Pause V

Arriving late into Quebec City meant we had really no choice in rental cars.  We were saddled with a Chrysler Pacifica, which would've been awesome if we brought the kids, alas we did not.  That infortainment unit must be the crappiest I've ever experienced.  It kept crashing and messing up my navigation!  Hence we took a little while to get to our hotel in Downtown and once we got settled, there were limited options in terms of late night eats.  We did stumble upon one a block away from our hotel in Pause V.

For Elaine and Costanza, they were in the mood for some Poutine Brune and as such got the classic in medium.  They weren't shy on loading up the legit cheese curds atop fresh cut fries.  Once melted from the delicious gravy, it was an ooey gooey experience.  Those fries were perfect with a crispy exterior giving way to plenty potato texture inside.  About that gravy, it was flavourful to the point of salty but not being salty.  

As you can see, they also had some Cheeseburgers and they were also fantastic.  They looked rather unassuming, but the bun was nicely toasted being soft, but robust enough to keep things intact.  The burger patty was meaty with natural textures.  It had been grilled up with some smokiness and had good flavour.  The only added ingredient was some shredded lettuce and burger sauce.  Basic but good.

Viv wanted something more than basic and ended up with the Country Burger with all of the same things as the cheeseburger except with the addition of a slice of grilled ham and fried onions.  So was this any better than the basic cheeseburger (that costs less)?  No not really.  I mean the ham added more flavour and the onions were sweet and caramelized.  But the basic cheeseburger was king.

So we also got a Shawarma Mixt with both beef and chicken.  In actuality, the beef was chopped up burger patty (which wasn't a bad thing).  This combined with pickles, lettuce, garlic and kebab sauce in a grilled pitta was quite filling and rather tasty.  There was the meatiness of the beef and chicken that was complimented by the sauces and then the burst of tanginess from the pickles brought things alive.  The grilled pita was crispy adding texture and also keeping things intact.

Lastly, I added the Poutine Steak Haché for good measure.  Yes, it was essentially the same classic poutine brune, but with chopped-up burger patty on top.  Therefore, the burger meat made this more fulfilling and robust.  I loved this poutine so much, I came back the next night to get one to go!  Overall, Pause V was a surprise find when we were desperate for food.  It fit the bill and more so.  I would come back the next time I'm in Quebec City!

The Good:
- Solid eats including the burgers and poutine
- Inexpensive
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Basic things are good, don't need to go beyond that, it isn't better  

Dirty Apron (YVR Domestic Departures)

You might be wondering why the heck I'm posting about something located in the domestic departures at YVR...  Well, let me tell you this - food is a necessity when you are waiting for your flight and sometimes it is a life-saver if there is a delay.  Also, I've had my fair share of bad food at YVR including that awful Banh Shop in the US departures.  So when we had something fairly delicious at The Dirty Apron this time around, I had to blog about it!

So we were traveling to Quebec City with Elaine and Costanza and ended up grabbing 4 sandwiches.  The first was the Roast Beef with chimichurri, roma tomatoes, tomato aioli and arugula.  I thought this was the most pedestrian of the choices we had.  The beef was tender but not particularly meaty in texture.  I liked the aioli as it was creamy and had a real tomato flavour.  I thought the bread was a touch on the heavier side, but manageable.

Something that looked really familiar if you've ever been to Finch's is the Prosciutto, Fig and Brie.  In addition to the ingredients already listed, we also found balsamic onions, arugula and balsamic glaze.  The combination of ingredients lends itself to layers of taste.  You have the salty meatiness of the prosciutto balanced off by the sweetness of the sliced figs.  Yet, the creaminess of the brie brings everything down a notch while the balsamic affords some sweet tanginess.  Good combo.

For myself, I had to get the Cuban Ham (or their version of a Cubano) with BBQ pulled pork, honey ham, Swiss, pickles, yellow mustard and chipotle aioli.  This was rather messy and cheesy, but that was the whole point of the sandwich.  Lots of meatiness from the tender pulled pork and salty ham.  The pickles gave a nice tangy kick while the mustard did some of the same.  There was also a background spice.

The best sandwich, according to all of us, was shockingly the Roast Chicken with shaved parm, tomatoes, arugula and chipotle aioli. Due to the big chunks of roast chicken breast, this sandwich also weighed the most.  It ate hearty with tender bites of chicken with the tanginess of the tomatoes and the salty nuttiness of the parm.  Ultimately the sandwiches at The Dirty Apron at YVR were a decent option at the airport.  Prices range from approximately $17.00 - $19.00, which is actually reasonable considering we are kept captive in post-security area.  Much better than the Banh Shop in the US departures. Just remember (and this is really important!), get a freshly made and toasted sandwich.  Not one of those premade one sitting in the refrigerated display.  Those are gross.

The Good:
- Sandwiches actually taste good and have enough filling
- Reasonably-priced with all things considered

The Bad:
- Bread is a bit dense
- Only in the domestic departures  

Birdies Eats & Drinks

When they announced there would be a new location of Earls at The Amazing Brentwood, it was a forgone conclusion that the one on Lougheed would be closing shortly afterwards.  That it did and they rebranded the location into Birdies (still run by the same company).  They totally redid the outside and interior to reflect its California-inspired cuisine.  The place is now much brighter in terms of lighting as well as the colour-scheme.  I recently made a rez and visited the place with the fam.

One thing is for sure, they really pump the music on loud, so the place has an energetic vibe.  Actually, the Baja Calamari seemed quite energetic with all the colours thanks to some snap peas, cherry tomatoes, avocado and pickled onions.  These were fresh and those tomatoes were quite flavourful.  As for the calamari, we found the pieces to be extremely light and airy.  The batter was crispy and properly-seasoned.  I thought the kale aioli was creamy and pleasant, but I would've preferred something more acidic (even though we did have a lemon wedge too).

Onto one of our favourite dishes, the Yuzu Black Pepper Wings were flavourful and succulent.  Normally, most wings at non-Asian spots are never really all that juicy, but these were.  Furthermore, the balance between pepper and tangy yuzu was spot on as we got a bit of pepperiness while the yuzu helped lighten things up.  Although the skin wasn't totally rendered, it was so flavourful, I didn't mind eating it.

We shared one more item in the Bee Sting Pizza with soppressata, spicy capocollo, fresh basil, red peppers and hot honey.  This was pretty good with a thin crust that was uniformly crispy throughout.  There was a low rumble of spice that lingered a bit at the end.  The drizzle of honey helped balance things off while the peppers and tomato offered up tang and sweetness.  I did wish there was more meat on the pizza though.

For her main, my daughter decided on the Saffron Spaghettini with a light cream sauce, prawns, grana padano and fresh basil.  We thought this was solid with firmly al dente pasta and buttery prawns that had a sweet snap texture.  As for the sauce, it was definitely creamy and had a noticeable amount of saffron.  Hence it was aromatic and appealing.  However, there could've been a bit more of it since the dish ate a bit dry.  Also, the basil should've been in smaller strands, not big leaves.

My son wasn't into anything on the rest of the menu, so he went for an appie for his main in the Crispy Birria Tacos.  As with any birria tacos, the tortilla was dipped into the braised short rib liquid and fat, then cooked on the flattop.  They also added cheddar on the outside and seared it up until it was crispy.  Hence this ate quite heavy and plenty sinful.  He didn't even dip the tacos into the braising liquid since the tacos had so much flavour and moisture already.  I dipped it and the shallots added a lot to the meatiness of the liquid.  There was plenty of shortrib inside the tacos and it was more or less tender.

Viv didn't get anything big and went for the West Coast Salad with avocado, bacon, apples, romaine, cherry tomatoes, kale, nut & seed blend, grana padano and white balsamic & avocado dressing.  Okay, the salad itself was good where the freshness of the ingredients was evident.  Bacon and the cheese added the necessary saltiness and body while the dressing had enough balancing acidity to keep things light.  Really didn't think they needed to put that many croutons, but they were crispy and light.

My dad went for his standby being the only fish dish in the Lemon Herb Salmon.  This featured an oven-roasted fillet that was flaky and moist.  It sat atop rice and roasted Brussels sprouts.  I really liked the sprouts as they were still firm but cooked all-the-way-through.  There was some smoky charring and they were well-seasoned.  The lemon parsley glaze was mild and subtle.  It could've used a bit more punch.

My mom also had her usual in the steak, specifically the Salsa Verde Steak.  She asked for it to be prepared medium-rare but closer to rare.  Well, it was perfectly executed.  Hence it was juicy and generally tender (with a few chewy parts).  The steak could've used a bit more seasoning though.  As for the tomatillo salsa verde, it was actually rather mild and I would've liked to see more flavour.  There was a seared potato pavé underneath it was good -  buttery with tender layers of potato.  

For myself, I had the Birdies Burger with double patty, tomato jam, smoked bacon, American cheddar, lettuce, onion and pickles on toasted brioche.  I generally enjoyed this burger since the bun was soft, yet stayed intact while the bacon was uniformly crispy.  The burger patties were a decent size and were moist and tender.  However, I found the patties to be crumbly and lacking a bit of meat texture.  Despite this, the burger was still good.  It also came with a whack load of crispy fries.

For dessert, we decided to give their Key Lime Bar a go.  This was a fairly large portion where the strong tanginess of key limes really came through.  The bar itself was rich and creamy while quite sweet.  Graham crust was firm while the Chantilly cream was light.  Overall, the food at Birdies was generally good with a few tweaks needed.  The place has a youthful presence with bright colours and loud music.

The Good:
- A lot brighter and "open" than the old Earl's
- Decent eats
- Energetic vibe, if you like that

The Bad:
- I love loud music and I play it loud in my car and at home. However, it was so loud at Birdies, it was hard to have a convo

 

Aloha Hawaiian Grill

Oh how I miss Hawaii!  Totally love the weather there, the beaches and of course, the food!  Such an eclectic fusion of cuisines due to the many different cultures intermixing on the islands.  Although we have Hawaiian eats available on the mainland, there isn't much of a selection locally unless you are looking for poke.  Even with that, you get a mish mash of what is supposed to be poke, but sometimes you end up with fish salad.  So when Nora tipped me off a Aloha Hawaiian Grill in Steveston, I just knew I had to meet up with her to try it out!

We were lucky to get there at opening since it was pretty busy by the time it hit Noon. So we had to get some classics including the Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp on rice with a side of mac salad and corn.  This was not bad with plenty of garlickiness and butter.  I would've liked to see a bit more salt, but it was enough to season the shrimp.  About that shrimp, they were of a decent size and plump.  Good buttery snap and natural briny aroma.  Rice underneath was chewy and dry (in a good way).

We also got the Luau Pork Ribs with the same sides.  These slow-cooked ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender but at the same time, they didn't exactly fall-off-the-bone upon contact.  Hence, this was the perfect balance between being tender while not being mushy.  These were sweet and a bit smoky from char off the grill.  I found the mac salad to be decent with al dente noodles and not too much mayo.  It could've used a bit more seasoning though.

Our last big plate was the Loco Moco featuring the usual beef patty with brown gravy and a fried egg on rice.  I quite liked this as the beef patty was large and thick.  It was moist with tender beef and benefited from the sweetness of the onions.  It had been seared nicely and exhibited good caramelization.  The gravy was flavourful but not salty.  The mushrooms added some body and umaminess.  Once again, the dry rice was perfect for accepting the gravy.

Of course couldn't forget about the ever popular Spam Musubi right?  We got a couple of these and right off the bat, I liked how the spam-to-rice ratio was almost 50:50.  Furthermore, the rice was mixed with furikake which meant extra umaminess.  Like it should be, the spam was teriyaki-sauce glazed  which helped also flavour the rice.  I would've liked to see a more aggressive sear on the spam though.  Otherwise, this was a solid version.

We ended off with a small bowl of Shaved Ice in Mango, Cherry and Passionfruit topped with some condensed milk.  I found the shaved ice to be rather snowy and light.  Hence it was easy to eat and not "icy" if that makes any sense.  The flavours could've been anything because it all just tasted sweet to me.  Just enough condensed milk so that the whole thing wasn't sickingly sweet.  Overall, I thought the food at Aloha was pretty good for the mainland.  I still miss the stuff in Hawaii though, but flying there will cost me, so not really fair to compare.

The Good:

- Generally good eats

- Nice people

- Wonderful location

The Bad:

- Garlic shrimp could be more flavourful

- Parking in the village sucks

New Mandarin

Here I am again at New Mandarin with my usual bunch of foodie friends.  Yep, it was another invite to try out their solid dim sum service.  They do incorporate some creativity into their dishes and when I was doing the whimsical piece for Openroad Magazine, I did feature some of their cute desserts.  I've actually been back to New Mandarin several times with my family and others since I enjoying eating there.  In fact, even before I been coming here for invites, I was regularly coming here (on my own coin) for dim sum!

So yes, it didn't take much arm-twisting to get me to go!  Let's get right to the most important dish in the Ha Gau (Steamed Prawn Dumpling).  These were textbook with medium-thick dumpling skin that was delicate with a good elasticity.  The shrimp filling was mostly whole pieces that had a good bounce texture that was moist and well-seasoned.  Along the same lines, we also had their signature Wasabi Scallop & Shrimp Dumplings that featured a bright green dumpling skin that was a bit firmer than the regular version.  The background bitter spice came through and offered up something different.  In terms of the filling, the scallops did add some sweetness, but the overall texture was similar to the regular Ha Gau.

Onto the two versions of their Siu Mai including the Steamed Black Truffle Siu Mai as well as the Quail's Egg Sui Mai.  Comprised mostly of whole shrimp, both siu mai were fairly light and featured a buttery rebound texture.  They were steamed just enough so nothing was overcooked.  Seasoning was on point where we had savoury and sweet notes, but nothing overpowering.  The dab of truffle sauce was restrained so that it didn't take over the dish.  As for the quail's egg siu mai, the egg inside added some creaminess from the yolk.

So we actually had one more version of Siu Mai in the form of Steamed Dace Fish Siu Mai.  This ate considerably different from the shrimp and pork version.  This still exhibited a bounce texture due to the airy fish paste, but it was firmer and more uniform.  It was sweet with mild seasoning.  The Shrimp & Pork Dumpling in Spicy Sauce were not mild at all with an immediate hit of heat, saltiness and sweetness.  The heat lingered and was quite pleasing.  The dumplings were large with a juicy pork filling.

Another one of their signature Dim Sum items is the Steamed Hot & Sour Soup Dumplings.  Yes, they are similar to the ones found at Mott 32, but for way less money.  That doesn't mean they are any less in terms of execution though.  They featured a fairly thin dumpling skin that was delicate with a bit of chew.  Inside, the pork was tender and moist with plenty of soup.  It was balanced in terms of spiciness and tanginess.

So we had 3 types of Siu Mai, therefore it was no surprise we had 3 types of Ha Gau including the Crispy Shrimp Dumplings with some mayo in the middle.  Even though the shrimp filling was the same as the others, it was a bit different due to the cooking method.  It was more robust and impactful due to the oils and activation of flavours.  The dumpling skin was fairly light and had an airy crunch.

Keeping with the deep-fried stuff, we had the Deep Fried Shrimp Paste Stuffed Egg Tofu.  Personally, I love egg tofu since it is so silky and lightly sweet.  Cooking with it can be a real challenge since it falls apart even if you look at it.  This stayed in one piece and had a lightly crispy exterior.  The shrimp paste was bouncy and had a buttery snap.  Even though it was a rather defaultish to use sweet chili sauce, it did go with the dish.

Why not keep this deep-fried train going and talk about the Deep Fried Squid Tentacles with garlic & five spice?  These were really good with almost juicy squid that had a tender chewiness.  That snap texture was on point and the batter on the outside was perfect as well.  There was a solid crunch while not too hard.  It was properly seasoned with a balanced saltiness and of course the 5 spice.  Had some Taiwanese flavour vibes.  Best of all, this dish was not greasy despite the portion size.

This is a good segue to a similar protein in the Steamed Curry Cuttlefish.  Again, this was a large portion with cuttlefish literally overflowing over the plate in the bamboo steamer.  This was also very good where the cuttlefish was tender but had a slight resistance that provided the desired texture.  There was plenty of curry flavour that was only mildly spicy with some sweetness.  Some potatoes underneath soaked up the sauce.

One of my favourite dishes of the meal was seemingly one of the most simple.  The Deep Fried Taro Cake with seaweed was probably the best version I've ever had.  The pudding cake itself was texturally on point being delicate with soft chunks of taro.  Seasoning was spot on as the it was balanced as well as offering up meatiness from the cured sausage.  Due to the deep fry, the whole thing was intensely aromatic and nutty.  Moreover, the seaweed added some umami to the dish.

One of the most interestingly-plated items was the Deep Fried Shrimp Bean Curd Skin Rolls.  The rolls themselves were awesome with an inordinate amount of buttery well-seasoned shrimp encased in crispy bean curd skin.  However, the cucumber in between them did soften up the texture.  Maybe use a less wet ingredient?  Also, not sure mayo and blueberries go together.  Ultimately, I loved the dramatic way it was presented though because hey, why not try something different?

Onto something more conventional, we had the Steamed Chicken Feet (or Phoenix Talons when directly translated from Cantonese).  These were fairly plump with tender skin and mostly soft cartilage and fat underneath.  A bit of it was still firm, but still completely edible.  They were completely seasoned with a sweet and savoury garlicky sauce that was nicely soaked up by the peanuts underneath.

For our rice noodle roll selection, we had the Pork Floss Salty Donut Rice Noodle Roll.  I love the one that they have here because they really load on the pork floss.  It was airy and light while being salty enough to flavour the dish.  The rice noodle roll was fairly thin and had nice elasticity.  Inside the salty donut was light and crunchy.  In addition to the sweetened soy, we had the usual sesame sauce and hoisin.

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the Steamed Mixed Wild Mushroom Dumpling.  Yes, normally, I prefer the meat dishes, but this was "meaty" due to the bevy of mushrooms stuffed in the translucent dumpling wrapper.  Nice textures there including the appealing chew to the wrapper.  On top, we found vegetarian "kidney" which added some firm texture on the top.  Creative way of presenting this, but ultimately, it was delicious.

To get some veggies into this indulgent Dim Sum meal, we had the Stir-Fried Tong Choy (Water Spinach) with fermented tofu.  This is a super classic dish and they nailed it.  The water spinach was fresh and cooked just enough to wilt the leaves while the hollow stalks still had a crunch.  There was enough garlic and fermented tofu to offer up a rich saltiness that was balanced off with some sweetness.

Presented in a stunning black colour, the Stir-Fried Mushroom Fried Rice with Squid Ink was something I've had before.  Sure, your teeth and tongue will go black, but it is well worth it since the rice is delicious.  Generally, squid ink doesn't have too much flavour, but it did offer up some background brininess as well as saltiness.  The stir-fry was done right where the rice was dry, nutty and chewy.

Something that I was hesitant to try was the Pan-Fried Vermicelli with Bitter Melon in Black Bean Sauce.  I have a love-hate relationship with bitter melon and it is mostly hate.  However, they must've soaked it enough to take away most of the bitterness.  Hence, we had tender slices of melon that still retained a bite, yet wasn't too bitter.  It mostly tasted of black bean sauce.  Loved the crispy vermicelli that soaked it all up.

Onto the sweets, we had  both the Steamed Egg Yolk Buns QQ Style as well as the Steamed Oatmeal Egg Yolk Buns.  They were somewhat similar but the egg yolk filling was more molten in the former.  It was sweet with a bit of background saltiness and aromatics.  The oatmeal bun was more robust as expected, yet it was still fairly fluffy.  The first bun was fluffier and was also more delicate (as exemplified in the picture).

So we had an array of desserts that included Almond Cookies, Baked Egg Custard Tart, Strawberry Mousse Sleeping Bear, Ginger Ale Mousse Cake, Mango Pudding shaped as a corn on the cob and Coconut Pudding Piggies.  Had all of these before and strangely, I like the ginger mousse cake since it is so gingery.  Not everyone agrees with me, but I love ginger!  I also like the mango and coconut pudding since they are pretty textbook.

Finally, the most killer dessert of them all - Deep Fried Purple Yam Chrysanthemum Balls with a sweet syrup.   These were actually super light and airy with aromatics and sweetness.  I've had these before and this is the dessert to order here!  So another tasty Dim Sum service at New Mandarin.  It wasn't really a surprise since it is like this every time I've visited recently (they've improved since it first opened).  Head chef Tony Zhang has really put his stamp on the food here and it is no wonder they are Michelin-recommended.  Sure, some will debate whether Michelin means anything at all.  But even if we ignore that, don't just take my word for it, you'll find many others echoing the same sentiments.

*All food was complimentary for this post*

The Good:

- Solid dim sum across the board

- They try to be creative and it mostly works

- Service has improved immensely over the years

The Bad:

- Seating is a bit tight still

- With creativity, some dishes will need tweaks