The Wooden Spoon

Pops and I never get to eat out very much due to our busy schedules.  But in the Summer, we have the chance to rectify this.  Since he lives out in White Rock, it gives me the opportunity to visit his hood and ultimately try out some spots as well.  Now, the default would be to eat along Marine Drive with all of the other tourists and visitors.  However, Pops suggested something off the beaten path in The Wooden Spoon.  Looking more like something along Main Street in Vancouver, it brings a little bit of hipster into White Rock.

Pops decided on the Spoon Burger which looked mightily impressive.  He remarked that the pork and beef patty was moist and juicy while the soft bun held everything together despite the moisture.  With a bevy of ingredients such as maple bacon, aged cheddar, arugula, house made pickles, tomato jam, crispy onion ring and smoky garlic aioli, the burger hit all of the taste buds.  For myself, I had the Wooden Spoon Poutine complete with fried jalapenos, pulled pork and 2 fried eggs on top.  Served on a sizzling cast iron plate, not only did the fries on the bottom remain crunchy, the gravy, cheese and runny egg yolks cooked into a tasty mess.  I loved the house-cut fries as they remained somewhat crunchy even with the thick and mildly salty gravy on top.  I found the pulled pork to be tender while dressed in a sweet and slightly acidic BBQ sauce.  Strewn throughout was legit cheese curds as well as crispy and tangy jalapeno slices.

As you know, 2 dishes doesn't make for a great blog post, so I returned with Viv a few weeks later.  We shared 2 dishes including the Crab Benny with warm rock crab atop a buttermilk biscuit, Hollandaise, dill, capers, chives, avocado and 2 poached eggs.  Served on the side were potato fritters and chickpea salad.  As evidenced in the picture, the eggs were runny as requested.  Although not very prevalent, the chunks of crab were light and fluffy.  We found the Hollandaise to be creamy and mild-tasting while the capers dominated with their tart-saltiness.  The potato fritters were hard, dense and really forgettable while the chickpea salad had some nice textures especially from the celery.

For our second item, we had the Chicken Sandwich constructed with pan-seared chicken breast, brie cheese, onion jam, Okanagan apples, arugula and balsamic mayo on soft focaccia.  We opted for the Roasted Tomato Soup on the side.  This was an enjoyable sandwich with soft bread that caressed all of the ingredients.  The thin chicken breast was mostly moist and was nicely accented by the creamy brie, sweet onion jam and slightly sweet apples.  We would've liked to see more salt added to bring the chicken to life though.  As for the soup, it was really good.  Smooth with just the right consistency, the soup was appealingly tart with a background sweetness.  It was the brightness that the mild-tasting sandwich needed.  After these 2 visits, I have taken a liking to the Wooden Spoon.  Sure, there could be a few improvements here and there, but otherwise, they dish out solid eats.

The Good:
- Well-prepared eats
- Natural and friendly service
- Nice relaxing vibe

The Bad:
- On the pricier side

Kamamarui Ramen & Don

For all the ramen joints we have in town, most seem to be located along and around Robson Street in Downtown Vancouver.  Hence, there are only a smattering of them in other parts of the GVRD.  The reasons for this are many, but the biggest determining factor is demographics.  Due to their tight quarters, ramen joints are not exactly family-friendly.  Furthermore, the type of cuisine is perfect for the single diner and especially in Downtown, the international student.  So it is no surprise that there are only 2 ramen spots in North Burnaby, where the population is predominantly families.

However, that didn't prevent Viv and I from bringing the kids with Elaine and her kids to the newly opened Kamamarui Ramen & Don situated in the old Akira Sushi location.  We almost took over one half of the restaurant.  The kids ended up sharing the Tonkotsu Ramen with sprouts and 2 slices of chashu.  Silky, fatty and full of pork flavour, the broth was flavourful and full of depth.  As for the noodles, they were well-portioned and toothsome.  We weren't fans of the chashu though since it was far from tender.  Furthermore, we found it to be salty from the sticky glaze.  Viv decided on the larger Chashu Ramen with the same broth, yet with the addition of 2 more slices of chashu.  As such, the broth was pretty salty from the sweet and salty glaze from the chashu.

For myself, I had the Miso Ramen based on the same pork broth.  Due to the miso, the soup was saltier and more pungent.  The miso paste was quite evident while the pork flavour did come through at the finish.  Just like the previous 2 ramen bowls, the noodles were toothsome and stayed as such to the end.  We also had a Chicken Don at the table and it looked rather impressive with a good amount of meat on top.  It was moist and succulent while sauced in enough teriyaki sauce for impact.  There was also noticeable smokiness from the torching.  Underneath, the rice was chewy and sufficiently moist.  Due to the ample and well-seasoned chicken on top, the rice was completely flavoured as a result.

Lastly, Marshmallow had the Cold Ramen with loads of toppings including shredded imitation crab, chashu, cucumber, wakame and julienned cucumber.  As such, the dish was filling and flavourful on its own.  She found the noodles to be a bit clumpy though, even after using the side of cold broth/sauce.  She didn't need much of it as the entire dish became too salty as a result.  Overall, we thought the meal was pleasant and obviously decent for North Burnaby (as there is only one other ramen joint nearby).  The broth was pretty decent, however, they could ease up with the seasoning on the chashu though.

The Good:
- Decent broth
- Decent portions
- Okay service

The Bad:
- Salty and dry chashu
- Overall flavourful food, but salty nonetheless

Greek Corner

For some reason or another, my experiences with Greek food has been pretty much hit or miss.  I've either had some good meals or ones that I just could have done without.  Interestingly, these experiences have not necessarily reflected existing reviews where I've had some less-than-impressive meals at highly-rated restaurants.  That was the case when I dined at the now-closed John's Greek Taverna.  Now replaced with the Greek Corner and sporting a positive rating on Zomato, I made my way out there to investigate.

Joining me was Hot Mama and we shared the Calamari to start. Although small in portion size, the quality was there.  Each piece was tender and buttery with just a touch of resistance.  Outside, the light and crispy batter stayed adhered until the last bite.  On the side, the tzatziki was light and sported the freshness of cucumber and a touch of acidity.  For her main, Hot Mama had the Chicken Souvlaki with rice, lemon potato and Greek Salad. Attractively seared, the meat was relatively moist and well-seasoned.  Underneath, the rice was chewy and somewhat dry (but that is a good thing) while lightly salted.  As for the salad, the veggies were fresh and crisp while the dressing was lightly acidic.

For myself, I had to go with the Roast lamb with the same accompaniments.  Despite sporting a rich roasted flavour that included aromatic garlic, rosemary and oregano, the lamb itself was rather dry.  This could've possibly been due to the part of the lamb shoulder I received (as some parts are leaner).  The lemon potato was completely on point being soft while still retaining a certain firmness with a considerable lemon kick.  I returned once more to try the Mousaka with Caesar salad.  The well-defined layers were all done right with moist and tender beef spiced by nutmeg, tender, but not mushy potatoes and eggplant while topped with a creamy bechamel.  Again, the accompaniments were solid.  Despite the lamb, the rest of the food was above-average and way better than the restaurant it replaced.

The Good:
- Decent portion size for the price
- Reasonable pricing
- Welcoming owner

The Bad:
- Disappointing lamb

Tomokazu

Like many, there was a time that I would dine on AYCE Japanese as much as I could stomach.  Hey, my appetite was large and AYCE did the trick, despite the questionable quality of the food.  Fast-forward to the present and my visits to AYCE Japanese have been as frequent as proper driving etiquette in Vancouver.  But for some reason or another, while we were strolling around Granville Island one afternoon, I decided that we should go reminisce at the nearby Tomokazu. 

Okay, I realize that AYCE means you can order as much as you want as long as you do not violate the time restriction and/or waste food.  However, those were some of the smallest slices of Sashimi I've ever seen.  Barely large enough to chew, it was as if there was a competition among the sushi chefs as to who could slice the smallest pieces.  Good size for my daughter, but for textural purposes, it didn't work.  At the very least, the fish was acceptable.  Moving onto the Nigiri, they were decently constructed where each piece stayed intact without being overly tight.  But the rice was a little dry and underseasoned.

The Ebi Tempura was a little disappointing as the batter was laid on real thick and didn't fully crisp up all the way through.  Hence, beyond the somewhat crispy exterior, it got doughy and wet.  Inside, the ebi was texturally too soft.  It was neither buttery nor meaty.  Although somewhat chewy, the Grilled Beef Short Ribs were not bad.  They were tenderized enough where the meat was somewhat buttery while still maintaining a natural chew.  By the same token, the ribs were over-marinaded where they were sweet like candy.  In reality, that only hid the fact they were quite salty as well.

Onto a random array of dishes, the next picture represents the Deep Fried Gyoza, Chicken Karaage, Oyster Motoyaki and Tonkatsu.  Of the 4, we thought the tonkatsu was pretty decent with a crispy panko coating and moist pork inside.  The karaage was okay as well exhibiting similar qualities.  We didn't like the "gyoza" as they were more like crisps.  The next 2 dishes were the Chicken Teriyaki and New York Steak.  Completely crunchy and rendered, the skin gave way to succulent chicken meat.  However, it was rather greasy.  Tough and dry, the New York steak was nothing like its namesake.

Okay, there are not a whole lot of things I have come across and find it hard to stomach.  Well, you're looking at 2 of them on the same plate in the Tuna and Beef Tataki.  Even thought the tuna was cut into little itty bitty pieces, it was super dense and bland.  The slices of beef were worse as I could barely chew through them.  Even the sauce underneath was weak.  We all know that Raw Oysters are banned at the moment, but when I had the ones at Tomokazu, they were actually okay.  They were not very sweet, but at the very least, they were fresh.  On the right, the Salmon Kama was fairly overcooked being dry and flavourless.  This pretty much summed up our return visit here where the food was "meh" and sometimes poor.  There were other items that we had that I didn't even have the motivation to blog about.  

The Good:
- Lot of choice
- Fairly spacious seating

The Bad:
- Food quality has gone downhill
- Service was okay, but rather absent

Fraser Court

Prior to this ChineseBites signature dishes dinner at Fraser Court, I had actually visited the place not too long ago.  In fact, I had a post sitting in the queue waiting to be written.  Alas, due to laziness and/or being busy, I didn't get to it.  So I guess it was convenient that I would return again with the ChineseBites crew (including Sean, Grace, Rick, Diana, Joyce, Amy, Sophia and Nancy) to sample some of the very best and unique dishes that Fraser Court has to offer.

The gluttony began fast and furious with the Deluxe Appetizer Platter which included marinated jellyfish, gelatinized pork hock, beef shank and pork spareribs.  The best item on the plate was the beef shank as it was soft while still meaty.  It was nicely sauced where it kept things moist and flavourful with a salty sweetness.  Properly gelatinized and sliced a tad thick, the pork hock could've used some vinegar on the side.  I wasn't a huge fan of the jellyfish as it was in little bits and underseasoned.  Interestingly, the crispy pork spareribs were dressed in sweet Thai chili which meant things were pretty sweet. Next up was the Whole Winter Melon with Seafood that contained everything but the kitchen sink.  It included bamboo fungus, crab, duck, dried scallop, ham, shrimp, scallops, lotus seeds, wintermelon, gai lan stalks and pork.  Despite the amount of flavourful ingredients, the broth itself was light, sweet and aromatic rather than salty.

Onto the Sauteed Three Kinds of Seafoods with Black Fungus & Greens, it consisted of big scallops, shrimp and squid along with snow peas, wood ear mushrooms and golden squash.  The dish was seasoned with a hybrid black bean sauce that was tempered with an equal amount of sweetness (from added seasoning and the ingredients).  I found the seafood to be properly prepared while the dish was subject to high wok heat.  Hence, there was no residual moisture on the plate and caramelization came into effect.  Continuing with seafood (this would be the theme), we had the Lobster in Supreme Soy Sauce.  Fried just enough, the lobster meat maintained a buttery succulence with a classic rebound texture.  I liked how the dish was dry as the flavours were intensified and there was no goopy sauce.  It appeared that they used a combination of Maggi, garlic, ginger soy, sugar and possibly some XO.

Similarly seasoned, the Chef's Secret Recipe Jumbo Crab benefited from the addition of green onion and Chinese dry sausage.  Hence, there was another layer of aromatics and the fatty saltiness of the sausage.  Being another dry preparation, the flavours were intensified, yet at the same time, did not overwhelm the fluffy crab.  Much like the lobster, the crab was fried masterfully and did not cross the threshold of being overcooked.  Moving away from seafood for a brief moment, we had the Roasted House Specialty Chicken.  This was essentially a whole crispy fried chicken sitting atop a light wine sauce.  The chicken itself was moist and a touch salty in spots.  Crispy, well-rendered and light, the chicken skin retained its crunch despite the moisture.

Back to the seafood, we had an interesting preparation of Clams & Whole Tilapia Fish Chiu Chow Style.  It was fried first and then placed in hot pot with clam broth.  Personally, I'm not a huge fan of tilapia due to its overly soft texture.  This dish didn't convince me otherwise as the already cooked fish was further moistened by the broth.  Hence, the meat was mushy.  On the other hand, I liked the delicate, sweet and briny flavours of the broth as well as the clams themselves.  Presented in another hot pot, we had the Scallops & Egg Tofu with Eggplants in Spicy Garlic Hot Pot.  This was dressed in plenty of sweet Thai Chili which ensured the entire thing was pretty sweet and sticky.  There was some spice to balance it off somewhat, but the dish ate pretty sugary.  As for the scallops, they were large and on point with an appealingly chewy butteriness.  The silky tofu was soft while maintaining its shape as well as the eggplant.

Presented on a large platter, the Sliced Tender Beef with Mushrooms was probably the weakest item we had.  The medium-sized chunks of beef were chewy and hard since they were not marinated and tenderized properly.  Naturally, the beef was probably an inferior cut, so tenderization is the key to this dish.  It was nicely wok-fried though where there was no excess moisture and the black pepper was quite evident but not overwhelming.  We ended off with the Halibut Belly with Shallots & Green Onions.  Halibut has the tendency to overcooked easily, so timing is everything.  In this case, it was perfect where the meat was moist and flaky while completely cooked through.  The dish was seasoned with a salt and white pepper as well as the aforementioned ingredients.

For dessert, we had the Baked Tapioca Pudding with sugary butter crumb topping.  Despite its pale appearance, the topping was crispy and cooked through.  As for the pudding itself, it was light and creamy-custardy while not overly sweet.  We would've preferred to see a lotus paste filling, but the dessert was fine nonetheless.  In the end, the food was pretty decent despite a few average dishes.  Although the flavours were pretty impactful, the use of sweet chili sauce could've been more minimal.

*All food, beverages and gratuities were complimentary*

The Good:
- Properly cooked proteins
- Ample portion size
- Loads of flavour

The Bad:
- A touch greasy
- Loads of flavour, but not necessarily balanced 
- Karaoke can be both entertaining and annoying

Icy Bar

I can honestly say that desserts are never my first choice when it comes to eats.  Heck, I'd rather order a bunch of appies just to pick at over interesting conversations.  In fact, just toss me a bag of Doritos for my after-dinner snack in lieu of anything sweet.  Sure, I don't mind the occasional cheesecake, ice cream or gelato, but it's just not my thing.  So when the next ChineseBites event was scheduled at Icy Bar, which is a dedicated dessert spot, I went in with tempered enthusiasm.

Well, I guess they wanted us to try everything as the desserts came out fast and furious.  We were all able to sample a bevy first and I decided to go for a Lychee Slush.   Made with blended whole lychees, the drink was thick in a fruity manner rather than being icy.  I asked for it to be only 1/4 sweet and it was just right.  Hence, rather than sipping on sugar, I was getting the full lychee essence.  In actuality, I chose lychee because Joyce had ordered my first choice being the Mango Slush.  It definitely tasted like mango while being creamy smooth.  I liked how it was not too sweet where the flavours didn't taste artificial.  I was also able to try the Taro Slush and it was pretty sweet and a bit pasty (but taro can be that way).

Onto the desserts, we shared the Traditional 8 Mix Icy with an array of toppings including red bean, green bean, basil seed, mochi (3 types), chendol, almond jelly, fresh mango, grass jelly, peanuts and vanilla ice cream.  The other mix icy included lychee, strawberry, mango, pineapple, watermelon, rainbow jelly, popping pearls and green tea ice cream. Obviously, this was a shared dessert as it was big enough to feed our table of 6 and then some.  With homemade mochi and fresh fruit, there was not much to complain about these big bowls of dessert. 

Next, we tried their Pancakes (more like crepes) filled with fresh whipping cream and fruit (such as strawberry, mango, durian and taro).  These featured a soft and tender crepe with lightly sweet and airy whipped cream.  The fresh piece of fruit (and taro) was enough to add the expected flavour.  For some reason, the strawberry ate a bit messy and wet.  I thought the mango was the best of the bunch.  Aromatic and slightly sweet, the Black Rice with Coconut Milk was something a bit different from all the fruit desserts so far.  Texturally, the rice was appealingly chewy while the consistency of the dessert was not too thick.

Taking a break from the sweets, we went for something savoury in the Tea Eggs.  These featured the classic cracked shell appearance (although it could've been done with more care) where the braising liquid penetrated all-the-way to the yolk.  Hence, there was a rich anise and tea flavour.  Naturally, the yolk was completely done with the expected ring and firm texture.  Back to the desserts, we had the Chocolate Honey Toast topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce.  I found each cube of toast to be lightly crispy while kissed with just enough sugar.  I felt there was a restrained amount of chocolate sauce which ensure the dessert wouldn't be crazy sweet.

Served in jars, the Plant Pudding was served in 5 different flavours including original, durian, mango, oreo and tiramisu.  Not sure why they were named as such because it was more like a parfait than pudding with cream, filling and crumb/cookie.  These were pleasant enough being creamy and lightly sweet (except for the Oreo), but nothing particularly memorable.  Back to toast, we had the Red Bean Green Tea Ice Cream on Thick Toast.  Normally, red bean anything can be pretty sweet and heavy.  This was the case here where the red bean was enough to flavour all the toast with a sugary firmness.  The crunchy toast held up well to the wet ingredients.

Our last dessert, we were served Tofu Pudding with a selection of toppings that included strawberries, grass jelly, chendol, mochi, red bean, watermelon, mango, basil seed and coconut jelly.  Normally, one would order the tofu with their selected toppings without the benefit of building it themselves. Even though I piled on the toppings, the dessert wasn't sweet and it was a nice way to end off tasting.  I went away truly impressed with all the different offerings at Icy Bar and also the care put into each dessert.  Of course, I preferred some items more than others (particularly the Mix Icy and Tofu).

*All desserts, beverages and gratuities were complimentary*

The Good:
- Huge selection of desserts
- Reasonably-priced
- Most items were not crazy sweet

The Bad:
- Ice was a bit gritty and hard