nondual1

Ramen Sanpachi (ラーメンさんぱち), aka Ramen 38, has opened a franchise on Bute just off Robson, taking over the old Royal Thai location. Sanpachi originates from Sapporo and the ramen it serves seems to be quite true to the Sapporo style. Based on my first visit -- photos to follow -- I like it a lot and will likely consider it my favorite ramen shop in Vancouver. The miso ramen, supposedly Sanpachi's signature bowl, is all right. What really shined for me are the shio and yatai (屋台, or food stall) ramens: the former is rich, smooth and delicately seasoned, whereas the latter is simpler, more traditional and does bring back memories of slurping ramen at food stalls. All the noodles are cooked just right, although their "hang time" seems to be toward the shorter end -- so slurp quickly! But best of all is that the noodles do not have the off taste of soda, which is quite pervalent in other ramen shops that serve this type of noodles! The portion is reasonable for its price ($8.95 and up for a standard bowl, and I think $6.95 for small), which is on par with the price in Japan, but probably higher than the average for Vancouver. Sanpachi apparently is only "soft-open", for most of the items on the menu are still not available. But, among the side-offerings that are, the cha-shu rice and mayo (with cha-shu bits) nori rolls are quite interesting. Service is very friendly, fast and almost too personable (for a ramen-ya). One hopes that's not just because the corporate team (which apparently includes the president 中秀世 himself) from Japan is on site looking over their shoulders. All in all, one of my most satisfying ramen experiences in Vancouver. Although both are based in Hokkaido, the ramen at Sanpachi and Santouka are vastly different in style. I look forward to reading comments from tasters who have tried both. Ramen-hopping, any one? The God of Ramen must be smiling on me, for my dream of a Vancouver Ramen Yokocho (ラーメン横丁) is surely taking shape in the Robson/Denman area!

Does anyone know where to find Clotted Cream or Double Devonshire Cream in the Vancouver, BC area? The thing one spreads on scones? Any tips will be much appreciated!

Sprinker is what I heard.

Yeah! That's why I had thought too! Which is why I gave my three suggestions. For example, I would not go to Takumi for anything other than their sushi/sashimi. Conversely, while I am a big fan of Dan, Lime and a few others that have been named, they are really better in areas other than sushi/sashimi such that I don't consider them sushi-ya. And Zakkushi for sushi? I don't know... As for En, I am afraid it's past its prime. But it's nice to go there to pay respect to the old master.

Hey, no fair! I thought the list was for Vancouver only! Well, if we are allowed to venture out, then: 1. Hamaei in North Vancouver; 2. Maruwa in Richmond; and 3. Takumi in West Vancouver.

This is how positive feedback loops work -- the more people asking for and appreciating authentic dishes, the better the chef will strive for them. If more of us keep up our demand on CXG's authentic Sichuan food, I can see a lot of potential there. Sounds like I'll just have to give it a try next time I go in!

Having had, at Mon Bella Bistoria, one of the most sorry and un-inspired meals I ever have to pay for, I too wish him the best of luck.

And watch for the big blue sign of Golden Summit Fish Balls. CXG is right behind it.

To be honest, I like it too and I am sure many do it that way. But -- forgive me if I'm being too academic or anal-retentive -- it's 豆花麵 (Noodles in Tofu Sauce) that uses fried soybean. It's the interplay of the two soybean products (Oyako Don 親子丼, anyone?) both in terms of their texture and form that makes it interesting. Is it a cardinal sin to switch them around? No.

Not to discount your tastes and opinions, but my two-cents: A lot of the items on S&W's menu are not Sichuan. And I find that their "spiciness" is more fiery than numbing; the latter, as well as the complex inter-play of the four flavours (sweet, sour, bitter and spiciness) are the true hallmarks of Sichuan cuisine. The all-out peppery-fire at S&W somewhat makes its dishes a little too one-dimensional to me. Besides, Sichuan cuisine is known for its non-spicy dishes as much as its spicy ones; it's much easier to over-whelm the diners with spicy dishes than to subtly charm and seduce them with non-spicy ones, which a Sichuan chef must do to be worth his salt. As for Golden Spring, it might just be isolated incidents, but on more than one occasions, either myself or my friends did not feel well after dining there. I personally would not be going back, although I am sure others would have better luck.

With so many fellow connoisseurs singing its praises, I think it deserves its own thread, don't you think so? From various discussions with him, the chef/owner, a Chengdu native, appears to be very well-trained in Sichuan cuisine and definitely can deliver dishes that are not offered elsewhere. As fmed suggested, if you want and can handle authentic Sichuan flavours, be sure to make your request clear to the kitchen. Although I cannot say all its dishes are the best in the city, its standard is so consistently high and at such reasonable prices (mostly around $10, with very few topping the $20 mark), you cannot go wrong with Chuan Xiang Ge if you appreciate Sichuan cuisine. 1. 怪味雞 Chicken in "Fantastic" Sauce -- Spicy, appetising and addictive; one of the most well-done in the city.

Well, you know what you are going to make me do now... Go back to Santouka to try their shoyu ramen! Based on Kuwegg57's suggestion, I went back to Santouka to try their shoyu ramen. Although, as I mentioned in my previous post, Santouka really did not make its name by excelling in the shoyu broth, I was very pleasantly surprised. Whereas in most places, you definitely are tasting the soy in this broth, Santouka's shoyu broth is really more a tonkontsu (thick creamy pork broth) dotted or highlighted with shoyu. Going easy on the shoyu not only lessens the saltiness of the broth, it actually hones and purifies the underlying pork flavour. Santouka's shoyu broth is easily the best of its three broths and most likely one of the best of its kind in Vancouver.

When two fellow noodle connoisseurs recommend Tony's Beef Noodle 王哥牛肉麵, going there for a taste was a no-brainer for me. It's very accessible, with lots of street parking around the block, not to mention its being across from the Canada Line station. Despite the less-than-glamorous decor, the place is bright and clean. The service is prompt, warm and efficient. I can confirm DylanK's observations about the meats and the side-dishes/appetisers. As well, the beef wrapped in flat-bread (牛肉卷餅) is among one of the best I've had in Vancouver: excellent texture for both the flat-bread and the beef, not to mention the rich (but not overly salty) flavours. Whereas I didn't have the chance to try the spicy beef noodle, the very respectable wonton in spiced oil (紅油抄手) is a good indication that the noodle ought to be good too. Although the beef broth is a little bland when compared to Chef Hung's, in all other aspects Tony is way better than Chef Hung. And when you throw in the price comparison ($8 a bowl as opposed to $11), one would have to be an idiot to make the wrong choice. Some photos: An assortment of 5 appetisers: seaweed, ox stomach, pork intestine, pork ear, and cucumber. All excellent! Beef noodle (actually green bean thread) soup in big bowl Individual serving of the beef noodle; notice the perfectly-done meats Beef wrapped in flat-bread Wonton in spiced oil Next stop: The place on Oak and 67th!

Well, you know what you are going to make me do now... Go back to Santouka to try their shoyu ramen! Googling Ramen Aoba (ラーメン青葉) does show it specializes in shoyu ramen and that it, along with Hachi-ya (蜂屋), is the quintessential ramen-ya of Asahikawa (旭川). But it would also seem that Santouka breaks with the tradition a little by making a name in shio tonkotsu (とんこつ塩らーめん) instead. It's getting complicated...!

Santouka （山頭火)　Ramen Santouka is "soft-open" since Friday, February 26, 2010 with a limted menu; official grand opening is a week hence, on Friday, March 5. The limited menu includes most ramen; the sets, rice and snacks (including gyoza) will come later. This stylishly-appointed ramen shop features a long common table, several 4-tops and a bar facing the glass-enclosed kitchen. All seats thoughtfully include under-the-table space to tuck away bags and jacket. Sleek and clean -- a harbinger to everything about Santouka -- yet not over-crowding, the atmosphere is an appetising one. The staff is all Japanese delivering the expected energetic service. Prices tend to be on the high side ($8 to $13 for a bowl of ramen), more on par with Motomachi Shokudo than with the other ramen shops. It uses the style of noodles that is lower in egg content and alkaline water, similar to that Meny-ya uses rather than to, for example, Benkei's or Deli Nippon's. This style of noodle is not as springy as the other type and is harder to the bite. Santouka cooks its noodles al dente -- just about right. Since Hokkaido, where Santouka was born, is famous for its miso ramen, we gave it a try. Whereas the miso broth is definitely miso, it is not over-whelmingly so. It is not bland, but neither is it exploding with flavours. It is also a little surprising that it does not include corn, one of the pride produces of Hokkaido. The serving temperature tends to be on the low-end: still hot, but slurping is not de rigueur. An alternative to the more regular ramen is the toroniku ramen. "Toroniku" is the prized neck meat of the hog and Santouka braises it to the point where it literally melts in one's mouth. Of the 3 types of broth (shio, shoyu and miso), we had the shio ("salt") type, which is essentially milky pork-bone broth. It's thick without being oily and over-bearing. Very calming and soothing indeed. All in all, not bad -- however, at these prices, it'd better be! Interestingly, when I compare my pictures with the those taken at other Santouka locations, they look almost the same. Now that cars are "driving machines" and pens are "writing instruments", perhaps the style of Santouka Ramen can be said to be "precision-engineered slurping materials"?

Sweetness is emblematic of "Westernised" Thai food. Authentic Thai is more salty, tangy, spicy (as in more use of spices and fresh herbs), and -- where appropriate -- much much more firey hot. Some Thai dishes simply cannot be done in Vancouver due to a lack of ingredients; Other times they have been adapted to suit the market's taste. Although, truth be told, KCC Noodles is not entirely immune from that either, at least it offers something other than the tired, old -- and often overly-sweet -- Pad Thai, stir-fried beef and what not. With more patrons demanding so, one hopes it will make its noodles even closer to what one gets on Bangkok streets...

Visitors to Thailand often bring back fond memories of noodles from street vendors. These vendors are ubiquitous and their noodles the quintessential fast-food. Quite likely the first of its kind in Vancouver, KCC Thai Arroy Noodles Cafe, which has taken over the former Daruma's space on Denman and Robson, is serving just this kind of noodles. Open since the first of February, 2009, KCC is still trying to put together its menu, which has fewer than 20 items. While it also festures a few curries and rice dishes, noodles comprise at least half of the choices. As often is the case with the street vendors, the "toppings" are generally the same: minced pork, fish balls, sliced pork, sliced pork sausage, shrimp, and so on. Where one has more choices are with the broth and type of noodles. For the broth, one may choose between tom yum (spicy and sour, the degree of hotness may be specified), white broth and even no broth ("dry"). And there are up to 4 types of noodles to choose from: transparent, egg, thin rice and thick rice. All dishes are carefully-prepared and fresh. The tom yum, even at the least degree of hotness, is tangy and carries a bite. It obviously is not from some industrial-use paste but is home-made. Whereas the noodle in white broth has yet to be sampled, the rice in soup with prawns seems to indicate that non-spicy items are no less flavourful and fulfilling. In fact, whereas the tom yum broth should be best in the summer, nothing sends one on the way home better than the white broth. But the best is likely the brothless items, of which they are two at the moment. The herbs and condiments that are mixed into the noodle in lieu of a broth give it a subtle yet appetising twist. Of the two, the rice noodle option appears to be superior to the egg noodle one, as rice noodle carries the sauce a little better. Perhaps being too mindful of the "Western taste", the cook prepares the dishes slightly to the bland side, but apparently is more than willing to dial the spiciness level way up ("Thai taste") by request. So feel free to go for it. All dishes are under $10, with most at around $7. Located at 775 Denman Street, it is open everyday for lunch and dinner (till 10:00PM). A Vancouver Ramen Yokocho might be materialising at last, with an international twist to it even!

Quite unlike other Chinese restaurants, which often work their staff to death, Chen's Shanghai has always closed for about a month to give its workers their annual leave. That Olympics happen to be concurrent with the Chinese New Year may, however, be a factor behind their taking the annual leave at this time of the year. I started eating at Chen's since they were on No. 3 Road (at the location that would be taken up by Shanghai Wind) and still consider it one of the better Shanghai dim sum and noodle shops. However, the way they do the fried buns (生煎包) makes me scratch my head. I've never seen fried buns being fried on the top, where the seams are, and I find this to be a detriment rather than an improvement. The beauty of fried buns is in the contrast of a thin layer of caramelized crust and a thicker layer of fluffy dough. If the proportion is reversed, as Chen's way of doing tends to yield, one might as well be eating gyoza or fried dumplings (鍋貼). Has anyone had fried buns done this way aside at Chen's?

I gave Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodle a try last week. I beat the dinner crowd -- a fact for which I would be very grateful shortly. My dinner started out omeniously: they were out of two of the items I tried to order. Since dinner service had barely started, it was ridiculous for them to run out of 涼拌海茸 (sea weed appetizer) and 餃子 (boiled dumplings). Even if business was that good, these are both dishes that any competent cook can whip up in 20 minutes. The two appetizer dishes that were available, 涼拌豬耳 (pig's ear) and 涼拌小黃瓜 (pickled cucumber), were actually quite fantastic. Then the beef noodle soup arrived. Whereas the noodle itself was very good, al dente and full of energy, the soup was on the bland side. But the meats were disasters: the tendon was way over-cooked, yet the stomachs were unchewable, and the flank was flavourless. How dare they charge $11 for this bowl of amateurish noodle? The two remaining dishes I tried were unremarkable except for their failings. The 牛肉捲餅 (beef wrap) was way too salty and the 鹽酥雞飯 (fried chicken on rice) is so drenched in sauce that I might as well be eating a porridge. On my way out I passed by the open kitchen and a pile of their 餡餅 (fried meat pies) already fried up cooling there. A BIG no-no! Then I noticed the long line and thought to myself: "If I had to line up to be served such over-priced and mediocre dishes, I would really want to kick myself!" I have tried most of the other beef noodle places mentioned and would like to add my suggestion: Lai Leung Kee Delicatessen in the food court of the Empire Shopping Centre in Richmond. They don't use the expensive noodles (from Toko Noodles) like Chef Hung does, so it's a little weaker in that regard. However, the soup and the meat more than make up for it. The Sichuan style beef is especially good, easily put many Sichuan restaurants' offering to shame. Lai Leung Kee used to have a web-site, but it might have been discontinued. Urbanspoon has an entry, which might come in handy.

Only problem is that it's not licensed. Since we are talking about Izakaya ("居酒屋"), that is a BIG problem indeed!

I have a dream... I have a dream, that the Robson area is lined with ramen shops, blocks and blocks of them... I have a dream, that I go "ramen-hopping" on a winter evening, slurping down one bowl of steaming hot ramen after another... I have a dream, that from Sapporo to Tokyo, from Yokohama to Kyushu, from tonkutsu to shio, all styles and flavours of ramen are only steps away from each others... I have a dream, that the ラーメン横丁 ("ramen yokocho") is a Vancouver dining destination, to be visited by locals and tourists alike... I have a dream...! But, darn it, why isn't the Santouka (山頭火) shop opened yet??

Thank you for the information -- it's good news indeed! Technically speaking, Ajisen in Parker Place of Richmond is the first Japanese chain of ramen shops to land in Greater Vancouver; but we really mustn't hold it against ramen chains based on Ajisen's quality, as some chains are better than others. During my trip to Hokkaido, I tried four ramen places in the span of 6 days -- would have gone to five or six, but I was too tired. Santouka was not one of them, so I will be looking forward to giving this new place a try. Aside from the miso base, Hokkaido (or Sapporo?)-style ramen is rather unique in other ways and it would be great if this place is able to turn out authentic version of it. Will report back after trying!

Welcome back! You mean Happy Day Metro House? Yup, still the best fried chicken -- Korean or otherwise -- in town. They have some new items on the menu, including a very nicely done fried egg dish. I also like their seafood jajangmyun and sashimi rice. Sadly, since closed. Some of the staff might be found at So.Cial, where a new chef recently replaced Romy Prasad of Cin Cin and Savory Coast fame. The casual, simple and elegant style that I liked so much about Ocean (and for a while, So.Cial) can be found at Twisted Fork. Dinner at TF is heavenly and the weekend brunch, which serves, among other things, a banana French toast made with homemade brioche bread, is even more so. Please check out the other thread on Ramen. Motomachi is all right, but the purist in me prefers Nippon Deli. If you like Sichuan, give Yum Yum in North Vancouver a try. The service is awful, but the food is good. Are you sure you don't want genuine, out-of-this-world traditional Cantonese? If you change your mind, please let me know. Fuel's sister restaurant, Campagnolo is serving some rather interesting and nicely-done Italian dishes and cured meat. A good selection of grappa too. Parkside, the popular French restaurant, has also gone Italiano, in the form of l'Atro Buca, which is very respectable, cozy and memorable. Gastropod has turned into Maenam, for the worse, in my humble opinion. Pear Tree is still around and is highly rated. "Market" is Chef Jean Georges' Vancouver outpost. Enjoy your trip!

Is there a restaurant in Vancouver that is known for its pork chops? Who serves the juiciest, tenderest, most flavourful pork chops in Vancouver? My preference is for that which is simply-prepared and crispy on the outside and slightly undercooked on the inside -- greyed-out rubbery meat need not apply! Any suggestions?

Perhaps I am too much of a purist and I definitely ought not to post it in this thread, but my visit to Maenam was less than impressive. If anyone knows of a good, authentic Thai place in the area, I am all ears... Incidentally, if a real sushi-connoisseur pays a visit to Blue Water's raw bar, the sushi chef Yoshihiro Tabo will be very happy. Frankly, he's too good a sushi chef to be making innocuous makis and slicing run-of-the-mill tuna most of the day. I remember well his artistry and creativity at Yoshi and Shijo.