Dine Out in Burnaby Heights – 3 pork dishes to try during Crave!

• Unfortunately the fried egg was almost well done so there was no runny yolk for me to photograph.
• It was medium ground pork with a sweetened soy sauce and fish sauce. It was two kinds of salty – sharp and slightly sweet, but not too salty.
• The meat wasn’t overcooked and had good wok aroma, but I could have used more garlic.
• It was equal pork and beans and the beans aren’t always served with this dish, but I liked the addition.
• I especially liked that the beans were diced to match the pork in size.
• The beans and sweet red bell peppers were cooked perfectly and the Thai Holy basil added great aromatics.
• Thai Holy basil is not Thai basil and it’s hard to source in Vancouver.
• It has a slightly fuzzy texture and a mildly peppery flavour.
• Usually the dish uses more Thai Holy basil than the amount used here.
• The beans were squeaky and crunchy while retaining their colour and shape and together with the juicy crumbly pork it was simply delightful.
• The only downfall was the fully cooked egg and the lack of dried chili peppers sautéed in the mix. The red peppers were unusual, but I liked them.
• The only place I’ve had this even better is at Thai Basil – see their Pad Grapow, but this was still very good here and I would order it again. Just using Thai Holy Basil is half the battle.

Restaurant: Restaurant: Broken Rice
Cuisine: Vietnamese (Modern)
Last visited: April 16, 2013
Location: Burnaby, BC (North Burnaby)
Address: 4088 Hastings Street
Phone: (604) 558-3838
Transit: WB Hastings St FS Gilmore Av
Price Range: $10-20+

**Pork Belly and Anise (Thit Kho) – 4.5/6 (Very good-Excellent)

• Sous-vide pork belly and harboiled egg simmered in coconut juice and fish sauce, served with broken rice, fennel salad, and crispy taro ribbons $15
• This is a traditional Vietnamese dish and it is often served during Vietnamese New Years and meant to be eaten for the first 3 days of it.
• It looks like a Chinese dish, but apparently it originated in South Vietnam.
• I question if it has Chinese influences because there is a Chinese dish that looks almost the same.
• The dish is “braised pork in a light sauce” and usually the presentation is family style and not as nice as this, but the flavours and ingredients were authentic  to the original recipe.
• The only thing they left out were the bamboo shoots which may or may not be used in the original recipe. The dish can vary slightly.

• The pork can be pork butt, pork shoulder or belly and in this case it was belly.
• It is marinated overnight in some combination of traditionally coconut juice (they use fresh here), fish sauce, sugar, garlic, shallots, star anise and pepper.
• The belly was sous vide and incredibly tender without the fat breaking off.
• The skin was still slightly chewy, but almost melt in your mouth tender.
• The meat was infused with flavour, very tender, juicy and moist though and overall it was a very good pork belly.
• The cut of pork belly was quite fatty and I prefer a bit more meat to fat ratio, but traditionally Asian style pork bellies have more fat to meat ratio.
• The sauce is sweet and savoury and it tasted like a very natural pork broth with excellent umami.
• It was a fragrant sauce and the start anise was not over powering or very liquorice-forward, but subtle.
• The coconut juice is not obvious, but once you know it is in there you can taste it and it gives it a floral sweetness.
• The hard boiled eggs are a must in the recipe, but these were a bit overcooked with a grey rim around the yolk.
• The sauce goes great with rice which is served complimentary with the dish.
• It is a very homestyle dish that is considered Vietnamese comfort food, but this presentation was upscale and I liked it.

The pork belly is served with a side of pickled salad made with shaved radish, fennel and cucumber. The dressing is a mustard vinaigrette that is a bit sweet and tangy. It is supposed to balance the richness of the pork belly and sauce. Traditionally the dish is not served with this salad, but I liked the modern twist.