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Spending the last 2 days along at the Hotel Vancouver (for a conference), Viv finally made it down to give me some company. Sure, Miss Y was there for awhile too, but she left for Europe. I can't say that I'm not jealous of her!!! Whatever the case, it meant that I can go for a decent meal (without eating alone). Sure, I could've went with some other people, but for some reason, I was being anti-social. Besides, I really should have some good meals with the missus right??? We ended up at another restaurant from David Gunawan (Farmer's Apprentice and Grapes & Soda) in Royal Dinette.
We decided to start the meal with the Burrata with spaghetti squash, apple, sorrel, honey and grilled bread. Soft, creamy and buttery, the burrata was still fresh (being within the key 48-hour period). With the sweetness of honey, squash and apple, the dish was trending towards one side of the flavour balance. We would've liked to see a touch more acidity, but the sorrel did add a brightness to the dish. Next up was the Grilled Herring with potato vinaigrette, smoked roe and watercress. Buttery and firm, the herring was accented well by the acidic and well-seasoned vinaigrette. The firm, yet completely cooked-through potato cubes were texturally appealing. Furthermore, the smokiness and pop of the crunchy roe added both texture and a seafoodiness to the dish (in addition to the fishiness of the herring).
Moving onto our mid-course, we had 2 pastas including the Bucatini with white anchovy, lemon, garlic, broccoli, capers and scallop bottarga. Firm and chewy, the pasta was nicely seasoned which was further amped by the mild saltiness of the anchovy and surprisingly the non-salty capers. I thought the dish would be too salty, but this wasn't the case. The lemon combined with the capers brought the necessary tartness while the scallop bottarga an extra fishiness to the dish. Next, we had the Fettuccine with lamb ragu, picholine olives, apricot, mint, spinach and crushed almonds. As much as this could've been all about bold flavours, the dish was actually subtle and complex. The richness of the lightly tart ragu (with noted gaminess) gave way to the olives and then finished off with the sweetness of the apricot and brightness of the mint. Very good.
We shared one main being the Skate with clams, herb panisse, kale buds, olive and chicken blanquette. The lightly floured and pan-fried skate was beautifully prepared being buttery and flaky. It was rather salty though. We found the chicken blanquette underneath to be very rich, salty and buttery. Not sure if it went with the delicate and well-salted skate. As for the panisse, it was also very rich, dense and salty. We didn't really care for it as it just didn't add much to the dish other than weighing it down even more so. Loved the crispy chicken skin though (who doesn't love crispy chicken skin?).
For dessert, we had the Pistachio Tart with meyer lemon curd ice cream, dried plums and rosemary. The tart itself featured a firm crust with a nutty concoction that was fairly sweet and uninteresting. Other than the usual pistachio essence, the whole thing needed the tart dried plumps to bring out the flavours. Keeping things cool (literally) and tart, the ice cream ate more like a sorbet palate-cleasner. Overall, we enjoyed portions of our meal. The herring and pastas were very on point while the rest were definitely pedestrian. A hit and miss meal for us.
The Good:
- Fair portions
- Reasonable-pricing for Downtown
- Solid pastas
The Bad:
- Hit and miss
- Skate dish was a bit disappointing
Here we go... Another re-visit happening less than 3 years since the original one. However, if we look at it, 3 years is a pretty long time. Back then, "selfie" was just being added to the dictionary and the cronut (or frissant) was all the rage. So with that in mind, it was I who suggested a re-visit to Longtail Kitchen when Grace was wondering what to do for lunch. Besides, with mediocre visits to Freebird and Fat Mao, I was willing to see if Angus An could still produce good food...
We started with a few appies including their "ever-increasing in popularity" Famous Chicken Wings. If we were to compare these with Phnom Penh, they are neither better or worse as they are merely different. These featured a slightly thicker and crunchier exterior that was dusted with a concoction that featured plenty of sugar. This was counteracted by the tart (and also sweet) tamarind dip on the side. Inside, the chicken was still juicy and completely tender. Served with a nam jim dip, the Fried Oysters were even better than the wings in my opinion. Lightly battered and crispy while not greasy, the plump oysters were perfectly prepared. They were naturally sweet and briny while the "little-of-every-flavour" nam jim added spice, sweetness, tartness and saltiness.
Onto Mama Cheung's Laksa, I had really high expectations because it was relayed to me that this might be the best in the GVRD. I have to admit it was pretty darn good, but I still hold steadfast that the one at Manis is just as good (and spicier too). As for this one it was creamy with a good amount of coconut milk that was balanced off by an appealing seafoodiness, nuttiness and the aroma of the spices. The requisite ingredients were there including tofu puffs, shredded chicken, shrimp, fish balls and egg (which were well-made as well). The final touch of fried curry leaves and mint only helped heighten the already complex flavours even more so.
The complex flavours continued with the Chang Mai Curry Noodles with beef. For some reason or another, this version kicks the one at Fat Mao. The curry combined the aromatic and creaminess of the coconut milk with spice, spices, sweetness and the crunchy tang of the pickled mustard greens to create a flavour explosion. I liked how the egg noodles stood up to the moisture and how the crunchy noodles on top added more texture. However, the real star of the show was the tender and appealingly meaty slices of slow-cooked fatty beef.
With more carbs, we tried the Chinese Sausage Fried Rice topped with a fried egg and green onions. Although this was blessed with enough wok heat where the rice exhibited a sear and smokiness (and nuttiness too), the whole thing was dripping of grease. The bottom of the container was lined with a whole layer of oil. This was probably due to the melted fat from the lap cheung as well as the oil used to stir fry the dish. As such, it reduced our eating enjoyment somewhat. Yet, the aforementioned nuttiness of the rice as well as the ample lap cheung did ensure the dish tasted good.
From fried rice to fried noodle, we got the Pad See Ew. Normally, I like my noodles to be more firm, especially rice noodles. But this was a touch too chewy for my liking. In terms of overall execution, this was subjected to a enough wok heat to caramelize the flavours. With that being said, the dish was pretty sweet though. The ample veggies and egg did helped even out the sweetness somewhat (and especially the moisture from the greens).
For our one veggie item, we go the Gai Lan with Pork Belly. We enjoyed how they used fresh and quality gai lan where it was vibrant and crunchy without any excess chew. That was also a direct result of just enough cooking in the wok. On the other hand, there was far too much moisture at the bottom of the container. I guess they must've added a tonne of seasoning as the gai lan was still salty and very sweet. As for the pork belly, it was very fatty, so it didn't do it for me. I would've liked to see at least some streaks of meat. With that being said, we were willing to overlook the issues because the food in general rocked. Hence, there maybe another revisit in the near future...
The Good:
- Impactful and complex flavours
- Good use of wok heat
- Reasonably-priced
The Bad:
- A bit sweet
- Some dishes had either too much moisture and/or grease
Woah, I remember when Mijune and I were first invited to do a menu tasting at the original BiBo on West 4th. That day, unbeknownst to us, Mia Stainsby (yes her, of the Vancouver Sun) was sitting next to us. She went on to write an article about watching our exploits during our tasting. I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be offended. In the end, I laughed because it was all true! LOL. Well, fast forward to the present and BiBo has once again invited me to try out their new location at McArthur Glen in Richmond. This time it was with Joyce, Emily and Ned Flanders... and to my best knowledge, Mia wasn't next to us!
We were started off with the Tagliere di salumi e formaggi consisting of salami, coppa, mortadella, prosciutto, fontina, asiago, parmesan, marinated mushrooms and artichoke hearts. With imported products, the board was both attractive and appetizing to eat. I particularly liked the firm and salty salami as well as the mushrooms. This was served with pizza dough bread which was crispy, chewy, lightly charred and well-seasoned. Next, we had a Neapolitan Pizza with mozzarella, pancetta and onions. As evidenced in the picture, the pizza was evenly charred with leoparding on the edges and the underside of the crust. The dough was seasoned properly and ate well on its own with a pleasing chewiness. The crust was a bit softer in the middle (as it should be), but not wet. Loved the ample pancetta as it added a flavourful saltiness.
Onto another appie, we shared the Bruschetta on house-made bread and topped with tomatoes, onions, basil, olive oil, fresh mozza and drizzled with balsamic. I thought the bread was overly dense, which impacted my overall enjoyment of the dish. I also felt there was too much moisture going on that made the bread wet. As for the tomatoes, they were fresh and sweet, yet not acidic enough. The balsamic reduction added a sweet tartness, but I could've use more of it. Then something weird happened - we were all served the same pasta being the Tagliatelle ai funghi. Okay, not much variety here, but at the very least, it exemplified some inconsistencies. My tagliatelle was al dente while the sauce (lukewarm in my case) was very rich and creamy with enough seasoning and woodsiness from the porcini mushrooms. Emily's plate was bland and lacking sauce while served piping hot. So depending which one you got, it was either good or not-so-good.
At this point, we requested the Tagliatelle alla Bolognese as a contrast to the creamy pasta (and the non-tomato sauce pizza). Thankfully we did because it was better than the creamy pasta in our opinion. The noodles were sufficiently al dente for fresh pasta. I liked the bolognese as it was mildly tart while sporting a good amount of tender meat and softened carrots. Our last dish was the Scaloppine di Vitello in a smaller portion size so each of us got our own plate. The veal wasn't exactly dry nor chewy, but it wasn't super tender either. I would've liked to see it thinner. As for the sauce, it was impactful and acidic from the lemon. So much so, the mushrooms kind of got lost. All-in-all, this tasting was hit-and-miss. This may have also been partially due to the items they chose to serve us. Personally, I would've liked to have the Pizza Margherita (as a baseline) and also 4 different pastas rather than a full serving of a heavy cream version.
*All food and beverages excluding gratuities were complimentary*
The Good:
- Neapolitan pizza crust was good
- The house-made pasta itself was prepared properly
- Nice dining space
The Bad:
- Cream sauce was inconsistent
- Hit and miss
Posts
Spending the last 2 days along at the Hotel Vancouver (for a conference), Viv finally made it down to give me some company. Sure, Miss Y was there for awhile too, but she left for Europe. I can't say that I'm not jealous of her!!! Whatever the case, it meant that I can go for a decent meal (without eating alone). Sure, I could've went with some other people, but for some reason, I was being anti-social. Besides, I really should have some good meals with the missus right??? We ended up at another restaurant from David Gunawan (Farmer's Apprentice and Grapes & Soda) in Royal Dinette.
We decided to start the meal with the Burrata with spaghetti squash, apple, sorrel, honey and grilled bread. Soft, creamy and buttery, the burrata was still fresh (being within the key 48-hour period). With the sweetness of honey, squash and apple, the dish was trending towards one side of the flavour balance. We would've liked to see a touch more acidity, but the sorrel did add a brightness to the dish. Next up was the Grilled Herring with potato vinaigrette, smoked roe and watercress. Buttery and firm, the herring was accented well by the acidic and well-seasoned vinaigrette. The firm, yet completely cooked-through potato cubes were texturally appealing. Furthermore, the smokiness and pop of the crunchy roe added both texture and a seafoodiness to the dish (in addition to the fishiness of the herring). 
Moving onto our mid-course, we had 2 pastas including the Bucatini with white anchovy, lemon, garlic, broccoli, capers and scallop bottarga. Firm and chewy, the pasta was nicely seasoned which was further amped by the mild saltiness of the anchovy and surprisingly the non-salty capers. I thought the dish would be too salty, but this wasn't the case. The lemon combined with the capers brought the necessary tartness while the scallop bottarga an extra fishiness to the dish. Next, we had the Fettuccine with lamb ragu, picholine olives, apricot, mint, spinach and crushed almonds. As much as this could've been all about bold flavours, the dish was actually subtle and complex. The richness of the lightly tart ragu (with noted gaminess) gave way to the olives and then finished off with the sweetness of the apricot and brightness of the mint. Very good.
We shared one main being the Skate with clams, herb panisse, kale buds, olive and chicken blanquette. The lightly floured and pan-fried skate was beautifully prepared being buttery and flaky. It was rather salty though. We found the chicken blanquette underneath to be very rich, salty and buttery. Not sure if it went with the delicate and well-salted skate. As for the panisse, it was also very rich, dense and salty. We didn't really care for it as it just didn't add much to the dish other than weighing it down even more so. Loved the crispy chicken skin though (who doesn't love crispy chicken skin?).
For dessert, we had the Pistachio Tart with meyer lemon curd ice cream, dried plums and rosemary. The tart itself featured a firm crust with a nutty concoction that was fairly sweet and uninteresting. Other than the usual pistachio essence, the whole thing needed the tart dried plumps to bring out the flavours. Keeping things cool (literally) and tart, the ice cream ate more like a sorbet palate-cleasner. Overall, we enjoyed portions of our meal. The herring and pastas were very on point while the rest were definitely pedestrian. A hit and miss meal for us.
