Bar Lolo - Portland

Bar Lolo is a small tapas style bar located at 2940 NE Alberta St, Portland OR, 97211

Roasted forest mushrooms, miticrema, crostini

The mushrooms were good.  A simple combination that will not go wrong.  The crema on the crostini added an nice layer of flavor with its slight tartness to cut the oil in the dish.

Braised wild boar, red wine, roasted vegetable sauce

This boar was well made. A little gamey but overall a well prepared dish.  Rich an perfect with the beer that we ordered.

Chickpea stew, spinach, saffron, sweet paprika

 An unexpected combination that turned out pretty good.  A slightly sour broth gives this soup a good balance. A seemingly simple dish that is full of flavor.

Seafood Paella – prawns, scallops, calamari-half order

The half order was a very generous portion, unfortunately the seafood paella was undercooked.  The rice was still raw on in inside even after we let it sit for awhile.  There was not enough liquid so the rice was too chewy. On the plus side the shrimp was done just right,  so I guess it was the chef's misstep not timing the cooking properly.

Overall food was simple and easy to cook, with the exception of the paella.  In general a good bar catering to the locals,  nothing too fancy,  but comfortable and welcoming.  The chickpea soup was a pleasant surprise. I was dissapointed with the paella, and probably will not return to this place again given that there are so many other places on the same street offering other styles of food. 

Toro Bravo - Portland

 Toro Bravo Portland -120 NE Russell Street Portland, OR 97212

 Toro Bravo is located on a quiet street corner. Behind the unassuming entrance is a medium sized restaurant with a lively atmosphere.  We arrived on a Saturday night and the restaurant was 90% full.  After a few minutes we were seated at the bar and offered the menu. After some debate, we decided to go for the $30 tasting menu in order to cover all areas of the tasting menu.

Duck Liver Mousse Terrine with bread and mustard  

 The terrine is a generous portion, and the sides of cucumber and mustard helps to give some texture and kick to the dish. 

Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with almond paste

 The dates stuffed with almond paste was too sweet for my taste, despite the bacon helping to offset the sweetness.  The bacon was a little burnt on one side.

Salt Cod Fritters with aioli

 Unexpectedly pleasing.  I never knew what to expect with regards to salt cod.  The fritters were light and fluffy with a hint of fish flavor. This reminds me of Asian fish balls.

Radicchio Salad with green olive toast & manchego vinaigrette

I love the bitterness of the radicchio and the balance that you get from the cheese vinaigrette.  Less vinaigrette gives you a more bitter salad which I like.  Adding the vinaigrette tones down the bitterness for others.

 

Bacon wrapped chicken on bed of mixed beans.

I believe it was chicken paste within the bacon.  Most of the bacon grease helped to flavor the bed of mixed beans, which was half fried with a crispy texture.  The bacon roll itself was not very interesting though,  imo the texture was too smooth and needed something to breakup the texture.

Stir fried onions topped with mustard. Root vegetable sauteed in bacon bits

I am not a fan of onion,  but this was cooked through enough that I did like the flavors that the onion absorbed.  My favourite was the root vegetable.  I did not hear what it was although the waitress did tell us when she set it down.  Tasted like a parsnip consistency with a firmer bite to it, topped with bacon bits.

beef and peppers on baked polenta, topped with greens

By the time this dis can around,  we were not stuffed and could not eat much of it.  The green sauteed vegetable on top had a slight bitter texture and was a refreshing palate cleanser.

Roast beef on fingerling tomatoes topped with mustard

Thee roast beef was a generous portion and medium done. Tender and well seasoned.

My favourite was the salt cod fritters and the bacon topped root vegetable. Overall I loved the good food and friendly service,  the bartender was attentive eventhough she was very busy during the whole night.  Food was on the heavy side and included lots of bacon which was not what I am used to, so I did like the vegetable dishes more than some of the meat dishes.  Now that I have experienced it,  I will definitely choose smaller portions the next time around,  fewer plates, and maybe more wine to go with the food.  I would love to come back next time.  Thank you for  a wonerful dinner. 

Ki Modern Japanese & Bar

The newest addition to the Shangri-la hotel is Ki, a Japanese fusion restaurant located on the second floor. Before coming here, all I knew was that there was another restaurant in Toronto and that this was a high end restaurant.

First impressions was that this was a large restaurant with expensive decor and an open layout. Offering small plates as well as mains; classical Japanese as well as fusion dishes, this restaurant seems to be having an identity crisis.


Seafood salad with spicy sauce. The sauce and the seaweed was served in a fried wonton cup. Presentation aside, the fish was fishy tasting, an indication that they were not using very fresh fish.


Tuna toro.


spider roll. A good roll, available at most sushi restaurants.


Kiwi tuna and the shrimp rice roll. The kiwi tuna had good visual appeal, but I did not really find the kiwi adding any flavor to the roll. The shrimp rice roll was reminiscent of a Vietnamese salad roll, but without any dipping sauce, the rice roll was a little dry.



Grilled Veal Chop with marinated king mushroom. By far the best dish on the menu. Shiso did no really add to this dish. The veal was cooked to a perfect medium rare. Juice and tender.



Creamy Miso Chowder with assorted seafood. Good balance between the cream and miso.



grilled shrimp and scallop skewer with mango sauce. Grilled just right. Sauce adds a sweetness which I found unnecessary as the seafood itself was quite flavorful already.



Grilled pork belly. This is more Chinese than Japanese. The pork pieces were too think making the dish too heavy. Thinner slices might have had a better effect.


Japanese Style Ceviche with sake, saba and amaebi. IMO the saba was too fishy to go into this dish. It overpowers the sweetness of the shrimp.


In conclusion,

• Liked the decor, the veal and the chowder.
• Did not like the pricing and many of the fusion dishes. Too much fluff that did not add to the flavor.
• This place may have been better marketed as a western restaurant than as a Japanese restaurant, as the better dishes all had little Japanese influences.
• Too overpriced to be worth a revisit. With Market just next door offering a $29 3 course lunch that is hard to beat, no wonder this place is so quite during lunch hour.
  

Gyoza King - Part 1

Gyoza King on Robson street.


Gyoza king has long been one of my favorite Izakayas downtown. The food selection is similar to Guu Garlic, but at a lower price point. Having not been here for over 6 months I was looking forward to another wonderful experience.

I noticed there was a lot more variety on the menu, 5 or 6 udons and rice bowls and raw sushi.


Grilled beef tongue. Their staple dish, and is always grilled to perfection. I always love ordering this here.


Clam udon. The menu says this should be stir fried, but this looks more soupy to me. Not what I expected. I was looking for their normal style of stir fried udon in a hot pan with lots of sake. This one was luke warm and not very flavorful. A miss for me.


Seared raw scallops. The scallops were fresh. A simple and clean dish.



Salmon Chazuke. Basically rice in a light broth with salmon flakes. They are very generous with the rice portions. I always enjoy the flavors better when the wasabi is added to the soup. A filling dish perfect for a hungry diner or a cold day.


Tuna Yukke : Chopped tuna with sauce and a quail egg on top. I remember this use to be more spicy. Maybe I ordered the non spicy version by mistake. You are suppose to mix the egg into the chopped tuna, and then wrap it in seaweed. I prefer the spicy version of this, as the tuna was almost too mild to eat as is. The quail egg is used as a binding agent so that the chop tuna holds together better. Fresh ingredients and a clean presentation.

What I liked:

• The still carry their staples.
• Good food and a reasonable price point

What I did not like:

• Addition of too many items.
  
• Quality has been sacrificed for variety