Haroo (revisit)

May 14, 2013May 14, 2013Leave a comment

Appetizers – Kimchi, Seaweed, Sweet Potatoes, Bean Sprouts, Salad

For my sister’s birthday, she chose to have dinner at Haroo, which I’ve had lunch there before. So this was my first time having dinner at Haroo and I was excited to try out some of their platters which could be shared among the diners. First up, we were given appetizers, which included kimchi, a marinated seaweed, sweet potatoes, bean sprouts, and a salad. The appetizers were quite typical, but I loved the salad. The dressing seemed to be a vinaigrette which was a little sour, but so addicting! It was also presented nicely.

Congee

Each of us were also given a small bowl of congee. Apparently, you get a bowl for each dinner platter you order, and coincidentally we ordered five, so we each got our own! The congee was flavourful. It had a bit of sesame oil and was topped with both anchovy-like fish and black and white sesame. It was light and didn’t fill us up.

Bibimbab

We got a Bibimbap, which is part of the individual dinner set meals. It came with a small bowl of rice. We found this to be quite bland unless we add the red sauce which was a little sweet and spicy. This was just alright. I didn’t think it was amazing.

Japchae – stir fried potato noodle with beef & vegetable

We always get Japchae at Korean restaurants, so of course we chose to try the one at Haroo. This is essentially potato noodles which are clear and chewy, and they are stir fried with beef and vegetables. The sauce had a good consistency and the dish was flavourful overall.

Haemul Pajeon – seafood pancake

The Haemul Pajeon, which is a seafood pancake, was one of the best seafood pancakes I’ve had. The outer batter was crispy, with the inside being soft. It was also generously filled with seafood, with lots of squid and mussels. The seafood was also cooked so it was tender and easy to chew on. A must try at Haroo! The pancake also comes in two other variations: bulgogi and kimchi, which I have yet to try.

LA Galbi – marinated “AAA” sliced beef rib

We wanted some meat, so we went for the LA Galbi, which were marinated “AAA” sliced beef rib. This came sizzling hot and was a decent portion. The pieces I ate were quite tender, but my dad said some of it was tough.

Gunjung Tteokbokki – royal court rice cake with marinated beef

My sister and I love rice cakes, so we got the Gunjung Tteokbokki. I often see spicy rice cakes at Korean restaurants, but since I can’t take spice, this is the one I always get. The sauce is sweet and it is mixed with marinated beef and vegetables. Delicious!

Bulgogi Fried Rice

Since my dad loves to make his own fried rice (Chinese style), he got excited when he saw Korean style fried rice. So we ended up ordering the Bulgogi Fried Rice. It was much more moist compared to Chinese fried rice, and it definitely has much more flavours. I’m guessing it’s the garlic and onion. Mixed with some veggies, the dish was flavourful with a slight crunch. Not bad.

Overall, I was quite pleased with Haroo’s dinner menu. Don’t expect much service here as the man has limited English proficiency. You also serve yourself with water, tea, and utensils as they have a little drawer under the wooden table filled with the utensils and napkins.

Old Speghetti Factory (Gastown)

May 8, 2013Leave a comment

Since it was dinner time and we were in downtown, J suggested we go to The Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown. I’m not a big fan of the family chain restaurant since I’ve had some pretty bad experiences with the food, but J insisted that they had some great salad, so I decided to give it another shot. The place is definitely a family restaurant, and since we went for an early dinner, we were seated immediately. The Gastown location is said to be haunted too which makes everything a little more spooky! In the middle of the restaurant is an electric trolley. It is said that a train conductor died in a crash years ago and that people have seen his ghostly figure in pictures. Kind of creepy, since we were seated right next to the trolley.

Classic Sourdough Bread with Whipped Garlic and Plain Butter

All items that you order that are under the “It’s all included” menu include some bread, soup or salad and dessert. To start off, we were given the Classic Sourdough Bread with Whipped Garlic and Plain Butter. This was decent and I especially liked the Whipped Garlic.

Crisp Green Salad with Low-Fat Sesame Dressing

J chose the Crisp Green Salad with Low-Fat Sesame Dressing, since he said the dressing was really good the last time he had it. I took a bite and it definitely was pretty good. The dressing was sort of a vinaigrette based dressing with a hint of sesame flavour.

Clam Chowder

As for myself, I chose a soup isntead of the salad. You normally get a Minestrone Soup, but I chose to add $2.25 to substitute for a Clam Chowder. It was thick and creamy, but I’ve definitely had better Clam Chowder. It was just alright.

Pot-Pourri Spaghetti with Meat, Mushroom and Clam Sauce

And onto our entrees, we got of course some spaghetti! Since I couldn’t decide which sauce to get, I ended up getting the Pot-Pourri Spaghetti, which included all three of their most popular sauces. The last time I had spaghetti here, it was just watery and disgusting. This time, it wasn’t watery, but it still wasn’t any better. The meat sauce wasn’t anything special and I swear I could just buy the sauce off the shelf. The mushroom sauce tasted pretty much like the meat sauce except with mushrooms. The only sauce that I thought was decent was the clam sauce which actually had many pieces of clams in it.

Spaghetti with Spicy Meat Sauce

As for J, he got the Spaghetti with Spicy Meat Sauce. This too, wasn’t any good. The sauce wasn’t flavourful and you could just taste the spaghetti with a hint of spice to it. Anyone could have made this dish.

Spumoni Ice Cream

For dessert, J got the Spunomi Ice Cream, which was a mixture of pistachio, chocolate and vanilla. I thought it tasted extremely weird and wasn’t a big fan of it.

Vanilla Ice Cream

For myself, I got the Vanilla Ice Cream. I’m usually a big fan of ice cream, and will literally eat any ice cream no matter how full I am, but I only took a few spoons of this. I was just dissatisfied with my meal and the ice cream wasn’t even good.

Overall, we were pretty disappointed with our meal. The food is decently priced with all the items that are included in your meal, but the quality just isn’t up to par. We left with half our dishes finished cause it was that bad.

Wings Restaurants and Pubs (Granville)

May 6, 2013Leave a comment

Last Wednesday, I met with my Pre-Law Society for a wrap-up dinner to a great year! It has definitely been one of my favourite clubs I joined throughout my university time. Tons of fun with a great team and I will surely miss them next year! We settled for Wings Restaurants & Pubs at the Granville location. There was a Canucks game on that night, but suprisingly the place wasn’t that packed. We had made reservations prior to secure seats anyways.

House White Wine & Fusilli with Chicken in Garlic White Wine Sauce

Unlike many pubs and bars, Wings does not offer Wings Wednesdays. The wings are regular priced like on any other day. However, they do have Pasta Wednesdays! I decided to get that since I wasn’t exactly in the mood for wings that night. You get to build your pasta for only $7.98! What a deal. I chose Fussili with the Garlic White Wine Sauce and topped it with Chicken. The portion was not as large as many restaurants, but it was enough to fill me up. And for a little under $8, it is definitely worth it. Don’t expect anything amazing though. It’s literally just cooked pasta, with a simple sauce and some chicken. It was topped with some cheese and also came with a slice of garlic bread, which I found a little flavourless. As for my drink, I got the House White Wine, which I forgot what the name was… A little dry for my liking though.

Overall, my experience was alright at Wings. I don’t expect much at a pub, and I wouldn’t say our waitress was extremely friendly, but she got things done. It’s also a great place to catch the games as they have televisions at almost every corner of the wall.

Mega Sushi

May 2, 20131 Comment

Mega Sushi opened last year in Steveston Village near Gary Point Park. It’s not exactly in the village area, so it’s quite hidden unless you are on your way to Gary Point Park. Parking is limited in front of the restaurant itself, but there are quite a few free street parking across and nearby the restaurant.

We were greeted in Japanese by the waitress, but J told me they were Korean. And yes, we ended up learning that they could speak Korean. So I guess it’s not exactly authentic Japanese food. The place was quite busy on the weekday for lunch and was slowly packed with people.

Nigiri – Unagi, Red Tuna, Hamachi, Salmon

The nigiri sushi were presented nicely on the plate. They were fresh and the rice was just the perfect amount. I normally only eat salmon, but it was nice to give some of the other fish a try. The Red Tuna had a softer texture, and since I enjoy fish that has more of a bite to it, I enjoyed the Hamachi which was closer to a salmon texture.

Crispy’n Crunchy Roll – dynamite roll with crispy temkasu, sweet and spicy sauce

The Crispy’n Crunchy Roll was on their special roll menu, and it was essentially a dynamite roll with a twist to it. It was covered with crispy temkasu, and drizzled with a sweet and spicy sauce. It definitely had lots of crunch to it, but it still didn’t feel too oily. The hint of spice was evened out with the sweetness of the sauce, so it wasn’t too spicy.

Mega Roll – deep fried salmon and green onion with spicy mayo

We also got the Mega Roll which was also under the special roll menu. This roll had seaweed on the outside, and it was then covered with batter and lightly fried to golden. I twas topped with imitation crab mixed with a spicy mayo sauce. On the top, were tobiko and golden yellow deep fried lotus chips. The lotus chips were my favourite as they added a crunch to it! I found this roll to be a little more spicy than the previous. Definitely a mouthful of flavour.

Tuna Tataki Nigiri

Lastly, we were presented with a complementary dish to our surprise. The waitress said this was the Tuna Tataki Nigiri. A lightly seared tuna on top of rice, with a special sauce and topped with alfalfa sprouts. Quite delicious and a nice unexpected treat.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with Mega Sushi. Food and service was up to par and they have large variety of specialty rolls, which seem to be attracting customers these days. It’s good to have another addition of Japanese food in the Steveston area.

Burgoo (West 4th)

April 25, 2013April 26, 2013Leave a comment

My 3rd year of school is officially done! For now at least… until summer school begins again. This called for a celebration dinner! Since N and I finished our exams at the same time, we decided to meet up for dinner and J joined along. We went to Burgoo on West 4th since I’ve been craving some comfort food and have been seeing too many of their delicious pictures on Instagram these days. Continue reading →

Yuu Japanese Tapas

April 13, 2013April 26, 2013Leave a comment

Originally, we had wanted to go to Sushi Hachi, but it was closed on a Sunday! So instead, we went to mall across to look for food. I’ve walked by Yuu Japanese Tapas many times, but I haven’t tried it before, so I decided to give it a try.

The place doesn’t serve authentic Japanese food, but it does offer a large menu of different Japanese snacks, noodles, and desserts. I heard the owner speaking Chinese, so I was already a bit hesitant on how good the food would be. The place is filled with young diners and families though. I’m guessing it’s because the prices are decent.

Deep Fried Boneless Chicken

First, we got the Deep Fried Boneless Chicken as our appetizer. It’s basically chicken karaage and it came with a spicy mayo. This was alright, but I found the batter a little thick.

Ramen in Special Pork Bone (Tonkatsu) Soup Base

I got the Ramen in Special Pork Bone (Tonkatsu) Soup Base. It came with Cha-Siu, corn, leeks, and an egg with a half-runny yolk. The ramen, however, wasn’t that great. It reminded me of instant ramen. The soup base on the other hand, was rich, but salty. It says on their website, that the chef makes this daily.

Unagi Fried Udon

J got the Unagi Fried Udon. He said it was just alright. It looked nice when it was presented, but I guess it wasn’t anything spectacular.

Green Tea, Red Bean Parfait

Yuu has tons of desserts that look really good on their menu. We got the Green Tea, Red Bean Parfait, but I was quite disappointed with it! The green tea ice cream on the top was decent, and I loved the mochi that came with it. What disappointed me was that the rest of the cup was just filled with whip cream! And it wasn’t even good whip cream. I was expecting layers of different snacks since it’s a parfait… Chico on Robson definitely makes better parfaits!

Overall, I left quite disappointed with the food at Yuu. I can’t say the food is bad, but I was expecting better. The service was alright, as our server was quite friendly. However, I don’t think I would be coming back. I can get better food for similar prices elsewhere.

Book Kyung Ban Jeom

April 5, 2013April 27, 2013Leave a comment

Book Kyung Ban Jeom is located on Robson St. where the rest of the Korean restaurants are located. It seems that there is this one little strip that is just filled with Koreans!

The restaurant is filled with mostly Korean families and young diners. The promotions on the wall are also all in Korean, so you basically don’t know what they are unless you’re Korean. The menu, however, has both English and Korean.

Side Dishes

The side dishes aren’t exactly the ones I prefer. They included yellow daikon and radish in a kimchi-like sauce.

Tang Suyuk

We ordered the Tang Suyuk, which reminded me of the Chinese sweet and sour prok. I believe this actually beef though. The outer layer is thin and crispy and not too greasy. It’s quite a large dish, so great to share. The sauce is thick and gooey, but not more on the sweet side than sour.

Ja Jang Myeon

We each got a Ja Jang Myeon, which is essentially the Ja Jiang Mian that Chinese people eat. However, the sauce and fillings are completely different! It’s a very gooey sauce and filled with lots of onions. I’m not a big fan of onions, so I actually prefer the Chinese style much more. The sauce is also much more focused on the sweet side, rather than the spicy side. An interesting variation!

Sushi K Kamizato

April 1, 2013April 27, 2013Leave a comment

SP wanted to try Sushi K Kamizato, but it’s all the way in Coquitlam. Finally, we decided to go after our exam since it has some pretty good reviews! The restaurant is tucked away in a town center type of mall and is quite small.

When we arrived, we were surprised that the customers were mostly Caucasian. Usually, I look for Japanese customers to figure out if the place is authentic or not. But it does seem to be! The chef and lady, who seems to be the wife of the owner/chef, seemed to know every single customer. We almost felt a little strange since we were like foreigners in the restaurant. We were still greeted regardless, but the restaurant definitely has a loyal customer base.

The owner also seems to be a big fan of metallic rock music. The restaurant was playing rock music the whole time, except some of my friends found it a little too much for dinner.

Salmon and Tuna Karaage

We each received a complementary dish of Salmon and Tuna Karaage while we waited for out food. This was quite addicting with the chili mayo sauce.

Ebi Sunomono

C and M both got an Ebi Sunomono. Looked like the average appetizer.

Saba Pressed Sushi

They also got the Saba Pressed Sushi, which looked quite delicious!

Chicken Teriyaki Combo

C got the Chicken Teriyaki Combo which came with a side salad, rice and miso soup.

Grilled Aburi Saba Combo

M got the Grilled Aburi Saba Combo, which also came with a side salad, rice, and miso soup.

Spicy Chopped Scallop

Salmon Roll and Chopped Scallop Roll

Kamizato House Roll

For myself, I got the Kamizato House Roll. I actually didn’t find it as amazing as I had imagined. The top had some sort of mayo but it was also charred. I found that because it was charred, the flavour tasted a little burnt, which bothered me a little.It was basically a California roll with a little bit of salmon sashimi.

Chicken Yakiudon

I also got the Chicken Yakiudon which was a huge plate! I did find that the udon was a little undercooked as it was kind of hard. It also wasn’t what I had imagined and seemed quite simple. I was craving the one at Guu and it definitely wasn’t as good as that.

Spicy & Shout

Let it Beef

The specialty rolls definitely looked and tasted delicious according to my friends. I never actually tried them, but they seem to be what people come here for. Their ingredients are definitely fresh and I believe they cater to their loyal customer base. Overall, it wasn’t bad and I would love to come back to try their specialty rolls.