Foodosophy Restaurant Update – December 2009

Taking a cue from Foodosopher, I thought I’d re-examine some places already written about here on foodosophy, but with additional information gleaned through subsequent eating experiences.  To keep it simple, this recap will just focus on Asian cuisine (in particular: Chinese, Japanese, and Korean)…

1. Meok Ja Gol – Burnaby, BC

Followed up my first lunch visit with several dinner outings, including two very satisfying meals grilled with their charcoal bbq.  Fantastic use of the rotating grill, that functions as a quasi-table heater in these colder days.  The cooking device reminded me of the kind I had once in a restaurant in the Kangnam district of Seoul.  Best to call ahead and reserve this as it takes them thirty minutes to have the hot bricks ready.  Great for larger parties.  The accompanying Korean miso soup is excellent as well.  On another visit, had the daegutang (spicy cod soup), a mouth watering dish, loaded with vegetables, making it a very well balanced meal in itself.

2. Cho Sun – Vancouver, BC

Discovered they join a select list of places that offer tangsuyuk (pictured in the bottom row of the above set) which I described in a previous post as usually being “a mixture of red peppers, onions and crispy deep fried pieces of pork, all coated in a sweet, and slightly sour sauce”.  Unfortunately, theirs is not as crispy as I like.  As well, they have the savory noodles better known as jajangmyeon.  Unfortunately, this was a disappointment as well – Dae Bak Bong Ga downtown does it way better.  The kalbi was okay, marination was fine.  I guess I just prefer to grill mine on my own at the table.  For an order of one though, not possible.

Safari Gourmet Pies – Burnaby, BC

Safari Gourmet Pies
102-5777 Beresford St.
Burnaby, BC
(604) 431-7403

I was inspired by this post. Also due to the fact that two separate planned trips of mine to South Africa in recent years have been nixed at the last moment, I was feeling like I had to get a taste of some food from that part of the world to get over the bitterness.

Foodosopher detailed quite well many of the items that I made on this purchase in the above link, so feel free to peruse that again to get the background on what biltong and the like are all about…

Safari Gourmet Pies is a bit tricky to find.  South a few blocks from busy Kingsway, and nestled amid many automotive-related businesses and shops, is their storefront and production facility.  It is associated with a trading company that imports good from South Africa as well next door.  On my visit, their shelves were a bit sparse, with the kind proprietor Pam telling me they were expecting shipments again soon.

Everyday Sushi Bar – Vancouver, BC

Everyday Sushi Bar (formerly Samurai Sushi Bar, formerly Wonder Sushi Land)
4572 W 10th Ave
Vancouver, BC
(604) 228-9266

What’s in a name?

This place became known as Samurai Sushi Bar back in the late-fall, complete with a new exterior signage and menu.   My visit to it was based on when it was known as this.

But a few weeks later the same restaurant was re-branded as Everyday Sushi Bar.

Three names within a month, not a good omen I’d say.

The sudden swap made me wonder, was it a copyright issue?  After all, this place is trading on that name already in the GVA.  I guess you can’t get anymore generic than dumping “everyday” into your title.  So perhaps they can avoid any more lawsuits…

Regardless, when I asked the new owners of the then-Samurai Sushi Bar, how they came to get the keys to the palace, she mentioned they bought out the previous proprietors.  I’d noticed not much had changed inside the place, though the menu had been revamped, and heavy on the maki (rolls).  As she asked if I’d been here before (the previous place), I replied yes and she emphatically told me I’d like the new version better.  We’ll see…

Helen’s Grill & Restaurant – Vancouver, BC

Helen’s Grill & Restaurant
4102 Main Street
Vancouver, BC
(604) 874-4413

Despite being called “the most important meal of the day”, I often find myself skipping breakfast and making due with a cup or two of coffee in the morning.  I applaud those that make the effort to start their day with a hearty meal instead of doing without, or just wolfing down whatever last night’s dinner leftovers might be lying around.  On weekdays, I just can’t gather the energy to make breakfast, and even on weekends, despite the luxury of more time, its not one of my favorite things to do from a food perspective.

Also, is it just me or is it getting harder and harder to find a local joint that serves up a quality, satisfying breakfast service, AND at a reasonable price?  Just my opinion but I get the sense that too many places are trying to “get with the times” and make this part of the day more “fancy” than is ever needed.  Which in turn, results in one plate breakfasts breaking the ten dollar and over barrier, which is something I can’t fathom.  To me, some eggs, potato hash, bacon/sausage and some toast should (or at least I wish) hover around less than half that.

Rasoee – Vancouver, BC

Rasoee
104 – 2138 Western Parkway
Vancouver, BC
(604) 221-9355

Classes are out for the winter break at UBC.  Though I’m sure there are some who have to stay behind and get through the end of year festivities on their own for whatever and various reasons.  Instead of a hearty turkey dinner with family, I’m sure some might make their way to University Village, for whatever might be open to serve those unfortunate souls spending this week on their own…

In November, Rasoee set up shop in a former video rental store space.  Its a quick and easy, mainly take away franchise chain with origins in Toronto.  Over the last seven years, it has expanded to other cities out east (Burlington, ON), as well as out here in the western provinces (Calgary, Edmonton, Whistler and Vancouver).  This particular location has a very small counter where you could eat your meal in-house so to speak.

Nat’s New York Pizzeria – Vancouver, BC

Nat’s New York Pizzeria
2684 W Broadway
Vancouver, BC
(604) 737-0707

This is just a hunch but I have this feeling that right up there with posts on sushi, pizza is a very close second here on foodosophy.   Both in terms of the number of entries and also the variety of locations that its been consumed by our writing staff.

I thought I’d contribute more to this food item, though I am not as knowledgeable as the likes of foodosopher and gastronomydomine, with a write up on a place that I’ve often passed by but had never gone into, until recently…

Nat’s New York Pizzeria has two locations, one downtown and the other in Kits.  As the box notes, they offer pizza by the slice, eat in and take out options, as well as delivery.  The West Broadway location which I visited, was decorated quite enthusiastically in various kinds of New York-themed paraphernalia.  Also spotted were many pictures of people (staff?) on fishing trips showing off their catches over the years.  Clearly, there is a comfort level here in decorating to their tastes/liking.  For me, it seemed a bit tacky and artificially-New Yorkified (that a word?). 🙂

Shiro’s Sushi – Seattle, WA

Shiro’s Sushi
2401 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA
(206) 443-9844

I have had Shiro’s Sushi Restaurant on my wishlist for a few years, ever since I learned about the master-student relationship between Japan’s revered sushi master Jiro Ono, and Shiro Kashiba.  When I recently found myself on a short notice trip to Seattle, I was elated to learn that we scored a dinner reservation.

Unfortunately Kashiba-san was out of town, so we were at the mercy of his deshi.  The many reviews out there, state that the best seat in the house is at the sushi bar (which was full), so we opted for the Kaiseki dinner to give us an opportunity to try a variety of dishes.  With three price-points to choose from, we went with the $80 middle option.

We begin with a trio of appetizers:  tempura of king salmon wrapped with smelt, asparagus with a miso dressing, and yellowtail collar. At first glance, I thought we were given a fried salmon roll, but the tempura of two variety of fish with a squeeze of lemon made this the stand-out of the trio.

Foodosophy Year End Review – 2009

First off, Happy Holidays everyone!!

In looking back over the past year, I realize that in pursuit of my passion on a day to day basis, that I am always learning. Eating out, discussing food, sourcing ingredients, cooking, it all affords us the opportunity to learn. But while i learn something every day, there are those “A-ha!” moments that you have that stick with you. That change how you look at a cuisine, an ingredient, or a dish.

We started Foodosophy 18 months ago for a variety of reasons, but one of the primary ones was to learn from other people, and to share what we learn. I thought it would be a nice way to end the year by sharing, and encouraging everyone else to share things that they’ve learned.

So without further adieu, I would like to present my Top 5 things I learned in 2009.

Café Muse – Vancouver, BC

Café Muse
2305 41st Ave. W
Vancouver, BC
(604) 568-2948

First off, loved the name of this place.  And no I’m not a fan of the band.

My visit was on a dreary winter weekend morning – a perfect time to get a quick cup of hot coffee, something to nibble on and work on the laptop with free wi-fi as I killed some time before a meet up with a friend.  I wasn’t alone, as several others had the same idea, some even pulling out those dreaded computers with a piece of fruit as their logo.

With a wide open glass facing, the entrance area is nice and bright.  Towards the back are more tables but feels darker and enclosed.  Why people would want to sit there when you can be in natural light is beyond me.  Pleasant and boisterous welcome from the folks behind the counter, make this place feel pretty homey.

Uncle John’s – Crawfordsville, AR

Uncle John’s
5453 Main Street
Crawfordsville, AR  72327
(870) 823-5319

Heading to Memphis, there were a lot of different food experiences we wanted to try. Unfortunately, as on most trips, we had way more places to try than we had meals. For BBQ, there was a lot of debate: Central, Paynes, Interstate, Rendezvous, BBQ Shop, Neely’s.  Fried chicken lead to a similar debate. We knew what we wanted to try, and it was tough choosing one or two places to hit up. For catfish though, there was no question. We had to go to Uncle John’s.

Now, being no more knowledgeable of local geography than what i saw on a map, I had no idea that Arkansas was that close to Memphis. And while i’m not the biggest fan of checklist tourism, I do wish to visit all 50 states at some point, and this was an easy chance to knock one off. Crawfordsville AK is only roughly 30 minutes from downtown Memphis.

Uncle John’s is ostensibly an “Italian” restaurant, but they serve many Southern specialties as well. And on Friday’s, they have a catfish special that is regarded by many to be the best catfish they’ve had.

As we pulled up, everything screamed small town. There was a bench, complete with two suspicious locals who eyed us with trepidation as too many people emerged from a too small rental vehicle, quietly celebrating the end of our torturous ride. They were not impressed. I’m not sure I was that impressed either.

The exterior was a clean, nondescript building with a painting of what I can only assume is the proprietor. It was definitely a bit more modern than i was expecting.

Hi Genki – Burnaby, BC

Hi Genki
6680 Southoaks Crescent
Burnaby, BC
(604) 777-0533

December 2010 re-visit post here

Original post below:

定食

Teishoku.  Often referred to as ‘set meals’, although not always strictly following that definition in Japanese eateries.  Originally, the collection of several dishes in a combination, priced to be lower than if one was to order them individually, is often thought of as the reason this particular genre developed in dining out lingo.  The basic tray generally includes a bowl of steamed white rice, miso shiru (miso soup), a tsukemono (pickled vegetable) of some kind, and a main dish (be it grilled, raw, fried, stewed, noodles, etc.) of some kind.  To me, it reminds me of student cafeterias or lunch time hangouts for the white collar crowd where I had these many a time in Japan.

So it was no surprise that at Hi Genki which was essentially the dining area, very much cafeteria-like except there was table service, of a senior citizens home next to the Nikkei Place (home of the the National Nikkei Museum & Heritage Centre) the menu was lined with several teishoku offerings.  I’d been forewarned that the clientele there could be more of the gray hair crowd but to our surprise it was mostly filled with young people, lots of couples in fact.  None of whom appeared to be there visiting any aging relatives.  A virtual full house, couldn’t be bad, could it?

Central BBQ – Memphis, TN

Central BBQ – Central Avenue Location
2249 Central Ave.
Memphis,TN 38104
(901) 272-9377

Every Southern State (and sorry purists, I include Texas in the South – well, when it comes to BBQ anyway) believes their version of BBQ is the best. In travelling from State to State, I’ve come to recognize that the differences are not as great as they would have you believe. Yes, there are very fine differences in flavours, sauces, and ingredients, but most people would have a difficult time discerning these. These days, there has been so much cross-pollination of ideas and accessibility of ingredients, that i find BBQ is more about style, skill, and choice.

The greatest differences in BBQ come down to two key things: wet or dry, and choice of ingredient. While many people claim that Memphis-style BBQ is about wet (sauce) BBQ and pork, I found wet and dry preparations of ribs in most establishments. And while they also  serve mostly pork, there was some beef, and  there was a lot of  poultry (chicken, turkey) as well. Choice of wood, temperature, time, rub, I don’t feel there is  “regional” exclusivity any longer. I’ve even seen mesquite, traditional Texas smoking wood,  used in Memphis BBQ preparations.

So the question meat lovers need to ask is not “which state has the best BBQ”, but which establishment serves the best BBQ that they prefer.  Central BBQ is one place in Memphis trying to stake their claim.

Central BBQ has two locations in Memphis, but I was reassured by locals that the original location on Central Ave was the one to go to. As we pull up, we see a smoke shack in the back, billowing smoke into the atmosphere, a fragrant, delicious smell. Our appetites are immediately whetted.

Arcade Restaurant – Memphis, TN

Arcade Restaurant
540 South Main Street
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 526-5757

Food Network. Tourist destination. Foodies declare a “must visit”. It seems every town has one or two of these. Either featured on “Diner’s, Drive-In’s, and Dive’s”, or some other equally “Middle America” kind of show, it is usually an old institution that is still “doing it the old way”, and everyone loves the nostalgia. In Memphis, you have the Peabody Hotel, and you have Arcade Restaurant.

The claim to fame for Arcade Restaurant is that they are the oldest restaurant in Memphis. Located in downtown Memphis, a neighbourhood currently undergoing some “gentrification”, they even claim Elvis as a former regular customer. Considering some of the stories you hear about downtown, Arcade Restaurant resides in a fairly nice part of downtown.

The interior is all old school – I half expected to see Elvis sitting somewhere eating deep fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches after walking inside. This preserved interior has been the set for many Hollywood films. And they proudly state it. I actually kind of like it. While it doesn’t match my usual preferences for decor, it has character. LOTS of character.

Black Diamond – Memphis, TN

Black Diamond
153 Beale Street
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 521-0800

When you think Beale Street, most people think Blues. BB King. Smoky dive bars, neon lights. In actual fact, it is crowded with tourist bars, clubs, and a lot of tourists. Except for the Black Diamond.

We didn’t plan on coming here. Our plan was to go to Dyer’s for some fried burgers. But they were closed. And an impromptu torrential downpour meant we had to seek shelter, especially when caught without an umbrella – a bad decision in Memphis in general. We found a place that was close, and not overly crowded. “Black Diamond” written in neon. Sure, why not.

Plastic chairs and dirty tables. Locals who didn’t appreciate their space being invaded. Smoking indoors (ack!). There were no blues, but there was football. And beer. Cold beer.

People would expect places like the Black Diamond to have bad service – well surprisingly enough, it was quite good. The server was friendly, and efficient. And he brought beer, menus, and took our orders. No complaints.

Fish Café – Vancouver, BC

Fish Café
2053 W 41st Ave
Vancouver, BC
(604) 267-3474

The impetus for a repeat visit to the Fish Café in Kerrisdale was the result of a horrible bowl of pho nearby for lunch.  I just couldn’t let my afternoon continue on that low note, so crossing the street I decided to give this place another try.  Back in May on my virgin visit, this is the comment I made on Urban Spoon.

“If you enjoy your F&C on the lighter side, with a fluffier texture to the batter (deep fried), then this place might suit you, but for me, it just didn’t work. Tearing through the crust took no effort with a fork, and the halibut inside soon found its way all over the place in my basket. Chips were good however. For about $18 for a two piece set, perhaps a touch on the pricey side as well. A steady stream of customers at the start of the dinner hour, suggested to me its a popular place for a quick meal.”

When I stepped back in and saw their chalkboard menu board, I was tempted to try their fish & chips again…