Big Ridge Brewing Co.

Restaurant: Big Ridge Brewery

Cuisine: American/Pub Food/International
Last visited: February 4, 2010
Area: Surrey, BC
15133 56 Ave
Price Range: $10-20

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

Food: 2.5
Service: 5

Ambiance: 3.5

Overall: 3

Additional comments:

• Part of Mark James Group (DIX BBQ, Yaletown Brewery etc.)
• Lively neighborhood pub in Surrey
• Great for beer, samples available
• Busy/line-ups on weekends
• Classic pub food
• Affordable prices
• Lots of Chinese stir-fry dishes/bowls
• Felt like Hon’s – very Westernized Chinese food
• Casual, loud
• Restaurant and separate bar area
• Open kitchen
• All ages welcome
• Open late

**Recommendation: n/a

I actually wasn’t aware that Big Ridge Brewery was part of the Mark James Group. When I heard DIX Barbeque and Yaletown Brewery my expectations were set a bit high…too I high I think. Especially since the parking lot was completely full and there was a 30min. line up at 7pm with every single table full.

When I looked at the menu I was already not so gong-ho…I saw a lot of Chinese options and a pub making Chinese food? I had my hesitations. However the kitchen is a big open kitchen and half the chefs are Chinese so I thought “hey maybe it is authentic?”…but then just looking at the dishes going by and talking to some staff it’s pretty obvious it is very Westernized Chinese food. In which case I think I’ll stick to the traditional pub food. I’m not really one for pub food, but I can appreciate it – in this case I would much rather have pub food from the The Hub.

The portions are surprisingly not that big here and I think they really need to invest in some nicer dishes. I felt like I was at a really rough pub and for The Mark James Group I expect a little more “posh-ness”. The food was almost served cafeteria style like Ricky’s All Day Grill. I’m really surprised to see such a high rating for it on Urbanspoon – I thought it was very mediocre.

They are about to release their new menu which consists of a variety of Asian/Indian influenced dishes so if you want to sample those you should go now because they will be choosing the most popular dishes and including them on their new menu.

On the table:

Fish Tacos 2/6

• Beer battered halibut bites wrapped in a flour tortilla with a Sriracha aioli and cilantro-Asian slaw $11.99
• This is one of their special feature items. They’re supposed to include it on the official menu if there’s enough positive feedback and demand.
• It’s supposed to be a main, but for me it was more like an appetizer. The plating really needs some work…or maybe even just another plate.
• It reminded me of the Vietnamese sandwich “Banh Mi”, except those are way better. These tacos are loaded with shredded cucumbers, carrots, daikon and cilantro marinated in vinegar.
• The Sriracha aioli came off as chipotle mayo.
• It came with 3 pieces of halibut bites that tasted like battered chicken. It was a bit dry and overly battered as well. It was crunchy though. I could barely taste the halibut because the pieces were too small.
• Overall it was tangy, slightly spicy and basically something I could make at home.

Vegetarian Pizza 4/6

• The menu calls it “The Best Vegetarian Pizza Ever” – Japanese eggplant, broccoli, roasted corn, balsamic onion, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, mozzarella, Feta, and pesto $12.99
• If the menu didn’t say “The Best Vegetarian Pizza Ever” I would not have ordered a vegetarian dish at a pub. This is a bold statement and I just had to order it. It was more than I expect from a pub, but is it the best ever? No. It was very good though.
• The menu says “Our pies are bigger than the other guy’s” – they weren’t that big. I think they’re 14’’ inch pizzas? I mean it’s worth it, but all these are bold claims which lead me to have high expectations.
• This is a very tangy pizza. The tomato sauce is tangy and with the balsamic onions and sundried tomatoes it was even tangier. The onions were crunchy and needed to be cooked longer though. Or they should slice them rather than dice them and they would have cooked through.
• The tang was balanced very well with the salty Feta and pesto drizzle. They used a lot of both these ingredients and I could taste everything except for the eggplant. There was barely any and the few pieces it had were really dried out.
• The crust is nice and thin and it’s baked in a fire-wood oven, however they need to bake it longer because only the edges were crispy and the rest of the crust was very soft and chewy. However looking underneath it looks like it was baked enough...they need to adjust the heat.
• Overall the pizza is quite good, but they just need to work on the cooking temp/times and execution of ingredients. Not everything should be diced because each veggie has a different cooking time.

Quarter Chicken & Ribs 2.5/6

• ¼ beer can chicken and our famous pork ribs, served with oven roasted potatoes $19.99
• For 19.99 I could get better chicken and ribs elsewhere. It wasn’t bad, but it’s wasn’t that good either. The portion is also surprisingly not that big for a pub/bar restaurant. It was ¼ chicken and 5 ribs piled on top of mashed potatoes.
• They actually do a good job with the sauces and seasonings, but the quality of meat is the downfall. If they changed that it would actually be quite good!
• The chicken was served with chicken onion gravy and it almost tastes packaged. I felt like they used cornstarch to thicken it rather than letting it reduce.
• The chicken wasn’t that juicy and it was actually quite rough in texture – although not necessarily dry.
• I couldn’t tell they used beer but they did use some rosemary on the skin. The skin also wasn’t crispy and got soggy from the gravy.
• The ribs were falling off the bone, but not tender at all. The meat was very chewy which means the quality of ribs they’re using isn’t great. There wasn’t much meat on them in general.
• The ribs were served with a barbeque glaze or sauce. It was sweet and tangy, but didn’t have much of a kick and they needed more of it.
• It comes with roasted potatoes, but I changed it to roast garlic mash – no extra charge.

Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes 4/6

• This was a chunky mashed potato as opposed to a creamy smooth one. It’s made with Russet potatoes with the skins on so they’re nice and flavourful.
• There are bits of potato you can chew into. They were very garlic tasting and quite good! I enjoyed them more than I did the meat.

Cole Slaw 1/6

• I was not a fan of this cole slaw. They used a combo of mayo and horseradish for the dressing. It was very spicy and watery in texture and didn’t match the flavours of the chicken, ribs, or potatoes.

Dessert

• Just showing the menu...I decided to pass on dessert because I was not impressed with dinner…I actually just went across the street to McDonalds for ice cream instead. McDonald’s ice cream is so reliable.

Mayuri Indian Cuisine

Restaurant: Mayuri Indian Cuisine

Cuisine: Indian/Vegetarian
Last visited: January 17, 2010
Area: Surrey, BC
12677 80th Avenue
Price Range: $10 or less

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

Food: 4 (Coming from an Indian perspective)
Service: 3 (very nice, just very slow)

Ambiance: 2

Overall: 4

Additional comments:

• Family owned
• Authentic (for North Indians and myself, but if you ask a South Indian person the menu is but the execution is not so much)
• Serves South/North Indian cuisine
• Specializes in South Indian cuisine
• All vegetarian
• Popular for dosa (20 varieties, not 30 as advertised)
• Lots of homemade Indian bread options (about 9)
• Lots of starches
• Big portions, good value
• Dairy free options
• Gluten free options
• Vegan friendly
• Extensive menu
• All ages
• Seats 50
• Busy during lunch
• Fully licensed
• Dine in/Take out
• Catering and party hosting available
• Open Mon-Thurs 11am-9:30pm
• Open Fri-Sun 11am – 10pm

**Recommendation: Mysore Masala Dosa, Mysore Cheese Dosa, Thali, Marsala Chai (It’s especially good here). These recommendations are mine as well as from Indian people that eat there. They used to offer these amazing raw banana pakoras; it’s still on the menu but sadly not offered.

This is about my 5^th visit to Mayuri Indian cuisine. It’s not really a hole in the wall but it is kind of in the middle of nowhere between industrial complexes. My Indian friends introduced it to me first and since then I have brought my non-Indian friends as well. The vegetarian and non-vegetarian friends liked it and for most it was their 1^st time. Everyone was more awe’d by the overall experience rather than the food itself, but nobody complained about the food – except some dishes were a bit too spicy. I like spicy, so it was fine for me.

I am quite familiar with North Indian food (home cooked and restaurant) but not South, so from my “Indian” perspective and the perspective of my Indian friends Mayuri is considered a good restaurant for South Indian cuisine. They do serve some North Indian food, but I would classify them much more as South Indian. Everyone orders dosas and they have some South Indian rice specialties that are hard to find elsewhere.

For me, a restaurant has got to be good if your friends of that culture keep bringing you back. Also you know it’s authentic when you’re the only non-Indian in there, and I’ve been the only non-Indian all 5 times. Personally, I think Mayuri Indian cuisine does a fine job. It serves great food, made upon order and at a great value. Don’t underestimate the entirely vegetarian menu, I get so sleepy every time I finish eating here – the portions are big and they’re heavy in starches.

I’m going to treat this review like South Indian cuisine for beginners…

On the table:

**Mysore Masala Dosa 5/6

• Crepe stuffed with Potato Curry, Filled with Spicy Special Sauces $7.45
• I’m still so sleepy and full from the dosa…
• Dosas are huge; anywhere you go you’ll find them this big. It’s really unique looking and don’t be overwhelmed by the size. It’s only the middle that has about a bowl and a ½ full of potato curry, the rest is just the crepe. It’s still incredibly filling though.
• The potato curry is spicy, not too salty and flavourful. It’s not saucy or soupy, but very creamed and thick although there is no cream. It’s almost like a mashed potato curry but with some small tender chunks of potato. There’s also onions, ginger, garlic, carrots, peas and spicy Indian spices, but you can order it mild.
• The crepe is made of lentil flour and it’s really thin and crispy until you get to the part where the potato curry is. When it gets wet or touches sauce it becomes flexible and almost chewy.
• They put a thin layer of tomato paste on the inside giving it a tanginess. It’s also seasoned generously with garam masala (freshly ground Indian spices) and some chili powder. It’s quite salty in the beginning, very aromatic and then the spiciness hits you just after.
• With the combination of the spicy crepe and spicy potato curry, this dosa had my nose running – but I like my heat so it tolerable for me. I did have a hard time tasting the other food after though and had to allow a break in between…and some water.
• The dosa is served with sambar (lentil soup described below) and 2 kinds of chutney: coconut and ginger.
• The coconut is sweet and there’s dried coconut flake in it. It’s not that creamy and very light tasting and makes the dosa mild if it’s spicy.
• The ginger chutney was more like chili chutney. It was bright red and very spicy, but still good.
• If you’re adventurous and want to sample everything then order the Mayuri South Indian platter, that’s what I did my 1^st time. I didn’t really like the extras, so I just order the dosa now.
• South Indian Platter includes:
• 1 dosa (Chose your own dosa for $1 extra)
• Idli: steamed rice cakes, almost like polenta in texture. It’s bland like plain rice is but it’s used as the ‘bread’ for the soup.
• Vada: a deep fried donut similar to a honey crueller from Tim Horton’s but it’s savoury not sweet. It’s not salty either; it tastes like the deep fried denser version of the Idli. It’s quite bland and very filling.
• Sambar: lentil soup – this is good! But it com es with any dosa, not just the platter and you can order it separately too.

**Thali 4/6

• Two poories, Plain Rice, Flavored rice, Daal, one Fry, one Curry, Sambar, Dahi, Sweet, Papad $11.95 (I don’t know what the menu means by “one fry”)
• This has everything, but the kitchen sink in it! My mom calls it “Indian nachos” lol. I enjoy the variety so if you want to sample everything go for this. However this is more of a North Indian combination platter. I wouldn’t call it authentic North Indian, but it’s a North an d South Indian fusion – essentially its North Indian dishes made by South Indian people.
• You can order each of these items individually as well. It’s meant for one person, but could easily feed 2.
  

• The Thali Breakdown
• Poories 2/6:
• Deep fried whole wheat bread.
• This is deep fried bread so it’s really crispy and almost tasted like deep fried pita bread made out of corn meal.
• I wasn’t really a fan and prefer roti or naan. The poorie is stiffer but as the cool down they taste a bit stale.
• Papad:
• Also known as papadums. These are typically served as appetizers and you eat them with chutney. It’s a thin crisp wafer and they’re very aromatic. Not really spicy but more salty and made with lots of cumin, garlic, salt and pepper.
• Plain rice: is just plain Basmati rice...it was very white though.
• Flavoured rice 6/6:
• I’m pretty sure it was there “hot pongal” rice, but I’m not certain. The description sounds like what I was eating.
• This was delicious. It was rice with moong daal (yellow split pea, similar to a lentil) cooked with black peppers and seasoning. It’s not spicy though. It tastes like a puree of creamed curry lentils and rice. Just think of it as baked beans and rice but with curry instead of tomato sauce. It was savoury and I really enjoy ed it! It's delicious with the raita (which is basically plain yogurt).
• It was like Indian risotto, but mushy.
• Channa Masala 3/6:
• It’s 3/6 here, but when it’s made well it’s a 5/6 for me. This is chick peas cooked in a tomato based sauce. It was savoury and very tangy and simple.
• It’s a North Indian vegetarian dish, and they don’t make it extremely well here, but it’s decent. It’s a small portion, and I would only order it as a main at an Indian restaurant that focuses on North Indian cuisine.
• The one here is a bit watery and not as flavourful. It’s not their specialty.
• Tomato Daal 4.5/6:
• This dish is stewed lentils cooked in tomatoes and Indian spices. It was the most savoury of the 3, very mild, and I really liked it.
• It was creamy (but no cream), saucy and it’s very healthy too. Well they probably use some clarified butter in it, but it doesn’t taste like they use a lot.
• It's not as rich as a butter chicken sauce, but it's similar. It also has some mustard seeds in it, which were great.
  
• The only thing is that it's not as thick as I would have liked it.
  

  

• Paneer Butter Masala 6/6:
• Paneer cooked in rich creamy sauce is how the menu describes it. I think they did a great job with this dish.
• Paneer is a cheese, but I question if it’s homemade here – I doubt it. It’s an Indian cheese similar to cottage cheese but firm, not hard though. It’s a very hearty cheese (almost like chicken) but mild in flavour.
• The dish tastes like butter chicken, except made with paneer. The sauce is a tomato based sauce and it is not spicy at all. It’s a bit tangy, but not as tangy as the channa masala.
• This dish has no dairy, but probably some clarified butter to give it that richness.
• Sambar 6/6:
• Thick lentil vegetable soup. I really like the sambar here. It’s not too watery and very flavourful. The beans are slowly cooked so they break down into the soup.
• It’s not really a spicy soup, but almost like tomato based vegetable soup made Indian style.
• Traditionally, you can order idli (those rice cakes) and break pieces of it into the soup and let the patties absorb the flavours of the soup.
• Sweet/Rice Pudding 1.5/6:
• The rice pudding didn’t taste like it was made that day. The rice was hard and it seemed almost pureed and very bitty. It was too sweet too and had no rose water or cardamom.
• Achar 1/6
• This is definitely an acquired taste for sure! I’ve never liked it and I always give it a chance. It’s the most sour and salty thing you’ve ever tried…not a fan.
• You’re supposed to have a bite of it in between chews of everything else, but I’m still not warming up and I don’t find it enhances anything. It kinds of breaks everything up, but I’ll let my water do that.

Mango Lassi 4/6

• It was a bit on the watery side and it was made of mango puree (not fresh), ice, and yogurt. It wasn’t too sweet and I liked it, but I’ve had better.

Luna Loca

Complimentary salsa and chips.

Restaurant: Luna Loca
Cuisine: Mexican
Last visited: October 30, 09

Area: Surrey, BC
Unit #106 - 15153 56 Avenue
Price Range: $10-20

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

Food: 2 Dessert: 5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 1
Overall: 2
Additional comments:

• Specializes in Mexican cuisine
• Family-owned
• A couple Mexican chefs/cooks
• Food not representable of what it looks like on the outisde
• Dark lighting
  
• Pre-made, cafeteria-style Mexican food
• Only good quality thing is homemade sauces on specialty menu
  
• Relatively big portions, but lacks quality
• Taste better than it looks, but doesn't taste that great either
  
• Complimentary salsa and chips
• Great for desserts

**Recommendation: Desserts

From the outside it looks great, then the inside is not bad, until you really look at it - it's a dive. They have an upstairs which they use as storage for a million boxes and garbage, an unfinished patio, a mosquito lantern in the kitchen, and a pitcher where your salsa comes from. All of this is right there, for everyone to see. Needless to say, but I'm going to say...I was a bit worried where my food was coming from. I'm not being pretentious either, I can always appreciate a hole-in-the-wall, but when it comes to hygiene and cleanliness that's non-negotiable.

The only thing I would come back for is the dessert. Those were the only things made fresh and made very well. The meals were quite blah.

On the table:

• Ceviche 2.5/6
• Red snapper and baby shrimp marinated in lime juice mixed with onions tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro and seasoning. Served with tortilla chips. $8.95
• The ceviche was quite standard. It was very tart, but they didn't use fresh lime juice. It could have used some additional seasoning because the ingredients weren't all fresh. The red snapper was tender, and the baby shrimp was frozen, but that's what I expected. It wasn't really worth the price. The tortilla chips were nice and hot though.
  
• 
• Pollo Con Salsa Verde 2/6
  
• Chicken breast charbroiled covered with a mild salsa verde. Served with black beans, rice, salad and flour tortilla $15.95
  
• It actually doesn't taste as bad as it looks.
• The salsa verde sauce was not bad. The salsa was very mild and it was definitely homemade. It was a bit tangy, a bit sweet and almost like a tangy bruschetta. It's made tomatoes (canned ones here), lime juice and onion. They had no fresh herbs in it and it's supposed to have cilantro.
• The chicken was obviously frozen pre-cooked chicken breast. They boiled it, coated it with some dried spices and salt and pepper and then charbroiled it...at least it had grill marks.
• 
• The Beans 1.5/6
  
• Obviously pre-made and reheated. Mushy, dry and not fresh. Tasted like overnight beans, although the flavour wasn't that bad.
  
• The Salad 1.5/6
  
• Just iceberg lettuce that was very roughly chopped. Both entrees had big chunks of core in the salad.
• The salad dressing was taco sauce made into a "dressing".
• The Rice 1/6
  
• Pre-made and reheated. Dry because it's been sitting under a heater.
• Pollo Con Mole 2.5/6
• Chicken breast charbroiled and covered with Moles - a sauce made with chile pepper, peanuts, sesame seeds, spices, and a hint of chocolate. Served with black beans, rice, salad and flour tortilla $15.95
• The sauce was homemade and it was the best part of the entree. I'd give the sauce alone 3.5/6. It tastes like a hickory smoked chocolate sauce. It was rich, thick and nutty. It had a very smooth texture and they used a dark chocolate so it has a slightly bitter aftertaste. It was very aromatic and you could definitely taste the chocolate although it wasn't really sweet. I really liked it.
  
• Again the chicken was obviously frozen pre-cooked chicken breast. They boiled it, coated it with some dried spices and salt and pepper and then charbroiled it.

Dessert

The desserts are the only thing they make fresh and upon order here. They're generous servings, and very affordable for what you get. I'd only come back for the desserts.

• **Deep Fried Ice Cream 5/6
• It's a softball sized scoop of vanila ice cream rolled in a "breading" made of nutty graham crackers, cinnamon and sugar $3.95
• This was HUGE! I've had this a few times, but this was the biggest.
• The crumbs form a light crust around the ice cream and the whole thing is deep-fried. It wasn't even really batter it was more like a sugar syrup coating that formed a light crispy layer. I liked it better than the batter becuase all too often the batter separates from the ice cream.
  
• It wasn't melted at all, which is great! They did a really great job with it here.
• It could have used a couple layers of the crumb crust, but it was still excellent as is.
  

• 
• **Double Fudge Dessert Chimichanga 4.5/6
  
• Chocolate fudge brownie rolled in a flour tortilla, fried, and topped with whipped cream, ice cream and chocolate and caramel sauce $4.95
  
• This was made upon order, which is great. The chocolate fudge brownie taste like those 2 bite brownies, which are good. I think they mixed the brownies with some shredded coconut too. They wrap it un in a flour tortilla and deep fry the whole thing.
• It was great! They served our with ice cream too even though the menu didn't say so. They used a few tortillas for the wrapped so it created warm soft flakey layers and the exterior was hot and crispy. The inside is this ooey gooey, half-melted, chewy brownie. It was almost like a molten lava chocolate cake with coconut. Very rich, very sweet, very good! You need to eat this with ice cream though, otherwise it can be too sweet. This is comfort food.
  

• Also available:
• Runditos de Manzana: Tortilla filled with apple, cinnamon & rum berry sauce baked until golden brown. Served with vanilla ice cream $5.95
• Sopaipilla Sundae: 2 scoops of vanilla, 2 scoops of chocolate ice cream, topped with strawberry and chocolate sauces. Served in edible cinnamon bowl $6.95
• Churros: Baked and rolled in cinnamon served with whippd cream, chocolate & strawberry sauce $4.95