Marble House Eatery

Okay, I'm a little late to the party here with my post on Marble House Eatery...  All the hype and social media posts were on full display many months ago, but I was too busy to make it out there.  So for those who do not know, Marble House Eatery took over Top Gun Hot Pot in Crystal Mall.  They still have a reasonably-priced AYCE hot pot while also retaining Dim Sum service during the daytime.  Furthermore, they have been advertising their BBQ duck, in particular, one to takeout for a discounted price of $20.00.

So we gathered up the family, including the grandparents, to check the place out.  As such we ordered plenty of food including the Steamed Chicken Feet in sweet bean sauce.  These were fairly large in size and plump.  They were fried and then braised properly where the skin was tender while the fat/cartilage underneath was soft.  The flavour was indeed sweet, but also balanced off with enough savouriness as well as ample diced garlic.

As always, we also got the Steamed Garlic Spare Ribs with black beans.  As evidenced clearly in the picture, most pieces were the desirable bone portions.  Hence, there was very little fat and cartilage.  The meat was the right texture having a rebound with natural meatiness.  Seasoning was on point with enough saltiness for impact while the black beans and garlic came through.

So we ended up selecting 2 different Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls including shrimp and Chinese donut.  Although the rice noodle was torn with the shrimp, it was delicate, thin and soft.  It could've used a bit more elasticity, but it was fine.  The shrimp was medium-sized and were cold-water crunchy.  As for the donut, it was not really all that crispy anymore, but it was not dense.  Decent amount of dried pork floss on top.

Now onto the most important dish in any Dim Sum service, we had the Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings).  These were on the smaller side and featured a medium-thick dumpling skin.  It was full of elasticity and ate much better than it appeared.  Inside, the shrimp filling was quite good being sweet with enough seasoning (including background sesame oil).  Texturally, the shrimp had a moist snap.

The other dish that is a standard in Dim Sum is the Truffle Pork & Shrimp Siu Mai.  Well, maybe not the truffle, as it is more of recent trend, but the dumpling itself is a classic.  These were quite good where there was an equal amount of shrimp and pork.  The pork itself had a nice rebound texture while the shrimp had a buttery snap.  There was minimal amount of pork fat, yet the dumpling was still tender and juicy.  Seasoning was mild, but the ample truffle was impactful.

Normally, I would order some form of tripe, but I noticed on the menu there was a Beef Offal Hot Pot.  Yes, of course I had to get that!  This consisted of honeycomb tripe, spleen, lung, tendon and brisket with daikon.  I found this to be a bit bland, but I guess dipping the offal into hot sauce or hot oil was expected anyways.  Things were tender where the tripe still had a bite.  Brisket was a bit chewy, even though it was cooked enough.

There was no doubt we'd get the Shrimp Spring Rolls since the kids love them.  These were pretty good with a crunchy exterior that wasn't overly greasy.  Inside, the shrimp filling was in large chunks that were buttery with a snap texture.  They were seasoned well where the saltiness balanced the sweetness.  I liked how the shrimp weren't packed too tight while still not falling apart either.

One of the things here is that they cook certain dishes table side.  One of which is the Beef & Fish Congee.  So the ingredients were raw, so it did actually cook in the congee itself.  It was a little unnerving watching it because the staff were pretty busy.  I really wanted to stir it myself as it looked to be cooking quite rapidly.  In the end, they finished it off and it was not bad.  I thought the thickness was there and the seasoning was a bit light.  Fish and beef were tender.

Another item heated up table side was the Beef Brisket Noodles.  Since the items in this dish were already cooked, this was all about heating it up.  I thought this way, the noodles were a little overdone.  Soup was piping hot, but needed a bit more seasoning in my opinion.  There was ample brisket hidden underneath the noodles, but similar to the offal hot pot, I found it to be on the chewier side.

So the Salted Fish & Chicken Hot Pot Rice was also prepared on the dining room floor as well, just not at our table.  It was also on a butane burner and came out hot.  There was somewhat of a socarrat stuck to the bottom of the pot that was nutty and crunchy.  The rest of the rice was dry enough to have some nuttiness of its own.  I thought there could've been more chicken on top though.  It was tender and the salted fish added all the flavour that was needed.

One of my favourite Dim Sum dishes is the Bean Curd Skin Roll.  The one here was everything that I like about it.  First of all, the fried bean curd skin was chewy, yet tender at the same time.  Second, the filling was full of succulent and bouncy pork.  Lastly, the sauce was thick enough to adhere to the rolls (didn't get watered down by the steaming).  The flavour was just salty enough for impact.  Didn't matter though, I dipped it into Worcestershire.

Interestingly, the Beef Meatballs were in a certain shade of bright brown rather than the usual dull grey colour.  Maybe they used more dark soy?  Anyways, that didn't change the flavour much as it was still mild with a touch of sweetness.  Texturally, the meatballs were buttery soft with some firmness.  I liked how they didn't add too much green onion, so it wasn't overwhelming.

Onto dessert, we had the Egg Tarts as well as the Steamed Sponge Cake.  I found the egg tarts to be "okay".  The filling was good being silky, yet a bit too sweet.  However, the shell was a bit pale looking.  It was still flaky, but could've done with more colour.  Sponge cake was soft and fluffy while being only semi-sweet.  This was the better of the 2 desserts.  In the end, the Dim Sum was quite good with a few things that could've been better.  Service was friendly even though they were running around (probably hard to get a enough staff).  I would come back.

The Good:
- Decent Dim Sum
- Spacious seating
- Novelty of things cooked at your table

The Bad:
- Some refinement needed in particular dishes

Tableau Bar Bistro

So this isn't the first time that I have dined at Tableau Bar Bistro.  In fact, Viv has been here for brunch on many occasions (too bad she doesn't take pictures and blog about it...).  This time around, it was for my mom's birthday as she enjoys French food.  Good thing too as I've been meaning to do another post since the last time was over 10 years ago.  I've always liked Tableau because their food is solid and best of all, reasonably-priced.  So this particular blog post is actually an amalgamation of 2 separate visits done within a month of each other.  I think we tried almost everything on the menu!

So one of their most grandiose items on the menu is the Eiffel Tower consisting of 2 tiers including the Seafood Tower.  This featured Westcoast oysters, mussels escabeche, prawns, scallops, tuna rillette and snow crab legs.  We found the oysters to be shucked properly without any shell fragments.  There was a considerable amount of sweet liquor in the oysters.  Mussels were tender and briny with good acidity from the escabeche.  Large with a meaty snap, the prawns were also sweet while the snow crab legs were okay (I'm personally not a fan of snow crab legs).  Wasn't in love with the tuna rillette as it was far too salty, even when we picked out the capers.

The other tier featured a host of their other appies including the pâté, steak tartare, foie gras terrine and truffle frites.  For $20.00 more, I find this setup a fantastic value as most of the items were the same size at the a la carte order.   Really enjoyed this platter as the pâté was meaty and full of great texture.  There was a variety of natural meat flavours complimented by the aromatics of the seasoning.  We thought the tartare was excellent where the texture was buttery and tender.  Seasoning was just right where a slight background acidity kept things bright while the quail's egg added a certain silkiness.  The small piece of foie gras terrine was sinful being buttery with a big hit of sweet wine.

Now you might be wondering why I didn't make a comment about the Scallop Crudo in the seafood tower...  Well, it is because on a previous visit, I had ordered it separately.   Seemingly simple with diced apple & jalapeño, lemon and olive oil, this was so subtle and delicious.  Now if you got more of the jalapeño, it was not as mild, but for me, I kept that to a minimum to allow the sweet buttery scallops to shine.  The lemon apple added the necessary acidity to compliment the sweetness.

Something more rich was the Mushrooms on Toast featuring roasted mushrooms, Madeira jus and La Sauvagine on toasted sourdough.  Although the bread was quite stiff, it was necessary as the moisture soaked into it.  There was so much umaminess in this from the mushrooms, buttery cheese (which was earthy as well) and truffle on top.  Now the whole thing was pretty rich though and best to be shared.

To compliment the Eiffel Tower, we added the Demi Baguette with whipped onion butter.  Yes, we understood that a whole baguette might've been overkill given that we all had our mains still, but it was necessary so we could finish up the tartare, foie gras terrine and pâté.  Having some bread with these items made it more enjoyable than scooping a chunk of terrine into our mouths.  Restaurants never include enough vessels (whether it be chips, crostinis, blinis or bread) for these items.  This was a good baguette where it was crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.

So for my main, I decided to try the Corned Beef Shortrib with house sauerkraut, pickle, 1000 island dressing and a side of salad.  Essentially, this ate like a drier form of corned beef.  Not that it wasn't tender though as there were buttery elements too.  In the end, I had to use the dressing to add moisture.  Loved the sauerkraut on the side as it was crunchy and only tangy enough that it wasn't too sour.

Viv decided to go for her ol' standby being the Moules Frites featuring Totten Inlet mussels, white wine, saffron and dijon.  These medium-sized mussels yielded plump morsels inside that were buttery and full of umami brininess.  There was a fair amount of them where not one was closed.  The broth was a little on the saltier side, but was still delicious and aromatic.  Perfect for dipping the crispy frites into.

Surprisingly, my son did not go for the burger or a steak.  Rather, he had the Ragoût de Boeuf with braised beef & pork ragu, garganelli pasta, herbs and grana padano.  Although this wasn't the largest portion, it was rich and creamy.  The meat sauce was tender with plenty of body and deep meat flavours.  There was just enough of it to caress each piece of al dente pasta.  He happily ate this up, really solid.

My daughter went for the Canard featuring 2 thick slices of breast, beets, poached rhubarb and foie gras jus.  She really enjoyed the duck as it was cooked beautifully and was generally tender with natural duck flavour.  The skin could've been rendered more as it was rather flabby.  Rich and mild, the jus complimented the duck well.  The juices from the beets and rhubarb made its way into the jus adding some sweetness.

Interestingly, it was my dad who ordered Le Burger sporting a 6oz freshly made-to-order beef patty, La Sauvagine, bacon, caramelized onions, dijon and frites.  Thick and juicy, the patty was cooked to medium.  It was a bit salty, but there was no doubt of the natural meat flavours.  With a perfectly toasted brioche bun, the burger ate very well, especially with the thick cut bacon which was quite meaty.  Frites on the side were plentiful and crispy.

Predictably, my mom had the 10oz Striploin with mushroom & peppercorn jus, arugula salad and frites.  We felt the steak was more rare than the requested medium-rare, but it was still tender and plenty moist.  Maybe it could've used a more aggressive sear on the outside though.  It was lightly seasoned where the woodsy peppery jus did all the heavy lifting.  Nice addition of the arugula as it provided a peppery brightness.

On a previous visit, I had tried the Hanger Steak with arugula salad and red wine jus.  Now this was perfectly medium-rare and salted.  In my mind, this was as tender as the striploin with more natural meat flavour.  Loved the silky and glossy red wine jus where the reduced flavours were intense and full of umaminess.  Once again, the side of arugula salad added brightness and tang.  This also included a side of frites.

Probably my favourite main dish at Tableau has to be the Halibut in a lemon & caper butter beurre blanc with a spring onion tarte tartin on the side.  The fairly large piece of halibut was perfectly prepared being delicate and flaky.  This speaks to the freshness of the fish.  The beurre blanc was mildly rich with a creaminess that was balanced in terms of acidity and saltiness.  Lots of fresh parsley and dill (as well as croutons) completed the dish.

In addition to the side of frites (white truffle and parm in this case) and the spring onion tart tartin, I had also ordered the Roasted Brussels Sprouts as well.  These were still firm and dressed with sherry and bacon lardons.  I thought this was merely acceptable as the flavours were a bit flat and the sprouts could've used more charring from the roasting.  Lardons were meaty and delicious though.  As the for the tart tartin, it was creamy and naturally sweet.

Onto dessert, the best one on the menu has to be the Butterscotch Pot de Crème with Tonka bean caramel and maldon salt.  Okay, normally I'm not into butterscotch due to it being generally quite sweet.  However, this dessert was purposefully sweet while not going overboard.  This was super rich and creamy with the unmistakable deep sweetness of brown sugar.  The maldon salt only served to heighten the already strong flavours.

I wasn't really into the Banana Bread Pudding though.  Too bad really as most of the components were excellent including the brûléed sliced bananas on top.  They were just ripe enough and featured a smoky and sweet crunchy top.  The macerated raisins provided pops of sweetness, yet the actual bread pudding was dry and overly stiff.  If it had been more moist and pudding-like, this would've been a winner.

The other dessert was the largest in the Profiteroles with brown butter ice cream, pecans and bourbon maple syrup.  Now if you thought this was sweet, you are completely right.  Creamy and rich, the ice cream was nutty and aromatic.  The syrup only added more sugar to an already sweet ice cream.  Choux pastry was on point being crispy on the outside and airy on the inside.  So as you can see, we have nearly tried everything on the menu.  From this sample size, I'm confident to reiterate how solid the food here is at Tableau.  Add in good service and reasonable pricing, this is a place you can visit often.

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Reasonable pricing
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- Parking in the area can be a challenge
- It can be loud in there, but I personally love the lively atmosphere

Kook

It has been awhile since I had last visited Kook Korean BBQ.  That time was after hockey and was for lunch.  This time around, the whole family including grandparents made it out to the T&T complex out on 1st Ave and Renfrew.  I gotta say that Kook is one of the better options for Korean BBQ in Vancouver proper.  They have the largest selection of included Banchan and their overall food quality is above average.  As mentioned in my previous post about Kook, I said I would return.  Well, sandwiched between the height of the pandemic, we did.

Of course the signature thing here at Kook is their huge selection of Banchan.  Whereas you would normally receive around 4 varieties, Kook offers 15!  I'm not going to list them all here, but you can see that all the favourites are there including stewed potato, kimchi, sprouts and daikon.  All were well-prepared and delicious accompaniments to our grilled meats and rice.  Like most other places, you can get a refill of your favourites.  We did exactly that.

We ended up getting Combination C ($195.00) which was enough for 6 people.  In addition to the Banchan, house salad and rice, the meats included yangnyeom galbisal, LA galbi, pork galbi, beef bulgogi and chicken bulgogi.  Even though the platter of meat doesn't look like much in the picture, it was enough for us.  Meat quality was good and the marinade was just enough.  The highlight was the beef rib meat "finger" which was buttery and tender.

The meal also included the Soondubu Jjigae with soft tofu and beef.  This came out bubbling hot and full of ingredients.  There was the usual onion with zucchini and the usual red pepper spiciness.  Sliced thin and plentiful, the beef was tender and added some body to the soup.  I thought the broth was well-balanced in flavour while the spice and tang was just enough.  Plenty of silky and soft tofu.

Also included was the Haemul Pajeon (Seafood Scallion Pancake) that was super crispy and surprisingly only a little greasy.  Sometimes, the seafood pancake can be underdone being mushy and doughy.  This one was not that at all.  Relatively thin and full of imitation crab with only a mild amount of green onion, this ate very well.  It was not heavy and there was a little of every texture in each bite.

Lastly we had the Tangsuyuk (Sweet & Sour Pork) which came in a manageable-sized portion.  This was large enough for us without needing to doggy-bagging it.  As you can see, it was crispy and the batter was only semi-thick.  Pork was tender while the sweet and sour sauce was a little sparse, hence it wasn't as impactful as it could've been.  However, that was probably the only thing that could've been better.  Things were good, well-portioned and overall a decent value with all things considered.  I'll say it again, I'll return again shortly.

The Good:
- 15 types of Banchan
- Overall good food quality
- Combos are a decent value

The Bad:
- Worth mentioning again - parking lot of hell (narrow spaces and crazy drivers)
- A la carte can get pricey

Tap & Barrel Shipyards

Sometimes chain restaurants are given a bad rap due to their "mainstream" nature of their operation and menu.  As you already know, I am not food snob.  I appreciate all types of food whether it be a dive or a fine-dining establishment, and that includes chain restaurants.  Let's be real here too, all chain restaurants started off with either one or very few locations.  So suddenly since they expanded and they are no longer good anymore?  Well, I guess that could be true for some, but many do offer compelling eats.  One such chain is Tap & Barrel and I had no problem coming back to my favourite location - Shipyards.

We started off with the Salt & Pepper Wings with a side of buttermilk ranch dip.  This was actually a generous serving of wings that were quite crispy with well-rendered skin.  Despite not looking like it, the meat was actually not overly dry.  Now it wasn't juicy per se, but it was still moist.  There was enough salt that the wings could be eaten without the dip, yet I would've liked more black pepper.  With that being said, I did end up dipping the wings in the creamy ranch.

We couldn't forget about the awesome Famous Fried Pickles with creamy dill dip.  What makes this dish a winner is that they use breading.  The places that use a tempura batter have got it wrong as it isn't crunchy enough to stand up to the wet pickle.  So the crunchy breading was the perfect contrast here as it gave way to a juicy briny pickle.  The creamy dip added a cooling effect to the hot fried pickle.

Now, you know I would order the Southern Fried Chicken Burger with aged white cheddar, arugula, honey cayenne mayo and pickled onions.  This featured a buttermilk fried chicken thigh which was juicy and moist.  The batter was crunchy and stayed like that until the last bite.  This was a pleasant sandwich with good textures, but I found the flavours to be too mild for my own tastes.  If there was more of a kick, this would've been a winner.

Off to another handheld, we had a Tap & Barrel classic in the PB&J Burger consisting of an Angus beef patty, bacon jam, chipotle peanut butter, lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo.  Sure, other places have put peanut butter in the burgers, but I find the one here at T&B to be balanced and downright tasty.  That bacon jam provides just enough sweetness and bacon goodness to compliment the spicy and smooth peanut butter.  Such a rich burger, but oh so good.

Now we weren't done yet with the food and continued with the Hand-Stretched Local Wild Mushroom Pizza with arugula, truffle oil, mozzarella and roasted garlic cream.  I've always considered the pizza at T&B to be pretty solid.  They have changed over the years from a flatbread style to a round pizza.  This featured crispy edges and decent charring on the bottom.  Definitely nutty while the dough was nicely salted.  Lots of woodsy aromatics going on.

 

Lastly, we had the Pesto Chicken Linguine with handmade almond basil pesto, feta, grape tomatoes and garlic shallot cream.  Another winner in my books where the linguine was al dente while the rest of the ample ingredients were on point.  The tomatoes were still vibrant and in one piece being tangy.  The chicken was tender and plentiful.  Finally, the pesto cream was aromatic and flavourful.  Okay maybe it is just me, but I happen to like T&B because the food is more than acceptable while the prices are fair.  Their decor and ambiance is pretty on point too.  This is one chain restaurant that I don't mind going back over and over again.

The Good:

- Above average eats

- Love their dining space

- Fair pricing

The Bad:

- Menu is diverse (much like most chains), but can be more focused and offer more options of each item

Jollibee

Okay, I finally made it out to Vancouver's 1st location of Jollibee on Granville in Downtown.  Hey, I would've gone earlier but I'm not that committed to wait 3 hours in line for fried chicken!  Besides, I've had Jollibee before at Southcenter in the Seattle area in the past.  Besides, I'm glad I waited because there was a $30.00 gift card encouraging me to visit and post about it.  Well, to be honest, I would've went anyways and $30.00 wasn't going to get me very far since I like to over order.

That I did, with 2 family meals and one extra order of chicken.  Hence, I ended up with 3 buckets of Jolly Crispy Fried Chicken (with 6 pieces of dark meat each).  Let's start with the original fried chicken first.  The batter (a good balance of cornstarch and flour) was crunchy and stayed that way even though I had to transport this a good 20 minutes before eating it.  The chicken was juicy and tender with a slight hint of five spice.  As for the spicy chicken, it did have a real kick.  I preferred this one more than the original.  Of course, there was the requisite gravy on the side and it was thick, flavourful and creamy.

As part of the combos, we received a family pack of Jolly Spaghetti with its classic sweet sauce and hot dog wieners.  I am a fan of Asian-style spaghetti including HK-style and Japanese style.  So this was right up my alley with a sweet and tangy sauce hiding the sliced wieners, ham and ground meat.  Even though it had been sitting in the takeout container for awhile, the spaghetti was still al dente.

The other item in the combo was the Palabok Fiesta Noodles topped with pork, shrimp and sliced boiled egg.  This was briny and shrimpy as it should be, but wasn't as strong as some other versions I've had in the past.  Noodles were rather soft (softer than usual), but that might've had something to do with not eating it right away.  There was more than enough sauce to coat the noodles and it was a decent version.

To get my fill of chicken sammies, I got both the Original Chicken Sandwich and the Spicy Chicken Sandwich.  Both versions featured their toasted brioche bun which was a little on the denser side and was pleasantly sweet.  The hand-breaded chicken breast was large and rather thick.  It was coated in a crunchy batter that was flavourful and held its texture from start to finish.  I found the chicken to be tender if not a bit stiff.  I enjoyed the spicy version more due to the sriracha mayo and the sliced jalapenos.

For dessert, we had a the classic Peach Mango Pie that were fried (like the McD's used to do with their pies).  Hence, the exterior was crunchy and light while giving way to sweet mangoes and peaches.  I was only going to eat half, but devoured the whole thing.  Overall, this was not overly different than the last time I was at a Jollibee.  I was impressed with the quality of food given how busy they are currently.  I really wish I could eat it right away, but at the moment, there is no dine-in.

*A $30.00 gift card was provided for me to try the food at Jollibee, I did spent way over that though*

The Good:
- Chicken (and other items) remained crunchy even after 20 minutes
- Something a bit different including the Filipino noodles
- Love that pie

The Bad:
- A little pricier than other fried chicken spots
- No dine-in at the moment