samantha

Sushi Tree – There was a noticeable lineup for this place that pique my curiosity on what this eatery was all about. I did a quick search and found out that is an inari sushi bar! This is very different and unique since there isn’t anything like this in the lower mainland that specifically makes Inari. I was pretty stoked to try it out. So, what is Inari sushi? It’s a Japanese dish where rice is stuffed in a sweeten fried tofu pouch with numerous different toppings. It’s a great quick on the go meal alternative to the onigiri! Sushi tree is a pick up and go eatery that doesn’t provide dine in. It’s made fresh and the variety of choices were great. They had some cooked and raw choices to choose from. As the establishment was Korean own – there was a few inari ones that had a few Korean flavours available to try out. I had tried – unagi – aka eel / aburi salmon / scallop /ebi – aka shrimp / spicy tuna and BBQ chicken. The pricing for each one varies but each one was very generous in size with large portions of toppings. You can easily stuff yourself with 2 or 3 of them and be thoroughly satisfied. My top 3 choice were scallop, aburi salmon and spicy tuna. They also have vegan and vegetarian items so it’s a great place for anyone that has dietary restrictions. I would come back again to try out the rest of the menu if I want to have a quick snack or lunch! 

Wicked Café – I had been pushed/encouraged to try out Wicked Cafe due to a tik tok video. The sender wanted me to review it to see if it’s taste as good as it looks since she wasn’t in town to try it. I ordered the Instagram staple items – strawberry latte / peach tiramisu pot and sweet cheese garlic bun. I didn’t order the famous Tom and Jerry cheesecake since I wasn’t really looking for something too dense.  The decor and the creative creations of the baked goods were fantastic and clearly Instagram worthy. I can definitely see why so many people come to the spot to take photos! The urban and rustic vibe makes it very dreamy. So, what about taste? Overall, I didn’t find it to be anything particular that wow me. The garlic bun didn’t turn out as great as I liked it to be since it wasn’t garlicky enough for me. The sweetness of the cream cheese was a little overpowering for my liking. I would prefer a more subtle taste to it. The ig popular strawberry latte is just that – great for ig photos. The drink itself is simple enough to make. Strawberry puree with milk. When I see the word latte – I expected some sort of coffee with milk and Strawberry together with it. But there was absolutely no coffee in it. It should be renamed properly as it is. The taste isn’t bad but not impressive either. Perhaps make it sweeter and add some dry strawberrys on top to make it more unique and use brown sugar with a bit of lemon zest or lime to freshen the taste. As for the peach pot tiramisu I was expecting some sort of coffee flavour combined with the peaches. But I couldn’t taste much of the coffee within it. It tasted like a soft layered peach sponge cake. Overall, their creative baked goods and desserts are beautiful as their latte art as well. But when it comes to flavors – I definitely think there are other places that outshine it.

Como Taperia –  I have only been one tapas restaurant once a few years back in Downtown – The Sardine Can which permanently closed down. It was a pretty unique experience since I had no idea on what to expect. The ambiance was dimly lit with multiple candles all over gave the sauce a European flair that evokes you to think having a glass wine to slowly slip on while you enjoy chatting with friends and sharing some small eats. As for Como Taperia – the vibe was modern clean Mediterranean feel with earthy tones to complement the dishes. We ordered a few items which the server recommended since it was my first time there, and I didn’t know what to expect from. So, this is what we ordered. Eggplant – a sweet honey glazed eggplant sliced and fried with some herbs; I felt like it tasted more like sweet potato than eggplant. I wasn’t impressed with it since I was expecting the flavor of the eggplant to come out. Pate w/bread – the pate spread was a little too rich for my liking and on the sweet side and it was too smooth that it felt odd on my palate since I’m use to tasting a slightly textured pate style The 140z t bone anchovy sauce and deep-fried peppers – the steak was nice rare but it didn’t have that beefy juicy taste that I expected and enjoyed. The taste was muted by the anchovy sauce which was more prominent as you bit into the steak. As for the fried peppers – it looked tantalizing but there wasn’t much flavour in it. Surprisingly, the dish I enjoyed the most is the canned sardines imported from Italy with chips on the side. Placing a good chunk of Sardine and oil on top of the chip created a crunch texture with aromatic flavour that didn’t have the typical fishy after taste. Lastly, Charred Pork Neck, Pimenton Butter, Cabbage, Mojo Picon – this was also one of the better dishes to taste for that evening. The pork neck is always a fave for me. It’s qq texture with the perfect fat to meat ratio is a flattering type of meat to work with many seasonings from different ethics cuisine. How Como prepared the dish highlighted the neck so deliciously. Overall, I think I had romanticized my first tapa experience that como didn’t meet those same expectations. Also, I didn’t have any wine which would have made the experience a lot better since tapas are meant to pair it with wine. So overall, I think I didn’t enjoy como as much because my expectations were too high. I think I would give it a try again with wine and see if that will change my view of it. 

Lucky Gate – This place was a spur of the moment dinner choice. My cousin and I had made plans to head to another restaurant but things didn’t go according to plan. As a result, we completely changed our destination, and started craving for some skewers. Since we weren’t familiar or aware whether Coquitlam had any skewers to offer, we decided to use good old Google Maps to see what would pop up. What came up was Lucky Gate Chinese Restaurant. Northern Asian Cuisine. Reviews looked a little low, but from the photos, the place looked legit and the portions looked fairly generous. Upon entering the place, it was very quiet and it had only one booth occupied with patrons. I was starting to regret coming in since it was so quiet. However, once we were seat, we noticed the phone was ringing non stop. It appears takeout was keeping this place busy due to the covid. After looking through the menu, we decided the typical staple dishes that we both enjoy and will help distinguish whether the restaurant passed our approval of Northern Cuisine. We had ordered the garlic and chili pork slices / chilli refried green beans / Shanghai Pork Dumplings / Lamb Skewers / Beef Noodle / Seasonal Veggies with Garlic – Honestly, for two people, we ordered a lot! But since we rarely explore this area to eat, we decided let’s just go a little over the top and try out as much as we can.

One of the things we clearly noticed was the fact that the portions were fairly generous. Everything was fresh and made to order. The pork dumplings were packed with tasty soup but I felt the skin was a little too chewy and thick. As for the lamb skewers – each piece was very large and tasty with the aromatics of the cumin, a little fennel and chilli garlic peppers and infused with the charred taste. The beef noodles had the inhouse hand pulled noodles which was nice. But I felt the beef was a little dry and wasn’t tender enough for my liking. The seasonal veggies – ie. Chilli beans were overly seasoned that I needed to sip my tea for every mouthful of beans I ate. The same goes for the veggies – was way to seasoned. I felt a sodium overload! I was surprised by the garlic and chili pork slices because it was sliced so thin yet it was very tender and moist. The sauce itself was a nice balance that didn’t over power the pork. I would come back and try out a few more other dishes to see if I would be a regular patron to the place.