13.--Polonia Bakery & Deli





Polonia Bakery & Deli is one of those great little places that offer you items you can't get anywhere else--breads, jams, types of flour and crackers, canned goods, bakery items...I don't think there is a Polish person in the lower mainland who doesn't know about Polonia Bakery. It has been in the same location for just about forever. When we went in this morning 'round about 11:30 the place was packed. Four people were running around behind the counters filling orders and processing purchases. You have to take a number (up to your left at the main counter) and wait for them to call you; a vigilant attitude is necessary here because if they call your number and you don't respond they wait only a few minutes before calling the next. They have to; it's crazy busy in there in the mornings. You can go in the afternoons, of course, but if you want to buy a certain loaf of bread or certain dessert from the pastry case you are likely to be disappointed. The stuff sells quick.


You gain weight looking at the pastry case

Their sausages are nice though not spectacular; likewise the breads. What you do get is variety. My sister and I spent close to an hour there the first time we went, just browsing the food shelves.
They have ready-made meals in the freezers at the far left of the front of the store when you go in: beef stew, cabbage rolls, beans in tomato sauce, croquettes stuffed with sauerkraut and mushrooms, borsche, tripe soup and more.
Should you wish to, you can get lunch at the back--soup of the day, sandwiches, perogies.

Canned goods boast everything from sprats and mackeral to sour cherry jam. Buckwheat groats, noodles, flours and grains jostle for position. Everywhere you look there is something
tasty to try.
We bought a Bavarian bread loaf, some incredible-looking apple/cranberry tarts, a few jelly donuts--which actually taste like donuts should, not like the stuff they sell in donut shops--and the sauerkraut/mushroom croquettes (plus some baked turkey because it was on sale). When our number was called (and we made sure we didn't take a number until we were ready to purchase, keeping an eye on the number ahead of us just in case), the server, who seemed to speak little English, was careful to ask whether we wanted our meat sliced. This was repeated for the bread we asked for. Her attitude might be construed as unfriendly if one was in a poor mood to begin with, but a smile given was a smile returned, especially once the order was filled--we suspect from sheer relief. It's somewhat of a chore to try and serve a customer who doesn't speak your language when you don't have a fluent grasp of theirs. When such communication is successful, you're happy, right?


Not spectacular but good

We felt a little awkward at first as there is no Polish at all in our linguistic family tree, and most of the staff and customers were all ordering in Polish. My sister asked for the apple tarts and when our server grabbed the wrong pastry and was corrected, we were quickly informed that what we were pointing at were not apple tarts, but apple-cranberry, as if the entire store had been watching and thought the server had been in error. It wasn't said in an offensive way, however, so my sister and I minded not at all. We simply acknowledged our mistake with a smile and ordered them.
By the time we were done we felt comfortable enough with how the store was run to know that we would be back to buy more stuff. And that's a priority anywhere there's food.










    
    






















12.--Sushi & Roll

Let's face it--there's a lot of sushi places in Surrey. Every strip mall has one, practically. But we were desperate for a place to have lunch, having driven around the Whalley/Fleetwood area for a half hour or so (hey that's a long time when you're starving hungry) and not finding anything open or appealing. Our last stop was the Olympia Restaurant just off King George Blvd. (seriously, why did they change that name from King George Highway? Its initials are KGB...), but when we went in our ears were intimidated by a live band setting up, why in a restaurant I don't know, and then when we came out we saw Sushi & Roll kitty-corner from it with a "Grand Opening" sign on it and decided to check it out. Sushi was sounding pretty good right then. I would have eaten a rock.We were delighted by the place when we entered--it has that wonderful clean, minimal-but-artistic feel that Asian restaurants do so well. There weren't many people in it when we entered; I assume it was because we caught it between lunch and dinner rushes at 2:45 in the afternoon. We were shown to a table and given a really lovely complimentary green and brown-rice tea that the server kept filled throughout the meal. My sister ordered the Chicken Udon, my brother-in-law, the Beef Teriyaki, I asked for the Sweet Potato and Prawn Tempura, and we decided to share a small plate of Gyoza as well. Five minutes later we heard a sizzling noise, and the server came up to our table with a truly spectacular Beef Teriyaki, inset on a wooden tray. It sounded like it was still frying, and the steam billowed up from it in volcano-like resplendency. No kidding, we were really impressed. A few moments after that he brought my sister her Chicken Udon, a generous portion, almost enoughfor two, and a couple of minutes after that came my Tempura, the sweet potato slices the size of the palm of my hand and the prawns which were big to begin with but with the tempura batter seemed massive. We dug in with a will, being as I think I've mentioned twice now starving, and were pretty pleased with not only the portion size but the taste. The vegetables were crisp but cooked, the noodles weren't mushy, and the tempura was not greasy like some other tempuras at other restaurants. I did think there was too much batter on them, but it's a small criticism swimming in a large pool of approval. We would have loved to try the sushi bar but when we saw the portions of our meals we knew there was no way we could eat any more than what we had. Sushi & Roll also has a lovely house spice--that's what it says on the little shaker, "House Spice"--a truly splendid combination of pepper flakes, poppy seed, orange peel, and other things I have forgotten, which begins as just flavor on your tongue and gradually builds in heat until you have a lovely intensity and which seems good on everything. I know, I had a bit of everyone's and tried it. I would have put it in my tea if the server hadn't been looking. After having eaten our fill we called for the bill and discovered to our shock that the whole thing, along with my brother-in-law's Coke, came to a measly $32.59! And that includes the tax, my friends. We have often spent that amount for three at McDonald's.

The spectacular Beef Teriyaki

Clean and charming



Sweet Potato and Prawn Tempura





Chicken Udon, Gyoza and a lovely mild sauce

I highly recommend this delightful place. As soon as I am hungry again (possibly next spring), I will be going back for the sushi.



11.--Taquiera Jalisco

"We are serving your area since 2006"

I love authentic Mexican food, which is why I make a point to stay away from any food chain with the word "Taco" in its name when I want some. Fortunately for the city of Surrey, there are now several restaurants to choose from when I have a craving for Mexican food, not the least of which is Taquiera Jalisco, whose sign boasts that "we are serving your area since 2006."

Table coverings brighten up the place

To call Taquiera Jalisco small and unpretentious is perhaps dressing the place up a little. If they didn't have aggressive signage out front you would never know it existed. Even then you hesitate between two doors that might very well lead to someone's apartment (choose the one on the right). Once through, however, you feel like you stepped into a small family-run place in Mexico. It has a well-used charm, and every square foot of clear floor space (there isn't much) has been given over to five or six tables, with just enough room for a little corner counter and a couple of shelves backed up against the wall like gringos on the losing side of a Mexican stand-off.



You don't get--or need--a lot of tortilla chips

The servers are quiet, almost shy, but a smile or two and a kind word receives a warm smile back. They bring you your menus (the front of which proclaims warmly that "Mi casa es tu casa") and, after ordering, they also bring you a small tray with store-bought tortilla chips and two decidedly not store-bought dipping sauces: what looks like a salsa roja and a salsa roja Mexicana. I can't be certain, though. Both salsas are very spicy, not so that you suddenly feel like you've taken up fire-breathing as a career, but enough to make you glad you ordered  something  cold  to  drink.  Dance,  taste-buds, dance!




My chimichanga looked like a bull

The three of us ordered, respectively, a chicken chimichanga, a chicken quesadilla, and a beef burrito. In every case the portions are large, nay,huge; healthy appetites are welcome here. We were impressed to see small slices of beef--not ground--in the burrito. The chicken in our quesadilla and chimichanga was diced breast meat, generously stuffed in along with the rest of the filling. Nothing is greasy; in fact, the chimichanga wrap was almost like a pastry crust; faintly crispy and very satisfying.  The rice was not terribly memorable but did have the benefit of being flavored lightly with something. Perhaps it was cooked in chicken broth. I found it acceptable, fluffy but perhaps a tad dry. The salad was that ubiquitous iceberg lettuce/tomato/green onion mix you find everywhere in North America, but at least it was fresh and crisp, and its texture balance the plate out nicely. For beverages my sister had tea, I had rice water--and very nice it was, thank-you--and my brother-in-law had a Mexican Coke. 

The much-desired Mexican Coke

A quick word about the Mexican Coke. Remember how (and I may be dating myself here), a long time ago around 1985 or so Coke replaced the old Coke with the New Coke, and then decided to bring back the old Coke and call it Coke Classic, but it never really tasted the same? Well, the Mexican Coke tastes like the original Coke, not that Coke Classic cra--er, stuff. It made me wish I had ordered it instead of my very nice rice water. A quick trip to Wickapedia (long live the 'Wick) informs me that most Coke in North America is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup, while Mexican Coke is sweetened with cane sugar. That truly may be the reason why it tastes like original Coke, and I mean Coke from waaaay back. But I digress.
The meals are very reasonably priced--all of our entrees were about ten dollars each.



The beef burrito

I can hardly wait to go back there. I want to check out the cooking implement I saw stacked on the floor by the counter, which I suspect might be an authentic metate y mano. I'm not certain, because I didn't take the time to really look at it. At the very least, it makes for a great excuse to return.

Do yourself a favor and go. Treat yourself to a good Mexican meal. Treat the servers kindly. Tip well. They deserve it.






Lower left--matate y mano?

I suspect the kitchen is tiny





























10.--FOOD FIGHT!--FISH & CHIPS

Stomachs, get ready to ruuuuuuuuummmmbbbbbble!

(FOOD FIGHT! Is featured in this blog the first Saturday of every month)

AL & JAN'S FISH & CHIPS VS. SALTY'S FISH & CHIPS

This is one food fight I’ve been looking forward to, because I love fish & chips, and while I’ve been to Al & Jan’s, I haven’t been to Salty’s, so it was a win-win situation for me. I got to try a new fish & chips place out and have one I know to be good. Yay! We decided to go for the basics: a piece of cod each, some fries, and the coleslaw. The prices are similar to each other, sometimes identical on both take-out menus. Service is fast and friendly, with Al & Jan’s edging Salty’s out by a hair—the young man who served us at Al & Jan’s was genuinely warm and eager to please. You wanted to come back just for the service. The girl at Salty’s was also nice, but you could tell you were just a possible tip.

Salty's cod, chips and coleslaw

Salty’s packaging was a little slicker, as befits a food chain; wrapped in white paper with a charming inner liner made to look like a newspaper, with a forgettable seafood recipe printed on it. Al & Jan’s was the classic inner white paper lining bundled up in an outer wrap of actual newspaper. Salty’s had a proper little Styrofoam bowl for its coleslaw with a proper little cardboard box for its fries and Al & Jan’s coleslaw was a little more antwacky--it came in a Styrofoam cup with lid and the fries were bundled up with the fish. I like the fries bundled up with the fish. Looks more authentic.

Al & Jan's cod, chips and coleslaw

Al & Jan’s cod is classically battered, crispy and a little greasy (but no more so than Salty’s), and very flavorful. The flesh was flaky and tender. Salty’s coating looks like a cornflake coating but isn’t. It also is nicely crispy, but the coating tasted very one-dimensional; like it had been made with flour and club soda and that’s it. I don’t know how they make the batter to get that interesting texture but the flavor just wasn’t there. Also, the cod was a bit chewy.

I also had a problem with Salty’s fries.  Both places had tasty fries, but since the last few we ate were barely warm (hey, it takes a while to eat this stuff) we had a proper test; most fries are good when hot, after all; it's when they start to grow cold that you find out if you got your money's worth.  The inside of the fries at Salty’s had a less pleasant mouth-feel once they cooled, almost glutinous, whereas Al & Jan’s were more like what cooked potato should be in texture.

My sister and I were split on the taste of the coleslaw. I preferred the grated look and texture of Al & Jan’s but thought the dressing on Salty’s was far better—creamier and more of it. My sister preferred Al & Jan’s all the way, because she doesn’t like the dressing to overpower the cabbage. This is why there is a weight difference between us. We both agreed, however, that Salty’s coleslaw was more colorful, having both purple and green cabbage and more carrots.

The differences aren’t huge, but if I am equidistant from the two and want fish & chips, I will pick Al and Jan’s every time. So will my sister and brother-in-law.

WINNER:  Al & Jan’s