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.

Earls Restaurant – Langley

Restaurant: Earls Restaurant – Langley

Cuisine: American/West Coast
Last visited: January 5, 2010
Area: Langley, BC
600 - 6339 200th Street
Price Range: $10-20

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

Food: 3 (on this occasion, usually I'd give it a 4)
Service: 3

Ambiance: 4

Overall: 3.5

Additional comments:

• Canadian chain restaurant
• Recently renovated
• Excellent bar/lounge area
• Contemporary design, furniture, lighting
• Glass partition
• Lounge area features big screen TV’s
• Average $17/person (w/tax & tip, drinks excluded)
• Casual/relaxed
• Attracts 20’s crowd after 9pm
• Kid-friendly, fit for families, but generally attracts youthful crowd
• Daily drink specials
• Lounge and dining area
• Kid-friendly, but more fit for friends & couples
• Lunch and dinner
• Good for game/drinks

**Recommendation: I usually go for their special features, but on the regular menu, out of what I’ve tried, I like: Grilled Prawn Tacos, West Coast Prawn Salad, Grilled Chicken and Baked Brie Ciabatta

So yes, even foodies go to chain restaurants…on the rare occasion. I prefer to dine at independents or non-chain restaurants. I like things that are less available, and I want to taste and support the local talent. However I do like to see how chain restaurants such as Earls are changing. I’m always curious when there’s a new menu item, new location opening or if they’ve undergone renovations.

Earls has improved so much in the last 3 years, to the point where I am now a customer again. The menu and image has been upgraded and the prices are decent for the food they serve. It’s not family style like White Spot, more “classy” than Sammy J Peppers, but not as expensive or “high end” as Cactus Club. I would say it’s between Sammy J Peppers and Cactus Club – maybe more along the lines of Moxies.

I’ve been to Earls Restaurant maybe 7 times (different locations) in the last 6 months and I always find myself ordering something off their special features menu. They constantly keep their menus updated and there’s always something new to try. I like that about Earls, I just don’t know how they afford to do this.

Their menu has improved 10 fold and their image has also changed…to somewhat attracting a younger (19-25) crowd especially after 9pm. There’s a lot of West Coast influence in their American classics and everything is done quite well. The portions are decent for the most part and the prices are affordable.

The Earls Restaurant in Langley

The Earls Restaurant in Langley has recently been renovated so I decided to check it out. I don’t know what it looked like before, but I was impressed with what I saw.

It was very contemporary with a glass partition, stunning wine bar, angular mirrors, and mini clear globe like chandeliers. The one thing I really disliked is the height of the booths on the dining area. They come up to just below the shoulder blades when you sit back, so if someone sits behind you you’re pretty much touching heads. It’s very awkward and not intimate at all. The lounge is nice though, but even some of those booths are built with low frames.

I was more blown away by the ambiance, design and decor than I was by the new features menu (which I'll almost always order from). Everything was good, but the stuff on their previously special features menu featuring braised short ribs and I think it was a honey mustard glazed salmon was better.

On the table:

Los Cabos Chicken Tacos 2.5/6

• Two grilled soft corn tortillas, spicy tomato poached chicken, avocado corn salsa, melted cheddar and Monterey jalapeno jack, shredded lettuce, chopped cilantro, salsa picante $7.55 Add additional chicken tacos 3.80 each
• These were pretty good, but I prefer the grilled prawn tacos. Both versions are really small though, even as an appetizer…they’re 2 biters.
• There was a lot of shredded romaine and roughly chopped cilantro on top and I don’t know if that was to cover up the amount of chicken because there really wasn’t much. If it was for presentation it didn’t work because it would look better with a clean spoonful of poached chicken on top.
• The tortilla was a corn tortilla and I actually prefer a flour tortilla. The corn tortilla was grilled up and a little hard so I would prefer something softer with the nicely poached chicken.

  

• The chicken was moist and almost like pulled chicken it was so tender there just wasn't much. It tastes like it was poached in those mild salsa packets they serve at Taco Bell, with maybe some taco seasoning mixed in. However I actually don’t mind those packaged salsas...I just wasn’t expecting that flavour.
• They were not spicy at all, unless you used the hot sauce they served it with. The sauce tastes like Peri Peri sauce from Nando’s or Frank’s Red hot sauce.
• There was so much lettuce I really couldn’t pick out any other ingredients. The most distinct flavour was that mild salsa packet sauce. They were still good, but I also wouldn’t care to order them again.

  

Cedar Planked Salmon with Panang Curry Sauce 2.5/6

• Authentic spicy Thai red curry, brown basmati rice and seasonal vegetables $21
• I almost always order their salmon special feature because it hasn’t disappointed me and there’s always a new version.
• The risk with salmon is that it's almost always overcooked. 3/3 times I've ordered salmon from different Earls locations I’ve never had an overcooked or dry one yet, so I hope that continues.
• This was the biggest piece of salmon I’ve been served at Earls. It was pretty huge and thick too. It was seasoned with salt and pepper and fully cooked, but still juicy. I usually like mine undercooked, but I didn’t request it and its fine the way they do it.
• I’m about 99% sure they use pre-made red curry paste here. I’m not liking the “authentic” in the description. Earls making “authentic” Thai food…?
• The curry sauce is a bit spicy and quite aromatic with a pretty strong lemongrass flavour. I missed the fresh basil and the flavour of fish sauce as the salt rather than actual salt.
• Alright so even if I accept the pre-made red curry paste, my biggest issue was there was no ginger or garlic. Most, if not all, Asian recipes start with ginger and garlic. I had none so for me it was not “authentic” at all. Not that I was expecting it to be, cause it is Earls, but at the same time a little ginger and garlic is not hard to incorporate into a recipe.
• The basmati rice was better here than when I had it at the Strawberry Hill location in Surrey. It was too mushy when I had it at the Surrey location.
• The seasonal veggies were roasted yams, butternut squash and red beets. These were delicious. Tender, simple and very flavourful. 6/6 on these!

  

Oven Roasted Chicken with White Wine Cream Sauce 3/6

• Tender boneless chicken breast, mushrooms, shallots and white wine with fresh cream in a rich demi glace, roast potatoes and seasonal fresh vegetables $19
• I was quite impressed with how much chicken they gave. It was 2 big pieces of chicken breast with a nicely roasted skin and for the price, I think it’s worth it. It was also tender, moist and quite juicy.
• The sauce could have been a lot more flavourful and well -rounded, but it wasn’t reduced enough. It looks more reduced in the photo than it actually was. It wasn’t really a demi glace either because demi glace is supposed to be brown and beef based.. The sauce was a very simple shallot and white wine sauce and the white wine was the flavour that stood out most. It was thickened with cream, some butter, and some whole grain mustard (which was more sweet than spicy ).
  

  

• The seasonal veggies were the same ones served with the salmon except this one has roasted potatoes. Again – perfection!

Brownie with Toblerone Chocolate 3.5/6

• Individual chewy chocolate brownie, melted milk chocolate TOBLERONE centre, crème fraiche gelato $3.50
• This was pretty good, but also pretty small. But who cares because at $3.50 can you really complain? It’s about the size of 3 two-bite brownies put together.
• This chocolate brownie is basically a chocolate lava cake, but instead of lava there’s a piece of Toblerone in the middle. The brownie is pretty much half cooked and the Toblerone completely melted. The chocolate was 1 piece and I would have preferred smaller pieces all throughout. I could barely taste the Toblerone and it was only in one bite.

  

• I totally thought the gelato was just vanilla…which means the crème fraiche was overwhelmed by the chocolate or just not that tangy in flavour. I also ran out of ice cream before I did brownie.
• The brownie was good though; rich, chocolaty and moist…it was like a giant Two Bite Brownie served warm, so overall I was still happy with this dessert.
• The feature S'mores dessert they offered in the summer is still the best feature dessert I've had there. This Toblerone brownie was better than the gingerbread cake they had on their last menu though. The gingerbread cake was festive and different and served with sauteed apples, but the cake was a bit dry.
  

Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

Lighting made it difficult to take pictures.


Restaurant: Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
Cuisine: American
Last visited: October 9, 09

Area: Multiple locations - Denver, Colorado
6025 Sky Pond Drive, Loveland
Price Range: $10-20USD

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

Food: 3.5
Service: 4
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Chain restaurant (I was unaware)
• Casual and lively atmosphere
• Line-up/crowded at peak hours
• Friday-Sunday $12.99 Prime Rib dinner available
• 3 course menu deals: $12-18USD
• 90% of menu made from scratch
• Known for beers and steaks
• Menu has a Tex-Mex flair
• From the creators of Chicago Pasta & Pizza chain
  
• Happy hour
• Offers mini desserts for under $3
• Lighting made it difficult to take pictures

**Recommendation: Classic Mac n' Chicken, Overnight Braised Short Rib, Steaks, Stout BBQ Ribs (didn't get to try), handmade beer bread (served with Asiago dip, didn't get to try)

This wasn't the original choice for dinner, but it started snowing and out of convenience it was the first thing we saw that looked good. Being from Vancouver, I didn't know Rock Bottom was a chain restaurant although it could have been easily assumed from the exterior and interior design/set-up. It had that big chain restaurant feel: large space located in a strip mall with other chain restaurants, crowded bar, energetic atmosphere, large advertisements and promotional materials. Nonetheless I was still excited to try it, after all 90% of their food is made in house and that is something to salivate about.

The menu consisted of standard chain restaurant items: BBQ meats, steaks, pasta all they typical stuff, so naturally my eyes kept coming to items with the words "homemade", "famous for", and "signature". I was actually quite impressed with the standard of food for what we were paying - it was moderately priced, homemade and made upon order. The food wasn't outstanding or really creative, but I do appreciate a chain with a focus on homemade food without being overpriced...I'd say it's a pretty solid choice.

On the table:

Lighting made it difficult to take pictures.

• **Classic Mac n' Chicken 6/6
• This is their famous Mac n' Cheese. It's your classic homestyle mac n' cheese except loaded with chicken!

• I made a special request to order it as a side because I didn't want it as an entree - they happily honoured the request.
• The cheese sauce was homecooked and really good! It's creamy instead of stringy so you could tell the cheese was cooked into the sauce rather than thrown in last minute. I think they used a combo of sharp White and Orange Cheddar cheese. It was rich and decadent and there were chunks of juicy baked chicken throughout, not one piece was dry. They used a good amount of freshly cracked black pepper in the sauce so it really enhanced the cheesiness.
• It also had this baked Parmesan breadcrumb crust that was almost nutty and very very cripsy! It was saucy from top to bottom and not dry at all.
  
• One of the best traditional mac n' cheeses I've had.

Lighting made it difficult to take pictures.

• **Overnight Braised Short Rib 4/6
• Slow-roasted boneless short rib on a bed of White Cheddar mashed potatoes (can't tell in the picture because it's too bright), fire-roasted tomatoes, peal onions with roasted mushroom sauce.

• The rib was really tender and it was obvious that it was well marinated and slow roasted because it was falling apart.
• The roasted mushroom sauce was really hearty and rich. It was a little heavy on the balsamic vinegar and with the added fire-roasted tomatoes it was a bit too tangy for my liking. However, together with the White Cheddar mashed potatoes and ribs it all came together quite well...especially since the potatoes were dry. They definitely needed the mushroom gravy.
• They used fresh parsley to garnish it, but I think they should have used something else because it didn't go with the sauce or flavours of the dish very well.
• 
• Mahi Mahi Tacos 1.5/6
• Mahi Mahi, pineapple slaw and cilantro wrapped in white flour corn tortillas served with pico de gallo, black beans, and rice.

• This was really disappointing. It sounds really good on the menu and it was recommended, but it wasn't good. They were going in all sorts of wrong directions with the flavours.
• Mahi is a sturdy fish, almost like halibut so it tastes like chicken. It's also a tropical fish so it's good with tropical flavours. Therefore the pineapple was a good idea, but making it a slaw was not. They should have kept it nice and light and served it with pineapple salsa if they wanted to keep it fusion.

Lighting made it difficult to take pictures.

• The "pineapple slaw" was plain old cole slaw. I didn't see or taste one piece of pineapple. It was too rich and creamy because they went overboard with the mayo.

• Then they decided to serve it with Mexican condiments and sides.
• So you had the creamy cole slaw and then pico de gallo - which tasted like relish instead of fresh tomatoes, onions, limes & chillies. They also added pickled jalapenos so it wasn't as spicy, but it made it taste very preserved or a couple days old...maybe it was. It tasted even more preserved because they put capers in it too...for I guess a Mediterranean twist? It was weird. The whole thing was wrong and didn't go well with the tacos at all. It was creamy cole slaw with pickled salsa...ick.
• Was it Hawaiian? Mexican? Mediterranean? They were fusing a bunch of flavours together and all in the wrong way. The only good thing was each taco came with 2 big pieces of Mahi Mahi.
  
• 
  
• 
• **Filet Mignon 4/6 (If they don't overcook it!)
• Centre hand-cut aged 8oz filet rubbed in in house seasonings and topped with creamy roasted garlic butter.
  

• I ordered mine medium rare with the White Cheddar mashed potatoes, veggies and a side of roasted mushrooms. The veggies were the frozen kind....not impressed.
• The roasted mushrooms were more like sauteed mushrooms. They were heavy on the black pepper and tasted like they were reduced with balsamic vinegar...just like the sauce that was served with the braised short rib. It worked with the steak more than the ribs.
• My steak was cooked medium and not medium rare like I requested..that was a real bummer! However my friend's was cooked to medium rare and his was really good. The dry rub was not bad, but also not memorable. The filet was served on a giant onion ring which was a nice surprise. It was only for presentation though and it got really soggy so I didn't even eat it.
• The steak itself isn't a stand out, but I also couldn't complain.
  
• It was quite good for a brewery, but also not nearly as good as a steakhouse steak.
  
• White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes 2/6
  
• Mashed potatoes were really dry and sturdy. They really emphasize it as a restaurant favourite, but I don't know why. I could stick my fork it in and it would hold straight up. They weren't creamy, fluffy, or cheesy. They make it with cream, White Cheddar cheese and sour cream, but I didn't taste the richness of any of those.
• Genovese Pasta 3/6 (soon to be off the menu)
  
• Grilled chicken, sundried tomatoes, walnut pesto, fresh basil, Parmesan cheese on penne.

• I couldn't get a picture because it was too far down the table.
  
• I was very intrigued by the walnut pesto...but I think this was "too weird" for most, that's why they're taking it off the menu.
• Unfortunately it didn't taste like walnuts at all. It looked and tasted like plain old pesto. As pesto, it was good. But as a "walnut pesto" it was not.
• The pasta was very pesto-y. I really like pesto so it didn't bother me. It was kind of oily so the tartness of the sundried tomatoes and freshness of the basil was good.
  
• 
• Asian Ahi Tuna Salad 4/6
• Seared sashimi grade ahi tuna with cabbage, red bell pepper, bean sprouts, carrots, spinach, baby corn, edamame and crunchy noodles. Served with light ginger citrus dressing.

• I have to say I was quite impressed with this! The ingredients were nice and crunchy and fresh. The tuna was really top quality. It was a bright red colour and they seared it perfectly! The garnish was green sesame seeds (I've never seen before) and I think it was a sea salt/lemon pepper crust...? It was really good!
• 
• Blackened Salmon Caesar 4/6
• A Caesar salad topped with a Cajun-spiced salmon and Parmesan Caesar dressing.

• It had real Parmesan curls instead of the shredded kind so that was nice.
• The star was really the salmon though. It had this really flavourful dry rub that was spicy but not overly spicy...it was just right.
• It wasn't overly charred and it was seared perfectly with a juicy and moist centre. It's so easy to overcook salmon and they didn't do it with this one - it was such a thick piece I was almost sure it was going to be too.
• Side Garden Salad

Alpha Global Sushi & Bar

Restaurant: Alpha Global Sushi & Bar
Cuisine: Japanese/Izakaya/Tapas/Fusion
Last visited: August 22, 09

Area: Vancouver, BC
1099 Richards Street
Price Range: $20-30 (average bill per person)

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

Food: 4.5
Service: 5
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• Izakaya dishes - small plates meant to be shared
• Japanese chefs/cooks
• Weak in decor for this type of restaurant
• Food is not bad, a bit expensive
  
• Not as good as Kingyo/Yuji's/Hapa Izakaya - almost the same price too
  
• Some creative dishes, some authentic Japanese, some Westernized Japanese
• Weekly specials
• Menu shows last week's most popular dishes
• Large selection of cocktails
• Not as busy as other Izakaya places downtown
• Dinner service only

**Recommendation: Tuna Garlic Pepper Sashimi, Mentaiko Udon (I'd come back just for these)

This restaurant has been here for four years now. I never see it really busy and after talking to the staff you know that business is slow. I'm a fan of Izakaya places so I decided to give this place a shot. The food is actually pretty good, it's not the best Izakaya place in Vancouver, but the chefs and staff are really trying. I think because it's located in Yaletown/downtown people expect a lot, but it falls short when compared to the other Izakaya places in downtown eg: Kingyo and Hapas Izakaya (especially when they're charging almost the same price). It's more refined tha Guu, but Guu on the whole tastes better and is cheaper in price.

For the price Alpha charges and the clientele they're hoping for, they should really invest in decor. It just feels kind of dead because it's a bit dark inside and it doesn't have that high energy or eclectic feel you expect from an Izakaya place. I would go again for the dishes I recommended or if someone wanted to try it, but it wouldn't be my first choice for Izakaya.

On the table:

• **Tuna Garlic Pepper Sashimi 6/6
• Black pepper and garlic flavoured seared albacore tuna with ponzu sauce

• Wow! This is really good! They recommend it and it's an Alpha original. The chef seared it perfectly. You can see and taste the freshness - a simple recipe and quality ingredients. This dish should not be missed. I could eat 2 plates to myself no problem. It comes with a bed of radish salad underneath which is also great.
• You don't need to use soy sauce, maybe just a little wasabi to bring out the freshness.
• Pumpkin Croquette 4/6
• Deep fried kobacha squash and mashed potato croquette with "fruity vegetable sauce" for dipping (I call it a Japanese BBQ sauce)

• This is nicely done, nice and crispy. Really strong squash flavour as well, they went heavier on the squash than mashed potato which I appreciate. The texture is really smooth and the "fruity vegetable sauce" is that BBQ/mustard tasting sauce (see description in my review for Ping's Cafe) http://tinyurl.com/nb8gvq
• The pumpkin croquette here is stronger in squash flavour than Ping's...Ping's is more homemade - feels like someone's mom made it.
• Vegetable 2/6
• Mango, beets, cucumber, leaf lettuce and avocado

• I was actually pretty disappointed by this. The beets enticed me because I've never heard of beets in a sushi roll. But when it came you could barely see the beets, they were there to add colour. They julienne them and you get very little, so you really couldn't taste them at all. Too much cucumber, not enough beets...they need to balance out the ingredients in this roll. The mango shined through, but that's about it. I would pass on this.
• Spicy Tuna & Avocado Roll 5/6
• This was the best roll we ordered out of the three. It's only available as a weekly special though. It's done with an Alpha twist so it's a bit unique. It comes with that Japanese bbq mustard sauce that comes with the pumpkin croquettes. I dipped it in this with a little wasabi and that was enough. The put these things on top that taste like rice krispies - it's some kind of deep fried flour/starch...I liked it though. I haven't really seen it done anywhere else. I mean they're kind of flavourless, but they add a texture that makes this roll different than the others.
• Mango Vancouver Roll - 4/6
• Mango, avocado, mayo, crab meant wrapped in wild smoked salmon and tobiko with plum wine mustard mayo sauce.

• Not bad, but sounds better than it was. Try it once with the original sauce it comes with and then try it with your soy and wasabi. I found that it needed a little soy and wasabi because the original sauce couldn't stand by itself. They could have added something crunchy because it's a little bit on the mushy side, but still tasty. At $9 it's overpriced for what it is becuase I feel like I could get something similar somewhere else.
• Miso Teriyaki Beef - 2/6
• These miso grilled short ribs are one of there specialties, but I don't know why. I couldn't taste the miso flavour and it actually kind of felt like the stuff you get at Korean BBQ. They should have used a better quality beef becuase it wasn't that tender or anything...it was a bit tough. I actually enjoy the Korean BBQ short ribs more.
• **Mentaiko Udon - 6/6
• Udon (Japanese thick noodle) with spicy cod roe and shredded seaweed on top.

• Oh my gosh...this was sooo good. One of the best udons I've had. This is an authentic Japanese dish too! I don't know why it's not an "Alpha original"...I would come back just for this dish. I can't even explain how delicious it is. Really soft noodles and the spicy cod roe gives it this unique texture. It is slimy and it's supposed to be, it doesn't matter to me becuase I expected it. This is really really good, and I haven't seen it available at other Japanese places.
• Alpha's Taco Rice - 5/6
• Taco spice seasoned pork served on Japanese rice, cheese and lettuce with their original spicy tomato sauce.

• This is a bang for your buck! You get a huge bowl for $7.75 and it's worth a try. I mean you could probably reinvent something similar at home - but it's still good. A unique idea that tastes great. It tastes just like the description. Mix it all before you eat it though because the ingredients are served in layers with the rice o the bottom and freshly shredded lettuce at the top. I could order this again.
• Unagi Rice Gratin Age 3/6
  
• Baked unagi (eel) with creamy white sauce, seasoned rice and cheese.

• This is rich!! Don't order it unless you feel like something really greasy and heavy - or unless you're with 4 or more people. It's an Alpha original and it seemed like it would be really good...cause it's so fatty. It was pretty good, but you can't eat a lot cause it's really rich and heavy on the cheese and sauce. For $12 its a bit expensive, but you get quite a bit of eel so I can understand. The eel is completely covered by the cream sauce and cheese though...there's A LOT of cheese! When you order a gratin you better expect it though. They could have added bread crumbs to the cheese to give it a crispiness...it was more casserole than gratin.
• The best part of this dish is the baked edges around the bowl...the rice is so crispy and extra chewy because it's Japanese rice. Best part!

Dessert

• Matcha Cake with Green Tea Ice Cream 3/6
  
• Made in house. I appreciated this becuase I could really taste the matcha....they didn't skimp on the powder. It was a strong matcha taste which is what I want if I'm ordering a "Matcha Cake". It come with red beans, which were way too sweet...I don't like red bean, but even the people I was with that do like it thought it was too sweet. It was almost syrupy.
  
• Tiramisu
• I didn't order this, but was tempted too. It's made in house, will try it if I go back.