Sherman's Food Adventures: December 2009

Salsa & Agave

The horror! Viv heading out to dine at Salade de Fruits without me!?!? I guess this is payback for all those times I've eaten without her. I knew this day would come. The plan was to drop her off at Salade to meet with her sis-in-law while I went home with the kiddies after the Stanley Park Christmas train. Well, on our way back along Beach Ave, I had a great idea. Why don't I stop by Salsa and Agave first? Yes, then I can pick up some food for myself! I always have a plan in my head to eat something and this was no exception. So I parked across the street and ran in to pick up a few things. A quick glance at the menu and I decided to try a Chicken Torta and 4 Soft Tacos.

So after the requisite pictures, I started to devour the torta (I was hungry) and it was pretty decent. A good amount of roast chicken, refried beans, onions, tomato, avocado and mayo were wedged into the soft bread. It said something about jalapenos, but I honestly didn't taste any. It is a bit plain compared to the ones at Las Tortas; yet for only half the price ($5.00), it's a much better deal. For my 4 tacos, I originally wanted to get one Lengua (tongue); but they were *GASP* sold out! No tongue for me tonight??? A bit disappointed, I went for one each of the Chirizo (Sausage) and Pastor (pork) with 2 of the Pollo (chicken). Despite the fact they were a bit cold by the time I bit into them, you would never confuse it with La Taqueria. I thought they were okay; but not anything special. It was all a bit bland to me and that included me adding plenty of pico de gallo too. By no means was the food terrible, it was fine. It just didn't live up to the hype, which can be a kiss of death when people have unfulfillable expectations.

The Good:
- It's relatively cheap for what you get
- Good location, unlike many other Mexican restaurants
- Courteous staff

The Bad:
- Didn't live up to the hype (for me at least)
- It could've been the things I ordered; but I thought everything lacked flavour

Salsa & Agave Mexican Grill on Urbanspoon

Bakery Nouveau

Okay, what do you call a person who randomly serves you yummy food? No no, not a waiter or waitress. And no, I'm not talking about Costco. Although it's a treat to do "brunch" at Costco every now and then... Really, what kind of person would go to Seattle, visit one of their most popular bakeries and bring back goodies right to your doorstep. That person would be Kim (I'm Only Here for the Food!). Yes, he is an excellent foodie. I think the last time someone brought me back food from Seattle was Vandelay with his dozen of Top Pot donuts. Thanks to him, I get a dozen every time I'm down there. Wait, I really should despise him for doing so!!!

Anyways, Kim was gracious enough to get 3 items for me to try. He wasn't even mad that I went to Steveston Pizza without him! Er... at least I hope he is not mad? I really wonder if he added anything "extra" to the pastries... Alright, the first item was the Twice Baked Almond Croissant. Looking very similar to the one from Thomas Haas, this one was a tad smaller. I'm not sure if the croissant experienced any degradation due to the fact they were purchased earlier in the day. However, it was not as "crunchy" as the one from Thomas Haas. Furthermore, I thought the chewy honey(?) sugar (?) found on the bottom a bit too sweet. It was not bad; but as I said to Kim, it would've been better if I hadn't tried the one from Thomas Haas first.

The next item is a peculiar one - Peppermint Cheesecake. The cake on its own without the peppermint top layer was quite light for a baked cheesecake. Furthermore, it was not overly sweet (Viv thought there should've been more cream cheese taste). I particularly liked the Oreo crust since I've never really liked the traditional graham cracker crust. Now, when eaten with the peppermint layer, the cake suddenly becomes more sweet, resembling a peppermint candy. Not necessarily a bad thing; yet it does initiate a few question marks when taste hits brain processing. For me, I liked it. For Viv, she wasn't as sure.

Lastly, we tried the Lemon Pastry (resembled a Danish) which was actually lemon filling surrounded by balls of puff pastry. Again, it was a bit different from the traditional French version of a lemon tart; but it was decent in its own right. Probably suffering from a bit of staleness due to sitting in the car, the pastry was not crisp. It was quite buttery though. I did like the creamy and tart lemon filling. It wasn't too sweet or too tart. As a whole, I would've preferred a traditional tart shell since it was a bit too much to eat as a dessert. However, taking into account that it was eaten under less-than-perfect circumstances, I liked all 3 items in differing degrees. Thanks to Kim for introducing me to Bakery Nouveau! Watch me bring home a dozen Top Pot's and a dozen pastries next time...

The Good:
- Items appeared to be made with care
- No overwhelming flavours, quite balanced
- Pastry is buttery, just the way it should be

The Bad:
- Texturally, the pastries could've been crispier (but might be due to the time sitting in a box)
- Kim is supplying me with buttery treats... He's trying to kill me...

Lingering Flavor

*Now closed*

So what exactly is a "lingering flavor"? Is it the unmistakable result of eating too much chili? Wait, that's a "lingering odor". Alright, let's try again. Is it the burning sensation in your mouth after eating suicide wings? Well, I certainly hope not. I guess it could possibly be the essence of The Cannery's lobster oil or the strong earthiness of Blue Water's truffle fries. Ah yes, those are certainly desirable lingering tastes. Now if a restaurant dares call itself "Lingering Flavor", it really needs to live up to it. Furthermore, it'd better be a darn good flavor since there would be no repeat customers if it wasn't.

This modest bubble tea and Taiwanese hole-in-the wall resides right next to London Drugs near Kingsway and Joyce. I've been eying this place for awhile and finally had the chance to pay it a visit with Costanza. He'd already had eaten lunch; but I dragged him along for some company. I actually was over at his house to help him with some of the renovations. So from now on, I'd help him with one condition - eat out with me after every visit! LOL... I'm now resorting to coercing my friends to eat with me! Since he wasn't hungry, he decided on a bubble tea with mini-pearls. On a side note, I must say that the Lingering Flavor "mascot" is a bit troubling. Resembling Pacman whose a bit too excited seeing Mrs. Pacman in lingerie, it just doesn't look right. If I were them, I'd get my money back from the graphics designer.

Now the bubble tea itself was incredibly sweet while the mini-pearls were cute; but a bit too chewy. As for my Spicy Beef Noodle, it was decent. The soup base was indeed spicy; yet lacked the richness you'd expect from a beef noodle. The meat could've been a bit more tender as well. But it was cheap and fast, I have no big complaints. I decided to do a few side dishes as well: Marinated Pig's Ear, Tripe and Chili Dried Fish with Peanuts. The texture of the pig's ear and tripe were soft while being chewy as the same time. There was a good amount of flavour as well. The dried fish was only passable. It's possible that their version is different than what I personally like, which is a slightly sweeter taste. It was mostly just spicy. Add that to the spicy beef noodle and the taste really did indeed linger.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Quick eats
- Food is decent

The Bad:
- Not a lot of seats, you can't really linger
- Bubble tea is on the sweet side, the sugar really lingers

Lingering Flavour on Urbanspoon

Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar









The Good:
- Fresh seafood
- Unique combination of sushi bar and Westcoast cuisine
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- It ain't cheap

Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar on Urbanspoon

The Orange Room

*Restaurant is now closed*




The Good:
- Comfy and cool digs
- Reasonable pricing

The Bad:
- A few consistency issues with the food

Orange Room on Urbanspoon

Irashai Grill Part II

*Restaurant is now closed*

Here we are again at Irashai Grill. I was lucky enough to be invited to a tasting with a few other food bloggers back in May. I initially tried to talk Kim into attending as well; but he had already tried Irashai before and stuck by his original assessment. Hey, I totally respect that. Today, with Kim, Victoria and Anita, we were doing a photography workshop with Jackie Connelly. There was an option to eat at Irashai afterwards at our own expense. I guess this was a good idea since I could re-evaluate Irashai under different conditions. Although they did know who we were and thus, not really replicate a surprise visit.

We started off with the Beef Tataki Carpaccio which was beautifully presented on a bed of greens, daikon and carrot. Interestingly, despite looking buttery soft, the beef was a bit chewy. The citrus ponzu and herbed oil sauce was mostly... oil. Not sure if that was the intention.
The next item was the Summer Roll consisting of a shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber, masago, tuna and mayo. I've had this roll before and it was quite pleasant, I especially liked the siracha kick at the end. However, there was no crunch from the tempura which ultimately did not provide the texture contrast needed in this roll.

Interestingly, Kim ordered the Oyako Don. His reasoning was to try a straight-up Japanese dish without the distraction of fancy fusion implements. Well... this was disappointing. If you look in the picture, you can definitely see egg, onion and chicken; but the dish was devoid of any flavour. The rice was completely white underneath without the usual penetration of dashi, mirin and soy. On a positive note, the rice was a nice consistency being a bit chewy. On the topic of chewy, the Aigamo was extremely tough. It was cooked exactly how we wanted, being a bit rare; however, it was like gnawing on an overcooked piece of chuck steak. This usually shouldn't be the case. We were all quite confused why this might be. In the end, we didn't come up with a definitive explanation. Maybe it might have helped to slice the breast thinner?

The last and probably best dish was the Grilled Sablefish with yuzu miso. It was cooked up perfectly with moist tender flakes and a nice caramelization on the surface. But then again, I haven't met a piece of sablefish I didn't like. This meal was very interesting on so many levels. I had practically the same items at the tasting in May; but the execution this time around was not good. For instance, both the beef and duck were fabulous last time. This time not. The roll was mostly similar to last time, so there was not too much to say about it. Same can be said about the sablefish, pretty much spot on once again. It's hard to explain the discrepancy between the 2 meals. I do know one thing for sure, the oyako don seriously needed flavour. I wouldn't go as far as saying the meal was terrible. It was decent with some good points and some low points. The question is: where would Irashai rate now that I've had it on the house and one out of my own pocket? Well, if you average both meals out, the real Irashai would probably fall somewhere in the middle. I still stand by my original post on Irashai; yet, I also fully stand by this current one as well. It's just too bad it was a letdown this time around...

The Good:
- Nice venue
- Varied menu
- Good service (but they knew we were there)

The Bad:
- Food consistency issues (how can it differ so greatly from one visit to another?)
- Varied menu (can be a negative since the menu is not focused - Izakaya or Sushi Bar?)
- Expensive

Irashai Grill on Urbanspoon


Why do people park in handicap spaces when they're not supposed to? Oh, I see, they're handicapped alright - in the freakin' head! It's just plain heartless to do such a thing. Well... There it was, a shiny new white BMW (of course it was, what else did you expect???) parked smack dab in the middle of a handicapped spot right in front of Miki Japanese. I felt much disdain for the owner of the car. Well, I am a great believer in Karma... Somewhere down the line it will all equal out. Okay, enough of my ranting. So we are once again at a Japanese restaurant. Don't get me wrong, Viv and I love Japanese food. But, honestly, it has been a bit of an overkill lately. It's all due to my son's love of udon. I know we can make it at home; but every time we ask him what he wants to eat, it's those "thick noodles".

Miki has been at this location for quite some time; but had to shut down for a little while as the building was being rebuilt. Now, in it's newer modern digs, it begs the question: has the food gotten any better? Yes, Miki is one of an endless sea of Japanese restaurants in the GVRD. No, it's not Japanese run (I think it's Vietnamese); however, let's not prejudge. We decided on Miki tonight since it's not too far of a drive from home. I was actually dreading the parking situation in the small plaza in which it resides. You see, Fatburger is a tenant too and the parking lot is generally pretty full during peak meal hours. Lucky for me, I did find a space which was NOT a handicap spot (I hope you are reading this Mr/Mrs. BMW!).

Trying to order something a bit different than the usual, I chose the Hot Salmon Sashimi. To me, this meant sashimi which is probably seared and served warm. Of course, I was wrong and it turned out to be a spicy sashimi. I really think they should change the name of the dish. It was a bit spicy; but overall, it was a bit flavourless other than the oshinko bits. Furthermore, I really wish they didn't dice up the salmon into tiny cubes. We also got the Appetizer Sashimi which consisted of one piece each of Tai, Ika, Tako, Tuna, Hamachi and Hokkigai. Generally, the fish was pretty fresh except the piece of hamachi was a bit slimy. Although it was a good value at only $5.49. The Nigiri Sushi appeared to be a fantastic value on the menu, most items were only 99 cents including unagi. Some others were $1.49 and $1.99 respectively. We got one piece each of the tako, inari, hokkigai, chopped scallop, uni and 2 pieces of unagi. Again, everything seemed quite decent including the uni. I ordered it mainly for myself since Viv thinks it has an aftertaste of garbage. I have no clue what she's talking about! One thing that I didn't like was the rice. It wasn't mushy per se; yet it was on the softer side of the sushi rice texture continuum. At this point, I was still busy eating, attending to our son and taking pictures to notice much of anything else. Well, Viv eagerly points out to me that the boss lady had um... abnormally large "bakudanyakis". Huh??? WTH? Why does she always do that? Then I had to look and uh... In the words of Forrest Gump: "That's all I have to say about that".

We got a couple of the specialty rolls which included the Rainbow Roll and the Dragon Roll. Both were actually quite decent and at 10 pieces each, they were a fabulous value. Of course we got an order of Tempura Udon for our son and the tempura itself was not bad. Light, crispy and not oily, we enjoyed eating it. However, the batter did seem a bit strange, it didn't resemble a tempura batter for some reason or another. As for the udon, it was plain terrible. The noodles were mushier than overcooked beef tongue. They fell apart on contact from a chopstick. Furthermore, the soup was weak and we couldn't understand the copious amount of Napa cabbage.
In general, the food was on the good side of mediocrity. I know it doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement for the place. However, the food was alright, not great; but passable. Sure, the udon sucked and the sushi rice needs a bit of work; yet for the prices they charge, it fits the bill if you are nearby while not intending on eating authentic Japanese and are happy with mediocrity.

The Good:
- Really cheap
- Renovated space is clean and spacious
- Food is passable if hungry

The Bad:
- Food is passable if hungry
- Advertised AYCE, but there is none (yet...)
- Parking sucks, especially with morons parking in handicap spaces

Miki on Urbanspoon

La Conquistadora

Much like Kim, I find myself eating an inordinate amount of Mexican food despite the fact I'm not a big fan of the cuisine. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Mexican food, it's just not my first choice. Although, it's tough to be anyone's first choice since there are not that many authentic Mexican restaurants in a sea of Asian establishments within the GVRD. That would probably explain a somewhat understated enthusiasm when I heard about La Conquistadora. Located on King George Highway near 104th, it is not much to look at outside. In fact, I driven by this place many a time without even noticing it. Well, it's hard to notice anything on King George Highway since there is store after store of similar facades. It's much like Kingsway, you really need to stop the car to find what you're looking for.

Well, I knew exactly how it looked like since I had tried to visit it on Monday (it was closed). Once we passed through the front door, it was surprising to see that it was a restaurant/store. It was nice to see that nothing on the shelves were labeled "Old el Paso". Rather, it was all authentic Mexican products, with a dash of El Salvadorian (the place is a Mexican/El Salvadorian restaurant). I made sure that Sexi Mexi joined us for this meal. She was my official "Authentic Mexican Food" police. The first thing she did was the "ordering in Spanish" test and the place passed with flying colours. She decided on the Tostada and it was alright. Taste-wise, it was subtle while the tostada was a bit thick for her liking.

Personally, I didn't want to eat anything I could get a Taco Bell, so I went for the Enchilada Mole. I find that there are not many places that serve a good mole in the GVRD; in fact, not many places serve mole in general (it takes awhile to make). Alright, by looking at the picture, you're wondering why I'm eating something that is smothered in a black sauce. Don't be alarmed, the mole has chocolate in it; thus I believe this is a Mole Pablano. I found the mole to be a bit sweet with an underlying heat. Honestly, I haven't had a whole lot of mole in my life; therefore, it's a bit hard to compare. Overall, I found the dish to be quite pleasant and a nice departure from the usual red or green sauce. The Soft Tacos were not too bad, except for the watery mess made by the pico de gallo. These are not as good as the ones from La Taqueria; but again, it is located in Downtown. Thus it is not fair to compare due to distance alone.

The Quesadilla served with rice and refried beans was nothing much to look at; yet was pretty good. Filled with a good amount of chicken with Monterey jack and cheddar cheeses, it was grilled up until it was a bit crispy. Sexi Mexi summed it up best. The food here at La Conquistadora may not be the best the Mexican food she's ever had; but it is indeed authentic. Furthermore, the prices are very reasonable and the staff are personable. With not much in the way of competition (other than Luna Loca), La Conquistadora is probably the place to go for Mexican food in Surrey.

The Good:
- Reasonable prices
- Authentic
- Friendly staff

The Bad:
- It's authentic, but there is better albeit much farther away
- Not much of a dining space, but it does the job

La Conquistadora on Urbanspoon