Socrates

A long time ago, in a neighbourhood not far away...  from me..  I had tried Socrates Greek Restaurant on Hastings in Burnaby.  To be frank, I don't really have lasting memories of that meal and I couldn't tell you if it was good or bad.  Then all of a sudden, the place closed up shop and popped up further West on Hastings in an ol' pizza joint.  If you can imagine, the storefront isn't big, so it is purely takeout (save for a few tables out front).  Perfect during Covid and actually still perfect now.  Why pay for all that dining space when you can do many more covers doing take out?  Besides, Greek food travels quite well.  So yes, I ordered it for takeout one night for dinner.

Seeing how I love variety, I had to get the Greek Appy Platter with Keftedes, Kalamari, Tiropita, Spanakopita, Tzatziki, Hummus and Pita (last 3 items are not pictured).  I thought this was a fantastic deal for $35.00.  Crispy and tender, the kalamari was good especially with the fluffy tzatziki.  Both the tiropita and spanakopita featured crispy phyllo with a cheesy filling (spinach in the case of the spanakopita).  The only thing that could've been better was the keftedes as they are a bit dry.  They did taste good though with onion and spices.

Whenever I go for Greek food, there is no question I'm ordering the Roast Lamb.  The large piece of shoulder was extremely tender and well-seasoned (could definitely taste the garlic and rosemary). The meat practically fell apart on contact but still had texture when eaten.  This came with rice, potatoes, pita, taztzki and Greek salad that came in separate containers. 

Originally, we had ordered one each of the chicken and beef souvlaki.  However, something got mixed up and we ended up with 2 Beef Souvlaki dinners.  Wasn't a huge deal though as the beef was pretty darn good.  As you can see, it was nicely charred with a caramelized smokiness.  The meat itself was cooked to medium where it was tender.  It was also seasoned enough to stand on its own.  The rice underneath was a touch greasy, yet chewy and flavourful.  Potatoes were tender yet not mushy with plenty of lemon.

One of my other favourite Greek dishes is Moussaka and the one here was pretty massive, nearly taking up the entire take out container.  It featured tender layers of eggplant, zucchini and potato that tender, not mushy.  The beef was also tender and well-spiced.  We got plenty of nutmeg in every bite.  The béchamel on top was creamy without being too heavy.  This was delicious and a good value.

We know that Lasagna isn't exactly the thing to order at a Greek restaurant, but we don't mind these take out versions as we have reasonable expectations.  Besides, we could get 2 of them for $20.00.  This was a cut above the ones you find at pizza take out joints as it had some more cheese and meat in addition to sauce and noodles.  It was good for what it was with a tangy tomato sauce and plenty of cheese.  In fact, the Greek food was pretty darn solid, in large portions and well-priced.  No wonder they are so busy.  I'd order from here again.

The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Solid eats
- Large portions

The Bad:
- Only take out, so don't travel too far or it will get cold
- Wish they had an online ordering system (for more accuracy)  

Wasuta Pasta

One of the more stealth foods that I really enjoy is Japanese pasta.  I just love their interpretation of classic Italian cuisine that can be very close to the original while also being completely reworked.  There are certain places you can get this including Cafe L'Orangerie and Noah's Cafe but there is also a trail of former restaurants that have come and gone.  Now we have a new options in Wasuta Pasta hidden on River Road in Richmond.  Ophilia and I headed there for lunch to check it out.

We ended up starting with one of their daily features in the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio with parm, ailoi, caviar and toasted focaccia.  This was really good despite the fact that Wagyu can be a bit stringy if not cooked enough (fats have to be activated).  Seeing this was not A5, it wasn't that big of an issue.  It was sliced thin and was still buttery with a few chewier parts.  There was enough compliments for aromatics and flavour while the bread was crunchy albeit sliced a bit too thick.

Next, we tried the Crab Cream Croquette with a rosé sauce.  Although the exterior of the croquette was still fairly crispy, it would've been even more so if the sauce was served on the side or underneath rather than on top.  Inside, it was creamy and rich with obvious pieces of fluffy crab.  With that being said, it was more of a textural thing because the crab flavour wasn't prominent.  That wasn't really a big issue as the croquette still ate well and I would order this again.

For our pastas, we started with the Fettuccine Uni Cream with fresh scallops, basil, nori and panko.  This was pretty rich and there was the background sea-flavoured sweetness of the uni. Once mixed, the basil and nori added each of their own flavours, but not overly so due to the overall saltiness of the sauce.  The pasta was al dente and was enveloped by just enough uni cream.  I thought the most appealing part of the dish was the whole scallops (from the shell) that included the roe.  They were cooked perfectly and were sweet.

We love anchovies so it was clear we would be ordering the Spaghetti Aglio e olio with Anchovy.  In terms of texture, the spaghetti was perfectly al dente.  Although the pasta was well- seasoned, the anchovy flavour was mild.  We could've done with more intense salty-fishiness to go with the garlic and chili peppers.  Furthermore, the dish needed a bit more olive oil to keep the pasta from clumping up.  By no means was this not good, it just needs a few tweaks.

My favourite pasta of the bunch was the Fettuccine Mushroom Butter Soy.  All that you needed to know about the dish is in its name.  Butter soy is such a classic Japanese pasta and it is a good baseline for this type of restaurant.  They didn't fail as the pasta was once again al dente and there was enough moisture to keep things loose.  It was aromatic and nutty with the light saltiness from the soy.  The mushrooms naturally added an umaminess that Japanese cuisine is synonymous with.  Lastly, the garnish of umeboshi plum gave the dish an extreme hit of salty tang.  So overall, the meal was pretty good and is something a bit different in a hidden location in Richmond.

The Good:

- Something different

- Friendly staff

- Quality ingredients

The Bad:

- Kitchen ventilation not the best

Michi Craft Kitchen

Since I can remember, I've always loved chicken wings.  As a kid, it is easy to eat those drumettes and as I got older, those cheap wing nights at the pub were a University staple.  Right now, I still love wings just as much and there are so many more options.  Just look at 101 flavours at Wild Wing.  Then we also have a whole bunch of Asian style wings including the newly opened Michi Craft Kitchen with their overstuffed wings.  Jacqueline and I decided to check it out and see what these wings were about.

On that note, we got 3 versions of the Fried Michi including Cheesy Corn, Sausage Egg Yolk & Sticky Rice and Spicy Fried Rice with cheesy cheese topping (extra $2.00).  Now at $6.49 each, it almost seems like you need to win the lottery to afford them, but they are actually quite large.  Are they still worth that price?  It is subjective, but I thought they were tasty.  The breading was crunchy and the skin was fairly well-rendered.  As mentioned, there was plenty of filling.  I thought the sticky rice with sausage and egg yolk was delicious.  The cheesy corn was tasty too with sweet pops from the niblets and ooey gooey cheese.  I thought the spicy fried rice was okay, could've been spicier.

So if you wanted no breading and frying, they had Grilled Michi as well.  We ordered it with fried rice, but it came as Sausage Egg Yolk & Sticky Rice again.  Oh well, that was my favourite stuffing anyways.  This was a little less at $5.99.  I found the skin to be almost completely rendered while the chicken meat to be still moist.  As mentioned, the filling was delicious and overstuffed.  You can literally get full on a few of these alone.

But of course we didn't just get wings and went for the Spicy Fried Noodle with Beef Rib as well.  This looked impressive and I really wanted to like this, but in the end, it was pretty bland for spicy.  Furthermore, the noodles were not al dente.  I know this will sound mean, but a bowl of Mi Goreng would've been better.  With that being said, the beef rib was really good being tender, meaty and fall-off-the-bone.  

On the other hand, we really enjoyed the Omelette Rice with Tomato Beef Stew.  The star of the dish was the stew itself.  It had depth and body with plenty of meatiness as well as the richness of stewed tomatoes.  The beef itself was tender and buttery.  Although the egg was far from overdone, I would've liked it to be a bit more runny so it would remain fluffy.  This was cooked all-the-way-through.

Due to the cuteness of it, we just had to order the HK-Style Milk Tea with Bear frozen milk tea cube.  Yah, this was for the novelty of it all, but it was also decent.  This was a very milky and creamy tea.  It was only semi-sweet with adequate tea flavour.  I personally could've done with more of that.  So overall, the food was pretty good here at Michi Craft.  The overstuffed wings were fun, but maybe a bit too expensive.  However, I can understand why due to its Robson location as well as the wings being rather large.  Stay away from the noodles and be sure to have that omelette rice.  

The Good:
- Large overstuffed wings
- Cute decor
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Wings are pricey
- Noodles need more flavour

High Tea @ Jess' Restaurant

Now that I've finally started trying out the spots I didn't get a chance to visit, it was time to get to Jess' Restaurant out in Kerrisdale.  I've heard varying opinions about that place, but as usual, I have to check it out myself to make my own assessment.  Joining me on this food adventure is another fabulous foodie, Ophilia, who I met at Chef Kristian's pop-up dinner in Squamish.  The first thing that struck us when we walked into the place was its glizty Vegas-like decor and vibe -  a bit different for Kerrisdale.  We considered doing the lunch menu, but ultimately decided on the 3-Tier High Tea.

Naturally, the whole experience started with our choice of tea.  Since I enjoy fruitier and more floral teas, I went for the Marco Polo which was a black tea with a fruity and flowery taste.  Sounded exactly up my alley!  That it was and it came with a big ornate pot of hot water as well as a sachet rest on the side.  So all of the accessories were pretty, how about the food?

We started on the bottom tier of savoury items first that consisted of Salmon Gravlax Canape (house-made blini, horseradish mascarpone and deep fried capers), Egg Toast (toasted brioche, 63° egg yolk, chives and marinated ikura), and Jumbo Seared Scallop (deep fried capers, crouton and lemon zest).  This was a great start as the salmon was buttery and the blini was soft without being too delicate.  That egg toast was the bomb.  Brioche was crispy and buttery while the egg yolks had a great mouth feel and were so custardy.  Although the scallop was hardly jumbo, it was perfectly seared and caramelized.  Beautifully delicate inside and sweet.

Our next tier consisted of a Corn Cheese Financier, Butter Scone, Maple Pecan Scone, Berry Compote and Crème Fraîche.  I really enjoyed the savoury financier as there was a sweet smoky outer crust giving way to a balanced moist cheesy sweet cake.  The butter scone ate more like a biscuit (looked like one too) with a crispy buttery crust  and fluffy centre.  Not as sweet as the name would suggest, the maple pecan scone was appealingly firm on the outside with intermittent pieces of walnut.

The top tier was all the sweets sporting a Strawberry Choux, Earl Grey Mousse Cake, Salted Vanilla Macaron and Matcha Chocolate.  The strawberry choux ate as good as it looked.  Delicately crispy with semi-sweet cream, this was appealingly light.  I thought the mousse cake was excellent being airy and just sweet enough.  Good hit of earl grey without being overwhelming while the lavender was in the background.  We weren't fans of the macaron as it was a bit too large and then there was far too much filling and being overly sweet.  Texturally, it was on point though with a crispy shell and chewy interior.  Ending off things was the delicious matcha chocolate.  It was creamy and smooth with a good hit of matcha without being too bitter.  As you can see, all the treats were relatively small and quaint.  Even though that might not satisfy those with big appetites, you have to remember high tea is supposed to be delicate and not in huge portions.  The quality and execution on nearly on the items was really good, so we enjoyed it.  Now we have to see if the lunch/dinner menu stacks up.

The Good:
- Carefully prepared
- Almost everything was spot on
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- Price is par for the course, but some might not find it a good value
- Still not sure about the Vegas glitz  

Waffleland

32 Water Street in Gastown has not been the kindest location for restaurants.  The first that I visited was Mosquito and while it was good, the pricing was too high.  This gave way to Ampersand Bistro & Bar that dished up designer Dim Sum at a premium price.  I personally didn't believe this would work and ultimately, this closed as well.  Now we see the newly-opened Waffleland trying to see if 3rd times the charm.  Well, not to give away too much of what is to come in this post, I would think that unless some major changes are made, we will be seeing 4th restaurant in the near future.

We kicked things off with a couple of bevvies from the menu including the Magic Butterfly Pea Lemonade and the Pineapple Dole Whip.  Presented in an attractive shade of purple, the lemonade was rather mild and had a strange aftertaste.  We couldn't put our finger as to what it was.  As for the Dole whip, it was nothing like the real thing (probably cannot due to copyright either?).  It tasted more like Orange Julius pineapple orange.  I did witness No Name orange juice being made and no offense to the product, but it is more sour than something like Tropicana, so it was a little disappointing as an ingredient for a drink that cost $7.95.

Moving onto our first dish, we had the Waffle'd Up Chicken featuring a Liège waffle with breaded chicken fingers, with sriracha lime seasoning, green apple slices, fries and maple syrup.  This was disappointing where you can clearly tell that the chicken strips are from Costco and the fries are frozen Cavendish brand.  Nothing wrong if you were making this say, at home, but not acceptable for a restaurant charging $17.00.  Furthermore, the waffle itself was not a Liège.  It was far too fluffy without any chewiness and lacking in the pearl sugar crystals.  To be blunt, this is an insult to the customers.

Next was the Gastown Brunch (typo of "Branch" on the menu) that sported a Norwegian waffle topped with cheddar and mozza, bacon, seasoned chicken breast, arugula, tomatoes and ranch.  Okay, the good news is the waffle was pretty good being crispy and light.  The bad news was that the chicken was the precooked strips also found at Costco.  Hence, they were rubbery and lacked real chicken breast texture.  Above that, the bacon was good, yet I suspect it is the precooked Tyson strips also found at Costco.  Sigh...  Honestly, it is okay to actually attempt to cook something from scratch, especially at a restaurant...

Lastly, we had the St. Fruity Road with a Norwegian waffle topped by strawberries, bananas, chocolate sauce, roasted almonds and whipped cream.  This was the best of the bunch with the same crispy waffle and fresh fruit.  There was too much chocolate sauce on top though.  Okay, I'm sure there are those who think I'm being too harsh or mean, especially given the challenging times for restaurants.  I agree we should be more patient and more forgiving.  However, customers who spend their hard-earned money could also be struggling or had a tough time during Covid.  So they should not be subjected to subpar food as well.  If they wanted to eat Costco pre-cooked products, they could just buy it themselves and reheat.  At least Laowai (and I gave them a hard time too) makes most of their food from scratch (even if I didn't like it).  Hence, I think that Waffleland has to try a whole lot better, their existence depends on it.

The Good:
- Nice people
- Quaint spot
- Norwegian waffle was good

The Bad:
- They have to stop using pre-cooked Costco products

Brodeur's Bistro

Here is another spot I've been meaning to try for a very long time.  People have raved about it and yes, I've seen those monster Montreal Smoked Meat Sammies on social media.  So why the delay in eating there?  Well, it is in Abbotsford.  Nothing against Abby, but I'm rarely out that way.  Therefore, on our yearly trek out to Castle Fun Park, we made a pitstop at Brodeur's Bistro for some lunch.  As a bonus, they have a dedicated EV charging spot at the side of the restaurant.  Score!  I was all over that!

I was also all over the Fried Spicy Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich, because as most of you know, I'm trying the find the best one in the GVRD (although Abby doesn't really count as GVRD, oh whatever).  This came with cheddar, greens, tomato, jalapeños and extra spicy chipotle heat sauce.  This didn't look all that different but it was actually quite good.  The chicken breast was tender and moist with a crispy batter.  There was a good amount of spice and tang all wrapped up in a soft toasted bun.  At Brodeur's, one can choose one of 27 sides for your meal and for this one, I had the Seafood Chowder.  This appeared to be freshly made with a light creamy broth with chunks of barely soft veggies and just cooked seafood.

The other item that we had to order was their Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich in "Le Monster" size (16oz) on light rye bread.  Got this in their fattier cut and with hot mustard.  Sliced super thin and being buttery soft, the smoked meat tasted a bit different than all of the other ones I've had before.  Much more earthiness from the coriander and cumin.  Bread was good being soft, but still held things together.  Yes, I didn't finish this if you were wondering.

Another sandwich that contained the same meat was the Montreal Smoked Meat and Fromage featuring smoked gouda, cheddar & Cajun alfredo sauce.  Again, this merely looked like any a melt sandwich, but due to the smoked meat, there was more depth from the smoke.  Also, the smoked gouda added even more of that and creaminess as well as the alfredo.  For the side, we had the Bacon and Cheddar Smashed Potatoes.  This ate like a cross between mashed potatoes and scalloped potatoes.  It was heavy and cheesy.

Viv decided on a Quebecois classic in the Tourtière with pork, beef, mushrooms and onions.  This did not eat as heavy as it appeared.  Yes, there was a lot of meat, but it was fairly loose and tender.  The gravy on the side was flavourful without being salty.  Crust was decent with a few denser spots.  For her side, she chose the Pea Soup, which was pretty good.  It was rich, but not heavy and there was some ham served on top.

For my son, he once again went for his standby, the Beef Dip Po' Boy with beef brisket, crispy onions and horseradsih aioli.  As you can see, this was a large sandwich with a wealth of tender beef brisket.   Lots of crispy onions provided crunch and aromatics.  Bread was good being crusty, but completely soft when dunked into the au jus.  His side was the Garlic Parm Poutine and that was ok.  Cheese was completely melted, would've liked some curds to chew on.  However, that is nitpicking as most of the food was solid and in good portions at Brodeur's.  Lots of sides to choose from and something a bit different in a mashup of Quebecois/Cajun cuisine.  

The Good:
- Large portions
- Interesting items
- Free EV charging

The Bad:
- Not many lighter options available, but you don't really come here looking for that

Kinton Ramen

When all of the social media posts hit the internet awhile back about Kinton Ramen, it got me intrigued.  However, there was a major stumbling block for me to try it - it is located at UBC.  You see, I live near SFU, which is pretty far away.  I've never shied away from traveling for food, but driving for almost an hour to grab a bowl of ramen isn't the best use of my time. Once again, having time off allows for such time-wasting adventures.  So we headed off to UBC to eat ramen, oh and to visit the Beaty Museum while we were at it...

We actually took a break from the museum to grab some lunch, so we made the short walk over and grabbed a seat outside.  We ended up getting the Meal for 4 ($67.00) that included 3 appies included Chicken Karaage, Takoyaki and Fried Gyoza.  The food came out lightening fast and wasn't exactly hot.  The best of the 3 was the karaage as it was deboned drumstick.  Lots of tender and juicy meat with well-rendered skin that was crispy.  Takoyaki was a bit dense and mushy, but it tasted fine with plenty of octopus inside.  I wasn't too fond of the gyoza as they were lukewarm and a bit hard.  Filling was good though.

For my choice of ramen, I went for the Chicken Miso with soybean paste, chicken breast, nori and white onion.  I chose thin noodles and they were al dente and not clumpy.  There was actually more than the amount of broth in the bowl.  I found it quite indicative of the name as it did taste like chicken with the fermented saltiness of miso.  Not the best I've ever had, but solid especially for the price.  The 2 slices of chicken breast were not exactly juicy, but still tender nonetheless.

Viv had the Pork Spicy Garlic with chili pepper, pork, grated garlic and scallions.  Despite the addition of spice and garlic, I could still taste the base pork broth.  There was plenty of pork flavour.  I thought it could've been silkier, but it was still decent.  There was a balanced amount of spice and sharpness from the raw garlic.  The combination of fatty and lean pork allowed for contrast of textures.

My son decided on the Pork Shoyu with soy sauce, pork, garlic oil and nori.  Without the spice of the previous bowl, the pork flavour was more apparent.  With the addition of garlic oil, there was aromatics and umaminess at play.  He added an egg and it was perfectly custardy inside and well-seasoned.  Once again, there was enough al dente noodles.  A solid bowl of ramen.

For my daughter, she went for the Pork Miso with soybean paste, pork, corn, garlic oil and scallions.  This was my favourite out of the 4 where the pork broth was nicely accented by the fermented flavour of the miso.  Plenty of depth  and body in this one.  The sweet pop of the corn added sweetness.  Overall we were quite satisfied with ramen at Kinton.  Is it the best?  No, of course not.  But for the price they charge ($12.95) per bowl, it is a good bowl of ramen for a great price.  Definitely caters to their core customers - students who are studying at UBC.

The Good:
- Solid bowl of ramen
- Fair pricing
- Decent portion size

The Bad:
- Appies were not hot