korean BBQ: Westender Korean Cafe vs. Kim Ga Nae

I find it both humorous and annoying (I'm not sure which is more) when reading some of the comments on DineHere.ca regarding korean bbq dining experience.  Particularly these ones;

"Raw meat is served to the table and you are expected to cook it yourself on hot plates. " on Westender Korean Cafe.

 "Steak and chicken were not sliced for you (came in a big chunck) and I was told to use the scissors to cut it myself. Wow, I am paying $18 to cut meat?" on Kyung Bok Place.

Of course, I am one who is also quick to flip the switch on poor service, food not arriving, sanitation, etc.  Nonetheless, there are several common sense pointers I would like to point out to these critics, whom I can only assumed were misinformed, regarding general norms for dining at korean bbq or any other less than fancy asian food joints.

1. I'm not sure why people are surprised that they have to cook their own meat.  Maybe it's best to do some research before trying it for the first time so you have a general idea.  When I went to Westender Korean BBQ for the first time, I witnessed the waitress told a caucasian couple at least 4 times that pork belly bbq is all they have, and if they are sure they want to eat it.  Initially, I was probably as annoyed and baffled as the couple as to why the waitress had to ask them repeatedly.  After reading some of the comments on the website, she probably just wanted to make sure what they are getting into with no surprises.  Most bbq meat are served raw so you can cook it yourself at your own convenience at your own table.  It is universal.  If you can't handle the sight of raw meat being served and cooking it yourself, I would suggest not ordering bbq or hot pot, or even sushi/sashimi.  

2. Yes, large pieces of meat are served at your table along side of a pair of scissors and you do cut them up yourself.  The reason for this is because the meat will remain juicier if you cut them up after rather than before they are being cooked.  It is unreasonable to expect servers to station at each and every single table in the restaurant, waiting to cut up each piece of meat for you.  Again, if you find that appalling, I would suggest you dine at the Keg instead of trying to venture any new type of cuisine.

3. A lot of asian food joints reputation are all about quality of food, the price, or the value in general.  Yes, there are some old ghetto places which if they are crowded, you can probably expect them to taste really good.  Obviously, I never expect customer service from these places as I do at Cactus Club, or anywhere else higher end.  I don't expect the servers to come over to chit chat, and constantly following up (those are luxuries).  What I do expect are my food being served in a timely manner without mishaps, and nothing foreign is in it.  I mean, you are basically there solely for the food, and not the atmosphere.  Chances are if the restaurant is busy and under staff, you are going to have to fight for their attention.

Westender Korean Cafe

Barbecue pork belly for 3

For $10.95, the barbecue dinner comes with a spicy soup, 2 kinds of salads (western and korean), side dishes which include bean sprouts, daikon, and kimchi.  A bowl of rice is extra $1.25. The place is a strictly pork belly place.  There is no menu and they get straight to the point.  I was content grilling my own pork belly slices (or having them grilled for me by others) until they are crispy.  Then, garnishing the meat with pickles, wrapping it lettuce before dunking it in hot sauce and sesame oil with salt.  Enjoy that over a bowl of rice.  And as long as we keep getting refills, I couldn't possibly ask for anything more.

Kim Ga Nae

Lunch menu

Dinner menu

The dinner menu has kalbi and several more cooked items than the lunch menu.

Soft tofu soup

I was expecting spicy soon do bu tofu soup and was disappointed that it was a clear broth, quite different than what other people has posted on previous blogs regarding their dining experience at Kim Ga Nae. It was more of a chinese inspired taste.  I didn't really touch it much.

Kimchi

I was hoping there would be more than just kimchi as a side.  I don't feel the same way about korean barbecue without at least 3 side dishes sitting in front of me.  There was pickled radish, but it wasn't spicy either.

Jab Chae

The jab chae was served cold as though it came straight from the fridge.  I pretended it was some kind of noodle salad...

Spicy rice cake

The rice cake was chewy and that is all I have to say.

Pumpkin, onions and mushrooms

Barbecue meat 

I have to say that they were quite generous with the portions of sliced beef and bulgogi.  This picture shows one order of each meat item.  The pork belly only comes in 2 pieces per order.  The beef bulgogi and the pork ribs were my favourite as they were tender and well marinated.

Gyoza and sweet chicken (2 pieces/order)

Bi Bim Bab

The bi bim bab is standard.  We finished it with the barbecue meat. What a filler. By the way, did you see the scissors in the corner? Yes, we cut our own meat!

Beef bone soup

For some reason, I found the beef bone soup to have the same flavour as KFC chicken.  Again, I left it alone.

Overall the experience was average and the quality of food is average.  I was disappointed with the lack of sides and the tofu soup.  Even though it is a descent meal for a barbecue lunch, I'm having trouble thinking of reasons to go back again.  

Zakkushi Disappointment

I featured Zakkushi in one of the best izakayas to go to in Vancouver last year and have returned a few times since.  This last trip I made, unfortunately brewed a small storm inside my heart.  We walked in and the place looked a bit different.  Fancier menu, brighter lighting, not as smoky, not as crowded, loud, or ghetto.  Hmmm it's not quite the Zakkushi I remember, but that's ok.. I'm mostly here for the food even though I miss the ghettoness just a little bit.  We ordered the usual skewers, daikon salad, and of course, the delicious kimchi mentai yaki udon smothered with cod roe.  At first, the waiter informed us there was no more udon and if we wanted soba instead.  He later revealed, that they don't make the dish anymore.  Shocked and appalled, I demanded answers.  I was there 4 weeks ago and they were still serving it.  From what I know, the dish is one of the MOST RAVED ABOUT on the Vancouver food blog sites.  And from what my friend told me, they were there last week, and they STILL got it!  The waiter had no answers for us.  He said the owners simply removed it from the menu.  I told him the owners made a huge mistake.  He shook his head in despair and simply told me to blog about it. So that was blow number one.  FYI this is what the dish looks like:

Kimchi Mentai Yaki Udon

I believe this tuna rice dish is also now non-existent.  What a shame, it also was really good.

Negi toro don

I came home and checked their website and it says their "Grand Menu Starts Now".
I appreciate it when restaurants try to up their scale but being innovative and changing up things.  However, I don't appreciate the sheer negligence over the quality that sometimes comes after the menu/owner/chef changing.  Such as the case at Wo Fung chicken wings (now 3 times smaller), Cattle Cafe (watery soup base), and Pied a Terre (salty steak frites and dismissal of Napoleon), and now Zakkushi charcoal minuscules.

New menu! 

Back to the restaurant. After we delighted ourselves with the $9.99 Sapporo pitcher, we ordered the usual Kushi Set which comes with 5 skewers.  Each time, the skewers seem to be shinking smaller and smaller.  Did the change the chef? Did we come on a bad day? What has happened?

Before - Kushi set on July 31, 2010

After - Kushi set August 25, 2010

Tsukune December 12, 2009

Tsukune Aug 25, 2010

I looked over at the Japanese folks next table and, to my astonishment, their skewers were twice the size of ours.  Due to legal reasons, I decided not to post their pictures with skewers.  Of course these are not the biggest blunders for a restaurant and it is still as busy as ever.  But to me, the wow factors for Zakkushi is gone.  I have absolutely no reason left to go back there (unless for the $9.99 Sapporo pitchers).

Favourite Restaurant in Victoria: Bon Rouge

If you are looking for best bang for your buck restaurants, Bon Rouge is a gem in each and every way.  Located on the corner of Courtney street, the bistro outside decor is warm and inviting.  The parisian style decor, the comfort food, and jazz music softly played have made Bon Rouge my all time favourite place to go for brunch.  

Summer features menu

Two menus are offered, the summer features and the brunch menu.

The decor

The bistro is divided into 3 sections; the patio, the bistro interior, and the restaurant interior.  Jazz music. Casual and relaxed. Friendly service.

Champaign cocktails - $5

Drinks specials are champaign cocktails for $5 until 4 pm every weekend and a glass of wine for $5 every wednesday.  Martinis are $7.50 for 2 oz. and are exquisitely named after famous French figures; Coco Chanel, Yves Saint-Laurant, Bridgette Bardot, etc.

Freshly baked french loaf, complimentary

We were already excited about the french bread as its freshly baked aroma swarmed us. As we pulled the bread apart, we could hear the crunch and the softness of the inside dough softly pulling apart.  Crispy on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside. Wow.

Prawn crepe $12 - Pan seared with fennel shallot and garlic cream sauce

6 giant succulent prawns nestled inside!

I do mean it when I say the prawn crepe at Bon Rouge was the best crepe I've ever had.   The giant prawns are cooked perfectly and in perfect harmony with sauteed vegetables in fennel and garlic cream sauce.  We appreciated each and every single bite.  For the sheer size and for only $12, it was truly amazing.

Croque Monsieur $12 - Baked ham and gruyere cheese on house made brioche loaf and mornay sauce, with a side of fennel soup

I've always been more accustomed to traditional Croque Monsieur with baked cheddar or swiss cheese  on top.  Instead, the mornay sauce, which is made up of half parmesan and half gruyere, offered a subtle  texture that complemented the brioche loaf.  It was light, creamy and not overwhelming.  The fennel soup was aromatic but was a bit too salty.  However, the intensity was brought down a couple notches when alternating between the Croque Monsieur or the french loaf.

French Onion Soup $8 - Gruyere on crostini

We were debating on what to order for the dessert but we kept thinking about the French Onion soup.  Since I'm a fan, I knew I would have to try.  So we ended up getting it as a dessert instead (lol).  The broth was rich and, again, still a tad too salty for me.  But if you are a cheese lover like me, you would really enjoy the thick layer of melted gruyere and added bread made up for it.   

As we stumbled out of the restaurant an hour and a half later, though I may have easily gained 5 lbs, I was ecstatic and could not wait to come back again.

Visit their website here.

Cattle Cafe: no longer yummy

I used to enjoy going to Cattle Cafe on Alexandra Road in Richmond. It was well known for it's ginormous noodle soup which you have to option to select everything from soup base, type of noodles, toppings, drinks and sides.  I was more than excited to re-visit the cafe to indulge in a big bowl of laksa that seemed to pack with flavours and seemingly bottomless.

A lot of the restaurants, as they get more and more busy, I guess they often overlook or replace the quality of their food to cut costs.  Or perhaps it was just the inconsistency of the kitchen.  Either way, what used to be my favourite places in Richmond has become an abomination with this one last time visit.

Laksa noodle soup, still seemingly as big and looking just as delicious.  But after tasting the soup, I wondered how many times they watered the pot down and reused the same broth over and over.  Where were the flavours this time! I was pretty much drinking slightly flavoured water with oil drizzled on top.
To add an extra punch, that estranged strand of hair we found didn't improve the situation much.  Remember,  it's an asian place.  Sending a plate back will only result in a look of disdain and you will still get the same plate back (with the hair removed with someone's bare hand).

We also ordered their recommended pork chop with demi-glaced onion sauce.  It looked fantastic in the picture!  Since it's popular, sure we would try it!

 This is what came out. 

At first glance, no, it doesn't look like anything in the picture.  And I was expecting a demi-glace sauce to be more brownish and gravy like, not creamy and rose like.  Kkkk, it's an asian place, maybe it's fusion right? Their own interpretation. If it tasted good, then all would be forgiven.  We still had to bounce back from that last bowl of laksa.  Although, this one didn't look promising either.  And as we took a bite, our thought was unanimous "people "like" eating this?".....Really?  I mean we were in Richmond where hundreds of asian restaurants compete on price and quality to stay on top.  You're telling me that this dish that looked and tasted like it was made by a 10 year old girl is your best selling dish?

Needless to say, I am never going back again.  Could it be one bad day? Maybe. The inconsistency, though, and that pork chop though, I just couldn't bring myself to forgiveness.  So this is my goodbye. The quest for next best laksa ensues.

What to eat in Kamakura: Doria and Curry Beef Stew

While my sister and I were travelling in Kamakura, Japan, a town famous for the great Buddha statue, Daibutsu. We were enroute from Kita-Kamakura station to Engakuji temple.  Along the way, we stumbled upon a small cute cafe shop called Cafe Sakura.  Starving and enticed by their photo of green tea mont blanc, we decided to go in and check it out.  The shop is small but very cozy and inviting with outside patio.  Decorated in white with lace and flower arrangements, there are few tables and they were all filled.  I noticed very high customer turnover during the course that we were there.  The shop does attract lots of passerby's on the street. There are only 2 women working there.  I assumed they are co-owners, one works in the kitchen and one serves and helps out in the kitchen.  There are only 2 entrees offered in the menu, doria (1,300 yen), baked rice in cream sauce and parmesan, and curry beef stew served with rice.  In the beginning, my sister and I ordered one doria to share (as a snack before lunch) since we saw their portion is fairly big.  While we were waiting, we couldn't help but glance over at the 2 ladies sitting beside us cleaning out their curry stew plate.  As we observed more around us, curry beef stewed is ordered at every table.  We realized what was needed to be done and ordered the curry.

We waited for about 20 minutes for each dish to arrive.  As we looked over, we could see the kitchen and the ladies working hard to carefully craft each order.  It was really nice to see much attention paid to each dish being served.  Once the doria arrived, I didn't hesitate to dig my spoon in and taste the creamy, cheesy baked rice.  It tasted just as good as it looked.  The rice was well seasoned with the right cream consistency.  I felt like I was eating risotto.  The mushroom and shrimp added texture and complement well.  I was about half way done with the doria when the giant plate of curry beef stew (1,000 yen) arrived.  We were arguing that we have overdone ourselves.

I waited for my sister to take the first bite, and when she did, she was silent.  Her eyes may have rolled back a little bit.  "Well, how is it?" I asked. Her reply was "It's simply the best curry stew I've ever had in my life!" Of course, I jumped in and scoop a generous amount of rice and a chunk of beef in my mouth.  My palette went into overdrive as savoury and bold flavours spread all over my mouth, blending in perfect harmony with Japanese rice.  I'm not usually a fan of beef stew as they are often overcooked and have hard and chewy texture.  This time, the beef was so tender and flaky and there should've been more on the plate.  We ended up clearing both dishes in a short amount of time.  As agreed, we ended our course with a green tea mont blanc (800 yen).  

To be honest, we were both most pleased with the curry beef stew, then the doria.  The green tea mont blanc looked very appealing.  However, we couldn't taste anything else but sweet cream.  The green tea flavour was very faint and there is more cream filling inside.  I found that it was just too heavy.  Perhaps, the original mont blanc would have been a better choice.  Overall, I have to say that this little shop is a hidden gem in Kamakura.  It is a great spot to take a short break from sightseeing just to enjoy a cup of coffee and delicious curry beef stew.  

Cheap and good places in Tokyo

I haven't blogged on here for a while after my Japan/Korea trip and have been feeling a little bit lazy.  So for a recommendation for drinking spot in Japan as already mentioned in my other travel blog, the "270 Yen Kinokura Jr.".  All of the dishes and drinks (quite an array of selection) are less than $3.  Food is awesome, drinks are good size, it just seems almost too good to be true.  The best thing is, these joints can be found all over main areas in Tokyo, so it's real convenient.

Another convenient fast-foodish restaurant I really liked was the Tempura Tendon Tenya.  It may be a chain restaurant but the one we went to at Nippori really captured my heart.  For something that was simple and good, the prawn tempura there were fresh crispy.  Best of all, it is served with plenty of sauce (and a bottle at your table if you want to really drench it), a poached egg, the addition which makes the dish for me.  The set comes with miso soup, and udon soup for around 750 yen.  So if you are looking for something that is convenient, cheap, and good, I recommend this one as the way to go.

Oysters anyone??

I think it's fair to say I had a lot of oysters lately.

Shattering dreams: Intercontinental Brunch

So ever since I have been in Thailand since December, I have my mind set on the legendary Sunday brunch at Intercontinental hotel in Bangkok.  After seeing and hearing stories about the epic luxurious brunch with Moet champaign free flow for,*gasp*,  $75, I kinda made it a mission for my visit.  HOWEVER, 5 months later, still no such brunch due to conflicting schedules.  Now that I finally have the time, the red shirt mob or the UDD have managed to prevent my dream from actualizing.  The hotel is forced to close from the public indefinitely.  Seeing how the civil unrest is going, I don't think the possibility of me going to Intercontinental hotel for a Sunday brunch and enjoying myself will happen anytime soon. Bye bye food.... Bye bye Moet.......

Where to eat seafood in Pattaya

If you are traveling to Pattaya, Thailand and looking for authentic thai seafood restaurants that are cheap, delicious, and by the sea here are several hidden gems only the locals know about.

Preecha Seafood Restaurant
This huge open air restaurant is located right by the beach.  Having been reviewed by many travel websites, it is best known for fresh rock lobsters, giant lobsters, salt and fresh water fish, and arrays of clams.  You have the choice of how you would like them cooked (though they are mostly thai and chinese styles). I recommend rock lobster fried with garlic, fresh tilapia steamed or grilled with sea salt (the fish melts in your mouth!), steamed crab legs, and (huge) raw oysters.  The view of the beach is tranquil (the sand is reddish for some reason),  and the selection and price for the food is impressive. Of course, tables fill up fast during lunch and dinner.

Address: 200/9 moo 4 soi Najomtien 28 Najomtien Road Tambon Najomtien Sattahiep Chonburi 20250
Tel: 66 3870 9439

Rimhad Seafood Bang Saray 
This place was a delightful stumbled upon as we were driving through Bang Saray beach, a district well known for fishing.  I love the sea view where you see many fishing boats parked all along the sea with small fish swimming right below the deck I was sitting at. The best dish we had was the steamed crab.  For only 450 bath ($12) per KG you get about 4-5 crab on the plate.  You get blocks of wood to go savage and crush the crab shell yourself. The meat was so flaky, tender, and sweet, great with or without the chile lime dipping sauce.   Another of my favourite was the deep fried soft shell crab with garlic and black pepper.   The flavour and texture combined was just amazing.  It had the right amount of seasoning and crisp.  Another dish that we always get at all fresh seafood restaurants was the steamed clams.  I was worried that they would be undercooked and bloody, or overcooked and chewy.  However, I was rest assured when this place cooked them perfectly.

Address: 2 /18 Liabshaihad Road Bangs Saray Sattaheep Chonburi
Tel: 038-737181 , 038-737038
GPS:12° 45' 51.41" N 100° 53' 30.39" E