Pop-Up Dinner in Squamish by Chef Kristian

For some of you, I'm sure you remember the brunch spot on 22nd at Rupert called Ham & Eggman's. It dished up an array of interesting items in a very non-traditional spot for brunch.  Sadly, it closed but Chef Kristian Leidig did not stop cooking.  I attended one of his popup dinners in Squamish and came away satisfied.  So when I heard about the next one, situated outdoors in a gazebo at Legacy Park while he cooked over an open flame, I ponied up the $79.00pp and brought Mijune along too.

Things started off the West Coast Seafood Groil sporting prawns, clams, chorizo, corn and baby potatoes cooked over an open flame Old Bay drawn butter and fresh torn herbs.  This was really good where the seafood was cooked perfectly.  Clams were just right while the prawns had a nice sweet snap.  Chorizo was meaty while the corn was so plump and sweet.  Those potatoes were a crowd-pleaser being creamy and inherently flavourful.

Next, we moved onto "You Might Make Friends With This Salad" featuring fresh green mix, shaved brassicas, sun gold tomatoes, toasted almonds, parmesan and grilled shallot vinaigrette.  Ingredients were fresh with crunch from everything but the tomatoes.  Shallot vinaigrette had good acidity, but I could've used more.  The ample parm on top added plenty of punch from the nutty saltiness.  Ironically, I did end up meeting a new friend at this dinner (because of this salad???  LOL).

Onto the meat of the meal, we were served the "Let's Go To Argentina With Bife Ancho".  The ribeye grilled over charcoal and served with chimichurri, brenejenas en eschsbeche and baguette.  As you can see, the steak was medium-rare but lacked some char.  This is the challenge cooking over an unpredictable flame.  Chimichurri was tasty and the pickled eggplant on the side brightened things up.  There was so much steak, we didn't finish it.

Of course, we have to get some veggies into the meal and we did with the "Eat Your Vegetables!".  As you can see, we had a selection of grilled asparagus, red onion and peppers.  These were cooked just enough to wilt but still retained crunch and texture.  They were lightly salted with maldon and dressed with balsamic and olive oil.  Yes, I did eat some of this.  LOL...

For dessert, we ended off with a S'mores Chocolate Tart with dark chocolate ganache, graham crust, toasted marshmallow and dulce de leche sauce.  This was a fine end to the meal with semi-sweet chocolate ganache that was smooth and not overly dense.  Loved the addition of dulce de leche as it added the sweetness to balance off the bitterness.  Overall, this was a good meal with huge portion sizes.  Yes, cooking over an open flame is challenging and Chef Kristian did well considering.  I've had his more composed multi-course popup dinner before and the food was refined and composed when he is cooking in a real kitchen.  The next one is slated for August 21st, so check his Instagram for more details.

The Good:
- Lots of food, enough to make you full
- Unique setting and opportunities to make friends
- Chef Kristian is a gracious host

The Bad:
- Unpredictable cooking apparatus means there will be some compromises  

Zubu (Metrotown)

With the lifting of restrictions and personally feeling comfortable in going out and doing things, we decided to watch Black Widow in the theatre rather than streaming it on Disney+.  After that, we needed nourishment and decided to hit up Zubu at Metrotown located in the old Jinya location.  We were able to score a table on the patio and hence had outdoor ramen.  I've done this before and TBH, even without Covid, it is a great way to eat ramen!

Before we got to the soup noodles, we started with an order of the Pan-Fried Gyoza served in a cast iron pan.  These were quite good featuring a thin dumpling skin that had good elasticity.  The bottom was nicely seared being uniform, crispy and caramelized.  Inside, the pork filling was tender and juicy with plenty of seasoning to stand on its own.  Of course, I still dunked it into the side of vinegar soy as it always gives it a nice tang.

Viv decided on the Crispy Chicken Ramen featuring chicken broth, thin noodle, crispy chicken, green onion, kikurage, bean sprouts, spicy soy sauce and itotogarashi.  This was decent with a somewhat silky broth that had enough inherent flavour.  It wasn't incredibly full of depth but it wasn't weak either.  There was a decent amount of al dente noodles as well.  The crispy chicken was crispy when not sitting in the broth.

The horrors of horrors, both kids got the Tonkotsu Kuro (lack of variety!!!) with pork broth, thin noodle, pork chashu, kikurage, green onion, crispy garlic, black garlic oil, crispy onion and nori seaweed.  Again, not bad as the broth had good pork flavour and it wasn't "watery" but it also wasn't full bodied either.  Completely serviceable, yet not memorable.  Noodles were good and the black garlic oil added umaminess.  

For myself, I had the Bone Marrow Ramen sporting beef broth, beef bone marrow, thick noodle, roast beef, green onion, kikurage and dill.  Frankly, this was a complete fail, especially for $22.50.  Look closely at the picture, there was NO bone marrow left.  Why even serve that???  Hence, the broth could not benefit from the fatty marrow and was completely flat with only a bit of dill essence.  Noodles were good but the roast beef was sliced too thick and was tough to chew.  I felt cheated with this and it didn't give me much inspiration to try the place again.

The Good:
- Serviceable food
- Fairly large menu with plenty of options
- Good service

The Bad:
- There is better ramen out there
- What was with that bone marrow ramen???

Cream Pony

Restaurants located in interesting locations and/or hidden spots can often draw interest on just that alone.  Think of it, a spot off an alleyway is just the type of place that make people feel like they found a hidden gem.  So the lane storefront of the newly opened Cream Pony fits that description completely.  Yes, they face the lane behind 1st Street just off of Lonsdale in North Vancouver.  I dropped by recently in their first few weeks of operation for their brioche donuts, fried chicken and yes...  fried chicken sandwiches!

So they open at 10:00am and you'd better come early because the donuts go quick.  They do not start their fried chicken service until 12:00pm.  So I did go early to get the donuts that included OG Glazed ($3.25), Salted Caramel ($3.50), D'oh Nut ($3.50 & Simpson's reference...), Blueberry Bourbon Basil ($3.75), Lemon Poppyseed ($3.50) and Key Lime Cheesecake ($4.50).  There was one more that is in the next picture...

...being the Honey & Sea Salt Cruller ($3.75).  I thought the brioche donut (OG, Blueberry, Key Lime and D'oh Nut) was light, airy and low on sweetness that let the impactful glaze do all the heavy-lifting.  I would've liked the brioche to be a little less dry, but I'm sure things will change as time goes on (like how Mello did after their initial opening).  The cake donuts were moist and with some crispiness on the outside.  Loved the lemon poppyseed with a nice tang and sweetness.  Cruller was also good with crunch and then a soft eggy interior.  Just sweet enough.  My favourite was the blueberry bourbon basil.  Tasted exactly like I thought it would be and it was balanced.  Overall, I enjoyed the donuts.

So I returned at noon and went for their Buttermilk Fried Chicken with half OG and half Cajun.  I thought the batter was nicely seasoned and crunchy.  The skin was mostly rendered and as for the Cajun, it had a nice spice to it.  The dark meat was juicy but the white meat was a touch dry.  The OG was also seasoned enough, but I much preferred the Cajun due to the complexity of the flavours.  I also got the Hushpuppies and the Tater Tots as my sides.  Crunchy on the outside and somewhat moist on the inside, the savoury hushpuppies were further enhanced with the whipped honey butter.  Tater tots were crunchy and hey who doesn't like tater tots? 

So the REAL reason I was here is pretty obvious, if you follow my new IG account: @shermaneatschickensandwiches !  Yes I ordered both of their sammies including the OG Fried Chicken Sandwich. I added cheese as well as a side of hot honey.  This was pretty good with a soft bun, thick cut tangy & sweet bread & butter pickles and a crunchy batter.  The chicken breast was a touch dry, but not terribly.  With the addition of the honey, it really added the necessary punch of sweetness and spiciness.  

My favourite of the 2 had to be the Cajun Fried Chicken Sandwich that had all of the same components as the OG, but with the addition of spice and spiciness.  The chicken breast was about the same but a little less dry due to its thickness.  The batter was nicely seasoned with a background heat and the spicy mayo added another shot of spice.  Good flavour overall that was balanced off by the sweet and tangy pickles.  The bun was soft, but I would've personally liked one that was a bit less moist.  In the end, I though the donuts were quite good as was the fried chicken and sandwiches.  I look forward to the tweaks that will be made as time passes.  They just opened, I'll return to try them again in the future (now I know where to find them).

The Good:
- Good spice and spices in the Cajun fried chicken
- Impactful donut flavours that have balanced sweetness
- Yes, it has that hidden location appeal to it

The Bad:
- White meat could be a touch more moist
- Brioche donuts could be slightly softer too  

 

Little Minh's Kitchen

This was a little while ago, but I finally got around to finishing up this post on Little Minh's Kitchen.  Located in the Marine Way Market complex off of Marine Drive in Burnaby, the place is a bit hidden, but I also believe it is a hidden gem as well.  The place benefits from plenty of parking spots, a spacious and clean dining room and friendly staff.  Of course the most important thing is the food and I guess we'll get right into that.

As part of any entree, one can get a Spring Roll added to their meal for no extra charged if ordered online (for dine-in and take-out).  I'm sure you have noticed, very few places use rice paper for their spring rolls anymore and that doesn't really bother me.  These were good with a crispy exterior that wasn't greasy while the filling was packed with pork, taro, vermicelli, onion, carrots and wood ear.  A good start to the meal.

For myself, I had the Bún Bò Huế which was also quite good.  Although I would've liked to see just a tad more brininess in the broth, it was still flavourful (with the unmistakable essence of lemongrass) and balanced.  There was a noted spiciness which was not overwhelming.  As mentioned with the spring rolls, yes, this was missing pig's blood and knuckle, but again, that didn't bother me as there was enough tender meats to make up for it.  You have to remember that restaurants are not in the business of pleasing the small percentage of people who demand complete authenticity.

Viv went for the Phở with rare beef, brisket and meatballs.  As you can see, the broth was clean and clear.  There was a background sweetness accented by a slight meatiness.  It wasn't overly salty, so that made it a bit lighter, which was fine by us.  Within that broth, the noodles were al dente and not clumpy.  As evidenced, the amount of meats was enough and were tender.

My daughter went with the Phở Ga which was also a very clean broth.  It was light with the natural sweetness from the chicken.  Again, this was not salty, which was a good thing in our minds.  Even though the chicken breast couldn't be considered juicy, it was still moist and not chewy.  Unlike most other places, they included tender bouncy chicken meatballs as well.  There was more than enough noodles and they were the right texture.

For my son, he went for his standby, the Lemongrass Chicken with Rice (and a fried egg).  The chicken thighs were nicely charred while being well-seasoned.  They were tender and moist being cooked just enough.  Rice was chewy and not overloaded with moisture.  A well-executed dish.  Overall we enjoyed our meal at Little Minh's and the service was really friendly.  We will be back for more in the future.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Nice people
- Lots of parking

The Bad:
- For those nitpickers, maybe some key ingredients missing. For me, who cares?

Tendon Kohaku

Even though Japanese Tendon (no, not the Chinese offal dish...) hit our city over a year ago, I wasn't all that interested in trying it out.  Much like my prejudgement on Hello Nori, I dismissed it as an expensive fad.  However, as I spoke to more and more people, it became apparent that I could be wrong (just like Hello Nori, which I ended up liking).  So I ended up visiting Tendon Kohaku for lunch to see for myself.

I guess the obvious choice was to order their largest bowl in the Anago Tendon with rice, Kohaku Tendon sauce, anago, 2 prawns, chicken, French beans, shiitake, lotus root and soft fried egg.  Okay, I'll admit when I'm wrong.  This was pretty delicious with crispy tempura which was light and not greasy.  It was aggressively sauced, but was neither soggy nor salty.  It was on the sweeter side and provided just enough flavour for the rice.  I particularly enjoyed large piece of eel.  So buttery.

If one wanted something a bit lighter, there is the Kaisen Don with salmon, tuna, scallops, ikura, green onion, cucumber, sesame seed, wasabi and kaisen sauce.  Although the pieces of fish were a bit uneven in size, they were fresh and buttery.  There was more than enough it for the amount of chewy rice underneath.  This wasn't seasoned that aggressively, but then again, it let the ingredients shine.

So for those who can't decide one way or another, there is the Sashimi Aimori Tendon with rice, Kohaku Tendon sauce, 2 prawns, chicken, French beans, kabocha pumpkin, kaisen sauce, salmon, tuna, scallops, ikura, green onion, cucumber, sesame seed and wasabi.  This was the best of both worlds and my pick of the menu.  The sashimi mix helped balance out the fried items real well.  The combination of flavours worked well too.

To sample more of the menu we also got the Nagoya Chicken Wings.  These whole wings were fried up until crispy on the outside, yet still juicy and tender on the inside.  The skin was well-rendered and easy to eat.  The Nagoya sauce was not very salty, much like the Tendon sauce.  It was mostly sweet and complimented the chicken well.  There is also a spicy version, which I would probably order next time.

To compliment our rice bowls, we got the Ikura Ajitama as well.  I've been making ramen eggs at home all throughout the pandemic, so I know to get these to the ones you see in the picture can be tricky.  The yolk was uniformly custardy yet not cooked through.  Also, the eggs were not over-marinated so they did not get hard nor too salty while at the same time being flavourful.  Well done and delicious.

Lastly, we tried the Chawanmushi which was also prepared nicely.  Beyond the silkiness of the egg itself, the flavour of the broth was so full of umami without being over-seasoned.  There was the requisite shrimp and chicken hidden within and this made for a pleasant side dish.  Overall, I was surprised at the level of execution, especially since they just opened a few months ago.  I also liked how the sauces were flavourful without being salty.  I would come back.

The Good:
- Expertly prepared tempura
- Salt content is balanced
- Pretty good service

The Bad:
- If you don't like fried food, you might have limited options
- Not the best location if you are driving

Chef's Choice Chinese Cuisine (Dinner Service)

So we all know how the pandemic has put damper on eating out as well as putting restaurants in precarious situations.  Well, I was a little surprised with the opening of Chef's Choice on Broadway right smack dab during the pandemic.  As soon as we were able, we visited the place for Dim Sum and came away impressed.  We vowed to go back for dinner with my parents (as soon as we felt it was safe to do so).  For those who don't know, Chef's Choice belongs to the Chef Tony group and to the best of my knowledge, the head chef from Chef Tony resides at Chef's Choice at the moment.  That is something we kept in mind as we headed there for dinner.

We decided to get the 2 courses of Peking Duck where the duck was carved table side.  Nearly everything about this dish was perfect.  The skin was crispy and stayed as such even until the very end.  It was also light and airy.  There wasn't an excess of fat underneath most pieces.  As for the crepes, they were thin and not dry.  I liked how there was an appealing elasticity to them. Some of the best crepes for Peking duck in the city IMO.

In between the duck courses, we had the Lobster in consomme sauce with a noodle base. This was also very good with buttery lobster that was cooked just right.  The lobster was also fresh as the meat was bouncy and filled the shell.  There was just enough sauce to coat each piece of lobster and to flavour the al dente noodles.  There was a good balance of aroma, saltiness and sweetness.

We decided on the Duck Lettuce Wrap as the second course of the Peking Duck.  There is also the option of having a duck bone soup as well.  The stir-fry was predominantly duck with bits of celery, carrot, water chestnuts and green onion.  There was enough seasoning and the ingredients were properly textured (crunchy veggies and moist duck).  The one thing that made this different was the puffed rice underneath.  A firmer, more long-lasting crunch than the usual fried vermicelli noodles.

One of the most iconic dishes from Chef Tony is their Black Truffle Free-Range Chicken.  In addition to the black truffle sauce, it was also dressed with green onion, cilantro and red onion.  The chicken exhibited the classic tender, but with bite texture of free-range.  The skin was nicely gelatinized. Interestingly, I found this version a bit underseasoned.  However, when we ate the leftovers the day after, it had soaked in much more of the flavour including the onions and cilantro.

Of course we had to get our veggies, so we ordered the Stir-Fried Pea Shoots with garlic.  There was plenty of good wok heat going on as the pea shoots were cooked through completely while still retaining a crunch.  It wasn't overly greasy while the seasoning was just enough including the essence of garlic.  Not that this is necessarily their fault, but a few shoots were a bit old being stringy.

Our last savoury dish was the Sweet & Sour Pork Belly.   As much as this dish sometimes doesn't get the love it deserves, we nearly order every time.  This was excellent with crispy pieces of medium-sized pork.  The meat was juicy and tender.  There was just enough sauce to coat each piece and it was a touch on the sweeter side.  It possibly could've been just a tad more tart, but that didn't make or break the dish.

For dessert, we were served the daily sweet soup and also the Brown Sugar Sponge Cake.  We had this during their Dim Sum service as well and it was fantastic.  The brown sugar gave added a rich sweetness that wasn't overbearing.  Texturally, the cake was fluffy and moist.  Overall, the dinner at Chef's Choice was nearly flawless.  Food was carefully prepared and done properly.  Sure, the prices are on the higher end, but you won't go away disappointed, so it is worth it.

The Good:
- Excellently prepared food
- Attentive service
- Free parking at the back, a bit tight, but it's free!

The Bad:
- It'll cost you, but worth it IMO
- Restaurant is not big, so larger parties might be tight 

 

Miantiao

Once considered a dirty word, fusion cuisine is more of a thing these days.  For me at least, I always accepted it because some of the most iconic foods are fusion such as Vietnamese (with its French influence) and Macanese (with its Portuguese influences).  If we look at Europe, Alsatian cuisine has both German and French influences.  In North American, we have the French-influenced cuisine of Louisiana.  Of course we see Asian influences in most of the West Coast cuisine we have here in BC as well.  I could go on and on, but you get the point - without experimentation and mixing of cuisines, we won't innovate and have all the delicious food we know today.  Locally and recently,  we've already seen Say Mercy and their combo of Italian and American BBQ, now we see Italian and Chinese at Miantiao in the Shangri-La found in the former space of Market.  As part of the Kitchen Table group, Miantiao joins such Vancouver staples such as Ask for Luigi, Di Beppe, Pizza Farina and the Pourhouse.  If you ever set eyes on the menu at Miantiao, you will immediate see the influences of Chef de Cuisine, Justin Song Lee, formerly of Crowbar and Superflux.

To get a sense of the menu, we ended up going for the "Let Us Cook For You" family-style dinner for $105.00 per person (14 plates in all including dessert).  Things started off with the Oysters on the half shell with Bloody Mary mignonette.  These were actually poached and chilled so they weren't raw.  However, they were still buttery and delicate with the usual brininess (although I would've preferred them raw personally).  I found the mignonette to be tomatoey as expected, but it did have enough acidity.

Onto the next course, we had the Mouth-Watering Frog cooked in spicy self-sauce and Sichuan pepper.  I believe this is a take on Sichuan Mouth-Watering Chicken, but it lacked the heat.  The usual elements such as the ginger, garlic and Sichuan peppercorns were there though and it was still tasty.  We could've done with more spiciness.  As for the chilled frog legs, they were tender and moist and essentially was a blank canvas for the sauce. 

Moving onto some greens, we had the Chicories with sour ginger scallions, grana padano and champagne vinaigrette.  Yes, if these look like endives to you, then you are correct (same thing).  These were fresh with a bright bitterness and crispy.  We thought the dressings and scallions provided enough pop and acidity to keep our tastebuds interested.  We could've used more of the scallions as not every leaf had enough of it.

At first, I was a little apprehensive about the Beef Heart Crudo because the last time I had it was not very good.  This one was pretty solid with a combination of long pepper, preserved mustard greens, toma and walnut crunch.  As much as I noticed the tender beef heart, it was well-seasoned with the salty tang of the mustard greens and the complex hit of the long pepper.  The little nuggets of toma added texture as well as the crunch from the walnuts.

Something familiar to me was the Kohlrabi with century egg, lemon, parmigiano and crispy butter.  It reminded me of the Turnip Caesar I had at Superflux.  This was a bit different due to the type of turnip and the addition of century egg.  But really, we didn't notice it much.  There was enough lemon that the dressing was rather acidic.  We enjoy acidity, so it didn't bother us.  The crunch from the kohlrabi itself and the crispy butter provided texture.

Although it didn't look it, the Crispy Sweetbreads atop smoked tonnato was fantastic.  Tender and properly prepared, the sweetbreads retained an appealing bite.  The panko coating was super crispy and not greasy at all.  We thought the smoked tonnato was super flavourful bordering on salty (but still okay).  The tuna was a bit obscured by the intense saltiness, but it didn't stop us from enjoying the dish.

Moving onto the pasta courses, we began with the Tajarin with aged quail ragu and crispy brown butter.  Yah, this was really good with perfectly cooked fresh pasta.  It was supremely al dente and made our mouths happy.  Completely enveloping the pasta was a rich buttery ragu that sported plenty nuggets of tender quail.  There was less gaminess than I was expecting, but it still tasted great.  Again, the crunch on top added the necessary textural contrast.

Our next pasta was the Spaghettoni with lamb, pistachios, fermented black bean and mushrooms.  If we thought the tajarin was al dente, the thicker spaghettoni was even more so.  No matter, as we prefer harder al dente pasta anyways.  It was plenty flavourful from the salty black beans and mushrooms.  It wasn't salty though.  Also, we found the lamb a little lost in this despite there being enough of it.  The nuttiness of the pistachios did work in this dish.

Our last pasta, the Spicy Duck Rigatoni, was a bit of a miss for us.  So far, the fusion aspect of the meal worked more or less, but for this one, the chili oil sauce would been more effective with a Chinese noodle such as biang biang.  With the robust chewiness of the rigatoni, the sauce didn't work.  Also, the spice level and overall seasoning was too subtle to make an impact.  We didn't really notice the duck either.

Served as a large flat piece, the Beef Tongue was topped by a chive brown butter with cumin, chili and rosemary.  There was also plenty of acidity here which was fine by us.  As for the chive brown butter, this was bright, acidic and ultimately super tasty.  It helped lighten the heaviness of the beef tongue.  As much as most of the tongue was tender enough to chew, it could've been just a touch more tender, especially at the base of the tongue.  This portion was not edible and I had tried chewing it for quite awhile.

Now the dish we had been waiting for...  A Chef Justin classic - The Cabbage Bolognese!  Oh man, this is pure genius...  The tender layers of cabbage (that were not mushy) were the perfect substitute for lasagna noodles.  In between, the tender meat bolognese was flavourful and full of aroma.  As if that wasn't delicious enough, the black vinegar based sauce combined with olive oil kicked the flavour quotient up a few notches.  For us, this is the crown jewel of the menu.

Just before the desserts, we had the Stir-Fried Green Beans with crispy shallots.  This was a miss for us as the beans themselves were a little old being stringy and some parts were tough.  Secondly, they were overdone where the texture was lacking crunch and vibrancy.  On the other hand, the dish was well-seasoned and the crispy shallots were both aromatic and provided a nice crunch (much like many of the other dishes in the meal).

For dessert, we were served the Cannoli Nostra featuring a pistachio mascarpone cannoli and a lemon ricotta "spring roll" cannoli with balsamic macerated strawberries.  We found the pistachio mascarpone cannoli to be too hard in texture, but the filling was aromatic and just sweet enough.  We much preferred the spring roll cannoli which was crispy and light.  The lemon ricotta was airy and semi-sweet.

As if this wasn't enough, we had one more dessert in the Coconut Panna Cotta with lychee, sago and mango sorbet.  Texturally, the panna cotta was on point being silky and not too sweet.  The lychees and sorbet on top added the necessary complimentary sweetness and flavours to make this a refreshing dessert.  A real nice finish to a relatively uneven meal.  To be clear, we did enjoy our meal as whole, but there is much more refinement of the menu that is needed here.  I am a huge fan of Chef Justin, so I know things will be worked out, but if we looked at the 14 dishes we had, only half we would order again.  The dishes were a bit clunky and given the Downtown location in a high-end hotel, the menu seems more suited for a more casual spot in Kits or Main/Fraser Street.  For some people, I can see them misunderstanding the intentions and combinations of ingredients.  So when I've heard some people say the food "sucked", I would like to disagree and say that is a bit too harsh.  I think the food is fine and the restaurant is still in its infancy.  But if I had to judge it solely on this one visit, it has some work to do.

The Good:
- Definitely interesting food
- Plenty of acidity and textures
- That cabbage bolognese

The Bad:
- Some dishes are a bit clunky and lack refinement
- Would this restaurant be more well-situated away from Downtown?