Toloache Mexican Kitchen

It goes without saying that we have a lack of good Mexican restaurants in town.  In fact, many people in the Lower Mainland head across the border just to get some good tacos.  Shockingly, I'm not even referring to the Mexican border, I mean the US border!  Literally, there are great taco trucks in Bellingham that are better than the things we get here (and cheaper!).  However, we have some hope where I've had some good Mexican in town.  One of the newest is Toloache Mexican Kitchen in Downtown.  Brought to you by the same people at Maizel, Toloache offers something that I've not seen before in town, an AYCE Mexican brunch.  Jackie and I dropped by to see what it was all about.

Looking over the setup, it was pretty clear to me that they wanted to cover all the bases and offer up something substantial.  That started with their selection of meats.  They included Beef Ribs in Green Mole, Dark Mole with Chicken, Lamb Birria, Chorizo with Potatoes, Cochinita Pibil and Carnitas.  For me, I really enjoyed the birria as the meat was super tender with the fall flavours of cloves and cinnamon.  There was birria dip on the side too.  The ribs were quite tender and the green mole definitely tasted like its colour.  It was was bright and herbaceous while being creamy.  The dark mole also exhibited rich fall flavours but added some background bitterness and earthiness.  I found the chicken also to be quite moist.  If you wanted something richer, the cochinita pibil incorporated some fattier pork and had some citrus and spice.

Of course you can't eat these meats alone (well, you can), so adjacent to the meats, we found salsas, condiments, soft tortillas, tostadas and buns.  In addition, we found Shrimp Aguachile and Nopales.  I enjoyed the shrimp as they were delicate with a minor snap.  They were sweet and took on the spice of the green chilies.  The cactus was surprisingly non-slimy, which was texturally appealing.

So we could get full just eating the meats and making tacos, tostadas and mini-tortas, but there was a good selection of other dishes that included Huitlacoche, Garlic Mushrooms, Pork Tamales, Red Sauce Chicharron, Chilaquiles (Red and Green Sauce), Scrambled Eggs, Poached Eggs with Salsa, Poblano Rajas with Cream and Refried Beans.

The best item from this aforementioned dishes was the huitlacoche.  You don't find this dish normally anywhere and since it is a fungus that feeds on corn, I guess it isn't appealing to many.  I liked it and it was earthy and sweet.  Interestingly, I also liked the poached egg in salsa.  It was perfectly runny with a mild red sauce that was tomatoey.  The chilaquiles were pretty good with lots of cheese and sauce.  I preferred the red sauce due to it being just a bit more flavourful.  The tamales were tasty too with soft masa filled with pork and red sauce.

There were several drinks included with the buffet including Hibiscus, Passionfruit and Horchata.  I liked the passionfruit as it was fruity and tropical.  You can also go ahead and order some alcoholic drinks too (at an extra charge of course), including a Michelada which is a Mexican Bloody Mary where you add beer to it (hence the Corona).  Also, brunch screams out for Mimosas, and they got that too.

At the entrance of the restaurant, we found a fairly large Dessert selection.  It was a mish-mash of Mexican sweets along with Costco things.  For the non-Mexican desserts, we had cookies, coffee cake, donuts, sheet cake, toffee crunch, banana bread, mini-danish and palmiers. Mexican representation for this section featured Conchas.  We also had a selection of fruit featuring watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple and grapes.  

The pre-packaged stuff was as expected and nothing to complain about, but I really want to talk about the conchas as they were colourful and pleasantly-sweet.  Rounding the corner, we had some more Mexican treats in the form of Churros, Tres Leches and Flan de Queso.  We found the churros to be a bit dense, but still crunchy. With the addition of cream cheese, the flan was extra rich and creamy.  This was so delicious with a caramel finish.  The tres leches was moist and sweet.  We enjoyed that too.  Overall, for $39.50, this brunch had enough substance to make it worth the money.  You won't go hungry and there is enough choice to keep things interesting.  Love that they include drinks as well.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post

The Good:
- Lots of choice
- Delicious
- Something different

The Bad:
- Should focus on their delicious Mexican desserts and get rid of the other stuff

Ju

Black Rice Izakaya used to be one of my favourite little hidden gems.  It consistently put out fresh sushi & sashimi as well as creative dishes for a fair price (especially given it was in Downtown).  However, they always got unfairly criticized for being a Korean-run Japanese Izakaya.  Let me make this very clear: food is food and if it is good, it doesn't matter who makes it.  By judging who makes it is prejudice in my books.  Well, Black Rice is only a memory now and the same people have brought a new concept in Ju.  Consider it Westcoast/French cuisine with Korean influences.  We visited the place for a menu tasting recently.

To start things off, we had a selection of 4 Canapés including Angus Bulgogi Toast, Yuk-Hwei, Poached Oyster and Botan Ebi.  These beautiful little bites were so precious, I didn't want to eat them.  But really, I did eat them and my favourite was the botan ebi with horseradish mayo on brioche.  It was buttery soft with a slight sweet snap.  The yuk-hwei featured CAB tartare with doen-jang powder, miso aioli and aged gan-jang.  Beyond the buttery morsels of beef, the fermented soybeans came through with a rich savouriness.  I found the bulgogi to be super tender and seasoned just enough that it was neither too salty nor too sweet.  Lastly, the poached oyster was buttery and creamy with an aromatic garlic mushroom sauce and a crunchy togarashi crumble.

We moved onto the actual appetizers next with the Crudo featuring shima-aji, hibiscus sauce, soy gel, orange gel, grapefruit gel and avocado puree.  The slices of fish were supremely fresh with a bright essence and on point texture.  Buttery with a slight snap texture, the shima-aji was sweet and had the aroma of the sea.  It was complimented beautifully by the hibiscus that was fruity and a bit tangy.  Combined with the different gels, we found some sweetness that didn't overshadow the fish.

Stunningly plated, the Hokkaido Scallops were nicely seared while still being buttery soft and sweet.  Underneath, we found cauliflower puree and a yellow pepper puree.  Both were smooth with the cauliflower being creamy.  The sweetness of the yellow pepper was evident while the dashi milk foam was more than just for visuals.  The background umaminess did come through while still allowing the natural flavour of the scallop shine.

The next dish was certainly one of the most Korean items on the menu being the Mandu.  These dumplings were filled with tender and juicy pork while the dumpling skin was a bit too thick.  Compliments included king oyster mushroom, micro cilantro, shaved green courgette, mandu jus, sesame oil and perilla panko. I really enjoyed the jus as it was concentrated and full of umaminess.  Naturally, sesame oil added nutty pungency while the perilla panko was effective with texture and a bit of licorice.

Looking very much like a version of headcheese, the Pyun-Yuk was pressed pork belly and ear that had been thinly sliced.  Served flat on a plate, this was garnished with Korean chive, ssam-jang mayo, jjang-a-chi and pickled pearl onion.  This partly melted in my mouth since it was fatty pork belly, but it also had texture due to the cartilage from the pig's ear.  Nice contrast with each bite and plenty of natural pork essence and sweetness.  This was complimented by the slightly spice mayo and the sharpness from the onions.

Onto the mains, we had the Chicken that featured chicken breast with offal mousse sandwiched in between.  This was sous-vide and then finished off by a hard sear skin down. The result was super crispy skin (that was well-seasoned) giving way to juicy and tender chicken.  There was a lemongrass sauce that was creamy and aromatic.  We also found some micro cilantro, baby carrots, brussels sprouts and cherry tomato confit.  

So we thought the chicken was super delicious, but the Galbi levelled up from that.  The pieces of CAB short rib literally melted-in-our-mouths.  This was also sous-vide and then finished off on the grill.  Combined with the reduced jus, there was some natural meatiness and umaminess.  Now, before you think what you see on the plate is a potato pavé, it was a variation.  You see, the chef layered it with daikon and potato, which meant there was certain lightness in texture and flavour.  I enjoyed it and the carrot puree on top added even more sweetness.  I combined the puree with the short rib.  It seemed to go well.

So the hits kept coming with the Sablefish with gochu oil, Korean radish, yau choy and potato confit.  The roasted sablefish was perfectly prepared being flaky and fatty.  It was already somewhat seasoned, but the gochu oil helped amp things up in an aromatic, nutty and smoky way but being only slightly spicy.  The accompaniments were also cooked up perfectly where the potato was delicate and the yau choy had crunch. 

Onto another fish, we had the Halibut atop risotto, celeriac puree, shiitake, clam, pearl onions and topped with sweet potato chips.  Although lacking in colour, the dish was executed perfectly.  The risotto underneath was creamy with al dente rice.  Nice addition of clams as it provided some brininess.  The piece of halibut was cooked just right being flaky and buttery (as only fresh halibut can be).  On top, we found 2 crispy chips that added some texture.

If the mains aren't appealing to you (not sure why they wouldn't be!), there are some starches to choose from including the White Ragu with fresh pasta.  Made of various meats, the ragu was definitely meaty with a rich creaminess.  Lots of umami and natural meat flavour.  There was enough of it to coat each strand of al dente pasta (which was properly salted while cooking).  This was a truly addictive dish and we could've eaten more of this if we didn't have so many dishes already!

Something that was probably the most interesting dish was the Mara Ong-Simee.  These "sticks" were like potato gnocchi in texture, but acted like Korean rice cakes in spirit.  Hence, it was no surprise to find the spicy mara cream sauce with this as well as a mara crumble.  We found an onsen egg in the middle and a bit of parm too.  When mixed together, the flavours were spicy and slightly sweet with the silkiness of the egg yolk.  The potato ong simee were somewhere in between fluffy and firm.

Somewhat controversial amongst us, the vegan Bibimbop was one of my favourites.  Yes really...  So this was made with barley and buckwheat, hence the "rice" had a chewier and more robust texture.  On top, we found spinach puree, carrot puree and red cabbage puree with tofu sauce.  If I closed my eyes, the flavours of a bibimbop were really there!  Some thought I was nuts liking this dish over the galbi or scallops, but I stand behind my opinion!

So for dessert, we were served the semi-frozen Chocolate mousse and the Lemon curd in puff pastry.  Almost like a semi-freddo, the mousse was creamy but more sturdy.  It was chocolatey and semi-sweet.  It came with some mouth-pleasing honeycomb as well as vanilla coffee espuma, caramel gel and black sesame cake.  As for the lemon curd, it was pleasingly tangy and smooth.  The crispy puff pastry added texture while the kong garu powder provided some nuttiness.  As you can see, the food at Ju stays true to their theme of French/Westcoast with Asian influences.  I feel that they have succeeded even though this is their first version of the menu (to the public).  I would say this is definitely worth a try since it is quite different in a sea of the same in the GVRD.

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

The Good:
- Flawless execution with the proteins
- Successful marriage of Korean flavours with French techniques
- Some dishes are too beautiful to eat (but eat it anyways)

The Bad:
- Mandu skin can be less thick

Bai Tong Thai (Southcenter)

For all the times I've visited Seattle, Bai Tong Thai has been on my radar yet it has never happened.  Finally, we got our chance at the Southcenter location.  Actually, this is near the original location at the North end of Sea-Tac where founder and former Thai Airways flight attendant, Chanpen Lapangkura wanted a place that would cater to the Thai Airways crew members.  Well, that was then and Bai Tong has expanded to many more locations.  It started with bringing in top Thai chefs from Bangkok and it still dishes up authentic Thai food to this day.

We were fortunate enough to do a menu tasting and this will be a comprehensive post about many of their most popular dishes.  We began with some appies in the Chicken Satay.  Since they used chicken breast, the meat was not as juicy as using leg meat.  Yet in reality, chicken is not even really a thing in Thailand itself when it comes to satay skewers.  It is usually pork and sometimes beef, due to the influence from Indonesia.  The use of chicken is mainly a North American thing, in particular, the breast meat.  In this case, the chicken was still moist with a slight char on the outside.  The marinade was aromatic but it really did need to be dipped into the creamy peanut sauce on the side. We also had the Gai Hor Bai Toey and Chicken Wings where the former is something I've never had before.  Bite-sized chicken wrapped in pandan leaves and deep-fried, these looked and smelled amazing.  After unwrapping them, we found pieces of chicken that were nicely browned and sightly crispy.  I wouldn't say the chicken was necessarily juicy, but it wasn't overly dry either.  The side of sweet sticky sauce was so rich and molasses-like that it added not only flavour, but moisture to compliment the meat.  As for the wings, they were pretty large and featured a crunchy exterior and fully-rendered skin.  There was good inherent flavour from the soy marinade, but the side of sweet & sour sauce helped add moisture to the meat.

Continuing with small plates, we had the Tod Mun Pla and the Grilled Beef.  The aggressively fried fish cakes were appealingly brown on the outside while being crispy.  Inside, the fish cake was medium-firm with plenty of crunchy long beans.  There was some inherent sweetness with the fish mousse and it did have a good rebound texture.  The cucumber plum sauce provided a slightly tangy sweetness.  As for the grilled beef, it was sliced New York strip, hence it was tender but maybe lacking in some moisture.  Despite not looking like it was grilled enough, I found the charred nuttiness really coming through.  This came with a soy and toasted rice sauce with crushed chilies.  Nice spice and aromatics.

We moved onto a pair of soups staring with the Tom Kha.  Consisting of the classic components of chicken, straw mush-rooms, lemongrass, green onions, cilantro and galangal, the Tom Kha was packed with flavour despite not appearing to be.  The big hits of bright tangy lemongrass and galangal were at the forefront while the kaffir lime leaves added even more citrusy notes.  This was balanced off by the creamy and aromatic coconut milk while the hits of fish sauce were apparent.  Of course we can't forget the sweetness provided by the palm sugar.  This was a flavour bomb and one of the more impactful Tom Kha I've had in quite some time.

Our next soup, the Tom Yum Coconut, was completely awesome.  Normally, a proper Tom Yum would be pretty flavourful already, but with the addition of coconut milk and ground pork, this soup turned into a study in umami.  With similar ingredients as the Tom Kha such as straw mushrooms, lemongrass, galangal, green onions and cilantro, we had the classic tangy aromatics going on.  However, the coconut milk with the pork created a richness to the soup that was robust and intoxicatingly delicious.  We literally could not stop eating this as it hit all of the notes including spiciness.

From here we went onto some salads including the colourful Corn Salad with shredded carrots, green beans, tomatoes, fresh chillies, coconut, dried shrimp, and peanuts tossed in a lime juice dressing.  Absolutely loved this dish as the fresh corn niblets straight off the cob were juicy and sweet with a light crunch.  It was complimented by the crunch from the rest of the veggies while the rest of the ingredients created a truly Thai flavour with spice, aromatics, fermented saltiness and nuttiness.  Of course the dressing brought it all together with fresh acidity.

The other salad was the Bai Tong Yum Salad featuring prawns tossed with cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, green onion, cilantro and a chili-lime dressing for a distinctly spicy and citrusy Thai taste.  At first glance, this didn't look like much of anything but the impact was mostly in the aforementioned dressing.  Lots of acidity, sweetness and kick that complimentd the cold-water crunchy prawns and the crisp greens.

 

Onto some bigger plates, we had the Spicy Eggplant with peppers, basil, garlic and black bean sauce.  As you can see, the eggplant was cooked just enough so it was tender, but not mushy.  There was plenty of wok hei which ensured that there was very little residual moisture at the bottom of the plate.  The caramelization of flavors meant that it was a bit smoky and had a good balance between sweet, spicy and savory.

One of the under-the-radar items we had was the Thai Omelette with pork, green onions, cilantro and fish sauce.  It was both crispy and fluffy at the same time.  We had crispy and nutty edges while the center was fluffy and also meaty from the minced pork.  Naturally, the cilantro added Southeast Asian herbaceous notes while the fish sauce provided that fermented salty brininess.  Really great to eat on its own, but I liked it with rice.

In fact, we were moving into dishes that needed rice including the Stir-Fried Seafood with curry Powder.  This sported a bevy of seafood including Kiwi mussels, prawns, whole scallops and squid with celery, egg, bell peppers and onion. Sure, it wasn't the prettiest dish out there, but the seafood was prepared properly with the scallops being buttery soft and the squid still being tender.  The curry was on point with an aromatic earthiness that was nicely spiced.

One of our favorites was the Roast Duck Curry featuring half of a duck with grape tomatoes, bell peppers, basil and lychee in a red curry.  Let's talk about the curry first, it was coconutty and sweet with a good amount of spice.  The lychee added a different sweetness to the curry, but good thing they accounted for that and didn't overdo it with the palm sugar.  As for the duck, it featured roasted and rendered skin while the meat itself was tender and naturally flavorful.

The next dish was something that is familiar to most people in the Chicken Green Curry with bamboo shoots, bell peppers, basil, green chilies, coconut milk, kaffir lime peel and palm sugar.  This was a delicious rendition of this classic curry.  It was rich, but not too thick while filled with a good balance of spice, brininess, creaminess and sweetness.  lots of aromatics going on and also the bamboo shoots added their pungency.  The chicken was quite tender too.

The grandest dish of all was the Crispy Trout Curry featuring a whole fried fish bathed in Panang curry.  Although looking super fried, the fish was actually super flaky and moist.  Even with all that curry on top, the exterior was still crispy.  That contrast between textures was quite appealing.  As for the curry, it was sweet due to the palm sugar and creamy from the coconut milk.  There was equal parts savory and some tanginess as well.

So we had to get the classic Pad Thai right?   Of course we did and we selected chicken as the protein.  This was a good version where there was, once again, good wok hei.  That meant there was caramelization of the palm sugar and fish sauce while the smokiness of the sear came through.  The noodles were not clumpy and nicely al dente.  With legit tamarind, there was the unmistakable tangy sweetness that makes a Pad Thai appetizing.  Possibly this dish could've used just a bit more moisture.

Continuing on with another noodle dish, we had the Bai Tong Special Noodle.  Consisting of wide flat rice noodles, preserved cabbage, green onions and egg, the special noodles were also the beneficiary of a hot wok.  The egg was especially aromatic while the noodles were a bit soft.  In terms of flavor, the pickled cabbage came through with some salty sweetness and a touch of spice.  I could've done without all that lettuce as it interfered with the delicious noodles.

Another classic Thai stir-fried noodle was the Pad See Ew.  This one was made with beef and had some broccoli as well.  We also found the same wide flat rice noodles that were tossed in sweet soy in a hot wok.  There was obvious searing of the egg and noodles where we could taste the nuttiness.  I really liked how this dish wasn't too greasy, as it can be due to the noodles often sticking to the wok (hence more oil is needed).  I found this to be fairly mild-tasting. 

We ended this epic meal with 2 rice dishes starting with the Salted Egg Fried Rice with chicken.  This, like all the other dishes, was kissed by the hot wok, hence it was nutty and and a bit smoky.  Also, the grease was minimal, which meant the wok was indeed hot enough to not stick.  There was the unmistakable salty nuttiness of salted egg as well as enough seasoning to make each spoonful interesting.  There was some veggies in the mix that were not overcooked.

Lastly, we saved one of the best for last with the Crab Fried Rice with extra fried egg on top.  Not trying to sound like a broken record, but the same qualities in the salted egg fried rice applied here as well.  In addition to fluffy crab, we found dried shrimp as well which gave some salty brininess.  The fluffy egg on top added extra texture.  So after trying all these dishes, we came to the conclusion that Bai Tong is legit.  Portions are generous and the preparation of the stir-fries were on point.  We also found good heat with the curries and the soups were flavor bombs.  Really enjoyed this meal and would definitely come back!

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

The Good:
- When we asked for medium, it still came out flavorful and spicy (like it should be)
- Nice use of a hot wok with the stir-frying
- Generous portions

The Bad:
- Some meats were a bit dry

Shaburina

Okay, this is the third time I'm blogging about Shaburina...  I guess I really love the place right?  Well yes, but my kids love it even more so, therefore, I really have no choice but to pay them a visit every time I'm in the Seattle area.  Other people have the same thoughts because the place is usually quite busy and they have many accolades from local media.  This time around, I was with Jackie and she'd never been to Shaburina before.  Also, we were here to try their Wagyu & Kurobuta Course, which I've never had before!

So Shaburina is an AYCE Japanese Shabu Shabu.  There are elements that are "extras" to the meal that are more akin to other versions of hot pot, but for variety's sake, it is very welcomed.  You have the choice between a House Course and a Waygu Course that cost $39.00 and $55.00 (for dinner) per person respectively.  In addition, you have a choice of one from 5 different soup bases (one of which is a daily feature).  We had the 3 standard options including the Sukiyaki, Spicy Miso and Kombu as well as the featured broth being Tomato..  For me, I love the spicy miso and tomato.  They have more impact in my opinion with the tomato having concentrated sweetness and tanginess.  The spicy miso has that fermented depth and an appealing saltiness.  It isn't as if the sukiyaki and kombu aren't good either.  The sukiyaki has that salty sweet thing going on while the kombu is more subtle with definite umaminess.

So before we get to the meats, we have to talk about the Sauce Bar, where you have many options to create your perfect dip.  You have the usual soy, fish sauce, chili oil, vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha etc.. on the side in bottles while the main section has things like fresh garlic, cilantro, green onion, red chilis, peanuts, sesame seeds, fried shallots and onions.  In the large tubs, we found a sesame sauce, ponzu and a chef's sauce.

Adjacent to the sauce bar are 2 other sections of items you can grab for your shabu shabu.  The first one is mostly focused on Veggies with things like Shanghainese bak choy, crown daisy, Napa cabbage, spinach, tomato, onion, quail eggs, tofu, mochi, squash, corn on the cob, tofu skins, potato, mushrooms, wood ear, wonton and konjac noodles.  Things were vibrant and fresh as well as always replenished consistently.

The other section consisted mainly of Seafood and Noodles.  We found beef meatballs, Spam, fish tofu, fish meatballs, chikuwa, imitation crab stick, sliced wieners, fish cake, shrimp, baby octopus, bay scallops and clams.  As for the noodles, we had instant ramen, wide vermicelli, udon and fresh egg noodles.  Next to it, there was also house pickled vegetables and kimchi.  These were all good in appearance and also great in the hot pot.  The clams were buttery while the egg noodles were great a soaking up all of the delicious broth.

Now we get to the meat of the meal, literally.  For the House Course, you have Beef Shortplate, Beef Chuck, Pork Belly and Pork Shoulder.  As you can see, these were sliced razor thin, so cooking them took literally seconds.  That also meant that they were super tender and easy to eat.  So easy that you can down quite a few of these.  Fortunately it is AYCE!  For the Premium Course, we found Wagyu Shortplate, Wagyu Brisket, Kurobuta Pork Belly and Kurobuta Pork Butt.  Now with both courses at the table, it was not hard to figure out which one was better.  The meats were just that much more buttery and that much more flavorful.  However, I've been super satisfied with the house course in the past.  Therefore, it really depends what you want.  I would say if you want the full experience though, go for the Premium!

Always, to end the meal at Shaburina, you get Soft-Serve Ice Cream to finish. Creamy and almost melty, the soft-serve is purposefully sweet, aromatic and cold.  The last point is important as it helps soothe the tongue and mouth after a hot pot experience.  Oh and what an experience it is!  I've never been disappointed with Shaburina and this time was no different.  In fact, getting the chance to finally try the Premium Course, I came away even more happy!  I can guarantee that I will be right back here in the near future!

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

The Good:
- Quality food
- Love their soup bases, especially the spicy miso and tomato
- Meats are tender, whether it be House or Premium

The Bad:
- Tables are a bit tight on space with 4 or more burners going