Minoas Taverna (Burnaby BC)

Whoa...how do I blog again?

What format do I use again?

It's been a while! (to quote a certain blogger.)

It has been a while. Between personal losses to great personal gains, this year has been somewhat of a misfit rollercoaster, and I believe that I've come out a stronger person. I thank you for continuing to read and checking in (if you have - I am not going to be so vain to believe you checked in at all!). I also thank the fellow bloggers (You know who you are.) for encouraging us to blog again (or at sometimes, to eat again, by dropping off random baked and/or fried goods). How long will I stick around this time? Who knows?

I haven't written in so long, in fact, that I honestly can't remember how to dissect the meal. Perhaps the real reason for posting this entry is... Well, a week ago Elaine invited a couple of us out to Minoas Taverna, a Greek restaurant located at the very tip of Smith Avenue (read: right at Kingsway). We were joined by Sherman, Kim, and two SOs (or rather, as Sherman would probably put it, I was fortunate enough to be allowed to dine with them. *inside joke!*)



Minoas has been in operation for as long as I can remember. I used to live in the area and *always* asked my mother about that "weird house on the hill that always had Christmas lights on". It wasn't until I was older that, armed with an entertainment book coupon, I would visit with my brother or even M a good decade ago. From what I remember, the family that ran the restaurant used to live in the basement of the restaurant. They've since moved out, but still run the back and front of the house. Their son also does real estate and you'll find a posting (or five) of his in the lower landing of the restaurant.

We all shared an appetizer platter that came with pita, spanakopita, mushrooms, meat dolmathes, hummus, calamari, and tzatziki. While there was a lot of variety on the platter (and Minoas offered mushrooms, something other Greek restaurants do not), M and I felt that the platter was a little small. To put things in perspective, we shared the appetizer platter (same price) with another couple at Cristos a couple weeks ago, and could barely touch our entrees. I think me and M could polish off the appetizer platter pictured above, plus our entrees (well, M at least. I'm not a porker... ;p) Meanwhile, our fellow dining companions thought it was acceptable.

The dips (tzatziki and hummus) were garlicky, just the way we liked it, and the spanakopita was crisp but warm and flavourful. My favourites would have had to be the dolmathes and surprisingly, the mushrooms. They were served warm and were lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon.

It is always tricky dining with food bloggers. You hesitate to tell everyone what you're ordering, for fear of ordering the same thing. Then you play the game of ordering *last*, so that any last minute changes can be made, for the reason above.

That was exactly the case with M and Sherman (but you know. gotta keep the bromance alive...me, I just always get in the way.) They both ordered the roast lamb. It was a Tuesday, and the lamb was on special for $13.95. However, since we were using Entertainment book coupons, we weren't eligible for the "Tuesday special" price. Each entree came with a greek salad, carrots, half a potato, tzatziki and rice.

I ordered my usual lamb chops. Unfortunately, I wasn't asked how I'd like them done. I would have requested medium rare. The chops were done medium. To the restaurants credit, the lamb chops were mostly moist, but it erred on dry in some places. As I had some left over, I packed it home as usual, but knowing that it would be ultimately dry when reheated, piled on some tzatziki.

The (surprise) winner of the night would have had to be the moussaka that Kim ordered (although, please refer to his entry for his "but" to equalize the votes). The moussaka had bouts of potato, zucchini and eggplant but was still meaty. Actually, as we were reviewing our orders, I confessed that I'd wanted the moussaka, or even the vegetarian moussaka...but opted for the lamb chops to write about something different. :)

Elaine ordered the bifteka. This was another surprise as I'd rarely seen it as a stand-alone entree, only as an appetizer or as part of a platter. A trio of bifteka / meat patties comprised the entree and mostly everyone remarked how tender they were - usually the meatballs that I'd come across in Greek restaurants were dense and charred; these were moist, looser, and not as heavy.

Dinner came to about $23 per person, after discounts. For what we paid, it was fairly decent food. Service was prompt and the food arrived quickly. While value could be arguable, we also received another coupon with our meal (where did I put it now?). I'm just not as sure that I would go out of my way to visit, or that I would visit without a coupon.

After dinner, Mijune dropped by with a special sweet something for us - a jumbo donut from Texas! Apparently these donuts are in high demand and known they are for their slightly flakey, slightly sweet and original texture. Mijune was such a great spokesperson she even convinced a self-professed "old guy with gout" (just some random Minoas patron) to try a bite.

Many thanks to Elaine for remembering us and organizing this weekday dinner! Thank you to Mijune for the goodies. Thanks to Kim for the encouragement, and Thank you to Sherman and M for allowing me to sit in the corner and pretend that I was eating with them. ;)

Until next time!

Minoas Taverna
3823 Kingsway
Burnaby BC
P: 604-430-2545



Read what others thought:
Elaine
Kim
Sherman

Food Bloggers Dinner: El Inka Deli (BGH, Burnaby, BC)

A couple weeks ago, Kim organized a small food blogger get together for Latin food at El Inka Deli, a small restaurant located in my parents neighbourhood. There were some familiar faces: Mijune and Anita, as well as bloggers that I met for the first time, Elaine of Parker Pages and Degan of Ethnic Eats. It was a nice small group and El Inka was an equally homey meeting place.

I'd noticed El Inka Deli before, but had never the inclination to try them. They serve mainly Peruvian food, as well as some burritos and tacos. Anyways, they've been in the neighbourhood for a couple years now, so a visit was due.


We ordered a variety of plates to share, and were offered a complimentary salsa. It went well with everything we ordered. To start, we had some yuquitas (cassava "fries"). The cassava was starchy, homey, and HOT (temperature-wise). It was a preview of what would come with nearly every dish afterwards...

The tamale, is traditionally made with masa (acidified, pounded corn meal). We were told by Kim (our resident latin food expert, due to his roots in Panama...) that the masa / available corn flour here in Canada is significantly different from what is available in Latin America. I've yet to meet a tamale that really lives up to my perceived hype (I've read about them so so SO many times over the years that I'm sure I have an unbelievable expectation of them) - but a family friends' mother makes fantastic El Savadorian food. Her version, along with Chef Whittakers' upscale version at Odouls during the Playhouse Wine Festival last year  were quite good (very different, but good). My portion of the El Inka tamale didn't have a whole lot of filling, so I couldn't tell what it was. Perhaps a re-taste is in order?


Next up was the Anticuchos / grilled beef heart, served with corn and potatoes. This was my first time eating beef heart. It was juicier than I expected, and El Inka had seasoned it well. There was no perceived gamey-ness, nor was the meat grainy. Something I can cross of my "list of things to eat", although I don't forsee myself developing cravings for it either. The dish above on the right is the Ceviche Mixto / mixed ceviche. Portions of scallop, shrimp, calamari, and other seafood combined with a light vinaigrette right before serving. Garnished with the "house" red onion pickle. Again, as with the tamale, I would like a larger portion to really taste what the dish is all about.


The next dish was the winner of the night. Jalea Mixta, a mixture of lightly breaded and fried calamari, fish, and other seafood topped with the house / red onion pickle and tomatoes, served with lime wedges and deep fried cassava. From what I had, it was enough for me to plan to come back. The fish and seafood was done *just right*. and the pickle added a nice tang and moisture to the dish.


The dish above, Picada Criolla, consisted of a pork chop, ribs, cassava, sausage, fried plantain, arepa and potato. Again, I'd like to order this again. The two sausages (different kinds) were interesting. One had almost a rice-like filling, while the other was akin to a loose / Mexican Chorizo-like sausage. I didn't get to try the ribs, but this dish would surely satiate a meat lovers appetite.


I'm always curious as to how fish is prepared around the world. Mojarra, whole tilapia was prepared by a light dusting of seasoned flour, and was served with an avocado and tomato salad, as well as a shredded deep fried vegetable (cassava? plantain?) cake. Mijune picked up earthy / spoilage notes on one side of the fish. Although we (M and I) had first eaten the exposed / top part of the fish first, we had detected the typical earthy tilapia flavours already (not indicative of spoilage). However, it was definite that the bottom side of the fish was starting to spoil / possess quality defects. This could be due to old / dead fish, or improperly cleaned fish. Improperly cleaned or improperly gutted fish allows the stomach and organ acids of the fish to come in contact with the flesh, and thus eats away at the meat and causes it to spoil faster. Another cause of the spoilage flavours would be the temperature abuse - not on El Inkas' part, but perhaps on the supplier / processers side. New tilapia suppliers needed!

The service was very hospitable, due to the fact that the owner recognized Kim on his repeat visits. While we were dining, the owner stopped by to joke around, tell us the origins of a dish, or to answer any questions we had. One of the drinks he / Kim decided to order was the "purple drink" / Chicha Morada. It was a rich berry-coloured drink that Degan, Mijune and I decided tasted like a combination of Ikeas' apple cider mix and Ribena (black currant concentrated). Not bad, but not what you'd expect from the appearance. The owner listed the ingredients - corn (?), peach, apricots, cherries, clove, cinnamon, and a variety of other fruit. It was unlike anything else I've had in my life. :)


A little later, he presented us with the "concentrate" for the drink. As expected, from the cooking of the various fruit together, a lot of the natural pectins had "gelled" the concentrate. We were told that it could be eaten as is, or sprinkled with ground cinnamon and enjoyed. Personally, I'd like the concentrate on some grilled or roasted pork, with turkey, or as a spread on my morning toast.

Click through to see what fellow foodies had to say:
Kim & revisited
Mijune
Degan
Elaine

El Inka Deli
3826 Sunset Street
Burnaby BC
P: 604-434-4545

Chez Meme Baguette Bistro (The Heights, Burnaby, BC)

I am a huge fan of The Heights neighbourhood in Burnaby. I love the small businesses, I love the community, I love the murals, and I love the history behind the Heights. Their annual Hats Off Day (taking place this year on June 5) highlights this sense of community while celebrating the history. It was the Hats Off Day of last year that I wrote about Heavenly Bites, an Indian restaurant that served tiffin boxes / set meal that came to under $10.

Unfortunately, due to a medical situation, Heavenly Bites closed up suddenly. Almost as suddenly, a couple months ago, Chez Meme Baguette Bistro opened up in its place. M spoke about it a couple times, as he passed it on his commute.

He mentioned it enough that the name and location stuck. However, when we tried to visit them, they were always closed. Reason? Their limited hours - as the restaurant is run by a couple with younger children, Chez Meme is only open during 8am-3pm, Monday through Friday. As of writing, they have plans to open one Saturday a month, but will have to work out the scheduling and babysitting. :)

So how did I manage to visit Chez Meme Baguette Bistro? Well, the bossman gave me a whole day off this year for my birthday. ...And, well I literally had a doctors appointment that ran into lunch!

The first time I visited Chez Meme was with FMace, cousin Nate, and Chez Henri. "Chez Henri", you say? Well its suitable that I introduce Chez Henri in this particular post. He lived in France for a period of time before he came to Canada. One of the first times he went into MacDonalds in Canada (for breakfast, no less) he was under the impression that everyone spoke French. So Chez Henri (who didn't speak an ounce of English at this point) walks up to the counter at MacDonalds and orders a "Jus D'orange". The stunned girl (I think this was in interior BC or something) hesitated, then continued with the order.

Chez Meme concept is simple - French bistro food in the form of omelettes, baguette sandwiches, and other offerings like a duck confit and brioche french toast. A fresh batch of soup / potager is prepared regularly, and it shows!

The first time, I ordered a Bourguignon baguette. All the sandwiches come with your choice of salad, soup, or fries. The soup of the day was the spinach, fennel and apple. While the portions may look small, I was pretty stuffed. Upon viewing the photos at home later that day, M got some "lunch envy". He was a little upset that I'd gone there without him! For good reason though - the baguette was crisp with a slightly chewy interior, and the pulled beef short rib was complemented well by sharp horseradish and slightly sweet carmelized onions. The soup was a light accompaniment to the meal. I was surprised that the soup was so fresh. It was pureed, but the quality showed through.


Fmace had the Sarladaise - an omelette with duck confit, potatoes and onions.This is a French omelette: moist, tender, and no colour on the omelette. The filling was rich - shredded duck meat and onions. The bite that I sampled did not have potato... As the restaurant name implies, the omelette was served not only with potatoes, but with crusty baguette as well. The baguette was fresh and crisp, but the potatoes could have been crispier and seasoned better.

Cousin Nate settled on the Brioche French Toast, banana and maple syrup option. Honestly, if Nate wasn't there that day, I would have ordered the French Toast. The slices of brioche were light and fluffy. When I asked Nate whether he liked his (Chez Meme) french toast or his moms' French toast better, he thoughtfully sighed out a long, "moms...." with a long sideways look at his mom.

Chez Henri ordered a Jambon-Brie baguette, also followed by their daily soup. Although you cannot see it in the photo, the baguette was full of oozing, melty cheese.

Chez Meme Baguette Bistro is a fairly small operation with about twenty seats. It was packed at lunch hour, for good reason. There was even a couple people  waiting for seats when we left!

On a subsequent visit, M and I had a chance to savour more of Chez Memes' baguettes. M ordered a Cordon Bleu sandwich, while I (on my meat ban) ordered a From'ton.


The Cordon Bleu was a ham, chicken, and emmenthal sandwich with dijon mustard on the side. M thoroughly enjoyed this, and would order it again. My From'ton was a sandwich of brie, pear, and walnuts. When it came, I was excited that they didn't go cheap with the cheese; however, upon finishing my meal I was ready to take a nap. :p While I enjoyed the combination of melted, creamy brie, sweet pear, and crunchy walnuts, I would have liked to have more pear (it was canned, I believe), and for the walnuts to be roasted / toasted. It said toasted on the menu, but the walnuts looked like they were out of the bag when I got my sandwich. Even so, I got a euphoric foodie high when I had the odd bite that included brie, walnut, pear and baguette!

We both went with the soup of the day, a fresh tomato, fennel, and Italian parsley soup. Once again, it was a nice medley of flavours. I think Chez Meme has convinced both of us to start using more fennel in our cooking.

Overall, we liked Chez Meme. It is unassuming, delicious and food is prepared fresh. I only wished their children would grow up faster so that they'd be open on weekends. ;p Chez Meme Baguette Bistro is a nice addition to The Heights community.

Chez Meme Baguette Bistro
4016 Hastings Street
Burnaby BC
P: 604-299-1141

Tom Yum Thai (The Heights, Burnaby, BC)

Tom Yum Thai has been on my radar for quite some time. They are situated in The Heights area of Burnaby, and we've enjoyed their (street) food on Hats Off Day in years past. I also worked in Burnaby at one point and my co-workers always raved about Tom Yum Thai. Their lunch service was always busy and I'd always heard good things about them.

Up until last week, however, we'd had issues with getting to Tom Yum Thai while they were open! First, we dropped by on a holiday (Canada Day, I believe) and they had taken the day off. Then we dropped by a couple times on Sundays, when they are usually closed (no, we don't learn from our mistakes). When we checked on them a couple weeks ago, they were closed for renovations; another time their chef had taken a trip to back to her homeland Thailand, and understandably, they were closed for a period of time. So when we tried them last weekend and they were open, we were extremely relieved and happy that they were open. Apparently, a couple of their regulars felt the same way - there were two or three other tables when we entered the establishment.


We were greeted and seated promptly by the owner himself, and decided shortly that we would be trying three dishes: lunch special with chicken pad thai, lunch special penang beef curry, and a regular order of the chicken fried rice with basil leaf. Originally I had wanted the fried rice with pork (love basil and pork) but was swayed somewhat by M and the owner as chicken basil fried rice was more popular.


The lunch specials / combos are served with a small green salad and two spring rolls. When our meals came, I was pretty impressed with the portion size. At this price point (under $9 / dish) for this portion, the value was measuring up with Lhy Thai in Edmonds. But how did it taste?

The pad thai, we agreed, was how we liked it. Slightly spicy (we asked for medium), slightly sweet, slightly tangy, the tamarind-based sauce coated the wide rice noodles, chicken, tofu and sprouts nicely. We could have used with a little less sauce, but the surplus actually made it a little addictive. M smirked as he inhaled his noodles - when it came time to trade (so we could taste each others' dishes it became one of those hostage situations; one hand on each dish before the opposing diner let go. lol!). We prefer tamarind-based pad thai over tomato-based ones and would order this again.

The Penang Beef Curry was presented attractively in a blue and white porcelain dish that set off the colours nicely. There were beef slices, bell peppers, and julienned bamboo shoots in the curry and the rice was prepared properly. While the beef curry was very good, it didn't blow my mind. I'm thinking that it we're getting a little spoiled and although this dish was tasty beyond other cuisines, it was common for other Thai restaurants. We would, however, order this in again.


The green salad served with the lunch specials was plain iceburg lettuce and slices of tomato - refreshing but standard. The spring rolls were prepared hot and wrapped with care. They were uniform in size and shape, accompanied by a sweet chili sauce. As they were smaller in size, the proportion of filling to wrapper was almost equal. I would have liked a little more filling and a little less wrapper - perhaps halving the spring roll wrappers before wrapping would produce more favourable results?


Lastly came the chicken basil fried rice. At this point we were both pretty full and only managed to eat a couple spoonfuls of the rice. While the pad thai and Penang beef curry had could have been spicier, the chicken fried rice was done well. You could taste the chilis and the rice was very fragrant. As we had planned, however, we packed most of the last dish (along with the last drops of curry) to go for lunch the next day. I'd strongly recommend doing this as I was a little underwhelmed with the fried rice the first day. The second day, however, the fish sauce, chilis and other spices had penetrated the other ingredients and it tasted much better. Next time, however, I'd order this dish with pork as I'd initially intended to.


The dining space at Tom Yum Thai is a little narrow. I imagine, at full capacity, that it would be quite cosy and you'd be eavesdropping on or talking to your neighbours. That seems to be a theme at Thai restaurants (or the fact that North American bodies don't fit in Asian furniture?!)

I'm glad that we finally got to dine in at Tom Yum Thai! There were some salads and soups that I'd also want to try next time, as well as their other curries. Have already added their phone number to my phone directory so that I can place a quick take out order (or to double check if they're open :D).

Tom Yum Thai
4010 Hastings St
Burnaby BC
P: 604-677-1489

Sushi Garden (Lougheed, Burnaby, BC)

The large sign for Sushi Garden has been up at the vacant commercial space at the corner of Lougheed at Douglas for months. For the longest time, it seemed that even with the installation of the new shiny signage, Sushi Garden wasn't going to open at the storefront next to Churchs chicken - the "For Lease" signs were still up in the paper-lined windows, and the unit itself showed no life.


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Just last week, however, Sushi Garden finally opened up shop at 4269 Lougheed Highway. We dropped in for a quick weekday meal and were surprised to see it already packed, with a small lineup for take out, and a small lineup in the waiting area as well.



Being tired from a workday, we pondered the menu for a while before succuming to weariness and deciding on the basics: california roll, chopped scallop roll, dynamite roll, a tuna & salmon sashimi, and mentaiko udon.

The food arrived nearly all at once; it made photography a little tricky as I couldn't move it around as much, and, combined with the flimsy / light tables, we nearly shocked a neighbouring table with a shower of hot tea.

The rolls were all good, although even M was careful to note that he wished the sushi chef who had made the dynamite roll had made the california roll and the scallop roll as well. But, it was Sushi Garden! At the prices they were charging, it was reasonable and went down well.



The sashimi was just ok. We were tempted by the large assorted sashimi platter that the couple next to us were having - on a side note, the guy looked a little like Edlau. Was it? I didn't want to stare, so I didn't get a good look. Anyways, we would not order the tuna & salmon sashimi again.

The mentaiko udon was good, with briny cod roe notes and hints of dairy / butter as well. I'm thinking that they soaked the salted cod roe in milk to rid of some of the salt? It was good, and the noodles were not overdone. Service was harried as the four waitresses could barely handle the volume and turnover of tables while we were there. M witnessed one waitress attempt to wipe down a table; instead she flung rice and sushi particles onto the floor and a piece hit a diner in the back - I wished I had seen that!

The dining area is quite large, and although the space looks narrow from the outside, there was ample space for waitresses and take out customers to dart about without bothering diners. That being said, the waiting area could stand to be larger as I foresee lineups going out the door. The decor is a little nicer than their Kingsway location, with dark wood and slightly more comfortable chairs. It is still all very utilitarian and the operation is efficient. (...As a matter of fact, it looks a little like something I could replicate in Cafe World or Restaurant City on Facebook! haha!)

Sushi Garden was very wise to open up a location on this strip of Lougheed: far enough from the Korean restaurants of North Road and the older eateries on Hastings, yet close enough to all the new apartments in the Brentwood area. There are four other Japanese restaurants within walking distance to Sushi Garden, so in a pinch, you could fulfill your sushi cravings if there was a long wait at Sushi Garden. However, Sushi Garden is strong where the neighbouring restaurants are weak; Sushi Garden has larger capacity, higher product turnover, and more efficient (not necessarily experienced though!) service. Parking is free out front and on the rooftop and the location is relatively close to Gilmore skytrain station.

Judging by the packed restaurant last night, the neighbourhood was waiting for Sushi Garden to open! Hopefully they can maintain the newness / cleanliness - just like their Kingsway location, it's a good place for a quick meal or takeout.

Sushi Garden (Lougheed)
4269 Lougheed Highway
Burnaby BC
P: 604-294-0104

Cristos Taverna (Burnaby BC)

We first discovered Cristos when we first moved to the area over a year and a half ago. I remember being so tired from unpacking our belongings and going out to eat with M. Greek food fit the bill as it would be filling, hearty, and comforting. The bonus was that I'd be able to pack some leftovers home for the next days' lunch!

We've been a number of times since then, when we craved some lamb shank, lamb ribs, moussaka, calamari, or some saganaki. On this documented visit, we were debating between the different platters for two. After consulting with the waitress, who said our choice was "quite large" (- after looking at me!), we sat back and enjoyed the cozy atmosphere. It is typical of Greek restaurants, with tealights, hanging plants, cushions and hung tapestry.

Our saganaki came first - it is a simple dish of pan fried Greek cheese, which is finished at the table by the server who squeezes fresh lemon juice onto the still-sizzling cheese. Traditionally, it is made with Kefalotiri, although a Canadian version is available and is just called "Saganaki" cheese. If you ever make saganaki at home, the authentic stuff is a couple bucks more, but the difference is huge. Splurge for the real stuff!

The saganaki was served with some pita and was perfect - chewy yet gooey, salty cheese flavour perked up by the fresh lemon juice. Love it!



The platter for two included a large Greek salad, tzatziki, pita, meat dolmathes, calamari, chicken souvlaki, roast lamb, rice, and potato. M really enjoyed the lamb (as he always does) and I did as well. It was not gamey; instead, there was a nice roast flavour that went well with the tzatziki and rice. For a change, I enjoyed the chicken souvlaki. I tend to order lamb, lamb ribs, or moussaka at Greek restaurants because I have always found souvlaki to be dry and tasteless. That was not the case here! The chicken was flavourful without being dry.

The calamari, while tender, were an unfortunate miss. Since most of the food came on one platter, the calamari wound up mostly soggy. It was properly cooked, but it would be been extremely beneficial to have it in a separate dish. The dolmathes - small rice and meat packets bundled in edible grape leaves - were tender and well seasoned.

We like Cristos - it holds a kind of nostalgic place in our hearts. And it seems the neighbourhood has spoken; the place was packed on a Tuesday night! It goes to show that when good food and friendly service meet, a successful restaurant results.


Cristos Taverna

4624 Hastings St
Burnaby BC
P: 604-299-0008