Townhall (Coquitlam)

Normally, the regular routine would see JuJu and I go out for eats after Summer Sunday hockey.  However, in the dead of Winter, it seemed like a good idea to change things up and make an impromptu food adventure to Townhall in Coquitlam.  After all, he just had a kid, so getting out of the house for some beer and eats was the natural thing to do.  Wait, that doesn't sound right... He must have an understanding wife.  Wait...  I have an understanding wife!

We started with the 1lb of the Free Range Chicken Wings dressed in simple sea salt and cracked pepper.  These were of a decent size and fried up crispy.  There was just enough seasoning without being overly salty.  Although the meat was far from being juicy, it wasn't overly dry either.  Next, we shared the Townhall Perogies stuffed with cheddar and potato.  These were fried and served with onion gravy, applewood bacon, fried chorizo, green onions and sour cream.  Interestingly, I loved all the components except for the perogies.  The gravy was rich and flavourful while the meats were aromatic and flavourful.  The perogies themselves were dense and not really that crispy.

For our mains, JuJu had the Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich. There was nothing inherently terrible about the sandwich, but it was lacking in some ways.  The amount of meat was pretty modest and somehow, it was dried out from the reheating process.  I gave it a try and for me, it was okay, but it wouldn't strike fear into a real deli.  Now for myself, I was mesmerized by the Townhall'a Burger on the menu.  This monstrosity consisted of 2 7oz patties of ground Alberta prime rib with braised beef, crispy onions, fried egg, smoked bacon, melted cheese and a grilled prawn skewer on toasted brioche.  This was served with a full pound of crispy fries.  I actually like it as the meat was moist and well-seasoned.  From the runny egg to the crispy bacon, this was a solid, if not gut-busting burger.  Although the brioche was rather soft and didn't really stand up to the ingredients, I personally liked it.  As for the fries, they were indeed very crispy with very little potatoness left.  For the items we tried, it was 50-50.  Nothing was particularly terrible, but nothing was memorable either (except for the size of the burger).  However, I wouldn't be opposed to dropping by after hockey another day.

The Good:
- For what we had, it's decent for a pub
- We got okay service

The Bad:
- Food took awhile (probably because of my burger)
- A touch pricey

Wilbur & Sabastian's Smokehouse & Bistro

I gotta admit it.  Sometimes when I epic fail while visiting a restaurant (like finding out it is closed once I get there), I lose interest.  That was the case with Wilbur & Sabastian's out in PoCo last year.  However, when I found out that Double D (not what you think and a fine resident of PoCo) was going to join JuJu and I for lunch, it was almost too convenient that I gave it another go.  Interestingly enough, Double D didn't even know the place existed and wondered how I found it.  Remember, I have a 6th sense - I see restaurants...

We started with an order of House-made Tortilla Chips which were fantastic.  They were super crunchy, a bit thick and dusted with spice rub. For myself, I went for the full rack of Baby Backs with sweet onion bourbon BBQ sauce. There was an immediate smokiness which was just right where it didn't overwhelm.  The sauce was indeed sweet with a slight tang.  If the ribs weren't smoky and well-seasoned, the sauce would've been overwhelmingly sweet, but it was balanced in this case (probably the intention).  Much like the beef bones (will discuss later), the meat wasn't exactly super tender, but it wasn't hard to eat either.  I was a bit confused with the shoe string fries as they were just like any other fresh-cut fries.  With that being said, they were good though, if not a bit greasy.

If that wasn't enough, I had the Three Little Pig's Chili consisting of lean ground pork, shredded bits of smoked pulled pork, and chunks of smoked farmer sausage with some white beans.  Suffice to say, this was a meaty concoction which made it hearty.  There was a good smokiness to it and only the slightest hint of spice with some sweetness.  I liked the chunkiness of the tomatoes and only a modest amount of beans. Double D decided on the double (ironically) order of the 12 oz Double Smoked Farmer's Sausage.  The portion was not for the faint of heart since there was a whole lot of sausage on the plate.  I was able to sample some sausage (again, not what you think) and it was meaty and glazed with the bold & spicy BBQ sauce.  The only thing that could've been better was the temperature of the meat as it wasn't that hot.

JuJu went for 3 Beef Bones and they were of a decent size.  With a noticeable smokiness, these were sufficiently tender (with quite a bit of chew left) and fatty.  Think prime rib bones but with smoke flavour.  He originally asked for his sauce on the side, but they sauced his ribs anyways.  Of note, they happily redid his order (an indication of good customer service). His side of Butternut Squash Soup was natural tasting and slightly sweet, but a touch thin.  The wedge of cornbread was somewhat dense, but was okay being mostly sweet.  Believe it or not, I finished both of my meals to the shock of the table (they should be used to it by now!).  The food was decent considering that there is really no competition nearby.  Loved the good people there the most though.

The Good:
- Really nice people
- Okay eats (good smoke flavour)
- Really one-of-kind in the neighbourhood

The Bad:
- For those who like wet BBQ, this isn't it

Laksa King

Once there was this strange food stand located in a not-so-pretty grocery store on Joyce.  Bo was his name and he served up authentic Burmese (Myanmar) food from his make-shift "kitchen".  I was able to try his wares before he moved to a permanent B&M location on Hastings named Bo's Bubbles and Bits.  On many occasions, I attempted to eat there with no success as the business hours were somewhat random.  A few years later, the place has been re-branded Laksa King.  While Bo is no longer there, the place is run by a couple from Myanmar.

Arriving for a late lunch, we shared some appies starting with the Chicken Satay.  Although the chicken was sufficiently tender, it wasn't that moist and was screaming out for more char.  While the flavours were fine due to a decent marinade, it suffered from lack of depth as a result of the cooking method.  The accompanying peanut dip was thick and "peanut buttery" but wasn't too sweet.  Next up was a small order of Roti Cani.  We liked how it was crispy with a rich seared hue on the outside.  We found the inside a touch dense and doughy though.  The dip was flavourful with a big garlic hit with only the slightest of spice.

Okay, being Laksa King, we had to try the Laksa.  We felt it was pretty good as the broth was rich, creamy and flavourful.  We could definitely get the heat, shrimpiness and coconut essence with every sip.  I got half and half noodles and they were on the softer side.  I wasn't a huge fan of the shrimp as they were rubbery.  Next, we got the Pad Thai just because we have read so many bad things about it.  Well, it was okay with slightly soft noodles bathed in a minimal amount of tamarind.  The plethora of pickled turnip added crunch and zip.  What saved the dish was the side of wok-fried chili sauce as it added both spice and smokiness.

Lastly, we had the Beef Rendang which was gingery and coconutty.  The chunks of beef were fork tender.  This was a pretty decent dish, but it really needed more rice as there was only enough to deal with half of the sauce.  Overall, we enjoyed our meal mainly due to the laksa and rendang.  The satay and pad thai were pretty forgettable though.  Hence, a visit would highly depend on what you order.

The Good:
- Laksa is rich and flavourful
- Staff are pretty friendly
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Other items we tried were pretty ordinary
- Portions are pretty small

MoMa Contemporary Bistro

What if I told you there was this French bistro located in the heart of Richmond that was operated by 2 Chinese chefs? Okay, before the uncontrollable laughter and the Richmond jokes begin, let me say this does exist and no, it is not a Hong Kong-Style French cafe.  So what possessed me to drive all the way into traffic hell to try this place?  Well, I'm not really sure to tell you the truth.  Call it pure curiosity.  So would this curiosity pay off or would I be spending money to get all those door dings out?  Viv and I were about to find out...

Formerly Cuccina Toscana, MoMa is the brainchild of Xin Mao and Henry Mok (hence MoMa), who both attended Art Institute of Vancouver. After working in various restaurants in town, they finally opened up their own place in Richmond.  We started our meal with a couple of appies.  Viv had the Warm Steelhead Trout Salad with French beans, potatoes and cherry tomatoes.  The sous vide trout was moist and just barely cooked.  It was buttery and naturally sweet.  The crunchy beans added texture and vibrancy while the citrus vinaigrette brightened up the dish.  For myself, I had the Crispy Pork Belly on a bed of taro puree with mostarda, chili oil and jus.  The pork belly was crunchy with a moist interior.  Although there was noticeable peppery notes, it could've benefited from more aggressive seasoning. On the other hand, the taro puree didn't lack any seasoning.  Combined with the chili oil, sweet and tart mostarda and jus, the dish had all the flavour it needed.

Onto our mains, Viv had the Smoked Brome Lake Duck Breast with an Asian aromatic glaze on a bed of lentils accompanied by salsa verde.  There was no mistaking the smokiness as it lingered after every bite.  The skin could've been crispier, yet the meat itself was nicely tender.  The glaze was noticeably citrusy while the lentils were chewy and spiked with plenty of flavour (especially onion).  For myself, I went for the BC Sablefish which was miso cured and sous vide.  It rested on a bed of cabbage & corn fricassee.  The sablefish was completely melt-in-my-mouth soft while still being flaky.  The light torching on the outside added both colour and some smokiness.  There was a natural flavour to the fish with only the slightest hint of miso.  Although I personally liked the soft skin, it probably would've been better if it was seared crispy.  The fricassee was sweet with crunch and did not take away from the delicate fish.

For dessert, Viv chose the Baked Molten Chocolate Cake with a toffee reduction and vanilla ice cream.  Moist and bittersweet, the cake was not really cake-like.  It was surprisingly light in sweetness (which could've been their intention), hence, the toffee and ice cream helped in that regard. Seeing how there was only 3 choices of dessert and I didn't want cheesecake, I decided on Billie's Macarons.  These were crispy on the outside while soft on the inside.  They could've been chewier and less gritty. However, not bad for restaurant.  In the end, we were pretty surprised at the level of execution. Obviously this is not a knock at the chefs, as they did a great job.  Rather, we didn't expect it from a place smack dab in the middle of bubble tea and hot pot joints.

The Good:
- Proteins are on point
- A good balance of Asian influence
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- Limited menu
- Attentive service, but really green

Adorabelle Tea Room

High Tea and I get along as much as I love to drive down #3 Road on a moped with "hit me" as a license plate front and back.  Hence, I've only been a couple of times and mostly with Miss Y.  Yes, for some sadistic reason, she loves to drag me out for high tea whenever she has a chance.  This time around, it was my turn to ask her to tag along on my high tea adventure.  The reason for this was that Adorabelle Tea Room sent me an invite to try them out. 

Unlike the last time we had high tea, I picked Miss Y up, ensuring I wouldn't be waiting for 1.5 hours for her arrival... Upon entering the quaint little house in Steveston, we were greeted by a simple, yet elegant room.  We were seated near a draped partition which gave the illusion of some privacy.  I got in touch with my feminine side by ordering a Passionfruit Tea.  With all the accessories such as the decorative China and teapot cover, it helped set the mood for the goodies that were soon to arrive. The coziness of the house didn't hurt the cause either.  I liked the fact there were some larger tables to accommodate groups.  Interestingly, we were told that a stag had recently been held at Adorabelle. There and then, I thought about items such as hot wings and dry ribs on the bottom tier.  No?  Okay, well there must be a market for something like that I'm sure...

When the goodies hit the table, I was actually pretty excited.  We started on the bottom tier consisting of Chicken Waldorf Finger Sandwich, Smoked Salmon Pinwheel, Egg Salad Pinewheel, Cucumber & Creamcheese, Savoury Bacon & Chive Cupcake and Savoury Asiago & Fennel Shortbread.  I liked how the bread was fresh and soft, which in my opinion, is the most important thing. The most interesting item among these was the bacon cupcake which featured layers of flavour while being moist.  As for the shortbread, I liked how it was buttery and savoury with a hint of sweetness. The middle tier included 2 Citrus Scones and 2 Eggnog Cranberry Scones served with Chantilly cream and preserve.  Scones were good as they were fairly light and good on their own.  I loved the addition of citrus and cranberry respectively as it afforded some brightness.  Lastly, the top featured Srawberries and Cream, Morello Cherry Pate de Fruits, Chocolate Ginger Cookie and Peppermint Chocolate. What I liked best among these items was the peppermint chocolate as it was moist inside and subtle on the sugar.

Overall, we had a good time at Adorabelle.  Naturally, being on time and not waiting for 1.5 hours can only help the cause (looking at you Miss Y!).  Of course, there will be arguments made that some other places might have better this and that, but Adorabelle has the good combination of location (quaint), ambiance (understated classy) and goodies.  So have I warmed up to afternoon tea now that I'm gone a few times?  Sure.  But I still think that hot wings would be a great addition...  LOL...

*Note - this was an invited dinner where all food was comped except for gratuities

The Good:
- Quaint house & location
- Reasonable pricing ($25.00pp)
- Solid eats

The Bad:
- Could be a bit far for some people 
- 1 hour seating is sufficient, but could be a tad rushed (hence choose the last seating)

Cannibal Cafe

Finding late night places to eat is not as easy as one would think.  Considering that we would like to avoid places such as Knight & Day and Denny's, the options start to dwindle.  In fact, Milhouse, Lionel Hutz and I recently visited K&D (due to my bad judgement...) and Lionel had the Hulk Burger.  Let's just say he had an "upsetting" reaction to the burger which ironically turned him green...  So with that fresh in our minds, we attempted to exorcise it with a visit to Cannibal Cafe.

I had the BBQ Kimchi Burger which was loaded high with a fresh 6 oz patty, fried coriander, kimchi and tomato.  Although the brioche bun wasn't exactly soft, the amount of moisture made up for it.  I asked for my burger to be done medium and it was more like well.  But it was only a touch dry, yet sported a nice char on the outside.  My side of Poutine was more like melted cheese fries as there was only a modest amount of gravy.  Hence, I didn't get a really good handle on it, however, the fries were plenty salted.  I did like them on their own as they were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Lionel Hutz had the Montreal Smoked Meat Burger.  Again, his burger was done a bit more than his liking, yet it wasn't dry. Naturally, with smoked meat, it added another layer of flavour (more saltiness) to the burger.  His side of Onion Rings were pretty darn good.  Although on the greasier side, these large rings were super crunchy and flavourful on their own.

Milhouse opted for the The Big Blue consisting of a blue cheese-stuffed patty, onion ring, horseradish mayo and more blue cheese.  Although the burger wasn't hurting for flavour, he thought it wasn't as impactful as the ingredients suggested. His side of Mac n' Cheese was really saucy rather than cheesey.  I'm sure there was a good amount of cheese used as we could clearly see it, but maybe it needed to be sharper or maybe some more seasoning such as mustard powder and/or Worchestershire sauce was needed.  Lastly, Gordo had the American Classic with the usual standard toppings.  He liked his burger as it was relatively moist and meaty tasting.  His side of Yam Fries were not exactly that crisp and in fact, some were undercooked.  He also got an Strawberry Milkshake which was a bit disappointing as it was thin and overly sweet.  As you can probably ascertain, there were some aspects of our meal that we liked and other parts that were not-that-good.  I liked the burger patty itself as it was moist and flavourful.  If they could work on some of the sides and the milkshake, there is potential here.

The Good:
- Flavourful and moist burger patties
- Decent service
- Nice vibe

The Bad:
- Sides could be better
- Milkshake too thin

Guu Original (Thurlow)

Sometimes, going back to the well isn't necessarily a bad idea.  Although we had intentions of trying something new, Grace, Sean and I ended up at Guu Original on Thurlow (with a small push from moi...).  Quite possibly the first real Izakaya in Vancouver (at the time), Guu Original pioneered the small plates with booze complete with a whole bunch of yelling from the staff. And ya, we were greeted by the expected yelling and seated at one of the small tables complete with the usual uncomfortable chairs.

We started with the Salmon Yuuke where the quail's egg was served on the side.  After a quick mix and scoop onto a shrimp chip, the combination of flavours and textures worked.  I found the balance of sugar, sake and soy to be on point where it accented the salmon rather than masking it.  Naturally, the quail's egg added a silkiness.  Next up, the Chicken Karaage was fried up beautifully where it was crispy on the outside while juicy on the inside.  It was well-seasoned with enough salt and a touch of spice.  At this point, some people started giggling at our picture-taking.  Thank goodness I wasn't the only one (strength in numbers!)

And off course I had to order the Ebi Mayo where we found it only marginally crispy on the outside.  Instead, it was more "fluffy" than anything else with an airy batter from the exterior to the ebi.  The ebi itself was meaty and had a slight snap.  There was definitely enough chili mayo (possibly too much) on the bottom which coated each piece.  It was not spicy-at-all despite the colour.  Grace really wanted the Gyu-Tan (Beef Tongue) and we gladly shared it with her.  She seemed joyful in that respect...  Anyways, tt was chewy, as with any non-stewed ox tongue would be.  However, it was okay enough to eat.  Flavour-wise, it was pretty au natural with not much in any seasoning.

Elegantly plated (for an Izakaya), the Maguro Steak was a large portion and well seared.  On the inside, it was still rare, which meant it wasn't hard to eat.  It was buttery and tasty due to the caramelization on the outside which was aided by garlic chips, soy and spicy seasoning salt.  It was more filling that it looked (or maybe it did look filling...) We weren't overly enthused with the Deep Fried Ling Cod "Surimi" Croquette as it was a bit plain.  Although it was fried up crispy on the outside and sweet on the inside, there was no defining flavour or texture that would make it memorable. On the other hand, a squeeze of lemon did bring it somewhat alive.

Lastly, we had the Pan-Fried Chicken Hearts and Gizzards with garlic stems.  This was flavourful with some spice.  The gizzards were crunchy and chewy while the hearts were a touch overdone.  I liked the crunchiness and herb-flavour of the garlic stems which provided a brightness to an otherwise heavy dish. Ultimately, despite the minor shortcomings of some dishes, we enjoyed coming back to the original Guu where it continues to be a dependable option for an Izakaya in Downtown.

The Good:
- Reasonable-pricing
- Okay portions
- Lots of yelling

The Bad:
- As with many Izakayas, seating arrangements are not comfy
- Lots of yelling
- Awkward location