Minerva's

So my first visit to Minerva's was before Ryan Reynolds proclaimed it as his favourite restaurant in the world.  Fortunately I made a reservation for my next visit also before he shouted that out!  I'm sure the place is going to be pretty busy because of it.  Not that it wasn't popular before...   The place offers up classic Greco-Roman cuisine in large portions and most important of all, it is delicious.  I'm not sure if I had tried the place out in my youth because I don't quite remember, but we did live nearby at one point, so maybe?  Well Ophilia re-introduced me to Minerva's and I am so glad she did.

Now you might laugh at a picture of a House Salad and Caesar Salad.  I mean what is so interesting about salads that are included with an entrée?  Well first of all, the ingredients were fresh and of good quality.  Look at the ripe tomato (it was like this for both visits) and the crisp leafy greens.  Also, the house dressing is just plain delicious.  It is tangy and full-flavoured with plenty of herbs.  The Caesar dressing is on point too with a good balance of impactful hits of cheese, garlic, lemon and anchovy.

For an appie, we had the very generous portion of Calamari to start and it was well-executed.  Each piece was uniformly crispy with properly seasoned batter.  The non-greasy batter was light and stayed adhered to the squid.  About that squid, it was tender with a pleasing chewiness.  On the side, the Greek yogurt tzatziki was garlicky and had the classic thick viscosity.

Now if you know me, then it would be no surprise that I decided to order the Roast Lamb Shoulder with rice pilaf and roast potatoes (pita bread too, served on the side).  I gotta say this has been one of the better versions of this dish I've had in town.  The meat was super tender and fatty which melted-in-my-mouth.  I found the marinade to be impactful with plenty hits of salt, herbs and garlic.  Even though the oven reheating char on the outside was rather aggressive, it still ate well.

Another dish I wanted to try was the Moussaka which can be made with lamb or beef.  In this case it was layers of beef, eggplant, zucchini, potatoes and of course béchamel sauce on top.  I thought it was generally quite good with lots of tender meat and equally tender veggies.  There was the usual hints of cinnamon and nutmeg as well.  One thing that could've been better was the béchamel as it was rather stiff and dry.

Of course, with restaurants of this ilk, there is a section dedicated to pizza on the menu.  For those who are familiar, the type of pizza is closer to Roman-style (but not exactly) than the thin crust neapolitan we find everywhere.  We ended up with the Meat-Tastic sporting pepperoni, ham, salami, Italian sausage and ground beef.  As you can see, the amount of toppings was generous.  This made the pizza hearty and full of flavour.  There was also enough cheese.  As for the crust, it was crispy around the edges and the bottom while soft and chewy in the middle.

Believe it or not, one of their best dishes is the Baked Spaghetti with meat sauce (can be had as vegetarian as well), mushrooms and a bucketload of cheese on top.  Now will this ever be confused with "gourmet pasta"?  No, but that is not the point of this style of pasta anyways.  This version was so comforting, meaty, tomatoey and full of ooey gooey cheese.  We loved this so much, you will see that we substituted the rice and potatoes in the following dishes.

Yep, we got a side of baked spaghetti with the Beef Souvlaki ($5.00 upcharge but totally worth it IMO).  Nothing against the rice and potatoes (they are fine after all), but the side of spaghetti makes the meal so much more hearty and interesting.  As for the beef souvlaki, it was beautifully charred on the outside and the beneficiary of a proper marinade.  The chunks of meat were super tender and for me, I like to put some of that thick garlicky tzatziki it. 

If you were really hungry, I suggest you give the Beef BBQ Ribs a try.  The picture doesn't even do this justice as the ribs were gigantic with plenty of prime rib cap still on the bone.  The meat was fatty and tender with a good amount of char.  Tangy and sweet, the ample amount of BBQ sauce was all the flavour needed.  Oh and yes, the side of spaghetti was yums as usual.  So after reading this blog post, you might be wondering why Ryan Reynolds declared Minerva's as his favourite restaurant in the world right?  Well, I believe there is some childhood nostalgia on his part as well as the comforting nature of the food.  No, it isn't the most gourmet food nor is it the most expensive food either.  It truly is about well-executed eats that won't break your wallet and is presented in generous portions.  I guess it must remind Ryan of home.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Good portions
- People who care about the business and customers

The Bad:
- Can get busy, even with reservations (and this was before Ryan's shout out)

Regal Mansion

Awhile back, the City Square location of Kirin closed up shop and was eventually replaced by another high-end Chinese restaurant in Regal Mansion.  Only a few renos were done to the place, including a gaudy mural (in my opinion) right smack dab in the middle of the restaurant.  They kept nearly everything else the same and that is a good thing as the place is spacious and classy.  Not particularly great for weddings though as half of the tables can't see anything (personal experience), but hey, I was here for Dim Sum, so that didn't matter.

We ended up getting our veggies for the meal right off the bat with the Pea Shoots with seaweed and wolfberries.  This looked a bit odd at first, but ate very much like the usual pea shoots in consomme.  Hence, it was very light where the natural flavours of the pea shoots did all the heavy lifting.  As for the pea shoots, there was still some crunch even though they were cooked through.  They were good quality being tender at the same time.

Next, the Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll was well-executed.  The rice noodle itself was thin while exhibiting an appealing elasticity.  It was still pillowy soft though.  Hidden within, we found medium-sized shrimp that were sweet and well-seasoned.  They sported a mouth-pleasing snap texture.  Served on the side (but we dumped it on the rice noodle anyways), the sweeten soy was not overwhelming.

We aren't normally super excited about the Bean Curd Skin Rolls in abalone sauce but these were absolutely on point.  Slightly chewy, yet nicely tender, the bean curd skin was fried enough so that it didn't break.  It gave way to a stuffing that consisted of veggies (mostly carrot and celery) and tender pork.  The filling wasn't too dense where it was bordering on loose, but it didn't fall apart either.  Seasoning was just enough where we could eat this without condiments.

Loved how they had 5 Haw Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings) in the bamboo steamer as we had 5 people.  Perfect!  Although they had shifted in the steamer (hence the crappy picture), the dumplings themselves were really good.  Thin and translucent, the dumpling skin was moist with a beautiful elasticity.  Inside, the shrimp filling was sweet and had a buttery snap.  It was well-seasoned being sesame oil forward.

The best deal on the Dim Sum menu in my opinion is the Pork Sparerib and Chicken Feet Claypot Rice for $8.88 (lucky number!).  This was prepared the proper way where the rice was cooked in the claypot itself over a gas stove.  Some places just stuff precooked rice into a pot and call it a day.  The result of this was that the rice was dry (in a good way), chewy and nutty.  On top, the spareribs were mostly meaty and had a good bounce texture.  Impactful garlicky black bean seasoning too.  The chicken feet were plump, a bit broken, but ultimately done right.

So this being a Cantonese Dim Sum service, I wasn't expecting much in the Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings).  It was mostly true with a fairly thick and doughy dumpling skin.  However, the filling wasn't bad being a bit loose, but with a decent amount of sweet soup.  I loved how they served them in their own individual spoons, so that we wouldn't lose any soup due to chopstick malfunction.

So they only had one version of the siu mai on the menu being the Truffle Siu Mai.  I'm not one to complain because I prefer this version anyways.  So their siu mai were comprised of mostly shrimp and maybe a bit of pork fat.  Texturally, it was akin to the ha gau where the shrimp was buttery and had a sweet snap.  There was a considerable amount of black truffle sauce on top which made its presence known.

Okay, if these Baked Hawthorne BBQ Pork Buns with sugar topping look similar to the ones from Tim Ho Wan, then you aren't completely wrong.  I found them to be quite close with a pillowy soft bun that melted in my mouth.  On top, the sugar topping was thin, yet lightly crispy and aromatic.  Inside, there was just enough BBQ pork for effect.  The sweet hawthorne glaze was balanced with a bit of tang and really complimented the soft bun.

Now for more shrimp, we also got the Shrimp Spring Rolls with cheese.  Not sure where the cheese was, but I think it was more just shrimp than anything.  About that shrimp, it was as expected like the ones found in the previous dishes - medium-sized, good snap and sweet. These rolls were actually quite large and stuffed full.  Golden brown, the wrapper was firmly crunchy and not greasy.

Our one larger dish was the Premium Soya Sauce Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with fatty beef.  This was well-portioned and generally prepared properly.  The noodles were not clumpy and still had some chewiness.  Not overly greasy, the dish exhibited decent wok hei (wok heat) and there was caramelization.  I found the beef to be tender but not all that fatty.  Seasoning was on the milder side.  One thing I didn't like was the use of red onion, it was a bit too sharp for this dish (better to use white onion).

For dessert, we got the veritable Baked Egg Tarts.  I would say these were excellent with a creamy silky centre that was sweet with a purpose.  The puff pastry tart shell was buttery and nutty.  It was crispy and light with discernible layers.  Overall, we quite enjoyed the Dim Sum at Regal Mansion.  The quality of the food was reflective of the pricing.  Service was on point and the dining space was inviting.  To top it off, there is 3 hours validated parking at City Square too.

The Good:
- Solid Dim Sum
- Decent service
- Nice space

The Bad:
- On the pricier side 

Jade Palace

I've always traveled for food, even if it meant going all the way out to Abbotsford (or even further when I go on vacay...).  However, there are many times I just want to grab something which is convenient and nearby.  That brings me to a neighbourhood Chinese restaurant that has changed many times.  I've known it to be Dragon Inn, Harbour Pacific, Wah Lun and most recently Ryan's Restaurant.  Now it has rebranded again as Jade Palace.  I've noticed that there are some of the existing staff from Ryan's, so either it is the same ownership or they kept some of the old employees.  Whatever the case, this place is close to me and we decided to check it out.

Looking over the menus, we opted for the Lobster Set Dinner that started with the Empress Chicken.  This free-range chicken was properly prepared where the skin was gelatinized and the meat itself was tender with the classic free-range chicken firmness.  I thought the seasoning was adequate while the side of ginger scallion condiment was not too salty.  I also liked the thin layer of chicken gelatin underneath the skin. 

As part of the set dinner, we were also served the Dried Scallops & Fish Maw Soup.  Typically, this consists of chicken broth that is thicken with starch.  I thought the viscosity was on point where it was thick enough to coat a spoon yet not too thick.  The silky broth was subtle and could've used more seasoning.  In small bits, the fish maw was tender with a slight chew (due to the pricing, we didn't expect super high-quality fish maw).

Next we were served the namesake of the set dinner in the Braised Lobster with noodle base.  This was a reasonably-sized lobster at around 2 lbs where it was fried properly.  The meat was still bouncy and sweet.  It was then cooked in a thicken chicken stock that was balanced with hints of sweetness.  The well-portioned noodles underneath were still chewy and not clumpy.  

So far, all of the dishes we had were fairly mild in terms of salt.  However, the Diced Beef with mixed mushrooms was aggressively seasoned where it was bordering on being too salty.  However, I enjoyed it since the beef was nicely tenderized while retaining a meaty chew.  There was good caramelization and the glaze clung onto everything perfectly.  Even with the ample amount of mushrooms, there was no excess moisture on the plate.

The last dish in the set dinner was the Yeung Chow Fried Rice.  The "wok hei" was evident here where the wok heat was powerful enough to keep the rice dry while caramelizing the flavours.  Hence, the fried rice was nutty and aromatic.  It was mildly seasoned, but then again, it went with with the flavourful diced beef.  There was enough ingredients (BBQ pork, shrimp, egg and veggies) to keep every bite interesting.

We ended up adding 3 more dishes including the classic Sweet & Sour Pork.  This one featured medium chunks of lean meat.  In fact, I'm pretty sure there were no pure fatty pieces to be found (which is a rarity these days).  The meat was tender and juicy while the batter was light.  There was just enough sauce clinging to each piece.  We felt that the sauce was on the sweeter side though and could've used more tartness.

They messed up one of the dishes, but it really wasn't a huge deal because it was close enough.  We actually ordered the fish & tofu hot pot but got the Seafood Hot Pot instead.  Essentially the same except we got squid, prawns and scallops in addition to the fish.  This was good with the seafood being properly cooked.  The fried tofu was texturally light and fluffy.  We found the sauce to be mild, but enough to season the dish.

To get our fill of veggies, we had the Gai Lan with Scallops.  This featured a bevy of really large scallops that were buttery with a slight chew.  The large stalks of gai lan were fresh with a vibrancy and crunch.  Again, this was mildly seasoned and a side of hot sauce helped liven things up.  Overall, the meal was above average and well-priced.  Portions were fair and the staff were polite and friendly.  That was a real plus because they were severely short-staffed (like many restaurants these days).

The Good:
- Above average eats
- Well-portioned and reasonably-priced
- Friendly staff

The Bad:
- Has been renovated, but carpet might need to be replaced
- Maybe a bit more seasoning (other than the beef dish)

Kathmandu Bar & Grill

Driving to work everyday, I do take notice of the restaurants on my commute.  I generally take a mental note and add them to the list of places I want to try.  Most times though, many don't seem that interesting and I never actually end up visiting them.  However, one place did catch my eye and I finally made the effort to dine there (in fact twice, to get a better idea of the menu).  The place is Kathmandu Bar & Grill on Scott Road boasting an interesting mix of Nepalese, Indo-Chinese and Western cuisine.  For those in the know, it replaced an ol' neighbourhood favourite in Kam Wah Wonton House.  

So on my first visit, we ended up trying a selection of Momos including shrimp, lamb and chicken.  We ended up with the panfried version although they could be had steamed, deep-fried, in soup, in chili sauce, tandoori, butter steamed and Mustang-style hot.  We loved these dumplings as the skin was thin with an appealing chewiness (while still being delicate).  My favourite filling was lamb where it was juicy with Earthy notes.  This was accompanied by yellow momo sauce and hot sauce.  I consider these a must order here.

We also got the Chicken Korma which was a bit different that most of the other versions I've had.  Yes, it was still cashew-based, but this one had tomatoes (that I much prefer). Even though this is generally a mild curry, there was a touch more heat as well as plenty of depth and sweetness.  The large chunks of chicken were moist and tender.  It was rich and creamy where it would've went well with a side of plain basmati rice (which we didn't order).

Instead of plain rice, we ended up with the House Special Mixed Fried Rice sporting soya sauce, mixed vegetables, chicken, egg, and prawn.  I thought this was so delicious, not only because it employed Indian spices, but the use of basmati rice created a different textural profile to the dish.  I found the fried rice ate dry (in a good way) and was not greasy at all.  There was good caramelization and the also plenty of ingredients as well.

We were curious about their take on Singaporean Noodles where if you notice, they did not use rice vermicelli as found in the Cantonese version.  In fact, the flavours were remarkably different as well.  Instead of the one note yellow curry powder of the Cantonese dish, this employed many more spices and as such, it had depth and a good level of heat.  I would eat this again gladly.

On another visit, I decided to try the Szechuan Fish.  Again, I should've ordered some plain rice to go with this, but I had another dish coming.  This was really good with large pieces of flaky fish.  As for the sauce, it was spicy (as requested) with plenty of garlickiness and tang.  This was so addictive and yes, I really wish I had a big bowl of rice to savour every drop of the sauce.

The reason I didn't get plain rice (again...) was that I wanted to try one of their Western dishes namely the Kathmandu Crispy Chicken Burger.  I would say this was a serviceable dish if one wasn't interested in the other items available on the menu.  Ingredients were fresh and the chicken patty was very crunchy.  However, it wasn't very interesting compared to the other dishes I had already tried.  In that sense, I will definitely come back, but only to eat their delicious Nepalese and Indo-Chinese food.

The Good:

- Impactful flavours

- Reasonably-priced

- Nice people

The Bad:

- Yes, I only tried one Western dish, but that is not what you come here to eat

Dae Bak Bon Ga

There was a time when "all-you-can-eat" was a thing for me.  Yes, I'll readily admit it.  Sure, I knew what good food was, but there was a time and place for gorging on average (to low) quality eats.  First of all, I had a bigger appetite then and we usually dined in larger groups.  This presented the perfect opportunity to pay one price and order as much as you wanted.  I'm far past that stage and only partake in such gluttony when it is planned by somebody else.  This was the case for one of our "guys" dinners where we ended up for AYCE Korean at Dae Bak Bon Ga on Robson.

Like usual, we were started off with an array of Banchan including stewed potatoes, spicy bean sprouts, kimchi and salad.  Although the potatoes were a bit on the greasier side, they were tender and remained intact.  That was probably because they fried them first (hence the oil) before stewing them.  They weren't too sweet which was what I prefer.  Sprouts were crunchy and properly drained of moisture.  I found the kimchi a bit lacking in depth and rather sour.

As part of AYCE Menu B, we almost got all of the meats including Chicken, Beef & Pork Bulgogi (marinated & spicy), Pork Belly (spicy & garlic) and Pork Steak (marinated & spicy).  For an AYCE spot, the meats were decent in quality and they didn't skimp with our order.  Interestingly, the marinated meats were a bit underseasoned, but then again, we had an selection of sauces at our table.

As for the actual grilling of the meats, it was a challenge.  The grill itself was only truly hot on the upper 1/2 and right in the middle (even on high setting).  So it took an hour just to cook all the meats because I had to rotate everything to ensure things were done.  Suffice to say, the charring was inconsistent and sometimes negligible.  The one positive was that it never burnt anything even if I forgot about the meat.

We also tried some of the cooked items including the Rice Balls, Jajangmyeon, Cold Noodles and Spicy Noodles.  I actually quite enjoyed the rice balls as they were well-seasoned and had a nice chewy texture.  On the other hand, I hated all of the noodle dishes.  Okay, the black bean sauce for the jajangmyeon was serviceable, but the noodles were all wrong.  Instead of chewy noodles, we got mushy ones.  Texturally it was not appealing.  That would be the same for the other 2 noodle items as well.

Fortunately, the other dishes were better.  They consisted of Sweet & Sour Dumplings, Torched Vegetable Sushi, Deep Fried Dumplings, Vegetable Pancake and Japchae.  I actually thought the torched sushi was pretty good even though there was no meat.  Rice was surprisingly well-made.  Dumplings were pretty standard, but the pancake was sad (just look at it).  It was lifeless and bland.  Japchae was okay considering there was nothing but noodles.  At least it wasn't clumpy.  I would say if you stick to the BBQ meats, the meal will be okay.  Cooked items were below average.  Only go for this AYCE if you are hungry and are not overly concerned about food quality.

The Good:
- Meats were decent
- Service was decent
- Price is okay with all things considered

The Bad:
- Cooked food was lacking
- Grill was not uniformly hot

Mr. Bro

We are all pretty familiar with Japanese Izakaya since we have a decent array of spots in the Lower Mainland.  Funny how we treat it as a meal when it is really more about the alcohol with some small plates on the side.  Whatever the case, it is a popular meal here and it is a great social thing with friends.  So that is what I was thinking when the guys wanted to grab a bite.  However, I was looking for something a bit different.  Enter Mr. Bro in Richmond and its Korean-style Izakaya.

We had quite a few dishes including the Rice Cake with Sausage Skewer.  Sure this didn't look like much compared to some of the larger dishes on the menu, but it was oh-so-satisfying.   The mini-wieners themselves were nicely grilled and juicy, yet the best part was the rice cakes.  Soft, chewy and not overly dense, these pillowy tubes were lightly sweet from the glaze.  Also, they were slightly crispy on the outside which was very appealing as it complimented the overall texture of the rice cake.

Another dish with rice cakes was the full order of Black Bean Sauce with Rice Cake.  This was indeed a large portion of the same pillowy soft rice cakes.  Of course the texture was different due to the cooking method.  They were still lightly chewy, but of course was a bit softer since they were sitting in sauce.  About that sauce, it was rather mild with only a bit of saltiness.  I thought this could've been more aggressively seasoned as the flavours did not affect the rice cakes very much.

My favourite dish of the meal had to be the Spicy Squid Soup served on a portable gas burner.  This kept everything boiling hot which activated all the wonderful flavours.  There was definitely a brininess to the broth and the spice was balanced.  I found that the spiciness announced itself without overwhelming the rest of the subtle flavours in the soup including the nice sweet finish.  Other than the broth, there was a good amount of squid, mussels and shrimp and veggies.

I guess we couldn't get away without ordering the Grilled Spareribs (as we love meat) presented on a hot cast iron plate.  The plate was sizzling as evidenced in the picture. There was a good quantity of tender slices of boneless pork rib.  They appeared to have been manually tenderized and that helped make it almost fluffy and of course easy to chew.  They had a good sear on the outside caramelizing the sweet marinade.

Majestically plated on a long plate, the Deep Fried Whole Squid was very large.  It was battered aggressively and fried until crispy.  This was cut up with scissors table side.  I found the squid to be excellent in texture where it was tender while still appealingly chewy.  Most pieces featured a crunchy breading, but some were a bit greasy and mushy.  However, that didn't really detract from the dish.

Looking pretty deep fried, the Seafood Pancake was actually rather soft and moist inside.  I didn't find it too dense nor pasty (like some versions can be like).  It was filled with a good amount of seafood and complimented only by just enough onions and veggies.  The breaded and fried exterior was mildly crunchy and not greasy, even on the bottom side.  This ate a much better than it appeared.

At first, we didn't think the Grilled Black Cod was actually fish at all.  From first glance, it looked more like pork.  Then when we cut each piece into sections, it also didn't give us black cod vibes.  So when we actually dug into the dish, it was apparent that the meat was fish.  However, it lacked the buttery flakiness that we normally associate with black cod.  It was quite possibly a little overdone, yet at the same time, it wasn't dry nor over-charred.  Whatever the case, it was still good, just not what we were expecting.

We also went for the full order of Napa Wraps with Pork Belly (aka Bossam).  Featuring a bevy of meaty pork belly, this dish was nicely prepared.   As mentioned, the pork belly was lean with only the right amount of fat.  This way, it was gelatinized and not overly fatty.  The meat was tender and had enough seasoning to stand on its own.  There was the usual spicy radish on the side as well as Napa cabbage and pickled daikon.

We ended up with 2 fried pork dishes starting with the Deep Fried Pork with Sweet & Sour Sauce.  Loved that the pork was in large uniform pieces (which meant they cooked evenly) and were lean without much fat.  With that being said, the meat was still tender and moist.  Batter on the outside was crispy and not overly greasy too.  The sauce was filled with veggies and pineapple, but was a bit flat-tasting.  It could've been sweeter and more acidic at the same time.

Sporting the same fried pork strips, the Deep Fried Pork with Marinated Beef Sauce was remarkably different in flavour than the previous dish.  Each piece was coated just enough with a glaze that was full of umaminess.  There was this sweet, meaty savoury thing going on.  For me, I much preferred this flavour over the sweet and sour.  Overall, I found the food at Mr. Bro to be decent with a some highlights.  This was the perfect place for the guys to hang out, have some drinks and eat some food.

The Good:
- Something familiar but also different
- Excellent service
- Decent eats

The Bad:
- Can get pricey depending what you order
- Parking can be a challenge