Suika

J mentioned wanting to try Suika several times so we finally did go. In fact, we liked it so much that we went twice in 2 weeks.

Aburi Salmon Battera

Suika is located on Broadway with street parking available. It doesn't have a very noticeable storefront so we almost missed it on our way there. They have a small patio but we chose to eat inside (on both trips). The servers there all speak Japanese (as far as I can tell) and they do the typical Japanese greeting and thank-you/farewell when guests enter and leave the restaurant. The decor inside is mostly black with regular tables, some long tables and a lounge area.

Service was pretty good overall. When we went on our second visit, we brought some of my extended family and several from our party wanted to order their special Suika Soda. The server suggested that we get a pitcher instead, which ended up being way more than the individual glasses and saving us some money as well.

Torotoro Cha-shu

The food itself is definitely the highlight of Suika. They serve Japanese tapas like many of the restaurants in downtown. However, their dishes are very well-made, delicious, and different from the typical fare that you get downtown.

Following are some of the items that we've tried there:

Hellz Chicken

Aburi "Shime-Saba" Sushi

• Grilled Sable Fish - Tender, moist, very flavorful and very few bones.
• Hellz Chicken - Spicy boneless fried chicken... what's not to like? This one is a little on the spicy side though.
• Torotoro Cha-shu - Very tender, tasty, and fatty. It almost melts in your mouth. Don't think about the calories.
• Beef Filet Fried Rice - Beef on the fried rice was soft and tender, but it didn't feel like there were enough chunks of beef. If you need to leave a restaurant full and not break the bank, this'll do.
• Asari Yaki Udon - Another very tasty dish. The sauce makes the dish.
• Three Kinds Sashimi - Fresh sashimi. Not much else to say about it.
• Hainanese Style Chicken Salad - An interesting take on a warm salad. I think the salad and the chicken go better on their own, but it's still interesting.
• Aburi "Shime-Saba" Sushi - The different flavors in this one was a little cofusing. None of the flavors stand out on their own, so it ends up just tasting like a generic fusion sushi.
• Aburi Toro Battera - We tried both the toro and the salmon version of this and the toro version was far better. The sauce mixed with the sashimi goes very well with the rice. Everything is soft and melds together well.

Beef Filet Fried Rice

Pricewise, Suika is not cheap. However, it is in-line with most Japanese tapas restaurants. I would definitely recommend Suika, especially if you don't like having to head downtown for a Japanese tapas fix.

Summary
Food: Very Good. Almost all the dishes we tried were very good. The tastes may be a little too rich for some.

Service: Good. Servers are usually quick and they are nice about it.

Setting: Good. Decent parking available and it is usually bustling with activity inside.

Value: Average. Expect to pay $20-30 per person or more if you're a big eater.

Szechuan Chongqing Seafood Restaurant 重慶海鮮大飯店

We bought a Groupon for Chingquing months ago, mistakenly thinking that it was part of the same restaurant group as the Chongqing in Burnaby. We realized our mistake when we read that it was only valid at the Broadway restaurant. We made reservations for a Saturday night for our family and our regular dining buddies.

The restaurant is in a complex that has its own parking lot accessible from the back lane so we parked there. There were plenty of spaces available. When we walked up the stairs to the restaurant, our visit didn't look very promising. The restaurant had its own patio overlooking Broadway, and of the five or so tables two of them were occupied. Not bad. When we walked into the restaurant, it was completely empty.

We were greeted by three different people, of which one I'm sure one was a manager. All three of them greeted us in English, which isn't normal for a Chinese restaurant. Regardless, we were designated a table and I asked for a high chair for H. As the rest of our party arrived and settled in, there was still no high chair. H was walking around having fun, but I was standing the entire time looking at the server I requested the high chair from. He looked at me a few times but never brought a high chair and then disappeared. I asked a second server and he walked out to the patio to check on the diners there and came back in to finish setting up a different table, completely forgetting about my request. Finally, I got his attention again and he ended up bringing a high chair.

High chair shenanigans aside, we all sat down and looked over the menu. I don't normally criticize badly designed and constructed menus, but the menus at this restaurant were very low-grade. I can make vastly better menus with some freeware and my camera phone in under 2 hours.

One other problem that came up was the air conditioning. When we arrived, they had the patio doors open and the restaurant was hot like a sauna. We asked them to turn on the AC so they did. However, they turned it up to the max and a couple of the vents were pointing right at our table. They fixed that a few minutes later which was good. What was not good was that there were swarms of flies in the dining area. Just looking towards the entrance of the restaurant I could see at least 5 of them flying in circles waiting for some food scraps. It wasn't a pleasant sight and no one seemed to care.

Anyway, we ordered several dishes including the lemon chicken and some stir fried dishes. I can't recall exactly what we ordered, but they weren't very memorable. In fact, the lemon chicken was pretty bad. There was too much batter and very little chicken. The chicken was also a little rubbery. The other dishes were mediocre to average at best, and every dish was quite small.

Service was pretty average throughout the meal. The Asian servers all spoke to us in English. Even when we spoke to them in Chinese, they replied in English (with very strong accents). Maybe they were trying to improve their English, or maybe they are instructed to only use English. Who knows? It was very bizarre.

I will not be returning to Szechuan Chongqing Seafood Restaurant again, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone... unless I don't like them.

Summery
Food: Poor. Some dishes were average and some were downright bad. Don't get the lemon chicken.

Service: Average. Dinner service was okay but they have an extremely short-term memory for things like my high chair.

Setting: Poor. I'm sure this could be Average on days when they don't let the flies in, but then again they didn't do anything about them either.

Value: Very Poor. Prices were moderate to high, but the servings were small. Even with a Groupon it wasn't worth it.

Taqueria Playa Tropical

It was a rainy Sunday morning and we didn't have much to do and need to eat lunch, so out of the blue I suggested a Mexican place in New Westminster that my friends recently tried and liked called Taqueria Playa Tropical. I looked up the address, hopped in the car and we were there just after noon.

The restaurant was completely empty except for a couple of guys who were waiting for their take-out. The server greeted us and invited us to sit wherever we liked. We picked a table close to the window and put H in a high chair. Before we were even settled in, the server returned with some tortilla chips and two bottles of salsa. The chips were quite fresh tasting despite the restaurant preparing them well in advance - I walked by the kitchen later during our visit and noticed that they prepare them and leave them sitting on a counter in the kitchen well in advance of diners. The two sauces they provided were both spicy salsas: one mild and green, and one spicy and red. I tried both salsas on the chips in varying ratios and they were both very good. The red one was fairly spicy. I covered a third of a chip with it and popped it in my mouth only to discover just how spicy it was. My mouth was on fire for the next few minutes but it was very tasty.

I ordered the Enchiladas Verdes from the Special House Platter menu. I was going to go for the Enchiladas Rojas, but the server mentioned that they were out of the red salsa. J ordered the Barbacoa Burrito with added Rice inside.

The Enchiladas Verdes was four 6" soft corn tortillas rolled with chicken and topped with green salsa with rice and refried beans on the side. The salsa was tangy and very mild. It went well with the rest of the dish, but H found it a bit too sour. I scraped off most of the salsa for her portion and gave her some rice to go with it. Luckily, she liked the corn tortilla so she managed to eat most of what I gave her (about one and a half rolls). The chicken inside was well-seasoned and quite tasty. I thought that overall the dish could have benefited from a little bit more cheese. The rice was flavorful and the refried beans were quite standard. No complaints!

J's Barbacoa Burrito came on its own plate and was cut in half with some sour cream and guacamole on the side. According to the menu, it was slow cooked beef, guacamole, cilantro, onion and lime. I had a couple of bites of it and wasn't disappointed. The corn tortilla wrap wasn't too thick and it was either pan fried or toasted before wrapping so it wasn't soggy from the contents at all. The beef was hearty and tasty and overall it was decently satisfying.

There was only one server while we were there, and it was more than enough because there weren't too many patrons. While we were there, there was a couple of guys who ordered some take-out, two tables of two and a larger party of about 6. The service was quick and snappy, and she came by with everything we needed with a smile.

The location isn't bad with plenty of street parking nearby. The restaurant itself could use a make-over. The bar area is well-decorated and the walls have pictures, the special menu and several TVs line the walls with various sports on display. What was disappointing was the ceiling. It was typical office ceiling tiling with sections of fluorescent lightning. The lighting really took away from the mood of the restaurant and it probably looks much worse at night when it's dark outside. If you look up at the ceiling, the entire Mexican restaurant atmosphere just dissolves completely.

Overall I would return to Taqueria Playa Tropical to try some of the other dishes and see what the dinner crowd is like. I would recommend this restaurant.

Summary
Food: Good. The food was average to good.

Service: Good. Very attentive and quick service.

Setting: Poor. Good location, but the interior could use some work.

Value: Good. Food was average to good, but coupled with the price of the dishes, the value goes up.

Max's Restaurant

It's been a while since I've been back to Max's Restaurant on Kingsway near Boundary. In terms of the location, the restaurant is in a highly visible spot right on a main street. It is very large with capacity of probably 200 or so. The interior set-up, layout, and furniture resembles something like an up-scale fast food restaurant and is brightly lit and clean.

I've been to Max's for lunch before, and it wasn't very busy. However, on this trip for dinner the restaurant was bustling with diners and servers. There was a constant queue of people waiting in the lobby for tables. Luckily we made reservations in advance. We still had to wait a few minutes for them to set-up our table, but it was well worth it because they gave us a table in the corner of the restaurant (perfect for the little ones to run around and play after dinner).

Although they do serve some set meals, we ordered several dishes to share family-style so we could all try a bit of every dish. Despite the restaurant being very busy, the food came out very quickly and all at once (which is rare for an Asian restaurant - they usually serve the dishes as they are ready). I think we waited less than 15 minutes.

The first item on our order list was the Lumpiang Shanghai which are deep fried spring rolls of ground pork and spices with a sweet and sour sauce on the side. The lumpia wrapper was thin and didn't taste greasy at all. The ground pork and spices are finely chopped/ground so they don't fall apart when you take small bites at a time. The sweet and sour sauce was a little too thin/runny for me. I ended up eating them with the Banana Sauce that comes on every table instead. The Banana Sauce is like ketchup. H loved eating the spring rolls, but for some reason she ate all the lumpia wrapper first and then ate the ground pork after. I guess she loves her fried food.

Next on the list was the Spicy Liang Tilapia which is a fried tilapia fillet with spicy taro leaves cooked in a rich coconut cream sauce. This is a favorite of J's and our friends. As J would say, any boneless fish is good fish. The creamy sauce on top really makes the dish. The taro leaves are very similar to chopped spinach and it blends very well with the coconut sauce. Despite the name, the sauce is only mildly spicy. H didn't like the sauce at first, but she ended up gobbling it up because it mixed well with rice, and she really loves her fish. Don't let the small size of the dish fool you. With all that yummy sauce, it ends up being quite heavy in the tummy.

Whenever there is pork belly on the menu, my buddies will order it. At Max's, the belly on the menu was the Lechon Kawali which is crispy deep fried pork belly with liver sauce on the side. The belly was crispy on the outside and edges, and soft and tender on the inside. I didn't really taste any seasoning on it, but it really wasn't necessary. Admittedly I did not try the liver sauce. I ended up mixing the pork belly with some of the other foods all on my plate.

The next dish was the Bangus Sisig Boneless Milkfish which was a sizzling plate of diced boneless milkfish, onions, and some other ingredients I don't remember. The milkfish was very meaty and tasted almost like chicken. The plate came with two slices of lemon wedges, which we squeezed onto the place. However, the milkfish had a lot more tang to it than those two wedges could have provided. It was very tasty and became the talk of the meal. The dish was featured on the menu in an insert and not available in their online menu so it's probably relatively new. This is one dish I would definitely order again.

No meal is complete without at least some form of vegetables, so we ordered the Pinakbet which is a vegetable stew made with vegetables, sauteed ground pork, shrimp, and shrimp paste. The vegetables were soft but not overcooked and included a mix of okra, green beans, onions, eggplant, zucchini, yellow bell peppers, pumpkin (I think), and the shrimp and pork in the dish description. The shrimp paste was light and subtle, wrapping up the dish very well.

The last item on our order was Max's Fried Chicken. Our whole chicken order was served with some yam fries on the side which H just loved. The chicken itself was fried golden brown without batter. It reminded me a lot of fried chicken at Chinese restaurants, except the taste was a little different. It was a little on the greasy side (just the skin) but quite tender on the inside. The chicken was a little bland on its own, but it went very well with the Banana Sauce.

After we finished devouring all the food from our table, we ordered a couple of desserts to top off our meal. First up was the Halo-Halo which is a blend of refreshing tropical fruits, beans, milk, and
sugar in shaved ice, topped with a scoop of
Ube (purple yam) ice cream and rice flakes. The ingredients went well together and the rice flakes were the star of the show. They added a crunchy texture to the desseert without adding to the overall sweetness. I did not try this one myself, but I was told that it was very good.

The dessert that I ordered (along with half the table) was the Buko Pandan which was young coconut mixed with pandan leaf (screwpine)
gelatin and tapioca in a rich fluffy cream sauce, with
macapuno (coconut) ice cream and rice flakes. The dessert was a little overly sweet due to the cream sauce, but once again the rice flakes stood out the most in the dish. The gelatin had a subtle flavour to it that I found hard to distinguish because the cream was overbearing. The coconut ice cream was delicious and I wish there was more of it than the cream sauce. Overall, it was good but too sweet.

Service as a whole was quite good. Our server was quick to respond to all our requests and was very polite and well-mannered. He was always happy to help and quick to serve most of the time. It was a busy night at the restaurant but it didn't feel like it based on the quality of the service we received.

Summary
Food: Very good. Every dish was good and well-made. I especially like their Lumpiang Shanghai spring rolls.

Service: Very good. It's a busy restaurant but the servers are attentive and very polite.

Setting: Good. Plentiful parking and the restaurant is well-lit and clean.

Value: Average. The dishes are pricey but the quality of the food pulls this up from a Poor rating. The good service also helps.

Gokudo Shabu Shabu Hotpot

Many months ago, J bought a Social Shopper voucher for a 2 person meal at Gokudo Shabu Shabu Hotpot in Richmond. The voucher included hotpot for 2 which included the following: 4 orders (40 pieces) of select meats, select soup bases to choose from, 2 vegetable plates, 2 drinks, and 2 desserts. We finally got around to using the voucher this weekend. 

The restaurant is located in the middle of Continental Centre, across from Pearl Castle. Parking at that mall is always a bit of a challenge, but it usually doesn't take too long to find a spot. We circled for a few minutes before getting a spot and making our way to the restaurant. 

Inside, most of the space is occupied by a U-shaped bar. By the entrance to the restaurant are the only 2 tables in the dining area, each with seating for 4. Since we had reservations, we were seated at one of the tables. The restaurant specializes in individual hotpots, so each seat has its own element carved into the tabletop so the pot can be lowered under to save space. 

Typically, you would order a hotpot combo which includes one type of meat, their house special soup base, a plate of vegetables, and a drink (I don't remember if it includes dessert). With the voucher we had, we were allowed to pick 40 pieces of meat from basic beef, chicken, pork, and lamb. On the menu, they also had premium cuts of meat available. We ordered 30 beef, 5 chicken, and 5 lamb. J ordered the satay soup base and I got milk. For our drinks, J ordered an herbal tea and I ordered Taiwanese Sarsaparilla ("root beer" on the menu). 

While waiting for our food, we received 2 plates of sauce for the hotpots. There were no options, but the amount of sauce was more than sufficient. Based on my limited experience with deciphering ingredients, the sauce consisted of light soy sauce, sweet soy, fresh ground garlic, and chives. As expected, the pots and the raw food came pretty quick. The frozen ingredients were still cold but no longer frozen, and the raw ingredients were clean and fresh (no limp veggies). 

The beef "sirloin" that came was at least 50% fat. It was definitely tasty, but way too fatty for us. I would not recommend ordering it if you're health conscious. The lamb was good and so was the chicken. The soup bases were tasy as well. My milk soup was flavorful without being too milky or salty. Since we cooked the food ourselves, there isn't much else to say about the food.

We did encounter one problem while we were there. The element for seat was not working properly. The control knob was broken so the only options for that element were full blast or off. To make matters worse, my milk soup pot came about 80% full. I put a few items in and when it started boiling soup started flowing all over the table. A server noticed and tried to fix it with no luck. I ended up moving my pot to H's seat and just reaching over to cook.
 

Service wasn't bad, but it was a little strange that there was only 1 server at first. We arrived at 12:30pm so I expected more, but the restaurant was mostly empty at first so it wasn't a problem. Do keep in mind that after serving the dishes, there really isn't much maintenance needed from diners. 

As my appetite shrinks with age, I would definitely consider revisiting because the prices aren't bad when compared to similar establishments. AYCE hotpots typically run $20+ per person while at Gokudo Shabu Shabu Hotpot, you get a sizable meal for under $20. I would have been satisfied with half the amount of food (read: meat) I had (which would be the equivalent of the regular combo). The voucher was a bit overkill in my opinion. 

Summary
Food: Good. Great sauce and fresh ingredients. I can't bring myself to rate it higher because I did the cooking. 

Service: Good. Not much more to say about it. 

Setting: Average. Parking is okay, but the layout of the restaurant isn't great for larger numbers. 

Value: Good. Hotpot is always pricey unless you do it yourself at home. No complaints here.

Aussie Pie Guy

I was downtown for some work meetings which ended just after noon so I walked around looking for a place to eat and decided on the Aussie Pie Guy food cart. All the pies were $8 so I picked the one that sounded the best: Shane's Pie. I don't know who Shane is, but his pie is pretty good. It was described on the menu as "tender free range BC beef short rib and vegetables with a red wine au-jus and apricot hoisin sauce over mashed potatoes."

When I got my pie I was a little disappointed with the size. However, after biting into it I was thoroughly satisfied. I love pie crusts and this pie did not disappoint. At first I thought I would make a mess because the crust was thin and soft. However, the crust held up very well and did not break at all. In terms of taste, it was light, thin, flaky, and quite tasty. The pie was filled with mostly short rib and a little bit of everything else. I got quite a few hefty bits of short rib while eating it. I recall there being maybe 3 or 4 pieces of potatoes in the pie that I got. They don't try to pass off cheap filler ingredients which is definitely a plus. I do have to admit though that I am on a self-proclaimed "diet" so the pie size may not be sufficient for those of you with an average to above average appetite. If I weren't on my diet I would have gladly eaten two of these bad boys.

Taste-wise, the pie was quite good. The stuffing wasn't too salty and there was a mild sweet tanginess to the sauce, like traditional barbecue sauce. The mixture of the red wine au-jus and the hoisin sauce was a very good combination. I considered pouring on some hot sauce they had by the cart, but I decided against it for convenience (I ate alone and had to take my work bag everywhere).

Summary
Food: Good. Shane's Pie was very tasty and well-made.

Value: Average. The pies are good but a bit pricey due to the size.

Shanghai River 滬江海派料理

I went out to Shanghai River this past weekend for lunch with the in-laws to celebrate my brother-in-law's first job and paycheck. This restaurant is on my list of regular places to go eat and I've been going for the last 7 years. Besides a noticeable decline in XLB (小籠包 - (xiaolongbao) or soupy pork dumplings) quality several years ago when supposedly the master chef left the restaurant, the overall food quality has been pretty consistent over the years.

On this particular visit, we ordered quite a few dishes including the popular Shanghai Thick Fried Noodles. For some reason, the noodles were completely unseasoned. We sent the dish back and it was returned to our table with some extra grease, but it tasted completely unchanged! Rather than cause a scene, we packed it to go and salted it later ourselves.

Despite that one problem, all the other dishes were very good as usual. We ordered XLBs, green onion pancakes (one of my favorites), salty soy milk, Chinese doughnuts, sticky rice stuffed with pork floss and Chinese doughnut, a wonton soup, some spicy beef noodles, and gyozas. I love the green onion pancake at Shanghai River because it's thick and fluffy. I haven't been to any other restaurant that makes it this way. It's usually thin and very firmly packed together, making it harder to chew as it cools down.

I will continue to revisit the restaurant as overall it is still one of the best Shanghai places to go in the Lower Mainland.

Summary
Food: Very good. Their XLBs are still good and the green onion pancake is exceptional.

Service: Good. There are many servers around and they are quick to respond. They may not have the best attitude all the time, but overall it's good.

Setting: Good. Easy parking (always one of my top considerations) and the dining room is large, well-lit, and very clean. It can get loud though...

Value: Good. The food is a bit on the pricey side, but your money goes towards everything: food, service, and the establishment.

 

El Camino's

El Camino's is another restaurant that was featured on You Gotta Eat Here.

We went there this past weekend around 12:30pm and found parking right in front of the restaurant. One of the servers took my name and informed me it would be 5-10 minutes for a table. It took a little less than 10 minutes before we were led to our table, at which point I asked for a highchair for H. A few minutes later the server forgot about the highchair as she went back to cleaning tables, so I reminded her. She came back with a booster seat that couldn't be strapped down to a chair, which wasn't very safe for H, so I returned it to her and brought my own from the car.

J and I ordered a Mexican Cola and a Ginger Beer, both of which were served promptly and came by the bottle. We put in our orders and waited for the food to arrive, which took over 20 minutes. The tables around us had similar wait times, and we noticed that a large table nearby of about 6 people waited closer to 30 minutes.

I ordered the Huevos Divorciados, J ordered the Pulled Pork Bennie, and we ordered some Canadian bacon, a scrambled egg, and a fruit cup on the side for H. My dish seemed a little small when it arrived, but because it had beans and came with potato wedge hash browns, it was still quite filling. The tortillas were indeed crispy and the over-easy eggs mixed with the two kinds of salsas quite well. It was an interesting Latin American twist on a toasted open-faced fried egg sandwich.

J's Bennie was really good and felt very heavy because they used a type of cornbread instead of the traditional English muffin. The poached egg went well with the pulled pork and the cornbread was great for soaking up the excess yolk. H ate most of her brekkie too, which was a good sign as well.

Overall service wasn't bad, but it was clear that they can get flustered and overwhelmed at times, forgetting little things.

Summary
Food: Good. Well-made and unique. I may return someday for the dinner menu.

Service: Average. Servers are average to good, but the wait time for food is lengthy.

Setting: Good. Parking isn't bad and the interior of the restaurant is clean. Focus seems to be on the bar.

Value: Average. Good food and average prices, but the quantities are a little small.

Neighbour's Restaurant

I've been to Neighbour's Restaurant 5 or 6 times and I've never been disappointed. It's an Italian restaurant with a mom & pop feel and superb pizzas. It has also been featured on You Gotta Eat Here.

The location is pretty good as there aren't too many restaurants in the area and parking is free and fairly easy to find within a one block walking distance. The restaurant itself has a homey feel to it and they can take a couple of larger parties.

Service isn't bad, although it can be slow at times. Even when the restaurant isn't full, it can still take over 20 minutes for food to arrive due to all the take-out and pick-up orders that they have to process. When the restaurant is full on a hockey night, you can expect to wait 30 minutes as they work to keep up with orders.

The food at Neighbour's is really good. I always order a pizza because they are well made. The crust is crispy on the bottom (think Pizza Hut pan pizzas) but never too greasy and the crust is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They have a good amount of toppings which are fresh and reach close to the edges. My favorite combination of toppings is the Cajun Chicken, Onions, and Banana Peppers.

I've tried their pastas and lasagna which are both good as well. The pasta is never overcooked and the sauces are just the right thickness (if you've had pasta at a Chinese restaurant, you know what I mean by weak and watery sauce). There's a good amount of meat with the sauces and topped with a decent amount of cheese.

Their prices are very reasonable and on par with many chain restaurants. If you have the patience, the quality of the food is definitely worth the wait.

Summary
Food: Very Good. Pizzas are great and everything else is good as well.

Service: Average. Servers are nice, but the long waits can be irritating.

Setting: Good. Parking is easy to find and free. Restaurant interior is average.

Value: Good. Moderate prices but great food.

The Reef (Main St.)

The Reef was featured on You Gotta Eat Here, which is the Canadian equivalent to Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives, so I wanted to give it a try. It was a Saturday so we called ahead and made reservations at the Main Street location. Half of our party was late because the parking situation along Main Street and King Edward is bad, even on the best of days.

Our reserved table was available right away so we sat down and got settled in quickly. Our server came by and took our drink orders soon after we sat down. I ordered a virgin Pina Colada and J ordered a regular one. Both drinks were quite bland. My guess is that they used less than half the suggested serving amount for whatever Pina Colada flavour mix they used.

For our dinners, we ordered a Mo-Ca Burger (jerk beef) with plantain chips, the Trini Roti wrap with chicken curry, and a Fish Dinner for H. The food took about 20 minutes to arrive, but while we waited we were served some complimentary fried bread with butter. This was probably the highlight of the dinner because they were hot, fluffy, and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. The butter added to the flavour, but really wasn't necessary. We tried the bread with the house hot sauce that they have placed on every table and it was spectacular.

Our dinners all arrived at the same time and it didn't feel like any of the dishes had been sitting under a heat lamp (like some other restaurants). I really wish I took some photos, but I didn't have a camera with me and the restaurant was too darkly lit for my phone to take any decent pictures. My Mo-Ca burger was served in an open fashion and presented very well. It came with some soft of aioli dip for the plantain chips that was really delicious. The burger was simply fantastic. The beef was lightly marinated and spiced, but very loose and moist on the inside. The pineapple ring really added to the overall package of the burger, which also had a sweet and mildly spicy relish.

J's Trini Roti was quite large, filling move than half her dinner plate. I found the curry a little salty, but it went well with the roti wrap, which was a little on the thick side but soft enough that it wasn't tiring to eat. The coleslaw was very fresh and lightly seasoned with just the right amount of dressing. It was a little tangy and very light (unlike traditional coleslaw dressing in a bottle).

H's Fish Meal was a good size for a kids' meal. The tilapia covered more than a third of the dinner plate and came with quite a bit of rice and some steamed vegetables. The fish was lightly seasoned and H gobbled it up (which is quite rare). The veggies were a little undercooked for her baby teeth so I ate them for her.

The restaurant atmosphere was nice, although it was a bit too dark for my liking. There wasn't any noticeable trend of demographics for the other patrons. Ambient noise volumes were moderate to high, but the open patio may have contributed to that. There was an empty table with a Reserved sign next to us throughout our visit, which was odd because the rest of the restaurant was busy the entire time. I certainly hope they didn't miss out on potential customers because some idiots made reservations and didn't show up or cancel.

Our server was very nice and she was around most of the time whenever we needed something. Although it was busy, I never felt like I was waiting for her to come around.

The Reef is definitely worthy of a return visit and I would recommend it for diners who want to try urban dining with a Caribbean twist.

Summary

Food: Very Good. The food is tasty, unique, and comparable in price to most urban dining chains. Drinks were weak in taste.

Service: Average. Nothing good or bad to mention.

Setting: Average. Parking is a pain. The restaurant was very dark with moderate to loud background noise/chatter.

Value: Average. Urban dining is urban dining. Main and drink will run you about $20 each.