Hops (NEW WESTMINSTER)

Well, it's been a long time since I've written about food. Between working on set almost full time, sometimes 8 days a week and prepping for a short film I did in January, writing about food has fallen on the wayside. This is a restart for my newest hobby, let's keep on cracking.

I was in New Westminster last Thursday scouting a location for an action packed web-series I'd like to shoot. While wandering around I noticed Hops (http://www.tagpubs.com/hops/) had just opened up right beside the New Westminster skytrain station, replacing an old dingy bar that previously attracted the less scrupulous of citizens. Hops is owned by the Arbuthnot Group, also owning Drink lounge in New Westminster and The Landing in Ladner. Offering free Wi-Fi and a great selection of beers on Tap, they are in a great spot to grab people coming and going from the movie theatres and Skytrain station. Warned of slightly high prices but decent food by my brother, I decided to check it out for a quick bite and a small photo op.

The menu has some very unique choices on it such as The Mudd Honey ($13.99) - fresh roasted turkey, Applewood smoked bacon and roast beef drizzled with Rickards Red BBQ sauce and horse radish mayo, highly recommended by my brother. I decided to stick with the Damm Hott burger ($12.99), I love spicy food.

A Jalapeno infused patty, jalapeno jack cheese, chipotle mayo, and deep fried banana peppers with lettuce and tomato, I couldn't resist it. I couldn't spring the $3 extra for Yam Fries though, that's a a tad high price to simply swap out a veggie. My brother wasn't wrong about the prices.

The presentation is relatively simple, but I like the fry basket, it definitely upsells the standard shoe-string french fries that come with the meal. Seasoned nicely with salt and a bit of pepper, they did what fries do best - make your thirsty and fill a void in the stomach. 

The burger was different story

 The patty definitely wasn't as large and meaty as most bars making their own burgers are, and it was cooked slightly unevenly, but it was perfectly proportioned to the toppings inside and was seasoned well.  Often there's so much meat in hand-made burgers that it overpowers everything, and with a poorly seasoned burger it can ruin a good meal. Not so here. The burger had a decent amount of melted Jack Cheese on it making my mouth water before I bit into it. The Chipotle mayo added some nice flavours to it, but it could've used just a bit more of .

I used to order items with banana peppers all the time, but the juices tend to overpower everything, sometimes that acidic zing isn't worth the bit of spice you get from them. However here they were deep fried, crispy, and dry, making them a fantastic addition to this burger and offsetting the Chipotle mayo quite nicely. 

The bun appeared to be quite fresh and not too heavy, really allowing the burger's flavours to come through in each bite.

Overall, I really enjoyed the meal. The burger was fulfilling, balanced nicely, and went great with a pint of beer. I look forward to going back here and trying other items on the menu.

3/5

Burnaby Palace (BOUNDARY RD)

Having been introduced to Burnaby Palace Restaurant earlier this year, it was my pleasure to return there for a proper Chinese meal. Tucked away on Boundary road a few blocks south of Grandview, I'd driven by it many times and never noticed it was there. My colleagues agreed that getting a couple dishes and splitting them was the way to go. I wouldn't have it any other way.

You can tell a lot about a Chinese restaurant from it's fried rice. This Chicken Fried Rice ($8) brought me back to China.

More than just soy sauce and rice, the wok had cooked all the flavour of the green onion and chicken into the rice with just the right amount of seasoning. While rice itself is heavy, the flavours of this dish made it light - anyone can eat it and enjoy it's almost Western-cuisine simpleness. No crazy sauces here.


The second dish was Ginger Beef ($11). I don't recall ever eating this in China, but this was the best dish there and I'm incredibly happy to have stumbled upon it.

The beef had a crisp but chewy texture on the outside, the result of the sweetness in the sauce caramelizing as it fried in the wok. The ginger in the dish was spot on, breaking through the sweetness but not overpowering the flavour of the beef. Even a non-ginger fan could eat this and enjoy it. A few more peppers would've added a bit more colour and contrast to the dish. Will gladly order again.



Last but not least, one of my favourite Chinese dishes - Twice Cooked Pork. It's pork belly that is first boiled with ginger and salt, then thinly sliced and fried up, hence the name. In Chengdu, this dish arrived with a lot of thinly sliced green peppers and leeks, heavy on the garlic. It seems like cabbage is the vegetable of choice for filler in Canada, and it's not quite the same.

Ordinarily cooked with bean paste, a bit of soy, and rice wine thrown in to start, the flavour of the sauce wasn't particularly mind-blowing in this case. I enjoyed it, but there wasn't enough garlic to bring it up to my authentic experiences in China. The pork was also cut larger and thicker than usual, sometimes requiring two bites to fit a piece into your mouth. In it's defense, the meat was tender and juicy, complimented by the decent but not amazing sauce. It is one of the better Twice/Double-Cooked pork I've had over here, but still not exactly what I'm looking for.

Overall, I really enjoy eating here, and will be going back to try some dishes outside my friend's comfort zones. The prices are good for the quality, the service was friendly and attentive, and the food arrives at a decent speed. Looking forward to eating here again.

The Reef (MAIN ST)

Last year while working on a feature film in the area, I had the pleasure of eating at The Reef on Main St.


Having lived in Trinidad for a year, I'm very fond of Roti and Jerk meat items. The Reef is a small taste of the 6 months I spent living in Trinidad at the age of 17. Sitting down is almost like going back there, serving a large variety of dishes ranging from Jerked Chicken Quesadillas to standard Curry dishes. All jerk and hot sauces are handmade here as well, both of which are an excellent addition to any meal created here. Ginger Beer (non-alcoholic) is essentially mandatory for every meal, GET ONE.


Wanting to try something new from the culture I missed so dearly, I went for the Ackee Saltfish ($15). Essentially a combination of fish, ackee fruit, and tomatoes all mixed together, it's kinda like scrambled eggs, minus the eggs. Ackee fruit is known for having the taste of look of eggs.

Thank God that the flavours were so good. Having never tried it before, the ackee fruit tended to have quite a mild flavour. The texture in the mouth is a little bit closer to a Papaya than eggs, and the "egg flavour" is sweet and really not that strong. It's something I will be picking up next time I see it at a market to sample it's raw flavours.

Not being a common fish, the Saltfish gets sent over from the East coast. Every bite of this dish allowed the flavour of the Saltfish to come through in it, even if the fish wasn't prominent on the fork. A couple larger chunks allowed me to really examine the fish, and while it's not market fresh the fish had good flavour and worked very well in the dish.

Served on the side were beans with rice, pretty plain but standard Caribbean fare, acting more as filler than anything else. The coleslaw was citrus based, light and with the right amount of seasoning.

Last, but definitely not least is the Johnny cake, sitting on top of the mound like the king of the hill. A basket of these come to every table when you sit down. Essentially a deep-fried dumpling, these things are warm and chewy, just like a good dumpling should be. These are so good you could eat them plain, but a little butter on top makes them even better.

Heading back to The Reef after being away for a year was great. I enjoyed it so much I went back the next day. If your on Main Street, be sure to check this place out. Their menu runs along the lines of Caribbean pub food, but it's tasty and simple, there's something for everyone.  They also have some decent drink specials and even a brunch on the weekends.

3.5/5

Raglan's Bistro (LOWER LONSDALE)

Raglan's in Lower Lonsdale is a Tiki bar that serves large bowls of intoxicating tropical beverages. Being here for lunch, I held myself back and opted for food instead. The "bistro" has a wicked surfer/reggae vibe, and is apparently named after a famous surfspot in New Zealand. I decided to go for something a bit more expensive than my usual lunch fare, and therefore a bit more unique.

The Hawaiian Tuna burger ($15)  is a seared slab of tuna with a Chipotle mayo and a slice of pineapple on it. At $15 (most expensive "burger" there), I was expecting to be blown away. Well, the Chipotle mayo was delicious (great with their yam fries) and added a nice element to the burger. The sweet fresh pineapple really made my tastebuds tingle and offset the burger beautifully. Sadly, the Tuna wasn't seared, it was definitely cooked through. It was either overcooked or freezer burnt, having that stringier texture but not chewy, so I'm betting on the former. The tuna still tasted good, just not full of as much flavour as everything else on the burger, being overpowered by the pineapple.

The French Fries were hand-cut and covered in salt. They were a little soft to my liking, but tasted fine and the size was decent. The couple bites of fresh coleslaw in the corner was better than the fries. Crisp and with a bit of tang, I wish there was a much larger portion and less fries.

I enjoy Raglans. The large tropical punch bowls are always a winner with friends and the food is normally quite good. The atmosphere is awesome here. They often show surf videos on the TV screens around the joint, the music is always relaxed and summery, and the bright colourful decor on the walls of mixed surfer paraphanelia and random traveller bits-n-bobs really adds to what makes this place a great place to be. I've had their incredibly large AND delicious pulled pork poutine before, and the burritos are also a great place to start. While the prices are higher than most bars, it's definitely a good place to check out at least once with friends.

Sherman has a great review of Raglans!

3.5/5

Five Guys Burgers and Fries (WEST VANCOUVER)

I had the unexpected pleasure of dropping in to Five Guys with Fries at Park Royal in North Vancouver. This wasn't a planned trip, photos are simple iPhone snaps, but were here for the food anyway. If you don't know Five Guys with Fries, it's a very successful chain much like In-N-Out, simply good burgers, minimal side options and only fountain drinks.

First off, $7.99 gets you a 2-patty burger, with all toppings of your choice FREE, including fried onions or mushrooms.


Fresh Onions
Lettuce
Pickles
Tomatoes 
Grilled Onions
Grilled Mushrooms
Ketchup
Mayo 

Relish

Jalapeno Peppers

Green Peppers 

A.1.^® Steak Sauce

Mustard

Bar-B-Q Sauce
Hot Sauce

Every burger is custom built for you, with exactly what you want on it. We ordered the Cajun fries with it as well, and any drink is unlimited refills.

Well, after a short wait, our number was called. When you order fries, they fill your cup up inside your bag by dumping a huge shovelful in, there is always more fries than your cup can handle so you have this hot burger buries in yummy fries. It's another little thing they do here that makes your remember it, kind of like the cups of peanuts they have for you to munch on while you wait. Other locations let you throw your shells on the floor, but not this one.

The Cajun fries had a very nice spice on them, and the freshness of the hand-cut potatoes made them well worth eating. A large order is more than enough for two people to eat.

The burger. Well, needless to say my photos don't do this puppy justice. I was shaking so hard from the delicious, perfectly seasoned double patty that I could barely hold the camera still. I wanted another bite. 

All the ingredients I ordered were on the burger and balanced with each other perfectly, they portioned the toppings well. The hamburger buns were smaller, like ones you'd use at a backyard BBQ, but that added to the charm of the burger. Buns are just there to hold the good stuff together, too many places use big bloated buns, these are perfect.  

For the price your paying, your getting a pretty damn good meal. It was over $30 for one large fries order, 2 normal drink, and 2 double-patty burgers. There's a reason this chain has grown so large down south, and it's due to it's incredibly good burger quality. Nothing fancy here, no pineapple slices or teriyaki chicken, just SOLID burgers.

4/5

The Black Bear Pub (LYNN VALLEY)

This was my first time having a proper meal at The Bear. I ordered the Jerk ChickenBurder ($11.99) with fries.

Personally, I love Jerk Chicken. I lived in the Caribbean for 6 months when I was younger and never really discovered this Jamaican classic. Well, now everytime I go to the Canadian Superstore, I buy the Jerk Chicken marinade and use it on everything, including cereal. 

Well, sadly, the burger had potential but lost it in execution.

SORRY FOR HANDHELD FOOTAGE, NEW SLIDER BEING BUILT

The jerk flavouring came through on the burger, but very very mildly, the flavour wasn't tongue sizzling. The burger was drier than it should've been, and obviously could've been marinaded longer or cooked slower in the marinade. Regardless I enjoyed it and they had just the right amount of veggies on the burger to go along with the chicken. 

The French Fries were real French Fries, cut in restaurant and slightly seasoned. They were basic ordinairy French fries, it would've been nice to take them a step further but at least they weren't a Costco bag of cuts. 

Needless to say, it filled me, I was full. Too bad the slab of chicken was too dry and not flavourful enough. I won't be heading back here soon for work, but I will have to check out their mussels and tuna entries at some point, they both have a very good reputation.  For a decent burger, check out the $16 Lamb Burger from the Village Taphouse, soooooo good. 

2.5/5

LEGATO TEA AND COFFEE (Kerrisdale)

For lunch yesterday, we stopped at a coffee shop in Kerrisdale, only because Dairy Queen didn't have burgers, shoot me. For $10.45 I got a salad and a sandwich, which is a pretty hefty price tag, considering most bars do a soup/salad and sandwich for $7-$9 as a lunch special. Well, the salad rolled around, and me and my co-worker were both impressed.

There was just the right mix of walnuts, feta, and deliciously fresh blackberries and strawberries that I could've eaten a large bowl of this salad and been satisfied. The greens were fresh, everything went perfectly bite after bite. The salad came with little jars of balsamic vinegar, and olive oil, so you could add the two for a perfect taste as you saw fit. I don't order salads too often, this made me realize what I was missing. Mind you it's a coffee shop, the salad wasn't huge, but a good starter to a sandwich.

Then the sandwich arrived. Smoked salmon with avocado. I love smoked salmon, and was kind of dissapointed to see how little there was on the sandwich. It pulled through in some bites but never strongly, a little bit more would've really enhanced the sandwich. The bread was store bought, nothing too exciting. Still, the sandwich was good, albeit nothing extra-ordinary. I will definitely try their smoke salmon wrap next time, which include avocado, but capers as well.

That little sliver of melon was a nice touch to the meal. I have to say the staff were extremely friendly, the food was fast, I just wish it wasn't quite so much for a standard sandwich, and an excellently simple salad. Check it out if your in the area, apparently their soups are quite excellent.

2.5/5