Toast to Coast

It is nice to see more and more dedicated brunch spots opening up in the Lower Mainland.  For the longest time, it seemed like we only had several options that were neither chains nor hotel restaurants.  One of these newer spots is Toast to Coast out in Steveston.  Yes, it isn't the closest place for me to dine at, but hey, I travel for food!  The place is extremely small, so be sure to get there early.  Also, even if you do get there early (as we did), don't expect big spacious tables far apart from each other.  We did request a bigger table (with the promise that we would order enough food for 4 people), but were denied that opportunity.  Therefore, I only was able to get 3 dishes to fit at our table (and I didn't want to course it out either).

So we started with the Korean Eggs Benny that was served on perfectly prepared crustless toast.  Underneath the runny poached egg, there was tender and well-seasoned bulgolgi beef.  It was sweet and definitely added a Korean flavour to the dish.  The thick and rich Hollandaise was creamy with an appealing butteriness.  I would've liked a bit more acidity, but it was still fine as it was.  On the side, we found 2 hashblocks that were super crunchy.

Of course, when I saw the Eye Poppin' Good Burger (aka Chicken Burger) on the menu, I had to get it!  It featured a large piece of dark meat Korean fried chicken with coleslaw, sprouts and pickles.  This was a respectable chicken sammie with a nicely toasted soft bun and juicy fried chicken.  The batter was crunchy and well-seasoned.  The sandwich ate a bit sweet, but the coleslaw added some tang and crunch.

We also had the Waffles with powered sugar on top.  These were pretty decent with a somewhat crispy exterior giving way to a soft interior.  It was aromatic and lightly sweet.  Overall, the food at Toast to Coast was not bad, but one thing that bothered us was the price point.  The benny was $26.00 and the burger was $25.00.  I do realize that it is located in Steveston, but when their Korean Bowl is $30.00, we are talking about Downtown prices (maybe even more expensive than Downtown).  Personally, I would be happy heading down to Grillzilla Bistro on Victoria Drive for a lot less money.

The Good:
- Pretty tasty eats
- Good service
- Quaint location

The Bad:
- Expensive
- Very tight seating arrangements

Little Italy @ Match Public House (Delta)

Ever since my first visit to Match Public Eatery last year (yes, it took me that long to try it), I've liked the place.  I truly believe they have some of the best wings around and their burgers are consistently good.  However, I'm not going to talk about either of these things this time around (even though I did order them).  I was recently invited to try their Little Italy promotion that features a special menu with an appie, pastas and a dessert.  Naturally, I was here to try them all!

The featured appetizer on the Little Italy menu is the Cheesy Fried Ravoili served with house-made spicy marinara and alfredo dipping sauces.  These crunchy little pockets were tossed in garlic butter and the aroma and flavour would've been enough.  However, the dipping sauces were on point.  Balanced and not too tangy, the spicy marinara had some background sweetness as well as a kick.  The creamy alfredo had a nice aroma and cheesiness.

Off to the pastas, we tried the Garlic Shrimp Alfredo first.  This was quite good with al dente tagliatelle pasta bathed in a creamy alfredo that was further amped by the bounty of garlic butter shrimp.  Hence, there was no absence of impact from the sauce even though it was the mildest of the 4 pastas we had.  The shrimp varied in size from small to fairly large ones.  They were cold-water crunchy and buttery in texture.

Our next pasta was the Chicken Pesto Cavatappi with grilled chicken breast with pesto, oven-roasted artichokes, sundried tomatoes and pesto cream.  This was pretty rich and delicious with the herbaceousness of pesto and of course a touch nutty too.  The pasta was firmly al dente while the chicken was nicely charred.  Adding in sundried tomatoes and artichokes afforded some tanginess to break up the richness.

Onto a tomato sauce-based pasta, we tried the Pappardelle with Italian Sausage Ragu.  These slippery ribbons of pasta were also al dente, yet a bit more tender.  We didn't mind that as it had good mouth-feel.  The sausage ragu was meaty and appealingly tomatoey.  There was also a background fennel finish due to the sausage. The addition of Boursin added a cheesy creaminess to the dish.  

Our last pasta was the most typical of the bunch being Nonna's Spaghettini & Meatballs.  I actually snuck a few strands of this first so I didn't get to it last. Yes, the pasta was al dente but due to it being thin, it became softer a bit later (eat it right away!).  The San Marzano tomato sauce was balanced with a good mix of tanginess and sweetness.  Adding in a parmesan cream helped cut the tomatoness of the dish.  To my surprise, we found 8 meatballs!  Even though they were small, the meat was juicy and tender while completely flavourful.

For dessert, we had the ginormous Tiramisu Cake.  So when they say cake, they really meant it.  Instead of lady fingers, we found moist and not-too-sweet coffee soaked sponge layered with mascarpone cream.  It was purposefully sweet with mild coffee notes.  The cream wasn't too heavy where the cake was fairly light.  Overall, the Little Italy menu at Match is delicious and they mean business with legit ingredients.  Prices are reasonable and portions are healthy.

The Good:

- Well-executed dishes

- Reasonably-priced

- Well-portioned

The Bad:

- Possibly another option for appetizer and dessert?

Szechuan Delicious

Quite awhile ago, I had visited the original location of Szechuan Delicious out on #3 Road across from Richmond Centre.  I remember vividly the excellent Szechuan Boiled Fish and looked forward to having it again.  Well, I never made it back out there.  In fact, they have already relocated to the former Shanghai Morning spot right next to Claypot Hot Pot & BBQ.  Considering the high price of eating out these days, it was a complete shock to see rock-bottom prices on their menu.

Their Szechuan Boiled Fish was only $19.95 and the portion size was quite generous.  This was very good with tender slices of what I figured was ling cod in a mildly spicy oil broth.  There was a touch of smokiness accented by numbing heat of the Szechuan peppercorns.  As hot as the dried red chilis appeared, we all know they are not really that spicy.  Underneath, there was some bean sprouts, but really, this was mostly fish.

Another classic Szechuan dish is the Mouth-Watering Chicken.  Yes, that is a literal translation of the dish.  This was also quite good with tender pieces of chicken.  They used dark meat pieces with nicely gelatinized skin.  As for the mix of chili oil, black vinegar and soy, it was balanced where the spice was not overpowering where the rest of the flavours came through.  Of course there was some numbing from the peppercorns and nuttiness from the sesame seeds.

Another typical dish at any Szechuan restaurant is the Deep Fried Chicken with Dry Chili Peppers (aka Mala Chicken).  Again, do not assume this dish is super spicy due to the peppers.  There is a kick for sure, but the numbing of the peppercorns are more impactful than the dry chilis.  In this version, I found it a bit underseasoned, while the dish was a bit of earthy due to the cumin.  I found the pieces of chicken a bit dry as well (drier than usual).

We got a couple of noodle dishes starting with the Tan Tan Noodle.  So judging by the picture, this didn't look like much, but it ate a lot better than its appearance.  There was a good sauce-to-noodle ratio.  The noodle itself was al dente but soft enough to chew.  It was clumpy, but of course, after mixing it with the sauce, it was slippery.  As for the sauce, it was nutty and aromatic.  There was a medium spice level and it had enough savouriness accented by sweetness.

The other noodle dish was the Spicy Cold Noodle.  Naturally, this had a similar flavour profile to the mouth-watering chicken except we thought that there was more vinegar.  Hence, this was tangier and ate somewhat lighter due to this.  Again, there was a certain smoky chili oil background flavour to go with the savouriness and slight sweetness.  The noodles were cold enough and had a nice chew to them.

We decided to get some veggies for our last dish which was the Cabbage with Chili Peppers.  Yes, this was a humble dish, but done right.  The cabbage was cooked through, yet still had a nice crunch to it.  It was mildly seasoned where it wasn't too salty nor sweet, but some spice did come through.  Overall, the food at Szechuan Delicious is solid and shockingly low-priced.  Considering the food quality as well as the decent portion sizes, I would say this is a top choice for cheap eats in the city.

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Low prices

- Fair portion sizes

The Bad:

- Places is a bit run-down

- Note: cash only

Happy Valley Food City

We all know the location that used to house Swiss Chalet out on Lougheed Hwy in Burnaby.  It was seemingly going to be there forever until it was heading towards closure, then didn't, then actually closing late last year.  Shortly after, signs went up indicating Happy Valley would take over the spot and operate it as a hybrid restaurant with one side being Chinese BBQ/Dim Sum and the other, HK-Style Cafe.  We finally made it out to try the HK-Style Cafe portion and interestingly, the restaurant is truly sectioned as such.  You cannot sit in the BBQ section and order anything other than BBQ.  Hence, we had to wait for a spot to open up on the HK-Style Cafe side even though the BBQ section was not full.

Looking over the menu, there was one page of HK-Style Cafe favourites and on the other side, typical Cantonese dishes.  We had a mix of dishes including the classic Baked Pork Chop Rice.  They were still ironing out the kinks of a new operation, so they kept coming back to ask if our pork chop was with spaghetti or rice.  This cumulated in us getting one each of Baked Pork Chop Rice and Baked Pork Chop Spaghetti.  We sent the spaghetti away since we didn't order it.  As for the actual dish, it was disappointing.  First of all, the sauce was bland and lacking in tang and savouriness.  Secondly, the pork chop was a tad on the chewier side.  Fried rice base was okay though.

Continuing on with the basics, we also had the Baked Spaghetti Bolognese.  This featured fairly al dente noodles that were topped with a pretty typical HK-Style Cafe bolognese sauce.  For those who are unfamiliar, this version generally does not include all of the usual herbs except for possibly a bay leaf and some oregano.  You might even find some star anise and soy in this version.  Also, it would not be cooked slowly for a long time such as the Italian version.  It was rich with tender morsels of beef.  I found it to be on the sweeter side possibly due to the ample amount of onions.  Overall, this was a decent version of the dish, yet at the same time, it could've benefited from more seasoning.

Moving onto a soup noodle, my son chose the Beef Brisket Noodle with wonton-type noodles.  It was a pretty large portion where he didn't even finish all the noodles.  They were mostly al dente, but naturally got softer as it soaked in the hot broth.  About that broth, it was pretty solid with sweetness and aroma from the starch-thickened brisket stewing juices.  As for the brisket there was a decent amount of it.  The meat was generally tender and not very fatty, which meant there was a decent amount of meat.

We stuck with the Cantonese dishes and ordered the Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice.  We ended ordering the smaller meal portion size that also included a beverage.  It turned out to be still a decent amount which was enough to share.  The rice was a touch soft, but still had decent wok hei (enough to caramelize) which meant the rice was nutty and not too moist.  I wished that there was more salted fish as the rice ate a bit plain.  The lack of salt contributed to this as well.  However, there was a good amount of tender chicken and the rice was chewy enough.

To get some greens into our diet, we ordered the Pea Shoots with Garlic.  This was a good portion considering the price.  I would say the pea shoots were slightly old, but it wasn't enough to make or break the dish.  There was good wok heat where the pea shoots were cooked through, yet did not leave any moisture on the bottom of the plate.  Plenty of garlic and seasoning for impact too.

 

Since we love the dish, we got the Sweet & Sour Pork and once again, it was a huge portion for $22.00.  It consisted of large chunks of pork and the result was juicy meat that had extensive marbling.  I'm guessing they might've used pork belly here (or very fatty pieces of shoulder).  I found the batter to be just right and still had a bit of crunch left.  There was just enough sauce to cling to each piece.  It was more sweet than sour though.

Now at this point, we were practically finished our meal and we were wondering when the Singapore Noodles would arrive.   They did so before we got a chance to ask about them.  It was worth the wait though as this was one of the better dishes.  As you can see, there was enough curry to both colour the noodles as well as providing spice.  There was also enough salt and the amount of ingredients were sufficient.  Overall, we thought the food was a decent and the prices were reasonable.  They still need to work on the pork chop rice though.  Service was good despite being a bit disorganized (forgivable since they are new).

The Good:

- Decent eats

- Okay pricing

- Service was okay given the circumstances

The Bad:

- A bit disorganized at the moment

- Since it is essentially 2 restaurants in one, both have limited seating especially the Dim Sum/HK-Style Cafe

Novella Coffee Bar

To say Published on Main is on a serious heater would be an understatement.  From all their awards and accolades (including a Michelin Star), they have expanded their empire to include Bar Susu, Novella and Vignette.  I've been to Bar Susu recently and naturally, I had my sights set on their elevated coffee shop Novella.  At night from Wednesdays to Sundays, it is transformed into Vignette.  For now, I'm going to focus on Novella as I headed there for brunch recently.

Upon entering the place, my eyes were drawn to the beautiful dried flower arrangement above the main dining area.  Very pretty.   We started with a couple of drinks in the form of a Hot Latte and Mocha.  Would've preferred a different cup but these were pretty good regardless.  Some pastries that caught our eye included the Canelé and Earl Grey Cruffin.  The firm caramelized crust of the Canelé was smoky and sweet while giving way to a soft custardy centre.  This was not bad.  As for the cruffin, it was flaky and also sweet (due to the sugar on the outside) while the ample amount of earl grey curd was creamy and not too strong.

Onto the hot stuff, we started with the Farmer's Sausage Hash with spicy kewpie mayo and tobiko.  We really didn't enjoy this as the ample amount of shredded iceberg lettuce made this feel "cheap".  It almost felt like we were eating a taco salad, especially with the spicy mayo.  As for the cubes of fried sausage and potatoes, those were not pretty good, but that lettuce really ruined the whole thing.  Was it possibly they ran out of some another greens?

It got better with the French Omelette as it was prepared properly.  Tender, delicate and soft, the omelette had a creamy centre.  Fresh herbs and some gruyère added the necessary aromatics and flavour.  On the side, there was some excellent grilled sourdough that had an appealing chewiness while sporting a crunchy crust.  There was ample butter that added nuttiness and moisture.

Our last item was the Turbo Breakfast Sandwich with breakfast sausage, hash brown, fried egg.  I thought this was quite good with a thick slice of meaty and juicy sausage and melted cheese.  I thought the hash brown could've been crispier though.  The toasted bun kept everything together while being soft and airy.  Overall, the food and drinks at Novella were good, but that hash was not.  Prices were reasonable in my opinion and I can't wait to try their dinner service as Vignette.

The Good:

- Nice space

- The pastries we had were good

- Reasonably-priced in my opinion

The Bad:

- That hash cannot have shredded lettuce

Urban Thai

Way back when we used to live in Yaletown, it was rather convenient to dine out in Downtown Vancouver.  One of places we had visited on a number of occasions was Urban Thai Bistro.  They are no longer located in Yaletown and in fact, have opened up shop on Dunbar with a much smaller footprint.  I was invited to check the place out along with some other foodies.  The biggest takeaway from this meal was that the food is much improved upon the times I went in the past.

To kick things off, we were served the Chili Basil Chicken Wings.  Oh this was a great way to start the meal.  Each mid-wing was cooked beautifully with a nice lacquered exterior that was caramelized and aromatic.  Lots of sweetness and spice going on with the essence of fried basil.  Loved that the skin was properly rendered with a slight crispiness.  Beyond the skin, the meat underneath was juicy and well-marinated.

Sporting plenty of meat, the BBQ Pork Cheek Salad was probably my favourite dish of the meal.  It featured tender and fatty strips of pork cheek that exhibited the classic bounce texture.  Typically, this cut of meat can be a touch porky due to the fat content, but they were grilled enough that the fats were rendered and exhibited plenty of caramelization.  Combined with the tangy and sweet tamarind sauce, the salad ate with brightness.

Off to some noodle items, we tried the Prawn Laksa with fish balls, fried fish cake, tofu, egg, bean sprouts and egg noodles.  I thought this was quite solid with a fragrant broth that was slightly creamy and coconutty.  It did have a bit of brininess as well as enough spice for impact.  The noodles were al dente and plentiful.  The usual proteins were there and believe it or not, I appreciated the not overcooked egg (many places mess this up).

Our next noodle was the Beef Brisket Noodle Soup.  This was a comforting dish where the flavours were familiar.  The five spice broth was aromatic with licorice and meaty notes (from the brisket juices and fat).  It had the slight sweetness of daikon in the background as well.  As you can see, this was made with wide flat rice noodles, so in Cantonese, this is the classic Ngau Lam Hor Fun.  In addition to the fatty and tender brisket, there was also some beef meatballs.

Another delicious offering was the Matsaman Curry Rack of Lamb.  These meaty lamb lollipops were marinated perfectly where the meat was tender and moist.  They were seared just enough that they were cooked to medium and the outside was caramelized and slightly smoky.  The curry was sweet with only the slightest of heat.  It was a nice compliment to the mild-tasting lamb.  Served on the side was an extra amount of curry for rice.

Now if this next dish looks suspiciously like Hainanese Chicken, then you are partially correct.  This was actually Khao Mun Gai, which is the Thai version of this popular dish.  Made famous by the food stall in Portland, this one here sported the same chicken oil rice, deboned chicken and the gingery sweet soy condiment on the side.  This was a pretty generous portion (as with all of the food we had).

Probably the most visually impressive dish was the Jumbo XL Tiger Prawns with garlic sauce.  I kid you not, these prawns were the size of small lobster tails!  These were butterflied and fried expertly.  Barely cooked-through, the meat was tender, bouncy and juicy.  Aromatic with natural sweetness, the prawns were well-matched with the sweet garlic sauce that was quite impactful.  This dish was a real treat.

Lastly, we had the Pad Thai with chicken.  As stated on the menu, it is authentic and I can confirm that it was good.  The tamarind really came through with tang and sweetness.  There was good wok heat where the noodles maintained their chewy texture while still sauced but not wet.  Good caramelization and aromatics too.  This dish actually exemplified the food at Urban Thai.  It is much better than I had remembered and definitely one of the better Thai meals I've had recently, especially for the price.  I would classify Urban Thai as an affordable option considering the astronomical restaurant prices these days.  I will be back.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- On point eats

- Well-portioned

- Well-priced

The Bad:

- Dining room is considerably smaller than before, to keep your group small

Kovan

If one was looking for good and authentic Korean food in the Lower Mainland, it is usually a safe bet to hit up North Road along the Burnaby-Coquitlam border.  However, there are also random Korean restaurants strewn throughout the GVRD that are also quite good.  Now normally, I don't associate good Korean eats with the Langley, but with an invite with Jacqueline to try out Korean Korean Cuisine near Willowbrook Mall, I guess it was a good time to find out.

We got an array of dishes, but of course let's dive into the included Banchan first.  Although the selection wasn't vast, what we got was solid.  They included marinated bean sprouts, seaweed, kimchi and stewed potatoes.  I found the crunch in the sprouts to be good while properly seasoned.  Same could be said about the seaweed, but a little less texture.  Kimchi was the more sour kind, but texturally it was good.  The best item was the potatoes as they were soft but not melting.  Loved the rich sweetness.

Onto the appies, we went for one of my favs in the Bossam featuring steamed pork belly, blanched Napa cabbage, pickled daikon and kimchi radish.  This was a good portion size and there was much more pork belly than cabbage.  I found the belly to be tender with just enough fat (which was not flabby).  The cabbage was still crunchy while the radish was flavorful and spicy.

Next we had another Korean classic in the Seafood Pancake.  I've had a few of these lately, and this has to be one of the better versions.  First of all, the exterior was crispy and light while not being overly greasy.  Secondly, the inside was not doughy not dense.  Lastly, it was filled with plenty of seafood and a balancing amount of green onion (some versions have far too much onion).

Continuing on with the greatest hits, we tried the LA Galbi next.  These marinated beef short ribs were nicely grilled where there was definitely caramelization while not being burnt.  There was an intense sweetness balanced by equal parts saltiness.  I found the meat to be typical short rib tender with an appealing chewiness.  These were rather saucy, hence being moist as well.

So we had something a bit different with the next item in the Beef Intestine Hot Pot with tofu, mushrooms, veggies and tripe.  Since it was served on a butane burner, it was bubbling hot and great to cooked the included udon noodles.  Despite the intestines and tripe, I didn't find the broth gamy.  It had a nice spice and sweetness.  Considering the amount of food involved, it was very reasonable for $38.00.

Another interesting item was the Osam Bokkeum for 2.  This consisted of squid, onions, yam noodles and sprouts served on a hot plate over a butane burner.  Once we were left with scraps and sauce, it was cooked with rice and left to form a socarrat on the bottom.  Loved the spiceiness of the sauce and the squid was perfectly chewy-tender.  As for the rice at the end, it soaked up all the flavour and it had nice crunchy bits stuck to the plate.  The melted cheese on top didn't hurt either.  If this is for 2 people, you have to be pretty hungry to finish it.

We ended things off with 2 noodle dishes including the ever-so-popular Jajangmyeon.  This was a large portion of slippery al dente noodles bathed in enough black bean sauce for effect.  I found the sauce to be rich and thick with a certain meatiness accented by plenty of sweet onion flavour.  It was a good version and more food than one person could eat.

Our last dish was the Spicy Cold Noodle featuring buckwheat noodles in an ice broth with hard-boiled egg, sliced brisket and of course, spicy red pepper paste.  Again, this was solid with chewy cold noodles and when mixed with everything, there was spice, sweetness and crunch.  So as you can see, the food at Kovan is definitely legit and well-portioned.  Considering the fair prices, I feel that there is good value here, especially if you order the larger share dishes.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Good portion sizes

- Hot pot and hot plate dishes are very large and good value

The Bad:

- Would like a larger selection of banchan