Sushi Jin

Much like many other cuisine, Japanese can be good value and also be super expensive.  It all comes down to quality and preparation.  Places like Sushi Garden are accessible to most people and offers up everyday sushi that does the job.  However, for those looking for something more special, these include Tetsu, Masayoshi, Tojo's, Maumi, Stem, Yuwa and Miku/Minami.  I've been to them all, but I've been meaning to try Sushi Jin for quite some time.  Fortunately I made it in before they raised the price of their Omakase by $50.00

Yes, their Omakase is a wallet burning $250.00 now, but with the cost of food and operations skyrocketing, it was only is a matter of time we see increases across the board (if it hasn't happened already).  So to start things off, we were served Steamed Live Abalone (including the innards).  Preparation was simple and was only accompanied by some freshly grated wasabi and salt.  The natural flavours and sweetness was on display as well as the classic abalone texture.

One glance at the Hirame Carpaccio and it was pretty clear that the fish was high quality.  Exhibiting a beautiful sheen, the flounder was firm and sweet.  Topped with some grated ginger and dressed in ponzu and oil, the hirame was complimented but not overshadowed.  Plenty of brightness around that kept things fresh and light.

We were then presented with the Grilled Black Cod served in a sheet of nori.  The cod itself was buttery and sweet with a sake finish.  Texturally, it was perfect being barely cooked all the way through.  As for the nori, it had softened up due to the hot piece of fish.  That made it a bit difficult to eat.  However, a minor detail compared to the deliciousness of the black cod.

Somewhat of a palate cleanser, the Asari no Sumashijiru was so simple and delicate.  It consisted of a broth with scallop, squid and clam.  The flavours were subtle exhibiting the natural sweetness of the seafood.  It was clean and straightforward where the textures were buttery with a bite.

Onto the nigiri course, we had the Shima-Aji which had a fresh snap yet was still buttery in texture.  It was clean, bright and sweet.  Underneath, the rice was chewy while soft at the same time (it was on point).  Next, we had the Kanpachi which was buttery and soft.  It was sweet with an appealing fishiness.  The green onion was bright and offered a good punch.  Oh we were so spoiled by the Bluefin as it had a clean taste and was fatty in texture.  It was aged for 2 weeks, hence there was a definite seafoodiness to it (but it was delicious).  Lightly torched, the Tsubugai (Whelk) was smoky and garnished by a bit of wasabi.  It was lightly chewy with a crunch and natural sweetness.

Oh the deliciousness was only getting started as we were served the Botan Ebi with Hokkaido uni in nori.  This was so intensely sweet due to the ebi and the supremely fresh uni.  Definitely a taste of the sea as well.  The King Salmon Aburi completely melted in my mouth with a fattiness that was both a textural delight and burst of flavour (including the torched smokiness).  If we didn't get enough already, the Hokkaido Uni was such a treat.  It was served ice cold which further enhanced the bright sweetness.  It was creamy and super fresh.  Yah, things just kept getting better with the Hon Maguro no Otoro which was creamy and fatty.  All the flavour from the fat was impactful and memorable.  The salt from the caviar helped balance the sweetness with some saltiness.

What could be any better than combining all of the good stuff into one?  The Luxury Gunkan featured toro, Hokkaido uni, ikura and baby shrimp.  Yah, this was full of seafoody brightness and sweetness.  Naturally, we found layers of flavour and once again, the cold temperature was key.  The temp was equally important with the Anago as it was warm with just enough sauce.  It was soft and moist with a mild salty sweetness.  Wrapped in some crispy nori, the Negitoro Temaki was truly beautiful. The crunch from the nori gave way to fatty tuna that was accented by just enough green onion.  Before headed to dessert, we got the Tamago which was custardy and consistent texturally.  It had a mild mirin sweetness.

So for dessert, we were served the Monaka Matcha Gelato.  Love their version with a wafer shell.  Fits the seafood theme very well.  This was a light, crispy and creamy all in one.  Nice way to end a fantastic meal at Sushi Jin.  The quality of the ingredients was evident and the preparation was excellent.  Sure, it is expensive, but you won't many places with this quality of sushi.   If you have money to burn or you have a special occasion coming up, keep this place in mind.

The Good:
- High quality ingredients
- Prepared properly
- Attentive service

The Bad:
- You need to spend some green here

Siam Le Bien

In my neighbourhood, there are actually a decent amount of good Thai restaurants including Thai Cafe and an ol' favourite in Chad Thai.  However, I was really intrigued with the addition of Siam Le Bien on Hastings.  This location was some noodle place before (name escapes me) and a diner before that.  I've been to all of them and never actually returned.  Wonder if Siam Le Bien will be the one to change that trend?  I guess we will find out...

Viv and I visited the place before watching a movie at Brentwood VIP theatres (this was when the weather was better...).   We started with the Green Papaya Salad with shredded green papaya, green beans, tomatoes, roasted peanuts, fresh chili, plum sugar and lime dressing.  This was really good, especially the elevated spice level.  It helped balance the sweetness and tang.  Things were fresh and the crunch was satisfying.

Next we had the excellent Spicy Eggplant with fresh chili and garlic, bell peppers, onions and Thai basil.  There was good wok hei where the high heat caramelized the ingredients without making them soggy (while cooking them through).  Lots of natural sweetness (and added sweetness from the palm sugar) to go with the seasoning and noticeable heat.  This was texturally on point and went well with the coconut rice.

Also going well with the rice was the Chicken Green Curry with green curry paste, coconut milk, bell peppers, eggplant and Thai basil.  Again, this was another solid dish with a rich curry that had layers of flavour including that impactful level of spice.  I also got the fermented shrimp flavour at the end.  The chicken was well portioned and tender (for white meat) and the peppers were still vibrant. 

Lastly, we went for the default in the Pad Thai with prawns, tofu, egg, shallots, bean sprouts, chives and ground peanuts in tamarind sauce reduction.  The caramelization from the wok heat really showed here with chewy noodles that were not clumpy.  They were bathed in a tangy and spicy tamarind sauce that had enough sweetness to balance.  Now if you are wondering why I don't have more dishes here is because Viv did go back, but I wasn't with her.  However, I can report the food was just as good as the first time.  It won't be our last.

The Good:
- Good heat level
- Impactful flavours
- Good wok heat

The Bad:
- Super tight seating
- Smallish portion sizes  

Street Food City (2022 Dine Out Vancouver Festival)

It is nice to see that food truck pods are becoming a thing in the Lower Mainland.  However, this is still a temporary occurrence as there never seems to be any consistency.  Sometimes they only exist as part of a special event and sometimes, they just get their permits cancelled due to complaints from surrounding businesses. So let us celebrate when we have a good collection of diverse food trucks in one spot for us to enjoy.  This is the case for Dine Out Vancouver Fest with Street Food City at the Vancouver Art Gallery plaza from Jan 15th - 23rd.

I was invited to sample something from every food truck on sight including one of my favourites in Disco Cheetah.  We decided to get the KFC Rice Bowl with multigrain rice, greens, corn, edamame, pickled red cabbage, scallion, Oriental vinaigrette, Korean fried boneless chicken thigh, chili mayo and garlic mayo.  Beyond the punch provided from the mayo and various textures from the veggies, the KFC was the star for sure.  It was in large pieces, crispy and juicy.

I've also had Super Thai in the past and we decided on the Pad Thai Chicken in medium spice.  This came with wider rice noodles which afforded a chewier texture (also was prepared properly so it wasn't overdone).  In terms of flavour, there was plenty of tang from the tamarind and sweetness from the palm sugar.  This was balanced off by the good heat provided by the chili powder.  My only wish would be for some preserved turnip or radish.

Staying with South Asian cuisine, we got the Beef Rendang with coconut rice from Kampong - Taste of Malaysia.  This featured tender morsels of beef bathed in a rich gravy.  This was definitely cardamom-forward with obvious hints of star anise, cinnamon and lemongrass.  The rice underneath was aromatic and dry enough to compliment the rendang properly. Normally, when I eat this dish, I don't like it spicy, but you can request for it.

I must've had Reel Mac & Cheese a dozen times already because I seem to see them everywhere (including the PNE)!  No big deal because I do enjoy their mac & cheese.  I let them choose the Kevin Bacon to try this time because I've already had almost of the variations already.   This was the beneficiary of a 7 cheese blend and al dente macaroni.  The ample amount of meaty  bacon on top made this quite the meal.

One of the most surprising items we tried was at Mama's Fish & Chips.  Well, first of all, I've never had the pleasure of trying this particular food truck and second, the 2 pc Fish & Chips with 2 prawns added was fantastic!  Normally, fried prawns are pretty standard, but these were so buttery and cold-water crunchy while the batter was lightly crispy.  As for the fish, it was flaky and moist with the same light crispy batter (which wasn't greasy either).  The fries were crispy and the tartar sauce was balanced.

Probably the one picture that didn't do the food justice was the Arancini Trio from Mr. Arancino.  Inside the lightly crispy exterior, there was the usual aborio rice and 3 different fillings including the Mozza with mozzarella cheese; the Beef Ragu with mozzarella and the Pizza with pepperoni, veggies and mozzarella.  These featured al dente risotto with lots of inherent flavour and plenty of melted mozzarella.  I loved the pizza one the best!

Another food truck that I tried for the first time was Melt City Grilled Cheese.  When I asked which one I should try, they suggest the Meat City Melt featuring handmade meatballs with marinara, pineapple and jalapeño jack cheese on sourdough topped with shaved parmesan.  This was a beast with so much going on.  Loved the amount of melted cheese as it had impact in terms of flavour and texture.  The meatballs were indeed meaty, but tender.  Bread choice was perfect with a crunchy exterior and chewy interior.   Not sure about the pineapple, but overall the sandwich was on point.

Last but not least, we had the Connecticut Lobster Roll and Lobster Bisque from Salty's Lobster Shack.  For those who are unfamiliar, this version features butter poached lobster without any mayo or other ingredients (this had a bit of dill though).  This one here had a mixture of lobster and imitation lobster which I didn't mind as the texture was pleasing and there was plenty of buttery garlic goodness.  Bun was toasted well too.  As for the bisque, it was rich and a bit chunky.  That I also didn't mind as it was full of flavour and aromatics with chunks of lobster and bits of veggies.  This was a yummy end to some real gluttony.  Okay, I'm not suggesting you order from every truck, but I'm not stopping you either!  Go check it out if because there are some really good food trucks participating!  There will be a rotating lineup where hours are 11:00am - 2:00pm weekdays and 11:00am - 5:00pm on weekends.

*All food was complimentary for this post except the bisque*

The Good:
- Diverse lineup of food trucks
- Lots of space and outside for those who are not comfortable dining in at this time

The Bad:
- Limited tables and seating

Avishan Middle Eastern Grill

Usually, when we meet up with Nikita and Bluebeard, we head for Japanese or some other Asian cuisine (sometimes in Langley).  AI really don't mind going into Langley to meet them since I am of the opinion that good eats exist East of the Fraser River.  So this time around, I reached back into my memory of a place that Nikita had raved about - Avishan Middle Eastern Grill.  Ah yes, we've never eaten that type of cuisine together before (even though I love it personally), hence that is where we met up for eats.

I decided to order the Kashk Badmejan consisting of mashed grilled eggplant, whey sauce (kashk), sauteed onions, garlic  and mint served with Avishan’s bread.   This was pretty tasty with delicate eggplant that was flavoured by the tangy whey.  There was also the sweetness of the sauteed onions as well as the fried ones on top.  There was a background smokiness to the dip and nuttiness from the walnuts.  Loved the soft bread that came with the dip.

For myself, I went big with the Shishlik or grilled whole rack of lamb served with rice, grilled tomato and salad.  I gotta say this was prepared really well.  The lamb was medium rare being super moist and tender.  Furthermore, they were well-seasoned with enough salt, acidity and aromatics.  Even though the picture doesn't really show it, there was some char that added smokiness and depth of flavour. 

Continuing on the same theme, Bluebeard had the Lamb Shank baked slowly with garlic and onion.  As you can see in the picture, they weren't shy about keeping all of the fat from the braising juices.  Although that could be a turnoff for some people, this actually added lots of aroma and body.  The caramelized onions were the primary contributor in taste providing rich sweetness.  Fork-tender and moist, the lamb shank itself was properly prepared.

Viv decided on the boring Chicken Kebab with the same accompaniments.  Turns out that it was not the greatest decision as it was the least flavourful of the bunch.  It wasn't necessarily the seasoning either.  It is that chicken can just be somewhat of a blank slate.  But it was grilled nicely with a beautiful golden char.  The white meat was neither juicy nor dry.  So it was fine.

Nikita one-upped Viv and got the Bakhtiari sporting not only the chicken kebab, but also a lamb tenderloin kebab as well.  Due to the leanness of the lamb, it wasn't as moist as the other cuts of lamb we had.  She remarked that the shank or my rack of lamb would've been a better choice.  Despite this, the bulk of the food was prepared well and delicious.  The people there are also nice and inviting.  Definitely an option in that part of Langley.

The Good:
- Well-prepared proteins
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Have to be patient, family-restaurant, things will take time

Modern Pantry (West Vancouver)

As much as I travel for food (as far as Chilliwack), it isn't often I venture into West Vancouver.  I think the last time I was here, it was at Terroir Kitchen with Mijune.  So it was a bit ironic that the first place I hit up in West Van since then was at the Modern Pantry.  Fate would have it, this was the former location of Terroir Kitchen (La Regalade before that) and guess who was with me?  This is actually the 2nd location of the Modern Pantry as their original location is in North Vancouver.

We started off with the Grain Bowl which was both vegan and gluten free.  it consisted of marinated chickpeas with turmeric and cumin, rosemary pickled onions, roasted yams, kale and maple tahini dressing.   That was good, but the Hearty Salad won me over, with feta marinated in honey, oregano, fennel and chili flakes, kale, roasted yams, pumpkin seeds, cabbage and mushrooms.  There was a bevy of textures and flavours (including tang, spice, salt and sweetness) that kept me wanting to eat more.

Grand in size, the Quiche featured sweet potato and feta on whole wheat laminated pastry.  This was very light, eggy and airy.  For some, I could see that it wouldn't be firm enough, but for me, it was good.  It was easy to eat and the texture was consistent throughout.  Naturally, it was sweet due to the ingredients with a touch of cheesiness.  Loved the pastry as it was flaky and crispy, even on the bottom.

Hands down, the best savoury item was the Grilled Cheese.  Now it wasn't prepared in the classic manner where the bread was slathered in butter and cooked in a pan or flattop.  Rather, it was toasted house made sourdough sandwiching  aged white cheddar and spicy tomato jam.  This meant the bread was soft, warm and slightly chewy.  Inside, the cheese was sharp and that tomato jam had a kick as well as sweet tang.  Delicious!

A surprising item was the Veggie Sandwich featuring sourdough focaccia, roasted sweet potatoes and red peppers, caramelized onion feta spread and fresh dill.  If you know me, I love my meat, but hey, this sammie was packed full of flavour and texture.  There was considerable sweetness to the sandwich accented by the cheese and dill.  Loved the focaccia as it was crispy in parts, soft and slightly chewy in others.

One of the most visually-appealing items in the display case was the Breakfast Sandwich consisting of bread made with brioche dough with spinach, cheddar and onion.  Inside, there was sambal mayo, soft-boiled egg and cheddar.  Loved the egg, it looked inviting and it ate with a custardy centre.  Bread was tasty with plenty of inherent flavour but was a bit firm.  Mayo and cheese complimented the egg well and it was a nice little bite.

Off to the Sweets portion of the tasting, we had a bevy of delicious items including the Northshore Cookie with coffee, pretzels, chocolate, coconut, granola and sea salt.  This was pretty crunch, especially the edges.  Lots of flavours and with the addition of salt, it further heightened everything else.  Apparently, the Brownie has been 10-years in the making since Kendall (the owner operator) has been perfecting it for that long.  Well, it was chocolatey, chewy and consistent in texture throughout.  Good brownie!  We were truly impressed with the Gluten-Free Burnt Lemon Cake as it was blessed with lemon and cardamom drizzled with white chocolate orange syrup.  This was essentially a financier with hits of tang and sweetness.  On the same plate, there was a Apple Oat Coffee Cake with fresh and dried apples within an almond streusel.  The cake itself was fluffy and just sweet enough.  On top, the crunch and sweetness from the almond streusel was a delicious textural contrast.  Also fluffy, the Vegan Coconut Loaf was not all dense (especially being vegan).  It was aromatic and again, purposefully sweet.  Although the Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie would be an appropriate name, they are actually nicknamed "Kendall Cookies" because the kids of returning customers would ask for them by that name.  I understand why because they were a bit crispy on the edges but soft and chewy in the middle.  There was a nuttiness from the butter and of course sweetness from the chocolate chunks.  Now the best of these was the Pear Danish with lemon cream cheese.  The laminated pastry couldn't have been any more on point.  So crispy and light with defined layers.  It was of course buttery and the lemon cream cheese was tang and smooth.  Tender pears on top were the proverbial icing on the cake.  I highly recommend this item.  Well, I would actually recommend almost everything because it is obvious that Kendall puts her heart into the food and overall feel of the place.  If you happen to be on the North Shore, I suggest you check it out.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Carefully crafted food
- Owner that is passionate and cares
- Welcoming space

The Bad:
- It is a small space though

Land & Sea

Honestly, I do not know why it has taken me so long to post this visit to Land & Sea.  I literally went when it first opened, but got busy and neglected a bunch of posts that should've been written.  For those who don't already know, Land & Sea is the latest spot opened up by industry veteran Kevin Lin with Steph Wan at the front-of-the-house.  The place features a menu heavily influenced by Asian flavours and ingredients.  Even before I visited the place, there was heavy social media buzz, especially with several of their signature dishes.

Before I got to those dishes, we were served an Amuse Bouche consisting of a nori chip topped with 48 hour veal cheek, miso mojo, tobiko and tear drop sweet pepper.  This little bite sure packed a flavour and textural punch.  From the crunch of the nori chip to the melt-in-my-mouth richness of the fatty veal cheek, there was a lot going on.  Not to mention the umaminess from the nori and miso as well as the saltiness to go with the sweet pop of the pepper.

Seemingly on the same wavelength, the Shiso Wrap with satsuma A5 wagyu, hokkaido uni and ikura was on a whole other level compared to the amuse bouche.  Put all of the most expensive and luxurious ingredients at hand onto a shiso leaf and see what we get.  Well, it wasn't random because the fatty meatiness of the wagyu was further accentuated by the creamy and sweet uni.  Add in the pops of the sea from ikura and the herbaceousness of the shiso and there was plenty of good going on in this one bite.

From there, we headed over to something that is no longer on the current menu.  These were the Aburi Pink Scallops with seaweed and shirataki noodles, ikura and tear drop peppers.  Too bad it isn't offered anymore because it was pretty solid.  The shells themselves were pretty and the scallops were sweet and buttery.  I enjoy them in the shell because the contrast of the mantle to the scallop meat in terms of texture works for me.

Okay, here we are with the most IG'd plate from Land & Sea - Ora King Salmon Soba that is flame finished and served atop green tea soba salad with creamy sesame ponzu, yuzu tobiko and ikura on top.  Very pretty plate where the salmon was super buttery and literally required no chewing.  It would just melt, but wasn't mushy.  It was naturally sweet and the fish oils were luxurious.  Underneath, the soba was cooked right and the sesame dressing went well with the dish.

So what could be better than dining on delicious and well-prepared ora king salmon?  Having the chef send out Grilled Ora King Salmon Kama as a bonus!  This was simply grilled and served with grated oroshi and ponzu.  This was a very simple dish, but with such a beautiful ingredient, there wasn't much that needed to be done than cook it right.  That it was and the butteriness of the collar was fantastic.  Even more delicious fattiness here combined with natural sea flavours.

Up next was another dish sent out by the chef in the Grilled Belgian Endive with hand-peeled shrimp, tobiko, miso Caesar dressing, parmesan and uni.  This is where you can see Japanese-influences even more so than the ora king salmon.  The flavours were bold, but in my mind worked.  The sweetness of the shrimp and uni paired well with the bitterness of the endive.  The fermented saltiness of the miso gave a different slant than the traditional anchovies in the Caesar dressing.  The crunch from the endive broke up the softness of the other ingredients.

Now a dish that had Chinese influences in the Vongole XO with chitarra, Fanny Bay clams, sake, garlic butter, house made baby clam XO and micro cilantro.  Overall, the dish was a hit with al dente chitarra and a sauce that did capture the qualities of XO without tasting completely like it.  There was a nice seafoodiness and brininess from the XO as well as the clams.  The garlic butter and sake were also there but took a backseat to the brininess.  I could've done without the micro cilanto though as it seem to detract from the beautiful flavours.

We had to get our requisite side of veggies to balance off the gluttony (so we could feel a little bit better about ourselves...).  The choice was to order the Broccolini with spicy gomae sauce.  Another simple dish, but executed well.  Broccolini was prepared right being vibrant and crunchy while wilted and charred.  Spicy gomae made this taste somewhat like the spinach version but a lot crunchier and with a kick. 

Onto an off-menu item, we had the Mentaiko Waffle Fries.  So yes, these were essentially crunchy waffle fries topped with kewpie mayo and a whole lot of mentaiko.  Another seemingly simple dish, but fun to eat.  This captured the essence of Japanese flavours with a very North American base ingredient.  I'd gladly eat this again.

The most expensive item we ordered was the Snake River Farms Wagyu with gold label 6oz striploin, shiso, daikon oroshi and sesame garlic jus.  In terms of the meat, it was worth every penny as it was prepared properly and the intense marbling meant that it was buttery soft with serious beef flavour as a result.  I found the sauce to be a competent compliment to the steak but it was a bit syrupy and sweet.  Something a bit lighter might've highlighted the meat more.  However, they have already changed this to a miso peppercorn sauce.  I'm sure this would work better in this dish.

We were ending the savoury items with a bang in the miso glazed Gindara Sablefish with egg tofu, tomato dashi, baby shiitakes, cherry tomatoes, broccolini and tobiko.  Other than the ora king salmon, this was the other favourite dish.  As much as sablefish is forgiving to prepare, this was done expertly where it was fully cooked but still buttery and flaky.  The glaze was impactful yet didn't overwhelm the fish. Loved the dashi as it was full-flavoured without being salty.  This really highlighted the delicate fish while still providing enough seasoning.

There are only 2 desserts on the menu and the one I liked best was the Strawberry Lemon Panna Cotta with white chocolate namelaka, strawberry shiso compote and salted lemon crumble.  Naturally, I'm drawn to fruity desserts and this was right up my alley.  The panna cotta was light and semi-sweet.  Strawberries were sweet and tangy with shiso (subbing for what is usually mint or basil).  Lemon crumble added tang and some texture.

So this dessert is also no longer on the menu, but we quite enjoyed it.  The Earl Grey Tiramisu consisted of vanilla cream, earl grey shortbread, espresso kahlua jelly and orange coulis.  This really captured the essence of a tiramisu, yet at the same time incorporated earl grey flavour.  The addition of the jelly provided the coffee punch while the coulis added acidity.   Overall, the food at Land & Sea was well-prepared with often bold flavours.  Some ingredients were repeated a few times, yet at the same time, the bottom line is that the food is worth returning to.

The Good:

- Proteins were spot on

- Fusion that works

- Unique

The Bad:

- Some repetitive ingredients

- Price point puts it amongst some of the best in town