Lay’s “Do Us A Flavour” Contest

Okay, I must admit a guilty pleasure.  Wait, I have a lot of guilty pleasures...  Well, this is one of them and yes I can't only have one...  If you haven't guessed it (by the title of the post!), it's Lay's chips.  So when they recently approached me to run a contest, they didn't have to ask twice.  It's the Lay's "Do Us A Flavour" contest where they are looking for inspiration.  I'm sure some of you have already seen it on Facebook. So, go ahead and think of the most interesting and delicious flavour.  You don’t have to be a foodie, chef or flavour expert to enter the contest (which ends April 15th, 2013 at 10:00pm ET). If you’re passionate about a flavour, you can enter for a chance to win $50K plus 1% of your flavour’s future sales (after voting period) if crowned as the flavour champion.  In addition, I have a prize gift pack to help you on your quest for potato chip greatness.  It includes: 

-              An assortment of Lay’s potato chips

-              Lay’s cutting board

-              Do Us a Flavour Apron

-              Oil & Vinegar set

-              Lay’s Flavour shaker

-              2 Ramekins

-              Recipe organizer

-              Lay’s Potato sack

-              Do Us a Flavour™ Spices 

So leave your first name and last initial for your chance to win this gift pack that hopefully will inspire you to create the winning chip flavour.  I will draw a winner on Monday, March 25th and it will ship directly to you from Lay's (open to Canadian residents only). Congrats to Suzie M for winning the prize pack!

Cucina Manila (Surrey)

For a city with a significant Filipino population, Vancouver is sorely lacking in Filipino restaurants.  Now, I have speculated about this phenomenon before with indications that home cooking trumps eating out.  For myself, that is not an option, therefore, eating out would be my main access to Filipino cuisine.  Rich Guy and Rich Gal (she's Filipino) often ridicule my desire for Filipino eats because they can get all the Filipino food they can handle, yet are not really all that interested in eating out at any Filipino eatery.  I guess I rest my case???  So my latest Filipino food adventure brought me to the Surrey location of Cucina Manila.  Think of it as a Filipino version of their next door neighbour - Top King's.

So with all the food on display, one can make their own combo which includes steamed rice and a choice of 2 items excluding the bigger ones such as Bangus and Crispy Pata. Of course I couldn't resist the Crispy Pata, so I added it to my order. Assuming it had been sitting there for awhile, I wasn't expecting really crunchy skin.  And yes, it was on the chewy side, but it wasn't terrible.  The meat underneath was sufficiently moist with a nice layer of gelatinous fat.  Dipped into the vinegar, I ate the whole thing easily.  After dusting that off, I tackled the combo, which included the classic Adobo. It was a mix of chicken and pork where the latter was definitely better.  It was soft and fatty.  On the other hand, the chicken was dry and chewy.  I did like the flavours though as there was enough tartness. The sauce was on the greasier side, which I expected, but not something I personally prefer.  Lastly, I had the BBQ Pork which was a touch dry, but flavourful in a sweet charred way.

Unsatisfied with only one visit, I went again going with the combo and adding a separate item.  This time it was the classic Pancit.  I found this one to be loaded with lots of ingredients such as carrot, red pepper, cabbage, onion, shrimp, pig's ear and green onions.  So much so, there was very little noodle.  As for the noodle, it was a pleasant chewy texture and mildly seasoned.   For my combo, I selected the Adobong Pusit and Pork Binagoongan.  Unlike the other times I've had it, the pusit was mostly tender and slightly chewy.  I found the dish appetizing as there was a nice vinegar hit within the mild sweet onion sauce.  While I was taking pictures of the Pork Binagoongan, oil splashed everywhere.  Yes, it was really, really greasy.  Again, not unexpected though.  Despite this, the shrimp paste was pungent while the pork was tender. I needed all of the rice to balance out the saltiness (which I liked).  However, I would've liked to see some spice to counter the salt.

With my 2 visits to Cucina Manila, I concluded that the food, although not great, is decent considering it is premade and relatively inexpensive ($10.00 for 2 items and rice).  I'm not sure why the ratings on Urbanspoon are so low because it wasn't terrible.  I guess the one thing that stuck in my mind is that the cashier lady should've smile a bit more...

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent selection
- Food is fine for what it is

The Bad:
- Food is on the greasier side (but to be expected)
- Cashier-lady can come across as unfriendly

Cafe Gloucester

For awhile there, I totally forgot about Cafe Gloucester.  Hey, with the construction of the Canada Line, I'm sure more than a few people avoided the business along the Cambie corridor.  Somewhere down the line (sorry for the pun), Cafe Gloucester experienced an ownership change and for the longest time, I wanted to do a return visit.  As one of the original "upscale" Hong Kong-style cafes in town, they have always prided themselves for their good food and equally good service.  So to avoid the dreaded "Dim Sum at Tung Sing Chin again" with my in-laws, I suggested we head to Gloucester instead.  So to refresh your memory (or if you have no clue what a Hong Kong-style cafe is all about), the food here is a mishmash of Chinese food and a Chinese interpretation of everything else.  That's right, when you would normally use tomato sauce, think ketchup.  Or where you'd find cream, try starch (or flour) thickened milk.  Or better yet, imagine breakfast sausage replaced by a hot dog wiener.  Yes, all this can be found at a HK-style cafe...

So when you look the picture of the vegetable soup, it really was Borscht.  But... it's not beet red nor is there any sour cream!  Not at a HK-style cafe!  It was vegetable soup with some worchestershire.  That's all.  Deal with it.  The borscht was actually the starter for the Mini-Mixed Grill which was Viv's choice. It consisted of a pork chop, ham, egg and a skewer of shrimp on a bed of spaghetti (or rice), veggies with a side of sauce (black pepper in this case).  This was pretty solid with a large not-too-dry pork chop, a popped sunny side egg and cold-water shrimp.  I liked the black pepper sauce as it was rich and flavourful with a good consistency.  There seemed to be some black bean in it too which might've explained the full-bodied flavour.  In addition to this, we shared the Duck & Preserved Vegetable Vermicelli as well.  I found the rice noodles to be a bit too dry, but there was plenty of peppers, onions and sprouts to make up for that.  It was flavourful with a nuttiness probably due to the high wok heat.

We also had the classic Pork Chop Baked Rice which, as you can tell, consisted of a large pork chop with lots of sauce.  However, we found the sauce far too sweet with very little savoury elements.  The pork chop was thick, tender and crispy on the outside, but we felt there was far too much onion underneath.  While we were at it, why not have another standard item on any HK-style cafe's menu?  Enter the Baked Seafood Rice with an obscene amount of "cream" sauce with seafood and again, far too much onion.  I'm not sure if they realized that partially-cooked slivers of onion overpower seafood.  It doesn't enhance it.  Other than that, the seafood was fine while the sauce was typically thick and not really that creamy.  Oh let's not stop there right?  How about the Spaghetti Bolognese?  Yes, it would make most Italians cry because I'm pretty sure they would not make it like this.  However, this one was good though with a meaty, thick sauce that featured a licorice hit from star anise.

Back to something more Chinese or Chinese-style Indian that is...  was the Curry Chicken. The sauce was coconut milk based, hence it wasn't starchy.  There was enough spices to create an impact and not too much sugar, so it wasn't a sweet curry.  This was pretty good. "Not bad" is probably the best description of our re-visit.  Most items were prepared properly, except for the overuse of undercooked onions, and service was above average

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Above-average service
- Comfortable digs

The Bad:
- Slightly more expensive than other HK-style cafes
- Good, but is it better than less costly places?

Cazba

It's no secret that I love meat. Hence, I seek it out like a car seeks out an accident in Richmond.  Places like steakhouses, rib joints, Brazilian rodizio and Korean BBQs are right up my alley.  However, there is one more genre that I haven't truly explored very much -  Persian food.  Sure, it shares similarities to other middle eastern grub, in particular Afghan cuisine, but there are differences. Hence, I headed up to Persian food central, the North Shore, with Rich Guy in search of meat. And where did we end up at?  Well, the most well-known one of them all - Cazba.  This place prides itself on large portions at reasonable prices.  Hey, that is exactly what I like, as they say in Chinese - Peng, yau leng (cheap, but good!).

Before our food arrived, we were present with Pita & Raw Onion.  Huh?  You might ask...  Well, it is to use as a wrap with the meats.  However, I'm not too keen about the raw onion part, so we merely used the pita for the Hummus ($5.00) that we ordered as an appie.  It was fluffy and smooth, yet maintaining some bits of texture.  There was a definite garlic hit as well as a lemony tang finish.  As for our meats, the Joojeh Kebab (Chicken $8.95)  hit the table first.  It was served with Basmati and saffron rice along with a grilled tomato.  Exhibiting a beautiful char (while not burnt) on the outside, the inside was moist and juicy.  There was just enough seasoning to add flavour without being salty.

Next up was the Chenjeh Kebab (Sirloin Steak $8.95) which was a healthy portion.  Naturally being sirloin, it wasn't exactly super tender, but it wasn't chewy either.  Again, there was just enough char and the right amount of seasoning. Lastly, we shared one last item being the Baghali Polo & Lamb. At $7.95, this was a fantastic value with a decent-sized lamb shank which fell-off-the-bone.  I would've liked to see more seasoning with the meat though. Yes, we did finish all the food and were pretty stuffed.  However, it would be more than enough for small eaters.  Hence, at the prices they charge, Cazba is both peng, yau leng.

The Good:
- Well-executed proteins
- Inexpensive
- Good portions

The Bad:
- Although service was friendly, it was a bit hard to flag down somebody

Bistro Pastis

Darina loves French food.  Well duh...  Her blog is Gratinee after all.  So when I bumped into her at the Sen Bistro media tasting event, we decided that it was time to do a French food adventure.  Seeing how Whipping Girl loves French food like Miley Cyrus loves a buzz cut, we invited her as well. We originally targeted La Cigale as our destination, but ended up changing it to Boneta.  But that was not good enough for Whipping Girl as her favourite dish - Moules et Frites - was not on the menu.  She threw a temper-tantrum that would make Sue Sylvester look tame, threatening to cancel on us.  Fine.  We eventually settled on Bistro Pastis because not only did it have Moules et Frites on the menu, it was convenient for Choobee to join us as well.

While we were looking for a parking spot, Whipping Girl texted us indicating that she felt rather young amongst the clientele.  Hey, I don't blame her, as our table probably brought the average age down 25 years.  Yes, Bistro Pastis is a traditional French restaurant.  We had no problem with that as we heard their food is quite good.  I ended up starting my meal with Le Tartare et Frites (Steak Tartare & Fries $16.00). Topped with cornichons, the steak tartar was tender with a nice crunch from the pickles.  I found the flavours to be balanced possibly wanting a touch more spice. Although it did not ruin my eating experience, there was one piece of gristle I had to pick out of the tartare.  On the other hand, the frites were really good being crispy and light.  Choobee opted for Les Calamares Farcis (Calamari $12.50) stuffed with crab and chorizo accompanied by ratatouille and parsley puree.  The whole squid was soft while the tentacles were fried.  The filling was quite mild despite the use of chorizo.  This was a good thing as it didn't overwhelm the crab.  I also liked the ratatouille as there were clear flavours rather than being muddled.

Choobee brought along a friend as well and hey, I wasn't complaining as there was more food to try!  She had the featured appie of the day being the Chicken Liver Pate ($15.00) served with onion jam and brioche.  I found the pate to be super smooth and relatively light.  It was sweet with a hint of cognac. The onion jam was sticky and sweet which was naturally a nice compliment to the pate.  Whipping Girl decided on La Bisque de Homard (Lobster Bisque $12.50) which was poured table side.  At the centre of the bowl rested a prawn quenelle and salmon caviar.  The bisque was creamy and rich with a strong lobster essence.  I liked how it wasn't too heavy on the salt, rather the true flavours were highlighted.  Darina had the classic La Soupe a L'Oignon (French Onion Soup $9.50), where she helped me take the picture, so credit goes to her!  I got to take a couple of spoonfuls of the soup and the first one made me think it was too salty.  On a subsequent scoop with all of the components (the crouton and cheese), it was more balanced with salty, sweet and cheesiness.

And here it is, the dish that caused all the commotion - Moules et Frites (Mussels & Fries $24.00).  This was the entree version which was served with fries.  Otherwise, the appetizer portion would be served without.  The mussels were prepared with a classic white wine and shallot broth which could've been cooked down a touch more as there was a noticeable alcohol taste.  However, it didn't break the dish as the mussels were cooked nicely.  They were plump and sweet. For my main, I had the Navarin D'agneau Printanier (Braised Lamb $28.00) with herb crust, sweet pea puree, fingerling potatoes, root vegetables and tarragon jus.  The lamb was practically melt-in-my-mouth moist.  The meat was fatty, rich and "lambtastic". There was a rich red wine essence to the silky jus. I really enjoyed the herb crust as it added a nice textural contrast to the soft lamb as well as added flavour.  To top it all off (or bottom in this case), the sweet pea puree afforded a certain mellow sweetness to the dish.

Choobee went for Le Cunard et le Porto (Brome Lake Duck Breast $29.00) with sunchoke puree, warm golden beet & farro salad with port wine sauce.  This was a fairly large duck breast which was tender despite being cooked mostly through.  We found the duck skin to be slightly chewy, in need of some crispiness. Underneath, the farro provided body to the tender beats.  The port wine sauce was silky and balanced.  The last dish at the table was Le Pastis Pot au Feu (Braised Beef Shoulder $27.00) with a thick slab of bacon, roasted marrow, turnip and carrot with garlic croutons on the side.  I was able to sample the meats and they were fork tender where their natural flavours shone.  A simple, yet impactful dish.

For dessert, we shared 3 items starting with the Lemon Trio ($10.50) consisting of brulee lemon curd, chiffon cake and sorbet. I found the lemon curd to be too sweet and even the tartness at the end didn't seem to help.  The chiffon cake was fluffy while the sorbet was a nice balance of sweet and tart.  Next was the Molten Chocolate Cake ($10.50) with passion fruit cream and marscapone ice cream. The cake itself was fluffy on the inside while being semi-sweet.  I particularly liked the crunchy crumble on the plate.  Lastly, we had the Madeleines ($9.00) which were warm, soft and great for sharing.  Overall, we thought that Bistro Pastis would rate a solid 4 out of 5 if we had to use numbers.  Basically, it is a classic French Bistro that produces good food with attentive service.

The Good:
- Food is solid
- Service is attentive
- No nonsense, classic bistro

The Bad:
- Could be too traditional for some people
- On the pricier side (but worth it IMO)

Shanghai Xiao Long Bao

*Restaurant is now closed*

In the past, trying to find good Xiao Long Bao in Downtown Vancouver was akin to finding milk at the Bellingham Costco.  However, those dark days seem to be fading as there are 2 choices to be had - Dinesty and Shanghai Xiao Long Bao.  Vandelay thought it would be a good for us to research these joints starting with the latter.  Since Shanghainese food is best when shared, I enlisted the eating prowess of Whipping Girl, Chill and Gordo.  Like most newer restaurants in Vancouver, the "novelty factor" is in full effect, therefore, we decided to arrive before Noon to avoid the rush.

We started with 1/2 of a Wine Chicken ($13.99) which was sauced generously.  Hence, there was no mistaking the xiao shing wine flavour.  It was a little strong for some, but I liked it.  No wussy flavours here.  The free- range chicken itself was prepared properly with a nice layer of gelatin underneath the "jelly-like" skin.  Without any delay, we were presented with THE dish we were waiting for - the Xiao Long Bao ($5.99).  Hey with the dish clearly stated in the restaurant's name, we had high expectations.  And it more or less delivered with its relatively thin dumpling skin and moist flavourful filling.  The soup itself was decent in volume where it exhibited a hit of sweetness and xiao shing wine.  It could've used a touch more ginger in my opinion.

Moving along, the small Hot & Sour Soup ($8.99) arrived in a pretty substantial portion.  We wondered what the large would be like.  The soup had an appealing colour and a good amount of ingredients including coldwater shrimp, crunchy bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms, tofu, shredded pork and egg.  Although it had a good kick, the underlying soup base did not have much depth nor meatiness.  Onto more dumplings, we got the obligatory Potstickers ($6.99) which were nicely browned with a crispy bottom.  I found the dumpling skin to be slightly thick and doughy, but not overly so.  Much like the XLBs, there was a good amount of juice inside. The meat filling was a tad chewy, yet it did have a balanced flavour.

Continuing down carbohydrate road, we had the Stir-Fried Rice Cake ($11.99).  Glistening with oil that would make a a teenage cashier at 7-11 a run for their money, the rice cake slices had a significant bite.  The shredded pork was tender while the veggies wilted just enough, however, there was a general lack of flavour. Ignoring the Atkin's diet, we had a plate of Pan-Fried Buns ($6.99) which were fluffy, yet at the same time, had a pretty thick exterior.  The bottom was fried up nicely (with copious amounts of oil) where it was crispy.  Consistent with the other 2 dumplings we had, there was a good amount of sweet, meaty juice inside.  Finally, other than the chicken, we had a meat dish in the Stir-Fried Shredded Pork ($12.99).  The shredded pork was of a nice size and really tender.  There was a low rumble of spice which accented the sweetness of the hoisin.  We liked how the sauce clung onto all of the ingredients without any excess at the bottom of the plate.  The crunchy bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms added texture to the plate.

For many, the Fried Bun ($7.00) served with condensed milk is a dessert, but for me, I like it with the shredded pork.  I actually hollow out the end pieces and stuff the pork inside.  Consider it a Chinese taco of sorts.  Give it a try, it's good.  And about that fried bun, it was fried golden brown and crispy.  As you can ascertain, most of the food was on point.  Sure, I've had better Shanghainese food before, but this was not only a solid meal for Downtown standards, it was good for any standards.  Kudos to them for making authentic food where something less would've sufficed.

The Good:
- Well-prepared authentic eats
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Not enough wait staff
- Stir-fried dishes took too long (probably only one wok going, but people need to get back to work)