Doña Cata - As Close as We'll Get to an Authetic Taqueria

From Dona Cata

I met a friend for lunch at Doña Cata - a very good family-run Mexican Taqueria that serves up fairly authentic Mexican taqueria food at very reasonable prices. Doña Cata's food tastes authentic, but milder in chili heat than food you would get at Mexican or US taquerias.

The taco fillings are all very good, though the selection is not as extensive as the taquerias in the US and Mexico: they had carnita, al pastor, longaniza, carne enchilada, and some others. They didn't have lengua (tongue) which is a very common item down south. The prices are very reasonable - tacos are $1.75 each.

They have an excellent selection of home-made salsas in various chili-heat levels - ten salsas to choose from. Examples include - tomate verde, arbol, cacahuate (peanut), mexicana (like pico de gallo), aguacate (avocado done like a thin guacamole), etc.

They have other dishes - torta (sandwiches) and various mains. They also have a selection of takeout (eg salsas) and bulk items sold per kilogram (eg barbacoa de borrego (lamb), al pastor, carnitas, longaniza, bisteck, etc.). And to top it off, you have a good selection of Mexican pop and horchata. Some of the sides - the rice and beans, for example - could have been much better executed.

The quality is very good - especially the tacos ... better than Taco Mexico Rico downtown - and the prices are inexpensive....I would come here more often if it wasn't so far out of my way.

A Prado Pictorial: My favourite Espresso in Vancouver

From Prado

Seri Malaysia

From Seri Malaysia

Like most chowhounds, one of the things I look for in an ethnic restaurant is "authenticity". Many restaurants adapt and tone down their dishes in an attempt to cater to North American tastes. Think of all those "Thai" restaurants that don't use fish sauce, or "Sichuan" restaurants that don't use sichuan peppercorn, or "Japanese" restaurants that use Chinese ingredients and thus end up with food tasting un-Japanese.

Here in Vancouver, we are lucky in that we have a large and diverse number of adventurous diners seeking "the real thing"....and are willing to tell their waiters that they want their food done "properly." For the most part, Vancouver diners have set a pretty high bar for authenticity relative to other major cities....thus we are blessed with some excellent ethnic fare. And for the most part, this ethnic fare is served up by family run restaurants who are in a constant struggle for survival.

Seri Malaysia Restaurant has the requisite authenticity that I seek. Chef Jamal (former co-proprietor of the original Kedah House), is emphatic that his food taste "proper"...that means the right techniques, ingredients, saltiness and pungency (from dried and fermented seafood). The room and service are spartan and typical of a family-run business.

We ordered the roti canai, nasi goreng with dried anchovies, spicy garlic prawns, chicken satay, kuey teow noodles, and we finished off with ice bandung (rose milk), and cendol. The flavours were robust and definitely authentic. The roti canai was expertly made and flakey. The portions were huge.

Jamal commented that this Hastings St. location is a real challenge for him. He has been looking for more appropriate locations along more food friendly streets with more foot traffic - like Commercial Drive.

Support small ethnic restaurants...Check out Seri Malaysia.

Ping's Cafe - a Quasi Youshoku-Ya on Main Street

From Ping's Cafe

A couple of months ago, there was a bit of a buzz when this restaurant quietly opened Main St. It was so under the radar that the chefs of the well-known places along this strip were taken by surprise.

Ping's Cafe occupies the same space as...Ping's Cafe. Let me explain. This restaurant is re-purposing the old sign (look at the pics) of an old Chinese-Canadian greasy spoon called Ping's where you were once able to buy cheap ($2.25) greasy burgers and "Chinese" food like Chow Mein way back when. Interestingly, at one point in the original "Ping's" history, the former owner's son tried to turn it into a semi-hip but short-lived nightspot called "Ping's At Night". The new owners, during renovations, decided to leave the old sign up and call it "Ping's Cafe".

I digress....

Ping's serves Yoshoku-style Japanese cuisine. Yoshoku is "Western" cooking reinterpreted to Japanese tastes. It occupies the same aesthetic space as HK Cafes (cha chaang teng) and our very own diners/greasy spoon.

Essentially, Yoshoku is Japanese-inflected "homestyle" Western comfort food. Other places you can get this type of food are Yoshoku-Ya (near Stanley Park) and Hi Genki, in Burnaby, a restaurant which serves the Japanese senior-citizens living close by at the Sakura-so and Nikkei Home residences. Hi Genki is run by Fujiya. Some izakaya, and other Japanese restuarants have similar items on their menu.

We ordered pretty much everything on their appetizer section ($5-$8 per dish). Examples of the offerings include - Kabocha Korroke ("Croquettes"), Kinpira - Burdock and Carrot Salad, Tongkatsu, Yakitori Skewers, Karaage Gyoza, etc. The dishes were small but the prices were right. It allowed us to order quite a number of them without impacting the pocketbook too much. They also have some mains that average around $15 per. They have a limited wine list, a decent beer list and they only have one brand of sake - luckily the sakes are from the very good Osake - the local artisinal sake maker on Granville Island.

The restaurant is run by Joshua (formerly of Modern Club) and mother Hiroki. Hiroki told me that she really wanted to serve Okonomiyaki, but the kitchen modifications required were prohibitive. I'm hoping that this happens someday.

Overall, this restaurant fits right into the Main St dining mosaic. It's not really my kind of thing, personally. I forsee Ping's becoming more of a "drinks-forward" sort of a place. The prices are decent, and the food is scenester-friendly.

New Filipino Cuisine at Rekado's on Main

I had lunch with a friend at Rekado's on Main St where they serve Filipino food.

Those that know Filipino cuisine know that it has terrible PR and thus, has not really gained much ground in Vancouver and much of North America. Most Filipino restaurants are cafeteria style ("turo-turo") which are akin to those terrible Chinese buffets. The food often suffers form poor presentation, greasiness, saltiness. The rooms are often terribly tacky (airline posters, clutter, a "family table" in the corner where the proprietor's family hangs out). The service is often indifferent, at best.

This cuisine is experiencing a bit of a resurgence in part due to the press that Romy Besa's Cendrillon (Manhattan) has been getting.

Here at Rekado's, the food has definitely been toned down for western tastes. It is not greasy, it is less pungent and it is definitely less salty than the usual Filipino restaurant food. I tried their Skewers, Bicol Express (a coconut "curry") and Pancit Palabok (a seafood based rice noodle dish redolent of smoked fish and crushed chicharon). They made a great attempt at the presentation with the usual flourishes that you might see at a higher end restaurant.

The room is designed professionally and would not look out of place with the likes of Habit, Boneta, etc. The service is prompt and professional.

Overall, I give it a cautious thumbs up. The food does not really taste "authentic" - but it is a successful and accessible representation of the cuisine.

Tequila Kitchen

From Tequila Kitchen

After our visit last night I hesitate to give Tequila Kitchen a review for a couple of reasons: They are still in a "soft opening" mode and (although they have a fully equipped kitchen) they are having city licensing issues with the operation of their gas stoves. They are using electric burners. With that disclosure, I'll forge on...

TK's concept is Botanas (Mexican tapas) and Agave (in the form of tequila and tequila based drinks). The management seems committed to providing authentic Mexican dishes through their limited menu. The room is great - clean, well designed and wide open.

My wife and I had the April tasting menu ($37 per)...which I quote from their website

>>quote

Aguachile de Camarón
Butterfly shrimp marinated in lime, onion, orange, oregano and chile.

Hongos al Ajillo
Sautéed mushrooms with, guajillo chile, garlic and olive oil.

Guacamole.
The real deal. Homemade with fresh avocados. Made to order, spicy as you can handle.

Sopa de Tortilla
Rich tomato and dry chile soup with thin tortilla crisps, avocado, cheese and cream

Manchamanteles
Literally translates to “tablecloth stainer.” Oven cooked pork with a 2 mild chiles, spices and fruit sauce.

Tikin Xic
Halibut filet rubbed in Yucatan achiote paste wrapped in banana leaf and oven baked.

Pollo en Pipian Verde
Chicken breasts in a green pumpkin seed sauce
(served with esquites and rice)

Peras en Salsa de Piloncillo y Tequila
Layered pears and whipped cream with a Mexican Brown Sugar and Tequila Sauce

KCR
Coffee Liqueur and cream on ice

unquote<<

So how was it?

Weeelll.......I have to be honest and say that I was expecting "more and better". Most of the dishes where well executed....but some of them lacked some familiar robustness. Knowing that the kitchen was not in full operation certainly tempers my expectations a little.

Also, the "Tasting Menu" context is a difficult one to pull off for some of the dishes. Some examples...

The Manchamanteles lacked robustness...all the flavour was in the sauce...the flavours didn't penetrate into the pork (which was a little chewier than it should have been). It probably need to stew a bit more.

The halibut in the Tikin Xic was a little dry and lacked flavour. If you are familiar with this type of dish, you'll know that it usually comprises big chunks of meat or fish (or even whole fish) in a savoury sauce (or rub, in this case) that is then wrapped in banana leaves and baked. This rendition was a small sashimi sized parcel which resulted in a fish that was drier than it should have been.

The rest of the dishes were great - especially the Aguachile de Camarón (ceviche)...very fresh tasting.

The tequila-based margaritas rocked. We hade a traditional Lime Margarita, a Hibuscus margarita, and my favourite - a Cucumber and Serrano Margarita.

OK...so despite some issues, I do support their manifesto to bring authentic Mexican restaurant food to Vancouver. I am willing to accept authenticity that is a couple of notches below what you will see in authentic Mexican restaurants in Mexico and in some parts of the US just to have the option of eating dishes that aren't tacos, burritos, etc.

I will definitely come back to support their vision. Next time I will wait until the kitchen was in full operation and order the full dishes (not the Tasting Menu). I wish these guys well. We need more of these restaurants here in town.

• 
  Tequila Kitchen
  
  1043 Mainland St., Vancouver BC.
  
  
  

Sushi to Go at Fujiya

From Fujiya on Cla...

I picked up some sushi for a meeting we had at work today....so we drove over to Fujiya on Clark at Venables. Fujiya is a great place to get boxed sushi, sashimi grade fish (Angel Seafoods just up the road is actually best for this), and other Japanese groceries. You can also get bento, and cooked foods to go.

All the sushi is freshly made in-house in the back. The best time to pick up sushi is just before lunch time and dinner time when you can literally grab the boxes just as they finish making them. The rice and fish is guaranteed to be fresh at these times.

So for those times when you need to get sushi to go, this is the best place in Vancouver to get it, IMO.

Fujiya Japanese Foods

912 Clark Drive Vancouver BC

Habit

From Habit

I have to tell you right off the bat...our visit to Habit was a huge disappointment. I had high hopes - it had good press, proven people, nice room, etc. My wife and I both came away feeling like we wasted our time there.

The room itself is nicely designed. The designers (I hear that they used the same design firm as the Glowbal group of restaurants) were going for a Canadiana theme - sort of like a cabin in the woods rendered graphically.

The service was excellent, but it was the food that let this place down. The unsophisticated spicing and flavouring gave all the dishes we tried an unbalanced one note simplicity. The presentation was just fine, but I can't help comparing it to my lunch at Stella's that same day. The food at Stella's was tasty despite the haphazard plating - and it weighed in at nearly half the price as similar dishes at Habit.

We ordered the lamb skewers ($15), smoked tuna salad ($11 - and you get 4 thin little slices of the tuna on limp lettuce), deep fried hoisin-glazed tofu ($9). For dessert, we had the crumble ($?). While none of these dishes I would consider acid tests for this particular kind of restaurant, I believe that it did give me a fair survey of what to expect if I ordered the other dishes. IMO, they are pricing themselves well beyond the quality the kitchen was able to deliver. Perhaps they were having a bad evening back there.

Based on my one experience at Habit...I probably will not go back. Poor value for the money. I say "pass" on Habit

Banana Leaf

From Banana Leaf

My Family had a late lunch on Friday at Banana Leaf - a perennial Vancouver favourite. It is a restaurant that deservedly wins many Reader's Choice awards on various local publications (not usually an true indicator of quality, but it is in this case.)

They now have a Tasting Menu ($25) - a great new trend in town. We ordered that a few other items: Satays, Deep Fried Tofu, Gado Gado, Roti and (the real reason for my visit here) the Hainan Chicken.

Let me start with the Hainan Chicken. The Chicken was frankly less gelatinous that the way I like it. The bird was larger than at most places which probably contributed to the slight stringiness. The poaching was less than exemplary. The chili sauce and ginger sauce were fine - but neither tasted fresh and bright. The dark soy tasted like slightly sweetened regular soy - it didn't have the caramelized (almost burnt) sugar flavour that will provide authenticity to the dish. It was good, but Prima Taste's chicken was far better.

The Roti was beautifully flakey and tender and the curry sauce was nice and somewhat thick. The Gado Gado was fine - not the best I have had in terms of presentation and freshness - the peanut sauce was a little too sweet and lacked bite and salt. The skewers were delicious, but it hard to go wrong with satays. The Stuffed Deep Fried Tofo was also wuite nice (the fresh salad ingredients that comprised the stuff was an excellent contrast to the fried tofu).

The tasting menu was a really good survey of their offerings. It included a S=salad (with ripe papaya), Squid rings, Satays, and I can't remember...it was all a blur.

Overall, an excellent meal - the tasting menu is a great sampler at $25 per person. The qualtiy of the food, presentation, and service are what keep me coming back.

Hawker's Delight

From Hawker's Delight

Hawker's Delight at Main and King Edward is a real chowhound kind of place. Very inexpensive, quick and tasty. I have eaten here many times and I always come out very satisfied. Today, I ordered Chicken Rice ($4.25!)and some satays (6 for $3.00).

This is the most inexpensive Chicken Rice I have found yet. The Chicken and Sauce are well executed. It doesn't come with the traditional bowl of broth. The chicken itself was tender and gelatinous. It only comes with one sauce - a ginger/chili mixture that tastes bright, fresh and tart. A winner. The only in-authentic aspect to the combo was the soya - they did not use the sweet dark soy that you will get in a Singapore Hawker stall or at Chatterbox.

Prima Taste's Chicken Rice is better overall, but it costs almost three times as much. I give Hawker's Delight a thumbs up for this Chicken Rice. Try their Laksas, Mees, and other dishes too. Excellent value.

Hawker's Delight

4127 Main St., Vancouver

Prima Taste

From Prima Taste

I'm on a mission to document Chicken Rice in the GVA. Yesterday was Cafe D'Lite, today it's Prima Taste.

Prima Taste is a restaurant chain headquartered in Singapore. They have a number restaurants scattered all over Asia as well (Manila, Shanghai, Tokyo, etc.). There are only two locations in North America. One in San Jose, and one here...so we are very lucky.

Prima Taste takes this hawker cuisine to a new level. The interior design, branding, food and presentation are expertly executed. They have an extensive menu which covers all the favourites of this cuisine. I'm here for the Chicken Rice, so I will focus on that.

The portions are small and the chicken is not deboned (unlike Cafe D'Lite's). The meat is tender and gelatinous - perfect. The sauces included the entire (proper) triumvirate: Ginger/Oil; Chili/Oil; and Dark Sweet Soy (similar to Indonesian Kecap Manis - it has a deeply caramelized sweetness). To contrast, Cafe D'Lite did not have the Dark Soy...and their Ginger and Chili sauces did not taste bright (it tasted pre-prepared and refrigerated for a few days).

I had great service from Rogerick - my Jamaican bartender. The chef is a Singapore trained Taiwanese chef.

I ordered the Chicken Rice, Roti, and Ikan Bilis. The Roti was tender and flakey. The curry dipping suace tasted lighter (more diluted) that I usually have it. It's very good though. They also serve a BBQ version of Chicken Rice...next time I will try this.

My whole meal was under $20CAD.

Chen's Shanghai Cuisine - Destination XLB

From Chen's Shangh...

I drove out to Richmond to visit my parents with one of my daughters yesterday. I had to hit Chen's which IMO, has the best Northern Chinese dumplings in the GVA. (Let me qualify that I haven't been to all the known places in this dumpling universe yet -- Wang's over at Crystal Mall in Burnaby is supposed to have exemplary dumplings, for example.)

Chen's is located on Park Road (at Number Three Rd, across the way from the Richmond Center...you can see Sears - if you require more landmarks). Longtime Richmond denizens and aficionados of Chinese cuisine will know Park Road as a catalytic area in the evolution of Chinese food in Richmond. ChinaCan (a seminal Chinese Supermarket...the first one to open in Richmond) was located there for many years. That spot is now occupied by another Chinese Market oddly named "The Great One." ChinaCan was the gravitational epicenter of Chinese food there for many many years. It was a place where the Asians living in Richmond could buy bulk bags of rice without having to trek out to Vancouver's Chinatown. A number of Chinese restaurants (mostly of the Cantonese/HK variety) opened close by to take advantage of the Asian traffic there.

Nowadays, there are Chinese restaurants all over Richmond. The epicenter has moved to Alexandra Rd - known to Richmond locals as "Eat Street" because of all the strip malls featuring a variety of Asian restaurants (Taiwanese Bubble Teas, Pho, Chinese Noodles, Asian Nightclubs, Izakaya, etc)....now back to Chen's.

In case anyone wonders about authenticity, the first thing you'll notice is that Chen's does not have a word of English on their sign....when you walk in, you'll notice a predominantly Chinese clientele. All good signs.

They have a Chinese Menu (which is longer than the English Menu). You order from a dim sum checklist. Today we ordered xiao long bao (called Baiyulan buns on this menu), Green Onion Pancake, Shanghai fried buns, Green Onion Buns, and Dan Dan noodles.

The buns are freshly made to order at the back. They do not pre-prepare and refrigerate them , a common practice which affects the quality of the skin.

The XLB and the Pan fried buns were fantastic ($4.20 for 6) - both if them are incredibly juicy and fresh tasting. The filling is boiling hot, so wait a bit to let it cool. A word of warning - The Pan Fried buns are as juicy as the XLB - so watch out - this is uncommon. Most of the time, Pan Fried buns are not packed with the gelatin that makes XLB juicy. I bit into one and it squirted clear across the table! My daughter had to duck to avoid it.

The other dishes were great too. The Dan Dan noodle was the kind with the dilute light sesame paste broth with crushed peanuts on top.

Without a doubt, Chen's is worth the drive out. Cheap eats done right.