Dosa Corner

If the name "Dosa Corner" rings a bell, then you aren't dreaming.  The original location was further south on Fraser and now the new location is closer to all the action near the corner of Fraser and 46th.   For those who do not know, a dosa is a super thin and crispy South Indian crepe made from fermented rice and lentils.  It can be eaten plain and served with chutneys and sambar, but for me, best to be filled with a curry of some sort.  Jackie and I dropped by to try some of their menu items.

For our starters, one of the dishes we had was the Prawn Pakora.  This featured pretty large prawns that were coated with a fairly thin batter.  It was mildly spiced where I got a certain amount of earthiness and also some natural sweetness from the meaty prawns.  This was served with 3 chutneys including tamarind, spicy peanut and cilantro.  I liked the cilantro the most as it was bright and a bit spicy.

Our other appie was the classic Chicken 65.  It was served with the same 3 chutneys along with a few veggies.  The small morsels of chicken were tender with a crispy coating.  I felt the seasoning was on the milder side but I did still get some tang and spice.  We also had the Chicken 65 Biryani and it was quite good.  With a crispy texture, the chicken also kept the rice more dry (almost like a fried rice).  But since it wasn't a fried rice (in terms of overall cooking technique), it featured absorbed spices that were earthy and savoury with some heat.

In addition to the aforementioned biryani, we also had the Goat Biryani.  Since the medium-sized chunks of meat were cooked with the rice, it had taken on the gaminess of the goat.  There was also more moisture due to that and hence, the rice was not as dry as the previous dish.  Lots of fall and earthy flavours from the spices as well as a hit of cinnamon.  I really enjoyed this as it was flavourful with tender pieces of meat.

Of course we had to get and order of the restaurant's namesake right?  So we got one each of the Eggplant Masala Dosa and the Butter Chicken Dosa.  These lentil and rice flour crepes were uniformly crispy and light.  Nice aroma too. One of the better dosas I've had in town.  I liked both fillings with the eggplant being soft and well-spiced.  The butter chicken was tender and had a good balance of tang and creaminess.  Nice spice with earthy notes.

Beyond the dosas and biryanis, there is also a considerable selection of curries.  One of our favourites was the Prawn Curry.  Since they cooked the prawns into the curry, there was this natural briny sweetness which was so appetizing.  The prawns themselves were meaty with so much inherent flavour and umaminess.  This came with rice, papadum, naan and raita.  Really a complete meal!

We also had the Lamb Curry which was quite rich and creamy.  Naturally, there was the usual earthy notes, yet they were not as strong as a Rogan Josh.  That made the lamb flavour stand out more.  We asked for this to be medium spice and it was impactful in that respect.  The chunks of lamb were tender and moist.  I thought the naan had nice colour to it, but the texture was a bit hard. 

As an add-on at the end of the meal, we got the Palak Paneer.  This was a textbook version of the dish except that the paneer wasn't cut into cubes.  Rather, they were slices and as a result, had a different texture.  The paneer was more squishy and soft, which was quite appealing.  As for the spinach, it was a bit earthy with some spice.  We found some gingery notes at the end.

For our sweets, we had the Carrot Halwa and Rasmalai.   I personally love carrot halwa and this was a tasty version.  Not too sweet, but full of fall flavours with the crunch from the nuts and sweetness from the raisins.  As for the rasmalai, it also wasn't overboard with the sweetness and had a great cooling effect against the curries we had.  Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at Dosa Corner.  Not only were the Dosas some of the best we've had in the city, the rest of the dishes were solid as well.  Add in reasonable prices and it is a place that we can dine at any day of the week.

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

The Good:

- Light and uniformly crispy dosas

- All other dishes are solid

- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:

- Naan could be softer

Sainam - Thai Isaan Eatery and Bar

You've probably heard me talk about how many of the restaurants we have in Vancouver (and many other spots around the world) take the "tourist" approach to their menus.  Hence, we see multiple cuisines from different regions of one country all packaged into one restaurant.  We are seeing more often that restaurants are being dedicated to one region as customers are becoming more aware and are also demanding it.   This brings me to one of the newest Northeastern Thai restaurants in town in Sainam.  Opened by Angus An, Sainam joins a growing list of Isaan (or E-Sarn) focused Thai restaurants in Vancouver.  Known for their sweet and sour flavour profiles and Loatian influences, it is definitely different than the usual coconut thick curries and seafood of the South.

Predominant on the front page of the menu, there is a section dedicated to Som Yum (Papaya Salad).  Although it was suggested we try the one with salt cured little crabs, we opted for the Fried Papaya Salad instead.  I've had the one with the crabs before and it was definitely briny and full of umami.  However, this fried papaya salad was all about the textures.  So much crunch in this and bathed in a sweet and tangy dressing that was also plenty spicy.  It was a balanced spiciness though as I could still taste everything else and not kill my tastebuds for the other dishes we ordered.

For our next item, we had something that is not unique to Isaan cuisine, but definitely a Thai favourite as the menu states.  This was of course, the well-known dish of Pad Thai.  I would say this was prepared in a familiar way and it was probably intentional.  For those who are not familiar with Isaan Thai, this (and the other items in the Thai Favourites section), would be accessible.   The noodles were chewy and al dente while doused in enough tamarind for a tangy bite.  There was a touch of brininess and balancing sweetness.  It was pretty mild, but the side of chili powder helped kick things up.

Another dish from the same section of the menu was the Laab Fried Rice.  This had sufficient wok hei for some nuttiness from the rice.  The rice itself was moist, yet not wet, where it was chewy with discernible grains.  It was seasoned well where every bite was full of flavour including the various herbs including the sweet star anise hit from the Thai basil and some spice from the chilies.  Of course we had some brininess as well as plenty of sweetness too.   Some background acidity balanced things out. The big chunks of chicken were rather dry, but not in a bad way.  It had crispy bits on the edges and a firm chew everywhere else.

One of my favourite cuts of meat has to be Pork Neck or aka Pork Collar as it is fatty and tender.  Therefore, we ordered the Nam Tok Pork Neck.  There are 2 versions on the menu and this particular dish found the sliced pork neck tossed with roasted rice powder, herbs and spicy lime dressing.  As per usual, the pork neck was fatty and plenty bouncy in texture.  Very nice mouth feel with tangy spiciness as well as the brightness of the herbs.  There was some nuttiness from the rice powder.

Whenever we are dining on SE Asian cuisine, ordering Fried Chicken Wings is a must.  Something about how they seasoned them and the dipping sauces...  So good!  Well, the one here at Sainam was pretty decent.  The wings themselves were still moist with rendered crispy skin.  We would've liked to see more fish sauce glaze on the outside though.  It was plenty flavourful with caramelized sweetness and briny saltiness.  The dipping sauce on the side was a good combination of saltiness, sweetness, tanginess, herbaceousness and spice.

We ordered one veggie dish in the Stir-Fried Cabbage with fish sauce & dried chili.  This was quite good in terms of flavour as the sweetness of the palm sugar was evident and it was caramelized.  Nice briny saltiness from the fish sauce and there was an earthiness in the background.  There was definitely some spice in the end too.  One thing that we would have liked to see was more wok hei and charring of the cabbage.  Texturally, the cabbage was still crunchy and vibrant.

Onto dessert, we had the Pandan Custard Cake which was in a nice shade of pandan green.  It was soft and mildly sweet with the unmistakable floral and nutty notes.  Definitely tropical tasting and not super heavy.  The sweetened egg topping was texturally pleasing while adding an extra hit of flavour.  Overall, Sainam is a solid choice for Northeastern Thai food.  Yes, I didn't get to dive deep into the true Isaan dishes on the menu, but I wouldn't mind coming back to try them.

The Good:

- Nice flavours

- Attentive service

- Unique dishes on the menu

The Bad:

- Wok hei was sufficient, but we would've liked to see even more smokiness

Burger Bender @ Match Eatery and Public House (Delta)

So here we are at Match Eatery and Public House to check out their annual Burger Bender.  Running until February 22nd, they are featuring 5 unique creations to compliment their fantastic burgers on their regular menu.  I've always enjoyed their burgers and sides, to the point that I've been here many times on my own coin.  Really love their wings and pizza as well.  So this time around, we stopped by for an early dinner so that we could take our time enjoying their burger lineup for Burger Bender 2026.

The first one we tackled was probably our favourite in the Bacon BBQ Ranch Hand.  You can clearly see what made this burger - the copious amount of bacon!  With a plethora of thick strips of glazed crispy bacon, the burger had this salty, sweet and smoky thing going on.  Texturally, the bacon added a crispy meatiness.  The 6oz smashed patty had crispy edges and was well-seared.  Providing even more crunch were some crispy onions while some pulled pork and BBQ sauce gave the burger some smokiness.  We paired this one with the regular fries and they were crispy with lots of potato goodness inside.

A fan favourite of year's past has been the French Onion Big Dipper.  This consisted of the same smashed burger patty topped with a crunchy breaded onion ring and 2 slices of melted Swiss cheese.  Along with caramelized onions, there was already a tonne of flavour, but the whole point of this burger was to dip it into the side of French onion soup.   About that soup, it was impactful and sweet without being overly salty.  It really complimented the cheese and onion where it felt like we were eating, not drinking, a French Onion Soup.  Beyond the burger, the side of curly fries were uniformly crunchy.

I found the Aloha Huli Huli Chicken a surprise as I'm usually not a chicken burger person.  This was quite enjoyable due to the aggressive char on the chicken breast.  It made things smoky with more depth (than what you might usually expect from a chicken breast).  Despite this char, the meat was still tender and almost juicy.  I would've liked more marinade on the chicken itself, but with teriyaki pulled pork and grilled fresh pineapple, there was no shortage of tangy, sweet and savoury elements.  We had the breaded onion rings with this burger and they were super crunchy.

The Mighty Mushroom could be seen as one of the underrated burgers on this menu.  I mean, mushroom burgers aren't necessarily anything out-of-the-ordinary.  However, with a generous amount of Boursin cheese spread, things got cheesy with herbaceous notes.  Add in the sautéed crimini mushrooms, and we had a wealth of woodsiness and butteriness.  Make no mistake, the burger ate heavy as a result, but the addition of Dijonnaise provided a bit of bright tanginess.  The side of chili fries was fantastic with the same crispy fries (that stayed crispy) topped with a meaty chili and lots of cheese.

Finally, the most "regular" burger was the Super Smash Burger featuring 3 smash patties with all the produce, burger sauce, caramelized onions and American cheese.  This hit the spot with thinner patties sporting crispier edges.  Combined with the cheese and sauce, we had some classic burger vibes going on.  We ended up with a Caesar Salad for the side and it was loaded with croutons, roasted garlic and bacon.   There are 2 featured Root Beer Floats on the Burger Bender menu with one classic and the other being boozy.  The combination of hard vanilla ice cream with a bubbly root beer brought back childhood memories.  In fact, the burgers offered this time around were reminiscent of past Burger Benders with creations you want to eat with sides that are just as good.  

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

The Good:

- Loaded and tasty burgers

- Equally great sides

- We ordered and paid for some wings because they are that good

The Bad:

- Wished they had a non-beef offering as well (like in the past), but they do have it on the regular menu though

Chez Céline

Just because a restaurant is "French" doesn't mean that it necessarily representative of France itself.  Take St. Lawrence for instance, they are French Canadian (Québécois) restaurant with definite French influences, but in reality, a unique cuisine in itself.   Now St. Lawrence is a Michelin-starred establishment which isn't a place that is your usual daily dining spot (unless you are loaded).  Well, they now have such a place named Chez Céline out in the Fraserhood.  More approachable eats, yet at the same time, capturing the charm of bistros found in Montreal, Chez Céline did elicit memories of Montréal (as I was there recently, and yes, the posts are coming!).

To start us off, we got an Amuse Bouche of Fried Chickpea Fritter.  These were well-salted and almost creamy on the inside.  Perfectly crispy on the outside.  Onto our first appie, we had the Croque Monsieur Croquettes.  These were cleverly presented with a creamy béchamel filled croquette topped with ham and gruyère.  This definitely captured the spirit of a Croque Monsieur where it was more crispy and slightly deconstructed.

With all of the available options to accompany the Sourdough Flatbread, we went for the Rillettes de Carnard (Duck Rillette).  First and foremost, the bread itself was fluffy and appealingly chewy in the middle while sporting the ever-so-lightly crispy crust on the outside.  As for the rillette, it was plenty meaty and quite moist.  Hence, it had the desired succulence associated with well-prepared duck.  Unlike other duck rillette I've had, this was not overly fatty.  Flavourwise, it was naturally gamy with balanced sweetness and savouriness.

Sporting the same bread, the Terrine de Campange was a hearty slice.  It was plenty meaty and ate quite well in chunks rather than being spread onto the bread.  In actuality, this isn't supposed to be spread anyways due to its density.  Lots of natural flavours was accented by a touch of earthiness from the herbs and also the background flavour of cooked-down alcohol. 

Topped with anchovies, the Beef Tartare was prepared so that there were discernible pieces of beef present.  This gave the dish plenty of meat chew, yet at the same time being tender and buttery.  It was mildly seasoned where the tanginess of the white anchovies added acidity and also just a touch of salt (as they are not the salty type of achovies).

Really enjoyed the Charred Radishes served atop EVOO and tonnato.  Juicy and tender, the radishes were aggressively charred and hence, were smoky with plenty of depth.  The earthiness of the radish still came through in a sweet and bright manner.  Oh that tonnato was creamy and flavourful with just a touch of brininess.  It was also great with any bread we had left.

We went for both pastas including the Pappardelle with red-wine braised short rib.  The wide ribbons of pasta were al dente but still had a tenderness to them.  Nice bounciness.  They were inherently flavourful for the salt in the water, but the shortrib did add plenty of meatiness and rich braised flavours.  Loved the acidity to the dish from the cooked down wine as it kept it from being too heavy.  The meat itself was super tender.

Even though the Cavatelli was functionally prepared well, the dish itself was quite subtle.  It did have the promised mushroom and earthy flavours, but it was mildly impactful.  Compared to the mushroom pasta I had at Dovetail recently, this was only 1/4 of the impact.  It wasn't as if this wasn't good though as the pasta as al dente and they didn't overdo it with the truffle.

My favourite dish was the 18oz bone-in Pork Chop.  It featured a modest brine which kept the meat juicy and tender.  It also added aromatics in the form of thyme and sage.  However, the maple apple cider sauce was the star as it was sticky, sweet and full of umami.  Nice acidity too as it kept things from being overly rich.  I really enjoyed the bone as it ate like a sweet and sticky rib.

The T-Bone Steak was prepared to medium-rare as we requested.  Pretty even cook despite consisting of both tenderloin and striploin steaks.   If you look closely, this was more like a porterhouse as it had big portions of both striploin and tenderloin. Naturally, the tenderloin was softer and required very little chewing.  Striploin was predictably more meaty, but it was still plenty tender.  Nice char on the outside and the black pepper sauce was creamy with only a hint of pepperiness.

We ended up with 2 of their sides that were the same base ingredient, but ate very differently.  The Frites were excellent being crispy with some fluffy potato left inside.  It was served with a garlicky aioli.  The real star was the Poutine with legit cheese curds and a well-balanced gravy.  Since the gravy had a consistent viscosity, it was able to coat the fries without drenching them.  Hence, the fries were still crispy with the flavour of the gravy coming through and the partially melted cheese curds (with a few that were not, which is ideal) added that unmistakable texture.

With the desserts, it was only logical that they had a Maple Crème Caramel available.  This was predictably sweet and well, "Maple"-tasting.  In fact, it was quite apparent and concentrated.  As for the flan itself, it was smooth and had the desired density.  It was also sweet, but not as much as the maple caramel sauce.  That in itself saved the dessert from going overboard with the sweetness.

Our last 2 desserts both had soft-serve ice cream.  The first was the Profiteroles, which featured some on point choux pastry.  It was crispy on the outside while airy and light on the inside.  It held up to the creamy soft-serve and table side chocolate sauce.  It wasn't as sweet as it looked, which was appreciated.  The best dessert was the Pain Perdue (Bread Pudding) as it was not dense at all and ate quite fluffy.  With reserved sweetness and the hit of fall spices, this was comforting for a cold day.  The contrast of hot and cold with the bread pudding and soft-serve was rather appealing.  Overall, the food at Chez Céline is good and the menu is fairly well-priced.  Since I recently revisited Montreal, this gave me the same vibes.  Would come back.

The Good:

- Solid eats

- Decent portion size

- Authentic Montreal bistro vibes

The Bad:

- Loved the sourdough, but too many appies featuring it, need a bit more variety 

 

Banette

Korean brunch spots are pretty much mainstream now as you can find them almost anywhere.  Many might assume that a place like La Forêt might've started it all in the GVRD, but for me at least, it was an unassuming spot on Fraser Hwy in Surrey called Prairie Cafe.  They dished up regular breaky items but also things like Bulgogi and Spicy Pork with rice.  Yes, there was also some Chinese items mixed in as well.  Sadly, they closed a couple of years ago after 74 years in business.  Now we have dedicated Korean-owned and run brunch restaurants all over the place including On & Off Kitchen, OTreat, Toast to Coast, The Breakfast Table, The Burnt Orange, The Green Brunch & Well-Being, Little Beetle and so on...   Now we can add another to the list in Banette in New Westminster.  Checked this place out on a rainy day in Vancouver (like that is unusual...).

One thing you'll notice right away is the plating.  We ordered the Golden Roost Benedict and it came out looking like the rainbow.  Love the effort and all the fresh fruit on the plate.  However, the lifeless chicken was not really all that appealing.  Although "healthier", the chicken lacked any flavour nor real texture (was a bit mushy).  This would've benefited from a fried piece of chicken.  On the other hand, the rest of the plate was good.  Poached eggs were runny and the Hollandaise was not too heavy.

The next dish was pretty solid in the Avocado French Toast Brunch.  Featuring crispy brioche with a soft centre, this was uniquely topped with ice cream.  We actually enjoyed that much more than whipped cream as it had more impact and sweetness.  The roasted pear added another level of mild sweetness and the fresh fruit was welcomed.

The showstopper was the Supreme Stack featuring a pulled pork sandwich atop a beef burger all on brioche.  This was definitely a fork & knifer as we couldn't even pick this up without it falling apart.  I thought the beef patty was fairly moist with a decent sear on the outside.  However, the pulled pork was the best part being juicy and tender.  Sure, the fries on the side were Cavendish, but they were fried properly!  Overall, the food at Banette is tasty and well-portioned.  Definitely a good option in New West for brunch.

The Good:

- They put effort into their food and plating

- Large portions

- Nice people

The Bad:

- Not a fan of the chicken, a bit lifeless

Hansol

Having to take the car in for several recalls meant I was going to be stranded without a ride in Port Moody.  Luckily for me, Ipanemagirl was free and made the trek out to pick me up for lunch.  We ended up going to Hansol Korean just a few minutes away.  Now you might be wondering since we were going for Korean, why did we not head up to North Road...  Well, the ratings for Hansol are pretty good and we just wanted to take a chance at a place we've never been before. 

This mom 'n pop place isn't very large, but since we arrived at around opening, we were able to snag a table before the lunch rush.  Of course, with our meal, we were served some Banchan in the form of stewed potatoes, sprouts, tofu skins and kimchi.  These were good and served in a large portion (even though we could get refills).  Loved the spicy tofu skins with their appealing chewiness.  Potatoes were soft but not melting while not overly sweet.  Kimchi was not too tangy, it had good spice and sweetness.  Sprouts were crunchy and not wet with the aromatics of sesame oil.

We got some Yangyeom Wings because who doesn't like KFC (Korean Fried Chicken)???  Well these were really good with juicy wings with a thin layer of coating which was fried until crispy.  The skin was not flabby and the wings themselves were plump.  Unlike some places, there was just enough sauce coating these giving off a good balance of tangy, sweet and spicy.

Going for something a bit different in terms of soup, we had the Soondaeguk.  Yes, the blood sausage was lurking within the rich and mildly-spicy broth.  It was quite light and fluffy with the usual glass noodles inside.  With the addition of raw garlic and perilla seeds on top, we got sharpness as well as some slight liquorice notes.  Really enjoyed this hearty soup on a cold day.

Instead of the standard Bibimbap, we went for the Beef Tartare Bibimbap.  This was a very hot stone bowl as the rice underneath was already well on its way in forming a socarrat.  When mixed with some gochujang and the rest of the toppings (including the egg yolk), the bowl was able to maintain its heat and partially cook the beef and still form a beautiful crust.  Hence, things were a bit smoky and nutty while the beef was super tender and buttery.  Really good dish.

Last dish was the Japchae which was loaded with ingredients.  Lots of tender thin slices of beef and crunchy veggies.  The noodles had a nice chew to them while not being greasy nor overseasoned.  It was balanced and not too sweet.  Really aromatic from the sesame oil.  Good portion size too.  I got to say we really enjoyed this meal and it got me itching to try more of their dishes.  Glad we tried something different rather than defaulting to North Road.  If you are in the area, go give them a try.

The Good:

- Nice people

- Good portion sizes

- Solid eats

The Bad:

- Small place, seating will be tight

- Mom 'n pop operation, service will be sparse when they are busy