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

Recipe: Thai Shrimp Fritters

I *love* seafood. I also *love* Thai flavours. When I came by a recipe in one of my cookbooks for a "Lemongrass & Shrimp Pop", I decided to try it.

I had some leftover lemongrass, and also some nice firm shrimp in the freezer, and so I adapted the recipe and tried it out.



Ingredients
300g shrimp (I used about 16 shrimp, in the 21-25 size range), coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp coriander seed
2-3 green onions, chopped coarsely
1" of ginger, peeled & sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 t Sambal Oolek
1 t fish sauce
Cornstarch
2-3 stalks of lemongrass, cut into 4" sections
Canola oil for frying



Method
In a blender or food processor, grind coriander seed. Add onions, ginger, and garlic, and pulse until finely chopped. Add shrimp, sambal oolek, and fish sauce, and process until a paste forms. You will need to scrape down the processor / blender walls several times.

With wet hands, form the shrimp paste onto the lemongrass stalks, or, if unavailable, thin patties. Dredge in cornstarch and set aside.

When all the mixture has been formed, heat a pot of canola oil over medium heat (ensure that your pot or wok is deep enough - the pot should only be at 1/3 full to prevent a fire hazard!) to 375ºF or until a small bread cube dropped in the oil sizzles and turn golden.

Fry the patties or shrimp pops until nicely golden on the outside, about 4-5 minutes.

Drain on paper towels and serve with a sweet chili sauce!

FYI / AWL

I'll be away this week attending a sensory workshop put on by the Seafood Products Association.

I've scheduled a couple posts to be up while I'm gone, so don't miss me too much! :)

Have a good week - I hope the weather holds up!

Review: Shanghai Wonderful (Richmond, BC)

I first came by Shanghai Wonderful when I dined there for lunch with family. Piping hot Xiao Long Baos, slurp-worthy noodles and yummy jelly pork that we took home for snacking with cold beers for later.

Last weekend, I took M there for the first time. Since it was only the two of us, we only ordered three items.

First up, Xiao Long Baos, of course. They were hot and soupy and rich. Not as nice as when I went with mom and sis, but delicious nonetheless. I had to warn M about the "exploding capacity" of this dish - because, like any male in my family, he tends to just shovel food into his mouth, and suffer the consequences later (see, he fits right into my family!). He heeded my warning and thus no injuries succumbed. :)



I *had* to have their turnip pastry. I tried it before and I always love it. Flakey, turnipy, and slightly sweet. What I love the most about it (and you can't tell from this photo) is that the bottoms of the pastries are dredged heavily in sesame before being baked / panfried. It yields a nice crust and also adds a load of flavour to this simple dish.



Finally, what was lunch in a Shanghainese restaurant without some good old Shanghai Noodles? These noodles hold a little bit of a sentimental thread with me. I remember going to a Shanghainese restaurant near our house when I was a kid with my grandparents or my mother - I remember one of my uncles making fun of me because of shiny they made my lips.

Yeah, Shanghai noodles can be greasey. But if it ain't broken, don't fix it! M kept on persuading me to "reinvent" Shanghai noodles. I flat out said (uncharacteristically too), "No. This is the way Shanghai noodles are made. They *always* have the julienned pork. they *always* have the Chinese cabbage / siu choy. They *always* have this type of noodle. The *only* thing different places might change about their Shanghai noodle, is whether or not they have spinach cooked into the mix. And even *that* is subtle!"



Umm, yeah. I'm a little particular about nostalgic dishes. And Shanghai Wonderful does it all just right. Yes, we were full for about six hours after eating this meal. And we even took some leftovers home! ....at only $10 per person with leftovers, you can bet I'll be back for some Shanghai Wonderful goodies.

Shanghai Wonderful Restaurant

#110 - 8380 Lansdowne Road [map]

Richmond BC

Phone: 604-278-8829

Recipe: Simply Sunny Fruit Salad

It is a week of sunshine like this, with the cherry blossoms blooming and clear blue skies that make Vancouver such a likeable city.

The sun also made me indulge in a bunch of fresh fruit and melon - perfect for snacking on, or an accompaniment to a healthy lunch!



Feel free to incorporate any of your favourite fruits!

Ingredients
1 baby watermelon, diced
4 small organic kiwis, peeled & diced
2 Alphonso (Philipine) mangoes, peeled & diced
1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and diced

Method
Mix all ingredients together gently. Enjoy within 2-3 days!

I've been eating this all week - the tart kiwis with the fragrant mangoes and the sweet pineapple *all* go so well together!