Baked BBQ Pork Bun – C$3.95 (order of 3)

One of the typical offerings during the dim sum hours of a Chinese restaurant is the Baked BBQ Pork Bun. The reality is that few restaurants can masterfully produce this dish and majority fail only to get by with the unsuspecting customer. The beauty of this particular dish from Pelican Seafood Restaurant is the fluffy and chewiness of the bun without the teeth clinging stickiness. I hate it when I have to violently tongue the lodged dough from my teeth. Of course this review can’t be complete without mentioning the fragrant BBQ pork slowing baking inside the bun. The BBQ pork inside is juicy unlike many other restaurants that procure dried saucy BBQ pork. To finish it off, on top is a thin glaze of honey.

1895 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V5L1T3, Canada
Phone: (604) 251-3395

Sliced Pork with Garlic Dipping – $6.95

A Taiwanese appetizer with thinly sliced pork with diced lettuce and parsley served with their house-made garlic dipping sauce. The freshly boiled sliced pork is warm when it arrives so you get the warmth of the meat and coldness from the diced lettuce and parsley; adding the garlic dipping and you get a mild sweetness to the bunch.

97 Glenville Avenue, Allston, MA 02134
Phone: (617) 782-1688

Tonkatsu – $11.00 (lunch)

This pork loin, tender part of the pig, is from the Berkshire pig or kurobuta as the Japanese call it. The decision to use kurobuta instead of the conventional American pig, gives its meat a juicier and  more flavorful taste because the meat is genetically predisposed to be fattier even though loins tend to have little fat. The pork loin is breaded with panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and deep fried. This dish from Shiki shall be well praised for not being over-fried and for its juicy and tenderness. Most places use cheap meats and tend to be dry and chewy. Tonkatsu sauce made from vegetable and fruit puree is provided along with mustard wasabi for you to dip. There are the cabbage and mayonnaise mini cucumbers on the side, but I never eat them.

9 Babcock Street Brookline, MA 02446
Phone: (617) 738-0200

Steamed Minced Pork Buns (6 pieces) – C$5.99

Steamed minced pork buns in English and 小籠包 (xiao long bao) in Chinese, a world renown Shanghainese dish from the also world renown Chinese joint Ding Tai Fung which started in Taiwan. Although not the original store, the restaurant still does their buns right. The buns’ skin is thin enough so that the focus is on the core. The generous amount of minced pork in the middle coupled with a decent amount of strong pork flavored soup provides the perfect explosive kicker when eaten whole. Vinegar on the side for the buns is a nice acidic complement to the appetizer.

3235 Highway 7 East, Unit #18B, Markham, Ontario, Canada
Phone: (905) 943-9880

Fettuccine Amatriciana – $6.75

A simple Tuscan Italian dish. Fettuccine was ‘al dente’ meaning it is well-cooked, but still with the firmness when you bite into the pasta. The pasta when bitten does fight back with a bounce, so watch out for the sauce splash. Amatriciana is a garlic and  spicy tomato sauce with minced pieces of pancetta. The pancetta, dried cured pork, is salty which goes well with the garlicky sauce and the pancetta gives you a chewy feedback. Topped with fragrant parsley. Well done.

313 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446
Phone: (617) 232-2661

Kurobuta – $10.00 (dinner)

This little dish is not a full entree, but one of many dishes to have at an izakaya. In Japan, an izakaya is a drinking establishment and a place to have pub food similar to Spanish tapas bars. At Shiki, its more like a restaurant than a pub. The Kurobuta is literally translated as black pig which is the same as the Berkshire pork prized by many chefs and regarded as highly as kobe beef. This grilled pork tenderloin can either be finished with teriyaki sauce or shioyaki (sea salt). To appreciated the natural fat marbling of the pork and taste, go with the shioyaki. Lime on the side for the extra citrus kicker. All together and you get this tender pork cutlet with a salted grilled crust on the outside with mild citrus acidity.

Shiki
9 Babcock Street, Brookline, MA 02446
Phone: (617) 738-0200

Roasted Pig’s Head for two – $60.00 (two person meal)

Please don’t be put off by this succulent pig’s head special for two.  Most people wouldn’t be able to stomach this, but I tell you, there are hidden gems to this dish. Before I go on about the entree, let me forewarn you. If you can’t handle looking at a deceased pig’s head in front of you over the meal, don’t order this (obvious). If you find it embarrassing to order this at a relatively fancy restaurant, don’t order this. If you can’t handle the mess that is required to meticulously dissect the head, don’t order this. Finally, if you can’t handle people staring at you the whole night… don’t order this. Now for the good part. The pig’s head is diced in half and thoroughly cleansed. The main way the pig’s head is prepared is through slow roasting. Because of the slow roast, the skin becomes very crispy with a sweet undertone. The flesh beneath is extremely tender and juicy which boggled my mind because I was expecting a dryer meat. The waitress told us that the best part of the dish was located under the eye where it was just as tender as the rest of the head. The ears were crispy due to the thin nature of the appendage. There are pitfalls to this dish (the mess). The tender meat is there, but much of the pig’s fat is lodge in the way of the meat. I, on several occasions, swallow the fat with the meat. Caveat emptor (buyer beware). Lastly, I would like to note that before I ordered the dish, I knew that the restaurant might call me a ‘sucker’ for taking the usually unwanted part of the pig and paying an exorbitant premium to eat it, but how often can say you have eaten a restaurant-quality pig’s head. Skin:Fat:Meat ratio (1:14:8)

853 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: (617 ) 497-5511

Fried Hamburger and Grilled Sanma – $8.50 (lunch)

This amazingly inexpensive bento box daily special at Torishin is a gem. Although the fried hamburger comes in a fairly small size, it is unique and delicious. Unlike most hamburgers, the patty is made from grounded pork mixed with diced onions and is fried with panko bread crumbs. Also, it is eaten without a bun, but with rice and ponzu sauce, a somewhat sweet and citrus flavored sauce. In the bento box are also a typical salad with ginger dressing and a grilled sanma, mackerel pike. This fish has a lot of small bones, but most of it is soft enough for you to chew and swallow. The fish’s meat is sweet and tender and can be easily removed from the spine and ribs. A+ I forgot to mention the complimentary mayonnaise noodles and steamed string beans, but those aren’t anything spectacular.

1584 South Busse Road, Mount Prospect, IL
Phone: (847) 437-4590

Katsu Curry – $9.50 (lunch)

Torishin offers a delicious curry pork cutlet entree. The Japanese curry has the distinct taste of curry, but less spicy and if done right, sweet. All that curry is then poured onto the pork cutlets that are fried with panko bread crumbs. The rice accommodation is cooked till fluffy and sticky with the addition of red pickles to the side. An amazing alternative to the typical sushi/sashimi options in most Japanese restaurants in the states.

1584 South Busse Road, Mount Prospect, IL
Phone: (847) 437-4590

Barbecue Pork Over Rice – $6.05

One of the most common dishes of Cantonese cuisine, Barbecue Pork Over Rice. At Wonton Gourmet, this dish is close to perfection with the honey barbeque lightly infused with the pork. The pork itself is not over-cooked to the point it becomes dry like many Chicagoland Chinese restaurants. Lastly, the sweetened soy sauce is poured over the rice, but not drenched so that the sweet soy sauce doesn’t overwhelms the pork and rice flavors. A common Chinese preference with this dish is an added fried egg with soy sauce over the whole entree (not pictured).

1405 South Elmhurst Road, Des Plaines, IL
Phone: (847) 427-1183

Sauteed Pork Tongue – $9.00

Grilled and sauteed pork tongue with spicy soy sauce on the side. A chewy delight.

61 Grove Street, New York, NY
Phone: (212) 242-3699