The Mac Shack

I was quite impressed with the simple storefront; it seemed appropriate for the comfort food served inside. I actually thought the construction barricades in the front were part of the decor. The colour theme goes very well with the restaurant, don't you think?

It was very busy and almost every table was filled — not surprising for a Saturday evening. There were mainly 2 options for diners: build your own mac or order from the set menu. I also noticed grilled cheese sandwich (mac and cheese inside a grilled ciabatta bun) and a few salads on the menu, but there was no way I was going to pass up eating mac and cheese from a skillet. I didn't want to build my own mac because I couldn't be bothered to come up with my own combinations. It involved too many choices and every addition of meat, seafood, veggies and sauces would cost extra. I found the set menu to be much better value. There were 3 sizes: regular (feeds 1), ultimate (feeds 1-2), and jumbo (feeds 3-4). The following is an ultimate size of "the veggie" ($11) with gruyere and cheddar cheese and an assortment of veggies including broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes. It was the lighter pasta of the meal (though not very light by normal standards) because of the slightly tart tomato-based sauce.

The regular size "lobster mac" ($15) was the most expensive choice on the set menu, but I got my money's worth of lobster. Just look at all those tender orange-red chunks on top! I liked this dish a lot more than the other one because of the rich and savoury cream sauce and truffle oil. Unfortunately those ingredients in addition to the creamy asiago and cheddar made the dish extremely heavy and filling, so I didn't get to eat as much as I would have liked. I don't think the mushrooms we got were oyster mushrooms, but in any case I was happy that I managed to eat them (one of my most detested foods) because the cheese and sauces completely overwhelmed the grassy mushroom flavour. I think there was lemon and dill in there too, but I honestly couldn't taste them.

I don't know why I had the nagging feeling that the skillet brownie ($5.90) would not be available. Luckily my 6th sense was not working well that day and I got to indulge in some chocolaty goodness. I have to admit that I was initially a bit concerned about ordering dessert at a place that only sells mac and cheese. What are the chances it would taste good? Well I took the risk and the brownie was amazing. It was like a warm and crumbly chocolate cookie fresh out of the oven with a very subtle sweetness. The raspberry and chocolate sauce drizzled across the top really complemented the brownie, and the vanilla bean gelato was delicious as well (with actual specks of vanilla bean inside!).

I have to say that service was not the best, considering the place is pretty much a self-serve cafe with a walk-up counter for ordering. I had to ask someone to clean the table and I had to ask for water, but the upside was that I didn't have to pay tips. I had a severe case of epigastric pain after the meal, so the food was definitely too heavy and filling for me. I'm used to high carb intake, but the pasta and creamy sauce and several different types of cheese all mixed together was just too much. (Or maybe I should have passed on the brownie, but that's just unthinkable!) Tasty food comes at a price. It's rare that something could be healthy and taste good at the same time. One example I can think of is the raw vegan high tea at Indigo Food Cafe. That reminds me, I should go back soon for a delicious and detoxifying meal!

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Burger King (Granville) - Whopper Meal

Believe it or not, I had never tasted a whopper sandwich prior to last Friday. In fact, I don't think I had ever eaten at a Burger King before that. But after watching the "whopper freakout" videos, I decided I had to give the famous burger a try.

Ok so I fell for the ad, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it once, especially with a $0.99 voucher for the whopper meal. The regular price is a whopping $6.99 which is more than I would ever pay for fast food. So here it is: the whopper sandwich with medium fries and a medium drink. I must be really out of the fast food loop because the medium fries looked more like a small to me. I think I heard something about North American fast food chains adjusting portion sizes in response to the issue of obesity and other health concerns. Sure, but that still looks like a small to me. One thing about the fries is that they had a very thick and starchy skin, so they stayed hot for a very long time. The flavour wasn't that great though, and I personally still prefer McDonald's fries.

In regard to the whopper, let's just say I might not have found it so bad if I hadn't watched the videos. I can't imagine why anyone would pay to eat this, let alone go crazy over its discontinuation. To each his/her own I suppose. The beef patty was extremely thin and dry. I had trouble believing it was flame-grilled because it really tasted no different from microwaved frozen patties.

In short, I will most likely never visit Burger King again. I think I'll stick to A&W for my fast food burger needs.

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Ichiban Sushi 一品壽司

When I saw Ichiban Sushi next to a shabby-looking London Drugs in an equally shabby-looking strip mall, I thought it would be another Chinese-operated wannabe sushi restaurant. And I am definitely not trying to be racist here (I'm Chinese myself); I've just had a lot of bad experiences in Chinese-operated sushi restaurants.

Again it was a deal voucher that brought me here. The $15 voucher promised 10 pieces of sashimi, 2 special rolls and 2 miso soups. We had 2 vouchers, so we were a bit worried that we wouldn't be able to finish it all. I was quite impressed with the service from the start. It was by no means spectacular, but we were seated promptly and given complimentary hot tea (after the server asked us whether we wanted tea or water). Upon presenting our vouchers, steaming bowls of miso soup were immediately brought to our table.

We were particularly intimidated when we realized we'd have to eat 20 pieces of sashimi. But we really needn't have worried because the portions were not that big. The seafood was surprisingly fresh, and the scallops and shrimps were particularly sweet and juicy.

Our 4 special rolls were as follows:

1) tsunami roll
I wasn't particularly excited about this because it was just a California roll topped with fish and tempura bits, but this turned out to be my favourite! I loved the spicy salmon and tuna combined with crunchy tobiko and savoury unagi sauce.

2) orchard roll
This fruity combination of papaya and mango was delicious. With avocado, cucumber, red pepper and sesame seeds, this roll definitely helped with our daily fruit and veggie intake requirement.

3) fireworks roll
So why was this named the fireworks roll? Because it was topped with torched salmon and tuna of course. There was a nice charred flavour which I liked. The chopped scallops and spicy sauce were very tasty as well.

4) pacific roll
This was by far the plainest roll because of the flavourless soy paper wrap, but the addition of coconut shreds was quite unique. The rest of the ingredients were relatively bland, so I wouldn't really recommend this unless you enjoy very mild tastes.

The regular price for these rolls is around $8-$9 which is not bad at all. I actually think the quality is comparable to Shota Sushi, but this place is much cheaper. If only I lived closer, I would come here all the time.

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Palki Restaurant - VANEATS Palki Passion

Having enjoyed the Verace Amore package at Verace Pizzeria, I got ready for yet another VANEATS dining adventure at Palki Indian Restaurant. The restaurant is located on Commercial Drive near Venables, so it's a bit of a drive for a Richmondite like me.

I was really surprised at how clean and modern the interior was. The decor was quite trendy and the tableware was sparkly clean. (Our plates were still hot from the dishwasher!) The place was filled with the typical aroma of Indian cooking, but I was glad the smell didn't cling to my hair or clothes.

I always order mango lassi whenever I eat Indian, so I considered breaking out of my usual routine because I was getting a little bored. But I'm so glad I didn't! This mango lassi ($3) was very special indeed. Apart from creamy yogurt and tropical mango, there was a magic ingredient: ground cardamom with its signature fragrance. The yogurt was actually slightly salty, so it was a delicious blend of flavours.

The $14 dining pass includes 7 items. The first 5 items came together on a sizzling hot plate. We started with the vegetable samosa on the right. It was a giant samosa stuffed with spiced potatoes and veggies. The pastry was rather crusty and bland, kind of like the Chinese fried wonton. There were 2 types of chicken served on grilled green pepper. The red coloured chicken tikka was a bit dry and maybe even a bit hard, but the murg malai tikka was very soft and tender like Chinese white cut chicken. (Sorry for all the Chinese food comparison, but that's the type of cuisine I'm most familiar with.) The lamb barrah kebob consisted of 2 ribs and the meat was very tender and juicy with a strong garlic flavour. The tandoori prawn was marinated just like the rest of the meat, but I didn't find the flavour very strong because prawn just doesn't absorb flavours as well.

The onion and cilantro naan came as a bit of a disappointment, but not because it tasted bad. It was just different from what I had expected. I was hoping for a soft and fluffy flatbread, but the texture was more like pizza bread — chewy and difficult to pull apart. I loved the topping of carrot and cilantro bits though.

The butter chicken was heated over a tealight to keep it warm. It was very creamy and the yogurt almost reminded me of gooey melted cheese. The meat, similar to the chicken tikka, seemed a bit stringy and dry like braised meat. I think that's the way it's supposed to be, but I'm not really into the braised texture.

We got an order of rice pulao ($3) on top of the dining pass to go with the butter chicken. I can't eat my butter chicken without rice :) It was a pretty big portion for the price and the rice was very good quality.

All in all, the meal was very good value for $14. So thank you VANEATS, I'm waiting for your next dining pass.

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Zachary's on Robson

We visited Zachary's on a quiet weekday, but the restaurant was quickly filled with diners staying in the adjacent hotel. We decided on what we wanted, only to be told after we had ordered that several items were not available. I was a bit annoyed that this was not indicated on the menu and no one told us anything as we were browsing the menu. After finally placing our orders, we waited and waited for the food to arrive with no complimentary bread to munch on. With my stomach growling, I decided to reserve judgement until I've tasted the food. I was in the mood for steak, so I had the prime rib special ($16). It came with a side of veggies, Yorkshire pudding, and a choice of rice or mashed potatoes. The only thing I liked about this dish was the lightly seasoned daikon with its not-too-crunchy and not-too-mushy texture. The Yorkshire pudding was a bit too dry, and the steak was far from satisfactory.

I asked for rare and the steak looked rather promising on first glance, but the meat was actually very chewy and tough.

Yes I know, you must be wondering why we ordered butter chicken again after we learned our lesson at Mandalay Lounge & Steakhouse. We originally wanted to get another chicken dish, but it was not available and we had to settle for butter chicken ($14). Of course the naan advertised on the menu turned out to be pita bread, which wasn't too much of a problem since it was expected and the pita tasted pretty good. The problem was the butter chicken, which turned out to be Thai curry chicken... and not very tasty Thai curry chicken at that.

One of the dinner specials was the honey garlic chicken and ribs ($16). Both the chicken and ribs were not very tender and I even found them a bit dry. The flavour was not bad though, at least compared to the "butter chicken". I was a bit hopeful about the mashed potatoes because the waitress seemed very surprised that I opted for rice with my prime rib and commented that the mashed potatoes were delicious. But really the mushy mash was not particularly impressive; it was neither creamy nor buttery. The only thing special about it was the bits of potato skin mixed inside.

We were provided with a bowl of lemon water for cleaning our hands after we had finished our entrees. This was also the only good part about the service.

I was looking forward to trying the chocolate tower cake on the dessert menu, but unfortunately that was not available (and I wasn't very surprised at this point). It didn't seem like the other desserts on the menu were available either. The waitress said she would check with the kitchen and came back to tell us about the chocolate nemesis ($5.95), a rich and intense chocolate torte. I wasn't particularly interested, but decided to settle for it because I really wanted something sweet to end the meal and there weren't any other options. The torte was very sweet and the texture was just like hard ice cream. The chocolate flavour was prominent, but it wasn't the deep and satisfying aroma I was hoping for. It satisfied my sweet craving, but I wouldn't have ordered it if I could choose again.

To be honest, I have no idea why the people staying in the adjacent hotel would dine here. There are so many dining options just down the street, and probably most of them are better in terms of both food and service.

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Mandalay Lounge & Steakhouse

Mandalay Lounge & Steakhouse is located right behind the Hog Shack on the lovely seaside of Steveston. We had a pretty good view from our table, but the sunlight was a bit hard on the eyes even on such a cloudy day.

We started with a spicy tuna sashimi salad ($15). I knew it wouldn't be that great considering I was in a non-Japanese restaurant, but I didn't expect it to be so bland. There was almost no sauce, so the spiciness (or any other taste actually) was minimal. Both the veggies and tuna were not very fresh, and I especially did not appreciate the mushy texture of the fish.

For my entree I went for the Bombay butter chicken rice bowl ($10.95). As expected, warm pita bread was used to imitate naan. The butter chicken wasn't authentic and the meat wasn't very tender, but there was a LOT of it. There must have been around 20 pieces of chicken and I'm not exaggerating. I also thought there was too much sauce. I rarely complain about that, but the rice was drowning in so much sauce that it had the consistency of risotto.

The Thai chili chicken noodle bowl ($10.95) was the mildest in flavour. I would expect Thai chili to be somewhat spicy, but it was more sweet than anything. I actually found it a bit weird that the noodles tasted as though they had been cooked in syrup.

The spicy chicken and peanut rice bowl ($10.95) had the worst presentation. Just like the butter chicken, there was a lot of meat and sauce, but the quality wasn't that great. The peanut sauce was thick and starchy, yet somehow the chicken still tasted kind of dry.

The dessert was truly the highlight of the meal and more than made up for the mediocre entrees. The chocolate lava cake ($7) took 15 minutes to prepare, but it was well worth the wait. The presentation was beautiful and the cake was served hot and moist. I loved the subtle sweetness and the rich chocolate flavour that wasn't too overbearing.

I was a bit worried at first that the chocolate inside wouldn't be melted as that is the usual problem with lava cakes. But the consistency was perfect and the chocolate lava poured out beautifully.

I was disappointed with the entrees, but I would come back just for the chocolate lava cake. I think it was a mistake that we ordered from the express lunch menu featuring rice and noodle bowls based on Asian cuisine. I would suggest staying away from the Asian dishes.

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Snowbear Bakery 雪貝爾蛋糕制作坊

I first heard about Snowbear Bakery from Sab who told me it was a new Japanese bakery in Richmond. Not so, the place was Chinese-owned and operated as I found out from my investigation. I wasn't met with the best customer service when I went in for inquiries and prices were rather high, so I never thought I would try out the cakes here. But of course, they got me with a $15.99 (tax included) deal voucher for a 6-inch mango cake regularly priced at $32. Are you kidding me?! This little cake costs $32? Maxim sells the same thing for around $20! But I must say the mango slices on this cake look a whole lot better. They're a beautiful golden yellow and very juicy-looking, not sickly pale and dry like Maxim's.

As I cut into the cake, I knew the texture was just right because I could feel how very soft and airy the sponge cake was. The knife was met with almost no resistance and I was able to cut out picture-perfect slices. There was a very generous amount of mango both inside and outside. Mid-sized mango chunks were sandwiched between 3 fluffy layers of cake, and the whole cake was covered in large mango slices. There was also a generous amount of whipped cream. I ended up scraping most of it off since I'm not much of a fan, but cream lovers would definitely be happy. Even my mom, who doesn't like desserts much and especially dislikes cream, ended up eating 2 whole slices (big slices too!). The entire cake disappeared within minutes. So much for saving a slice for after dinner...

The cake was wrapped in this unassuming box with nothing on it other than a polar bear sticker. This proves you can't judge a cake by its box.

Perhaps it's because I haven't had this type of cake for a long time, but I really enjoyed it. Even so, I can't justify paying $32 for a 6-inch cake. I'm not saying the quality is not worth it, but I just don't love it enough to be willing to shell out that much. I'm definitely interested in trying some other items though, now that I have an idea of the level of quality here.

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