La Mezcaleria

June 16, 2014Leave a comment

After many attempts, S, J and I finally found time to try La Mezcaleria. The Mexican joint is located in the Commercial Drive area and is the newly opened sister restaurant of La Tacqueria.

The inside is dimly lit and has a casual vibe with a bar table and a small section of seats against the other side of the wall. They are famous for their Mezcal and Tequila flights as well. Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from a plant similar to agave and is a typical Mexican drink. Unfortunately, we did not try their drinks this time, but I hear they are quite good.

After ordering, we were given 4 types of sauces that we could add to our food. It ranged from mildly spicy to very spicy. Salsa Verde was the least spicy, then it moved on to Chipotle, Chile de Arbol and the spiciest Habanero. The Salsa Verde was good in the beginning, but once you tried the spicier ones, you got hooked onto the spicy ones! In the end, most of us were using the Chile de Arbol or the Habanero. You can definitely feel the heat with those two.

Our food actually took quite some time to arrive, but it then came at a consistent speed. First, we had the Campechano Flight. It came with 4 glasses of dips that we could use with our tortilla chips. Starting at the front, the green one was the Guacamole. It was made with tons of fresh avocado, some lime, onion, jalapeno, tomato and cilantro. Next was the Albacore Tuna Ceviche. It consisted of diced up albacore tuna, avocado, lime, radish and pico de gallo. It also came with pork chicharron, which are like deep fried pork rinds. A nice crunch and the tuna was very fresh. Next, the glass in red was the Pico de Gallo. It’s very typical in Mexican cuisine and is also sometimes called the salsa fresca. It’s made with chopped tomatoes, white onions, and chilis. Definitely very appetizing. Lastly, there was the Pacific Red Snapper Ceviche, which included tomato, lime red onion, serrano and cilantro. I really liked it since I loved the bouncy texture the red snapper had. The flight is a really good deal if you have a group of friends to share, since for $17 you can try most of their ceviches and dips. Normally, one of these dishes around $9-$15 on its own and the sizes looked somewhat similar. We had so much leftover compared to the chips, so we had to order another side of chips for an extra $1.

Next up, we got their signature dish, the Queso Fundido. We’d been looking at pictures of this all over the Internet and were excited to try this interesting looking cheese fondue. It comes in a volcanic rock molcajete, which is a traditional Mexican mortar and pestle. Back then, people would use it for grinding food. We also added the chorizo for an extra $2.50. It was definitely very cheesy, but I also found it too oily. Well I guess cheese is oily to begin with. Unfortunately, I was too busy stirring this bad boy so I didn’t get a picture of how stringy the cheese is.

It comes with around 6 soft tortillas. I found these tortillas to be just okay. To be honest, I didn’t find the cheese dish to be amazing. I didn’t like how the cheese cooled so quickly, and you were just biting into a chunk of cooling cheese. You really needed the sauces to add more flavour to this dish.

I was told by the server to shake the bag up a bit, then open it and dump it on top of the rice. After shaking, you open the bag up, and this is what it looks like. Not too appetizing I know. We had chose the chicken, so it had been slow steam cooked along with a green tomatillo sauce, onions, cilantro and poblano peppers to add flavour. I thought this was just average. Not my favourite, and I found it quite pricey for the portions at $17.

Meat Tacos – Asada, Pescado, Carnitas, Al Pastor (front left clockwise)

We also got the Meat Tacos which were priced at 4 for $11.50. I’ve had the tacos at La Tacqueria and the menu is essentially the same (although La Tacqueria has more choices). I got the Asada which came with grilled ‘AAA’ flank beef and onions. I loved the flavour and tenderness of the meat. Above the Asada was the Pesacdo, which included Zarandeado fish with a chipotle mayo, radish and pepitas. Next to it, was the Carnitas which consisted of pork confit and pickled red onions. At the bottom right corner was the Al Pastor which was pork marinated in achiote chili and pineapple. Everyone enjoyed their tacos, although it gets quite messy since they fill them up quite full.

By the end of our night, we were beyond stuffed. Prices are average with each dish ranging at around $17. It’s a great place to go with at least 4 people, so you can really try many of their dishes and share. For the 3 of us, we found ourselves wanting to try more dishes, but we were definitely too full! A really cool, hip, and casual spot to spend your evening. I hear they are also having late night menus now with DJs too, so it’ll definitely be lots of fun. Looking forward to coming back again.

Phnom Penh (Revisit #2)

June 15, 20141 Comment

Marinated Butter Beef

I’ve been to Phnom Penh before, and although I really enjoyed it, it’s a bit far for me. When M and J suggested going there though, I said sure why not! However, when we got there at around 7pm, the place was packed as usual! We were told to wait an hour… I would’ve probably left, but M and J had never been, and we made a trip all the way down, so we waited. We ended up going over to Besties to get some German sausages first, which I wish I took pictures of… Next time! Anyways, by the time we got back, which was around an hour later, our seat was ready. We were all half full by now after the snack, so we tried not to order too much. I suggested we get their famous Marinated Butter Beef. I absolutely love this dish! The beef is so soft and tender! The sauce is what really makes the dish, but I do find it a little too acidic. It’s really sour but good at the same time. This time, I tried eating it with the cilantro (although I hate cilantro). Surprisingly, it worked really well together, and I didn’t mind it as much. A must order here.

Phnom Penh Deep Fried Chicken Wings

Next, we hard another famous dish – the Phnom Penh Deep Fried Chicken Wings. People say it’s the absolute best chicken wings, but I can’t say if they are the best. They are pretty damn good though, with a light batter on the outside, and a great salt and pepper seasoning. I’d probably wait half an hour for this, but probably not an hour again. We couldn’t end up finishing all of this, so M packed them home. This was the portion for a large size.

Filet Beef Luc Lac on Rice with Egg

If you look around, you’ll see that most diners order somewhat of the same dishes. The Filet Beef Luc Lac on Rice with Egg is again a very popular dish. It seems like such a simple dish, which anyone could make at home, but that filet beef is so delicious! The meat is so soft and tender and the sauce makes the dish perfect. Break the egg yolk and mix it with your rice, and you’ve got yourself a perfect comfort dish.

Chiu Chow Fried Oyster Cake

We decided to get one more dish and asked our server to recommend something. He suggested us to try the Chiu Chow Fried Oyster Cake. It was a huge portion, and at first bite, I thought it was average. I wouldn’t say it was amazing, but then soon after, J mentioned that it tasted disgusting. M and I were still eating it, and she began to describe how sticky it was. Indeed, the batter was very sticky. It was a clear goo, which is very common in say Taiwanese oyster cakes. The more she described it, the more we felt disgusted by it. I could understand that odd taste she was describing too. I’m not a huge fan of Taiwanese oyster cakes since they have a very gooey texture compared to some other oyster pancakes, so this literally eating a huge piece of goo. We ended up barely finishing half of this pancake, since the texture just really didn’t do it for us.

Overall, I had another good meal at Phnom Penh. Next time, I will stick to their signature dishes though. It seems that some of their other dishes are either a hit or miss. Look around and see what others have on their tables, and it’s probably a good one. The wait for an hour is a bit of a stretch for me though. Definitely would not wait for more than half an hour next time.

Check out my previous on Phnom Penh: https://everydayisafoodday.com/2012/07/18/phnom-penh/

Trattoria Italian Kitchen – Dine Out 2014

June 11, 2014June 9, 2014Leave a comment

For my final Dine Out, it was last minute and we decided to visit Trattoria Italian Kitchen. They don’t take reservations, so we had to wait. There were plenty of people waiting, and we waited almost an hour. Super busy, but their $18 menu for 3 courses was definitely a good deal and probably attracted the crowds. Trattoria is part of the Glowbal group, and having been to the other restaurants, I’m confident that the food can’t be too bad. There’s an open kitchen and it’s quite noisy in here with families gathering for some Italian food.

Raspberry Italian Soda

We essentially celebrated Chinese New Years at an Italian restaurant ironically, so we started ourselves with some Italian Soda. My family aren’t drinkers, so we got these as virgins. They were surprisingly really good! A bit of fizz and there were a variety of flavours to choose from. I chose the raspberry flavour and it was a bit sweet and sour and definitely very refreshing.

Raspberry, Cucumber, Passionfruit Italian Soda

We pretty much ordered every flavour on the menu, including peach as well. Pictured here is raspberry, cucumber, and passionfruit. My favourite was actually the cucumber flavour. It was so refreshing! The passionfruit sort of tasted more like peach, so it wasn’t a huge hit.

Zuppa di Zucca

My mom ordered the Zuppa di Zucca. This was a roasted butternut squash soup with sage oil. It was a medium consistency and my mom enjoyed it. It also came with a prosciutto wrapped grissini, which is like a breadstick. That was a nice touch to the soup.

Tuna Salad

The rest of us got the Tuna Salad. We were actually slightly disappointed with the salad, since the menu had said seared albacore tuna. We were expecting something like tuna tataki. Turned out, it was more like poached can tuna. I’m not a huge fan of canned tuna since it’s really flaky, so I wasn’t a huge fan. It came with arugula, cannellini beans, radish and finished off with a citrus vinaigrette.

Pollo Marsala – pan roasted chicken breast, Marsala and mushroom sugo with fennel salad

Mom and dad got the Pollo Marsala as their main. It was a pan roasted chicken breast topped with a Marsala wine and mushroom sugo sauce. A sugo sauce is an Italian tomato based sauce. We weren’t expecting much from this dish, but it turned out to be probably the best! The chicken was so moist and juicy that my parents were raving about it the whole night. The sauce was also absolutely delicious. It wasn’t too creamy or rich, but a perfect consistency to lightly bring some flavour to the chicken. It came with a side of fennel salad that was similar to the tuna salad.

Braised Lamb Cheek Pappardelle – bean ragout, smoked pancetta

The rest of us got the Braised Lamb Cheek Pappardelle. I found this average. I like to eat lamb, but I found that they didn’t season it enough, so you could still taste the gamey flavour of lamb. However, the lamb cheeks were absolutely soft and tender, which was a plus. I think I just didn’t really enjoy the flavour of this dish overall. Something was a little off for me.

Tiramisu with Biscotti

Lastly, for dessert, the only choice was the Tiramisu. When the cake came, we were all underwhlemed. This was probably the nicest slice that was plated, as the rest were all lopsided and messy looking. However, when we took a bite into it, we all agreed it was delicious! It felt like a homemade traditional Italian recipe. The cake was moist and soaked in espresso and the Mascarpone cheese mixed with whip cream was just the right amount. The biscotti was also a nice addition on the side. We were all full by the end of our meal, but we still managed to stuff ourselves with the Tiramisu.

Overall, we were all very happy with Trattoria’s Dine Out menu. I wouldn’t say the choices were dishes I would normally order, but for $18, we were literally filled up and the service was great. Their regular menu also looks like a pretty affordable menu and I’m looking forward to coming back to try some of their other dishes. The only downside would be the no reservations policy.

Koto Izakaya Sushi & Robata

May 25, 2014May 25, 2014Leave a comment

Chopped Scallop Roll People keep talking about how amazing Koto Izakaya is for their value, so I finally decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I didn’t try their late-night menu, which is when people usually go there since the food is imposingly really cheap. For their regular dinner menu, I didn’t find the prices to be a super good value. Average priced, but the quality isn’t superb. First, we had the Chopped Scallop Roll. It was filled with a lot of chopped scallop and topped with tons of tobiko and sesame seeds. The rice to filling ratio was pretty decent also. Toro Nigiri Next, we got some Toro Nigiri. This was actually pretty decent. However, I wouldn’t say the sashimi was packed on the rice too well. It was quite sloppy. The toro sashimi itself was very fatty and fresh though. Pretty good for the price you pay. Mentaiko Udon The Mentaiko Udon was a huge disappointment. It was simply udon with mentaiko on top. That wasn’t the real problem though. The problem was the mentaiko were all clumped together. It’s like they bought these cheap mentaiko that came in a paste or something and hadn’t treated it so they would split up. So at points, you would be eating a huge clump of mentaiko and it would be really salty. Lastly, we chose two specialty rolls. Koto doesn’t have a website so I couldn’t find their menu names. The one in the front was a roll topped with salmon sashimi, avocado, and massago. It also came with a spicy sauce, so no soy sauce was needed. Behind, we had a roll filled essentially like a dynamite roll, with deep fried prawns, and topped with unagi, avocado, orange and black tobiko. These were both pretty decent, but just as specialty rolls are usually, they were much more pricey. Overall, I thought Koto was just average. I guess it would a much better value for late-night, but I have yet to try. Don’t expect much service here though. It’s pretty slow and you have to wave your hand furiously to be noticed. They literally walk by you without looking. There’s also limited parking, so that might be a problem if it’s really packed.

Suika (Revisit #3)

May 24, 20141 Comment

Suika Mojito (watermelon)

Suika Snackbar reminds me of Guu, and is also always packed. We had our girls catch-up dinner here and the food didn’t disappoint. We got a pitcher of the Suika Mojito, which is basically watermelon flavoured. Super refreshing and delicious!

Corn Kakiage – organic corn niblets fried with cilantro batter, soy sauce, and butter

We started off with the Corn Kakiage, which was basically pieces of corn that had been battered up and deep fried. It was seasoned with a soy sauce and butter. Everyone enjoyed this! You get a nice crunchy batter on the outside, but the corn is still soft inside.

Lightly Smoked Tuna Tataki – with home made chili oil on a bed of sliced onion topped with scallions

Next, we had the Lightly Smoked Tuna Tataki. I found the portions to be a bit small, but regardless, it was still extremely fresh with a great texture. It came with a home made chili oil and was placed on top of sliced onions.

Aburi “Shime-Saba” Sushi – seared cured mackerel prsesed sushi served with mustard soy dressing

We also got two dishes of their sushi. Well, they actually only offer two types on their menu. First, was the Aburi “Shime-Saba” Sushi. Essentially, seared saba or mackerel, and this was done as a pressed sushi. Seared meant that it had been lightly torched. It came with a mustard soy dressing, so no extra soy sauce was needed. The fish was fresh and the dressing was extremely flavourful. Sometimes I find that saba has a fishy taste, but the dressing covers that up.

Aburi Toro Battera – lightly seared pressed fatty tuna sushi with avocado, shiso, sesame seeds topped with home made soy dressing & seaweed sauce

The second sushi we ordered was the Aburi Toro Battera, and this was my favourite. Since it was toro, the tuna was so fatty. With the tuna being seared, the tuna’s fatty oils came up so it was extremely smooth in the mouth. Again, it was pressed in a box shaped, and came with a home made soy dressing and seaweed sauce. This time, I didn’t find that the sauce was too overwhelming, so you could taste the freshness of the fish.

Dynamic Steak – “W” Lbs Beef Rib Steak with Wasabi, Soy & Garlic Sauce

Lastly, M suggested we try the Dynamic Steak. It was priced at $38, so I initially felt like it was quite pricey. However, when I saw the steak, I was in awe. It was humongous piece of steak! On the menu, it states that it is “W” Lbs – not exactly sure what that means. I don’t think this picture does it justice. The Rib Eye was enormous! The inside is cooked perfectly to medium-rare, so some of my friends who like their steak well-done were grossed out by how pink it was inside. I, on the other hand, loved the juiciness of the steak and thought it was excellent. I’m surprised they could handle cooking such a huge piece of steak. It was dressed with a wasabi, soy & garlic sauce, which gave it a Japanese flare.

Matcha Brulee – Frozen Matcha Creme Brulee with Fresh Whipped Cream & Red Bean Sauce

Lastly, I had to get my all time favourite dessert from Suika – the Matcha Brulee. It’s basically “frozen” matcha creme brulee, so it almost tastes like you’re eating matcha ice cream. Topped with some whipped ream and a bit of red bean sauce, this was the perfect way to end our meal! Always a fun time at Suika!

Charcoal Sushi & BBQ (Revisit #2)

May 18, 2014May 22, 2014Leave a comment

Sockeye Salmon Sashimi

Finally, we can get down to my Vancouver posts! I’m literally 5 months behind now…but I’m sure I can catch up quite quickly! Got home after a 14 hour flight and ended up passing out on my bed while waiting for my dad to come home from work. He woke me up and off we went to have some Japanese food that I had been missing for so long. We ended up at Charcoal, which was packed as usual. First, we got the Sockeye Salmon Sashimi. I was actually a bit disappointed with this. I found that the salmon was still sort of frozen and hadn’t been defrosted yet. It was still fresh and had a great texture, but it seemed to lack preparation. It’s also quite pricey for 4 pieces.

Chopped Scallop Roll and Dynamite Roll

I had been craving my Chopped Scallop Roll for the 4 months away. This did not disappoint me, and it was filled with lots of scallop. Dad got the Dynamite Roll, which was typical. Nothing too special, but filled with a good amount of fillings and a nice balance of rice.

Tokyo Roll

Lastly, we got one of the specialty rolls. We chose the Tokyo Roll, which was extremely colourful. It was filled with prawn tempura, cucumber slices, and tobiko. On top, it was layered with salmon sashimi and a nice mayo and spicy sauce. The best part about these rolls is you don’t need to use soy sauce, since it’s designed to be just eaten on its own.

I was honestly falling asleep from jet lag during dinner, but it was definitely a prime example of good Richmond sushi! Charcoal never disappoints!

The Nags Head – London

May 15, 2014May 13, 2014Leave a comment

My last night in London was bittersweet. It meant leaving Europe after 4 months, but at the same time, I was so excited to see my friends and family again. A must for shopaholics is to visit Oxford Street in London. It’s a street just full of shopping, including my personal favourites – Selfriges and Topshop. Selfriges has huge sales after Boxing Day too!

Since it was my last night, K and E said we might as well get the most out of it. After dropping A and C back at the hotel, we took the Tube back to Covent Garden. Covent Garden is near the Soho area, so there’s a variety of pubs and cafes. It’s also where the huge market and Royal Opera House is located around. We found The Nags Head just a block away from the Tube, so we quickly seated ourselves. We’re not huge drinkers, so K and I just got an Apple Cider which was on tap. Really good and crisp.

K was also in this total British pie mode after trying Pieminister, so she insisted we needed to get another pie. We went for the Chicken & Ham Pie this time, since she was really looking for something along the lines of a chicken pot pie. This came with peas, carrots and gravy. It was also supposed to come with potatoes, but they ran out, so we were given fries instead. The pie was flaky and fully filled with juicy chicken and a delicious sauce. Very good for pub food!

Overall, The Nags Head was a nice bar with average prices and a very convenient location. The interior was all wooden, giving it a traditional British pub feel. Service was average given that at most bars, you need to seat yourself anyways. The bartenders were pretty nice to us even though we weren’t sure what to order and took the time to explain to us. You’ll also find a mix of both locals and tourists here.

And that ends my posts for Europe. I am so grateful for this experience, and am happy to say that I’ve discovered some new cuisines and dishes that I am now craving for. Until next time! Now back to Vancouver we go!

London Fish & Chips & Wicked

May 13, 2014May 22, 2014Leave a comment

In the evening, we continued exploring the main tourist spots. We found the famous London Eye, which is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe. You’re supposed to get some pretty spectacular views of the city from the top, but we didn’t feel like paying the price and to wait in line for this attraction.

We headed over to see the Big Ben instead, which I was actually really disappointed about. I have no idea why, but I always thought it would give me some wow factor, but I immediately thought…”really, that’s it?” I guess I had just expected a lot more in terms of details since it’s so talked about in pop culture. Anyways, the tower itself is really known as the Elizabeth Tower. Big Ben actually refers to the bell of the clock. The four-faced chiming clock is the largest in the world. The clock tower as a whole is the third tallest free-standing clock tower in the world.

It began to get dark, but we still made it to the Westminster Abbey. It’s a huge Gothic Church and has traditionally been known to a be a place for coronations and burials. I don’t think we were able to enter the church, but the exterior details were quite impressive. In this area, you’ll also find many important buildings. There is this little map on the street that shows you what each building is.

We walked towards the Trafalgar Square after, which wasn’t a very impressive view at night. We had a Broadway show to catch, so we quickly looked for some food around this area. We found London Fish & Chips on Bedford Street, and since London is supposed to be famous for fish and chips…of course we had to try some! K and I shared the Big Ben, which was battered fish fillet with six tiger shrimps. The shrimps were basically like popcorn shrimp. It also came with some chips, ketchup, tartar sauce, and a drink. The fish was lightly battered, and I thought it wasn’t too bad. I wouldn’t say it was amazing though. Just average and not too oily. I rather go to Pajo’s at Steveston in Vancouver though, since this meal cost around 10 pounds.

We had bought tickets online for a Broadway show prior to arrival. We were watching Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theater. Luckily, this was not the Apollo Theater on Shaftesbury Ave, since the ceiling of that theater had literally collapsed just a week before we arrived in London.

Wicked was a pretty cool story. It was funny and whimsical, and although I got confused at the end, I’m sure if you’ve read the book, you would have no problem understanding it. It’s also known as The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz. You’ll get some references about Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz since it’s told from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz. You’ll find both adults and kids in the theater since it’s very family friendly.

This was inside the theater. The set up was pretty cool. Even though we didn’t have amazing seats, we were still able to see everything clearly. You can’t really see the facial features of the actors, but other than that, everything is pretty clear. We found the prices in London much more expensive than say in New York, but it was still a great experience!