September 2012

In Cafe

Florinda Cafe: Specializing in Macau Cuisine

September 30, 2012

Macau Restaurant, also known as Florinda Cafe is very popular amongst tourist visiting Macau and Hong Kong. This location was at the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal and was very busy during the peak hours.

They are best known for their Portugese egg tarts and Macanese Crispy Buns with pork chop. We decided to have lunch here before our ferry to Cheung Chau arrived.

It was very early in the morning around 10am, so no line ups.

They even have a cart for their tarts if people just want it to-go.

There are a lot of tables inside and most can fit 4 or 5 people.

They have a special “Yummy Tea Set” from 2:30pm to 6pm. They all come with drinks.

Portugese Egg Tart with Egg White. They didn’t have any with the egg yolks left, so we had to settle for egg whites only.

The egg mixture is a bit sweet, but it was very delicious! The tart was very flaky and housed the egg mixture perfectly. I could eat a bunch of these! Yum.

Macanese Crispy Buns with pork chop and scrambled eggs (Set A)

The set came with a drink so I got Ying Yeung (Coffee and Tea mix). It tasted average.

Scrambled Eggs were average too. You definitely want to add some salt and pepper to it.

Macanese Crispy Buns with pork chop was good. It has some grilled onion in there too. The meat was a bit chewy, but the whole sandwich did have a good flavour.

With our bellies full, we hopped onto the ferry to head to Cheung Chau Island. We had a good view of the Harbour and the other surrounding Islands.

Overall, the food at Florinda Cafe was average, but it was fun to get a taste of Macau food and how it differs from Hong Kong.

We Rate Florinda Cafe:

Address:
Shun Tak Centre, 200 Connaught Rd.,
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Shun+Tak+Centre,+200+Connaught+Rd.,Sheung+Wan,+Hong+Kong&hl=en&hq=Shun+Tak+Centre,+200+Connaught+Rd.,Sheung+Wan,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=15″]

In Causeway Bay

Unicorn Restaurant 麒麟閣酒家: Afternoon Tea in Hong Kong

September 29, 2012

Unicorn Restaurant 麒麟閣酒家 has been around for 30 years providing guest with delicious Chinese food for large banquet style events or just for regular dinner. The restaurant is located inside the Lee Theatre Plaza in Causeway Bay.

Since they do hold a lot of wedding receptions, you may see the exterior overly decorated in white and pink.

Even if you are going for regular Dim Sum, they probably are setting up for the banquet in the night-time. I don’t know who Yoko or Smith are, but hopefully they had a good wedding.

Steamed Beef Ball

Steamed Pork Buns

Pan-fried Radish Cake

Spinach and celery

Durian Pastries

Coconut red bean cakes

Lettuce and oyster sauce

Spare ribs

Duck and BBQ Pork

Vermicelli noodles with vegetables

Barbecued pork fried rice noodles with barbecued pork the Seto powder

Steamed sponge cake

Spring Rolls

Taro Pastry

Egg Tarts

Overall, Unicorn Restaurant has a comfortable environment with attentive service. Its in Causeway bay and close to a lot of shopping areas and the MTR. It was a great place for my relatives to have tea, food, and chit-chat. The food was pretty solid with no complaints.

We Rate Unicorn Restaurant:

Address:
22/F., Lee Theatre Plaza, 99 Precival Street,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Website:
http://www.unicornrestaurant.com.hk/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Lee+Theatre+Plaza,+99+Percival+Street,+Causeway+Bay,+Hong+Kong,&hnear=Lee+Theatre+Plaza,+99+Percival+St,+Hong+Kong&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Chinese

Ken’s Chinese Restaurant: Signature Dishes

September 28, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: ChineseBites.com approached us to try a few signature dishes at Ken’s Chinese Restaurant. Although the meal was complimentary, the views and opinions expressed are entirely our own.

In early August, Foodology.ca headed out to Kingsway with the regular ChineseBites crew (Raymond, Sherman, Rick, Kevin, Janice and Romina) to try a few signature dishes at Ken’s Chinese Restaurant. The first dish our merry little crew dug into was the Lobster with Konyaku Hotpot. This was a great way to kick start the meal as we were all quite hungry and the lobster was cooked perfectly. I was not entirely sure why this warranted CRA recognition as I have had better lobster in Vancouver but the dish was still quite good. The lobster meat was very tender and flavorful and the portion was quite generous.

The second dish we dug into was Golden Dungeness Crab. This dish was interesting in that it is a standard fried crab dish but coated in an egg yolk coating. Personally, I prefer my crab prepared differently but this dish was actually pretty good. You could definitely taste the richness of the egg yolk along with a subtle saltiness which complimented the crab meat well.

The third dish we tried was a plate of Free Range Chicken. I really liked this dish as the chicken was very fresh and prepared very well. The skin was slightly rubbery but tasty and the actual white meat was very moist and delicious. I could have eaten this plain or with rice, served with a side of ginger. Note: We didn’t end up ordering any bowls of white rice as we ordered a lot of food already.

Our fourth dish is not something I usually order at a Chinese restaurant but still turned out quite delicious: Grilled Rack of Lamb w/ Black Pepper Sauce. I am a big fan of lamb so I ended up loving this dish, the meat was moist and well cooked with a beautiful grill top sear. The black pepper sauce was quite strong but went boldly with the strong red meat.

The fifth dish we tried was the Stewed Pork Hock w/ Peanuts. This is definitely something I could see my parents ordering as it was definitely very traditional home cooking. The dark soy definitely lent a deep, rich flavor profile to this dish and the long stew successfully made the meat tender. Due to the high heat, the peanuts were soft but not mushy which I appreciated.

The sixth dish we had was the Stewed Oxtail. I was excited to try this as I had just tried a delicious oxtail ramen the night before but was pretty disappointed with this dish. The meat was nowhere near as tender as I would have liked. Technically being a stew type dish. I definitely would have liked to see the meat falling off the bone. The included vegetables were also not that flavorful so overall, a pretty disappointing offering.

Thankfully, after the disappointing stew, our seventh dish was a delicious Stewed Pork Belly. When this dish first arrived at the table, I was a little concerned at the huge layer of fatty tissue but after taking my first bite, I was in love. The pork belly was prepared so perfectly that the cut literally dissolved on my tongue. The rich dark sauce was delicious and actually made me want to eat the accompanying broccoli. Overall, one of my favorite dishes of the evening and something I would definitely order again.

Our eighth dish was quite simply Ox Tongue. I cannot recall who ordered this but I very rarely eat this type of delicacy so was a little apprehensive. My first bite into my ox tongue made all my worries vanish as the meat was actually very good! I really dislike dishes like liver and was expecting the ox tongue to be of a similar consistency but it was much better. Again, the dark sauce helped a lot and seemingly goes well with anything served at Ken’s.

The ninth and tenth dishes of the evening were Four Seasons Green Beans and Salmon Roe Fried Rice. I just want to note here that by this point in the meal, I was beyond full. The heavy meat based meal definitely took its toll on my gastronomic prowess. I tried a couple green beans and a small bowl of fried rice but could not really fully enjoy either. From what I remember, the salmon roe rice was decent but not altogether flavorful. I believe the intent was for the rice to be somewhat bland to support the heavily flavored main dishes. The green beans were firm and you could definitely taste the garlic and shredded pork seasoning with every bite.

To wrap up with a few final thoughts, there was a lot of food served and other than one clear miss, the food really was very good. Our dinner definitely was dominated by meat entrees but it was clear that Ken’s can do a variety of dishes very well. On a return visit with a smaller group, I would definitely go for a few bowls of plain white rice and a couple meat dishes. The lobster and crab dishes were good but there are definitely better places for similar dishes but the meat dishes were definitely very strong.

Words of Wisdom:

Definitely go for the rich Pork Belly with a few bowls of white rice
Skip the Oxtail Stew but give the Grilled Rack of Lamp a try
Go with friends/family that love meat, you will not be disappointed

We Rate Ken’s Chinese Restaurant:

Address:
1097 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC, Canada
604-873-6338

Website:
http://www.kenschineserestaurant.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1097+Kingsway+Vancouver,+BC,+Canada&hl=en&hnear=1097+Kingsway,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V5V+3C9&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Tokachi Gyuu Japanese Restaurant: Gross Japanese Restaurant

September 27, 2012

Tokachi Gyuu Japanese Restaurant has several restaurants all over Hong Kong. We wanted to try something different for lunch, so we thought about coming to this restaurant.

Outside the restaurant, there is a huge menu. If you are waiting, you can figure out what you want before being seated. Or if you are passing by, you can see what they serve.

During lunch time, this place was packed. It was hard getting a table of 5.

Your lunch meal sets come with drinks. You can add a few bucks for them to make it an ice drink instead of a hot drink. We ordered chrysanthemum tea and milk tea. The milk tea was good, but the chrysanthemum tea was way too sweet! It was very hard to drink.

Ramen was nowhere near authentic. It wasn’t very good either.

Baked Seafood on rice wasn’t very large and had an ok amount of seafood. None of the seafood was very fresh, probably pre-frozen.

Kimchi noodle soup with dumplings was pretty spicy and hot. I was feeling like having something spicy so I chose this. It’s not exactly Japanese as it was Korean…but it wasn’t authentic Korean either. All the items here have a Chinese twist to it.

Spicy beef brisket with rice was what my grandpa had. It was probably the only decent dish that we all ordered. The meat was tender and had a good amount of spice.

My moms combo came with noodles and fried fish.

Noodles with fried dumplings was very mediocre.

Fried fish with salad was ok as well. Not too impressive.

Overall, if you are looking for Japanese food, don’t come here. It is nowhere close to authentic or even decent. Most of the items here have a Chinese twist to the dishes. I would not come here again. It was expensive and the service was atrocious!

We Rate Tokachi Gyuu Japanese Restaurant:

Address:
Shop L047, G/F, Tin Yiu Plaza, Tin Shui Wai

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Tin+Yiu+Plaza,+Tin+Yiu+Road,+Tin+Shui+Wai,+Hong+Kong&hl=en&hq=Tin+Yiu+Plaza,+Tin+Yiu+Road,+Tin+Shui+Wai,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=15 “]

In Cafe

Salt Spring Coffee: Fair-Trade Coffee Shop in Vancouver

September 26, 2012

Salt Spring Coffee was just named Best Fair Trade Coffee Shop in Vancouver for 2011 and 2012 according to The Georgia Strait. The coffee shop sells a variety of drinks such as Happy Planet, San Pellegrino, juice, tea and of course coffee. They also sell pastries and sandwiches.

I came here since I needed some wi-fi to get some work done. Plus, I was getting bored with Starbucks coffee. This place is a definite refresher.

I also needed a snack and caffeine to make my day complete.

Soy latte ($3.05 +$0.75) was very smooth and had a nice strong flavour. I had to add $0.75 cents for soy, which was a bit much in my opinion. Nonetheless, it still tasted good.

Chocolate Croissant is flaky on the outside with 2 chocolate stick inside. It tasted alright.

Overall, it s a good atmosphere just to study or do work. When I was here, there was a bunch of people on their Macbooks.

Words of Wisdom:

Complementary Wifi and electrical plugs available
Tables inside and outside
Friendly service
Great tasting fair-trade Coffee

We Rate Salt Spring Coffee:

Address:
4295 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.saltspringcoffee.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4295+Main+St+Vancouver,+BC&hl=en&hnear=4295+Main+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V5V+3P9&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Chinese

Super Star Seafood Restaurant: Graduation Buns & Elephant Dumplings

September 26, 2012

Super Star Seafood Restaurant (or some called it Red Star Seafood Restaurant) is located on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. They have various locations in Hong Kong and even one location in Richmond, BC. My grandfather took us to this location for some afternoon tea as it is one of the older location where all the celebrities dine.

As you walk upstairs, there are various awards and photos displayed.

There are lots of seats and can accommodate huge parties. We ordered a lot of dishes since we had a party of 7.

Crispy Whitebait and Peanuts come complementary at the table. It is very crispy and delicious! It’s quite famous and can be purchased in packages to take home.

Salted Peanuts came to the table too. It’s something to nibble on when you are waiting to order.

Graduation Buns (Steamed Oats and Milk Bun) was a special item in the Summer since everyone was graduating in the city. It was very cute!

We realized that after you take the top off of the hat, it looks like old grandmother buns.

This inside was a nice and creamy. It was not too sweet and was a lovely dessert.

Deep-fried BBQ Pork and Vegetable Dumpling in Elephant Shape.

It was very very cute and great for little kids to devour.

Congee with assorted items. You can design your own congee and add anything you want.

Roasted Chicken with Shrimp Chips

Hainanese Chicken

Braised Vegetables and Geoduck.

Jellyfish and Ham

Assorted Mushrooms and Bok Choy

Pineapple Buns were very unique here.

If you look inside, there is BBQ pork and bits of pineapples!

Steamed Rice Rolls

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings

Steamed Spare Ribs

Steamed Meat Balls

Steamed Fish

Rice and minced meat patty

Sui Mai

Sweet Fungus Soup

Daily Soup

Red Bean Dessert

Overall, the food is pretty solid with great service. I would definitely come here again. The prices are a bit higher, but its a good place to go for a large meal with the family.

We Rate Super Star Seafood Restaurant:

Address:
1/F, Tsimshatsui Mansion, 83-97 Nathan Road,
Tsim Sha Tsui

Website:
http://www.superstargroup.com.hk/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Tsim+Sha+Tsui+Mansion,+83-97+Nathan+Road,+Tsim+Sha+Tsui&ll=22.297792,114.172239&spn=0.010701,0.019269&hnear=Tsim+Sha+Tsui+Mansion,+83-97+Nathan+Rd,+Hong+Kong&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Contest

[Giveaway] TWOANDTEE T-Shirt Giveaway!

September 25, 2012

Foodology turned two years old last month and I decided to team up with an amazing local company called TWOANDTEE! What better way to appreciate my awesome readers with something food related! I know you can’t eat it, but they make really delicious looking t-shirts!

I’ve scoured the internet for many food related shirts and I have to say, TWOANDTEE makes some really really cute t-shirts! Plus, it contains bacon!

The lucky winner will receive:

One Panda Shirt

Here’s how to enter:

Comment below (1 entry) and let me know which Panda on the Panda shirt is your favorite!
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry):
RT to enter! I want to win an awesome Panda T-Shirt from @twoandtee and @foodologyca ! http://bit.ly/NO9BpQ

I will draw a winner at random at noon on October 2nd, 2012 and they will be contacted via email. The winner will choose their shirt size and it will deliciously arrive in their mailbox.

TWOANDTEE is the brainchild of two very unlikely friends. Based in Vancouver, BC, they design and create all things awesome from cute cards to punny tees. Customized tees and cards coming soon! Check out their website for more details. www.twoandtee.com

Winner: Kimberly Nguyen-Don / @kimbocake

In Downtown

Michael Angelos Mega Slice Pizza & Donair: Pizza with Personality

September 25, 2012

Mega Slice Pizza & Donair is located below The Network Hub and very close to SFU Harbour Centre. From 11am to 2pm on weekdays, they have slices of pizza for 99 cents. As we obviously didn’t come at that time, we had to pay regular price.

The pricing is a little bit strange, but for 2 slices of pizza and a complementary pop, it came out to be under $5.

The star of the restaurant isn’t the food, it is the man behind the food. Michael Angelo or so he calls himself has an awesome flamboyant personality. He is able to speak Korean, Cantonese and Mandarin. He’s not fluent, but he is able to get a few giggles from his customers. A lot of international students come here for lunch.

You can see the different pizza that they offer. We came here very late so, there wasn’t a lot of variety. He can create some special for you, if you are able to wait.

I settled with a can of coke, donair pizza, and a pepperoni mega slice. I threw some ranch sauce on top. The pizza was surprisingly very filling. I could only finish one and a half slices. It probably has something to do with the crust. I prefer my crusts a bit thinner.

Overall, the pizza is quite mediocre since it isn’t as fresh as it could be. My friend ordered the donair and it was huge! One thing is for sure, you won’t leave here hungry since the portions are big.

We Rate Michael Angelos Mega Slice Pizza & Donair:

Address:
420 Richards Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://megaslicepizza.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=420+Richards+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=420+Richards+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V6B+2Z3&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Bakery

Paul Lafayet: French Patisserie in Hong Kong

September 24, 2012

Paul Lafayet is a 3 Michelin starred pastry chef who bring the citizens of Hong Kong authentic French pastries and desserts. This location is in K11 in Tsim Sha Tsui. They are best known for their yummy macarons and delicate cakes. The price is quite expensive compared to other food items in Hong Kong.

When you walk in, you will see their large display case of macarons on top with various different flavours.

Then below that are the variety of cakes. I bought a few different items about bought them home to eat after dinner.

I ordered 10 macaroons in total and they put them all neatly in a box so it doesn’t get crushed during the ride home.

Oolong Macaron was a unique flavour! The taste was very subtle, but well put together.

Chocolate Macaron was another delicious choice and great for everyone.

I loved the chocolate one because it was very chewy and rich with chocolate mousse in the middle.

Matcha Macaron also has a nice subtle flavour

Caramel Macaron was a bit more sweet than the others, but still has a good taste.

Pistachio macaron tasted good as well, but they could have done a but more to enhance the pistachio taste.

Raspberry macaron has a lot of color to it, so when you eat it, your lips and tongue turn a bit red.

Sesame macaron was one of my favorites. It’s not a common flavour to see around. Plus, they make this one look pretty.

Earl Grey Macaron is another tea flavoured macaron. I really do love tea infused macarons because it suits very well with a cup of tea. I found this particular macaron interesting because the 2 side of it are different colors!

Chocolate Mousse was what my little sister ordered. It comes in a cup and can be reused for other uses like making other desserts or drinking from it. The mousse was rich, smooth, and had a great flavour.

Cheese Cake with fresh blueberries on top was ok. It wasn’t as amazing as I thought it was, plus it was very small and quite expensive.

Overall the macarons had a nice flavours, but the texture of the macaron was not perfect. Since the weather of Hong Kong is quite humid, it made the macarons fall apart easily. You could twist the 2 side off like an oreo cookie. None of the items were disappointing, they all had great flavours.

We Rate Paul Lafayet:

Address:
Shop G23, K11, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Website:
http://www.paullafayet.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=18+Hanoi+Road,+Tsim+Sha+Tsui&hnear=18+Hanoi+Rd,+Hong+Kong&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Fast Food

Starbucks: Salted Caramel Mocha and Pumpkin Spice Latte

September 23, 2012

You know it’s fall when you can enjoy some pumpkin spiced lattes. Starbucks is currently promoting two drinks to ring in the Fall season – Salted Caramel Mocha and pumpkin spice latte. KoreanGirl and I were having a chit-chat over some coffee, so we decided to try out the drinks.

Pumpkin Spice Latte was what KoreaGirl ordered. She did enjoy it, but she found it to be very sweet.

Salted Caramel Latte was what I ordered, I didn’t get it with mocha because I don’t like mochas. Instead I substituted it as a latte. The drink was also very sweet. The drink has a few pumps of butternut toffee, so it is sweeter than a normal latte. I would suggest getting it half sweet.

Have you tried their Fall drinks yet? What did you think?

In Cambodian

Indochine Kitchen + Bar: Wings and Import Beer Specials

September 22, 2012

Indochine is located on Broadway and Ontario St. They have menu items influence by South Asian countries such as Thai, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. After heading from Science World, we drove a few minutes and decided to come here for the Wednesday special of half price wings and $4.99 import beers. Past visitors have remarked a few items are similar to popular restaurant – Phnom Penh. It is indeed related to Indochine! Same family of restaurants, but Indochine is higher end.

They have some good specials on other nights too! Notably Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday.

The interior has a large bar with lots of TVs surrounding the room. It’s a great place to see the game or just kick back for a few drinks.

Heineken ($4.99)

Vietnamese Iced Coffee took a long time to arrive at the table. M finished half his beer before my drink even arrived. The taste was good, but the wait was long.

Indochine Garlic Butter Chicken Wings ($4.75) comes with garlic chips and lemon pepper dipping sauce. It was delicious and the most popular item in Indochine. Hands down, awesome! It is also similar to Phnom Penh but its in smaller portions.

Sriracha Buffalo Wings ($4.75) has traditional buffalo wings marinated with Sriracha hot sauce. It wasn’t too spicy either.

Honey Garlic Wings ($4.75) has deep-fried wings glazed with a honey garlic sauce. We enjoyed these and had a good balance of sauce ratio.

Butter Beef Carpaccio ($12) has buttery slices of raw beef in a citrus Vietnamese vinaigrette, garlic chips and cilantro. It’s a very popular item and people order this because it’s a popular item found at Phnom Penh. During our visit at Indochine, when our butter beef carpaccio arrived, the meat was warm and threw off the entire taste and texture of the dish.

Singaporean Laksa ($8.75) has rice vermicelli noodles in a spicy seafood coconut curry broth with prawns, tofu puffs, fish balls, Fish slices, a hardboiled egg and bean sprouts. It was a decent size, but it was definitely a hard dish to share. The flavours of the broth was very good and not too spicy. We enjoyed it.

Overall, the food was good during the 1/2 priced Wings on Wednesday, but I felt the regular prices are a bit expensive. A lot of people compare Phnom Penh and Indochine, but they have different target demographics, so if you have Phnom Penh expectations, you may be disappointed. Portion sizes and prices are different.

We Rate Indochine:

Address:
1 E Broadway
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.indochinekitchen.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1+E+Broadway+Vancouver,+BC+V5T&hnear=1+E+Broadway,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+1W1&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Causeway Bay

Yee Shun Milk Company: Steamed Milk Custard in Hong Kong

September 21, 2012

Yee Shun Milk Company is located in Causeway Bay and is a popular destination for tourists. I spotted this when using my Trip Advisor app and it was ranked quite highly. The company originated from Macau and opened 4 locations in Hong Kong.

They specialize in steamed milk custard. If you have heard about Australian Milk Company, the products are quite similar.

When you pass by the exterior of the store, you can see a large amount of the steamed milk prepared ahead of time. The turnover rate is quite high, so they do have to prep that many.

Double Steamed Milk (雙皮燉奶) is very smooth and creamy. My little sister loved it and would not put it down! If you come here, someone at you table must order this. The texture reminded me of tofu pudding.

Steamed Milk With Ginger (薑汁燉奶) has a strong intense taste of ginger. A lot of people online rave about how good it is and I absolutely hated it because I don’t eat ginger too often. Some people do love this but its not for me.

Red Bean Ice was what my mom ordered. Its a common drink found in Hong Kong and contains red beans, evaporated milk, ice and sugar syrup. Mom mom thought it was ok, but not great.

Overall, it was fun to come here for a snack to try Steamed Milk Custard. The line ups were not long and we did enjoy the experience despite my hate for ginger.

Words of Wisdom:

Not long waits compared to Australian Dairy Company
Double Steamed Milk is a must!

We Rate Yee Shun Milk Company:

Address:
G/F., 506 Lockhard Road,
Causeway Bay

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=G%2FF.,+506+Lockhart+Road,Causeway+Bay&hnear=506+Lockhart+Rd,+Hong+Kong&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Fast Food

McDonalds: S’mores Pie and Cheap McNuggets

September 20, 2012

In the United States, they have some crazy menu items at some great prices. It’s always awesome to drive down to the states and try items that are not available in Canada. One of those items was the Smores Pie.

Smores Pie is like a normal pie, but it’s filled with chocolate and marshmallow. You have all the components that go into a smores.

Whats different about this pie is that there is a large slit at the top, so the inside is exposed for all to see.

The smores pies was a tad sweet, but it did have a unique taste. It was like a smores, but less messy!

20 Piece McNuggets ($4.99) is so cheap in the states! You could easily order 100 and not break your wallet! This location didn’t have a larger box for them, so it was split off into 2 boxes.

It’s quite hard to eat 20 all by yourself unless you are super super hungry. My friend and I just split these.

Have you had the chance to try the smore pie or bought yourself a ton of McNuggets?

In Bar and Grill

House of Wings Restaurant & Lounge: 37 Cent Wings on Sundays

September 19, 2012

House of Wings Restaurant and Lounge is located in Highgate Mall in South Burnaby. They are quite popular on Sundays for $0.37 cent wings on Sundays. There are no lineups unlike Wings a few blocks away. People usually come here if they want to avoid the line up at Wings.

You need to order a beverage with your wings. Alternatively, your group can share a pitcher to avoid everyone getting a drink. It saves money and the people who want to drink can drink.

The interior was very narrow and the decor was very bare and boring. There are a few large tables, so they can accomodate large groups.

There is a long list of dry and wet wings. What is cool about the menu is that there are a few unusual flavours such as peanut butter & jelly, Fire & Ice, and zippen pepper. The minimum amount per flavour is 10.

Pint of Beer ($9.99) they didn’t have a large amount of beers on their tap, so we just ordered any beer that was light.

We all ordered 60 wings and shared it amongst 6 people. The sizes were a bit on the small size and not as juicy as they could be.

Buffalo Wings were very very saucy, so your fingers do get very dirty. The taste was a tad spicy, but not too bad. If they cut down the amount of sauce, that would be good.

Roasted Red pepper and Garlic Wings was everyone’s favorite. It had good overall flavour.

Cheesy Parmesan Wings was really bad. You could barely taste the cheesy flavour.

Greek Wings looked exactly like the Cheesy Parmesan Wings. We couldn’t tell the difference.

Honey Garlic Wings tasted ok, but it went really cold very fast. I guess that can be said about all of the other wings too.

Salt & Pepper Wings is always a good choice anywhere you go. I liked it.

Overall, the wings and service were satisfactory. We ordered one ranch and one blue cheese dip and she brought us 2 ranch dips and confused everyone at the table. I wouldn’t come in for any other day but Sunday because regular price for what you get is kinda a rip off especially when Wings is a few blocks away. We were all kinda hungry, but we didn’t want to order more.

Words of Wisdom:

Come only on Sundays for wings and beer specials
Make reservations for large group

We Rate House of Wings:

Address:
7155 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC V5E1E9

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=7155+Kingsway+Burnaby,+BC+V5E1E9&hl=en&hnear=7155+Kingsway,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5E+0A6&t=m&z=16 “]

In Chinese

Chao and Hak: Chiu Chow Chinese Restaurant in Hong Kong

September 18, 2012

Chao and Hak has 3 locations all over Hong Kong – North Point, Sheung Shui, and Diamond Hill . They specialize in Chiu Chow cuisine. We came to the Sheung Shui location for some dim sum.

There was a large line up and getting a table for 5 took quite some time. If you come at 12 or 1pm, you will have to wait for a table.

The interior has a lot of tables and has a nice elegant decor.

Fried fish, bittermelon and vegetables in black bean sauce was not my favorite dish because I dislike bittermelon and bones. It’s also not kid-friendly either since its hard to find those small bones.

Marinated Pork Hock are the joints of the foot of the pig. You get a lot of flavourful skin, fat, tendon and bits of tender meat.

Pickled Jelly fish and Pork skin and meat in jelly tasted really good. It’s a dish served cold and makes for a great appetizer.

Pig ear, marinated egg, duck and pork sausage was quite an oily dish. This dish is great for sharing with others at the table.

Marinated eggs, beef, and marinated tofu with a side of vinegar. I enjoyed it!

Spring rolls were cool and long like bread sticks. No one else at the table seemed to like it, so I ate a majority of it.

Sui Mai was ok. We had to wait a long time for it and it was a bit disappointing.

Minced Meatball also took a long time to arrive. It was very moist and flavourful.

Xiao Long Bao was the last dish to arrive. We had high hopes for this dish, but was not what we were expecting.

Overall, the marinated appetizer dishes were very good, but the steamed dim sum items were very disappointing. Also the service was very slow.

We Rate Chao and Hak:

Address:
Shop 501, 5/F, Landmark North, No. 39 Lung Sum Avenue,
Sheung Shui

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=39+Lung+Sum+Ave,+Sheung+Shui,+Hong+Kong&hl=en&ll=22.502556,114.127629&spn=0.005739,0.009345&hnear=39+Lung+Sum+Ave,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=17 “]

In Korean

Potter’s Garden Korean BBQ: Bibimbap, Seolleongtang, tteok-manduguk, and Sangyetang

September 17, 2012

Potter’s Garden Korean BBQ (항아리갈비) is located on Kingsway in South Burnaby a few blocks away from Metropolis. This restaurant opened a few years ago and serves up traditional Korean cuisine.

They have a happy hour special from 10am to 3pm, a large amount of their items are cheaper. When I arrived, we just missed their specials, so we had to pay regular price.

With most Korean meals, they offer a series of Banchan – complementary side dishes. There was kimchi, bean sprouts, seaweed, and potatoes. Each person at the table had their own favorite item. They were all delicious.

Bibimbap ($7.95) has steamed rice with vegetables, beef, and egg. You mix it up and you can put in some red pepper paste to add more taste. There is also the stone bowl option, but my mom wanted this version of it. The bowl was huge! You really get your bang for your buck!

Seolleongtang ($8.95) is a milky soup made of simmered bones and meat for 24 hours. There are noodles and slices of beef. The broth was very band when it arrives at the table, so you need to add a lot of salt to improve the taste. You also get a small bowl of rice on the side. The portion was huge, but I probably wouldn’t order it again.

Tteok-manduguk ($8.95) has sliced rice cakes with dumplings in soup. It was really good! The portion was also huge and the broth was just SO GOOD.

Samgyetang ($16.95) has a chicken stuffed with rice, dates, and ginseng in a broth. It’s an expensive dish since it’s only serves one person. It’s probably expensive because it has a whole small-sized chicken. It also take a long time to prepare, so you will most likely be the last person served.

Overall, the food was good and traditional. Some items are a hit and miss, but thats just because I’m not used to some of the dishes. The prices are great between 10am and 3pm, so I would return if I’m in the area.

Words of Wisdom:

Prices can be under $10
Each table has a bell to ring for service (pretty cool)
Lots of free parking

We Rate Potters Garden:

Address:
5599 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”380″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=5599+Kingsway+Burnaby,+BC+V5H4W7&hl=en&hnear=5599+Kingsway,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5H+2G5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Chinese

Lung Wah Hotel: Eating Pigeon in Hong Kong

September 16, 2012

Lung Wah Hotel (龍華酒店) in Sha Tin, Hong Kong is known for their deep-fried pigeons. My little sister loves to eat pigeons, so the relatives made sure we had pigeon during our trip. The restaurant is located in the middle of nowhere, so you can either take a long walk from the MTR or take a short taxi ride.

It does have a lot of history as it opened in the 1950s and is still in operation today. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been a hotel since the 1980s. The dining room is usually hustling and bustling with people wanting to eat pigeon. Rumor has it, Bruce Lee stayed here during the filming of his movie “Big Boss”.

From the main street, we walked up this long covered path to the hotel. You are in the right place if you see this path.

The interior is very out dated, so you kinda feel like you have gone back in time. The service is very horrible and the staff are always grumpy. If you only order the pigeon, the food comes fairly quickly since they specialize in that dish and is the most ordered.

We ordered additional dishes beside the pigeon but they lost our entire order except for the pigeon. Apparently this is a normal occurrence.

Deep-Fried Pigeon arrives all on one plate depending on how many you order for your table.

It comes with the head as well, so it can be a bit scary for some people. If you don’t want to stare into the eyes of the pigeon, you can just rip the head off. I know it seems cruel, but these pigeons were farmed especially for human consumption.

You are given gloves to eat the pigeon because it can get quite oily.

The meat is very flavourful and tender. The exterior skin is crispy and thin too. It’s way better than duck or chicken!

After our table devoured the pigeons, all that was left were the discarded bones and used up gloves. That’s what happens when you’re eating with a bunch of carnivores. Yum Yum.

Big Boy Tsingtao Beer is a great drink to accompany the food. It cuts through the greasy oily feeling of the pigeon.

Fried Noodles with mushroom, chicken and vegetables was very yummy! One of my favorite dishes since the crispy texture of the noodles blend well with the savory sauce.

Salt and peppery tofu was firm on the outside with spices on top. When you bite into it, it’s very soft and silky on the inside.

Rice noodles with beef and vegetables has very tender beef, but the sauce that accompanied the dish was a bit salty.

Tofu Pudding is another one of their specialty items.You just scoop some into the bowl and add some ginger syrup.

Afterwards, we walked about 15 minutes to the entrance of the Shatin Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery. It looked a little bit awkward with barbed wires, but it was not too scary. It wasn’t too steep compared to some other places I’ve been, but it is a workout when it’s 35 degrees outside.

Remember, if you see any monks asking for money, they are just beggars. Do not pay them money! There are signs posted all over the trail telling tourists not to fall for their tricks. On our way up, we were approached by 3 fake monks, but we just said “no” to every single one.

The walk up is very beautiful and is lined with a lot of statues. Each statue is different and some are very cool to look at.

The top has a few sights and the pagoda type of structure.

You also get a nice view of the town of Shatin.

Overall, it was an awesome day here! Having pigeon and going on a short hike was very memorable. I would still go back to Lung Wah Hotel for some pigeon!

Words of Wisdom:

Deep Fried Pigeon and tofu is a must!
Very horrible Service

We Rate Lung Wah Hotel:

Address:
22 Ha Wo Che Chuen,
Sha Tin, Hong Kong

Website:
http://www.lungwahhotel.hk/

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In Sandwich

Sunset Burger: Closes and Becomes Ace Burger Bar

September 14, 2012

Earlier in the month, I decided to use up my Groupon at Sunset Burgers on Nelson St. before it expires. The Groupon was $10 for $20 worth of food. It was set to expire at the end of the month…so good thing I used it since it closed and has become Ace Burger Bar.

If you haven’t used up your Groupon yet, I would suggest getting in contact with Groupon to get your money back.

As for Ace Burger Bar, it has completely new ownership but does serve similar items. I haven’t been there yet, so I am not sure if Ace Burger Bar is good or not.

Below are some pictures of what I had at Sunset Burgers before it closed.