Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Dinner at the Mac shack 26 feb, 2012

From left to right - The Brooklyn (Ultimate), The Royale (Regular). and The Lobster (Regular)

The Mac Shack has been on my radar for as long as it's been opened.  But I never got around to it because 1) we rarely visit the area and 2) the rating of the place just kept on dropping that I just couldn't justify to drive all the way to kerrisdale for some... over-hyped Mac'n cheese! Come on, carb slathered with ooey-gooey cheesy goodness - you tell me how that can go wrong?

That's why when I first saw the $21 for dinner for 4 (value of $43)groupon deal for Mac Shack, I was reluctant in purchasing it because, well, I wanted to try the lobster Mac'n Cheese and the two of us won't be needing 4 cans of drinks... So when I found out that I could just apply the entire value of the groupon towards the Mac'n cheese of my choice (instead of a salad and 4 drinks) - I bought it right away!

Mac'n Cheese here I come <3 !!!
Pint of Granville island honey lager - my favourate beer atm!!!
When we arrived around 6, the place was quite busy with maybe 1 or 2 tables of families with younger children - mostly are the younger college students crowd and the ambiance was quite lively.

The line up went a little slow mainly because (I suspect) there were quite a number of groupon users hence there were many questions to be answered at the cashier, who, by the way, was very friendly.  As a first time visitor, I didn't mind because that gave me more time to make up my mind :)  "we" ( more like, "I"... haha anyway) chose 3 kinds of Mac and Cheese: The Brooklyn, The Royale, and The Lobster!

The Lobster Mac'n cheese - $15 for regular - Asiago & Canadian Cheddar, authentic Lobster meat, oyster mushrooms, lemon, dill and truffle oil in a cream sauce - 3.5/5
 My highly anticipated Lobster Mac'n Cheese arrived first together with The Royale!   It was a bit disappointing seeing that the oyster mushrooms were replaced by the button mushrooms but I was pleasantly surprised by the ample amount of lobster meat used in this dish!  I also really enjoyed the earthy, nutty, and almost creamy aroma from the truffle oil.  Although they didn't "over-dose" it with the truffle oil (you'd be surprised how many restaurants do that!!) - the delicate asiago cheese did not come through at all, as with the dill. However, I did pick up the more pungent chedder cheese and the tartness of the lemon really helped in cutting through all the richness provided by the cream sauce and truffle oil.

over all, I liked this dish but am not very sure if I will pay $15 for a regular size - it is a mac'n cheese after all - regardless if you "truffle-nise" or "foie-gras-nise" or "caviar-ise" it (yes I made up all the words)

The Royale - Regular $11 - Bacon, bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, chicken, chorizo and shrimp with Mozzarella and Gruyere cheese in a rose sauce- 2.5/5

The menu description surely looked promising with various ingredients however, the Royale was actually my least favourite of the 3 tonight.  Not only the rose sauce lacked any tomato flavour at all, I could barely detect any supposedly pungent Gruyere cheese either.  Now that I am reviewing my photo, I am thinking they might have mistakenly used cheddar in place of gruyere... Looking back at their menu description, I am just realizing that there wasn't supposed to be any cheddar cheese in this dish... hmmmm... :$

The Brooklyn - $17 Ultimate - Naramata Blue Cheese and AAA Sirloin Steak, caramelized onions, mushrooms in an aged balsamic reduction and rose sauce - 4/5
Last to arrive was my favourite dish of the night (only slightly more than the lobster mac and price was a major factor in it) - The Brooklyn!!
At $17, the ultimate size Brooklyn was massive!! At this price point, I didn't expect much with the steak so you can probably imagine my joy (little spark of tear...uhhh) when I found plenty of tender steak pieces in my order!  As with the sauce, I suspect the rose sauce is still mild and bland (just like it in the royale) but the balsamic reduction here added the tang that almost mimics the tomatoes and the caramelized onions really added another layer of sweetness to the sauce.  Everything then was hold together by the ooey "rose"/cream sauce.  However, I'd like to see the naramata blue cheese to be incorporated into the "rose" sauce rather than just sprinkled on top then melted.  Just like all blue cheeses (only a bit milder than gorgonzola but honestly, not too different) - namarata blue cheese is fairly pungent.  Because they are unevenly distributed on the top, when you hit a large area containing mostly naramata blue cheese it is as if you hit a bomb (kind of like hitting a cardamom in an indian curry dish or a Chinese peppercorn in a Szechuan dish... get it?) - all you can taste is the blue cheese.  But when you do get to the bottom or places where the blue cheese is scarce you then begin to miss that little kick.  Incorporating the blue cheese into the sauce will improve uniformity of the entire dish hence making it more enjoyable.

Over all, I enjoyed my meal at The Mac Shack.  Not sure if it is the groupon effect, but I wouldn't mind coming back here.  I would dine here if I were to be in the area - but perhaps take out next time :)

Over all verdict:

Food - 3/5
Service - 3/5
Ambiance - N/A - quite lively, but a fast food joint (kind of like fat burger) decor 

The Mac Shack on Urbanspoon

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Lunch buffet at Maurya (no pictures, sorry)

I was here several years ago for their regular dinner menu - it was not very memorable to me as Toronto had plethora of authentic Indian food and my taste buds were surely quite spoiled back then.

Now that I am back to Vancouver, finding good tasting Indian restaurant in the metro Vancouver area seems almost impossible. I haven't had courage to venture out into surrey but I am not sure if I will ever make it out there just for Indian food.... Okay.. Maybe if I become desperate enough or if little India on queen street (my fav indian restaurant in toronto) decides to open a location in surrey... Anyway.
In search of a good Indian food lunch buffet, Jordan and I have came across several disastrous ones. We have tried new India on w broadway (which was simply horrible), saffron on kingsway (bland, not memorable, low quality of ingredients), samosa garden on kingsway (food quality fluctuates too much, low quality ingredients) - despite good services at all restaurants, the quality and flavour just wasn't there. Just as we have given up on metro vancouver's Indian buffet lunch, one day, Jordan's brother in-law told us about maurya's lunch buffet. I have always known that Maurya is one of the highest rating Indian restaurant in Vancouver, but I didn't know that they served lunch buffet. So on a sunny afternoon, we went to try out their lunch buffet.

At $13.99 pp, it is priced a bit higher than most of the Indian lunch buffets (which usually range from 8.99 to 10.99). The buffet menu was rather small (just like the rest of the indian buffets) with some salads, curries, and 2 simple desserts.

I started my meal with their salads. Both Jordan and I enjoyed their caesar salad quite a bit as the dressing was really flavorful. I highly doubt they make them in house but I'd love to know where they buy their dressing from! But I just thought it was a bad idea incorporating crotons into the Caesar salad because the dressing and the moisture of the romain lettuce really made the crotons soggy. Maybe setting the crotons on the side next time?

Among all the main dishes (curries, meat dishes... Etc) my fav was definitely the tandoori chicken and lamb quorma. The tandoori chicken was flavorful and juicy (which isn't the case for most tandoori chickens) and I loved how the lamb chunks in lamb quorma was fork tender. Although I could care less for their butter chicken as the sauce was predominantly creamy with very little in terms of other flavours but the chicken chunks were incredibly juicy; I thought that was worth noting because the chicken tends to get dry. I suspect they cooked their chicken and sauce separately and tossed them together after.

Their naan bread had butter incorporated and I would have to admit that it was not authentic but, hey, those little things tasted do damn good!!! The creamy buttery Flavour of the naan bread was just amazing :)

For dessert, I really liked their mango mouse. Although it was nothing to write home about, it was still quite decent and I'd still go back to Maurya for the menu items mentioned above.

In conclusion, I'd be back for their lunch buffet for sure. The quality of the food was just exceptional and despite a "slow" lunch time traffic their food still tasted great.


Maurya Indian Cuisine on Urbanspoon

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Fat burger - big fat meal with milk shakes

I recently purchased a groupon from fat burger. Since I have never been to fat burger, I thought I should pay them a visit.

Upon entering the restaurant, it had a bit of the 60s dive feeling to the place. The menu was quite simple and by looking at the way they make their burgers, it reminded me of the hero burger from Toronto.

It didn't take us too long to decide on what we wanted - we both opted for the big fat meal which consists of a double bacon cheese burger, a refillable drink and a fries or salad.. For $9.99 before tax and tips, it is a premium price for what is considered to be a diner's burger or semi fast food.
We changed our drinks to milkshakes and changed one of our fries to onion rings. I also added mushrooms and egg to my burger. Our bill came to be $32 after tax. Now that is actually quite expensive when you think about it.

The big fat meal with double bacon burger and cheese - this one is with fried egg and sauteed mushrooms as well

Now the burger:
It's hard to tell from my photos but mine (double bacon cheese burger + sautéed mushrooms and fried egg) was huge! It was so big that I was not able to grasp everything in one bite so I had to take several smaller bites to get all the components of the burger together in one huge bite. No doubt everything tasted really fresh, I especially enjoyed the fresh crunch from the lettuce and juicy tomato slice. However, the burger patties were quite dry. When eaten together with every component in the burger, the dryness of the patties seem to be masked by the sauce and juice from the tomato slice (and for my burger, also from the sauteed mushrooms). But when there isn't enough juice, the patty is so dry that I actually had a difficult time swallowing it. I believe it is due to constant pressing of the patty during the cooking process that caused the patties to lose their moisture.

Both the fries and onion rings were quite standard. The onion rings were not too greasy (unlike many chain restaurant) and it was easy to eat. I also thought their milkshake to be quite good as it was creamy yet not too rich to make you want to vomit after such an artery clogging meal.

All in all I liked my meal here but I am not quite sure if I would visit again without another groupon deal. I do find it to be a little too expensive for a diner's meal and there are just way too many other options out there for me to come back to this establishment. (I'd probably go to red robin's instead)

Food - 2.5/5
Service - 4/5 (the girl at the cashier was really helpful; and they bring your food to the table without forcing a tip from you)
Ambiance - n/a - its a diner...





Fatburger (Burnaby) on Urbanspoon

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Lunch @ the sandbar - 2012 dine out

It was such a gorgeous day today!
I have planned this dine out lunch since two weeks ago, so glad that the weather turned out to be this nice.
Upon arrival, we were introduced to our seat on the patio. 
Nice little touch with the blanket :) it was indeed needed as it got quite cold after we settled down. 

 
Granville island honey lager $6/glass - one of my favourate beer: Smooth with a hint of honey, very pleasant after taste too

complementary bread - soft and warm.  I just don't understand why some restaurants serve their complementary breads cold; even at some finer establishments.  My best experience was at the bishop's.  Too bad I don't have any photos of it :S The baked in house breads at the bishop's were just so crusty and chewy and fluffy and oh so yummy. 

They were severely understaffed today.  
I guess they didn't expect their lunch to be this busy as the weather haven't been the greatest for the past few weeks.  (well, it is Vancouver, WINTER, after all) 
We waited for quite a while before our waiter arrived at our table asking for what we need; then waited for another while before our drinks and bread.  Then the wait between courses... It took us more than 1.5 hours to finish our lunch.
Tuscan flat bread $8 - it was somewhere between not bad to good, just a personal preference I guess.  Personally I think it was a "not bad" for me.  (fyi Jordan thought it was tasty)
Caramelized onion with goat feta cheese and some fresh parsley - it tasted exactly as how it should have except for a slightly lack of peppery flavour.  I guess I could have added more pepper myself.  
An interesting thing about this flat bread is that its dough is sweet!  I actually liked the sweet dough because it added some sweetness to the otherwise bland caramelized onion.  Their sister restaurant The Teahouse at Stanley park makes really good smoked salmon flat bread. (must try!!)  Anyway, at $8, this is a decently portioned tapas dish.

Dine out 2012 menu appetizer - lemongrass braised short ribs 
This was really good.  The short rib was braised fork tender, although there were some stringy parts but I really can't ask for more at the price of this dine out lunch ($18) and the portion size.  I could detect a lot of the lemongrass aroma and a little tartness + sweetness from possibly use of the port wine and molasses or golden sugar.  I thought the scallion relish was a nice touch as it helped to cut through the greasiness of the meat but the crushed 5 spiced peanuts, well, it was a bit stale and possibly got staler from sitting on a steaming piece of meat for too long.
But again, over all, this dish was really really good.  

 Hoshi's California roll - made with real dungeness crab meat
to be very honest with you, imitation crab meat does its job just as well as real crab meat here.  
Okay, that is not entirely true.  This one did taste smoother and sweeter, and the texture was a lot more delicate than imitation crab meat.  But seriously, after all the creamy mayo coating, avocado, cucumber, sushi rice and tobiko (+ soy sauce and wasabi) - the difference was just really minimal.
I'd be happy with my $3.50 California roll from sushi house :P

4 oz chateau rib steak and tiger prawn - it wasn't terrible - due to the freshness of the tiger prawn and creamed peppercorn marmalade.  But both of our steaks were over done.  Jordan asked for rare but instead he got a medium rare and of course, my medium rare was barely a medium.  
However, we both enjoyed our steaks because of the life saving creamed peppercorn marmalade (I added more freshly grounded pepper on mine so mine had a bit more kick)  The sauce was really flavourful and the cream really added another layer of smoothness and richness that butter could not have achieved.  I thought adding cream was a brilliant idea because it adds depth to the sauce yet it does not take away anything from the meat (unlike some sauces that use cheeses as part of their sauce - I have nothing against them, if the flavour of the meat comes through or if the flavour of the cheese isn't as strong)

Excuse my messy picture here as I already polished up my broccolini and tomato at this point of our meal - the food just came out too slowly and I was starving!! I had to take a picture of jordan's plate...

Dessert - Apple strudel

 
Dessert 2 - pumpkin cake
I only had a very tiny bite of the pumpkin cake so I am not exactly sure how it was and according to Jordan, it tasted very good.  I found the pumpkin cake to be slightly on the dryer side and it was quite hard (I am not sure if it was because of the cold weather?) it was difficult to eat with a spoon.  It tasted almost like a pumpkin pie with icing. 
My apple strudel was not bad; although I did find the apple filling to be a bit bland.  It wasn't overly sweet but I find it lacking tartness too.  I ate my strudel using the ice cream as a sauce and it was perfect for me.  

Over all, the meal was really satisfying and I believe it is a great value at $18 per person.  Both Jordan and I agreed that it was a better meal than our dinner at Coast


Food - 3.5/5
Service - 3/5 (may not be accurate as it was probably during an understaffed dine-out day)
ambiance - 4/5



The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant on Urbanspoon