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

Revisit: Italia Bakery (Hastings, Vancouver, BC)

"Another post on Italia Bakery?" Some of you may remember that I posted about Italia Bakery when I was on my quest to find a superb canoli bakery in Vancouver. While that quest was never fulfilled, I have to say, still that Italia Bakery ranks high on my list for mouth-watering canolis.

What led me to Italia Bakery was a post done by Phyllis of Me Hungry!. Phyllis is a Vancouverite who currently lives in New York. The pastries that she featured in her Cake Boss Carlos post made me wish for a bakery like that in Vancouver!

I'd heard about NYCs famous "lobster tail" pastries (named so for their appearance, and not their flavour!) when I saw a segment on the Cake Boss on foodtv. The lobster tails, similar to a pastry known as sfogliatella, are flakey and crunchy like the sfogliatella, but unlike the latter, is filled with creamy French custard, whereas the sfogliatella is filled with a ricotta-based filling.

Watching that segment already made me wish I could eat some NYC pastries, but Phyllis' post made me want it even more! I found out that Italia bakery made some amazing lobster tails, so I dropped by one day to pick some up. Unfortunately, I arrived to late and all that were left were two mini versions.

"I'll take them both!" I said to the lady behind the counter. "And a copenhagen, please."



And then I left, to be shunned by all the Hastings traffic since Olympic-dedicated lane forced regular traffic to be limited to two lanes.

The verdict? While the mini lobster tails were cute and compact (about two square inches), and very crisp and yummy - M says that after taking the photos I hovered over the pastries, coveting them like Gollum coveted his ring. I didn't notice that he had crept up beside me, I was so focused on the pastry! The mini lobster tails, while representative of what I imagine Cake Boss to make, was only common in the pastry. The filling of the pastry purchased from Italia Bakery was a more solid almond paste-based filling, similar to the layer on the copenhagen pastry that I purchased. It was not the creamy filling I was expecting.

While both were good (and I would purchase either of them again!), I'm going to either arrive earlier or reserve some regular-sized lobster tails for next time. Perhaps the larger version has the creamy filling I'm looking for?

Amen to Italia Bakery though! Lord knows they excel at what they do, and parking is easy to find! With the copenhagens and the canolis, I know where to get pastries for future dinner parties!

Italia Bakery
2828 East Hastings Street
Vancouver BC
Phone: 604-251-6800

Food Bloggers Dinner: Brave Bull's House of Steaks (Hastings, Vancouver, BC)

It's been a while since the last Food Bloggers Dinner - last time it was the end of June and Alvin Garden in Burnaby. This time, only a handful of us made it, and we met up at Brave Bull's House of Steaks

I hadn't been home all day, and didn't check my email, so I was very glad that Jenny from My Secret Eden (and her boyfriend K), Frank from Foodie Adventures in Vancouver, and Kim from I'm Only Here For the Food! showed up - apparently I'd missed the round of emails suggesting a cancel for the nights' dinner. With my recent luck, however, I'd very glad that Kim, Frank, Jenny and her boyfriend showed up (and my M showed up too - yay!). I've been having a string of no shows and have been stood up on more than one occasion as of late, so really guys - thanks for showing up!

Everyone has seen or heard of Brave Bull's House of Steaks at one point or another. I remember driving by and noting the $8.95 Prime Rib and Sirloin Steak specials, but thinking nothing of it.

However, after our dinner this weekend, I would have to say that the best special of Brave Bull's House of Steaks would have to be Linda Lum herself.



She was exceptionally sweet and kind and took the time to chat and joke around with us, when she had some time. She explained that after she had received Kims' large reservation, that she'd called in her grandson to help out. I felt a little bad after she said that, but then she said that even though our reservation shrunk a little, there were extra patrons on the other side of the restaurant, and thus the kitchen was backed up.



M started off with some pan fried oysters. Originally, he'd wanted to order the "Captains Plate" which consisted of pan fried oysters, deep fried prawns, scallops, and sole for only $8.95, but Linda let us know that since the kitchen was so busy, they'd run out of the Captain's Plate. While there was no Captain's Plate, and there was a delay in the kitchen, the cook had added on a couple oysters to our dish - six oysters for the party of six at our table!



Every entree that is ordered at Brave Bull's comes with soup, your choice of potato, vegetables, and garlic bread, and the prices range from $8.95 to $14.95!



It was no surprise that most of our table (made up of guys) ordered the "13 - 14 oz T-Bone Steak"...although it was later found that M had rarity - an "I-Bone" steak! ;p At about a dollar an ounce, everyone agreed that the T-Bone steak was good value.



Jenny ordered the sirloin, and I ordered the veal cutlet (Both $8.95). Jenny's boyfriend ordered the pork chops (another $8.95 plate!), which I would like to try on a revisit to Brave Bulls:



After the dinner rush had died down a little, Linda came by and chatted with us for a bit, and true to all the reviews stating that dining at Brave Bulls is like being welcomed into your grandmothers' home, we witnessed some real "grandmom-ism". I had anticipated that our plates would be inspected prior to removal, and had luckily finished about 98% of the contents on my plate. Others were not so lucky, however - Linda made a comment about how someone hadn't finished their meal...while my inner child snickered and I swallowed my last bite of food. haha! I guess I regressed into a five-year-old at that point!

Brave Bulls had opened in 1985, and the cook used to work at Angus Steak house. In 1991, they made the decision to freeze the prices - hence the $8.95 Prime Rib and Sirloin Steak specials. She also dug out a scrapbook of postings from Tinybites and Raul's blogs. We let her know that she'd have more to add to her collection once we were done. :)



I really felt welcomed by Linda - she reminded me of grandmothers and kindly neighbours and family friends from my childhood. When I left, I actually kind of felt guilty that I hadn't given her a hug! (And this is from a kid who *abhorred* the habitual hug and kiss from family friends!)

For the record, I would return to Brave Bull's - not necessarily for the food (although I'd like to see if Brave Bull's makes better or comparable spaghetti than my own grandmom! haha! - sorry pou pou!) but for the hospitality!

Other attendees' takes:
Kim - I'm Only Here For The Food!
Jenny - Secret Eden

Brave Bull's House of Steaks

1298 East Hastings Street [map]

Vancouver BC

Phone: 604-253-4728

Thai Cafe Restaurant (Hastings, Burnaby, BC)

We're always on the hunt for a great Thai restaurant!

In the week of *hot* weather in Vancouver, we just didn't feel like cooking - initially we'd gone to Thai Cafe just to grab a quick snack, but wound up having our whole meal there!



We started off with stuffed chicken wings. We *love* the ones at Salathai on Cambie, but unfortunately, the pair at Thai Cafe were no comparison. They'd stuffed them with chicken meat and vermicelli, and the similarities in density essentially cancelled out the work of deboning and stuffing the wings! We would have preferred a lighter, more flavourful stuffing, as well as a crispier coating. They *were* less expensive than Salathai though!



Next up was the Pad Thai. This was a favourite! The Pad Thai was not tomato based like other places - instead they had a tamarind and Thai "ketchup" base which was light, more flavourful, and pleasing to the stomach. I "reserved" some for my lunch the next day. :)



M also ordered a fried rice with basil leaves (Khao Pad Kee Mao). This was *also* our favourite! lol - the spices in the rice were accentuated by the fresh basil. I also reserved some of the rice for my lunch the next day.

I didn't recognize the restaurant when I went in, but I'd dined there previously with a group of health inspectors when I was training (they have some great lunch specials!). The funny / embarassing thing was that half way through my meal with the health inspectors, a freakin' fruit fly did a suicide launch into my meal! You could see that it instantly divided the table of officials - some thought I should get the dish remade, others just shrugged and sat back to see what I (the newbie trainee) would do. Since I'd already consumed more than half the meal, I just isolated the part of the dish that the fly decided to engrave himself, and ate the rest of the plate. No harm, no foul.

As for Thai Cafe itself, I'd very glad to have "rediscovered" it again! It's close to home and I can see myself ordering takeout for a busy weekday meal. I want to try some of their other dishes, including a fried rice with cashews, raisins, peppers, and other vegetables, or their deep fried prawns or rice noodle dishes.

Thai Cafe

4160 Hastings Street [map]

Burnaby BC

Phone: 604-299-4525

Glance: Hats Off Day 2009 (The Heights, Burnaby, BC)

I've been hibernating! Actually, I've been out a lot and not getting enough sleep. Excuse me if I fall asleep through this entry.

The weather held out this Saturday and an estimated 40000 people took in Hats Off Day along the Heights business area for some food, bands, kids activities, and much more. Historically, Hats Off Day was a way for the merchants of The Heights community along Hastings (Burnaby)to celebrate their independance from the rest of the lower mainland and also to give patronage to their customers. For more information about the Heights, visit the Burnaby Heights page.



I attended Hats Off Day last year, but this year was a far better event, with higher turnout, warmer weather, and more eateries!

It's always interesting to see what happens in a year - last years' Mexican restaurant is this years Thai / Chinese restaurant. Last years' clothing store is this years Indian take out. Since The Heights neighbourhood is not too far from our own, M and I were glad to find some new places to dine.



Sfinaki Greek Taverna had the whole grill going as usual, with the owner (and his makeshift loudspeaker) telling you how delicious his chicken souvlaki was!

We (i.e. M!) were also pleased to discover Heavenly Bites, a small Indian restaurant which is family owned and operated, with delicious beef samosas (M had three to himself!) and rotis. We also tried the vegetable pakoras, but since they weren't as big sellers as the beef samosas, they were room temperature. :( I do think we'll be getting take out sometime soon - they offer a large selection of "Tiffin Box" combos, which seem to include an entree, rice, and a side dish, all for $9.95!



As usual, Tom Yum Thai did not disappoint - they were our favourite eatery last year and for something so simple (pad thai and spring rolls) they were well anticipated. Their storefront had a constant lineup and they had a bit of a time keeping up to demand.



We enjoyed so much food gluttony in the first twenty minutes of our experience at Hats Off Day that we did not have room for the following:



Grilled sardines ("freshly imported from Portugal!" one of the men tending the grill told me.) ...I guess I'll have to order some grilled sardines on the Drive this weekend, on Car Free Day (Sunday, June 14th).



...as well as grilled juicy chicken from the Legion... :( My only comfort is telling myself that since there were such large batches of chicken, maybe, just maybe the chicken wasn't marinated long enough or it was overcooked. But the smells and the huge lineups said otherwise.



We also missed out on trying satays from a new (?) Thai restaurant near / at where there used to be a Mexican / Latin American restaurant. Damn. Damn you, eyes-bigger-than-stomache-syndrome, why do you plague me so?!

Aside from the food, Hats Off Day offered more, like the Elvises of past, present, and future (there was even an Asian Elvis, however he was performing at the time of this photo so he's not in this shot)....





...hot wet firemen (a la dunk tank style!)...



and murals throughout the area. This one graces the wall of Red Apple Farm Market.

What I like about outdoor events + Vancouver? People *love* their dogs. And dogs are all the more than welcome by me...you know, with the exception (as with children) that their parents are aware of their surroundings and others' personal space!



We saw a *huge* gentle and friendly Italian mastiff (love the grey coat!), a dog that looked like Sandy from Annie the musical (after a bath. :), and a cute German Shepard pup who is just growing used to his bigger body. Love love love those dogs...they have such character!

And of course, we saw a little bit of the "like owner, like dog" syndrome. heehee! I'll bet that the couple on the left are both extremely graceful runners, while the owner and pooch on the right would probably enjoy a good meal and music (saw them near the musical Italian duo who appear at EVERY Italian wedding and event. :)



It was a great Hats Off Day...where as last years event almost made me want to give up on The Heights, this years event made me want to return!

For more photos, please visit my Flickr photoset.

Review: Tentatsu (Hastings-Sunrise, Vancouver, BC)

We felt like sushi after coffee this weekend. Driving down Hastings, we remembered a busy restaurant that we had passed many a time while shopping at Donald's Market, or picking up bbq pork at a nearby Chinese butcher shop. It was always busy, and had traffic whether for an eat-in meal, or a for take-out orders.

Judging by the menu posted in the window, it was easy to see why. Tentatsu seemed to offer good value.



I will admit - I am a *lot* like my dad when I am hungry. I get grumpy. I get exasperated. I just *need* food, to, as he puts it, "feel like a human again".

Such was the case this Saturday, when we had driven for a while and M was still at a loss at what type of food he wanted to eat, or what he wanted to order. I was about to lose it. :p

We decided on three items: seafood okonomiyaki, a Japanese pancake / omelette of sorts, a sashimi combo, and the Love Flower. Unfortunately, due to my brain going on "starvation mode", I can't remember which sashimi combo it was, all I know is that it was good, and the fresh ebi were huge!



The ebi were the most impressive part of the sushi combo, which came with twelve pieces of fresh-tasting sashimi, including mackerel, salmon, tuna, surf clam, the ebi, and snapper. It *definately* satisfied the sashimi / sushi craving!



While I made the ultimate decision to try the okonomiyaki at Tentatsu, I was a disappointed when it came. It was a great deal thicker than what I was expecting. It had a suitable amount of seafood in it, and the flavour of the shrimp and octopus came through nicely, but it wasn't cooked long enough to give the crisp outer later nor the "charred" flavour that I wanted from a good okonomiyaki. M said he liked that it wasn't greasey, and would order it again, but I found it too starchy and would likely pass on ordering it again in the future.



What I was impressed with, was the Love Flower. It was sure awkward to eat, however! The Love Flower is a center of chopped scallop set atop sushi rice, wrapped with two thick slices of salmon, and garnished with lettuce and roe; one piece is topped with flying fish roe, the other, salmon roe. Perhaps it was the chefs play on comedy & tragedy masks? The flavour of the bitter salmon roe cut through the slightly sweet scallop and salmon, while the flying fish roe made that piece even sweeter. . . such is love!

At just over $30 for two people and a full belly, we'd come back to Tentatsu. Their rolls looked great - I just wouldn't order their okonomiyaki next time. Tentatsu doesn't beat the North Shore for sushi in my books, but it is plenty fine for Vancouver! ;)

Tentatsu
2430 East Hastings Street [map]

Vancouver, BC

Phone: 604-255-3733