Chili House

There is no doubt that we have a wealth of Asian cuisine in the GVRD.  However, there are some that are poorly represented.  One of which is Indian Chinese food.  This cuisine originated out of Kolkata, India as there was a significant Hakka population prior to the second Sino-Indian War.  Many left and immigrated to places such as Australia, the US and Canada.  Therefore, we are lucky for the exposure to this cuisine from restaurants that include the Green Lettuce, Chili Pepper House, Asian Spice, Indian Wok and Hakka Masti.  Now we can add another, Chili House, which is located near the border between Surrey and Langley.

I was invited by the owner to try the place out and since this type of food is best shared, I brought some eating assistants in Furniture Guy and Furniture Girl.  We started with the Spicy Green Beans which were the beneficiary of good wok heat and just enough oil-blanching.  Hence, they were vibrant and still crunchy despite being cooked all the way through.  With a generous amount of garlic and chilis, there was noticeable spice and aromatics.  Onto our next dish, we had the Spicy Ginger & Garlic Beef.  There was not much filler to this dish as it consisted mainly of fried beef.  By virtue of the double-cooking process, the beef was more firm than moist (which is typical of this type of dish anyways).  Again, with a good wok toss of onion, ginger, garlic, chilis and vinegar, the flavours were purposeful and apparent.

Moving on, we tried the Haaji Prawns which were fried in a light batter and wok tossed with chili flakes, garlic and green onion.  Naturally, this meant bold flavours which went really well together.  Again, there was a definite spice to the dish, yet not overpowering.  The prawns themselves were meaty with a slight snap.  A familiar dish arrived next being the Singapore Fried Noodles.  This was again, the beneficiary of intense wok heat as the flavours were caramelized.  The peppers and onions were still crunchy while the shrimp had a cold-water snap. On the other hand, I found the noodles slightly too dry (even though it is supposed to be, just drier than usual).  There was just enough curry and spice without causing a firestorm in my mouth.  

Continuing on with the feast, we were served a non-spicy dish (for the kiddies) being the Mix Fried Rice consisting of shrimp, chicken, peas, carrots, onion and egg.  Consistent with the other dishes, the ample wok heat ensured dry, chewy rice with caramelized flavours.  This was a good side to all the other spicy dishes, especially the Garlic Fish.  Okay, by looking at the picture, one would assume it was sweet n' sour fish, but the flavours were much more than that.  It was a combination of a mild sweet n' sour with garlic and a good dose of heat.  As for the fish itself, it was moist with a slightly gummy batter due to the ample amount of moisture on the plate.

We actually got 2 versions of the Hakka Chow Mein with one being spicy and the other without (once again for the kiddies).  With elements similar to Shanghainese fried noodles, this dish consisted of chewy wok fried noodles with rich dark soy and a balanced amount of spiciness.  There was also a noticeable smokiness as it was evidently touched by a flaming hot wok.  Onto a familiar sounding dish, we had the Kung Pao Chicken (but the Indian Chinese version of course).  Now, unlike the North Americanized version, this was not subjected to a sweet goopy sauce.  Rather, it was a drier and spicier.  Now, in terms of spicier, I also mean more spices as well.  Hence, the flavours were more intense and caramelized.

Onto a second chicken dish, we had the House Special Chicken which was included a host of veggies.  As such, the flavours were similar, yet different than the previous dish.  Despite the veggies, there was no residual moisture at the bottom of the plate.  Once again, there was a noted spiciness to the dish.  We finished off the meal with Fried Banana with ice cream.  Unlike Szechuan cuisine, where the heat level can be tongue-numbing (thanks to the peppercorns and depending on how hot you like it), Indian-Chinese food exhibits purposeful heat.  Hence, we could still taste the other spices, in particularly cumin.  At Chili House, the food was good and benefited from high wok heat.  It now joins the ranks of Green Lettuce and Chili Pepper House as great places to get Indian Chinese food.

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

The Good:
- Good wok heat
- Purposeful spice

The Bad:
- Meats were a bit drier than I'm used to

Days Thai

Okay, you know those restaurants that are way, way down on your "to dine at" list?  Yup, I have many of those.  I see them all the time and figure I'd get to them eventually, but I really wouldn't make much of an effort to do so.  One of those is Days Thai out on Edmonds.  There have been some close calls as I have almost stopped to eat there and in fact, one time I was at the 7-11 next door.  It was that close!  Finally, Viv and I were out-of-ideas and took the plunge.

Looking over the menu, I kept flipping back to the set meals due the "better deal" it offered.  In reality, it just meant we would get spring rolls, satay and rice included in the package.  With that, that's what we started with. I thought the Chicken Satay was pretty good where each skewer was packed with moist chicken meat.  There was a good char as well as a decent curry marinade.  I wasn't a huge fan of the overly peanut buttery sauce though.  As for the Spring Rolls, they were plenty crunchy but lacked filling.  It was like eating hollow rolls.

In addition to overhearing the staff speak Mandarin, the size of the next dish was a dead giveaway that this was not authentic Thai.  The Basil Beef was large enough to make 4 dishes at other Thai restaurants (very Chinese portion size).  Thirdly, the beef was tenderized which is indicative of Cantonese-style cooking rather than Thai.  With those things being said, the dish wasn't bad as there was good wok heat affording crunchy peppers and caramelized meat.  They were a bit heavy handed with the palm sugar though.

Next up was the Chicken Green Curry that featured large slices of breast meat.  It was sufficiently tender, yet probably would've been best if they cut it up into smaller pieces.  The sauce was a bit too thin for our tastes as it was very mild and lacking in any strong flavours.  Lastly, we had the Pad Thai which was easily 3 times larger than most.  As you can clearly see, they used ketchup which made the whole thing yearning for zip.  On the positive side, they did use pressed tofu and pickled turnip while the rice noodles were toothsome.  Now if it wasn't apparent to you while reading this post, I'll spell it out - this was not really Thai food.  Rather, it was a Chinese interpretation.  With that being said, it was edible and the portion size, ridiculous.

The Good:
- Really large portions
- Decent value

The Bad:
- Not really Thai food
- We got decent service, but witnessed a take out customer being treated with impatience

Eat Your Heart Out (Fundraiser for the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation)

Eat Your Heart Out is an event that runs from February 18th to the 23rd. Six restaurants in the Tri-Cities area are offering $35.00 three-course meals that benefit Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation.  $10 from each meal is donated directly back to the ERHF.  These restaurants include The Boathouse, St. James's Well, Mr. Mikes Steakhouse, Onyx Steakhouse & Lounge, Staint St Grill and Browns Socialhouse.  I was invited to the kick-off event on the 17th to check out some of these restaurants.  We met at Port Moody City Hall where we were treated to drinks before we hopped aboard trollies that would shuttle us to each of the locations.

Our first stop would be The Boathouse at Rocky Point.  We were treated to a plate consisting of Lobster, Shrimp and Salmon.  I thought the lobster was a touch on the softer side with a combination of natural flavours and enough seasoning.  The shrimp had a buttery snap while also kissed with plenty of salt.  I found the salmon to be still moist despite being cooked all the way through.  It was sauced with a zippy lemon thyme beurre blanc.  At Mr Mikes, we were served a plate consisting of a dried cranberry and feta salad, AAA Sirloin Steak and mashed potatoes.  This was a bit small considering I could eat the steak in 2 bites.  It was cooked medium and was mostly tender.  It had plenty of natural meat flavour whereby the gravy on the mashed potatoes was a bit too salty.

Our last stop was St James's Well where we had the most substantial offering consisting of a Mini-Slider, Parmesan Fries, Ribs and Crab & Salmon Cake.  I liked the acidic and sweet mango pineapple salsa on top of the crab & salmon cake.  The cake itself was rather dense and hard, but it did taste good though with a hint of curry.  I found the ribs to be meaty and sufficiently tender with a sweet smoky BBQ sauce. The mini-slider was pretty typical with a soft airy bun.  After this, we were taken back to city hall where we were treated to a variety of desserts.  At each location pop was on the house while one alcoholic beverage was complimentary with each ticket.  If you are in the Tri-Cities area or even if you are not, support a good cause and eat at the same time!

*Note - this was an invited event where all food was comped

The Good:
- Support a good cause
- For the kick-off event, the trolly transportation was nice
 - Drinks are included (with one alcoholic beverage)

The Bad:
- Most of the items we tried were not on the actual 3-course menu
- The sampler at Mr. Mikes was kinda small, but it's for charity right?

Gold Stone Bakery Restaurant

When a restaurant has been around forever, it usually implies that there is either good food or something is amiss in the Universe.  Take Floata for example, they are very far away from being respectable in terms of food and service, but they continue to survive (yes, I am aware they do banquet and tourist business).  Ironically, right across the street is a run-down Hong Kong-style cafe named Gold Stone, that has been operating for 20+ years.  Since we were in Chinatown anyways, we decided to see why it has stuck around.

We decided to start with a classic HK-style cafe staple being the set lunch including choice of soup (Cream of Ham & Corn in this case), choice of bread (Pineapple Bun) and choice of drink (Lemon Iced Tea). The large bowl of soup was very starchy and floury which made it slightly less appealing.  The pineapple bun was served warm and fluffy with a firm sweet topping.  For the main dish, we had the Chicken and Mushroom Spaghetti.  "Gross" would be the best way to describe this dish as the noodles were sticky and chewy.  The minimal sauce was too thick and tasted mainly of cheese.

The lack of sauce was consistent with the Baked Pork Chop Rice as well.  Sure, there was a layer of bland, over-watered down ketchup on top, but it was very thin.  Even after we scraped it off, there wasn't nearly enough for the mound of very dry rice underneath.  The pork chop itself was meaty and not dry, but it was hardly moist either.  Fortunately, our third dish was decent being the Vermicelli with Pork & Pickled Vegetable.  It was still toothsome with a starch-thickened sauce which added both moisture and seasoning.  Viv didn't like the peppers in the mix, yet I thought it provided an extra layer of flavour.  Of note, it was a fairly large portion.

For my son, he didn't want any of it and decided on a Bacon & Egg Sandwich.  Served on the usual soft white crustless bread, the egg was not too overcooked while the meaty bacon could've been more crispy.  Whatever the case, he liked it.  However, as a whole, the food that we tried was pretty mediocre.  Considering their prices, I would much rather walk up the block to Main Street and hit up The Boss instead.  In the end, this visit did not help me answer my aforementioned question.

The Good:
- Decent portions
- Fairly decent service (if not sparse)
- Large restaurant with plenty of seating

The Bad:
- Food is mediocre
- Prices are not exactly cheap (other than the specials)

The Revel Room

Okay, I couldn't resist.  Really, I couldn't.  There it was staring at me - enticing and cheap.  Before you (and especially Viv) think I was making a bad decision, what I was staring at was a Travel Zoo deal that would give me the choice of 2 appies, 2 entrees and 2 desserts at the Revel Room for $45.00.  Hence, I didn't pass up the deal and bought it.  So unlike my other expired coupons, Viv and I decided to strike when the coal was still hot.  We went the very next day.

Viv started with the Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad which looked legit.  As much as the tuna was still rare in the middle, the sear was probably 30 seconds too long as the exterior cooked portion was too thick.  However, it wasn't that bad when we ate it and in fact, could've been somewhat alleviated by a thinner slice.  In terms of the other items on the plate, we liked the deviled egg as it provided something different than the usual with a creaminess and slight spice.  The beans were crisp and vibrant while the potatoes were soft, yet not mushy.  There was a good amount of vinaigrette which ensured that the salad was not bland.  For myself, I had the Duck Confit, Pear & Brie Quesadila with red onion compote.  The duck itself was sufficiently moist where the rest of the ingredients afforded a certain mildness.  However, with a dab of the compote, the flavours were much more balanced with an acidity and sweetness.

For our mains, Viv had the Jambalaya of shrimp, andouille sausage and smoked chicken with creole rice, red & green peppers.  It was served with herbed corn bread.  This was a fairly large portion which featured a low rumbling of spice and not an over-reliance of salt.  The sausage was meaty and not dry while the shrimp were cooked just right.  A decent jambalaya which was somewhat marred by the serving temperature as it was luke warm.  What a shame.  I decided on the Ribs with White Cheddar Mac n' Cheese.  The ribs were fall off-the-bone, yet the meat was almost dehydrated in texture.  On the other hand, the plethora of sauce helped matters.  It was smoky, zesty and plenty tart.  I really liked the side of sauteed kale (in place of collard greens) as it was still toothsome and loaded with lemon and seasoning.  As for the mac n' cheese, it was flavourful especially from the Applewood smoked bacon.

For dessert, Viv had the Bourbon Vanilla Cheesecake with Chantilly Cream and fruit coulis.  I liked the overall flavour of the cheesecake as it had this background savoury element to it while still be plenty cream-cheesy.  However, there were bits of cream cheese throughout the slice which I didn't mind, but is a clear indication it wasn't blended enough.  Lastly, I settled on the Dessert Sampler with lemon square, pecan square and dark chocolate torte.  For lack of a better work, all three were average at best.  I found the lemon square to be overly dense and sweet while the chocolate torte to be the best of bunch being only semi-sweet and with a decent texture.  Overall, we couldn't really complain about the price (due to the coupon).  The food in general was okay with dessert being the weak point.

The Good:
- Nice Gastown vibe
- We got friendly service
- Drinks were good

The Bad:
- Food is so-so

The One

Generally, I'm not one for restaurant revisits (unless I didn't get a large enough sample size, the place is plain awesome or it's been awhile).  However, with Polka King agreeing to head out for eats after hockey, we would move heaven and earth.  In fact, we would help him remove that ball & chain attached to his ankle too...  LOL.  Anyways, if that hasn't already gotten him in trouble, we decided to head to The One due to its proximity to his house.

Milhouse went for the standard being the Noodles with Beef Flank.  It was a deceiving portion as there was much more noodles than it appeared.  These were chewy and didn't soften up too much as time passed.  The beef was tender, if not a touch on the drier side while the soup was pretty typical (which was flavourful and slightly meaty).  There could've been a bit more pickled veg though.  Polka King decided on the Curry Beef with all the little sides.  He seemed to enjoy it as it was thick and relatively flavourful if not very mild in flavour.  The meat was fairly moist.

For myself, I had the Spicy Tripe Hot Pot and really, it wasn't spicy at all.  In fact, the broth was mostly sweet lacking in depth.  However, there was a decent amount of bible and honeycomb tripe mixed with beef meatballs, Napa cabbage and glass noodles.  I found the honeycomb tripe to be easy to eat while the bible tripe too chewy.  I liked how the noodles did not soften too much retaining a chew.  As a side, I had the Chicken Nuggets which were pretty decent.  The meat was juicy inside with a light crispiness on the outside.  There was a definite 5-spice thing going on, but I would've liked it more peppery though.

Lionel Hutz had the Satay Beef Noodles which were more salty than spicy.  I found the noodles to be al dente while a touch wet.  Although the beef looked dry, it was actually decently moist.  For his drink, he had the Pineapple Slush which arrived sky-high as it usually does at The One.  Could it be that makes up for something?  Wait, that is stereotype right?  I don't need a drink like that to make up for anything!  TMI?  Anyways, it was not very sweet and bordering on bland, but this is how we like it anyways.  It was smooth and had a touch of pineapple essence. Our server showed us the technique of sharing it by placing a plastic cup on top and hence, removing half of the drink.  Overall, this visit to The One was pretty much like all my previous meals (I've had many without blogging about it).  The food is decent enough while the portion sizes are fairly good.  Can't really complain, especially for late night eats.

The Good:
- Decent eats
- Open late
- Large drinks

The Bad:
- Yes, there is better, but not in Burnaby this late (maybe Pearl House)
- Service is okay, but kinda sparse

Tung Hing Bakery

Sometimes the search for newer and better doesn't necessarily yield positive results.  Take for instance the Banh Mi. When one thinks of a Banh Mi joint, 3 often come to mind - Ba Le, Tung Hing and Kim Chau.  So it is not always a bad thing to go back to the well and remind oneself of how good they really are.  That was the thinking as I pulled up to Tung Hing...  with a large tree branch wedged beneath my car - darn lowering (I hope Viv doesn't read this)!

So I picked a bunch to go including the House Special was packed with 3 kinds of meat which were sliced thin enough to eat easily enough.  With a generous slathering of pate and butter mayo, the sandwich was not lacking in moisture.  Whatever the case, the fresh baked baguette was really good as it was airy in the middle with a crusty exterior. This was better than the last time I was here.  However, I found the pickled veggies to be rather muted.  I wasn't a huge fan of the Meatball Sub as it more resembled a onion-meat sauce than a meatball per se.  Hence, it was predominantly onion tasting with very little meat texture.  Rather, it was starch-thickened saucy and made the bread overly wet.

Onto 2 more sandwiches, the Lemongrass Chicken consisted of mostly tender chicken pieces which were flavourful but lacking in lemongrass hit.  Rather, it was salty with not enough char.  Lastly, the Garlic Sausage was candy sweet and garlicky.  In fact, the flavours were so intense, the other ingredients didn't seem to matter, including the pickled veggies.  For me, I would stick with the house special unless you want variety.  However, the freshly baked bread is so good, it makes all of the sandwiches better.  Tung Hing may not be the best Banh Mi in town, but it is still up there.

The Good:
- Fresh baked crusty bread
- Decent size and amount of ingredients

The Bad: 
- Pickled veggies need more zip
- Meatball sub wet and lacking in meat