2012-12-28 Dinner @ Tenhachi Japanese Restaurant 天八和食

1125 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC

604-742-0234

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Tenhachi Japanese Restaurant 天八和食, a Japanese home-style restaurant located where we would least expect it, has been on our wishlist for a very long time.  Even Octopus kept on raving about how much she enjoyed it when she visited with a dear friend from Edmonton.  We drove by many times, but, due to parking, we never attempted to visit.  Luckily, after I ditched work early to drive Buddha Girl to the clinic, we were lucky enough to find a parking spot on a narrow side street and made our way for their early bird discount between 5pm to 6:30pm.

The restaurant was empty, well, of course, we arrived right at its dinner opening.  The decor was outdated and nothing, other than its menu and its staff, shows that this place serves Japanese cuisine.

Due to the parking time restrictions, they offer an early bird discount...that means I can order more...right?

I got excited when I saw Chicken Shiso Tempura on the menu, and yes, I immediately ordered it.  The tempura batter was very light and crispy, one of the better versions in Vancouver.  Unfortunately, I could barely detect any flavors from the shiso shreds.  Moreover, the chicken was bland.  The accompanied tentsuyu (tempura dip) didn't do much to enhance the flavors.

Next came the Assorted Tempura.  The batter was, again, very light and crispy.  Just like the shiso chicken, the prawns were bland, and, as blasphemous as it was, I resorted to using soy sauce just to add flavor.  The vegetables pieces had enough of its own natural flavors to satisfy.  Next time, I would probably only order the vegetable tempura (yes, very unlike us).

Buddha Girl had the Katsu Don.  I was craving a don for a while and my subliminal messages must have worked on her.  Considering that the sauce was on the lighter side, it worked well in this dish.  Not too salty nor sweet, just enough to accent the meat and highlight the rice.  The portion was good as Buddha Girl found herself quite full before finishing the bowl.  The miso soup had napa cabbage, bean sprouts and seaweed.  It was different but it was enjoyable.

I had the Hamburger Steak Dinner Set.  Almost anywhere that has this, I'd be ordering it.  Yup, I've been on that hamburger-steak kick for a while.  This version was good, but was nothing spectacular.  The meat had minimal fillers and had a good texture (unlike Cafe de l'Orangerie, where the patties were mushy).  By itself, this combo would be too small for me, but with the additional dishes, plus I had to help Buddha Girl with her rice bowl, I was satisfyingly full.

Overall, this was an okay experience.  Price points were good, only because we took advantage of the early bird discount.  Compared to Hi Genki, the selections here were more limited, but the quality was much better.

2012-12-14 Dinner @ Kaya Malay Bistro

1063 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC

604-730-9963

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Kaya Malay Bistro came from a recommendation of a patient at my family doctor's clinic.  Throughout our conversation, he kept on raving about their roti canai.  He said, translated from Chinese, "Kaya has the best roti canai in Vancouver".  Well, after finding out that he's the chef behind a local high-Urbanspoon-rating Malaysian restaurant, I took his word for it and dragged MomJ and Buddha Boy along.

The restaurant was chic, modern and spacious.  I thought it would be busy on a Friday night, but it wasn't.  As soon as we walked in, I noticed a familiar face, and that face thought the same.  After chatting, I realized that she was my former casino colleague from ten years ago.  Hehehe...small world!

The first thing we ordered was Mini Soft Shell Crab.  The crab was sauteed in onions, garlic, shallots, chili and black peppercorn.  The feeling of eating "soft shell crab" was lost in that heavy coat of batter.  The seasoning was salty.

Next came the Appetizer Sampler.  The nicely charred thigh-meat Chicken Skewers were moist and flavorful on its own, so the dip was not really needed.  Mind you, the spicy peanut sauce did gave it a nice kick.  The Vegetarian Samosa and its accompanied spicy sauce were nothing special.  The Calamari was a bit disappointing.  Not only it was lukewarm, almost to the point of being cold, but the approach of marinating it in curry spice didn't quite do the charm for me.  The Roti Canai had crisp surfaces, but it was a bit dense.  The accompanied curry sauce was rich and thick, which, as always, complimented the flatbread well.  Sorry to say, but for us, the roti canai at Kaya Malay Bistro was definitely not the best we've had in Vancouver.

The Seafood Fried Rice in Pineapple Boat had lots of pineapple chunks, limited raisins, confined sunflower seeds, minimal seafood, and...egg?  The rice overall lacked flavors, perhaps just a pinch of salt would do the magic.

The Singapore Laksa was a pretty large bowl with prawns, chicken, bean sprouts, boiled egg and fish cake.  The noodles used here were thin and were overcooked.  The coconut curry broth was a bit too gritty, a bit too salty and a bit too oily.

Next came our half order of Hainanese Chicken.  Not the best we've had, but still acceptable.  Some pieces were tough and chewy.  The sauces were pretty standard.

Buddha Boy was disappointed with the Rendang Beef.  It seemed that the stew was not cooked long enough to allow the coconut milk to evaporate completely.  The meat, because it was not stewed long enough, was tough and lacked the necessary intense flavors.

The Nasi Kunyit (left), or rice prepared with turmeric coconut milk, was something new for us.  The turmeric really showed its presence but was quickly calmed by hints of coconut milk.  The Hainanese Steamed Rice (right) was boring.

Thanks to my former casino colleague and restaurant management, we were offered a complimentary dessert of choice.  Prior to our visit, I already had Kuih Dadar in mind.  These were pandan-flavored crepes filled with grated coconut in palm sugar.  I love pandan, and I could actually taste the pandan in the crepes, however, the unbearable sweetness was too much for me.

While we're not experts in this cuisine, we do enjoy the common dishes, so it's really nice to see another Malaysian restaurant in Vancouver.  However, that being said, we're really not sure if we'd return anytime soon...or at all.  The ambiance was great, the service was great, but as for food, well, we've had better experiences elsewhere in 604...at better prices too.

2012-12-13 Lunch @ Kisamos Greek Taverna

3420 Moncton Street, Richmond, BC

604-277-5626

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I met up with Colleen (604 Munchies) to catch up with the latest happenings.  We had lunch at this little family-style Greek restaurant in Steveston Village.  Since it was a weekday, I didn't think reservation would be necessary...boy, was I so wrong.  The restaurant was busy and we were lucky that we didn't have to wait for a table.

To start, we shared two appetizers.  The first was the Kalamari.  The batter was crispy and light, but some of the pieces were too chewy.  The tzatziki was under-seasoned.  While this was enjoyable, in my opinion, Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria still offers the best calamari.

Next was the Garlic Prawns.  These tasted like frozen prawns from Costco drenched in butter.  Nothing special and not worth the price.

I went with a lunch special, the Chicken & Portabello Mushroom.  The chicken breast was charbroiled and topped with a white wine mushroom sauce.  The meat was moist.  The sauce, while creamy, was a bit salty.  This $9.95 (tax/tips excluded) came with vegetables, potatoes and rice.

I was wondering why Colleen ate so little of the appetizers...(1) she had hot dogs for breakfast and (2) she was waiting for her huge order of Roast Lamb!!!  This was only $15.95 (tax/tips excluded) and came with salad, potatoes, tzatziki and rice.

Service was stretched.  During the lunch rush, the whole restaurant only had one server.  While many would compare this restaurant to Stepho's Souvlaki Greek Taverna on Davie Street in downtown, I could not do so, simply because I have not yet visit that downtown pop.  However, with reasonable prices and decent portions, the home-style dishes at Kisamos Greek Taverna have prompted me to return.

2012-12-12 Dinner @ Schanks Sports Grill

350 Gifford Street, New Westminster, BC

604-777-8088

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I love pub wings, especially during its specials.  However, the cheap Buddha Girl is still living in the old days where wings special was only five or ten-cents each.  I honestly couldn't believe how expensive the wings are nowadays.  WTF?  Forty-cents each?  Fifty-cents each?  Yup, I rather live in the past...

I've been to Shang Noodle House 尚麵館 and Kirin Seafood Restaurant 麒麟海鮮酒家 a good number of times, but Schanks Sports Grill never really caught my attention.  When Buddha Boy suggested it, it took me a while to clue in where it was.

We had a total of forty wings.  The wings were, before sauces, nicely deep-fried with a crispy coat.  Now, on to the flavors.  We couldn't detect much honey or garlic in the Honey Garlic Wings (above, top left).  The Hot Wings (above, top right) were standard.  The Sweet Chili Wings (above, bottom left) were wings tossed in, well, as the name suggests, sweet chili sauce.  The Teriyaki Wings (above, bottom right) were too salty.  All sauces tasted very commercial. 

On top of the wings, we also ordered a BBQ Chicken Pizza.  Ample amounts of grilled barbeque chicken breast, bell peppers, onions, mozzarella cheese, cilantro and barbeque sauce.  The dough was thick yet light, and was done nicely with a crispy and crunchy bottom.  This 12" pizza was surprisingly delicious.

With no prior knowledge, we visited on the night where BC Hydro was having their Christmas party.  Most of the sections were reserved except with the corner where the pool tables were.  Unfortunately, even with that small section open to the public, majority of the BC Hydro staff hogged the games area and limited public enjoyment.  Nothing the pub can do, in fact, even with the busy night, we still received good service.  Perhaps the party organizers can better educate their employees.

2012-12-09 Lunch @ Dae Ji Pork Cutlet House

4501 North Road, Burnaby, BC

604-566-9107

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After waking up early and ran some errands, Buddha Boy and I, along with our third-wheel, Octopus, needed lunch.  We wanted 29th Ave Cafe, but it's not open for lunch.  After a quick check on Urbanspoon, we ended up at Dae Ji Pork Cutlet House in Burnaby.

Service was okay at first, but as soon as our food arrived, service was lost.  All the staff were chatting and giggling by the counter.  I had to get up and help myself with the tea.

Two of our four orders included Miso Soup.  These were lukewarm and were flavorless.  Not recommended, unless it's included in the combo.

Octopus added a Cheese Pork Cutlet to her Kimchi Fried Rice and requested no gravy.  The rice was extremely greasy and gave both Octopus and I the nauseous feeling after only a couple of spoons.

I added an egg to my Pork Cutlet Curry Rice.  The cutlet, drenched in a vegetable curry, was really not all that.  The meat, even with all that sauce, still had that dry and fibrey texture.  The salad was nothing special, just shredded cabbage with over-sweetened dressing.  The egg, well, was just an egg.

Buddha Boy also added an egg to his Mushroom Hamburger Steak.  The "mushroom" part was basically three slices of button mushrooms on top of each patty.  While this was nothing extraordinary, but it was enjoyable.  Unlike Cafe de l'Orangerie (see post 2012-10-27 Lunch @ Cafe de l'Orangerie), the patties here had texture.

Buddha Boy's second dish was Dae-Ji Pork Cutlet and requested no rice.  The gravy was nothing special and it tasted like powdered mix.  The cutlet was moist enough to satisfy my husband.

Something was not right...and we were all hit.  My silk stomach was attacked while we were still in the restaurant and I had to use the loo (and became buddies with the home loo throughout the night).  Octopus held the pain and waited for home (again, became best friends with her home loo too).  Buddha Boy, the iron stomach, was hit the next day with very unpleasant plumbing catastrophe.