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As soon as one "Thai" restaurant closed on Scott Road, another opened up not too far away. I put Thai in quotations because Crystal Elephant Range was not an authentic Thai restaurant. On that note, we must remember a restaurant is in business to make money and that is why most of the time, it serves to appeal to the general public (not the small percentage of authentic-craving food aficionados). The new Thai restaurant is One More Thai, now occupying the space of the former Ming
Shing (which wasn't very good). Since Snake Eyes and I were on the prowl for food, it seemed like a good idea to hit up the newly opened restaurant.
Now unlike many other Thai restaurants, One More Thai doesn't have inexpensive lunch specials. In fact, all of their lunch offerings are over $10.00. However, the extras included with each meal are extensive. Case in point, all 3 of entrees included Green Papaya Salad. Now this was essentially a green salad with some julienned green papaya and ground peanuts on top. This was unlike any other green papaya salad I've ever seen, which clearly identified the place as not being very authentic. If we take that out of the equation, it was fine as a salad. Everything was crisp and crunchy while the dressing had some Thai flavours, in particular, fish sauce and chili. For one of our entrees, it included a Tom Yum Soup. In a general sense, the soup was alright since the usual flavours were present such as galangal, fish sauce and kaffir lime, but it could've been spicier.
For the other 2 entrees, an order of Roti which looked suspiciously like the Malay version, was included. Whatever... we had already established that we weren't dealing with authentic Thai food anyways. The outside of the roti was very crispy while the inside was doughy and probably needed more cooking. We liked the dip though as it was spicy and aromatic. The first entree to arrive was the Pad Thai. It looked more like a Chinese stir-fried noodle with its large pieces of chicken and completely incorporated ingredients. Flavourwise, it had a tinge of sweet chili sauce and ketchup (but not overly so) and a decent amount of spice. I would've liked to see more tang (in the form of tamarind), some pickled turnips and pressed tofu. It was a pretty large 
portion though.
We also got a Beef Red Curry which arrived with a pleasing colour. The curry itself had a nice consistency and a decent amount of spice and aromatics. The peppers were nice, but we would've liked to see more bamboo shoots. As for the beef, it was tenderized with baking soda, hence it compromised the flavours. Again, that was a Chinese cooking technique. Lastly, we had the Chicken Green Curry which was pretty decent with plenty of ingredients (except there was no eggplant). The sauce had the typical flavours of a green curry paste and coconut milk. Now if you can probably guess, the food at One More Thai is pretty much a hybrid of Chinese and Malay with Thai. For me, I can accept that if the food is decent providing good value. In that case, One More Thai achieves that. For those who cry foul at any opportunity that something is not authentic. Well, then you best move along...
The Good:
- Good portions
- Despite slightly higher prices, the value is still there
- Friendly proprietors
The Bad:
- Not authentic (if you care)
- Lack of parking (lot is always full)
When Sushiholic originally opened, I merely dismissed it as another wannabe Japanese restaurant. Hey, it is pretty hard to get excited about most of the "Japanese" joints in Vancouver because they are practically indistinguishable from each other. Think of it, even the name makes one wonder... Yet, as time passed, there was one glowing review after another. That prompted me to put it on my "to do " list. Unfortunately, due to its early closing time, I was never able to make it with my hockey team. And since it is not open for lunch on Sundays,
we couldn't try it out after morning hockey either. Therefore, I had to enlist the help of Rich Guy, who is always there as a dining companion.
The Tuna & Salmon Sashimi arrived nicely plated and exhibited a nice sheen. The textures were pretty good while the flavours were slightly bland. I found the slices to be okay in size being neither too small nor too large. This was a good start to our meal. Next up was the Sushiholic Roll which consisted of imitation crab meat, 2 ebi tempura, cucumber, tobiko, crunchy bits and
spicy tuna with smoked salmon, mayo, wasabi and unagi sauce. This neatly constructed roll had a multitude of flavours with a good hit of sesame oil. The tempura bits and ebi were crunchy which was a good compliment to the soft sushi rice. Despite this, the rice was more than acceptable, yet it could've benefited from a bit more flavour.
We also had the Awesome Roll because of the name. Yah, it would be awesome... n'est pas? It was basically a souped-up California roll with imitation crab meat, avocado, cucumber, masago, with baked salmon and fried yam slivers on top. Due to the softness of the ingredients combined with soft rice, the whole thing was pretty smooth in texture. The fried yam was a necessary addition for both visuals and crunch. On the topic of crunch, we got an order of the Assorted Tempura. This was a fairly healthy portion which majestically covered the plate (not sure if healthy was the right adjective though). 
The batter was quite thick, but crisp nonetheless. It was served piping hot which probably alleviated the thick batter issue. Despite all
that batter, the tempura was not greasy. I liked the ebi as it was of a good size and had a nice snap.
Onto some filler aka carb-heavy dishes, we had the Chicken Yakisoba. With an obvious shiny sheen, it screamed out greasy. Yet it was sizzling on the hot cast iron plate indicating good pan frying and caramelization. The flavour was
rich (sweet and savoury) with a noticeable tang. With large pieces of tender chicken and a considerable amount of veggies, it overwhelmed the noodles somewhat. Yet, the noodles still stood out enough due to its al dente texture. Lastly, the Chicken Don was probably our least favourite dish of the meal. Although it wasn't bad per se, it was a let down of sorts after all of the relatively decent dishes we tried. The chicken was tender while the rice had a nice chewiness to it. However, there was absolutely no flavour. It was as if they forgot to add sauce 
other than the small drop on top of the chicken. Hence, the rice had no sauce which meant no flavour. Ultimately, this was the only dish that was sub-par. Everything else was above average and despite not satisfying the "authentic" crowd, Sushiholic offers up decent food at an inexpensive price.
The Good:
- Generally well-constructed food
- Reasonable pricing
The Bad:
- Not a whole lot of seating
Once again our late night Friday after hockey eats hinged on Gadget Girl. You see, she doesn't particularly like traveling to unfamiliar places in the dark. That sounds fair enough. However, that does make our eating destinations shrink to a few options. Particularly if we eliminate Asian food. Yes, she prefers non-Asian late night eats that are centrally located and are not in Downtown. Oh, and the music can't be too loud either. And probably the Earth, Moon and Sun have to be in alignment as well... If that is giving 
you a headache, imagine trying to figure a suitable option! Finally, I suggested Original Joe's (yes, cringe if you like) as a place we could go. In fact, Milhouse did cringe and was very apprehensive about going. His last experience there was not a very good one. He even went as far as to state that Original Joe's is one of worst chain restaurants out there. Wow. Milhouse is usually not that picky. Were we in for a disaster???
Well, turns out the music was pretty loud, but 
I liked it, so no big deal... at least for me! LOL... Milhouse ended up with the Cajun Chicken Cheddar Burger served on brioche. He thought the butterflied chicken breast was relatively moist in some places with a good char. The "some places" is relevant because it was thin in some and thick in others. That meant the meat would have different amounts of doneness. He thought the burger had good flavour and the fries were fantastic (crispy fresh cut). I decided to share 2 items with Gordo starting 
with the Five Cheese Tortellini. The menu stated it was whole wheat pasta, yet it was pretty soft and we didn't even notice it. In fact, the pasta was overcooked. Despite that, the sauce wasn't bad. It was a creamy tomato which didn't lack flavour as it was creamy and peppery. It did lack a tomato zestiness due to the cream.
For our second item, we had the Rustica Pizza consisting of Italian sausage, four cheeses, banana peppers, roasted red 
pepper and cracked pepper. For what it was, the pizza was decent. The crust was thin and crunchy with plenty of toppings. It was certainly cheesy with a good amount of spice from the peppers and the sausage (which was meaty and not too fatty). The sauce itself was zesty too which made the whole pizza quite impactful. No, it wasn't as good as some of the Neapolitan pizzas I've had lately, but that would be an unfair comparison. Gadget Girl went for the Spinach Salad. Yes, a salad. Hey, she wants 
to maintain her girlish figure. Who could blame her? In addition to baby spinach, there was red onions, mandarin orange slices, candied almonds, feta and dried cranberries with a balsamic berry vinaigrette. Nothing much to complain about here. Stuff was fresh and the flavours/textures worked. However, we were a bit perplexed by the wedge of banana bread. There was nothing wrong with it (in fact, it was moist), yet it didn't seem to go.
Off to the sweeter things, Apu had the Original Dirt Pie where the cookie dust acted at the dirt. Now if you're wondering why there are TWO slices of ice cream pie, this was not a double order. In fact, this was ONE order! Uh... Good value yes, good for you, no. I helped myself to some because I figured Apu had more than enough. It was pretty much an ice cream cake (much like the ones found at Dairy Queen). It was decent if not too large. Sweet Tooth was a bit under the weather and the only thing that could make her feel better was some Chocolate Therapy Cake. It was essentially a moist lava cake surrounded by far too much whipped cream and drizzle. The cake itself was good though. And really, we were okay with the stuff we had at Original Joe's. No, it wasn't mind-blowing, but it wasn't as bad as other people have made it out to be. It's a chain restaurant that serves standard stuff, which is fine for late-night eats.
The Good:
- Party atmosphere (if you like that)
- Diverse menu
- Okay for late night eats
The Bad:
- A bit loud for some
- Okay food, just okay...
Playing late night hockey games is nothing new to me. Thus, eating late and going to bed at some unholy hour comes with the territory. However, I've been lazy of late. No, not lazy in terms of participating in sports. Rather, I have come up dry with ideas for late night eats. This was the case when Gordo and I just finished up a game at Richmond Ice. Where to eat? Uh... Naturally, I wanted to try something different, so we merely cruised down restaurant row on Alexandra. We made it nearly to the end when we spotted Yummy Tea House. Hey, it was open... Okay, this 
was a total blind visit. I never even bothered to refer to past reviews or ratings on Urbanspoon. Oh how would I learn to regret this...
As per usual, Gordo ordered his Mango Slush, which was not bad. It was on the sweeter side and a bit candy-like, yet it was blended smooth. He wasn't too picky since he was pretty thirsty from hockey. We decided to share some Chicken Nuggets
since it seemed like the right thing to do at a Taiwanese joint. When it arrived, we were thoroughly confused. Um... Did we order the wrong item? What we got was a dozen small little "popcorn" chicken nuggets that suspiciously looked like the ones from Costco. One taste and yup, they were indeed the same popcorn chicken. I served them at parties... Kinda disappointing when I was expecting Taiwanese crispy salty peppery chicken nuggets. At the very least, they were fried nice and crisp.
For my main, I went for another Taiwanese classic being the Spicy Beef Noodles. Once again, what arrived didn't coincide with my expectations. Looking at it, I was a bit concerned. It looked more like stewed beef and noodles. Well, it was a whole lot better than it looked because the noodles were al dente and the broth was indeed spicy. The beef was tender and quite fatty. I couldn't say I disliked the noodles, yet it was not what I thought it would be. When I had already 
finished my bowl of noodles, Gordo's dish finally arrived (couldn't they wait for his to be ready before they made mine???). He had the Fried Vermicelli with meat and veggies. It wasn't bad per se, yet the pool of grease at the bottom of the plate was rather unappetizing. Too bad really since the noodles had a nice chewy texture and the veggies were crisp. All this time, we didn't see our server once. She just disappeared. We had to resort to going up to the counter to get our bill and pay. What a strange experience... Maybe I'll not do a random food adventure next time.
The Good:
- Open late
- Comfortable dining space
The Bad:
- Food isn't necessarily bad, but it is just not one would expect it to be
- Service? What service?
Now that I've eaten quite a few meals with Whipping Girl as of late, her expectations have changed. No longer is she merely satisfied with the occasional "foody call", she wants to eat all-of-the-time! Um... I'm not Mijune you know... Anyways, she suggested we go get some Street Meet... In particular, some balls... Uh... This was a foody call right? Not a booty call! What kinda street food was she getting me into?!?!?!
Ultimately, what she was referring to were the Crispy Risotto Balls at Street Meet. These were filled with homemade Italian sausage and topped with basil truffle aioli. The exterior was crunchy while the risotto was a tad mushy (yet if it weren't, the whole thing would fall apart). The sausage was slightly hidden, but it definitely announced itself with each bite. Therefore, the whole thing was a touch salty. But Whipping Girl didn't mind it, I guess she likes salty balls! The aioli was a nice touch as it was herby 
and earthy.
One item that really caught my eye was the Pork Belly Bites. Hey I like anything bacon, or baconesque! These were really meaty and not all that fatty. Personally, I prefer that since there was more "substance". Consequently, the bites were not melt-in-my-mouth soft. I didn't mind that as the meat was not dry nor chewy. That was somewhat alleviated by the zesty agro dolce sauce. There was a considerable 
rosemary hit which complimented the pork. Served on the side were crispy house made kettle chips. With appetizers out-of-the-way, we proceeded to the meat (sorry for the pun) of the meal. I decided to go for the Grilled Lamb Burger. The patty was super juicy and grilled to a perfect medium-rare. It was sandwiched in between a sesame bun which was just dense enough to hold up to the ingredients. The condiments included tangy tzatziki which was amped with feta, arugula and red onion. I would definitely eat this 
burger again.
As for Whipping Girl, I ordered her the Herb Chicken Sandwich because she doesn't like lamb. It consisted of a orange-marinated grilled chicken breast, tarragon aioli, stewed red peppers, red onion, tomato and arugula. The chicken was somewhat thin while not dry. There was a good char and the herbs really stood out. There was some pepperiness to go with the sweet peppers. I didn't mind the sandwich, but I much preferred the lamb burger. Overall, the food at Street Meet was pretty good, however, the price point is on the higher side. It appears that food cart pricing North of $10.00 is quickly becoming the norm.
The Good:
- Pretty decent eats
- Bold flavours
The Bad:
- Somewhat pricey
I'm sure you've all heard of Dine Out Vancouver, where we see many of the best restaurants in town offer up set meals for a reasonable price. However, there are smaller localized versions such as the Taste of Yaletown. Running from October 17th to October 27th, many Yaletown eateries are offering $25, $35 and $45 three-course meals. As part of their official festivities, I was invited to their Taste of Yaletown Premiere Event at Yaletown Mimi. Nine restaurants which included Caché Bistro & Lounge
, George, Glowbal Grill Steaks & Satay, Hamilton Street Grill, killjoy, Minami, New Oxford, Society and Yaletown L'Antipasto participated in this tasting event to officially launch the Taste of Yaletown.
Joining me as a guest was Whipping Girl, who loves food apparently. So much so, she had a wrap from Mangal Kiss less then 2 hours before the event. That's not strategic eating! Anyways, many of the vendors were just setting up as we arrived, yet that didn't prevent us from hitting dessert. We sampled the Cherry Cotton Candy Cheesecake
from Society first. It was nicely plated with a good amount of sour cherries on top, yet the crust-to-cheesecake ratio seemed to be way off. To be fair, this was a tasting portion and the actual slice of cheesecake is much more balanced. Then we tried the Canadian Rib Eye Medallion on nicely caramelized roasted root vegetables. The slice of rib eye was perfectly cooked and super moist. The Café de Paris butter on top was a little too generous for the cut of beef, but again, this was a sampling size. Lastly, we had the Mac Poutine which consisted of a fried stick of mac n' cheese served with mozzarella and gravy. It reminded me of the fried mac n' cheese balls at Cheesecake Factory, except with cheese and gravy.
Moving next door to Hamilton Street Grill (literally, since they are really located near door to Yaletown Mini), we had something that, at first, didn't look too promising. It was a Bison Flat Iron Steak with Tomato Jam on a crostini. However, the whole thing was really flavourful and texturally pleasing. From the moist bison, sweet and tangy jam, to the crispy crostini, this was a surprisingly tasty bite. Heading down to George (an extension of Brix), we tried their Crispy Duck Confit with smoked local butternut squash & sweet potato puree and truffled brussel sprouts. This was a very well-composed dish with tender shredded duck, cracklings and yummy fried brussel sprouts. The sweet puree was a nice counterbalance to the savouriness of the dish. A combo effort between The New Oxford and killjoy resulted in a dish of Yukon Gold Potato Ravioli and Marinated Olives & Pickles. The fluffy ravioli was nicely 
accented by Pecorino Romano and browned cauliflower.
The table with the biggest gathering was Minami, the new sister restaurant to Miku. Why? Well, they were serving their signature item being the Aburi Salmon Oshi. What can I say about this little tasty morsel that has not been said already? They also had a Pressed Makerel with seared miso sauce. Good, but I preferred the salmon more. There were also little cups of the Beet Salad with yuzu-creme fraiche, fig and candied cashew nuts. Pretty good, except the creme was quite thick. The award for the most substantial dish went to Minami with the Saikyo Miso Sablefish, Soy-Brasied Angus Shortrib with Yukon potato puree & wasabi pickles and Kale Gomaae. The sablefish was perfectly cooked being moist, buttery and flaky. The miso was not overbearing which let the fish shine. We really liked how they were able to make the kale
super tender (which can be difficult). It was dressed in a aromatic roasted sesame dressing which was devoid of the dreaded sweetness. As for the shortrib, it was not as moist as we would've liked, but the wasabi pickles really added a welcomed spice and tanginess.
Right next to Minami was Yaletown L'Antipasto. They were serving up Bruschetta Mista consisting of olive pate, tomato & basil and chicken liver pate. There was nothing amiss here with the classic tomato being the highlight. There was also freshly made Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms. By trying to ensure that the arborio rice was
not overcooked, they undercooked it instead. Therefore, the rice was slightly hard while the sauce was not that creamy. I did like the flavours though as the mushrooms really stood out. Lastly, at Caché, there was Duck Breast with red onion jam. I thought the duck fat was not rendered enough while the flavours were too mild. However, their other offering, Pulled Pork on mini corn bread sliders was fantastic. The bread was soft while the pork was moist and really flavourful. So there you have it. A preview of what to expect out of the Taste of Yaletown. Now go eat something.
So far so good with our ChineseBites dinners. I guess it is a given considering the restaurants we have visited. I mean, it wouldn't make sense to eat at crappy places anyways especially since ChineseBites is trying to promote the best in town. The latest eating destination was Golden Ocean in Kerrisdale. Formerly Miramar in the 80's and early 90's, this is one of the few good Chinese restaurants on the Westside. Being affiliated with Golden Swan, we were expecting the same quality of food. I've 
been there for Dim Sum a few years ago and it was a decent experience. Having never tried their dinner service, I was eager to do so. Joining myself was the usual crew of Rick, Janice, Alvin, Grace, Diana,
and newbies, Sean and Amy.
For some odd reason, the restaurant felt the need to serve us some of their Dim Sum items to start the meal. I get that they wanted us to get a complete feel for their food, but serving Dim Sum items during non-Dim Sum hours would usually result in a less-than-ideal product. Hence, I'm going to leave that portion out of my write-up since I've already blogged about it before. So I'll go straight into the dinner items starting with the Crab with Special House Sauce. Underneath lay a bed of noodles which helped soak up the thick sauce. And about that sauce, it was a nice blend of tart, spicy, salty and sweet with big hits of garlic. The crab itself was fried just right with the meat 
being springy. Up next was the Steamed Tofu & Egg White with Diced Seafood & Meat. This was essentially a Pyrex plate with a layer of steamed tofu and egg white topped with wok-fried and starch-thickened ingredients (which consisted of chicken, straw mushrooms, scallops and shrimp). The tofu and egg was silky and not watery while the flavours were mild with some hits of ginger.
Moving along, we had the Stir Fried Beef with Steamed Buns. The slices of beef were very tender and probably could've used a bit less baking soda. This was a mild tasting dish with only small hits of the onion, ginger and peppers seen in the picture. I liked the steamed buns as they were moist and soft. The next dish was a bit confusing for some of us. It was the Honey Garlic Spareribs with Fried Shrimp Balls. How these 2 very different things go together in one dish is beyond me. However, if we overlook the strange pairing, the individual components were good. The spareribs were crispy, meat and tender with the sweetness of honey. It could've used a touch more garlic. As for the shrimp balls, they were juicy and bouncy inside while crispy outside.
On the topic of crispy, the Deep Fried Sole Fillet was fried a bit too much for my liking. I realize that the whole point of the dish is about texture since sole is not that meaty. Hence, the crunchiness was intended. However, it was pretty dry and salty. Moving away from fried food, we had the Dried Garlic & Enoki Mushrooms with Pea Tips. Janice was so excited to see veggies, she began eating before we took photos! The horror! Anyways, the pea tips still had a bite while being tender. Due to the amount of liquid, the flavours were pretty mild despite the abundance of garlic cloves. Our last savoury dish was the Deep Fried Duck wrapped in taro. The duck itself was quite fatty with only a modest amount of meat. It was tender though. I found the taro to be dense and a touch dry, yet very crispy on the outside. The accompanying shiitake mushroom sauce somewhat alleviated the dry taro issue.
For dessert, we were offered 3 different items starting with the Deep Fried Green Tea Glutinous Rice Balls with Black Sesame. We couldn't figure out what gave the balls their green tinge, so in essence, we really couldn't taste the green tea. However, the glutinous rice was fried up crispy and I liked how it wasn't overly thick. The sesame filling was a interesting contrast of colour to the green and made for a great "Instagram" picture. The last 2 desserts were the Tofu Pudding and Baked Tapioca Pudding. Unfortunately, these were not that great, especially the tofu pudding. When we opened up the bamboo container, the tofu appeared to be lacking moisture. One
scoop and yah, it was pretty dry. As for the tapioca pudding, it was a touch dry as well. It was not very sweet either. Yah, not the way I'm sure they wanted us to end the meal off. Despite this, the rest of the food was good and considering there are not a whole lot of Chinese restaurants on the Westside, Golden Ocean remains a solid choice.
*Note: This was an invited dinner where all food was comped*
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As soon as one "Thai" restaurant closed on Scott Road, another opened up not too far away. I put Thai in quotations because Crystal Elephant Range was not an authentic Thai restaurant. On that note, we must remember a restaurant is in business to make money and that is why most of the time, it serves to appeal to the general public (not the small percentage of authentic-craving food aficionados). The new Thai restaurant is One More Thai, now occupying the space of the former Ming
Shing (which wasn't very good). Since Snake Eyes and I were on the prowl for food, it seemed like a good idea to hit up the newly opened restaurant.
Now unlike many other Thai restaurants, One More Thai doesn't have inexpensive lunch specials. In fact, all of their lunch offerings are over $10.00. However, the extras included with each meal are extensive. Case in point, all 3 of entrees included Green Papaya Salad. Now this was essentially a green salad with some julienned green papaya and ground peanuts on top. This was unlike any other green papaya salad I've ever seen, which clearly identified the place as not being very authentic. If we take that out of the equation, it was fine as a salad. Everything was crisp and crunchy while the dressing had some Thai flavours, in particular, fish sauce and chili. For one of our entrees, it included a Tom Yum Soup. In a general sense, the soup was alright since the usual flavours were present such as galangal, fish sauce and kaffir lime, but it could've been spicier.
For the other 2 entrees, an order of Roti which looked suspiciously like the Malay version, was included. Whatever... we had already established that we weren't dealing with authentic Thai food anyways. The outside of the roti was very crispy while the inside was doughy and probably needed more cooking. We liked the dip though as it was spicy and aromatic. The first entree to arrive was the Pad Thai. It looked more like a Chinese stir-fried noodle with its large pieces of chicken and completely incorporated ingredients. Flavourwise, it had a tinge of sweet chili sauce and ketchup (but not overly so) and a decent amount of spice. I would've liked to see more tang (in the form of tamarind), some pickled turnips and pressed tofu. It was a pretty large 
portion though.
We also got a Beef Red Curry which arrived with a pleasing colour. The curry itself had a nice consistency and a decent amount of spice and aromatics. The peppers were nice, but we would've liked to see more bamboo shoots. As for the beef, it was tenderized with baking soda, hence it compromised the flavours. Again, that was a Chinese cooking technique. Lastly, we had the Chicken Green Curry which was pretty decent with plenty of ingredients (except there was no eggplant). The sauce had the typical flavours of a green curry paste and coconut milk. Now if you can probably guess, the food at One More Thai is pretty much a hybrid of Chinese and Malay with Thai. For me, I can accept that if the food is decent providing good value. In that case, One More Thai achieves that. For those who cry foul at any opportunity that something is not authentic. Well, then you best move along...
