Tasting Journey #42a - Indochine Kitchen + Bar

Indochine Kitchen + Bar
1 East Broadway
Vancouver, BC V5T 1V4
604.568.0828 
http://indochinekitchen.ca/

Totally forgot to log this when I was in Vancouver... well, here it is... back paddling a bit, and trying to catch up, so I'm gonna keep this short & sweet.
I was told that this place is owned by the son of Phnom Penh, Cambodian cuisines - one of my favourite restaurant. At Indochine, you will also be able to order Phnom Penh's infamous dishes such as the fried chicken wing, luc lac, and butter beef.... Well, because Indochine is a fushion restaurant that is catered more towards hip young guests, the dish is better presented, smaller portioned and at a higher price point.
I do have to say that the chicken wing is definitely better at Phnom Penh.

Tasting Journey #28 - Lam Hoa Quan

Lam Hoa Quan
5703 Victoria Drive
604.326.5880
website


I've always been a fan of PHO. I can eat pho everyday, every meal. I enjoy it alot because it is light (perfect for people who are on diet), and healthy (a well-balanced portion with carbs, meat and vegetable).

Whenever I try ethnic food, my conclusion have always been that Vancouver's is still the best.  I think this is a biased opinion because I am, at the end of the day, a Vancouverite, and no doubtedly have grown used to the Vancouverized flavouring, and hence, a preference for ethnic food in Vancouver. This is true for Japanese, for Dim Sum, for Korean...etc.  Pho, is an exception. Regardless of how wonderfully tasting the Pho is in Vancouver, I have to say, the best pho I've ever tried is indeed in Vietnam, recommended by a friend who was, at that time, an expat there.  The funny thing is, Pho is very regional; there's pho from Northern Vietnam, that is made of something sour or tomato-based (I forgot), and then there's the very common pho that I believe is from the southern region of Vietnam.  I prefer the version from the south because it is the most similar to what is offered here in Vancouver.

Lam Hoa Quan is a pho place highly recommended by my co-worker.  According to her, this place is where the real Vietnamese go (OK, so I guess it's like the Richmond of Vietnam where "real Asians" go).  Like all other pho places located on Kingsway, this place looks like any other pho place: minimal decoration, white wall, white floor, square table, tv in the corner, and an old 70's style cashier counter.  Like all other pho menu, there's the special pho, rare beef, cooked beef...etc. I don't see what's so special.

In terms of crowds, I do have to say that it does seem to be busy. Not packed, but there was a constant stream of customers, with a consistent fill rate of 65%, which I would consider good on a Wed night, in the midst of all these other pho restaurants.

I ordered the #1 (special pho).  The food arrived quickly.  Service was friendly. I took a sip at the soup. Nothing mind blowing. The portion was huge, and I was stuffed (if I were to compare this to ramen, this would be the Kintaro size).  They also had lots of other interesting toppings (not sure what they are..probably some sort of tripe, or tendon or what have you's...).  Aside from the quantitative side of the dish, I would say that typically, the deciding factor for a good pho is probably the broth.  Lam Hoa Quan adds ginger to the soup base.  OK I guess, if you're a fan of ginger (unfortunately I wasn't).  The broth is also not as "sweet tasting" as the broth, however, I believe that it is because no MSG was used in the creation of the broth.  Though less "sweet", I would say that the broth is made of true ingredients.  For something that is made fresh, it is probably quite good in quality.

Huge, and satisfying dish for $8? Totally worth it.

Tasting Journey #9 - Ap Gu Jung

Ap Gu Jung
1642 RobsonSt.
Vancouver, BC
604-681-8252
www.apgujungrestaurant.ca


Restaurant recommended by food addict - Carol,  Ap Gu Jung offered western-style setting but Korean-style cuisine. 

Seeing that the restaurant is packed with people by 6pm, the restaurant, it has got to be authentic.  Unlike most of the other Korean restaurants I've tried, Ap Gu Jung offered 6+ pages of selections to choose from.  Since it was Zofia's first time trying Korean, we had to order some of what I think represents Korean dishes: Kimchi Rice Cake, and Seafood Pancake.  To be safe, we also ordered chicken on skewers.  Of course, there's also the complimentary and unlimited side dishes that is like an added bonus to the meal.

The portions at Ap Gu Jung were all quite large.  Unlike my all-time-favourite Korean restaurant, Jang Mo Jib, I find that Ap Gu Jung's dishes were much more intense in flavouring.  Could be a good or bad thing, I feel.  The dishes were all served in generous portions of thick sauce.  According to my cousin, real authentic Korean dishes ARE supposed to be like this;  Chicken skewers splattered with BBQ sauce; Rice cake fully immersed in extreme spiciness and sweetness.  I very well enjoyed the first bite of every dish, as it always burst rich taste and texture.  However, as we worked our way through the dishes, I quickly get "sauced-out" by the added flavouring.  To me, these dishes are not "team players" - they do well alone, but when combined, not so great.  For example, a great choir is a team consisting of singers that well-compliments each other.  When every sound is at its loudest, it then becomes noise, and not harmony.  Maybe this is just a Vancourite depiction Korean food.  Maybe an excellent Korean meal actually consists of all bold dishes.  Maybe this is why the 20+ year old Jang Mo Jib is so popular amongst the locals.  Maybe.

Tasting Journey #5 - Mandala IKI Asian Bistro

Mandala IKI Asian Bistro - 曼陀羅
2394 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, B.C. V6K 1P1
Tel / Fax: (604) 734-3715
Cuisine: Chinese Food, Japanese Sushi
http://www.brownricesushi.com/mandala/index.html


A little info on the word Mandala first....
Mandala - a Sanskrit word that means "circle" often seen in Buddhist & Hindu religion.
曼陀羅 (also the name of the restaurant) - is a type of flower also known as devil's trumpet, devil's weed, thorn apple or Datura stramonium. The entire plant is poisonous, and may be fatal of ingested.

Alexis had recommended that we go for sushi at Mandala's for our next Tasting Journey.  When she first mentioned the place, my first thought was that it did not sound very "Japanese".  This is not to say that it won't be good, but that it could be a contemporary fusion restaurant that offered awesome Japanese food.  The restaurant is located on W. 4th, amongst many other interesting independent restaurants.  I had passed by it many times on my way to work, and had always thought it served south-east asian cuisine given the name was very "buddhist/hindu".

If you were to ask me what type of restaurant this is, I wouldn't know what to say - The atmosphere was zen: bamboo deco's, a buddha statue and some black/white characters on the wall.  Yet at the same time, it had red leather couches, the ones that you would typically find in a western family diner.  In terms of menu selection, Mandala served a wide range of cuisines - from Chinese stir-fry's to sushi bento boxes to Malaysian laksa to Vietnamese pho.  Nothing that showed this is an authentic Japanese restaurant.  I guess if you feel like a bit of everything, this would be the perfect place, but if you don't know what you want, then you could be lost with the wide selections they offer.   

I should've asked Alexis for her recommendations on choices since I am assuming that she is probably a frequent at Mandala's (Alexis could not join as she was under the weather that day :(...)  However, given that she had suggested that we come here for sushi, I decided to stick with Japanese food.

I had the spicy tuna, the agedashi tofu, and the dynamite roll - nothing too adventurous today.  Spicy tuna was extremely spicy.  The tuna were so fully encapsulated in thick coats of chili sauce that I think I probably had lips like Angelina Jolie's afterward haha...As for the tofu, I liked how it remained crunchy despite sitting in the sauce, probably due to the thick fried shell of the tofu (I had to take my time with the spicy tuna).  However, though crispy, the shell was a bit too thick for my liking.   I felt that I was eating a lot of fried batter, and not tofu.  Thick batter or soggy tofu? It's that fine balance that determines a well-made agedashi tofu dish. Dynamite roll was an interesting try...I had ordered brown rice instead of the typical white.  It was my first time trying sushi with brown rice.  I thought I'd go healthy, but like anything healthy, you end up compromising taste, hahat.  This just again validates my theory that unhealthy food typically tend to taste better ^^.   Sushi with brown rice do not as "sticky" nor "sweet".  It did not "melt in your mouth" - my definition of a good sushi.   Claire's vegetarian bento box looked like just like any other bento box you would get anywhere, and as for Zofia's laksa, not a fan of coconut sauce.

From my review above, it sounds like the place isn't very attractive.  However, of the 2 hours at Mandala, I did notice that there is still a constant in-stream of guests (of which, all are none asians...hm....)  The restaurant did serve as a good central location in Kitsilano for talking and hanging out.   So would I come here for sushi? No, but maybe I'll try their pho next time.