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Dim Sum and New Westminster - it doesn't really roll off the tongue with ease does it? It's like trying to scream out "well-parked vehicles and Richmond" (did you check out that new Facebook site???). Most people know that we need to head to the aforementioned Richmond for the very best selection of Dim Sum (both Cantonese and Shanghainese), but in a pinch, there is one place that does the job. That place is Spring Garden on 12th. I had a decent experience the first time around, but Slick (who lives nearby) and Big D really wanted to check it out. So revisit it was!
Since Big D usually orders enough food to feed a small country, we snatched the checklist away from him. We started with the standards being the Haw Gow (shrimp dumplings) and Sui Mai (pork & shrimp dumplings). We found the haw gow skin to be thin while not soft nor dry. The filling had a good snap where it was moist and sweet. With a slightly loose filling, the sui mai were pretty large and nicely accented by the big dollop of tobiko on top. It was well-seasoned and had just enough fat for flavour and texture. The pork itself was bouncy with some chew.
Next up, the Beef Tendon was a bit pale in colour. There was an overabundance of curry flavour where it completely overwhelmed everything else. The dish desperately needed some sweetness and more garlic for balance. The tendon itself was soft enough, yet the dish felt dry in need for more sauce. Beautifully browned on the bottom, the Potstickers featured a fairly thick skin. Not much of a problem since it was nicely crisped up. Furthermore, it was was a pleasant chewy, if that makes any sense. As for the filling, it was moist and tender, but a bit heavy on the veg.
Moving along, we had the Steamed Black Bean Spareribs. Again, the portion size was fairly generous as the meat was spilling off of the plate. As evidenced in the picture, the rib pieces were meaty and lacking cartilage. There was a decent amount of chew to go with the rebound texture of the meat. The dish was mildly seasoned where it could've benefited from more black bean and garlic. We weren't sure what to make of the Beef Meatballs because they seemed to be too dark in colour (possibly too much dark soy?). Moreover, the meat was fairly chewy and in need of some green onions and/or cilantro. Due to the overuse of baking soda, there was a weird aftertaste as well.
We ended up with 3 orders of the rice noodle rolls partly due to Big D ripping the order sheet from Slick's grasp. Of the 3, the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll was the most successful. Featuring a fairly thin and pillowy soft noodle exterior and snappy shrimp filling, this could compete with the big boys. However, the bbq pork version was a total bust as the meat was dry and for some inexplicable reason, it was mixed with an obscene amount of green onion. A little on the wet side, the Lo Mei Gai (sticky rice) was full of flavour. This was thanks to the ample amount of wet sauce & ground pork (which also made the rice a touch soggy). Not a huge deal as we preferred this over dry sticky rice.
Onto the XO Daikon Pudding Cake, we found it was a bit oil-logged while not-all-that-crispy. Maybe the oil wasn't hot enough? Despite this, it wasn't all bad since the cake was sufficiently soft while being tossed in spicy XO sauce. Big D was so eager to eat the Shrimp Spring Rolls, he devoured one before I could even snap a photo. As a result, the picture only represents a partial order. I could see why he dug right in because they were good. Hot and crunchy on the outside and equally scorching hot on the inside, the shrimp filling had a nice snap which was well-seasoned and garlicky.
Lastly, we tried the Fried Milk which was a bit too greasy for my liking. Furthermore, the batter was a bit too thick. Despite this, it was still crunchy on the outside. The milk filling was sweet with hints of coconut. Okay, but I've had better. That pretty much sums up Dim Sum at Spring Garden though. It is not particularly impressive compared to the big boys, but for New West, it is more than respectable at a reasonable price.
The Good:
- Decent for New West (and GVRD in general)
- Friendly people
- Reasonably-priced
The Bad:
- Small and cramped
- Limited selection
Seriously, why would anyone blog about a sports bar in an ice hockey facility? Well, that would be me. As much as it is irrelevant to people who do not play hockey or get sucked into watching someone play hockey at the rink, it is food after all. And you know me, everything I eat counts... Well, except for the 6" tuna I had at Subway the other day. I'm not blogging about that... or the apple pie I had at McD's either. Oh yeah, and that revisit to Kawawa for AYCE... Yes, I went back there and it still sucked. I digress...
So after our win in the tournament, our team went upstairs to Boomer's Sports Grill at GPF for some celebratory eats. We shared both the Nachos and Buffalo Wings. Pretty typical stuff for a sports bar right? Yup, the Nachos were just that with bagged chips, melted cheese, jalapenos, green onion, tomatoes, salsa and sour cream. As for the wings, they were sauced aggressively where there was plenty of hot vinegary sauce. However, the wings were fried to the point where the meat was dry and chewy. I enjoyed eating the side of carrots and celery more than the wings themselves.
For my main, I went for the Canadian Burger with bacon and cheddar. Without sounding anti-climactic, it was exactly what I was expecting. The frozen burger patty was well-charred, yet somewhat dry. The meaty bacon was crispy though while the produce was fresh. It did the job. As for the fries, they were your typical Sysco/GFS frozen type. Again, they did the job. Puckhog wanted some of those fries and offered to share some of his Pepperoni Pizza in return. For what it's worth, the pizza wasn't bad. The crust was bread-like while crunchy on the exterior. There was no shortage of ingredients including a good helping of cheese.
Naturally, the Mushroom & Swiss Burger was pretty much like the one I had except for the 2 toppings. The sauteed mushrooms were good though being well-seasoned and not overly watery. Cherry Picker ended up with the Beef Dip which was a pretty standard version. However, I give them props for using real roast beef. As you can clearly see, the food at Boomer's serves a purpose - to fill up the hungry appetites of those who have just finished playing a hockey game. No frills here, but reasonably-priced and completely respectable with all things considered.
The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Decent for what it is
The Bad:
- Not a destination restaurant by any stretch of the imagination
- Can get a little chaotic there after a tournament or multiple games
Heading home from GPF in Delta, I was thinking hard as to where I could pick up some late night eats without resorting to anything that didn't involve a drive-thru. Suddenly, as I was crossing the Queensborough, I remembered that JuJu had told me about a donair spot in New West. I made the turn onto 6th and headed over to Donair Star on 12th. As they were about to close, there was not chicken left. I decided to get a Lamb Platter for myself and Beef Donair for Viv.
As with many donair joints, the price-to-food value ratio is good at Donair Star. My Lamb Platter had enough meat for 2 meals (but I ate it all anyways). I particularly enjoyed the thick cuts as it remained moist inside. I found the flavours to be pretty mild but there was the usual rosemary, onion and garlic hits. I wasn't huge fan of the rice as it was a bit on the wet side and was even more so with the sauces. The hummus was smooth, yet a bit too watery and it didn't seem to have enough acidity nor garlic. Viv's regular-sized Beef Donair was pretty large for the price as they were pretty generous with the meat. Like the lamb, it was in big chunks ensuring that they were not dried out.
Wanting to try the Chicken Donair out, I returned the next day. While I was waiting, they were cutting some of the chicken off the rotisserie and it looked juicy and delicious. However, the meat they used in the donair was a little dry and lacking in moisture. It did taste good though with caramelization of flavours. From the items that I tried, Donair Star provides good value (much like other similar joints) and decent eats. However, I've definitely had better from a variety of places in the GVRD.
The Good:
- Like similar places, it is a good value
- Good portions
- Nice people
The Bad:
- There is better
I often get asked where are the best places for brunch in Vancouver. Each and every time, I draw a blank. Yah, go figure right... That shouldn't be the case as there are many choices for breakfast and brunch in the city. But with the emphasis on "best", it gets a bit dicey. Sure, we can list off the obvious places such as The Red Wagon and Cafe Medina. However, what about something really different? Well, Miss Y and I were invited to try out Calabash and their tropical Caribbean brunch menu.
We were started off with their Coconut Dumplings (like fritters) which were similar to the Reef's Johnny Cakes except with the aromatics of coconut. These crispy and fluffy nuggets were further enhanced by the side of mango butter which afforded a tropical sweetness. Furthermore, the background tartness helped lighten up the heaviness of both the fritter and butter. Our first dish was the Escovitch Fish which was pan-seared and served with fried plantain, fresh cucumber and rice & peas. We found the fish flaky and moist. The tangy escovitch sauce added acidity while a dollop of mango hot sauce livened up the flavours. Slightly crisp, the fried plantains were sweet and soft on the inside.
Next, we had the Rise & Shine Roti consisting of jerk scrambled free-range eggs, roasted cumin potatoes, tomato and garlic choka, jerk pork belly and coconut rundown Hollandaise. Atop the flaky & crispy roti, the scrambled eggs were slightly too done for our tastes, but the jerk spices were apparent. We liked the spicy bark on the fatty and meaty pork belly. As for the Hollandaise, it was plenty creamy with a strong coconut milk presence. Onto the sweet item of the meal, we sampled the Salara French Toast made with fresh baked Guyanese coconut bread accompanied by spiced mango maple syrup, banana cream and fresh fruit. For us, the bread reminded us of Chinese Gai Mei Bao (which is a good thing). However, with a considerable amount of coconut, there was no mistaking the main ingredient in terms of texture and taste. With the addition of fragrant banana cream and the sweet tropical syrup, this was certainly something different.
Lastly, we asked to try the Oxtail Brunch Bowl because others raved about it. Since we were pretty full, it was served with only one egg (rather than the regular 2). This concoction consisted of rice and peas, braised ox-tail, fried plantains, poached free-run egg and coconut rundown Hollandaise. The star of the show was definitely the ox-tail as it was moist and meaty with a peppery-clove thing going on. Mixed with the rest of the ingredients, it was a decadent creation. From the items we sampled, it is pretty clear that Calabash offers something different for brunch compared to the regular. For roughly the same price, it is definitely worth trying out.
*All food and drinks excluding tip were comped*
The Good:
- Something different
- Although quite mild, the multitude of non-typical flavours (esp for brunch) makes it interesting
- Reasonably-priced considering the ingredients
The Bad:
- Neighbourhood still in transition
Meeting Choobee for lunch can be an exercise in frustration. In her opinion, anywhere East of Fraser Street is another country. Furthermore, she has this fascination with either eating in Kits or in Richmond. Both of which are very far from where I live. Hence, I didn't even flinch when she suggested we meetup at the Uncle Lu (located in the old G-Men Ramen). Yes, that meant I had to drive into Richmond once again. For a place I want to avoid, I spend an amazing amount of time there...
We had originally ordered the Fermented Shrimp Fried Rice due to the glorious picture in the menu. However, Choobee was dismayed since there was far less shrimp than advertised. Despite this, the rice wasn't bad as it was dry and chewy (maybe a bit too dry). It was fragrant with nuttiness and salty shrimpiness. Next up was the Fermented Pork Chop which was paler than expected. Compared to the one at Pearl Castle a few doors down, this version was less pungent. It was actually quite mild with only a light saltiness. The meat itself was fatty, which meant there was no issue with texture as it was tender and buttery.
Without a doubt, we would get the Chicken Nuggets as well. These were pretty good with a light crispiness while not heavy on the grease. There was enough saltiness to them, but we didn't get much pepper nor 5-spice. Usually, I'm not a huge fan of the skin being left on, but in this case, it was rendered enough so it offered up both texture and flavour. We also got the Beef Noodle which was pretty average. Okay, let me rephrase that, the noodles were chewy while the thick slices of meat were tender without being mushy. However, the real issue was the broth as it was mostly sweet with very little body or impact.
Lastly, we had another typical Taiwanese dish being the 3-Spice Chicken. Hidden beneath the plethora of fried ginger, there was a bevy of chicken. I found the meat to be quite dry, yet being decently flavourful at the same time with hits of ginger and sesame oil. Again, not bad, but not great either. In the end, we went away feeling somewhat neutral about the place. It wasn't as if the food wasn't good, it just wasn't that memorable.
The Good:
- Fairly comfortable space
- Okay portions
The Bad:
- Average eats
- Not very attentive staff considering we were one of 2 tables there
"If you want to try Bufala... I'm game", texted Choobee. Okay, that sounded like a great idea... I love Neapolitan-style pizza! However, the next text I got was: "Didn't realize it was their first night! I went... haha...". Oh I see it goes, I'm only important until I'm not. Hey I have feelings too you know! Not to be outdone, I grabbed the softball team and we visited the place 3 days later after our game. From the same people who brought you Wildebeest, Bufala adds to the growing collection of Neapolitan pizza joints in the city.
Instead of taking rock star metered parking in front, I opted to do the Chinese-thing and drove down one block to squeeze into a free spot. I noticed Judes and Miss Y doing the same thing, but not Bear, he paid. We longer consider him Asian... Anyways, we ended up sharing everything starting with the Kale Caesar Salad consisting of green & purple kale, parmigiano reggiano, egg yolk, anchovy and crispy bacon. This was pretty good in our opinion due to the purposeful amount of lemon which brought a certain brightness to an otherwise heavy dressing. The crispy bacon added both saltiness and a great texture. Next, we tried the Meatballs with ricotta and basil. These were soft while still maintaining some meatiness. The creamy ricotta balanced out the mild tomato sauce while the basil really stood out.
We also added the Roasted Mortadella (with pickled cippolini onions, shallot crumb, mustard and parsely) at our server's suggestion. Glad we listened as each piece of mortadella was slightly crispy, appealingly chewy and purposefully salty. This was nicely balanced by the sweet and tart cippolini onions. Seemingly a simple dish, but done right. On the other hand, we were not as enthused with the Polenta Gnocchi accompanied by braised ox-tail, English peas, mint, asparagus and goat cheese. As a group, we love polenta, but it wasn't really doing it for us as a gnocchi. It had a crumbly-texture that was also a touch too soft. As much as we liked the rich oxtail, there was very little of it. Furthermore, we felt that the entire dish lacked impact.
Onto the main event, we began with the standard being the Margherita with the basics including fior di latte, basil and tomato sauce. Although I would've liked to see a bit more leoparding, the crust was on point. It was crispy from the crust all-the-way to the centre. The dough was seasoned enough to stand on its own, but of course it was better with the mild tomato sauce, stringy cheese and fresh basil. Next, we tried the Finocchiona consisting of fresh fennel sausage, castelvetrano olives, caramelized onion, smoked provolone, basil and tomato sauce. With a decent amount of sausage, this pizza had more body and hence was a bit softer at the centre as well. There was a light fennel taste to go along with the sweetness of the onions and aromatics of the basil. Strangely, I didn't really notice the olives.
With the smell of pungent truffle oil in the air, we knew the Funghi was next. It was made with shimeji and portobello mushrooms, goat cheese, watercress, pecorino tartufo and bianco sauce. Naturally, it was a considerably Earthy concoction which helped wet the centre even more. It wasn't mushy though where the dough held up to the plethora of ingredients. This was probably my favourite of the night. Lastly, we sampled the Carparccio with bresaola, grana padano, gribiche, horseradish, arugula and bianco sauce. I really liked this pizza as it had plenty of flavours at play. These flavours were layered where I got the peppery arugula first, then the gribiche and horseradish, finally finishing off with the bresaola. I had a hard time deciding which one I liked after this one. All-in-all, we enjoyed our meal at Bufala. From the service-to-the-food, it was a pleasant experience and we will probably be back.
The Good:
- Attentive service
- Crispy, chewy pizza crust
- Not overly expensive given its location
The Bad:
- Could use a bit more leoparding
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