The Peri Peri Shack

We have a couple of chains around Metro Vancouver that specialize in Peri Peri Chicken. The Peri Peri Shack is a more casual variation on that theme specializing more in take-out than dine-in (although they have a couple of tables).  

Located on Kingsway at Fraser, we phoned in an order and it was ready to go upon our arrival! That was not as easy as it sounds as we never use Door Dash or the other delivery services but the PPS website is glitchy as hell and we had trouble getting it to display the menu. Still, we persevered!

This was another take-out effort and we found that the grilled chicken offerings travelled well! Admittedly, our reason for visiting in the first place was that PPS was participating in the Vanfoodster's Best Chicken Wing Challenge. So we ordered their challenge entry wings, which are right off the regular menu. They come in all of the available flavours (as does all the chicken on the menu) and we choose mango. Check out their website to see all their flavours It was not spicy but the mango flavour was definitely there and very pleasant. The basic chicken is flame-grilled (as I am sure that you have figured out) and the sauces are added post-cooking. It works well. If you are looking for heat and flavour (Mango does not come hot), we noticed that they packed a container of their hot sauce which will certainly suffice to blow your head off. These were very good wings. The meat was moist and tasty and we liked the sauce.

If you don't like flame-grilled chicken, you will be lost here. That being said, don't assume that this is the amateur home barbeque hour. They do an excellent job. We also ordered a quarter chicken meal with their Citrus and Herb sauce. Again, very impressive, both the meat and the sauce. We ordered it with slaw which came in a fairly generous portion.

We tried one other side dish, the Mac and Cheese. We found this to be a good step above the usual half-hearted effort that one often gets at fast food joints. It was full-on cheesy with a nice sprinkling of parmesan or some close relative.

So we haven't picked a Best Wings Challenge winner yet as there are a few more places to try, but we were pleasantly surprised by The Peri Peri Shack! They don't do a lot of different things here but they do chicken very well. 

Food               3 1/2 out of 5

Comfort         3 out of 5

Service           4 out of 5 (friendly and our order was on time)

Value              4 out of 5 (decent pricing)

Food By Fanta

Attention to detail is one of the keys to the wonderful dishes served at Food By Fanta. 

Relatively newly opened, FBF is part of the group that includes Ban Chok Dee, (Langley and Maple Ridge) well know for exceptional Thai food and one of our favourite restaurants in Langley. It is named for chef Parinya Lopston (Fanta)!

Not exceptionally well signed so far, it is worth your while to find them (you know how street numbers work, don't you?). They are located on the one-way section of Fraser Highway between 204th and 206th. We were seated in the lovely dining room (maybe just a little overdecorated) upon arrival (we had a reservation). I am not sure why the big-screen TVs are necessary (just a very nice scenery loop showing) but at least I was less likely to be looking at my phone.

Admittedly, the timing for our visit had to do with their participation in Vanfoodster's Best Chicken Wing Challenge. Their entry in the challenge are their Ballerina Wings. And this is what I mean by attention to detail!  Two deep-fried wings are served with a sauce of tamarind and palm sugar over a salsa of mango, pomelo and we're not sure what else! Definitely also present are fish sauce and, edible flowers (grown in-house) and shallots. On top of all that, the wings were deboned through the drumette and second section. A lot of work with a delicious result! Upon our first bites, we knew we had tasted the winner of the Chicken Wing Challenge! They were sweet, tart, crispy and tender.

Next up was the Chor Muang Flower Dumplings, another beautifully presented dish. The tasty fillings were eclipsed by the beautiful colours! It might be easy enough to colour pastry without food colouring for red and green (i.e.spinach and tomato) but bright blue? At FBF they accomplish this with butterfly pea flour. I know! I had to ask our server to repeat that a few times to make sure that I had correctly understood! It was hard to dig in and ruin the art but it was worth it. 

For our mains, we chose Fettucine Scallop Pad Cha. The stars of this show were obviously four fat perfectly cooked scallops. Runner up were the house-made fettuccine noodles coloured with charcoal. The charcoal, of course, lends no flavour and I'm not the biggest fan of black food for black food's sake but it made for a striking presentation. Not to be forgotten was the ginger pad cha sauce with Thai flavours including basil and green peppercorns and a final dusting of grated parmesan. A wonderful fusion dish.

Finally, we loved the Artic Char En Croute. It has been forever since I have had anything 'en croute' and frankly it was very nice. I didn't ask if they made their own pastry but considering everything else, I would guess that they do. Arctic char is in the salmon family, a little like pink salmon. The trick is to get the salmon and pastry cooked at the same time without either being over or under done but we feel like they nailed it. There was a green curry sauce in there lending a hand. Again, with the attention to detail was a green side salad with candied walnuts and almonds, pea shoots, microgreens and a raspberry vinaigrette.

Back in April, during another Vanfoodster challenge, we were able to try FBF's Massaman Lamb Shank, which was another treat (and a challenge winner for us).

Overall, the service was great (and very informative), the food was great (see above) and we were very comfortable. Food By Fanta is definitely one of our favourite restaurants in the Metro Vancouver area and we would highly recommend that you make the trip from wherever you are!

Food                     5 out of 5

Comfort                5 out of 5

Service                 5 out of 5

Value                    5 out of 5

Highlights of Vanfoodster's Best Chicken Wings Challenge

Unlike the Best Banh Mi Challenge, we did not get to try all of the Best Chicken Wing Challenge entries in one day. We had to devise a more measured and strategic approach. Our first taste of challenge wings was at Peri Peri Shack at Kingsway at Fraser.

They do flame-grilled chicken here and we chose their Mango flavour which was really quite good. They serve it with their hot sauce on the side so you are able to turn this into a painful experience if you like. The grilled and not fried chicken is not crispy obviously but it was nicely moist and tasty. I'll be doing a full post on The Peri Peri Shack Shortly.

To our thinking, J and G Fried Chicken cranks out some of the best fried chicken that Metro Vancouver has to offer. Their Specialty Hot Wings for this challenge are no exception. I would have sworn that Five Spice powder is at the base of the flavouring but it is actually fennel! Their signature brined and fried chicken was made even better by this unique flavouring. The owner (who actually remembered me from a previous Vanfoodster event!) gave us a sample of their Squid Ink Fish Cakes (not on the menu yet!). I know they resemble wrinkled dates and I don't think that there is any way to make them look pretty but they were really quite tasty!

Our plan was to go from Crystal Mall to Hi-Five on Kingsway in Burnaby to try their Flying Heaven Wings. Alas, though the restaurant was papered with the Best Chicken Wing Challenge invitations, they at first told us that we were at the wrong location. When we brought up Vanfoodster's website to show that we were at the right place, they then told us that they were starting tomorrow! So the challenge started June 10 but they were starting on June 28! You can't win any challenges with that strategy!

So we pressed on to Win-Win Chicken

Also in our minds, one of the top 2 or 3 purveyors of the deep-fried bird in Vancouver, Their Spicy Wings were a little bit spicy, just enough that we built up a warm mouth glow after 2 or 3 (not enough burn to cause pain). If I had to guess, I would say that their secret ingredient is Frank's Red Hot sauce. Their wings are lightly battered which holds some sauce that we liked. Again, their product is brined before frying. They are all making it hard for us to chose a winner but we still have to visit Food By Fanta! Stay tuned!

Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria

A wood-burning pizza oven and house-made pasta are the two things you should definitely look for if you want to step up from the usual two for one and big chain variety of pizza and pasta. Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria is one of those places that qualify and they have been on my list to try for a long time. 

Located at the east end of Hastings just after Holdom in Burnaby, CEP is just off the beaten path enough that parking and access is easy but so is transit.

We started with Arancini. I feel like I often order this and it turns out to be not available (not here obviously but at other places) possibly because it is usually made with leftover risotto. Here, they had it and it was great!

If you are not familiar with it, you should be. Balls of risotto (leftover is better) with cheese, breaded and deep-fried and served with tomato sauce. Soft and melty on the inside with just a bit of crunch. Very simple but very nice!

The Funghi Pizza had an interesting mixture of mushrooms including portabello and we're not sure what else. It was a meaty mixture that was highlighted by onion jam, goat cheese and mozzarella. The crust was just what you hope for with a bit of char and crunch but also that nice bit of chew. One of the better pizzas that we have had in Metro Vancouver, for sure. 

We also tried the Tagliatelle Primavera. There is nothing like house-made pasta and this was very good. Just cooked to the point where there is a little texture (so easy to overcook fresh pasta) that makes pasta more enjoyable. The sauce was simple but rich and they volunteered to grate some fresh parmesan over the top. Who can resist?

With seating inside and a nice covered deck outside, they are ready for year-round service no matter what the current restrictions. CEP has a pleasantly decorated room that kept us entertained and we enjoyed the background soundtrack which included everything from Sam and Dave to Adele without being jarring. The service was very pleasant and the kitchen seemed to be on the ball.

We found the prices to be reasonable enough and can't really find anything not to like! It is worth making a trip here for some decent Italian eats!

Food                  4 1/2 out of 5

Comfort             4 1/2 out of 5

Service              4 1/2 out of 5

Value                 4 1/2 out of 5

Henry's Hip Eats

So advertising often pays off. The Daily Hive has a "Featured On The Dished Guide" advertising section which changes often (I assume). I noticed Henry's Hip Eats in that advertising. I would not have heard of them otherwise. And then once I saw the ad, I was hooked. It sounded...well, hip. Next, I looked at the menu and then I was really hooked. So we went searching for them and found them camped out next to Dageraad Brewing in Burnaby.

Henry's features Vietnamese-style eats but definitely leaning towards fusion. We ordered a couple of boxes cw sides and took them home.

First was the All Day Brunch Box. It started with a lemongrass fried chicken sandwich complete with a fried egg. All we could say was, wow.! They do a pretty good job with their sandwiches. The bread is really decent. It is soft with just a bit of chewiness and perfect for soaking up sauces. The chicken itself was also nicely cooked with a crispy coating and just a hint of lemongrass flavour. Not sure why it came with a spring roll but we have all had spring rolls and tater tots. It is a pretty nice box for $15 (we forgot to get our soft drinks!)

We also ordered an H2 Eats Box / Henry's Choice. This started with a great marinated pork sandwich sort of a variation on a banh mi complete with pickled vegetables.The pork was just a little sweet and the bun was the same decent bread. There was a good vegetarian spring roll in the box and a couple of deep fried chicken fingers. They were crispy and hot but one was almost all batter with very little chicken and they could have used some salt.

We also ordered a couple of salad rolls which were quite good. Salad rolls aren't exactly brain surgery but they are always light and refreshing.

So Henry's Hip Eats is pretty decent. Find them set up next to a nice microbrewery with a patio and you can have a relaxing and enjoyable meal or visit with whoever you are currently allowed to visit with.

Food                    3 1/2 out of 5

Comfort               Depends, doesn't it?

Service                 4 out of 5 (very nice people)

Value                    3 1/2 out of 5

 

A Banh Mi Weekend! Vancouver Foodster's Best Banh Mi Challenge

We had this great idea to taste all the Best Bahn Mi Challenge entries in one weekend so that we could best remember and compare one to another. The problem is that even with this scientific method of analysis, there was not really a clear far and away winner! They were all pretty amazing. Still, it was a tasty way to spend parts of a couple of days. The most convenient part of this challenge was the fact that three of the four contenders were within easy distance of one another. And so we started at DD Mau in Yaletown.

Their challenge entry was the Ha Noi Meatball Banh Mi. This was their adaptation of a popular North Vietnamese dish with sweetish grilled pork, pork meatballs and garlic papaya. There were crispy pickled vegetables and jalapenos which offset the sweet pork. The bun, which is always critical to a great banh mi was pillowy on the inside and just a little crunchy on the outside. Excellent! We decided that a Mango Smoothie would be a nice accompaniment.

A few blocks away at DD Mau Chinatown, we tried their Pork Belly Banh Mi. In addition to salty tender pork belly, spicy pickled mustard coleslaw was a star. It was the most unique single ingredient that we encountered this weekend. With some added pickled vegetables, cilantro, a fried egg and another top rung bun, this was another winner. 

At Cold Tea, their challenge entry was the Wake and Bake Sub. Another great bun (where do they all get these wonderful buns ?) with pate and Chinese sausage and an assortment of pickled vegetables. The star of this show was two beautiful sunny-side-up eggs. A great Bahn Mi great for breakfast or any other time.

Finally, our Sunday was marked by lunch from Obanhmi in Langley. The Vegetarian Banh Mi off of their regular menu was their Best Banh Mi Challenge entry. We had some great bread this weekend and this was no exception. Aromatic tofu, avocado and their secret filling (relish..sort of mustard and vinegar flavoured but mild) made up the base here with the usual assortment of veggies and cilantro. I always favour the vegetarian option when it is available and this one was pretty good.

Mharie and I chose our favourites and they seem to coincide with the extra effort put in by the challengers. While the Obanhmi Vegetarian and Cold Tea Wake and Bake were both great sandwiches, DD Mau went the extra mile and developed special BanhMi for the challenge.

While Mharie loved the Yaletown, Ha Noi Meatball sandwich, I was sold by the Chinatown Braised Pork Belly affair (the fried egg tipped me over the edge)!

You still have 2 weekends to try any of these tasty Banh Mi and vote for your favourites!

 

Wu Fung Dessert

I fooled around with Audible for a couple of months not long ago but I can only subscribe to so many things. How many podcasts and books and music can one person listen to? While there (at Audible) I came across a Canadian restaurant review podcast that took a swing through Richmond and visited some of our favourites such as Hong Kong Barbeque Master and Jade. They also visited Wu Fung Dessert in Aberdeen Mall and I was surprised to learn that they do not in fact, serve desserts. There is a bit of a joke or play on words there but lacking the language skills, I did not get it.WFD is a family business going back quite a while and seems to be one of the AM favourites judging by the lineup we encountered on the weekend at about noon. 

They are apparently famous for their wings which are available in various quantities and combinations.

We chose a 3-pack which was only $7. They were in fact pretty spectacular wings. Crispy on the outside but still moist on the inside...how they are supposed to be, you know? Lightly coated with maybe a rice flour or cornstarch-based coating to make them crispy.

As part of a combo, we chose brisket and tofu skin with Vermicelli in broth. If not a show stopper, this was a very comforting dish and the brisket was nicely tender and 'beefy'. The combo came with a beverage and we chose Lemon Coke which was very much just coke with a hit of lemon slices and juice. It was a nice and tasty idea.

There are quite a few deep-fried items on their menu and we chose Deep-Fried Intestines. Not my favourite thing (sort of too organy for me) but Mharie liked them. They came with a slightly spicy dipping sauce which was pretty necessary and cut through the strong flavours.

Finally, we tried a dish of Pork Skin and Daikon Radish. I assume that this is a home-style dish which might comfort people and remind them of their childhood. While it did not remind me of my childhood, it was rich and warm with interesting texture but not leaping out with big flavour. Just kind of nice, you know?

There is a lot of food court seating but it gets busy at mealtimes. The same advice applies as when we tried Liang Crispy Rolls, namely, dine at off times or have someone lined up for a tab;e while someone else waits for the food! Or get your food to go.

Food             3 1/2 out of 5

Comfort        3 out of 5

Service         3 1/2 out of 5

Value            3 1/2 out of 5