Boun's Asian Restaurant - Delightful Thai/Laos

Previously I had blogged about a Thai/Laos restaurant in Winnipeg and remarked it was the only one of its kind I had run across. Soon after I was forwarded a pleasant email from a reader who recommended Boun's Asian Restaurant for their Laos/Thai cuisine. Flabbergasted I quickly made the trek from the Children's Hospital one afternoon for a quick after work bite.

Boun's is located in historic St. Boniface on Marion Street. Lying in the same strip mall as one of my other favourites, Vientiane, I was impressed by the pleasant and appealing signage that spoke with an air of confidence. The interiors were similarly well decorated with large spacious wooden tables, comfortable chairs and welcoming wait staff.

The menu is classic Thai with a few sprinklings of Laos cuisine. For anyone familiar with Thai restaurants, the offerings here should be instantly recognizable with the bevy of soups, curries stir fries and noodle dishes including the classic Pad Thai. However on top of that are a smattering of Laos inspired dishes including the national dish, Laap. Boun's offers each dish on a variable scale of spiciness so that each customer can customize the spice level of their dishes. While I applaud restaurants for giving customers choice, I find this can take away from the overall flavour of the dish; after all it is the ratio and combination of tastes that determine the flavour profile of a dish and changing one variable inherently will change the others as well. Nevertheless off to the food.

Potato Curry with Chicken was similar to Thai yellow curries. A nice creamy coconut based sauce envelops the bevy of tender breast pieces, potatoes and peanuts. Creaminess from the curry is also accentuated by the perfectly cooked creamy potatoes while the peanuts add a nice crunch. I have to commend Boun's on cooking their chicken just right: tender, juicy and soaked in all the flavours of the dish. Earthiness is given by basil.

Pad Thai is the national dish of Thailand and is an obvious choice at any Thai restaurant. The version here was delicious! A large portion of tender rice noodles are tossed in a tamarind based sauce and topped with crushed peanuts and a side of fresh bean sprouts. The key is the balance of flavours in the sauce and Boun's achieves the spicy, tangy and salty combination well here. Crunchiness from the fresh bean sprouts achieves a nice textural balance.

Boun's Laap Salad is their version of the classic Laos national dish. Laap is a meat based salad that takes minced beef (or chicken), roasted rice, fresh vegetables all tossed in a fish sauce based vinaigrette. The flavour profile here was a perfect balance of spicy, tangy and salty. While the minced meat is inherently heavy, the overall dish felt light and fresh and works well as a fantastic appetizer or a light main course.

Boun's Asian Restaurant ranks highly as one of the better Thai restaurants in the city. Wrapping authentic flavours and fresh ingredients in a modern and clean establishment, Boun's should appeal to anyone looking for Thai cuisine. The cherry on top is the addition of Laotian specialties which work well to compliment the classic Thai dishes. Definitely worth a visit for anyone in the area.

New Hong Kong Snack Shack - Cheap Chinese

With the majority of the more popular restaurants already tucked away into the past on this blog, I had to start venturing into newer territory and into restaurants and establishments that do not necessarily meet my immediate standards. After all food is about discovery and once in awhile, a seemingly average meal turns out to be quite good. Such was the case when I ventured out to New Hong Kong Snack Shack for a quick lunch on an afternoon off.

I have to commend Urbanspoon Zomato for finding little hidden gems that I would have glossed over if I was patrolling the streets. Indeed, this restaurant is no charmer. A downright gawdy exterior houses the even shabbier interiors. The clash of the bright green with the red lettering screams amateur design while clashing with the incredibly dated interiors. Located on Notre Dame Avenue in the heart of Downtown, at least the restaurant conforms with the general appearance of the area.

Nevertheless it is simply about the food and New Hong Kong Snack Shack delivers homey snack (re: dim sum), rice and noodle dishes at incredibly reasonable prices. I was shocked to see the diminutive pricing here and wonder how in the world they keep themselves afloat. Staring at some of the other patrons, it was surprisingly busy for a midweek lunch, revealed reasonable but small portion sizes and high turnover are the main appeal of this restaurant.

Hot Pork Rice is simply a small bowl of rice topped with a few tender pieces of pork meat enveloped in a peanut sauce. The stewed pork had a nice star anise aroma which worked well to contrast the strong peanut and curry sauce. Simple but tasty, a favourite amongst many of the diners there.

Fried Peking Perogies feature a collection of pork potstickers served with a side of soy sauce. The dumplings themselves had a nice contrast of chewy plump dough and fried crispy bottoms. The interiors was rather pitiful though with only half of each dumpling filled with the pork and cabbage filling. Flavours were there and as you should but it was disappointing to be eating mostly dough.

Pork Sil-Mil is a dim sum variant that was new and unique for me: four pieces of non-descript meat (I think it is pork) is wrapped with glutinous rice and steamed to perfection. I enjoyed the glutinous rice as it soaked up the fattiness from the meat and gave the dish a slight crispy texture. The flavour though was non-existent with diners having to resort to the supplied hot sauce for any semblance of taste.

These Shrimp Dumplings were also average. The four dumplings were filled with a combination of shrimp and bamboo which gave it a nice sweetness and textural crispness. I have to fault them on the tough skins that were too thick for the amount of filling inside.

One cannot question the value of New Hong Kong Snack Shack. With each item being a few dollars each and flavours that were overall okay, it is no wonder why flocks of patrons stream to the restaurant for a quick bite of lunch. With that said there are much better dim sum and Chinese restaurants in the city and while they may cost a little more, the flavours much better resemble authenticity.

East Ocean - Decent Non-Westernized Chinese

I find my viewpoint of Chinese restaurants swayed by my heritage. In truth, there are two types of Chinese restaurants in any major city, those catering towards Westernized Chinese foods (think Ginger Beef, Chicken Fried Rice, Chicken Balls) and those towards traditional authentic Chinese cuisine. Having grown up on traditional foods, I always find it difficult to even try the Westernized restaurants ... and thus I have found a slight dirge of Chinese posts on this blog. You can imagine my joy when browsing through Winnipeg's Zomato I found East Ocean Restaurant.

Located in the heart of downtown on Hargrave Street, East Ocean Restaurant is not in the most pleasant of areas of Winnipeg. While the socioeconomic status of any region should not deter a customer to dine there, I could not help but feel a bit apprehensive about dining here. Nevertheless the welcoming sign beckons diners into the modest restaurant. The interiors are truly sparse and meant for speed and utility rather than aesthetics.

The menu is thankfully a nice combination of the usual dishes one would find in an authentic Chinese restaurant. The breakdown of the menu is through the different types of proteins including chicken, duck, beef and pork with further menu options for noodles and rice dishes. Sounds pretty usual, no? Well a good way to determine the authenticity of a restaurant is if they offer "Hot Pot" type dishes, a style of cooking that serves the one pot wonders in traditional stone bowls. Another way is to look for more luxurious items, such as Peking Duck, Chinese Style Lobster or special soups like a Fish Maw Soup. Finally the presence of a specific Chinese menu is also a great indication towards the authenticity (just go with someone who can read it though).

One of my favourite dishes growing up was Crisp Chicken w/ Green Onion & Ginger Sauce and while the version here was not exactly perfect, it was serviceability reminiscent of my childhood. The key to this dish is the dichotomy of the crispy exterior with the saltiness and sweetness imparted from the soy sauce and the sharpness given by the onion and ginger. I found the frying job here subpar giving the chicken only the slightest of crispy-ness. Further exacerbating the problem is the use of dark soy here which was missing the usual lightness and sweetness found in light soy.

Egg Plant & Minced Pork w/ Salted Fish Hot Pot is also a personal favourite of mine. Served in a hot stone (or metal) bowl, the dish is filled with tender eggplant, minced pork, vegetables and salted fish, all tossed and stewed in a thick soy based sauce. I thoroughly enjoyed the incredibly tender pieces of eggplant and thought the interplay between the creamy vegetable played well with the sharpness of the salted fish. Again the dish was overly salty and the sauce too one-dimensional and missing some of the sweet and bitter tones one usually finds in the dish.

Needing to make my parents happy, I always order a vegetable with every meal and the choice for today was Gai Lan in Garlic Sauce. Gai Lan, sometimes referred to as Chinese broccoli, is a leafy green that consists of a crunchy stalk with slightly bitter and sweet leafs. Classically frying it in garlic sauce imparts an incredible aroma alongside the wok imparted flavours of bitter, sweet and salty. I have no faults with the version here and appreciated the large portion of appropriately fried greens.

Overall East Ocean have to be commended for offering authentic Chinese cuisine, something that the majority of Chinese style restaurants here lack. While each dish had some faults and difficulties, the flavours were mostly there and each cooked well enough to be reminiscent of proper authentic Chinese food, and for that, East Ocean should at least deserve a visit.

Sizzling Dhaba - Solid Indian Buffet

There are some days when I wake up with a craving that does not go away. Even when stocked with a full refrigerator that could last me weeks, I find the need to go out and dine on some of the ethnic cuisines that I currently do not have the ability to keep up with. One of those guilty pleasures is Indian food ... ever since I was a child, I loved the combination of spices that play a bold dance on my taste buds combining ingredients and flavours that were both new and similar to me. Finding a new Indian place therefore always comes with excitement and energy ... which I took to Sizzling Dhaba.

Located in St. Vital, Sizzling Dhaba is a mom and pop owned Indian restaurant. Pleasant and appealing to the eye, the exterior of the restaurant screams modern modesty, and the interiors are just the same. They offer a nice variety on their ala carte lunch and dinner menus, but the true treat is in their buffets which offer a collection of tasty high quality Indian dishes at an affordable rate. Being someone who only typically dines ala carte, I have always kept a keen fondness to Indian buffets and thus could not resist today.

Appetizers here include a Chicken Somasa, Aloo Tikki (fried potato and onion snack), Onion Bhaghi (fried onion fritter) and a collection of sauces and chutneys. I was overall impressed by the non-greasy starters and felt the size and overall flavour within reach of regular ala carte options. The onion bhaghi was not overly doughy and had a nice aroma surrounding it while the samosas were stuffed to the brim with potato and peas (nary a chicken was in site unfortunately).

Vegetarian options include (top going clockwise) a creamy Vegetable Korma, a spinach based Palak Paneer, soft and tender chickpea Chana Masala, tender paneer and peas in their Mutter Paneer, and flavourful aromatic lentils in their Dahl Makhani (in the middle). While everything tasted fine there was no wow factor in any of these dishes. I found the korma missing the usual thick creaminess, the palak paneer missing its kick of spice and the chickpeas in the chana masala too overcooked and mushy.

Thankfully the meat options are excellent with the usual Tandoori Chicken, a mouth burning Beef Vindaloo, a tender Goat Curry and the always popular Butter Chicken. I was impressed by the impressive tenderness found in the goat curry and thought the interplay between the meat and the tomato based sauce was excellent. The butter chicken was an unusually lighter variant that was less creamy but more aromatic than the usual store bought versions, a change that sat well with my now bulging stomach. The vindaloo and tandoori meats were as expected.

Included in the meal is a piece of Naan Bread. I have to fault Sizzling Dhaba here for their imitation Naan that was more of a flatbread than the Tandoori raised equivalents found at other Indian restaurants. Thick and doughy, these breads did a poor job of picking up the curries and overall added nothing to the entire meal.

Sizzling Dhaba offers a solid Indian buffet that should satisfy most looking for a nice variety of Indian cuisine. While the vegetarian options left something to be desired, the tasty meat options elevated the restaurant into a solid category. There are some better options in town, but one should be enticed by the variety and affordability given by Sizzling Dhaba, especially if you are in the area.

Kim Thanh - Average Pho

Finding the best pho in Winnipeg is a difficult process with new restaurants popping up on an seemingly daily basis. With each boasting authentic home inspired cuisine, it can be a daunting process to find the best pho in town. Therefore in my continued need to establish the best Vietnamese (and other cuisine) restaurants in Winnipeg, I find myself at Kim Thanh.

Kim Thanh is located close to the hospital on Notre Dame by Arlington. The unassuming exterior might be a seemingly drab contrast to other newer restaurants, but is serviceable and most importably, noticeable for passersby. Similarly, the interiors are nothing to shout home about, but seem clean and feature a modest number of chairs for diners and patrons.

The menu itself is rather sprawling. Impressed by the number of dishes here, diners should be pleased by the great variety of Vietnamese cuisine found here. Starting from the classic Vietnamese phos and noodle soups, one also finds the popular Vermicelli bowls, traditional stir fries and French inspired submarine sandwiches. An impressive feat considering the small family-run aspect of the restaurant.

My hallmark for any Vietnamese establishment is the Rare Beef & Beef Balls Pho and the version here was simply average. Kim Thanh's pho broth, the most important ingredient, lacked a depth of flavour usually found in pho broths, but rather had a MSG filled instant soup flavour to it. Furthermore, the beef balls were missing the sponginess one usually finds but rather were firm and rather unappealing. The rare beef, thankfully was as advertised and thinly cut.

Prawn & Pork Salad Rolls are a favorite of mine and another marker of the quality of a Vietnamese restaurant. These rolls were again average with nice springy shrimp and pork slices all wrapped together with a bevy of vegetables and rice noodles. The accompanying hoisin based sauce was a tasty, albeit extremely salty, dip that complimented the intentionally bland ingredients in the roll well.

Wanting to try a number of things (and also starving from a tiny lunch) I also ordered a Banh Mi Grilled Pork. Harkening back to a French inspiration, the Banh Mi is a classic Vietnamese submarine sandwich taking crusty bread and filling it with a host of grilled meats and vegetables. I enjoyed the version here with nice pieces of tender grilled pork, salty and sugary pickled vegetables and fresh cilantro. Encasing it all is a nice bread that had the needed crunch on the exterior while being velvety soft in the middle.

Fresh bean sprouts are always necessary at a Vietnamese restaurant and while the initial visual passed the test, further inspection revealed old and slightly yellowing sprouts, definitely a turn off for a supposed traditional Vietnamese restaurant.

I have to be underwhelmed by Kim Thanh. Most of their food today was average at best, stale and tasteless at worst; and while the crunchy Banh Mi was a highlight, it did not elevate Kim Thanh above many of the Vietnamese establishments in Winnipeg. You can find better even in the hospital vicinity.

The Nook Diner - Tasty Brunch

Post-call is a blissful time. The reward for a nights' (likely) hard work and determination, I often feel the need to make use of my free time as liberally as possible, despite the obvious exhaustion and energy deprecation that occurred overnight. Especially so when a group of my fellow pediatric residents are on and who are willing and keen for the spoils of a post-call brunch. Trolling through Urbanspoon found a local favourite, The Nook Diner.

The Nook is located on Sherbrook Street within earshot of the Misericordia Hospital. The restaurant has an aged appearance that speaks of its history and the nostalgia of the entire street, as captured by the beautiful panorama wall art on the exterior of the restaurant. The insides are classic diner-esque: comfortable, clean, but aged. Friendly and helpful staff escort you to a table as you are impressed by the cacophony of noise roaring from the other diners.

The menu is tried and true classic diner food. A simple foldout menu speaks to the no fuss attitude of this restaurant by offering a bevy of breakfast and lunch items that should delight most. Soups, salads, sides, burgers, hot dogs and meat platters greet diners as one peruses through the menu, all as you would expect with nothing extraordinary. What is special, however, is their brunch items including eggs, breakfast burritos, a nice variety of eggs benedicts and a large concoction of classic and creative omelets.

I was craving the crunch of Onion Rings and the version here did not disappoint. The large rings are nicely fried in a thick batter to achieve a beautiful golden crispy brown hue. The interior housed a tender and soft onion that imparted a nice sweetness to the ring. Overall as you would expect and hit the spot for me.

Finding an Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce Omelet is surprising, especially when considering the dive-y nature of The Nook. The large omelet is fried nicely and chalk full with a bevy of asparagus spears, is topped with a generous topping of hollandaise and finished with a dash of paprika. The chefs here intentionally underseasoned the omelet to allow for the full flavour of the asparagus to seep through, and lo does it work! I quick liked the interchange between the creamy Hollandaise with the peppery paprika and the soft and sweet asparagus.

Another exciting dish, both my dining companions ordered the Mexi Benny with Mashed Avocado & Polenta. Moving away from the classic eggs benedict, the chefs here make the base out of light and creamy polenta. Rounding out the flavours is the further creaminess of the mashed avocado, sweetness from the perfectly cooked poached eggs, and pepperiness from paprika. For those wanting more taste, I recommend adding the supplied salsa to kick up the sweet and salty components. Overall this was a unique take on eggs benedict that allows the egg and avocado to shine without the usual starchiness one gets when using english muffins.

The Nook offers no nonsense breakfast, lunch and brunch options that should appeal to anyone looking for classic diner food. Despite that moniker, the do offer some unique and realized dishes that show the creativity and skill of its chefs. The perfect place for the start (or end) of ones day.

Bangkok Thai - Enjoyable Thai

Finding the time to meet with friends and family gets more and more difficult as you get older, with new and increasing responsibilities, commitments and expectations piled on you from any and all angles. Thus I always treasure those opportunities when I find time to meet with old and new friends alike. This was the chance I had when a few fellow residents were hankering for some good Thai food at Bangkok Thai.

I had previously blogged about Bangkok Thai previously, but a nine month wait-time (or gestation) warrants a revisit. The restaurant during that time continues to promise to deliver realized top quality Thai food and is easily on the first recommendations by Winnipegers when inquiring about good Thai restaurants in town. The location itself is prime, the corner of Osborne and River Avenue, in the second floor of an business building. A few large signs handsomely adorn the exterior while some further, albeit confusing, signs take you into the building and up to the restaurant. Despite the effort, the eatery itself is beautiful with large wooden tables and a combination of booth and chair seating, all adorned with classic Thai artwork and paintings. We arrived just after a large group had placed their orders and while I admire the waitresses for trying to keep the entire large dining room happy, there were long looks as the service and food turnaround time lacked under the burden of this massive table.

Nevertheless, this is about the food! And the menu at Bangkok Thai is unchanged from previously. Featuring a large list of classic Thai cuisine, ranging from the ever delicious Crab Rangoon appetizers, to Tom Yum Soup, to the ever popular curries (in your range of different colours and spice levels), stir fries, and the national dish, Pad Thai. There is something here to delight all diners and represents enough options and variety to give anyone looking for a good smattering of Thai cuisine.

This Papaya salad was a delicious combination of fresh green papaya, carrot, tomato, green beans and peanuts all tossed in a fish sauce based vinaigrette. I was impressed by the balance of flavours here with the crunch and freshness of the papaya counterplayed by the sweetness and saltiness of the fish sauce, nuttiness from the peanuts, and spice in the vinaigrette. A light and tasty first dish that whets your appetite for the upcoming meal.

Massaman Curry takes your choice of meat (beef here) with vegetables and envelops it in a spicy and creamy panang curry. This was marvelous! Creamy, sweet, salty and spicy all interplay in your mouth with each bite of the robust curry while the soft and tender vegetables give a needed starchy sweetness, all accentuated by the tender slices of beef. Marvelous and utterly delicious.

Something was off with their Pad Thai today as the usually tasty noodle dish had an overwhelmingly salty soy sauce based flavour as opposed to the usual savoury tomato based tamarind sauce. Disappointing considering the noodles were otherwise well cooked and the slices of chicken tender and well seasoned. Extra crunchiness is given by the accompanied bean sprouts. Overall though it is the flavour that make this dish and I could not get over the disappointingly lackluster sauce.

Pad Lemon Grass is a stir fry dish that combines fresh vegetables with your choice of protein and stir fried with bitter and lemony lemongrass in a soy based sauce. I found this dish extremely ordinary with fresh but lackluster vegetables, tender but non-flavourful meat and a sauce that was too high on soy and less on the lemony flavour from lemongrass. While overall tasty, there was nothing specific here that screamed of innovation nor uniqueness.

Bangkok Thai is a enjoyable Thai experience with a location that nobody can beat and has good enough food to warrant a visit for anyone in the area. In reality, there area host of much better and tastier Thai restaurants in town that offer a better and more authentic dining experience that I would recommend over Bangkok Thai ... ones you won't need to wait two hours for your food at either.