Moby Dick Seafood Restaurant

Restaurant: Moby Dick Seafood Restaurant

Cuisine: American/West Coast/Fast Food/Seafood
Last visited: January 9, 2010
Area: White Rock, BC
15479 Marine Drive
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: Fish: 6 Other stuff: 2
Service: 5

Ambiance: 3

Overall: 5

Additional comments:

• Family owned
• Since 1975
• Specializes/famous for fish and chips and tartar sauce
• Huge portions, huge pieces of fish
• Only one kind of fish: Cod
• Deep fried and breaded everything, except for salads
• Familiar to locals and tourists
• Line-ups
• Homemade, family recipes
• Great for families/seniors
• Very casual, fun atmosphere
• Special: Buy 3 pieces and get 1 FREE
• Great option for picnic on the beach
• Some burgers, sides, salads available
• Award winning “Travelocity.ca selected local favourite”
• Dine in/Take-out
• Take-out window, patio area
• Accepts inteac/Visa/Mastercard

**Recommendation: Fish and tartar sauce (I’d even pass on the chips)

The first time I heard about Moby Dick Seafood Restaurant was at a family dinner. Thanks to me we always end up talking about food! :D My cousins and I were sitting at a table talking about the best fish and chips in the city. I was talking about how I wasn’t impressed by Pajo’s in Richmond and then with high enthusiasm one of them blurts out “Moby Dick! Moby Dick in White Rock is THE BEST Fish and Chips in Vancouver!” I could hear the passion in his voice and the excitement in his eyes. We could all feel it…it was pretty hilarious. Nonetheless all of us put it on our list of places to go!

So I came here literally right after my 3 course brunch at Giraffe Restaurant down the street. This was pretty much my second lunch, but I just had to try it! While waiting for Kim to arrive, I spent 20 min. walking up and down the street to burn off brunch so I would be hungry again. Kim and I have been talking about it for ages, so I’m glad we finally made it!

Moby Dick Seafood Restaurant has been around for ages, and not much has changed since its opened…not that I was alive then, but it doesn’t seem like anything has changed. It has the family owned atmosphere with that “tacky” quality fish and chip places have. It’s fun though and it suites the atmosphere, so I liked it! Even the service is very family-owned – everyone seems to be grinning from ear to ear and you can feel that they really appreciate your business from the moment you walk in to the minute you leave.

Some (very few) people may call it a "tourist trap", but I don't think so. I was there visiting in the winter and it was packed with locals. Ultimately you do get a huge piece of quality fish that's fried very well with homemade tartar sauce...I could pass on the other items though.

On the table:

**3 Pieces Fish & Chips 6/6

• $16.60 (If you order 3 pieces you get 1 free! The offer isn’t advertised, but they’ll give it to you.)
• Yes, this was the best fish and chips I’ve had yet. However I don’t have much to compare to because I don’t have fish and chips too often. I could, but I doubt I will find better than this.
• The fish is premium quality Alaskan Lingcod and they slice and filet it in house! It’s the biggest deep-fried fish I’ve ever had. The meat was was juicy, tender, flaky and fried golden brown to perfection.
• The batter is the 2^nd part to what makes this fish perfect. It’s a really thin crispy batter, to the point of almost forming air pockets. It was that light and I’m so surprised at how well it held on to the fish, the fish didn’t separate from the batter. I want to taste more fish than I do batter, and in this case I did. It was the perfect ratio.
• To my surprise, one of the first things I noticed was that the fish and batter were not seasoned. There was no pepper and very little, or I think none at all – salt! Usually this would be a big deal to me, because there should be some salt to enhance the flavour, but it didn’t bother me here too much because the star of the show was the tartar sauce!

  

Tartar sauce 5/6

• Small: $.80 Large $1.40
• The tartar sauce is another famous item at Moby Dick Seafood Restaurant.
• Start off with a premium ingredient and serve it with a homemade sauce…how can you go wrong?
• People say it’s the best tartar sauce ever, so I had my expectations set high. I wouldn't call it a classic tartar sauce though.
• It smells and tastes like dill vegetable dip and ranch salad dressing mixed together. It’s mayo based, so a bit thicker than a salad dressing. There’s lots of dill, some pickles and minced onions too. It could really be used as a potato chip dip or for a potato salad. It was creamy, but maybe a bit thinner in texture than a traditional tartar sauce. It was excellent, but the dominant flavour is dill and for a tartar sauce I would like a bit more of a pickled flavour.

Chips 1.5/6

• Small $3.90 Medium $4.90 Large $5.90
• To be honest I could do without the fries. They’re hand-cut Yukon Gold fries with the skins on (even though the menu says they peel the skins by hand).
• They’re a bit sweeter because they’re Yukon golds and they would have been excellent if they cooked them well. They were very oily though and soggy because they were soaked in oil. They were almost wet, and I had grease all over my hands.
• They could have been so good, but I think they need to re-assess the cooking temperature and time…or even just fry them twice or fry them longer in hotter oil. It catches me off guard because they nailed the frying time on the fish and the batter was so light and crispy.

  

Clam Strips 1/6

• Breaded clam strips served with cocktail sauce $4.90
• I was not feeling this at all. The batter was completely opposite of the batter on the fish. It was dense, crunchy and reminded be of the batter cheap pubs use for their onion rings. Or it reminded me of heavily battered popcorn shrimp, but with a fishy taste. The batter separated from the clam meat; however the clam itself was quite tender. It was a whole lot of batter and not a whole lot of clam.
• The clam strips were also quite bitty too. There were a few that were at least 2 inches and then a bunch at the bottom that were really small.
• I also didn’t like how they served it with 2 random onion rings. It was almost like they knew the clam strips looked a bit pathetic so they added the rings last minute to make the dish look fuller. How did they taste? Like a regular onion ring. It wasn't the fish batter or the clam batter, but somewhere in between.
• Cocktail sauce: The cocktail sauce was more on the ketchup side than it was on the horseradish side. It was quite mild, so I think it catered more to kids and seniors with sensitive taste buds. It was a bit tangy and lemony but I like a stronger kick to my cocktail sauce.

El Inka Deli

This is only their appetizer menu, they have an actual full menu with entrees etc.

Restaurant: El Inka Deli

Cuisine: Latin American/Columbian/Peruvian
Last visited: January 12, 2010
Area: Burnaby, BC
3826 Sunset Street
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5
Service: 6

Ambiance: 3 (hole in the wall; but had authentic charm)

Overall: 5

Additional comments:

• Husband and wife team
• Family owned/operated
• Owners from Peru
• Hole in the wall
• Authentic Latin American food
• Specializes in Peruvian/Columbian food
• Extensive menu
• Lots of snack/appetizer items
• Very home style
• Everything made in house/home cooked
• Homemade chorizo/sausage
• Authentic Latin drinks
• Service fantastic! (I want to give a 7/6)
• Dine-In/Take-out
• Ready made to-go items
• Some desserts
• Open lunch and dinner until 8pm
• Accepts Visa, Mastercard

**Recommendation: Jalea Mixta

I discovered El Inka Deli a couple months before I started this blog. I was doing my usually research online and after reading rave reviews I immediately put it on my places to try list. I’m never in that area so I never got to try it until this day.

I had made plans to meet Vancouver fashion blogger Nicole, yes it was a fashion + foodie love affair! We thought we had thoroughly planned our date at Vita Bella Italian Ristorante, but an hour before meeting time I double checked the website to discover it was closed on Tuesdays. Damnit!...With last minute planning and limited selection in that area I suggested El Inka Deli. I was originally supposed to make the visit with fellow food blogger and friend Kim (from Panama), however other restaurants got priority. Even in a rush, I did not hesitate to read Kim’s review and write down the order, after all Kim is from South America!

I missed the photo of the outside, so this one is borrowed from Kim.

Located in the tiniest strip mall in the middle of nowhere El Inka Deli joins the list of hole-in-the wall restaurants in Vancouver. El Inka Deli relies on word-of-mouth business and it’s a place that should not be missed. I’ve never been to Latin America, so I’m writing this review from a “North American” stand point. However I’m pretty sure when it comes to food this is the closest thing I will get to the real deal in Vancouver. From the home cooked authentic Latin food, to the Latin soap operas, to the Peruvian imported table mats this place feels like home...that is if I was actually from Latin America. ;p They have an extensive menu, and I’ve only tried 3 things so I can’t make a fair review, but I am certain that I will be back to try more.

I have to make a shout-out to the owners. They are the loveliest people ever! Not only were they great at explaining the menu and making recommendations, but Nicole and I stayed way past closing time (closes at 8pm) without even realizing it, and they made no attempts to kick us out. Overall I had a fabulous Tuesday with great food, great experience and great company!

Other Vancouver hole-in-the wall restaurants include: Thai Basil, Prata-Man Singaporean Cuisine, Dhaka Fish & Biryani Halal Restaurant, “the kitchen”, Panos Greek Taverna, Sushi World, Chen’s Shanghai Kitchen, Budgies Burrito, and no review yet, but must be included the famous Phnom Penh.

On the table:

Cassava Root 3/6

• Deep fried cassava root with hot sauce (I’m pretty sure it was $3)
• The owner recommended it and said it was a very typical Peruvian appetizer.
• Cassava root or yucca root is almost like potato, but firmer, starchier and more fiberous.
• For me this was the South American version of fries. It was perfectly fried until golden brown and crispy. I liked how they weren’t dry (even though it has a naturally dry quality), and they were nicely salted.
• It’s not the fist time I’ve tried it before, but I liked the roasted Cassavafrites that accompanied my Chepen Duck at Baru Latino better.
• They make it great here, but in general the dish doesn’t really do anything for me. It’s good, but something I don’t have to have.
• The hot sauce or salsa: This is pretty spicy, but I liked it! Nicole and I can handle spicy so we thought it was perfect, but for others this may be too hot. It was not just spicy, but it was very flavourful and homemade with green onions, cilantro, chilies, tomatoes and onions. The spice lingers in your mouth so I needed to wait a bit before trying the other dishes.

Jalea Mixta 5/6

• Lettuce, deep fried cassava roots, fish and seafood with an onion and tomato topping $15.99
• Literally meaning “seafood mix” this was another one of her recommendations. It’s a typical Peruvian dish and the owners are from Peru, so I was excited for this.
• It's 4 rather large pieces of deep fried cod mixed with an assortment of deep fried seafood such as mussels, shrimp, octopus and squid. This mountain of deep fried seafood was served on about 4 deep fried cassava roots.
• Everything was fried perfectly with the seafood tender and the fish still moist. It wasn’t oily and the batter stayed attached to the seafood.
• It reminded me of Calamari, but with a pickled salsa on top. The flavour of this dish is savoury and tangy. I liked the salsa because it was marinated in lime juice so the onions were naturally tenderized and sweet, but kept their natural crunch.
• The batter was excellent! It was crispy and not just salty, but it had a wonderful savoury flavour. It had a orange tint and I’m not sure if it was sweet chili seafood seasoning, but it was just really good! It wasn’t spicy, but had more flavour than salt and pepper alone.
• What I didn’t like was that the seafood was frozen. I don’t really expect fresh seafood here, but the shrimp was dime sized baby shrimp, the mussels were the size of peanuts, and the squid were little ringlets. Half the time I didn't know what I was eating unless it was the fish or the octopus. I also didn't get much shrimp or mussels.
  
• It was one of their pricey items and paying $15.99 at a place like this feels kind of steep, however when I take into consideration the small family operation and labour I can understand.
• Also I didn’t pay attention to the menu description, because if I had known that there was deep fried cassava root in it I would have opted for another appetizer.

Bandeja Paisa 4/6

• Red beans cooked with sweet plantain served with platter of ground beef, rice, avocado, a fried egg, deep fried sweet plantains, homemade chorizo (sausage) and chicharron (deep fried pork skin) $15.99
• This dish is hard for me to rate, because I would never order it on my own. I just had to try it though because it’s what Kim ordered and the owner stressed how authentic the dish is to Columbia. It was definitely served and made authentically, but I just don’t like chicharron. It's a very hearty dish with lots of variety. It's a Latin version of a "Hungry Man's" meal. Everything on the platter is supposed to be eaten together – I enjoyed it much better when I mixed it altogether, like I would fried rice...I didn't know how else to eat it.
  
• It was savoury, sweet, and the meats (intentionally) dry, except for the sausage, accompanied with the best creamy red bean 'sauce'.
• Again it was one of their expensive items, but for the labour that goes into each item and the variety I got - it's justified. It's not gourmet by any means, but very home cooked - like mom's...not my mom though ;)
  
• I tried this dish at Marimba! So it was interesting to note the differences. The one at Marimba! was missing one huge thing that I failed to realize until now…the chicharron!
• The Break Down of the Platter:
• Chicharron is deep-fried pork rind, and I am not a fan. It doesn't look nice but I obviously still tried it. It’s an extremely deep fried piece of pork rind, and it’s deep-fried to the point of being dry – but it’s supposed to be. It was very thick and crunchy, like a hearty piece of bacon, but it wasn’t really salty. The reddish brown parts were very dry because it was lean, and the white fatty parts were quite juicy. (The closest thing to this that I can actually enjoy is the Suckling Pig at La Brasserie.)
• The poached egg was a bit overcooked so the yolk didn’t spill over my rice as much as I wanted it to.
• The best part for me was the ultra creamy stewed red beans. It was almost like the gravy to the meal, but it's not meaty or salty. It was a very deep rich flavour, very subtly sweet, smooth and just perfect! It wasn't only stewed red beans though, I have a feeling there was some pureed carrots or something in there. There was another thickening agent and I’ve never had beans like this before. I would order it as a side and eat it alone with some rice!
• The next best thing was the deep fried plantains. This wasn’t a typical banana, but also not a plantain – it’s made with a South American banana that’s in between the two. It doesn’t have a strong banana flavour like regular banana does, and it’s not starchy like a typical plantain, but it carries a honey-like mildly sweet flavour. It was soft and creamy and had a crispy thin layer. It went so well with the beans and almost enhanced the flavour of the beans. It's such a great combination together. We also wanted to eat these plantains with ice cream too!
• I wouldn’t call this “ground beef”. It was more like finely shredded beef jerky. I’m not sure what the authentic way is, but this just caught me off guard. It wasn't too salty and I still liked it.
• The pita was homemade and I think it called “arepa”. It was made with cornmeal and cheese, but it tastes like a very dry pita with a very subtle cheesy taste. It’s not soft or chewy but more grainy and starchy.
• I could have used more avocado. For the size of the platter, I needed at least 2 wedges.
• The homemade chorizo or sausage was good, but again not really for my taste. It was made with pork rind so it was really fatty and I was chewing on pieces of white jelly. This made for an extremely juicy and flavourful chorizo, but again…the texture, is just not for me. I did love the crispy exterior though and overall it was made really well.

Kingyo

Freshly grated wasabi

Restaurant: Kingyo
Cuisine: Japanese/Izakaya/Fusion
Last visited: October 23, 09

Area: Vancouver, BC
871 Denman Street
Price Range: $20-30 (average bill per person)

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 5.5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 5
Overall: 5
Additional comments:

• Izakaya/Tapas style Japanese food
• Trendy, creative/funky fusion dishes
• Small selection of sashimi specialties
• Fresh ingredients/homemade sauces
• Menu includes description of sauces
  
• Seasonal menus
• Japanese owned/operated
• Home made desserts
• Home made ginger ale, and lychee liquor
• Extensive drink menu
• Winner of tons of awards
• Busy/Lively
• Attracts ages 20-35, large groups/couples
• Reservations recommended
• Complimentary frozen grapes at the end
• Recently opened for lunch now (different menu)
  

**Recommendation: Ahi Tuna Carpaccio, any of their daily Sashimi specials, Sockeye Salmon Carpaccio, Pressed Mackerel Sushi

Kingyo is one of my favourite Izakaya places in Vancouver - and we have a lot to chose from. The quality of food is up there and the service is lively with the staff greeting you from the moment you walk in. It has a contemporary Japanese atmosphere, young staff, and funky menu. Kingyo is great because they offer homemade sauces, pay attention to detail and presentation.

I've been here a bunch of times and have tried pretty much every item on the standard menu. However there's always something new to feature on their daily fresh sheet that includes chef's recommendations and daily/seasonal specials. I have yet to be disappointed and it's a solid choice for Izakaya.

What impresses me is the quality of sashimi and the proper techniques they use to cut it. That and the fact that they give you freshly grated wasabi, the best way to eat sashimi.


On the table:

• **Ahi Tuna Carpaccio 6/6
• Thinly sliced ahi-tuna and avocado over Japanese radish topped with garlic chips, kaiware radish wasabi mayo and soy based dressing.

• Take your taste buds on a journey! This dish is amazing and one of my favourites. The texture is perfect and it's so finely executed and delicate to eat with beautiful colours too. Everything is finely sliced - the avocado and tuna the same size, and the "decorations" the same size.
• Nothing is overwhelming because the ratio of all the ingredients is spot on. It's a very refreshing dish from all the fresh veggies and you still get a little creaminess from the avocado and tuna.
• There's different levels of crunchiness, from the veggies, garlic chips (way better than croutons), and masago so it's almost like a salad. The dressing aids to the freshness - it's served with a tangy and citrusy vinaigrette and a wasabi mayo that gives the dish a slight kick...the Japanese radish sprouts also give it a slight spiciness.
• **5 kinds of Sashimi 6/6
• Scallop, local shrimp, local sockeye salmon, hamachi (Yellowtail tuna), ahi tuna
  
• The 5 kinds of sashimi are chef's choice and it changes seasonally according to what is available.

• You can't go wrong with ordering sashimi at Kingyo. They have a small selection of sashimi so you can guarantee it's fresh and very high in quality. Just look at it! It's beautiful pieces!
• They serve it the authentic Japanese way where each slice is cut perfectly with a real sashimi knife. It's bite-size, how it should be, and each fish is cut differently to bring out maximum flavour. He uses proper technique to cut the fish so that you get to taste not only the flavour but the texture of it too. The salmon just melts in your mouth.
• The shrimp is kind of sweet and really slimy.
• The scallops are served with a dollop of mixed caviar which gives it a salty bite bringing out the scallops natural flavour; as well as for presentation.
• **Yellowtail "Japan" sashimi and Ahi-Tuna "Hawaii" sashimi

• Ahi-Tuna Hawaii 6/6
• It's cut in cubes and on a slight diagonal like it should be. The flavour is outstanding and all it needs is a little wasabi. It's firm, hearty, and almost meaty in texture and flavour.
  
• The only thing is I can tell they don't sell much of it (at $13.80) - so it's not as fresh as it should be. Don't get me wrong - you won't get sick from it or anything, but it's not day-of fresh.

• Yellowtail "Japan" 6/6 versus Hamachi (Yellowtail) 4.5/6
• I took a photo so you can see the difference between Yellowtail "Japan" (the lighter coloured one which we ordered separately), and Hamachi, also Yellowtail, but not from Japan (came on the 5 kinds of sashimi boat).
• The Yellowtail "Japan" wins hands down, and at $13.50 it should. It's firmer and has this rich buttery flavour. It has a higher fat content and has more flavour, it's delicious!
  
• 
• Sizzling Stone Sea Urchin Bibimbap 3/6
• Sea urchin, salmon caviar, prawn, squid, & mixed seasonal veggies on premium Koshi Hikari rice served in a stone bowl.

• This is a Japanese spin on a very popular Korean rice bowl the "bibimbap".
  
• They serve it in a very hot stone bowl and the server does the mixing for you at the table. He shows you what you're getting and then does the mixing. They press the rice to the sides of the bowl so it can crisp up. The longer you wait to eat it the crispier it gets and the better it is.
• The texture is a little gummy and slimy from the sea urchin and the saltiness is a fishy saltiness (from the sea urchin and salmon caviar). They used green onions, Enoki mushrooms, celery and water chestnuts to give it crunch which it really needed. None of these ingredients really have flavour though so I found it a bit bland. I understand if they want to show off the natural flavour of the sea urchin, but it was a big bowl of rice and it needed something extra.
• Still good, but compared to the other dishes there's better. I would also prefer the Korean bibimbap to this.
• Tako-Wasabi (Raw or cooked) 4/6
  
• Chopped octopus and pickles marinated in wasabi flavoured sauce. Your choice of raw, cooked, or half and half.

• I ordered it raw, but be prepared for a super slimy dish! This is perhaps the slimiest, gooiest and gummiest dish ever...but it's supposed to be. It's really fresh and it's marinated in its own juices. The pickles and wasabi cut through the sliminess a bit. They use freshly grated wasabi in the sauce and that makes the world of difference.
• I wouldn't mind trying it half and half, but I hesitate because octopus can be easy to overcook and it becomes really tough and chewy.
  
• Raw octopus is also a delicacy so it seems like a waste to cook it.
  

• 
• It's served with strips of nori. Eat it like a taco: add a spoonful of chopped octopus and pickles to a sheet of nori and eat.
• Grilled Black Cod 3/6
• Grilled "saikyo miso" marinated black cod.

• This was good, but also nothing really special or creative.
  
• The saikyo miso is made of fermented soy beans. The one they used for this fish is a sweet miso gravy. The sauce was a bit chalky - which miso naturally is, almost like a sweet peanut butter, but not as thick. It didn't really absorb into the black cod, but was more of a condiment. The fish was really tender and smooth with a nice crispy skin.
• Personally I think the Chinese do a better cod.
• Chestnut & Yuzu Gelato 2/6
• Made in house, but it's not that good.
  
• They definitely use the real thing in creating the flavours. The two together were a good balance because the yuzu was light and the chestnut was thicker and creamier.
• Simply put it tastes like an Asian dessert - not like the gelato you're used to.
  
• Yuzu: a slight licorice taste and you get a hint of lemon peel too. It's sorbet like.
• Chestnut: very potent chestnut flavour. It almost tastes like red bean, which I don't like. A little chalky tasting.
• Chocolate Brownie-cake thing: ew, no. This was really bad. It tasted like it was made with Splenda sugar, it was really fake and there was no chocolate taste. Just look at the texture, you can tell it was dry and dense.
  
• Sake-Kasu Tiramisu 1.5/6
  
• I didn't order it on this visit, but I've tried it before.
  
• It's really boozey! You can really taste the sake and I think they went overboard. It was overpowering. It's also really rich and creamy and it's hard to finish the whole thing by yourself.
• Complimentary frozen grapes served at the end.