I ordered the mango black bean rice bowl ($10.50) that is made with coconut milk brown basmati rice, cilantro, red onions, black beans, red peppers, and sliced mangos.

I liked the mixture of brown rice and black beans, which made the dish hearty and filling. The coconut milk was an interesting addition that added some creaminess. The sweetness of the mango was also nice.

The ingredients in the bowl were good, but I felt that it was under seasoned. It needed a contrasting spicy or tangy flavour like ginger or red chili pepper or something because I found the flavours to be pretty one dimensional.

I also got a s’mores cookie that came straight from the oven. This was a great cookie and the fact that it was warm and fresh made it extra delicious. It was moist and slightly chewy and the marshmallow filling made it better than an average cookie.

While the food wasn’t bad at Chomp, it isn’t something I would make a trip back for. With vegan food I feel like you really need to take advantage of herbs and spices to give stuff lots of flavour, and I think Chomp improve upon this aspect. It is a good option though if you have dietary restrictions as they have lots of items to choose from.

Recommendation:

Yes, but only if you have dietary restrictions.

I’ve come here for lunch a couple of times recently. They have a large selection of lunch specials that include bento boxes and plenty of other sushi combos and rice plates.

The nabeyaki udon was one of the lunch specials. I love almost every kind of noodle soup, but for some weird reason I never order udon. I’m making it my mission to change that and start ordering it more often.

This version was filled with chicken, shrimp teriyaki, and an egg. The chicken was good, however, the shrimp was pretty soggy. I never understand why people put something that is deep-fried in a broth, but oh well. The egg was poached and it added a delicious element to the dish.

The broth was clear and had a clean taste to it. The noodles were thick and chewy and it proved to be a filling meal.

The tuna roll came with the soup as a part of a lunch combo. I like that the combo comes with sushi and noodles so you get a bit of both worlds. The tuna roll was basic, but good. They put a bit of wasabi inside of the roll to spice it up a bit.

On another visit I got a chicken teriyaki and sushi bento box. The chicken teriyaki portion was small, but it tasted good.

The special of the day was salmon karaage. This was only okay for me. I prefer less cooked salmon and I find with deep-frying it often gets dry.

The box came with the same tuna roll that I had before and four pieces of nigiri.

I enjoyed all of the nigiri and the fish tasted fresh. I like it when I get tamago in an assortment because it is something I never go out of my way to order, but I enjoy it. It has such an interesting texture and mild nice flavour.

The tempura was decent. It contained a few more unusual vegetables, like peppers and onions. It is always nice to get some variety.

On both visits to Fuji Sushi I had a good experience. The food is good and they have a lot of variety, especially at lunch time. It’s an above average sushi place for Port Moody.

Recommendation:

Yes, for great lunch specials and solid sushi.

Surprisingly, I have never been to a JJ Bean before I checked out the Port Moody location recently.

The first time I came here I ordered a soy cappuccino. I normally order lattes, but I wanted to switch it up this time and I was glad I did.

This was a well made cappuccino. The soy milk had a perfect micro foam texture, which is the secret to a good coffee drink.

The flavour of the espresso here is very nice. Sometimes I find drinks with no syrups bitter, but this espresso had a well-balanced flavour. I was glad I didn’t get any additional flavours to it because it was perfect just on its own.

On my next visit, I ordered an americano soy misto, a drink that I’ve been really into lately.

I also enjoyed this drink. It was equally well executed and slightly less milky than the cappuccino.

The barista gets bonus points for making the drink so pretty. After my stint of working in a coffee shop for two weeks, I have a lot of respect for baristas that can make beautiful looking drinks.

I only have good things to say about JJ Bean. I can’t compare it to other locations, but this one has a great atmosphere and lovely drinks.

Recommendation:

Yes, for great coffee and the nicest cafe in Port Moody.

My mom and I visited the Browns location in Port Moody because we bought a Groupon for it and had to run some errands in the area.

I ordered the almost famous blackened fish burger ($16.75). The sandwich is filled with blackened halibut, coleslaw, tomatoes, and a special sauce.

The blackened halibut was cooked to perfection. The fish was still moist inside and it had a crisp spice coated outside. The blackening seasoning was flavourful and went well with the fish, but didn’t overpower it.

I love coleslaw on burgers and sandwiches. The coleslaw was very creamy and added a good crunch to the burger. I’m not exactly sure was the special sauce was because all of the flavours blended together, but this burger was great and a lighter option compared to the regular bacon cheeseburgers.

For my side I just ordered fries. The fries are double fried, so they are extra crispy. There is not too much to say about fries, but these were executed well and satisfying.

My mom ordered the burger special, which was a kobe burger (~$17). This came with cheddar, lettuce, tomato, bacon, and an onion ring. The burger was massive and messy to eat. I had some of this burger and it was great. The beef patty was juicy and the onion ring made the burger even better. It was pricy for a burger, but it sure did taste delicious.

We both enjoyed our burgers and left satisfied. Since we had a Groupon, the meal was affordable, but if you come here and pay regular price, it can get expensive, especially just for burgers. The restaurant is nicer than many of the others in the area though, so in part you are paying for the ambiance.

Recommendation:

Yes, for a pricy, but tasty burger.

They didn’t have any cakes ready but they quickly made us up a strawberry cake roll ($6.50). I was surprised that it was only $6.50 because I was expecting it to be more expensive. The cake was a white spongy cake and it was rolled up with a mound of whipped cream and strawberries. The cake roll was very fluffy and light. I love whipped cream on cakes as opposed to frosting because it adds a light sweetness that doesn’t make you feel sick. This cake roll reminded me of strawberry shortcake but with a more airy cake.

Overall I enjoyed the strawberry cake roll. It was inexpensive and freshly made. They also sell some other baked goods and Japanese custards but I would suggest ordering them in advance since they don’t have tons of stock sitting in the store.

Tip:

Order your desserts in advance and they only accept cash.

Recommendation:

Yes, for a tasty take home dessert.

They served us tea in a pot which was a good idea because then we didn’t have to wait for refills. The only problem was they gave us the tiniest little cups to drink it from. You got about two sips worth of tea before you had to refill the cup which was a bit tedious and almost comical.

Both of our meals came with miso soup which they brought out to us first. The soup was standard and tasted fine. I like how they gave us little spoons to drink it.

Since it was lunch time I opted for a bento box so I could try a variety of items. I ordered the chicken teriyaki bento ($7) which came with chicken teriyaki on top of rice and bean sprouts, with assorted tempura, a california roll, and a salad. Why do most Japanese restaurants have to make such poor quality salad? I always like the dressing they use but I hate the cheap iceberg lettuce. This salad was no different and it was just okay. The tempura was hot and crispy and the vegetables were fully cooked and not hard on the inside. I liked the chicken teriyaki because it was juicy and had a yummy sweet teriyaki sauce on top. I like when they serve the teriyaki over rice so the rice can soak up all the excess sauce. The California roll was a bit disappointing. It wasn’t as creamy tasting as others I’ve had and it seemed a bit bland. I wish more bento boxes had options for different sushi rolls because California rolls get a bit boring when you eat them all the time and only a few places make them really well.

My friend got the vegetarian box which came with yakisoba, half of a cucumber roll and half of an avocado roll, a salad and vegetable tempura. My friend is a vegetarian so she was really happy to see a vegetarian bento box since a lot of Japanese restaurants don’t have that option. She thought everything was okay but she commented that the yakisoba noodles seemed a bit greasy and bland.

Overall the food here is okay but it’s not the best. It was pretty affordable and the tempura and teriyaki was good but I think you can find better sushi in the area. They had a number of Korean style items on the menu which I wouldn’t mind trying to see if they excel more at those items. One plus is that they are vegetarian friendly and have plenty of veggie options.

Recommendation:

Yes, but only if you are looking for a cheap bento box.