Osteria Savio Volpe - High hopes...

For the past several weeks, my sister has been in town from HK and we've been eating up a storm throughout the city. Our latest venture was to Osteria Savio Volpe, a little Italian restaurant in Mount Pleasant, which was once a tire shop! It is fairly new, and it's a bustling place just next to Les Faux Bourgeois. Featuring rustic appetizers, housemade pastas and a few mains featuring fish and meats, it's not a complicated menu but there's enough to suit everyone. 

Source: http://www.saviovolpe.com/

We arrived 15 minutes early for our reservation and were told to wait. Perfectly acceptable, until we noticed an empty table set for two right by the door. It took the hostess 10 minutes to place two extra settings at the table so that we could be seated. But, whatever.

A little background information here before we delve into the eats! We were served by a casually dressed guy, can't remember his name. There were only two male servers, he was the shorter one. We started with a bottle of wine while we looked over the menu. For a group of four, we decided on three appetizers, two pastas and a main dish. 

For the main, we wanted the WHOLE roasted fish, and I had inquired if it was truly whole, including head and tail. He quickly responded that "no, it was actually filets". So I asked for a bit of extra time to decide on something else. He returned to the table shortly later after talking to another server, apologized and said he was wrong, it did indeed come with head and tail. (This is what made me think that he might be new and not really knowledgeable about the menu.) With that settled, we decided to go ahead and ordered the fish.

First appy was the Kale Salad, it was tasty with a lemon flavour and lots of crunch from the crispy topping. The finely chopped kale was easy to eat and made it a breeze to share.
We also got the Prosciutto di Parma and that was fantastic. It was thinly sliced and not overly fatty. The accompanying apple and grana were sliced just as thinly. It was a beautiful dish and was as fun to eat as it was delicious.
For a warm appetizer, we decided to try the Garlic Bread, which came swathed in its own little aluminium foil blanket. The aroma was amazing and we appreciated that it wasn't overly smothered with butter. However, it did seem a little Safeway-like.
While we were enjoying this, with half the salad and most of the bread still unconsumed, the server came to the table with our pastas. We asked him to take a look at our table, and it was evident that we weren't ready for our mains yet, actually, there was no room for them! We asked if he could take it back until we were ready. He proceeded to argue with us, saying that is the way Italians have dinner. He reluctantly took it back and said "Well, I'll take it back since you don't understand how dining in an Italian restaurant works, because that's how Italians do it." He also said he'll get us a fresh one when we're ready. I thought this was strange, because on their own website, under Alla Famiglia, it says "bread and antipasti before pasta, then protein followed by dessert."

My past reviews of Cotto, Charlie's Little Italian, Buca and more show that I have indeed dined in many Italian restaurants before. I have never been to Italy but my sister has, and she told me that it is "not" how they do it. I have had pasta as a first course before, but it is clear from our order (which was placed all at the same time), that we intended the three first items to be appies, and the other three to be our mains. 

For the rest of the evening, he did not return to refill our wine or water glasses; thankfully, the other servers stepped in, clearing our plates and cutlery when we were actually done our three appetizers. The pastas came together which was fine with us.

The first was the Tortiglioni, with shortrib braciola, and Sunday sugo. The braciola was really dry, almost like "stirfried beef in a Chinese food court", said my sister. The texture of the pasta was a nice al dente, no complaints there.
Our next pasta was the Creste di Gallo. The little half moon pastas were perfectly cooked and quite cute. I really liked them, and the chicken with mushrooms were perfect for the sauce. The ragu was light, and the dish was well-balanced.
However, as you can see, the cheese sprinkled on at the time of serving did not melt. Can you guess why? The pasta was barely lukewarm. Perhaps that's another Italian tradition I'm unaware of but I have a feeling that all our server did was to put both our pastas under a warming lamp (which might have contributed to the drying out of the braciola) until we were done our appies, and did not fire up a fresh one later, as he said he would. 

We saw pastas arriving at nearby tables and they were piping hot, with steam clearly visible. And no, they didn't get theirs with their salad and bread, there was definitely a pause in the service for them.

Anyways, putting that aside, our server waited until we were done our pastas before bringing on the Whole Roasted Fish. And as it arrived at the table, the new server offered to serve it for us, by removing the bone. We said we were fine doing that ourselves. Can you see what's missing? Yes, the head and the tail and the skin too! When I order a whole roasted fish, I thought the head and tail would be part of a whole fish...again, I must have been mistaken. The flavours were good with the meyer lemon and capers, but I was really looking forward to the crispy skin, and they decided that I should do without that.

We didn't see our server again until he handed us the bill. We reluctantly tipped, but I wished we could have designated the tip to go to all the other servers who actually served us.

I will likely never return to OSV. Despite the amazing appetizers and the possibly fantastic pastas when served fresh, the condescending tone of our server made me feel judged and unwelcomed. It is unfortunate as it's close to home and I had heard great reviews. My sister left very disappointed and I don't blame her.

Zomato Meet-up at Shaughnessy

Last year, I attended the Zomato Meetup held at the Shaughnessy, located at the gorgeous VanDusen Botanical Garden. Centrally located in Vancouver, being in the 55-acre lot whips you away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Our dinner (complimentary, so thanks!) that night featured some classic dishes as well as some innovative dishes. For our starters, we had the Scallop, Bacon and Endive Salad.The scallops were definitely the highlight of this dish, but it would have been a one-note wonder without the citrus flavours from the orange, the crunch from the pecans and radish, as well as the sumptuous butter lettuce. And then top it with bacon? Well, then you're all set. Our second appetizer is the always popular Calamari.The tender squid was lightly golden fried with a light salt and pepper seasoning. Crispy on the outside, soft with a bit of a bite on the inside, just as it should be. I'm a purist when it comes to calamari, a squirt of lemon juice is usually all I need. However, the chili-lime aioli did peak my interest and I quite like the flavours, but I did find the texture a little too thick, personal preference, of course. Last appetizer I tried was the Coconut Curry Mussels. They were plump and well-seasoned, but could have used a bit fresher herbs. Although I did use the bread that we got at the start of the meal to soak up all those yummy juices. Now, onto the mains! We sampled four dishes, all differing in tastes, proteins and textures. It was a great way to sample all the chef's creations. First up was the Butternut Squash and Mushroom Risotto. Loaded with mushrooms and scented with truffle oil, this dish looked as good as it tasted. The risotto itself was nicely done, creamy and tender but each grain was separate, no clumpiness here! After that, we tasted the Cioppino, in a rich tomato and fennel broth. There were more of the juicy mussels and scallops, as well as tender chunks of fish, prawns, mussels and clams. I have always hesitated most fennel-related foods, because I always found it overpowering, however, this was nice and light, more fragrant than heavy on the palate. The Duck Confit was amazing. Crispy skin and plenty of meatiness underneath too. The parsnip puree was really mild and the warmed citrus salad gave the dish a nice shot of sweetness. But I think my favourite of was the Maple and Bourbon Glazed Steelhead, I love it when a filet is done right. The slightly sweet cauliflower was a good contrast, I really enjoyed this dish. I have always been amazed by things such as a Flourless Chocolate Cake, but this one was amazing. The little sprinkle of pecan praline gave the dessert a nice crunch and a basic vanilla ice cream was super comforting. I don't have a sweet tooth though, I actually have a sour tooth, so I was really happy with our second dessert, Lemon Shortbread Parfait. Lemon meringue pie is probably my favourite dessert of all time, and this is a close second. There was a tart lemon curd, with some lemon ice cream, and topped with a sprinkle of crunchy shortbread crumble...oh, and yes, there was meringue too, torched no less. Great textures and tart flavours. A perfect end to a meal!
Given the scenic location and the fantastic food, this is definitely a place for a great way to meet new friends and catch up with old ones.

Family Favourites from Fortune City

As most of my readers know, my mother is not a good cook. So whenever we go for dinner, it is definitely "out". If we ever have dinner "at home", it involves me taking food over. So this past week, we decided to head out for dinner and we opted for Peking Duck...and more...
Take a look at the various condiments and see if you can guess what other traditional dish we had.
Nothing beats Peking Duck to indicate "Dinnertime"! I'll hold back out of courtesy, but trust me, I've got my eye on some crispy pieces. The skin had lots more meat on them than I'm used to, but it was also less fatty than some other places. 
And of course, we have to get the Lettuce Wrap with the rest of the duck meat. This was good, but the crisps actually got soggy really fast. The dish was rather one note, but add your sauces and just enjoy the ride. 
We also got the Assorted StirFry with veggies...loaded with scallops, pork and chicken, this had something for everyone. The flavours were fairly mild, but actually just needed a sprinkling of white pepper to make the dish pop. The pork was a little dry but the variety of the meats and seafood easily made up for it.   For my mom, who loves lamb, we decided to get the Lamb Hot Pot. This was delicious. I'm not a fan on the "fu yu" that accompanies it, but to honest, the dish doesn't need it. The bean curd skin soaks up the sauces, and the lamb itself is super tender. I especially love the bony pieces. This is a rare treat and I'm so glad we got it. 

Revisit: Sushiholic

Earlier this week, I revisited Sushiholic (my previous review here)  because I was craving Japanese food, and I was a little tired of getting take-out from Kita. Although they don't take reservations for groups of less than four, we were seated fairly quickly. If you don't want to take a chance and don't feel like waiting, get take-out...they do lots of business that way too.

I always start with a Tako Sunomono, and they do a great job here. There is plenty of tako and the shredded carrots marry well with the vermicelli. The tangy dressing is refreshing and a great palate cleanser. 
Their Salmon Sashimi is also a decent size, and the fish were cut perfectly. It's not too thick and is served nice and cold, just the way it should be. 
Since it was a rather cool night, we opted for a Tempura Udon to warm our bellies. This was excellent, the noodles had a nice bite to it, and was served piping hot. I added some of the 7-spice powder or shichimi togarashi for a bit of extra heat. The broth was flavourful and not oily or full of MSG. I would have like a bit more veggies but that's probably a personal preference and not really a complaint. 
The Tempura was lightly battered and deep fried to a golden crisp. The veggies were tasty, and super crunchy. There could have been another prawn, but what was served was delicious. 
For more sushi, I had to have my Ikura. This was plentiful and I loved how it overflowed out of the nigiri. The Uni was fresh as well and creamy too. The Unagi is always a favourite, a bit sweet with a hint of umami from the sauce. 
And to round out dinner, we got their Prawn Gyoza, and this never disappoints. The skin has a nice crunch, and I really do love the whole prawn, complete with tails. 
I would say that the Sunomono is a must do, as well as the Prawn Gyoza. They have a huge selection of rolls too, but I always find that the more fanciful the rolls are, the further it moves away from "tradition". I can eat a dynamite roll but something like their Awesome Roll sort of freaks me out! 

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Taste of Yaletown 2015 - Complete Breakdown of all Three Menus at Minami

I had the chance to try out the Taste of Yaletown a few weeks ago (it's on until October 29!) at Minami , which has three menus, one for lunch and two for dinner. 


The Minami Zen Platter, available at lunch, is only $25 and gives you a taste of their legendary dishes as well as some new tastes too. Starting off with the Signature Sushi, you get a nice assortment of Aburi nigiri, a roll as well as the oishi sushi all featuring their renown aburi-style of searing the fish. 

The platter also includes Aburi Bincho, accompanied by a creamy gomae sauce with a touch of heat from the wasabi-masatake. 

There is a light salad, the Minami Chopped Salad, with some baby greens, miso tofu, crisps and some chopped chicken. The umami-soy vinaigrette is a light dressing that complements the salad quite nicely. The Ebi Fritter is light and crispy, with a bit of chili aioli and balanced with a soy-balsamic reduction. 

Rounding out the plate is a bit of spiced couscous. And the other item on the platter is the Kurobuta & Kobe Meatball, bathed in miso-chicken jus with a few fingerling potatoes. And for dessert, you have a choice of ice cream for sorbet. All in all, this is a great deal for $25.


Their dinner offering is $45, although they do have a $35 option for vegetarians, which I will review next. The appetizer is the Minami Appetizer Trio, with a serving of the Aburi Sushi Sampler, a light Citrus Salad as well as a Brome Lake Duck Confit Drumette. The Aburi sushi is just tasty as you would expect, and the citrus salad is fresh and light. I loved the Aburi grapes! The Duck Drumette is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, perfectly executed. 

For the main course, they have a unique Surf and Turf. For the Surf, you get their Sakekasu-Saikyo Miso Baked Sablefish, which is melt in your mouth tender. The fish flakes off easily and it has a rich and sweet flavour. I could eat this everyday! Partnered with the sablefish is a serving of marinated Japanese eggplant, I had never had this before but it sure was tasty. 

For the Turf, you are treated to Fraser Valley Pork done two ways. The first part of the duo is a Braised Pork Cheek, which is super tender. The second part is a complete textural change, with a Crispy Kakuni Pork Belly. The skin is crunchy, not just crispy. There is a bit of salsa on top, with a miso Asahi glaze. Both items rest on a bed of rapini and the greens definitely benefit from the juices of both the sablefish and the pork. It's one of the best Surf and Turf plate I've had. 

To top this meal off, there is a Mixed Berry Sakekasu Bar. It's a miso pecan-walnut crumble, paired a vanilla-sakekasu & rhubarb-ume ice cream, and with a salted caramel sauce drizzled on top. It is as tasty as it is beautiful. There is a lot of Sakekasu in this menu, and I didn't really know what it was. It turns out it is the lees which are leftover after all the liquid is removed from the fermented rice used to make sake, and is a key component of the umami taste.

The $35 Vegetarian Menu starts off with a Minami Garden Trio. There is the Minami Garden Plate with fresh veggies and a delicate quinoa and avocado roll wrapped in soy paper, and some spinach shira-ae, a crumbled tofu. There is also a Kaiso (seaweed) Salad, which is paired with some frisée and a soy vinaigrette. I loved the little lotus chips on top. And to finish off the trio is the Miso-Tofu Sansai Gyoza, pan-fried to perfection. 

The entree is a serving of Crispy Tempeh, surrounded by a whole gamut of vegetables, such as a roasted mushroom medley, fingerling potatoes, cipollini onions, haricot verts. The dressing is made with maple-sherry vinegar and soy-balsamic reduction, topped with some Aburi corn and bell pepper salsa. The dessert is the same as the $45 menu above.

So whether you want to stop by just for lunch or a night out, I'd say any of the three menus are worth a try. I've already booked my table for the 24th; dinner before the Canucks versus Red Wings game! Note that not all menu items listed above are available throughout the year, some are just here for Taste of Yaletown 2015. 

Note: I was hosted for this tasting by the nice folks at Taste of Yaletown.

New Menu Tasting at Pearl Castle Cafe

Finally, after a long hiatus, ChineseBites is back! This time, we were invited to revisit to Pearl Castle Cafe to try out some of their new menu items. We were treated to their new bubbleteas as well as some of their new rice and hot pot dishes. The owners provided the food and drinks for our group.
The three drinks in the back are the new ones, all topped with a fluffy ball of cotton candy, only available at their main location (Continental Centre) as of Mid-June. The first one is Sunset Love, a fruity concoction of orange, pineapple and peach juice, topped with the cotton candy. The Blue Sky is next, topped with matching blue cotton candy with a base of blue tangerine, calpis (an un-carbonated soda with yogurt-like flavours from Japan) and pop. The last of the new ones is the Young Girl's Dream with a billowy pink cotton candy. It also has calpis and pop, but is mixed with a bit of grenadine. The cotton candy does deflate over time, so be sure to start with that! 
Of the ones in the bottom row, I had the first one on the left, the Pudding Milk Tea. I found it a bit sweet, but I still liked it. I would have added some pearls though. The next one is Coconut Red Bean. Two green teas follow, one is a Peach Lemon version, and the next is with Red Bean. The next two are new offerings as well, both featuring jelly noodles. The first is a Black Tea sweetened with brown sugar followed by the Wintermelon Juice.  There is a Green Lattea (pun intended!), as well as a Taro Green Milk Tea, also new this season. The Roasted Rice Lattea completes the lineup.
And last but not least, the one on the far right is the Ferrero Rocher chocolate milkshake...complete with the chocolate as well as Nutella. Amazing...and uber sweet. And if you look at the bottom of the Wintermelon Juice, you'll see the Jelly Noodles.
Now...onto the food! The little Taiwanese Sausages are less fatty than the North American ones. Made with pork, and simply seared, this was a good start to the meal. I can see this going really well with a beer.
Another favourite appetizer of mine is the Wonton with Chili Sauce. The wontons were a touch dry and the skins seemed a little thick, or perhaps a bit underdone? I love my food extra spicy, so this didn't have enough heat for me, but might be hot enough for some. 
Next up is a trio of fried appetizers. This is the Fried Tofu, simply battered and deep fried. These are pretty standard but the side of kimchi was refreshing.
I've never actually tried Abalone Mushroom, but I'm willing to try it, now that it's deep-fried! The breading is light, and the mushroom inside was really juicy. I really liked this, and would like to try making this at home, probably not deep-fried, but maybe braised with other mushrooms?
And last of the deep-fried goodness is the Fried Fish Cake. It's dense, chewy and a great blend of sweet and salty. The texture was super bouncy and really didn't need any accompaniments. Oh, and I liked that none of their fried dishes were overly oily. 
This is their Milk Seafood & Pork Hot Pot. A mixture of seafood, prawns, squid and fish are slow cooked together with some pork in a creamy milk-based soup. The whole pot is then kept heated at your table. Add the soup to your rice and this pot is comforting, soothing and very substantial for one person. I'd get an extra bowl of rice and just share this between two people! 
This is a real old-school way of braising chicken, the Three-Cup Chicken, so named not because each of the ingredients are measured in cups, rather, it is so named to indicate that the three sauce ingredients (sesame oil, Chinese rice wine, and soy sauce) are used in equal amounts. Basil is also an essential part of this dish and it's definitely present here as well. These little nuggets of chicken are soft and tender. I liked that some pieces were bone-in, giving the dish a rustic feel. 
This is another dish featuring the Abalone Mushroom Braised with Three Spices. This was really juicy, and after trying the mushroom done in this manner, I'll definitely be giving it a try at home, a great idea for Meatless Mondays!
Looking to ward off vampires and the common cold? Give this Garlic Sauce Chicken a try...just at a glance, there are over a dozen whole garlic cloves and loads of finely chopped garlic. And you can be sure there are more than what the eye can see. It's very similar to the Three-Cup Chicken, with the added extra of the garlic and green onions.
Kimchi rears its head again in this Kimchi Seafood Fried Udon. With all the dishes so far being served with rice, this noodle dish was a welcomed change. Not too spicy and loaded with seafood, this was more sour and spicy, but the texture of the noodles were bang on. 
Yay, another noodle dish! This time is the Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. I know everyone is still raving over ramen, but for me, these noodles are where it's at. The soup has hints of cilantro and star anise, a very pleasant blend of flavours. If you haven't tried this before, you'll be in for a surprise. 
Now onto the NEW items! First up is their Spicy Incense Pot. Loaded with seafood and various veggies, this potful really packs a punch...those chilies, man, they'll get you every time. If you are sensitive to heat, I highly recommend staying away from the actual chilies themselves. They render much of their heat into the heated pot. And I suggest you leave this towards the end of the meal, because the flavours of this will likely overwhelm more delicate dishes. 
Another new dish is the Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice. This was tasty, but I've never been a fan of fruit in savory dishes. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed the dish with the pineapple chunks. After adding a few sprinkles of hot sauce, this dish takes on a whole new flavour. 
An offshoot of their fan favourite, the Milk Seafood & Pork Hot Pot is their Curry Coconut Seafood & Pork Hot Pot. It's essentially the same dish with the addition of curry flavours and coconut milk. The flavours are really mild, so if you think you are not a fan of curries, give it a try. You'll be pleasantly surprised by the sweetness underlying the whole dish.
This is one of two new rice dishes, the Marinated Chicken with Rice, served with a side of tofu and some veggies, this is easily a one-pot wonder. I didn't really care for the warmed salad, but other than that, the dish had enough interesting textures and flavours to be worth a try. I would have like a bit more sauce and for the chicken to be a touch crispier, but other than that, no complaints.
Whew! And for the final dish, we have the Marinated Pork with Rice. Essentially the same flavours and accompaniments as the chicken dish, it is similarly satisfying. 
Many patrons of Pearl Castle Cafe have a short list of their favourites but with the addition of these new dishes, give them a revisit and you might find a new favourite! 

Address: Continental Centre, 1128-3779 Sexsmith Road, Richmond
Phone Number: (604) 270-3939
Website: on Facebook