Lately I’ve noticed that I eat a lot of sandwiches when I’m out so here is a brief sampling of 3 of the latest chicken sammy’s I’ve chowed down on lately.
First up is the cheapest out of the bunch, it’s Mc Donald’s new “McBistro” line of chicken sandwiches and came in at $5.99 before taxes. I chose the crispy version of this because I was of the understanding that it was a new version of the crispy breast they had before but the sandwich I got from my local Mickey D’s had the old breast and came packaged in the old line of sandwich boxes but was on the new whole wheat bun, I went with the BLT version out of the 3 choices, the tomatoes could have been fresher and I took them off after taking the picture~you could tell they weren’t sliced that day and the chicken was really tough. In the end it was a meh kinda sandwich and let’s just say I wont be having another one~there pretty much the same line of “Supreme” sandwiches they had previous but just on a different bun.
Next up and in the middle position price wise is the Fatburger Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich, it was the special of the day so the combo ended up only costing me $9.79 plus tax. I’ve never had the grilled chicken sandwich at Fatburger before, the chicken breast was nicely seasoned with a lemon pepper blend and had a nice tang, it was juicy and tender, toppings wise it was kept simple with lettuce, tomato, mayo and pickles. I must say that I really like the fries here compared to other fast food places, there crisp and tender on the inside and seasoned with a bit of salt, also there cooked to order which makes all the difference.
Lastly we have The Big Chick from Vera’s Burger Shack over in Kits, again I stopped in on the day when all combo specials were available so the combo ended up costing me around $12 after taxes. The Vera’s crew marinade this chicken breast in bourbon and the burger is topped with sautéed onions, provolone cheese and bacon, veggie wise it had lettuce, tomato and a pickle. I’ve had this before when I first tried Vera’s and it’s a good chicken sandwich but for some reason this one refused to stay in the bun and the chicken breast slid out more with each bite so needless to say this gets the messiest sandwich award. On a flavor note I’d suggest getting cheddar or something else as the cheese on this because the provolone totally dominated this and it wasn’t a good thing. My meal also came with fries and a drink, the fries here are hand cut and fried to order but the ones that I got needed to be cooked more and lacked seasoning so 2/3 of the basket were not eaten but at the end of the day it’s not about the fries and the chicken sandwich was good and the quality of the toppings were there.
So out of the 3 sandwiches I’ve mentioned the one at Fatburger is the one that I’d go back for or eat instead of a burger, the seasoning on the chicken was unlike I’ve had at any other place in Vancouver and definitely made the sandwich standout against the others.
I started with there chashu rice bowl, for $2.50 it was the cheapest chashu bowl I’ve had at any ramen place but it was also the worst, the pork tasted OK but the rice portion of the dish just tasted like rice and soy and it was also really cold. This was a first and a last time ordering this from here and will stick to the shrimp or pork gyoza because they rock.
The main star of my visit was this-the akioni spicy miso ramen for $8.95, on the menu it’s described like this: “Mixed with various kinds of spices, this spicy-miso is a favorite for many. The addition of garlic oil creates a much richer flavor. The burning sensation followed by the soothing delicious taste is going to make you come back for more”. Like I said above-I was really eager to try this to see how there’s stacks up against Sanpachi’s and Hokkaido Ramen Santouka version of this dish. I was really impressed with the look and smell of this bowl ramen when it was put down in front of me, you could smell the spice coming from the dish!, the noodles were cooked so they still had some bite to them and the veggies on top were a great touch. With this bowl of soup and the other versions I’ve had ground pork is used as the protein and not slices of pork and the garlic chili oil on top added a great spicy kick and there is chili flakes in the broth. The one stand out for this dish is the fact sesame isn’t a predominant flavor and the reason I like the dish is for that flavor so it was kind of a let down. If you’re looking for a spicy bowl of noodles this dish is for you but if you’re looking for something similar to Tan Tan Men then this dish isn’t for you.
First up is the hors d’oeuvre’s, at $10 for 40 pieces-10 of each kind is a great little selection that is great bang for your buck. Cooking is dead simple-400 for 22-25 minutes of your making 1/2 of the box and if your making the whole box split them up on 2 baking sheets and use the bottom and middle racks switching 1/2 way through and cooking for a total of 27-30 minutes.
You get a different take on traditional sausage rolls-a chicken sausage roll filling wrapped in puff pastry. These are a traditional sausage roll done with chicken instead, the filling is nicely seasoned and flavored well. The puff pastry adds a great buttery taste to these sausage rolls.
Next up are Gruyère and smoked ham boats. These are one of my favorite items in the box, the smoked ham really comes through and the Gruyère adds a nice nutty flavor to this delicious flavor boat!
Something that is a nice twist in the box are the roasted sweet potato and goat cheese rolls. I didn’t pick up on the flavor of the sweet potato but the goat cheese really comes through. One thing I really do like are the shape of these little goat cheese bites.
Finally in the box we have the Apple, Smoked Gouda and Caramelized Onion Lattice Rolls. Think these are my favorite items by far, the smoked Gouda adds a nice salty taste that comes off as bacon kind of and the caramelized onion and apple add a nice sweet tone to the roll. I gobbled these up pretty quick.
This is a new item this year to the Presidents Choice line up and is featured in the current TV commercial for the Insiders Report.
They aren’t on the cookie isle so head over to the frozen section to find these bad boys. It’s extra large chocolate chip cookie that is about the size of a small personal pie with a frozen chocolate center. For $6.99 you get 4 cookies in a box.
You can bake these in the oven at 350 for 8-10 minutes and let stand for a minute or you can cook them in the microwave loosely wrapped in a paper towel on HIGH for 45-55 seconds and again let it stand for a minute before diving in.
This was a delicious dessert and great treat that I’ll keep in my freezer for sure. The cookie was soft and chewy and the molten chocolate center was great for dipping the surrounding cookie into. I can definitely see these in different flavors on the shelf and in the Insiders Report next year.
Photo credit to Mary for this picture.
Lastly we have Kansai Steak Sliders, they consisted of sautéed sliced beef marinated in yakiniku sauce and topped with avocado, onions, mushrooms, mayo and a pickled jalapeno slice.
Prawn Gyoza $5.95, hand wrapped tiger prawn dumplings pan fried to perfection. I’ve never had prawn gyoza where the tail is sticking out before and it was a great touch and presentation, the wrapper was thin and tender.
Volcano rolls were lastly on the menu for us, for $6.97 you get a spicy salmon roll topped with tempura bits, tobiko, avocado and drizzled with a spicy sauce. I personally didn’t like this~too spicy for my taste but I will say that they make quality sushi here and I look forward to trying some of their other rolls.
