Food Bloggers Dinner: Deutsche House / Vancouver Alpen Club

The Food Blogger dinners have been happening more frequently - its nice to see some familiar faces, but even better to meet the fresh faces behind some of the new (to me!) blogs. On this occasion, the location was Deustche Haus / Vancouver Alpen Club on Victoria Drive at 33rd Avenue.

The venue was huge - a regular dining area with an L-shaped bar, a back room where a communal gathering of older folk were dining and playing cards, and an upstairs area where dancing was going on. Question - is the upstairs area their "catering" area? Is it licensed for food? (Just curious.)

We showed up a little early and spied  Jenny and Ricky still in their van, then Joyce and Bing enjoying some sun across the parking lot. As it was getting close to the meeting time, we trickled into the dining hall and spotted Kim at the other end of the room.  Soon thereafter, Sherman, Yen, Victoria, Ethan, Jonathan, Ann and Dee, Karl, and Anita joined us.

As Kim had been organizing the meal a couple weeks prior, he'd mentioned that he had wanted to order the festplate; for a mere $80, four (or more, in my opinion!) people could feast on a platter of various meats and sides. Alternately, when we were seated, the waitress suggested the special on the Wednesday we were there: we could pick from their schnitzels, pair it with a beer, for the low price of $15.

I had "reserved" one of us for the festplate, and although the special was tempting, M also went for the festplate.

After a long wait, we were slowly given some beverages. (Insert wait.) Then we given some bread and butter. Actually, we were given an obscene amount of butter to begin with and for a while, we joked around that we were having whipped butter hors d'oervres... When the bread finally came we quieted down a notch and temporarily satiated our appetites (and mouths :) with the soft, supple bread. It was bread straight out of the bag - no toasting or warming up here.


As the festplate diners had been warned (on the menu) that the platters would be 30 minutes, we idled away our time with conversation. Once the food began to arrive, however, it became a circus. Food papparazzi anyone?

The above were a variety of schnitzels that was ordered by bloggers who did not opt for the festplate; I did not have a chance to sample any of these but they looked good, and I liked that there were beets and broccolini as a side. The schnitzels were only $15, and included a beer! I also liked seeing the spaetzle (middle), a German dumpling that is generally made from a batter of herbs, egg, flour and water, a may be served by poaching in stock or water, then served as is, or further cooked by a quick saute. I haven't had or made these in almost ten years - I think I'll try my hand at them again soon! Poaching yields a more moist dumpling; sauteeing can sometimes cause the spaetzle to puff up slightly (due to the egg in the batter) and / or crisp up on the outside for a different texture.

Finally, the moment came when the platters of meat came out:

On the platter was the 1 eisbein, 2 kassler, 2 bratwurst, 2 leberkäse, 1 schweineschnitzel and sauerkraut. The side dishes came separately and consisted of mashed potatoes, dumplings, red cabbage and an ample supply of mustard.


The mashed potatoes were mildly fluffy but nothing special. They tasted a little better with a sprinkle of salt and some mustard. The dumplings would be the fail out of the sides. At first we didn't know what we were eating - then some referenced the menu and identified the gummy mass we had been chewing were the dumplings. I suppose some overworking of the dumpling dough had occurred, or that the starch in the dumpling had begun to gelatinize. Everything tasted better with a slathering of the mustard!

A closer look at the meats on the platter, clockwise from top left corner: eisbein (essentially a ham hock, the first one is with the fat cap; second photo is with the fat cap removed), leberkäse (German bologna), bratwurst (sausage), Schweineschnitzel (pork cutlet, pounded thin, breaded and fried) and kassler (salted pork chop).


Our favourite was the bratwurst. It was easy to eat and went well with the sauerkraut and mustard. Overall, the ham hock comments varied from a favourite, to "slightly bland". It is important to note that German food is of this style - minimal seasoning, cooked through, served with kraut and mustard. With that in mind, and comparing the food to Balkan House (another European restaurant in New Westminster) as well as a friend who we've had the pleasure of cooking for us, the ham hock is Ms favourite. For me, it was a little salty, it would be nice with some of that bread from earlier in the evening. The same could be said of the salted pork chop, although thethe pork chop was the driest of the meats. However, this could very well be due to the meat having to endure a thorough picture taking by our group.

The surprise? The German bologna reminded Karl of his German roots; for me, it reminded me of nights at grandmoms house! My grandmom used to fry or steam up slices of spam because it was one of the things I would eat at her house when I was a wee one (she cooked her steamed eggs different than my mother; although it was my favourite dish, I just couldn't eat grandmoms! The spam, however...:) So I liked it. Now, I won't degrade it to say it was spam. The texture differed a little bit, but bologna - yes it was.

We also liked the pork schnitzel. It was a lot of meat though - the platter could definitely serve five, maybe even six people, although the people gathered around Ms' platter (we weren't platter partners!) managed to meagerly finish theirs. In my "platter party" was Sherman, Kim, and Yen. Although Sherman and Kim are big eaters, me (with my on again, off again meat ban!) and Yen were no match.

Even so, some bloggers had room / made room for dessert. On the left, a traditional apfelstrudel / apple strudle, on the right, an order of crepes with vanilla ice cream.


While the food was acceptable, the service was a little lacking. It took us a while for our single waitress to take orders and expedite food. There was also a huge wait in handling / settling the bill. Although many of us were paying by cash, and had only ordered the festplate, it took about half an hour in a lineup for everyone to pay.

FYI, there was also an unverified account of rodent(s) observed at the time of dining. However, if you look up the online reports at Vancouver Coastal Health, no records in the last couple years report any pests (the last inspection was November of last year, the one prior, in July of 2008). That's quite remarkable for a building and neighbourhood of this age. ;)

Vancouver Alpen Club / Deustche Haus
4875 Victoria Drive
Vancouver BC
P: 604-874-3811

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

Kim Ga Nae (Richmond, BC)

We first read about Kim Ga Nae when My Secret Eden recommended it in a post back in September. Upon referencing it on Urbanspoon and seeing Sherman's post on it, I had made a mental note of it to try if we were in the area.

The turn in temperature made me wish for some bi bim bap, and subsequently, brought us to Kim Ga Nae.



Kim Ga Nae offers Korean all you can eat as well as a la carte options - we opted for all you can eat, as two people eating a la carte could get quite pricey.

It took us a while to be seated as only one waitress was working the lunch shift. As with other BBQ Korean restaurants, the dining area was quite literally ice cold when we started - these places depend on the heat of the barbeque units to generate heat, I guess. :)



The banchan came first - a selection of five dishes which were just okay.



We ordered a rice cake to sample, japchae, and beef bone soup. The rice cake was not something we would order again - it tasted good, but was just too heavy for our liking. As always japchae (even cold japchae, as Kim Ga Naes' was served) was devoured quickly, but the beef bone soup - as My Secret Eden found of the soft tofu soup, was bland.

The meats! I neglected to take photos of the meat, but we would definitely come back for all the meat. For all you can eat, the chicken, pork and beef were of decent quality, and marinated long enough to be tenderized before a quick grill.

As for my bi bim bap?



Well lets say this. I *love* bi bim bap, and the bi bim bap at Kim Ga Nae was no exception. I like that it came in a smaller, cuter portion, but still had all the toppings of a regular bi bim bap / stone bowl rice. If I were running a 10k or half marathon tomorrow, I'd go to Kim Ga Nae to fill up on carbs... haha!

We also ordered a seafood pancake and a gyoza, and we'd order them again. Actually, we were split on the seafood pancake - apparently M got the the pieces with huge chunks of squid and shrimp, whereas I got the more "pancake-y" pieces. Oh well, it is hard to proportion a "big portion" dish to smaller "tapas" style portions, I suppose. At only $12.95 for a lunch-time all you can eat, I am not complaining!

Upon exiting Kim Ga Nae, we saw that their a la carte menu was quite reasonable as well. Perhaps we'll try them with friends or family soon.

Kim Ga Nae

4260 No. 3 Road
Richmond BC
P: 604-273-4747

Bamboo Grove (Richmond, BC)

What's in a name? Well, the name of the restaurant featured in this restaurant is Bamboo Grove, but my family knows it more as "the lamb chop place". In fact, I only learnt of its' English name because M was commenting (harping? haha!) that we should only call a restaurant by its' name, instead of "that crab place" or "that pork chop rice place" or "the place beside the big vase" place.

...Yes, we actually make up pet names for the restaurants we visit frequently. :)


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As for the Chinese name of the restaurant? Still don't know it.

Bamboo Grove is situated near Richmond Center Mall. There is street parking, as well as parking in the back. When the restaurant parking lot is full, we usually park in adjacent parking lots.

On the occasion that these photos were taken, we had just had a filling dim sum at Kirin (post to come soon!). Just *looking* at the food at Bamboo Grove that night was making us full!



One of the first appetizers was live garlic steamed scallops. The chefs had shucked the live scallops, seasoned with wine, garlic, and green onions, and topped the scallops with rice vermicelli. They were served on the half shell and the scallops were HUGE! I took a picture with a teacup for comparison. It was like eating a scallop steak! The rice vermicelli was a nice touch, as it soaked up all the scallop juices and kept the otherwise exposed scallop surface moist.



The next dish is a family favourite - we order it nearly every time visit Bamboo Grove and we have yet to tire of it. Huge tiger shrimp and Japanese eggplant are sauteed in a mixture of spicy pork. It is really just so good. Even the dedicated carnivores in the family will scoop up some eggplant, on account of it tasting so meaty. The shrimp are a perfect size for this dish, as it takes on meaty characteristics as well.



Also ordered was a crab and lobster in cream sauce atop noodles, and sugar peas sauteed with cod. Everyone always fights for their noodles...and yes, we notice if people around the table have taken an extra large portion (ahem, remember that time J took two wings?? Remember??).

One item we didn't order (but we usually order!) this visit was the lamb chop. It is marinated, seasoned, and roasted just *so* to provide a non-gamey, succulent, tender morsel of meat on the end of a frenched and foil-wrapped bone. One of my relatives can *not* eat lamb for its gamey flavours, but will make a willing exception at Bamboo Grove.



As usual, my father got his vote with a braised fish hot pot. He likes the flavours in this dish, and goes through all the trouble of removing every shred of fish meat from the bones. As for me, I am too lazy and just love the mushrooms - they have all the flavour of the dish without all the work.

The vegetable was a romaine. Simplistic, but really just a nice reprieve from all the rich dishes before.



For dessert? Individual coconut jellies with a touch of evaporated milk on top. Afterall, I'm sure there are coconut trees that grow near the Bamboo Grove, right?

If you plan on dining at Bamboo Grove, it's a good idea to make reservations. And make the reservations early! "Second round" diners typically have to wait a while before they're seated.

Bamboo Grove Restaurant
6920 No. 3 Road
Richmond BC
P: 604-278-9585