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

Shoryumen & Fumisen (Richmond BC)

This post is brought to you by baby E, hereafter known as "(e)". (e) is an adorable three month old baby boy of my friend H. Doesn't he look Supercute? I only took a couple photos of him, but he was aware and looking at the camera for most of them.

When I wake up in the morning, I groggily check my email, facebook, and twitter. Yesterday, I logged on to twitter *right* as Jonnek1028 was tweeting about Tenku Bakudanyakis' "new friends", Shoryumen and Fumisen. Literally right after I tweeted back about wanting to visit the Elmbridge parking lot for lunch that day, I opened up a message on facebook from H about the same stalls. I decided then and there that I'd try them for lunch!

Shoryumen and Fumisen, following in the Tenku Bakudanyaki model, are yatai, or mobile food carts selling various hot foods. In this case, Shoryumen is a ramen stop, while Fumisen sells a variety of temaki, or what they call, "gourmet sushi cones".



Since I visited Tenku Bakudanyaki last, they've relocated about 10 meters north, and an inukshuk composed of shipping containers has been erected by the city of Richmond as a welcome to the Olympic tourists visiting the Olympic Oval which is a mere two blocks away.



When I *finally* got to the location (after circling a bit, and doing a couple u-turns on Gilbert road), I was greeted by H and (e) and after glancing around a bit, we entered the stall that is Shoryumen. Being that it was, essentially, a cart, I was impressed how sturdy it was and how the proprietor, Kan Odaka had accomplished a clean look by simple wood grain and black countertop. The intimate environment also allowed us to chat with him while we ordered and ate our ramen.

The customization is what is key in Kan`s budding yatai mura / food stall village. At Shoryumen, you can choose from four soup bases, including Kuro, a soy sauce-based soup, Aka, miso, En, sea salt, or Ton, rich pork stock. In addition to soup base, you may choose from a variety of toppings, including seaweed, bean sprouts, fishcake, egg, bamboo shoots, green onions, pork, corn, butter, cabbage, kimchi, black mushroom, pickled plum, garlic chips, and wild vegetables. Toppits are $1/each or $3 for four toppings. All orders come with seaweed, veggies and green onion; you may order additional noodles, vegetables, or meat for $2 extra.



I ordered the Ton soup base with fish cake and corn, while H ordered an Aka soup base with pork and corn. After learning that take out was available, (e) ordered a Ton ramen to go. You know, he was full from his milk-brunch that he'd had before. ;) Just kidding. (e) ordered it for his daddy!



(e) had the best seat in the house. That kids got VIP schmoozing skills man!

As mobile food carts can create a lot of waste, Shoryumen offers a solution - purchase a reusable bowl for only $2.25, or bring your own bowl in and they will take 50 cents off your order!

As for the ramen? It was done perfectly al dente, and the broth (I can only speak for the Ton) was rich and flavourful. As I stood there finishing my meal (I am one of the slowest eaters evaaar.), I decided that the "butter" topping made perfect sense - adding butter to the Ton soup base would make it decadently rich. Would someone like to accompany me in the near future? :)

H found her Aka soup base very flavourful as well. The pork in both cases was tender and added to the experience.

I cannot express how excited I am that there is an accessible ramen place that I can go to solo without feeling out of place. Yes, I know there are other ramen places in Richmond, but there are huge lineups and waits at those locations for lunch. I hope Shoryumen doesn't get *too* crazy busy in the next bit, I am hoping to make regular visits to satisfy my ramen pangs!



Fumisen is another "customize your meal" yatai.

You start by choosing from a nori / seaweed or soy crepe wrapper, then your rice. There are about eight proteins to choose from, and you can also select two extra "vegetable" toppings and from a selection of four sauces. So by my calculations, that makes for 10368 possible combinations! ...right? Please correct me if I'm wrong - it's been a while since I've done "real" math and although I aced math in high school, I just spent about ten minutes checking my math and I'm not sure I'm right. Help!

Edit: Thanks to Kim, the actual number of combinations available is 4608. Here's a curveball though. Notice how both H & myself got tobiko, apple and avocado? I guess if the chef is happy that day, there will be about 10752 possible combinations?

Here is (e) trying to make up his mind while looking at the Fumisen board. Decisions, decisions...



As Kan had suggested trying the apple topping to add texture and flavour to our sushi cone selection, and to try the soy crepe, we obediently did - on all three orders!



The man pictured above takes down your order (pen and paper - afterall, if anything, I think I pointed out that there are a LOT of combinations, yes?), then washes his hands and starts your order. Afterward, the cones are placed in the plastic holder above.



Pictured above: (1) Soy crepe, salmon rice, unagi, tobiko, apple and avocado with wasabi mayo for H, (2) Soy crepe, sushi rice, crab cake (kamaboko), tobiko, apple and avocado with wasabi mayo for me, and (3) Soy crepe, sushi rice, scallop, topiko, apple, and avocado and wasabi mayo for OH, Hs' hubs. Yes, I know...we're so original that we ordered the exactly same "veggie" toppings. :p It was good though - and although the cones were accompanied with a packet of soy sauce, it was unnecessary as the cones were flavourful enough.

Kan has big plans - plans to open a stall for eating / waiting, a dessert stall, as well as plans to open other yataimura in other locations. And Yum-O-Rama is looking forward to it!

Shoryumen, Fumisen, and Tenku Bakudanyaki

12831 Clarke Pl
Richmond BC
Twitter: @yatainoodles @bakudanyaki




Edit:
More photos at my flickr set.
A post in Chinese about Fumisen and Shoryumen at VincentandKimmy.com. Sweet, I'm learning Chinese by osmosis! :)

Eatwell Vietnam Noodle Soup

We were in Coquitlam looking for a quick eat - I am not really familiar with Coquitlam, and M is even worse (there was that one time that he was picking up a car from Coquitlam and was going to meet me in Burnaby...I got home from *Maple Ridge* and found out that he had gone east along Lougheed instead of west - and was *finally* on the Mary Hill Bypass driving to Burnaby. omg!).

So it was no surprise how we ended up at Eatwell Vietnam Noodle Soup Restaurant when we were looking for Hopewell Chinese Kitchen. Ehhh...it was in the same area. (As in, either area could be described as being "close to Coquitlam Center Mall"...)

On a side note, when we pulled up to Eatwell, we commented on how they may be affiliated with Hopewell (does anyone know?). Anyways, it could just be the direct translation of their Chinese name, "Mei Mei".

We actually ate here on Halloween. Why do I remember this? We saw Captain Sparrow on the way in! :) Apparently, the guy dressed up (convincingly!) as Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean had just finished lunch at Eatwell...and a pair of groupie teenagers were asking him if they could take his photo. haha!



Let's start with Ms meal - grilled lemongrass chicken and pork atop rice noodle. At $6.50, he was pleasantly surprised with his meal. The pork and chicken were juicy and tender. He didn't share much. The portion was meatier than other Vietnamese restaurants. Although there were less char marks from the pan fry / grilling, and subsequently less flavour, it was an economical lunch choice.

I ordered the same as everyone else, beef noodle soup! At the time we dined at Eatwell, there was a separate menu with three tantalizing options: 1) a large noodle soup (your choice) with your choice of spring roll or bubble tea for $7.95, 2) a small noodle soup (vous choisez!) with your choice of spring roll or bubble tea, $6.95, or a student special (available Monday through Friday) for something ridiculous like $5.50 or something.



Of course, being on the bubble tea binge that I was on for the week, I ordered a "small" beef steak and tripe noodle soup. I have to say, the portion was extremely generous for the price. The soup didn't have enough salt, but that was remedied easily enough with a light sprinkling of salt. I liked that there was the option of steak and tripe, instead of steak, tendon, and tripe. I always feel so wasteful when I order a "#5" noodle anywhere in Vancouver and have to leave behind the tendon because I'm simply not such a big fan of it. So Eatwell gets a thumbs up from me on that point!



The bubble tea? I ordered a mango milk tea. It was made from a powder and it was just average. It made me wish that I'd ordered the spring roll to go with my meal instead, because I could smell them wafting through the restaurant.

Eatwell is a small place run by Chinese and it has a nice family atmosphere (as opposed to a seedier, neon-light atmosphere). They also offer other options like curry rice, banh mi, and "specialty" dishes like pork trotter noodle soup, or seafood soup.

Nice find for the Tricities!

Eatwell Vietnam Noodle Soup

#315 - 1196 Lansdowne Drive
Coquitlam BC
P: 604-945-8276

Recipe: Zucchini and Carrot Pappardelle with Parsley Sauce

Sunny days call for sunny recipes! . . .too bad this is being posted a day late. Vancouver had a sunny weekend that extended two days into the work week. Unfortunately, this morning it gradually clouded over.

Although, while it was sunny, I had the chance to whip out the pasta machine again and made a batch of pappardelle, a thin, wide ribbon pasta accompanied by equally wide ribbons of tender zucchini and carrots that were sliced thin on my handy mandoline.



I brought the veggies and fresh pasta together with a fresh (and raw!)parsley sauce blended together in my handy magic bullet (this entry should be a kitchen gadget entry!).

Ingredients

2 small zucchinis, trimmed and sliced with a mandoline to 1/8" (~0.3cm) thick
2 small carrots, peeled, trimmed and sliced with a mandoline to 1/8" (~0.3cm) thick
1 pasta dough recipe

1 bunch parsley
1/4 cup piave vecchio, parmesan, romano, or other hard cheese
Juice of half a lemon
5 cloves of roasted garlic
3 T olive oil
2-3 T hazelnuts or pepitas
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup water

Method

Divide the pasta dough recipe into three portions. Roll each portion out with the pasta machine. Start with the lowest setting, run the dough through once, fold the dough into thirds, run through the machine again, and repeat.

Increase the thickness setting and run the dough through the machine; dust lightly with flour if necessary, and run through twice more. Repeat this step with all the thickness settings until you get to setting 6. Dust the pasta strip with more flour, fold or roll loosely into a bundle, and cut into approximately 3/4" (~2cm) strips. Dust with more flour, and hang on suspended wooden spoon handles to dry slightly while you roll out the rest of the dough.

For the sauce, blend together the last 7 ingredients together in a blender, food processor, or magic bullet. Taste for seasoning; add more cheese, salt or pepper to taste. Set sauce aside.

Slice the vegetables with a mandoline to about 1/8" (~0.3cm) thick. Slice the strips lengthwise in half if necessary.

Bring a large stockpot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Quickly blanch the vegetable strips for 30-60 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to an ice bath. Drain and reserve in a large bowl for later.

In the same large stock pot, bring the water back to a rolling boil. Drop in the dried pappardelle and stir to loosen and separate the strands. Cook for 5-8 minutes, or until desired doneness. Remove with tongs or a pasta fork to bowl of blanched vegetable strips.

Add parsley sauce to pasta and veggies, toss lightly, and serve!

Be sure to enjoy in the sun. :) It makes all the difference in the world!

Review: Kintaro Ramen (Denman, West Side, Vancouver, BC)

Kintaro is one of those restaurants hole in the wall restaurants that does one thing only, but does it best! Handmade ramen that is, in a pork bone broth with different options of toppings, richness and type of broth, and option of fat or lean pork.



Staying true to its roots, Kintaro does not accomodate vegetarians (all soups are pork bone based!). I can kind of appreciate that from a cooking and a consumer point of view - why mess with a good thing? Have the food as it is meant to be consumed!

Kintaro has been on Denman *forever*. I remember rollerblading the sea wall with my older brother when I was a young teenager (13-14?) and sitting down to a satisfying bowl of piping hot ramen afterwards. The place always had an energetic vibe to it, and the line ups always went out the door.

Now, more than fifteen years later (am I dating myself here? haha!), not much has changed. My order hasn't changed either. Miso medium ramen with lean pork. I always make the "mistake" of ordering lean pork because I fear that the fatty pork is just too fat! Ah well. It's all good. The richness of the broth accomodates for the leanness of the pork.



The noodles come in large ceramic bowls and a ladle for slurping soup, toppings and pork. Somethings are definately nice to come back to. It's like taking a step back in time!

Kintaro Restaurant

788 Denman Street [map]

Vancouver BC

Phone: 604-682-7568

Review: Seri Malaysia (Hastings-Sunrise, Vancouver, BC)

Yes, I know this is a little late.

We had Seri Malaysia in the summer time, but that was simply take out - we enjoyed showing MB our "new" apartment and exposing him to some new experiences (the boy is super-sheltered and had *never* been inside a Chinese grocer. Wtf?! And he’s lived in the Greater Vancouver area for most of his life!)

So our first impression of Seri Malaysia (in the summer) was a definate hit; however, every weekend when we were in the area to grocery shop, we were dismayed to find that the restaurant was closed for the afternoon, or not open until the next day / later in the evening!



This weekend, we had the pleasure of actually eating in the restaurant. The decor is nothing too special, although there are some photographs and posters of Malaysia and some conical woven hats adorning the walls.

It appeared to be a two person show. There were two larger parties and two smaller ones finishing up their meals when we entered the establishment; they seemed to have enjoyed their meals and had food leftover to take home. Service to some could be a little faster, but we enjoyed how it was laid back, Malaysian style.

We ordered Beef Mee Goreng, and Quey Toew Rendang with Seafood, as well as the Beef Rendang for take out. We requested that the dishes be made to medium spiciness.

Both dishes were delicious, generous in portion, and each were garnished liberally with a shower of fried onions / shallots. These were tasty, and added to the complexity of each dish. Both M and I remarked that the portions were almost two to three times the size you get at other "Malaysian" restaurants in the Vancouver area, but at the same price!



We really appreciated the great flavour and the larger portions. Like I told M, "the bad part about Malaysian food, if there is a bad one, is that you can't stop eating it!" It was just so good!

Our bill came to less than $30 for three dishes (we had take out), and we tipped more than our usual amount - we want to come back to enjoy more meals!

We do plan on making Seri Malaysia part of our regular restaurant circuit, and we have recommended the restaurant to others.

Seri Malaysia

2327 East Hastings Street

Vancouver BC

Tel: 604-677-7555

Healthy Bento!

I packed some healthy energy food for today. It started with me not wanting to bring the same old pasta and tomato sauce to work - so I looked in our "carb drawer" (yes, we have a carb drawer FULL of noodles, pastas, grains, and rice sheets. When we run out of one particular noodle, we kind of go crazy and stock it up again. They don't call them "filler foods" for nothing!). Perusing the carb drawer yielded some yummy buckwheat (soba) noodles!



Soba noodles are made from buckwheat grain and thus have more fiber and nutritional content in them than plain white or egg noodles. Plus, they have a nutty flavour and more texture to boot! They are called "soba" as they resemble a straw broom. I think the description is right on the money! Although, being that soba noodles are a little bit more expensive than regular noodles, I wouldn't exactly use them as a broom...



I packed a small container of zaru soba (cold soba) with an even smaller container of dipping sauce made from soy sauce and dashi (bonito fish stock granules dissolved in water). I didn't have any seaweed flakes or green onion, but if I did, I would have added them... I also packed some blanched and chilled edamame (soy beans), as well as some strawberries I had in the fridge. Lastly, I packed a container of tofu dessert. Yes, that's a lot of carbs, but the carbs are from healthy, fiber-rich sources, and the meal is low in fat and high in protein.

I think it deserves a prize! :p

For my other foodie photos, visit my flickr photoset "Food, Glorious Food!"