly taken for granted since he has moved back. In actuality, I kinda guilted him into it since he needed my help replacing the fog lights on his Bimmer. By the way, can they make it any harder to replace those bulbs??? I digress.

So when I thought the place was small, it was shockingly small on the inside. There was about 8 tables only for the whole place. So what kind of Dim Sum could such a small place serve? Well, we were about to find out. The first thing that showed up at our table was the Preserved Egg & Salted Pork Congee. It was really thick and had a home-style feel. We didn't find it particularly salty nor was it laced with too much MSG. Yet, it wasn't bland either since we could taste the pork that had been cooked in the congee. What we didn't like was the aggressively shredded salted pork. It was so shredded, it was more like meat floss than anything else. Furthermore, the meat was hard and chewy. If the congee was mild-tasting, then the Shrimp Mousse Stuffed Eggplant was a flavour explosion. Normally, I complain about bland black bean sauces. Not here. It was garlicky and just salty enough to accent the eggplant. As for the eggplant, it was moist and crispy on the outside. The shrimp, on the other hand, was mostly crispy since there wasn't really a whole lot of it.

When the Haw Gow arrived, it looked pretty legit. They were big and the shrimp filling was peaking through the translucent rice flour wrapper. Considering where we were eating these, the haw gow were impressive. Inside the nicely textured dumpling skin lay a good mix of whole shrimp and shrimp mousse. It displayed plenty of the bounce and snap we look for in haw gow filling. If I had to nitpick, the filling was probably seasoned too aggressively and the mousse was a tad soft. The Sui Mai were equally good. They too were large and texturally sound. The pork was marinated properly exhibiting a good bounce while still having a bite. The meat was juicy and flavourful from the seasoning and shiitake mushroom. One thing we would've liked to see was more shrimp.

Well, shrimp was not a problem in the Bean Curd Skin Rolls because that was the main ingredient for the filling. The perfectly cooked shrimp had a snap which really changed the makeup of this usually heavy item. It was lighter than the all-pork version and we easily ate it all. We also liked how the bean curd skin was not too soft nor too tough. Okay, for no reason other than the limited selection, we got the Xiao Long Bao. Yes, I know it is a Shanghainese dish served in a Cantonese restaurant. So therefore, we did not expect XLBs, rather we would've been happy with decent pork dumplings. And they were more or less, okay pork dumplings. The skin was thick and doughy, however, the filling was actually quite tasty with lots of meat flavour and a good hit of ginger. It was moist and not-gritty either. It just wasn't an XLB.

Last but not least, we had the Black Bean Spareribs, which were not bad. The dish consisted mostly of meat pieces (the rib ends) rather than ribs. They were properly tenderized so it wasn't difficult to chew. In fact, they were mostly soft with only the rib pieces having a chew. There was no absence of flavour here with lots of garlic and black bean with a touch of spice.
Overall, not including the XLBs (and really, I'm not holding anything against them), the Dim Sum at this little place was surprisingly good. Not exactly the cheapest, but with the level of execution and quality, we would be willing to do a return visit.

The Good:
- Dim Sum is surprisingly good
- The service we got was friendly

The Bad:
- Calling the place small would be an understatement
- Service is friendly, but with only one staff member, it gets a bit sparse

Salam Bombay

Normally, I'm not really in the mood for Indian food outside of Surrey. Why? Well, you would be hard-pressed to find the combination of value and good Indian eats anywhere else. Sure, there is decent Indian food to be found in Vancouver - for more money. And sure, there is Indian food to be found in the rest of the burbs, yet it generally is hit and miss. However, when Rich Guy and Rich Gal wanted to meet up for lunch in Downtown, I actually suggested we try Salam Bombay. The reason for this was due to some form of ESP between Rich Guy and I. As we were texting, we messaged each other simultaneously that we should go for Indian since that is Rich Gal's favourite cuisine. Furthermore, time was tight since Rich Gal had a massage appointment afterwards (wait, Indian food and then a massage? uh...).

The most popular thing at Salam Bombay during lunch hour is their buffet for $15.00. It's a great way to quickly down some food before heading back to work (not sure if one would necessarily want to work after that). We didn't have to worry about that since we were all off for the day. The buffet started off with mesclun greens and a bean salad. I ignored both since they are fillers and I am a meatatarian. Right next to it was the Tandoori Chicken and Butter Chicken respectively. We found the tandoori chicken to be relatively moist considering it was in a chaffing tray. It was quite mild, yet not devoid of flavour either. The Butter Chicken was more of the tomato paste version rather than being very creamy. We didn't mind that as it was not as heavy. The one thing that was quite appealing was the level of spiciness - it was apparent. Now, we could handle spicier, but it was much appreciated since many versions of butter chicken can be overly mild. As for the chicken, it was a touch dry but that was understandable since it was all breast meat.

The next item was the Beef Curry and we universally didn't care for it. The small cubes of beef were dry and spongy. Furthermore, the flavours were overly one-dimensional. For me, I got a lot of cloves and bay leaves which made this more of a stewed beef dish rather than curry. Up next was the Seafood Curry which was predominantly squid. Therefore, the entire thing had a squid taste to it (which wasn't necessarily bad). I didn't mind it since there was a good level of heat. The Baingan Bharta was one of my favourites but it seemed that I was in the minority. I guess it has partly to do with the texture which is akin to baby food. This happened at East is East where most people didn't like the pureed squash and I did. Anyways, I didn't get much smokiness from the eggplant, but I did like the mild and subtle flavours. And yes, I loved the mushy texture.

Rich Guy was trying to figure out what the next item was since it was so watery and seemingly devoid of ingredients. In reality, it was the Daal Makhni and there wasn't much of it in the sauce. I did like the flavours since there was once again a good kick, but it wasn't exactly creamy though. The "balls" to the right of the daal were Potato Pakoras which were actually pretty good. The potato in the middle was soft and spiced nicely. As with most Indian buffets these days, the Naan was made-to-order and served upon request. I found the naan to be more like puffed flatbread than anything else. The bottom was very crispy while the bread itself was very light and airy. There was some chewiness and in the end, it did the job.

Lastly, there was a fruit salad as well as Kheer which was really sweet and thick. Despite this, I could definitely pick out a substantial cardamom hit which helped distract my tastebuds from the sugar content slightly. After dusting off a few plates, we were okay with the food in general considering it was a buffet. Now the price was a reflection of its location more than anything else because one could get better for less in Surrey. Ultimately, Salam Bombay is located in Downtown, and more or less does the job with all things considered.

The Good:
- Okay for its location
- Clean with nice decor
- Good service

The Bad:
- There is better for less, but can't compare to Surrey

Lay's Chip Giveaway

*Contest is now closed* Congrats to Patricia Z! Okay, I don't blog on weekends anymore, but when Lay's contacted me about a giveaway, I decided to share it with my readers. Lay’s is excited to launch two new potato chip flavours that are only available in Western Canada: Wavy Lay’s Smoky BBQ and Wavy Lay’s Old Fashioned Ketchup. So if you want to win 8 large bags of the new flavours (which will be shipped directly to you from Lay's), make a comment with your first name and initial from your last name. I will draw a winner on Tuesday. Enjoy snacking!

Caché Bistro & Lounge

*Restaurant is now closed*

Location, location, location. That's what we hear all the time. It can be about buying a house and it also can mean where you should run a business. Actually, it could also mean where not to go if you don't want any unnecessary grief (ie. Richmond during rush hour...). Anyways, there is this one spot in Yaletown right at the end of Hamilton near Drake. There have several restaurants that have come and gone without much long term success. The most recent attempt was Charm Modern Thai which recently closed. Now, rising from the ashes comes Caché Bistro & Lounge. For me at least, I don't mind the location, because it means a greater chance at scoring a parking spot (a safe one at that...). Most of the spots in the heart of Yaletown seem to be designed only for Minis or Fiat 500's.

Caché is the owned and operated by Chef Alex Mok who previously ran the successful Underground Supper Club. I was invited, along with other food writers and media, to sample their 5-course tasting menu. I met up with some familiar faces including Rick, Sean and Ange. We were first presented with a baguette flanked by 3 types of butter consisting of Cranberry, Satay and Truffle. The cranberry was tart and not that sweet while the truffle butter was very Earthy and strong. I liked the satay the best as it exhibited a je ne sais quoi quality. Our first course (Foie Gras Creme Brulee) was presented beautifully in an egg shell on a bed of frisee. Inside lay a creamy concoction of mild custard and chunks of foie topped with flying fish caviar. Not really a creme brulee in the literal sense of the word, it was heavy and rich. The portion size was about right, as if it was any larger, it would've been too heavy for a starter. The richness was somewhat alleviated by the
frisee salad with white truffle vinaigrette.

Next up was the Black Tea Smoked Duck Breast with arugula salad, lemon vinaigrette, onion jam, white wine soaked raisins and candied walnuts. The duck exhibited a subtle smokiness and was super tender. There was a good amount of fat, but it was not chewy at all. The salad and onion jam added a nice acidity to compliment the duck. The crunch of the walnuts and the sweetness from the raisins added another layer of texture and flavour. This was the best dish of the night. From one fowl to another, we had the Bacon-wrapped Semi De-boned Quail stuffed with marinated dried cranberries. Served on the side was grilled asparagus, eggplant, zucchini and peppers. This was bit difficult to eat despite the partial de-boning (that doesn't sound right does it?). Regardless, the meat was moist and subtle in flavour. The cranberries added a sweet tartness while the bacon did its bacony thing. There was flavour, yet I would've personally liked just a touch more. As for the veggies, they were grilled up nicely and well-seasoned. This was a well-executed dish, however, it lacked impact.

Onto our 4th course, we had a vegetarian offering with the Spinach & Cream Cheese Stuffed Portobello Cap with aged balsamic reduction and spinach salad. One bite and the flavours really stood out, especially the drizzle of reduced balsamic. Due to the use of generous use of cream cheese, this was not light. The crunch from the bread crumbs somewhat alleviated the lack of texture from the mushroom and cream cheese. I liked the flavour profile of the dish, but not necessarily the textures. Lastly, we had the Pavlova with fresh strawberries and hibiscus cream. The meringue was a touch dense and clumsy to eat. The cream was not heavy and benefited from the addition of basil. This was a light way to finish off the meal. Despite not being blown away, the meal as a whole was pretty decent. The one thing that really stands out is the price points on the menu. Nothing is over $20.00 and that is an accomplishment for any restaurant situated in Yaletown. Considering that Caché Bistro & Lounge serves up fine-dining fare, it represents a good value in a neighbourhood that usually is known for being overpriced.

*Note: This was an invited dinner where all food was comped*

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Nice dining space

The Bad:
- The food wasn't bad, but could've been more impactful

Max's Burgers

April 23rd? That's quite the early date for the beginning of softball season. The last couple of years, the first game has been rained out leaving us without any game to play. Oh, but we still went out to eat! So why am I complaining? Well, this year was different. We got a cloudy day, albeit chilly, for our inaugural match, against one of the better teams in our division no less. Well, apparently the rust was a bit too heavy for our team as we lost pretty handily. There is a serious problem when I was the most consistent hitter for team (usually I'm not). That expensive bat finally paid off! So with a 1 in the L column, we needed to soak our sorrows in food. Finally, we got a chance to visit Max's Burgers, which I actually had on my radar for some quite time. I delayed my visit since Bear wanted me to wait until softball season started. Low and behold, he wasn't there for our first game and hey, we weren't gonna wait for him! Uh, I hope he doesn't get mad... Bears are friendly creatures right?

Even before everyone arrived, I declared that I needed people to help me tackle the Behemoth. The what? Was this a trick question??? No, the Behemoth is a monstrosity of a burger big enough to feed 4 people easily and then some. For $55.00, you get a really large burger consisting of cheese, bacon, ham, fried eggs, mushrooms, grilled onions, tomato and lettuce on a house-made cheddar onion roll. Believe me, one quarter of this burger was more than a normal person could eat. Apparently Milhouse and I are not human because we finished it. Is this burger a novelty? Yes. The burger patty itself was pretty overcooked, but that was forgivable considering the size of it. Gotta make sure for safety purposes. However, with all of the wonderful toppings including so much bacon, it made up for the patty.

Served with the burger was the Triple Bypass consisting of onion rings, yam fries and fries with chipotle mayo. These were all fried up crispy and were not very greasy. I liked how they used breading for the onion rings which made them extra crisp. As part of the behemoth, there was a choice between a pitcher of beer or pop. Taking everything into account, $55.00 split between 4 people was actually a good value. Miss Y looked at us like we were some ravenous gluttons and decided to go for a regular burger in the Max Burger (lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onion & big Max sauce). It was served on a soft toasted brioche bun and with a heaping side of fries. Unlike the behemoth, this burger was not as overcooked, yet still not exactly juicy. She thought it was a pretty decent burger. In the end, everyone (there was many others who had single burgers too) was satisfied with their meals, taking into account the reasonable prices. Not the best burger we've ever had, yet more than acceptable nonetheless.

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Behemoth is quite fun (albeit not the best way to eat a burger)

The Bad:
- Meat is overcooked
- Not their fault, but parking in the area sucks

Bamboo Grove

Ever since my visit to Bamboo Grove during the CRA media restaurant tour, I've wanted to go back for a complete meal. After all, this little restaurant surprised me with its tasty food. Never would I have thought a place named Bamboo Grove would be better than the big boys in Richmond. Furthermore, our itinerary for that night consisted of 4 restaurants which limited our time to savour the food. Yah, poor us... So I convinced my parents that we should go visit the place, even though it wasn't exactly the closest destination to go for Chinese food. I'll admit it. As much as I ridicule Richmond, it is THE place to go for Chinese food in the Lower Mainland. Thank gawd that I now own a hybrid because I can only imagine how much gas it takes my SUV to make it from North Burnaby to Richmond.

Now, despite not really looking like a legit Chinese restaurant from the outside, Bamboo Grove is nicely renovated inside complete with clean washrooms. One thing that is a bit troublesome with the place is its location - you must rely on their tight parking lot in the back. Once it is full, parking spots in the area are at a premium. We experienced this first-hand, scoring the last available spot which wedged us between a Range Rover and a dumpster. But hey, I got a parking spot! So why all the trouble to eat here? Other than the aforementioned tasty food, they have a CRA winning dish. Now wait for it... Pork Stomach & Ginko Soup. Doesn't that make you want to get outta your seat and drive right down there? Okay, maybe it ain't the sexiest sounding thing, but if you like offal, the soup is money. The combination of pork stomach, ginko nuts, fatty pork, white pepper and bean curd stick just works. Sure, there is a slight gaminess from the pork stomach, but it is nicely tempered by a good dose of white pepper. I realized that the CRA can be highly political as much as any other awards, yet for me at least, this soup deserves the attention. Oh yah, one of the major reasons this "old fire" soup tastes so good is due to the massive amount of ingredients, which was served on a plate with a side of sweet green onion soy. And one more thing, I get my cars from Prestons... Wait, that's AV and his terrible commercials. Okay, the thing I wanted to say was that the soup must be pre-ordered.

For the rest of our meal, we decided to do their "create-your-own-meal" from a list of dishes which includes a daily soup (which we got to go since we already had the pork stomach soup), complimentary crab and dessert. We went for the Crab in Cream Sauce as a result. With just enough cream sauce that was thick and well-seasoned along with a fairly decent-sized crab, this had all the makings for a good dish. However, the crab was completely over-fried where the meat was dry and oil-soaked. What a shame really. For the kiddies, we got them their favourite being the Scrambled Eggs and Shrimp. This was really well-executed with fluffy eggs which were neither oily nor watery. There was good colour and just enough salt to go with the cold-water crunchy shrimp. We also felt this was a relatively good portion.

For our veggie dish, we got the standard Gai Lan with Beef. The picture doesn't do the plate justice. Hidden underneath the gai lan must've been enough slices of beef for another 3 orders. This was a good thing since the slices were big and tenderized properly. Furthermore, there was good caramelization which in turn resulted in great flavour. As for the gai lan, it was of good quality and cooked perfectly being crunchy and vibrant. We also loved the fact there was good wok heat where there was very little moisture at the bottom of the plate. Another one of our favourites is the Peking Pork Chops and yes we got that too. Yah, the colour of the sauce was pretty radioactive-looking, but it was well balanced and just enough to coat each piece of pork chop. Nice mix of sweet, savoury and tart. Although the pork chops were far from being chewy, they were cut too thin which led to them being overcooked.

When we were deciding on our last dish, our server suggested we get the Fried Taro with Boneless Duck. Boy, it has been awhile since we last had this. Possibly because many restaurants need advanced notice or probably the real reason - it's darn unhealthy! Much like a really large "wu gok", this was really well-done. It was fried really crispy on the outside with moist mashed taro and tender boneless duck. Sure it was oily, yet not terribly so. I've seen versions of this where the bottom of the plate could rival the face of a pubescent boy. From one fried item to another, we had the Deep Fried Crispy Chicken. As much as it is pretty easy to drop a chicken into hot oil, there is an art to this dish. I've actually tried making this in a commercial deep-fryer at my friend's restaurant and it is all about oil temperature and timing. The trick is to get it super crispy on the outside with rendered skin while maintaining the moisture in the meat. The one here was perfect. The skin was crispy, meat was moist and well-seasoned. We also loved the traditional plating with shrimp chips (well, my kids loved it more).

Lastly, we had the Steamed Sea Bass in Black Bean Sauce. Despite the huge mound of black bean sauce on top, it was actually not that salty. In fact, there was a good mixture of garlic and sugar which went well with the oily flesh. The fish itself was well-portioned and cooked perfectly. When it came to the end of the meal, we were offered our choice of dessert which was either Sweet Red Bean Soup or Coconut Pudding. For me, I'm not a huge fan of red bean soup, so I chose the latter. It was nice to see something other than red bean soup for dessert. The coconut pudding was pretty good where it was not really all that sweet. I wasn't a huge fan of the evaporated milk on top though. Why do Chinese restaurants dump evaporated milk on everything? LOL. Okay, the meal as a whole wasn't perfect, but considering how busy they were, it was way above average. The chef(s) really know how to execute and it shows in the final product. Furthermore, we found the pricing fell within acceptable limits for the quality of food. If Bamboo Grove was located closer to where we live, I'd be a regular customer.

The Good:
- Food is simply done right
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Seating is a bit tight
- Service wasn't bad, but it was hurried

Super Buffet

Okay, I'll admit it. I committed a major transgression. No, it's not something that I need to keep a secret from Viv. In fact, she was right there with me. And get your mind outta the gutter! What we did could almost be inexcusable - we visited an Asian buffet (specifically Super Buffet) in Bellingham... Yes, something like this is on par with eating at places such as Foody Goody (now thankfully gone), Sui Sha Yah and Grand Buffet. Wait, I've done all three! OMFG. Okay, just throw the tomatoes at me. Hold on, don't do that, I think Super Buffet may need them because their salad bar was looking a bit sad... Oh trust me, that wasn't the only pathetic thing there. Oh where should I start... Wait, before I start, let me make one thing clear - drinks are NOT included. Why am I making this an issue? Because they asked us for our drink order without telling us it was an extra charge. It apparently happened to a few tables around us too. Not cool.

Much like Haiku and Bluefin in Seattle (and to a lesser degree Royal Star in Burlington), the buffet consists of several stations featuring specific Asian cuisine (I'm not even sure if I can use the word cuisine!). The Sushi section had various rolls, cones and nigiri which were not really all that appetizing to look at. The slices of fish atop the nigiri were smaller than a tip at a Chinese restaurant. We could see more sushi rice than fish itself! At the very least, the rice was surprisingly acceptable having a texture that was still chewy yet not dry. It was bland, but hey, low expectations here. At the far end of the sushi bar was tempura and fried maki. Adjacent to the sushi bar was a section of Cold Items consisting of tako, hokkigai, wakame, oshinko, crayfish, peel 'n eat shrimp, mussels, squid, kimchi and for some odd reason, boiled eggs. Nothing here was really all that appetizing, yet it was edible. Across from this section was a mixed variety of Hot Food such as spring rolls, baked mussels, steamed oysters, snow crab legs, stuffed mushrooms, teriyaki chicken, pork ribs, fries, fried prawns, steamed sole, BBQ chicken, garlic bread and cream cheese & crab wontons. Most of the stuff here was pretty forgettable, especially the chicken since it was pretty dry. The pork ribs were alright. They were not fall-off-the-bone, but they were a "pleasant chewy". The crab legs were okay for what they were. Since these are typically frozen, there was not much to expect. Surprisingly, the sole was perfectly cooked being flaky and moist. At the end of this section was a selection of Soups which included wonton, egg drop and hot & sour. Meh, these were pretty typical buffet soups with the hot & sour being somewhat edible. Of course there was a lack of depth (because the soup base was probably water), yet there was plenty of flavour thanks to MSG. The ingredients were pretty decent though, especially the moist chicken.

Behind the sushi bar lay a pathetic selection of salads. Sure, I'm not one to visit the greens too often, however, for some people, I'm sure it would be a huge disappointment. Rather than ingredients to go with the bowl of mesclun greens, there were far too many bowls of gelatin. Directly parallel to the "salad" bar lay the mostly Chinese Food section. This included blue crab, fried prawns, coco shrimp, ginger frog legs, fried noodles, fried rice, General Tso's chicken, Mongolian beef, stir-fried green beans, steamed clams, fried squid, mustard greens, black pepper chicken, mixed veggies and ginger beef. The best way to describe most of the proteins would be the word "dry". The frog legs were overcooked and lacking flavour while the same could be said about the fried whole prawns. The coco shrimp were lost in too much batter. Yah, they seem to overcook their meat here. It is a buffet though, so I'll cut them some slack. Looking over my notes, I don't think I actually liked any of the food from this selection, other than the clams.

The Mongolian Grill section was more like Japanese teppanyaki, yet whatever... I'm pretty sure for cost-effectiveness, investing in an authentic Mongolian grill would've been a waste (since many people wouldn't care about the difference). The items available were beef, chicken, shrimp, pork, various veggies, short ribs, steak, squid and shrimp skewers. This turned out to be the least offensive portion of the buffet since the food was cooked up fresh (much like Royal Star buffet in Burlington). However, the chef dropped my short rib on the counter and proceeded to plate it anyways! And I left a tip too! Well, it turned out to be a moot point because the short rib was unchewable. The rest of the stuff was actually not bad with crunchy shrimp, fresh veggies and nicely cooked noodles. There was aggressive seasoning at work here (no, they don't let you choose your own sauces), yet it was not overbearing.

Lastly, there was a whole section dedicated to Desserts. It only existed for the sake of existing. Many of the desserts were prepackaged stuff. In fact, the almond cookies were still in its tray from the box! For reference purposes, the desserts included cream puffs, macaroons (no, not macarons), palmiers, chocolate pudding, chocolate cake, fruit and banana with strawberry sauce (ew...). Alright. I have to admit that the price for the buffet ($13.95) is plenty attractive, considering the sheer amount of food. However, it means absolutely nothing when the food, at the best, is mediocre. The extra beverage charge was annoying and so was the service. Most of the staff were milling around chatting with each other. Actually, all the guys were flirting with the only young female on staff... I fully realize that a buffet is not the best place to find good food, but there are good buffets and bad buffets. Super Buffet falls into the latter.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Large selection

The Bad:
- Food is not very good
- Restaurant is not very clean (esp the washrooms)