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Oh Langley... So often misunderstood. To many, Langley represents suburbia and all of the things that go along with it including big box stores, chain restaurants and of course a large number of families. So can there actually be good food to be found out there? You know my answer (which is yes by-the-way), but that still doesn't do a whole lot of good when people have their mind made up. Hence, when I was invited for some food at Ritz Lunch, I knew that I had to round up some of my foodie friends and drag them out to the burbs (this time it included Sharon, Sean, Amy and Grace).
I dug into my 6 oz Prime Rib Burger first and it was good. Not particularly fancy and certainly nothing complex, but the patty was well-charred and not dried out. The pretzel bun was a little on the denser side though, maybe they could've used brioche? The side of fries were on point being fried golden brown and super crispy. This was even after all the picture-taking. Sporting the same side of fries, the Beef Dip featured real roast beef that was tender requiring very little effort to chew. There was enough of it to be impactful and balanced with the soft roll. As much as the gravy on the side was flavourful and meaty, we thought a thinner au jus might've been a better match.
Okay, normally a BLT would be as exciting as a cab ride through Port Moody (this is actually a good thing as a ride through Richmond would be the opposite), but this was solid. It featured well-toasted whole wheat bread that worked with the crispy lettuce and ripe tomato. Of course the most important part of the sandwich was the bacon and it delivered being thick-cut, lean and crispy. On the same note, the Turkey Club was equally good with plenty of tender breast meat accented by the same produce and bacon. It was pretty hearty where it would feed one person well.
We also tried the Butter Chicken and it was a decent effort for a non-Indian restaurant. Although it was cold by the time we ate it, the spices came through while there was balance between the creaminess and tomato. The rice was dry enough to accept the sauce without getting mushy. As much as the naan wasn't really naan due to the absence of a tandoor, it held its own being soft with a slight sear on the outside. Lastly, I got a bowl of their Clam Chowder as well and it was full of ingredients. It ate well as a thick soup but there could've been more brininess. Overall, we agreed that Ritz Lunch lived up to its namesake where it serves as a better option than fast food, especially considering the reasonable prices.
*All food and beverages were complimentary*
The Good:
- Inexpensive (roughly $8.00)
- Simple, but quality-driven ingredients
- Decent portions
The Bad:
- It's not fancy, but it never means to be either
So why did I drive all the way out to Kits from Burnaby to eat at Green Leaf Sushi? Could it be I love driving in Vancouver traffic? Uh no... Oh wait, it must be that Green Leaf Sushi is a trendy spot! Nope, not that too. In fact, it is a small neighbourhood joint that boasts no more than 10 tables total. The real reason for this visit was very similar to that of Victoria Sushi. Yep, the constant IG photos of their Aburi Salmon Oshi finally got to me and I just HAD to try it.
We began with the Kobacha Korroke featuring a quail egg in the middle and flavoured with a sweet and tangy sauce. I found them to be rather small, but the execution was there. They were crunchy on the outside that lead to a softer sweet kobacha layer. Further in, there was a soft quail's egg that was not overdone. Next, we tried the Prawn Tempura which was aggressively battered. Despite this, the dish still ate rather light with a crunchy exterior giving way to buttery ebi. I liked how each piece was not oily at all.
Neatly arranged, the Assorted Sashimi featured salmon, tuna, hamachi and tuna tataki. I found the fish to be of good quality and well-prepared. I particularly liked the salmon as it was firm while still buttery and sweet. The tuna tataki was really good with a strong sesame oil taste to go along with the garlic chips. My son is not into raw fish, so we got him the Beef Don that was loaded with meat. I found the beef to be fairly tender in a meaty fashion. It was flavoured with a sweet and salty thin teriyaki sauce that helped flavour the chewy rice.
Onto the main event, we were served the Salmon Oshi and the Hotate Oshi along with 2 pieces of unagi nigiri and 3 pieces of tamago nigiri. I found the rice to be fluffy and chewy while lightly seasoned. The salmon on top was buttery and slightly seared giving off a smokiness. Partially melted and mildly seasoned, the mayo dressing could've been seared a bit more and less saucy. I found the jalapeno slice a touch too thick. As for the hotate, it was buttery and sweet. The sear was more aggressive with this oshi. Was it as good at Miku? Well no, but I didn't mind it. For the rest of the food, I thought it was more than acceptable, albeit a touch on the pricier side.
The Good:
- Decent eats
- Decent service
The Bad:
- Slightly pricey
- Seating is not the more comfy
For all of the late night spots in Richmond, it baffles me that I could miss one, especially one that is located on Restaurant Row (aka Alexandra Road). An invite to True'stea finally solved that mystery as I knew it by its old name... Yes, just remove the "tru" and you will magically see the clever (or maybe not-so-clever) name change from Estea. True'stea happens to be one of the participating restaurants during Chopstick Fest (think Dine-Out for Chinese restaurants) and we were going to sample their special menu for the event.
So what is a visit to a Taiwanese joint without Chicken Nuggets? Well of course we started with them, plated interestingly with a swash of hot sauce and some garnish. I found the nuggets to be more firm than crispy. The meat was still relatively tender though, but not succulent. I thought the 5-spice was pretty strong, but at the same time, it wasn't overpowering either. Up next was the Green Onion Pancake with Egg which was also plated nicely with different garnishes. I liked this dish as the pancake was soft and thin while the egg was fluffy. I didn't notice a whole lot of green onion essence though.
We had the obligatory nuggets, so it was no surprise we had the 3-Cup Chicken as well. I liked how the sauce wasn't overly greasy and there was just enough of it. I found it more on the sweeter side with the slightest of tang and aromatics from the sesame oil and basil. The pieces of leg meat sported rendered skin while being fairly succulent. As mentioned, I would've liked to see a touch more zing to the dish though. I thought the Ma Po Tofu looked pretty good aesthetically with the right colours and texturally with soft, yet intact tofu. Furthermore, the ground pork was had a nice meaty and moist texture. Although there was spice and tang to the dish, I would've personally liked to see it spicier.
The Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens was a dish that kept on giving as there was so much of it. There was very little filler other than the sour greens and some frozen tofu. Most of it was tender consisting of soft basa. There was a definite spice to the dish to go with the ample preserved sourness of the mustard greens. The Dry Squid and Double Cooked Pork with chili sauce was a tasty dish despite being prepared in a different manner. Sliced razor-thin, the pork ended up to be rather chewy, but for some reason, this didn't kill the dish. The chewiness combined with the pressed tofu and seasoning was quite nice, especially with rice.
Served to us in individual bowls, the Braised Beef Rice Noodle in soup was visually appealing. However, for the life of us, we couldn't figure out why they cut up the noodles. Hence, they were difficult to eat and a bit soft. The soup was meaty enough, yet lacking impact. The beef was quite tender though. Naturally, we didn't get out of their without having a few bevvies as well. On their recommendation, I had the Grass Jelly Milk Tea with a twist. In addition to the grass jelly as evidenced in the picture, they blended more grass jelly into the drink. This made it pretty thick and more bitter (in a good way). Texturally, it was a bit strange, but the flavour was impactful. Overall, the drinks were all decent while the food was merely serviceable. However, since the place is open late, it does the job when others are closed.
*All food, beverages and gratuities were complimentary*
The Good:
- Open late
- Reasonably-priced for the portion size
- Lots of activities such as electronic darts and mah jong
The Bad:
- Food is serviceable, but not the highlight
- Place could use a reno
It's been a long time since I last visit the hidden Victoria Sushi. How long? Try 6 years! We can extrapolate one thing from this though - there is a reason it has survived for that long despite its location. Since we were in the area, I thought it would be a good time to find out what was going on. I remember the last time was okay, but not exactly memorable. I guess another reason for revisit was all the Instagram posts of their aburi salmon oshi. Yes, apparently tasty pictures on IG do have an influence!
So let's get right to it... In addition to the Aburi Salmon Oshi, we had a Dynamite and House Roll as well as 2 Tamago for my son. I thought the oshi was quite good with medium-soft and chewy rice, buttery salmon and a nicely torched balanced sauce. Even the jalapeno was sliced thin enough. Could this give Miku a run for its money? For me, I still prefer Miku, but could it be only psychological? Hard to say. The other 2 rolls were a bit haphazardly prepared, but stayed together and featured the same chewy moist rice. We liked how there was a good rice-to-ingredient ratio.
Onto my daughter's favourite, the Assorted Sashimi was appealing in preparation and appearance. As you can clearly see in the picture, colours were vibrant and the sheen was evident. Texturally, I though the salmon and tuna were on point. The hamachi was average though being more bouncy rather than buttery. Next, we got the Assorted Tempura which was aggressively battered. As such, the exterior was firmly crunchy while fading to an airier interior. I found the ebi to be buttery and lightly meaty while the veggies were cooked through but not mushy.
For some reason, my son is on a Teriyaki Chicken kick, so we had to get an order for him. This was loaded with a tonne of tender seared chicken that was only conservatively sauced. I've never been a big fan of too many veggies in a don, but the amount of been sprouts wasn't excessive and neither was the moisture content as the rice remained chewy. Our last item was the Chicken Karaage and it was a dud. I appreciated the large pieces of boneless chicken, but it was so overdone that the meat was dry and chewy. The skin was nicely rendered and crispy as a result though. I also thought there was a lack of seasoning too. Despite this dish, the food in general at Victoria Sushi was good, especially for the price. A hidden gem figuratively and literally.
The Good:
- Above-average eats
- Nice people
- Decent portions
The Bad:
- Seating is a bite strange
- Due to limited staff, requests may not be fulfilled quickly
Posts
Oh Langley... So often misunderstood. To many, Langley represents suburbia and all of the things that go along with it including big box stores, chain restaurants and of course a large number of families. So can there actually be good food to be found out there? You know my answer (which is yes by-the-way), but that still doesn't do a whole lot of good when people have their mind made up. Hence, when I was invited for some food at Ritz Lunch, I knew that I had to round up some of my foodie friends and drag them out to the burbs (this time it included Sharon, Sean, Amy and Grace). 
I dug into my 6 oz Prime Rib Burger first and it was good. Not particularly fancy and certainly nothing complex, but the patty was well-charred and not dried out. The pretzel bun was a little on the denser side though, maybe they could've used brioche? The side of fries were on point being fried golden brown and super crispy. This was even after all the picture-taking. Sporting the same side of fries, the Beef Dip featured real roast beef that was tender requiring very little effort to chew. There was enough of it to be impactful and balanced with the soft roll. As much as the gravy on the side was flavourful and meaty, we thought a thinner au jus might've been a better match.
Okay, normally a BLT would be as exciting as a cab ride through Port Moody (this is actually a good thing as a ride through Richmond would be the opposite), but this was solid. It featured well-toasted whole wheat bread that worked with the crispy lettuce and ripe tomato. Of course the most important part of the sandwich was the bacon and it delivered being thick-cut, lean and crispy. On the same note, the Turkey Club was equally good with plenty of tender breast meat accented by the same produce and bacon. It was pretty hearty where it would feed one person well.
We also tried the Butter Chicken and it was a decent effort for a non-Indian restaurant. Although it was cold by the time we ate it, the spices came through while there was balance between the creaminess and tomato. The rice was dry enough to accept the sauce without getting mushy. As much as the naan wasn't really naan due to the absence of a tandoor, it held its own being soft with a slight sear on the outside. Lastly, I got a bowl of their Clam Chowder as well and it was full of ingredients. It ate well as a thick soup but there could've been more brininess. Overall, we agreed that Ritz Lunch lived up to its namesake where it serves as a better option than fast food, especially considering the reasonable prices.
