Cora Breakfast & Lunch

Usually going out for breakfast and eating healthy cannot be used in the same sentence. Take Denny's Lumberjack Slam for example: 2 buttermilk pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 bacon strips, ham steak, hashbrowns and toast. Or if you even just kick it down a notch, try The Red Wagon's Crisp Pork Belly with 2 eggs, home fries, Hollandaise and toast. Defibrillator better be nearby! So when Cora Breakfast and Lunch finally made it out to the Westcoast, it boasted healthier eating for the first meal of the day. Or in my case, the second meal since I would've eaten something just past midnight...

So Cora started out as a little diner in Montreal serving healthier breakfasts and the concept apparently took off and now we see 130+ locations across Canada. The one in Coquitlam has been around since last year and I finally got the chance to check it out. Being a kid-friendly establishments, I dragged the kiddies out for this food adventure. For my meal, I selected the Sunshine Panini with ham, egg and Swiss rolled in a crepe and pressed. Served on the side was a massive pile of fruit which included strawberries, pineapple, honeydew, Asian pear, kiwi, cantaloupe, black grapes and banana. The crepe panini was stuffed full and I particularly liked the barely cooked yolk. My son ended up eating half of this. The significance? He hates everything, so it must've been good right?

Viv went for the Eggs Benedict with ham which was also served with plenty of fruit and roasted potatoes. The eggs were soft poached with a runny yolk and were completely smothered by a thick Hollandaise sauce. It tasted rich and had only a slight tartness. It was a so-so Hollandaise in my books. The roasted potatoes seemed to have an underlying flavour of rosemary and olive oil (which the potatoes were probably coated with). They were soft, yet could've used some more colour and "roasting". My son picked the French Toast off the kid's menu which was topped with... yes, fruit. He didn't eat the fruit, but dusted off all of the French toast. It was soft and not too eggy.

My daughter had the Kid's Breakfast with scramble eggs, 2 sausages and roasted potatoes. This was pretty standard except the portion of egg could've been larger. After it was all said and done, the meals at Cora were relatively more healthy than most other breakfast joints. I mean, there are still unhealthy elements, but the addition of fruit and the use of roast potatoes does help. By virtue of using so much fresh fruit, the prices reflected it. So eating at Cora ain't cheap. On the other hand, the kid's menu is reasonable where nothing is over $6.00 (includes beverage). If we compare to places like Denny's and IHOP, I would personally visit Cora instead. Yet, at the same time, I would visit other independent breakfast joints ahead of Cora.

The Good:
- Lots of fresh fruit (if you like healthy stuff...)
- Really kid-friendly
- Good portions

The Bad:
- Pricey for adult meals (but reasonable considering the amount of fruit used)
- Service was friendly for us, but our coffee and tea was never refilled

Broken Rice

As mentioned in previous posts, I am always on the lookout for new restaurants. So much so, I often do a double-take whilst driving if I spot something interesting. Yes, some men almost get whiplash from checking out chicks while I get that from drooling over new signage and awnings. So many months ago, I did spot a new Vietnamese joint out Hastings in North Burnaby. It had an attractive stone exterior with a "higher end" looking neon signage. There was a big "coming soon" banner on the outside which seemed to adorn the place for an eternity. Then it suddenly opened in early August which meant I was chomping at the bit to give it a go. I was thinking of bringing the family, but with a more "deluxe" fusion menu (which doesn't include a traditional Pho), it appeared that I needed a different group of diners.

Never fear, I just had to give the call out to the people who never fail me - my hockey team. Originally, we were supposed to head to Indochine (ironically somewhat similar), but when Polka King proclaimed he could join us for eats, we did everything in our power to accommodate him, including Eastward for food. This was the perfect storm of events which led us to the Broken Rice. As mentioned, the food offered here is not your typical Kingsway Pho joint. They do have one Pho, but it is a deconstructed version which does not even come close to resembling a traditional one. Ironically, we started with the pretty standard Spring Rolls. These were mostly crunchy (nice that they used rice flour wrappers) and had a meaty, oniony filling. These were not out of the ordinary, however, when we added some of the fresh mint into the bite, it brought some brightness.

Next up was Uncle Hing's Chicken Wings with butter and garlic. These were very flavourful with big hits of fresh chopped garlic, butter and some spice from the jalapenos. The wings were moist and juicy. They were no longer crispy due to the amount of "sauce". We also got a order of the Cassava Fries with house aioli. These reminded me of the ones from Vij's except slightly less crispy. Due to the nature of the cassava root, the fries were starchy and dense. With a dusting of seasoned salt combined with the aioli, this was not bad. Gadget Girl decided to go for the spring rolls as well (all to herself) and a Broken Rice Chicken Salad as well. It was a concoction of shredded chicken tossed with diced white and red cabbage, carrots, pickled daikon, herbs, crushed peanuts and ginger vinaigrette on a palette of crispy sticky rice. For $9.00, this was a pretty small salad, yet it was interesting and plated nicely.

For myself, I had the Pork Belly which was neatly served in a little pot along with rice, marinated boiled egg and fried mashed cassava. This was pretty good as the pork belly was uniform in shape (which indicates a slow and low braising method) and moist. The fat melted in my mouth and the belly itself had a good meat-to-fat ratio. The braising liquid had a good balance of flavours and exhibited plenty of depth. Both Polka King and Bear had the traditional Clay Pot Rice. Reminiscent of the one found at the former Saigon Restaurant (now long gone), this version was more neatly constructed. There was a good amount of tender chicken (dark meat), julienned carrots, ginger, bamboo shoots, cilantro and caramelized onions on top of the chewy, nutty broken rice. There was the requisite rice crust at the bottom as well. The flavours were good with a hit of sweetness, the aromatics of lemongrass and fish sauce.

As if this wasn't enough food, Polka King also ordered the Tamarind Duck. At first, I thought he was either pulling a Mijune or making up for lost time. In actuality, he was taking home some food for Polka Dot. I guess he would get a smack down otherwise... For me, this was the best dish at the table. On the menu, it stated that it was crispy duck finished with a red wine tamarind reduction. The duck skin wasn't exactly crispy, but it was nicely prepared where it didn't require a whole lot of chewing. The duck itself was tender with only the slightest amount of chew at the edges. The tamarind sauce was sweet, tart and syrupy good. The beans were crunchy with a nice mix of sweet and salty while the black rice was a touch soft.

Milhouse went for another Vietnamese classic in the Bo Luc Lac (or Shaken Beef). Each morsel of beef was tender and moist. There was a good caramelization from the wok toss (hence the name shaking/shaken beef). The usual flavours were there in the soy, fish sauce and sweetness from sugar. The menu said it would be served with tomato rice, but alas, it was just plain white rice. Lastly, Emilicious had the Steamed Fish, which was Snapper, topped with a sweet ginger glaze and scallions served on a bed of cellophane noodles, wood ear mushrooms and lily blossoms. I found the fish to be slightly past done. However, the combination of ingredients made up for it. I liked the crunch of the woodear and the gingery and syrupy sauce on top. As you can clearly see, most of the food at the Broken Rice is not what you'd expect from a Vietnamese restaurant. In general, we enjoyed it, but were concerned that the price point might scare off some customers. Their prices creep incredibly close to many of the near-fine dining bistros in town and it remains to be seen what the paying public will think of it.

The Good:
- Generally on point food execution
- Great service
- Interesting combination of classic and modern Vietnamese food

The Bad:
- It might seem pricey to some
- Food expedition is uneven and slow

Pallas Athena Greek Kouzina

Coquitlam??? That was the shocked response of both Emilicious and Gadget Girl when Polka King mentioned where he planned for the team to eat after Friday hockey. Yes, that would be a huge stretch considering that we don't even eat in North Vancouver after hockey (and we play in North Van!). So this needed a bit of convincing. Well, the fact that Polka King has stopped coming out to eat with us was a mitigating factor. Since he got married to Polka Dot and moved into Coquitlam, we see him as much as a proper lane change in Richmond. So it would be a favour of sorts to head into Coquitlam for some eats. Turns out that it was the biggest turnout of the year as Emilicious, Gadget Girl, Polka King, Polka Dot, Ginseng, Zac-Attack, Apu, Manjula, Groundskeeper Willy, Milhouse, Gordo along with Viv and the kids all attended. We ended up at Pallas Athena Greek Kouzina as Polka Dot had a good experience there recently.

For the kiddies, I tried to go for some "different" items for them to experience. I figured crunchy squid would appeal to them. The Calamari was a decent portion. However, the batter was extremely dense and overly crunchy. Thus, the pieces of squid were a bit lost because too much effort was used in breaking down the hard exterior. The one saving grace was the thick tzatziki. It was nicely texture and had a nice hint of lemon. My daughter only had a passing interest in this dish. So I figured that fried cheese would work with my son and he did eat it to my surprise. The Saganaki was a contrast in textures, which was the whole point. The exterior was crisp while the inside was chewy and gooey. I liked that it had a lemon zing to it, but that didn't help mask the over abundance of salt. The accompanying pita bread was good though. It was soft in the middle and slightly crisp on the outside.

My Roast Lamb (as I always order in a Greek restaurant) was not as moist as I would've liked. It wasn't tough per se, but there were some hard parts and it did require some effort to chew. In terms of flavour, it was pretty nice with a good amount of rosemary and lemon. The lemon roast potato was soft, yet could've benefited from a touch more tang. The rice was a bit pale, but it has a nice slightly chewy texture. It was a bit one note in flavour and that note was not too strong. Viv had the Chicken Souvlaki which was a healthy portion of meat. It was well-seasoned with an attractive and tasty char. She pretty much echoed my sentiments about the sides except for the green beans. She hated them as they were woefully overcooked and mushy.

Both Polka Dot and Ginseng had the Dolamades and they were not bad. The grape leaves were soft to chew yet weren't mushy. The filling was moist yet not that impactful. Neither was the sauce, not much in the way of tang nor saltiness. Ginseng thought the side of rice was a bland for her liking. Zac-Attack had the Lamb Souvlaki (not pictured) where the meat was moist and tender. It was perfectly grilled and in large pieces. He thought the tzatziki was a very nice compliment. Polka King and Polka Dot shared the Scallop Souvlaki which was a bit disappointing. Despite the appearance of big juicy scallops, they were in fact quite rubbery (due to being overcooked). However, at the same time, there was a lack of grill marks or charring which in turn resulted in a lack of flavour as well. Much like everyone else, they thought the sides were not bad except for the mushy beans. They also shared a Calamari, which Groundskeeper Willy had as well, and thought that the batter was too crunchy. This echoed our sentiments as well. However, on a previous visit, the batter was not as crunchy and thick. Therefore, we can only surmise that this might have been a one-off due to the many orders of food we put in at the same time.

Gordo went for the Seafood Fettuccine which arrived in quite a bit of sauce. Despite this, his pasta was not soft. The sauce was creamy and well-seasoned. The scallops and shrimp were cooked nicely having the right textures. Not a true Italian pasta, but then again, we were in a Greek restaurant! Milhouse went all out and had the Chicken & Ribs. The ribs were fairly moist despite its appearance. The meat fell off the bones being well-seasoned and moist. He wasn't a big fan of the chicken though as it was overcooked and noticeably dry. Furthermore, there wasn't a whole lot of flavour either. As you can ascertain, there were some issues with a few items across the board. Yet, the food was okay enough that it could be considered a decent meal. Considering our large group, it would be unreasonable to expect perfection (and that never occurs anywhere anyways). One thing we did notice was that our water glasses were not refilled very often. In fact, mine was never refilled and we were the only table there for the latter half of our meal.

The Good:
- Relatively decent food
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Some items were overcooked
- The service wasn't bad per se, but it wasn't attentive either

Dragon House

While doing my research for late night eats on the computer, I stumbled upon Dragon House. A quick look at its location and it didn't seem to ring a bell, especially since I drive by that area often. Even a quick peak at Google Street View and all I got was an Indian restaurant. Well, apparently it does exist. Driving by late one night, the place was bustling with activity. Late night spicy Szechuan eats? Not sure how that would "sit" with everyone. After our weekly Friday night hockey game, I suggested to the group that we give it a go. The promise of Szechaun beef noodles seemed to seal the deal. Yes, I realize that there are many more than that in terms of representing Szechuan cuisine, but Milhouse, Gordo and Emilicious aren't exactly fans of super spicy food.

With that in mind, we kept the extreme spicy dishes to a minimum starting with a mild one being the - Beef Pancake. We loved how they grilled it so it wasn't overly oily on the outside. Instead, it was crisp and pleasing visually. The beef filling was moist and flavourful with a sweet onion slant. I've had many version of this dish where the meat is bursting with oil, yet this one did not have this problem. A few drops of vinegar really brought the pancake to life. So our next items were their specialty - Skewers. We had 2 each of the Lamb, Pork and Beef. The spice level was pretty mild since the rest of the gang requested it. Not it wasn't devoid of flavour by any means. There was still a kick and well-seasoned. The meats were moist per se, yet they weren't too dry either. The lamb was super fatty though.

Now these were the smaller skewers which were about $1.00 - $2.00 each. There were much larger ones going for around $3.00 - $5.00. The one that caught Milhouse's eye was the Bacon-wrapped Fish Balls. Yes, that drew a reaction from all of us and he insisted we try the balls. I asked if they would be "salty"... due to the bacon... Well, they weren't salty. In fact, for something I didn't have high hopes for, it was pretty tasty. The bacon was fried up crisp and the mayo/spicy seasoning really completed the flavours. Who doesn't like mayo on their balls? One dish I insisted on trying was the Double-Cooked Pork (no, not more balls!). I really liked their version as the sauce consisting of black beans, chili oil, chilis and soy hit my tastebuds with authority. It wasn't too spicy (again, we requested medium). If I was here by myself, I would've asked for a few notches higher. The entire dish was cooked with plenty of wok heat where the caramelization of the ingredients was visually evident as well as a smoky flavour. The pork was fatty and tender (a touch dry from the cooking), however, the dish could've stood for more of it.

Now for the dish that lured everyone here in the first place - the Szechuan Beef Noodle. When we started to eat it, the Szechuan peppercorns started to do their thing and the numbing sensation settled in. I liked this spicy flavourfulness while others were yearning for the milder Taiwanese version. Wimps! Anyways, the hand-pulled noodles were the best part. They were chewy and fresh. How fresh? They were made-to-order. The beef was fairly tender, but since they were in small little bits, there were some drier portions. We also got the Fried Noodles with Lamb and Cumin (insert joke here). Hey, nothing like lamb and cumin eh? And yes, there was a definite cumin hit (get your minds outta the gutter!). The noodles were chewy while completely covered in grease. The lamb was tender though and with a decent amount of spice coupled with the copious amount of cumin, we enjoyed this dish nonetheless.

This was supposed to be the last of our dishes, but somehow Milhouse became fixated on the Frog Legs. Was he watching Sesame Street in the morning and had Kermit on his mind? Whatever the case, we had it as an add-on. The legs were fried and tossed in red chili peppers, sesame seeds, salt and fried Szechuan Peppercorns. The legs were moist while the batter was soft and greasy. There was some spice, but it really wasn't as bad as it looked. Ultimately, we never requested a higher spice level, so the meal could've been hotter. For most of the group, the flavours were fine. We were pretty satisfied with the food, especially for late night.

The Good:
- Plenty of flavour
- Okay pricing
- Open late

The Bad:
- Greasy
- Tight seating

Copper Club

*Restaurant is now closed*

As with every April, I needed to find a restaurant that would accommodate the kiddies for my mom's birthday. Ruling out chain restaurants and Asian joints, it got a bit tough. Of course there were the usual Downtown hotel restaurants, but we were thinking more along the lines of something local (that is, in the burbs). We already checked out Tivoli's in the Executive Plaza near Brentwood Mall, so might as well do the Copper Club at the Executive Plaza in Burquitlam right? Ya, not the most sexist of choices, but it fit the criteria of being kid-friendly without being a chain restaurant. And besides, who needs sexy when you got the whole family with you? Wait. Did that come out right???

Sitting down in the dimly lit dining room reminiscent of a stuffy steakhouse, this was as far from sexy as a place could get. Definitely not the most modern of establishments, yet still classy in their own way. Whatever the case, we were comfortable and the kiddies had a menu to order off of. As for us, we got a bunch of appies to share beginning with the Lamb Lollipops. These were bathed in yellow mustard, pepper, paprika, lemon, garlic and turmeric. When I first laid eyes on the lollipops, I thought "Vij's". Now, these were not as tasty as Vij's (and I didn't expect them to be either), but were good with all things considering. The lamb was tender and perfectly cooked medium-rare. There was a nice char that added a nuttiness as well as a pleasing appearance. I thought it was a bit heavy on the yellow mustard, which made the flavour profile a touch too tart. Next up were the Salt & Pepper Tiger Prawns with chili, garlic, salt and pepper. Served on the side was a mango chutney. The prawns had a nice snap texture while there was no absence of flavour. It was spicy and of course salty-peppery. Maybe it is the Chinese in me, but personally, I would've liked a crunch of some sort on the exterior of the prawns as they were a little wet.

The most disappointing item we had for the entire meal was the Crab & Shrimp Cakes. They were served with a balsamic reduction, chipotle lime aioli, pea sprouts and cherry tomato. One bite into the cakes and it had the texture of tuna. It was mushy, fishy and stale tasting. Obviously, this was not made with fresh ingredients. Furthermore, the exterior was not crisp at all and the whole thing was too salty. Other than a few lines on the plate, there wasn't enough aioli nor balsamic vinegar to make any impact. Lastly, we had the Honey Garlic Chicken Drummettes which were quite good. The drummettes were fried up crispy while the meat was moist and tender. There was just enough glaze for a good honey garlic hit without softening up the crispy wings.

For my main, I went for the Seafood Spaghettini with prawns, mussels and tomato. Not sure if these 2 items constituted a "seafood" pasta (maybe some fish too?). Anyways, the pasta was slightly pasta al dente while the prawns and mussels were cooked nicely. The flavours were mild yet there was an obvious garlic, white wine, Parmesan and olive oil hit to it. I would've preferred Roma tomatoes, but that is nitpicking. My mom had her favourite (which is mine as well) in the Lamb Shank. It was prepared beautifully as the meat fell off the bone. It was moist, fatty and flavourful. The demi-glace (with red Zinfandel) was silky and rich with plenty of depth. The asparagus tips were done nicely retaining some crunch. However, the double-cooked potato was not good. It was stiff and dense.

My dad opted for the Prime Rib which was almost perfectly prepared. The large cut of meat was a nice medium-rare and was very tender. The sauce added a proper amount of saltiness to the fatty meat. Although it didn't make or break the dish, the Yorkshire pudding was terribly overbaked and was burnt and hard. It was mostly inedible. The side of roast potatoes and veggies were good. Viv went for something lighter with the Steamed PEI Mussels. They were neatly arranged in a circular pattern and every one of them were fully opened. The meat was plump and naturally sweet. The broth consisting of BC Chardonnay, tomato, garlic, shallot, butter and basil was fairly weak as it didn't offer much additional flavour. Again, we would've preferred a stronger tasting tomato in this dish.

As for the kiddies, my son (drum roll please...) had the... Grilled Cheese. Yes, he has the eating diversity of a Yak. Then again, Yaks eat grass... He has an adverse reaction to anything green... Anyways, the grilled cheese made with real cheddar on multigrain bread. The whole thing was crisp without being completely soaked with butter. It came with a pile of fries. He ate it. It did the job. For my daughter, she had the Fish n' Chips. I'm sorry to say that the batter on the fish was no good. It was doughy and far too dense. Hence it didn't even really cook all the way through. The lack of colour was not that appealing either. However, the fish was okay being flaky and just done.

Lastly, we shared a few desserts including the Duo of Vanilla Bean & Ginger and Chocolate Crème Brule. First, the good news: the sugar topping was the right thickness where it was present without overwhelming the dessert. It was mostly torched on the top for that burnt sugar flavour. The ginger vanilla brulee wasn't too sweet and we could definitely taste the ginger. Now for the bad news: the custard was on the watery side. Furthermore, the chocolate creme brulee was not all that chocolaty. For our second dessert, we got the Warm Okanagan Apple Tart Tatin. Okay, if you are familiar with a tart tatin, you might be wondering what was in the picture. Merely a pile of cooked apples on top of a crust of some sort served with ice cream. We didn't like this. What amounts to essentially an apple upside down tart, a tart tatin should not look like a pile of stuff. Furthermore, there was a serious lack of moisture and overall flavour. Now with this dessert withstanding, there were some decent dishes in this meal. Considering the price point and the portion size, we found it to be reasonable. However, the not-so-decent dishes were complete flops. Therefore, a meal at the Copper Club would truly depend on what you order.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Good service

The Bad:
- When there was a flop, it was a colossal failure
- Stale ambiance (but good if you didn't want any noise)

Richmond Night Market

Can you believe it? I've never been to the Summer Night Market. Yes, it's true. Hey, it's not like I haven't tried. On a few occasions in fact. Every time, I've left in frustration due to the fact I couldn't find parking. And when you have kids in tow, parking far, far away is not an option. So when I heard of the new Richmond Night Market near the River Rock Casino with over 1000 parking spots, that was my cue to do a visit. To make things easy, we only brought our son because he wouldn't complain about walking too much. On the other hand, for such a picky eater, we were a bit nervous as well.

Not to fear because the first thing we spotted was the BBQ Duck Wrap at a place that really didn't have a name, but had the wrap boldly displayed. These were okay, if not a bit pricey (at 3 for $10.00). They were essentially freshly made crepes with egg which contained BBQ duck segments, hoisin, cucumber and scallion. Not bad, yet with chewy skin, this was not as enjoyable as a true Peking duck. Walking along, I noticed The Squid Company offering up different flavours of freshly pan fried tentacles. I went for the Signature Cup of Squid which consisted of all the sauces (satay, hot & spicy and garlic). This was probably my favourite item of the things we tried. First of all, I happen to love tentacles for their chewiness and snap more than the body of the squid. They were cooked up just right and the combination of seasoning agents gave it a good balance of the 5 main tastes. Only problem was that the 2 bamboo skewers were clumsy as eating utensils.

My son was not satisfied with his BBQ duck wrap, so we went in search for something else he'd try. We spotted the Japanese Corn Dog and he happily agreed to have one. This was essentially a hot dog wiener on a stick covered with a "hashbrown-like" batter. The result was a pretty starchy exterior that was crunchy on the outside, yet soft on the inside. Interesting item, not sure if this would necessarily be at the top of my list when there was so much more exotic items at the market. Also, they normally lace the thing with ketchup, but my son didn't want any. Actually they had to make up a new one for him because they forgot and drenched the darn thing with ketchup. For me, I love octopus' balls aka Takoyaki, so I went to a random takoyaki stand where the name was all in Japanese. Turns out it was a mistake because they were some mushy octopus' balls. The had been panfried in the takoyaki mold earlier and were sitting around. Hence, they got soft. Too bad really as the octopus wasn't chewy and the ample amount of toppings made it quite flavourful.

As much as I was tempted to get a Rotato or some Dim Sum, I went to Zhang's for their World Famous Terracotta Noodle. A bold claim and really, who checks these things anyways? As seen in the picture, it was a combination of wheat noodle, bean sprouts, cucumber, cilantro, sesame paste and chili oil sauce. We liked this as the noodles were chewy and the classic combination of chili oil and sesame paste appealed to our senses. The only thing we would've liked to see was a bit less water on the bottom and a touch of sodium. While I was in line for the noodles, Viv went over to get some Gai Dan Jei or a waffle that looks like a bunch of little eggs. We decided on chocolate because my son wouldn't want anything else. This was pretty good fresh out of the iron with a crisp exterior and a chewy interior. I wouldn't classify them as chocolaty, but they were semi-sweet.

We were planning on eating more, but it was getting late and upon leaving, Viv got one last thing which was the Mango Slush with real mango bits. This was refreshing, not too sweet and aromatic. Blended smooth and tasting like mangoes, this was another favourite of ours. We ended up parking at one of the farther lots and had to walk a bit to get there. On the plus side, we were able to leave and avoid the traffic. Yet, it seemed like they had a good handle on it and the fact they had parking in the first place is a major selling point.

The Good:
- There's parking!
- Convenient location if you wanted to take Skytrain
- Near other businesses and not in the middle of nowhere

The Bad:
- There's parking, but only one way in and out
- Not exclusive to this market, but if you plan to eat dinner, it'll add up