Ancora Waterfront Dining & Patio (Dine Out 2024)

It has been quite some time since I've been back to the False Creek location of Ancora.  Hey, it wasn't because I didn't like the place, in fact, it was pretty good.  With all of the new restaurants I need to try and also being out-of-town on many occasions, doing a revisit just never happened.  This time around, I was invited to sample their Dine Out Vancouver menus (for lunch & dinner) including some cocktails and wine pairings.  3-course for lunch is $45.00 and for dinner it is $59.00.

For the lunch menu, there are 2 choices for starters, and for me, I was served the Chicharron Sushi Roll consisting of sous-vide and fried pork belly, miso sauce and black pepper.  This ate really well with chewy and seasoned sushi rice.  The pork belly was aromatic and had a nice crunch.  Nice textural contrast from the ripe avocado.  Appealingly offering up a fermented saltiness, the miso provided the savouriness while the slice of jalapeno on top added some spice.

The next course also had 2 options including a Shrimp Risotto or a Sushi Pizza.  As you can see, I was served the pizza and it was very good.  The "crust" was fried sushi rice and I found it to be perfect.  It was uniformly crispy on the outside while the rice was warm, chewy and moist on the inside.  On top, there was dungeness crab, avocado cream, unagi sauce, tuna and sockeye salmon.  I found the fish to be good quality and exhibiting a fresh sheen.  They were buttery and soft with a natural sweetness.

For dinner, we find 3 options for starters including the Soft Shell Crab Tacos with ikura and mango salsa.  This was a fairly large appetizer with a gigantic soft shell crab.  It was delicate and creamy as expected, but the batter was just a touch thick.  This was still good though as it had a nice crunch and the accompanying salsa provided some sweetness.  There was also some nice spice from the mayo as well as the spice-rubbed lime.

There are also 3 choices for mains and in this case, I was served 2 of them.  The first was the Solterito Salad with red and white organic quinoa, queso fresco, chulpi corn, edamame, huacatay & seasonal vegetables.  Sure, a salad may not be the most filling option, but believe me, this was pretty delicious and surprisingly satisfying.  The 3 large prawns were crispy on the outside while exhibiting a meaty snap on the inside.  The combination of ingredients including some root veggies and the quinoa made this more than just a salad.

The other main dish was the Beef Stir Fry featuring sautéed striploin, red onions, scallions, saltado sauce and 

a rice.  I really enjoyed this dish even though I was skeptical at first.  The beef was far more tender than I would've imagined and it was cooked perfectly.  Just into the medium-rare zone, the meat was juicy and nicely caramelized on the outside.  There was some really good flavours going on with saltiness, tang and sweetness.  The al dente rice was well-seasoned and nutty while being an excellent compliment to the stir-fry.

For both lunch and dinner, the Picarones are an option for dessert.  These little squash & yam donuts came with pecans, spiced syrup and lucuma ice-cream.  Absolutely loved them as the outside was lightly crispy while the inside had a pleasant chewiness.  They were not dense while still having some robustness.  Although sweet, the syrup was not overly so, rather being aromatic and smoky. 

Of course a meal isn't complete (for some people that is) without cocktails and/or wine pairings.  Naturally, being a Peruvian-Japanese restaurant, there is also selection of Sake.  I tried their most popular cocktail in the Pisco Sour and it was well-balanced with the classic sweet and sour elements.  Since I was driving, I stuck with the mocktails in the Pineapple Soda and Inca Elixr for my other drinks.  Particularly enjoyed the refreshing fruitiness of both.  Wine pairings are available at $29.00 for lunch and $39.00 for dinner.  Overall, the Dine Out offerings at Ancora feature quality ingredients that are well-prepared.  Pricing is fair for the food as well as the wine pairings.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:

- Quality ingreidents

- Well-prepared

- Lovely location

The Bad:

- Batter on the soft-shell crab could've been lighter

Dragon Bowl New West

As mentioned in my Instagram post, dining out these days is an expensive proposition.  It seems like we have to get a second mortgage to afford groceries.  However, there are still some good value spots available including the newly-opened New West location of Dragon Bowl.  They offer up customizable bowls that can be had with rice or noodles and a choice of protein.  You can also choose a sauce as well as 3 complimentary side items.

To get a sense of the menu, we tried all the proteins including the Beef with spicy dragon sauce on brown rice with cucumber, shredded potato and cabbage.  We thought the firm brown rice was a good match with the tender beef because it was robust enough.  The spicy dragon sauce did have a kick, but wasn't anything too overbearing.  Loved the vibrant sides where the cabbage was crunchy, yet cooked through while the cucumber was not mushy.

Next up was the Lamb with black bean sauce on rice noodles with wood ear mushrooms, spicy cabbage and bean curd.  Similar in texture to the beef but naturally with the wonderful gaminess of lamb, this bowl ate appreciably different due to the rice noodles.  It was less robust than the brown rice and those noodles were slippery and light.  Furthermore the black bean sauce was more mild and had a gentle fermented saltiness.

To get a taste of all the proteins, we doubled-up with our last bow with both Pork & Chicken with dragon sauce, steamed egg noodles, cucumber and woodear mushrooms.  Although the rice noodles and brown rice were solid, the egg noodles would be my pick for the best carb.  They were al dente and soaked up all of the dragon sauce beautifully.  Flavours were fairly mild without any saltiness nor greasiness.  Truly comforting with home-cooked vibes.  The braised egg was quite flavourful with slight herbal notes.

Last bowl was the Jumbo Shrimp with curry sauce atop white rice with woodear mushrooms, Napa cabbage and shredded potato.  Of course the white rice was a good match for the mild and slightly sweet curry.  The shrimp were perfectly cooked exhibiting a meaty snap.  I found this to be the most impactful sauce as the others were quite mild, including the spicy dragon.  As you can see in the picture, the egg was completely penetrated by the braising liquid.

They also offer up a selection of bubble teas and slushes, so of course we got some to try too.  The one on the left is Honey Black Tea with grass jelly while the other is a Passionfruit Slush with coconut jelly.  Since I love fruity things, the passionfruit was my preference.  It was a touch icy, but lightly sweet (I chose 30% sugar) and a refreshing compliment to the savoury bowls.  Overall, we enjoyed the bowls as they were fulfilling and reasonably-priced.  Definitely felt comforting with a home-cooking feel.  Would definitely get these again.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Well-portioned

- Reasonably-priced

- Felt healthy

The Bad:

- Parking can be a little difficult in the area

Chicken World (Surrey)

I'm sure you've noticed that I like Chicken World, in particular, the 96th Ave location in Surrey.  Well, to be honest, the first time I visited the place way back in 2009, was not impressive.  However, they have come a long way since then and have become one of my favs.  This location in Surrey happens to be on my way home from work, so I've been known to drop by for some take out every now and then.  For my latest foray into fried chicken goodness, I was invited with some others to try out new items in addition to their classics.

The new items started with both the Peri Rice Combo and Peri Rice Platter.  There was a green salad and spiced rice that came with the choice of chicken.  You could opt for pieces of seasoned chicken or 2 pieces of baked chicken.  In this case, it was a drumstick and thigh.  For both plates, the chicken was tender and moist.  As for the bone-in pieces, the skin was well-rendered.  There was ample flavour but the included hot sauce made things a bit more spicy (and sweet).

We ended up revisiting 2 burgers that were always on the menu - Karizma Burger and Gabbar Burger.  Being the baby of the bunch, the Karizma featured one crispy-battered chicken thigh.  It was juicy and seasoned as expected.  This could be had in regular or spicy.  Upgrade to the Gabbar and we found 2 chicken thighs and yah, that was a large sandwich.  However, the new Maula Jatt topped everything with 3, count'em 3 crispy chicken thighs!  I couldn't even fit this in my mouth!  This would satisfy even the biggest of appetites!

So of course we couldn't forget about their Fried Chicken in both regular and spicy.  Compared to the some of the other spots (such as Church's, Popeye's, Jollibee and Hi-Five), I find the chicken at Chicken World to be up there with a uniformly crunchy batter, rendered skin and juicy, seasoned meat.  For those who do not want fried chicken, they also have Peri Peri Chicken (that is featured in the rice platters) and also BBQ Chicken.  Not to be outdone, both versions feature juicy chicken as well with rendered skin.  The BBQ is not as spicy but sports a sweet and tangy sauce.

For our sides, we had the Jalapeño Poppers as well as the Spiced Fries.  I've had both before and the poppers are pretty good with a crunchy breading.  Lots of melty cheese inside.  As for the fries, they are crunchy while sporting an earthy and slightly spicy dusting.  As you can see, this was another predictable and solid visit to Chicken World.  They keep adding to their already extensive menu with a little something for everyone.  

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Juicy fried chicken

- Well-priced

- Lots of options on the menu

The Bad:

- Wish their paper plates were not so flimsy

Wing’n it Express

As long as I can remember, I love munching on chicken wings.  Whether it be on game nights at a pub or just a late night gathering during my University days, wings were a go to option.  Fond memories of cheap wings at the King's Head or John B, and even AYCE wings at Malone's!  Since then, we have found restaurants specifically offering up wings as their main menu item in a dizzying array of flavours.  One of the newest is Wing'n It with 30 locations across Canada.  We recently visited Wing'n It Express out in White Rock along 152nd to try out their wares.

We ended up trying out several flavours of their wings including the Roger Victor Whiskey.  At first, I was a bit concerned with the amount of sauce on each wing, but my worries were for naught as the flavour was on point.  Lots of sweet BBQ tang and some taco seasoning while having a mild spicy finish.  The wings were large and meaty with moist meat inside.  Being fairly rendered, the skin was not flabby.   From that we moved onto the Kamikazee which were touted as the hottest flavour they offered.  I guess this depends on your tolerance for spice.  I thought they had a kick, but were hardly 5-alam.  However, for Roanna and Eileen, they went straight for the water.  For me, I enjoyed that they were not scorching hot because I like to taste my food and not have my tongue burnt off.

Next set of wings featured the International and the Double Ugly.  For the former, we found that the Mach 1 base seasoning was mild (as it should be) and slightly sweet.  The addition of parmesan provided both saltiness and nuttiness while the Italian seasoning definitely gave it some aromatics.  As for the latter, it was aggressively sauced with ranch, dill and honey garlic.  As expected, this ate rather sweet but also had nice dill flavour.

The last set included Angels and Jet Stream.  Beyond the spicy kamikazee, I liked the Angles the best with its combination of ranch dressing and a coating of mango chipotle.  It was creamy that helped bring down the slight sweet heat of the dry mix.  As for the Jet Stream, it was a combo of BBQ and ranch.  So essentially, you didn't need to dip these wings as they were already dressed.

For those who don't want to only dine on wings, they also have a selection of handhelds including the 3 Sisters Burger.  This had the potential of being a great burger - soft bun, lots of meat and cheese.  However, the patties were of the cutlet variety, hence there was a lack of meat texture.  On the other hand, the Original Philly Cheesesteak was fantastic as it has the beautiful beef texture that was tender and well-seasoned.  This was actually very good.

We also went with some sides such as the Dusted Fries with garlic parmesan (14 flavours to choose from!) and the Onion Rings (these can be dusted too if you want).  Fries were pretty good being crispy and plenty potatoey.  Loved the dusting as I didn't need to dip them into anything!  The thick battered onion rings were crunchy and featured plenty of tender onion.

Probably the most surprising item of the meal was the Funnel Fries with ice cream chocolate drizzle.  So rather than a messy and greasy funnel cake, we had crispy funnel fries that were sweet and delicious.  They were seriously addictive with a soft, almost eggy interior to compliment the crunchy exterior.  Dipping them into the ice cream gave it some Wendy's Frosty and Fries vibes and that is a good thing.

They also have a selection of Milkshakes and we got the strawberry.  It was creamy and just thick enough, so that we could drink it through a straw easily.  We did find it sweet, but it wasn't crazy sweet, so that was good.  Our last item was the Ice Cream Sandwich that partial proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  It was pretty solid with 2 chewy and soft chocolate chip cookies with hard ice cream in the middle.  As the restaurant name suggests, the real draw here is the wings.  I thought the flavours we tried were impactful while the wings were large and juicy.  Sides were pretty good too.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:
- Meaty and moist wings
- Lots of impactful flavours
- Funnel fries!

The Bad:
- Maybe a bit too much sauce for some people
- Burger cutlet patty should be swapped out for a meatier version

 

Hula Poke (Yaletown)

With all of the Poke options these days, it is hard to differentiate between them.  Let's be honest here, most of them are not "authentic poke" anyways.  However, I'm not poke snob and am always open to interesting takes on how it is prepared.  One of the more creative spots is Hula Poke, with its many locations in town.  They offer up not only international flavours and ingredients, there are also hot options that are not necessarily poke at all.

One of which is Grilled Salmon Bowl atop coconut rice base, edamame, carrot, green onion, red peppers, sesame seeds and microgreens.  We got this in garlic sesame rather than the spicy miso option.  Due to the glaze, the salmon itself already had a sweet caramelized flavour.  It was fairly moist and flaky.  The coconut rice paired well with the salmon to create a tropical taste.  Add in all of the veggies on top, this felt like a complete meal that was healthy.

Even before we got to the fish, we had the Warm Chicken Bowl with grilled chicken, rice base, edamame, carrot, green onion, red peppers, sesame seeds and microgreens in spicy miso.  The fact it was warm rather than piping hot was key as the cold ingredients didn't start wilting.  The fresh crunch combined with the tender chicken provided a contrast in textures and temperature.  Also, the spicy miso provided the kick of flavour to an otherwise collection of mild ingredients.

Onto the poke, but with sweet potato rather than a protein, we added it to the Bahamian with coconut rice.  Believe it or not, I really enjoyed this despite the absence of fish or meat.  Exhibiting robustness, the sweet potato paired well with the tropical flavours of the coconut and pineapple.  Naturally, the coconut rice was aromatic and had a nice bite, so it also did well with the ingredients.  Due to that mix, this bowl ate on the sweeter side.

Staying in the Americas, we went for the Peruvian with salmon, tuna and all kale.  So this was more a poke salad with Peruvian marinade, ponzu dressing, edamame, green onion, red chili, avocado, sesame seeds, crispy onions, cilantro and kale.  This ate very bright due to the citrus flavours.  There was also a mild spice to it while the crunch from onions provided texture.  Due to the cilantro, a certain herbaceousness was maintained in each bite.

Honestly, the Thai with chicken and kelp noodles was not really a "poke bowl", but it was delicious nonetheless.  It had coconut Thai green curry, pineapple, carrot, red pepper, cilantro, green chilies, sesame seeds, pickled red onions, ponzu and kale. With the combination of ingredients, there was tropical taste to it with spice, creaminess, sweetness and acidity.  I thought the chicken went well while the kelp noodles were chewy and firm.

We moved onto some Korean flavours next with the Koko featuring spicy gochujang, carrot, white onion, avocado, cucumber, kimchi, furikake, sesame seeds, cilantro, miso ginger vinaigrette and kale.  We decided to get this with tofu and that paired well with the spiciness.  We chose traditional sushi rice for this bowl and it was hearty and chewy, standing up to the strong flavours. Loved the ginger notes which helped give a bit of a sharpness to compliment the sweet spice.

Lastly, we had the trusty ol' Yuzu with ginger sesame dressing, avocado, cucumber, edamame, carrot, furikake, sesame seeds, crispy onion and kale with sushi rice.  This was the most "usual"-tasting bowl and especially with salmon and tuna, it ate like one too.  Sure, there were other things in the mix that added texture and flavour but this was your classic sweet and tangy concoction with raw fish and chewy rice.  So this was another great visit to Hula Poke.  I feel they have actually improved over time.  Lots of flavours and ingredients to choose from that can satisfy a variety of tastes.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Many different flavours that are unique

- More than just typical poke

- A variety of proteins and vegetarian options

The Bad:

- Can upset the authentic poke crowd

- Parking can be tough to find

Miso Taco

With a name like Miso Taco, one would get the idea the place was some fusion between Japanese and Mexican.  Well, you would be completely right to assume that because the menu features a large section of tacos that have elements of Asian-inspiration.  Located in the old location of the Dark Side/The Union, it sports a fairly spacious industrial-looking dining space.  Love that they included a Street Fighter arcade game for us to practice our upper-cut skills.  We were invited to try out the food here and I can say that it was very interesting.

We started out strong with my favourite dish, the Sizzling Cheese & Sautéed Mushrooms (with Teriyaki Beef added).  This ooey gooey concoction was so cheesy and savoury that it ate well by itself.  But like the Jack-in-the-Box commercial, "your hands would be covered with meat & cheese!".  Hence, the side of grilled tortillas were the perfect vessel to pick up the tender salty sweet nuggets of beef and the stringy cheese.  Delicious.

So another full-on dish was the Kimchi Fries with refried beans, shredded cheese, kimchi, red onions and cilantro.  We added chicken karaage for good measure.  As you can clearly see, this dish needed to be shared because it would be much even for 2 people.  Due to the amount of ingredients on top, the fries were not really all that crispy anymore.  However, we considered it a quasi-poutine where the fries only served as a blank canvas for all of the other ingredients to flavour.  That it did with spice, tang and sharpness.  Large and fried perfectly, the chicken was tender and juicy.  A choice of dip was offered as part of this dish and I will discuss that later in the post.

The one dish that may need some retooling is the Tempura Enoki.  We thought it sounded good but alas, the fact that enoki mushrooms are so delicate with thin stems meant that frying them wouldn't work.  So despite the tempura batter being crispy and really appealing, the mushroom part of the equation really didn't exist.  Maybe using more robust mushrooms would be better?  Like Shimeji?  Due to the lack of mushroom, this dish also ate very greasy since it was all batter.

So onto the sauces I was talking about earlier...  From top left and clockwise, we had the Diego's Salsa, Macho Chili Oil, Green, Chunky Green Salsa, Avocado Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Smoked Pepper Salsa.  My favourite by far was the chili oil as it had a real kick with a rich smokiness.  As much as this was spicy, it wasn't painful either.  The smoked pepper was also very good due to the fact it had depth and balanced spice.

We moved onto the namesake of this restaurant in the Miso Taco.  This featured deep fried cod with coleslaw, green onions, bonito, cilantro and miso dressing.  This was quite good with flaky fish with a light and crispy tempura batter.  I found the miso dressing to have a rich savouriness without being salty.  To amp this taco beyond its mild flavours, I decided to add some of the smoked salsa.  Added depth and spice.

Onto another seafood taco, we had the Ebi Fried Taco with shredded cabbage, pickled red onion, chopped cilantro and secret sauce.  That sauce was a bit creamy and had a ebi mayo sort of vibe to it. As mentioned, they work hard in incorporating Asian-influence to the Mexican-themed dishes.  This worked well since the shrimp were meaty with a snap while coated with a crispy batter.  The cabbage added some fresh crunch while the abundance of cilantro did its herbaceous thing.

Next, we had the Attako on Taco that featured greens, secret sauce, fried octopus, chamoy, bonito flakes & green onions.  Personally, I would've named this a Tako Taco, but whatever...  LOL...  Anyways, this had some elements of takoyaki with the tangy sauce as well as bonito and of course octopus.  Just like a takoyaki, the octopus was on the chewier side, but only a bit.  Greens worked here as it helped lighten things up.

Birria Tacos are all the rage these days and they had a version of it in the Birria-Dilla with 2 flour tortillas housing melted cheese, birria, onions and cilantro with the usual dipping sauce (braising liquid) on the side.  For all the birria tacos I've had, these had to have been one of the least fatty.  You see, they typically dip the tacos into the fat of the braising liquid and then proceed to seared them on the flattop.  These were not oil-soaked, which would anger some people, due to the lack of richness and umami, but for me, that was fine.  The meat in the middle was tender and flavourful while completely coated with cheese.

On the menu, the Pozole Udon sounded interesting with its combination of mushroom broth, pozole, egg, nori, radish, cilantro and green onion.  We added some birria as well.  As much as the udon was nicely prepared and the broth was clean, the bowl needed a bit more oomph.  It ate a bit too mild and dare I say, healthy.  Maybe this is what they were aiming for?  For us, a bit more salt would've done wonders.

Finally, for dessert, we had the Elote Cake as well as the Kinako Mochi & Churros.  These were fine sweets to end the meal.  The cake was moist and aromatic with a crisped exterior.  Loved the natural sweetness of the corn as well as the addition of strawberry quince yuzu compote brightened things up with a sweet tang.  As for the churros, they were crispy and light while the grilled mochi added a nice chew.  The kinako powder did its nutty thing much like Korean injeomi.  Overall, we thought the meal was definitely different with some real highlights.  The enoki mushrooms and udon could use some refinement, but the tacos, sizzling cheese and sauces were quite good.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this post*

The Good:
- Nice vibe and there is street fighter!
- Some real highlights such as the sizzling cheese, tacos and sauces
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Some dishes may need to be rethought
- Parking is a bit hard to find sometimes