March 2014

In product

Akakuro-buta: Canadian-Raised Japanese-Style Premium Pork

March 11, 2014

M has recently been obsessed with Akakuro-buta pork that we found at T&T. In the past few weeks, I’m sure he’s bought well over 10 packs of this meat. I guess it helps that we work close to the T&T in Downtown.

Why does he love this pork so much? It has a large amount of fatty marbling that makes the pork tender and juicy. With other pork, we tend to find it a bit chewy and dry.

I’m not exactly sure the exact nutritional values compared the regular pork. We just eat things that taste good.

It is 100% Canadian pork that is raised to mirror the techniques of Japan’s Kurobuta. The hogs are raised in a stress-free, small family farms in Alberta with a monitored barley diet. They don’t have any hormones or additives. They are happy hogs until they meet their fate of becoming our meat for dinner.

They is exclusively sold at T&T, so you won’t find it ay any other grocery store. You can find it in the pork section with the black label.

The price for the premium pork is more expensive that regular pork, but it tastes a million times better than regular pork.

We’re not great cooks or anything, but you really can’t ruin a meal with this pork. It’s easy to prepare. So, all you really need to some salt and pepper for seasoning.

Throw it into a pan, let it cook until all that pinkiness is gone. This is probably the simpliest way to enjoy the pork. You can also leave it a little pink, but I always grew up with people telling me it should be cooked thoroughly.

Then, plate it and serve. We have weird sense of combining side items with the pork. I just really like salmon sashimi, so I grabbed that with the pork. Bad idea since it tasted really weird together. We should have steamed some vegetables instead.

Another time, we deep-fried it. We coated the pork with egg, flour and panko crumbs. Pan-fried it until it was golden brown.

This time we learned not to have sashimi with our pork, so we had rice and miso soup. Worked out much better.

Anyway we cook it, the pork still stays tender and juicy…. unless you accidentally overcook it. When you bite into a region with lots of marbled fat, your tastebuds will love you. Once your try this pork, all the other types of pork can’t compare.

Website: http://www.wingtat.ca/akakuro_buta_info?lang=1

In Bakery

Basho Cafe: Matcha Lattes and Treats

March 10, 2014

Basho Cafe recently opened on Hastings Street close to Victoria Drive. It is a family run Japanese Cafe and they have yummy drinks, lunch sets and sweet treats.

FoodQueen and I decided to have an afternoon snack at Basho.

A lot of items in the interior are handmade by the family – the dishes, decor, furniture, and etc. Once you step inside, you know you want to fall in love with this cozy cafe. It really sets the mood, rain or shine.

It only seats about 16 people, so as word gets out about this place, it will definitely get super busy. We got there at 2pm and there were no spots left, so we had to wait a little bit till people started leaving.

Afternoon Set ($5 after 2pm) includes a matcha latte and 3 assorted treats. We found this was definitely a great deal as you get a tasting of what they have to offer.

The matcha latte isn’t sweetened, so if you like it a little sweeter, add some sugar.

Mochi Mochi Matcha looks like a cute little cupcake, but on the inside is squishy with the mochi. Really good and highly recommended. It’s also gluten-free and vegan.

Sesame brownie was very moist and had was very addictive.

Goma-miso cookie has lot of black sesame in it. Delicious as well.

Matcha Sandwich Cookie has the matcha cookies on the outside and it sandwiches some sort of icing.

Matcha Brownie was good too. Tough choice between the sesame brownie and the matcha brownie.

Matcha coconut chocolate chip cookie was a delightful surprise. I usually don’t like coconut, but this cookie was gooood.

Overall, all the baked treats were good and none of the disappointed. It’s a cute cafe to just chill and catch up with friends over drinks and nibbles. Highly recommend this cafe!

We Rate Basho Cafe:

Address:
2007 E Hastings St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://bashocafe.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=2007+E+Hastings+St&sll=49.281216,-123.0634631&sspn=0.0053752,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=2007+E+Hastings+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5L+1T9&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Cafe Mai-Mai: Pho and Waffles

March 9, 2014

Cafe Mai-Mai is located in Marpole and is a family run Vietnamese cafe. They serve up Pho, Bahn Mi sandwiches, rice dishes, coffee and waffles. Their food also doesn’t contain any MSG.

M, Scarface, Mandy and I headed here after work to chow down on some pho. Pho is really just amazing winter comfort food with it’s warm broth heating you up from the inside.

Cafe de l’Orangerie previously occupied this place but has since moved to another location. Similar look but refreshed walls.

Vietnamese Coffee ($3.50) has the layer of condensed milk and then the coffee dripping from the top container.

Once it’s done dripping, you give it a good mix and then you can add your ice. What I like about this place is that they put a good amount of water so it make a cup of coffee. You definitely have enough to last you through the meal. It was good.

Shrimp salad rolls ($5.50) comes with 2 huge pieces cut in half, so you get 4 pieces. You have the noodles, shrimp, lettuce wrapped up in the rice paper. It also comes with sauce to dip it into.

The salad rolls are made to order, so they are fresh and slightly warm.

Spring rolls ($5.50) comes with 3 rolls and cut up in half to create 6 pieces. It’s crispy on the outside and savoury on the inside. There is also fish sauce to dip it into.

Vietnamese special ham and sausage sub (9″ – $4.49) is filled with vietnamese mayo, pate, pickled carrot, daikon, cucumber, cilantro and the ham and sausage. I wasn’t that hungry, so the 9″ was a good size.

Lemon grass chicken rice ($7.49) is served with vegetables, pickled carrot, daikon, cucumber and dish sauce. You also have the salad on the side.

#2 Phở đặc biệt (tái) House special pho ($7.80) has medium rare beef slices, flank, tendon, tripe, beef ball, and rice noodle in soup. It has no MSG and used some thin tender beef. The pho comes in only one size but it is comparable to a large size.

#11 Phở tái nạm, gân, sách ($7.50) has medium rare beef slices, beef flank, beef tendon, beef tripe, and rice noodle in soup. It was a large bowl, so

Single waffle($5) comes with butter and maple sauce. It’s the best way to try the waffle since it is crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Scarface and Mandu really loved the waffle and would stop eating them until it was all gone from the plate.

Waffle, apple, top with vanilla ice cream and strawberry sauce ($7.50) was ok, but the toppings was a let down. I’ve never seen wedges of apples on top of a waffle. They could definitely improve their toppings in the future.

The food at Cafe Mai-Mai was pretty average, there’s still a few kinks they need to work out on their menu. The prices are quite fair and you’ll be full.

We Rate Cafe Mai-Mai:

Address:
8636 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.cafemaimai.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=8636+Granville+St&sll=49.2080257,-123.1403123&sspn=0.0053832,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=8636+Granville+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6P+5A1&z=16 “]

In Chinese

Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant 부천성: Lunch in Pohang, Korea

March 8, 2014

Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant 부천성 is located in Pohang. We came here for lunch and what I always find interesting is that no matter where you find Chinese food in Korea, it’s never authentic. They always have their own version of Chinese food.

I actually don’t mind it. In my mind, I will always think its Korean food. Just wait till the Koreans discover dim sum, they will be mind blown.

The inner decor was simple. Nothing fancy. There was a good amount of people here for lunch.

Complimentary side dishes arrived – kimchi, pickled radish, onions and bean paste. You dip the onion into the bean paste and it magically counteracts the intensity of the onion. It’s weird, but it works.

Honey Almond Shrimp has deep-fried prawns smothered in a mayo mixture and topped with almond slices.

Noodles with Black bean Sauce (Jajangmyeon) was ordered by everyone. There is the noodle underneath and the black bean sauce on top.

Fried Rice with Seafood comes with a bit of black bean sauce on the side and a light soup. This is an item I always order. Black bean sauce is really good and when you add it to the fried rice, it’s pretty damn good. Too bad I didn’t really like how they made the fried rice.

At the end of the meal, we got these sticky sweet potatoes as a complimentary dessert. We all thought this was pretty meh.

We also got coffee at the end of the meal. Wasn’t very good either.

Overall, the restaurant was decent, but we all agreed Taesan Chinese Restaurant is still better for Korean Chinese food.

We rate Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant:

Website:
http://xn--or3bo1es8m.kr/skin15/index.php

Address:
656-13 I-dong, Nam-Gu, Pohang-si,
Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=%EB%B6%80%EC%B2%9C%EC%84%B1&ie=UTF8&ll=36.028486,129.337449&spn=0.010221,0.021136&sll=36.0282921,129.3374541&sspn=0.0066637,0.0109864&t=m&cid=0xa41eb0cf2b3d3dd3&hq=%EB%B6%80%EC%B2%9C%EC%84%B1&z=16&iwloc=A “]

In Bubble Tea

Gong Cha: Refreshing Beverage in Korea

March 7, 2014

In all the Lotte Department stores is Gong Cha or at least I keep seeing it in the Busan locations. I remember having Gong Cha in Hong Kong a few Summers ago and it has always stuck in my mind.

Gong Cha opened their first location in Taiwan during 2006 and soon after opened locations in Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, China, Malaysia, and Philippines. There are a lot of locations all over Asia and attracts locals and tourists. They are best known for their signature milk tea with a dollop of cream on top.

House Special Green Tea (large – 3,900 won) is one of the most popular flavours. It has the base of the brewed green tea and it is topped with their signature creamy foam. The foam tasted like salty cream.

Overall, it was a nice refreshing drink. I’ve never really been a fan of the cream, but I do the link the tea underneath it.

We rate Gong Cha:

Location:
Bujeondong, Busanjingu
(Seomyon subway station)

Website:
http://www.gong-cha.co.kr/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=Bujeon-dong&sll=35.1578439,129.0570025&sspn=0.0269466,0.0439464&t=m&hnear=Bujeon-dong,+Busanjin-gu,+Busan,+South+Korea&z=15 “]

In British Columbia

Starbucks Canada: Maple Macchiato

March 6, 2014

Another new drink from Starbucks and it’s the Maple Macchiato. It looked very tempting and I just had to try it. How good is maple in a coffee? It reminded me of something super super Canadian.

Asking the staff about their opinions on the drink, they suggested we have it half sweet. It is served either hot or cold.

Maple Macchiato is a multi-layered beverage that consists of steamed milk, espresso and the sweet maple syrup. The maple syrup comes from Quebec too. The maple was more dense than the foam, so it sank into the drink faster than caramel drizzle.

If you’re not into maple, they also have the caramel macchiato or hazelnut macchiato. It’s always best to get half sweet just in case.

The drink is only available in Canada, but alternately in the states, they have released the vanilla macchiato instead.

Website: http://www.starbucks.ca/coffee/espresso/macchiato-beverages

In Cafe

CGV: Finding Movies in Pohang, South Korea

March 5, 2014

Finding a movie theatre that showed ‘Frozen’ in English was quite tough in Korea. Some places had it dubbed over, but since I don’t understand Korean, we had to find a place that had the movie in English with some Korean subtitles.

CGV is Korea’s largest cinema chain and they also have some locations in China and North America. I’ve never been to a Korean movie theatre, so this was an adventure. You can pick your seats before you purchase! Kinda similar to Canada’s Cineplex VIP Theatre, but without the added cost.

You buy your ticket at the counter and then you can grab some snacks at the food counter.

As we were here about an hour before the movie started, we thought we would head into the CGV cafe to get some refreshments and have a seat. Korean’s love their coffees and cafe’s, so naturally, there is one inside the movie theatre.

You line up at the counter and they will take your order. The menu is in Korea, so if you can’t read, you can be like me and get someone else to order for you.

There’s lots of seats to sit down and just chill before the movie doors open up.

I ordered a latte and it comes from the machine. Nothing really special about it. There wasn’t a lot of strong coffee taste to it as they added in a lot of milk. M’s mom ordered a iced coffee but told them to take it back because it didn’t taste like coffee at all. It was mostly milk.

Korean’s have a passion for coffee, so I’m not sure why they are serving sub par coffee. Quality is probably lost cause it’s a chain.

Popcorn could have been a bit fresher. A little tad stale.

Noah and Captain America posters look quite similar.

I didn’t take a picture of inside the cinema because I had this weird feeling that someone would think I would be pirating the movie. The quality of the theatre was fine, but not as large as I would have imagined, but that’s probably because Pohang is a smaller city compared to Seoul (obviously).

The CGV Cafe sucked, but that’s what we get for going to a Cafe inside a movie theatre.

Nonetheless, we still enjoyed ourselves and was quite impressed with ‘Frozen’. Highly encourage you check it out.

Address:
235-4 Deoksan-dong (93 )
Buk-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
South Korea

Website: http://cgv.co.kr/theater/theater/Default.aspx

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=CGV+%EB%B6%81%ED%8F%AC%ED%95%AD%EC%A0%90&ie=UTF8&sll=36.0407079,129.3682009&sspn=0.0066627,0.0109864&t=m&cid=0x9bc75d773f5ea55a&hq=CGV+%EB%B6%81%ED%8F%AC%ED%95%AD%EC%A0%90&z=16&iwloc=A “]

In Japanese

Kamamarui Ramen: Korean-Style Ramen

March 4, 2014

My sister and another friend highly recommended Kamamarui in South Burnaby for some delicious eats. They opened up near the end of last year and is know for their ramen and their “bomb”. The pictures looked great online, so I went with M for dinner.

I’ve always be wary coming here after the tragic incident 2 years ago.

The interior is simplistic and modern. You will see grey concrete walls, with wooden furniture. We assumed this place was Japanese-run, but once we walked into the door, we realized it was Korean-run. M knew obviously cause he’s Korean. We don’t see many Korean-run ramen joints in town. A lot of Korean-run Sushi places, but not ramen.

I’m not sure what the connection is but there is also a Kamamarui Ramen in Seoul, Korea too. Similar items but not exactly the same.

They even have the rear end of dogs as cute coat hangers.

Their menu is quite simple, they offer ramen, dons and a few side dishes.

Bomb ($3) is a rice ball seasoned with seaweed and teriyaki sauce. It is also topped with some sesame seeds. It’s a very popular item to be ordered, but I thought it lacked much flavour. There’s no filling inside, so its just the rice and seaweed.

Miso Ramen ($9) has a miso and pork soup base seasoned with miso flavour, green onions, bean sprout, and 2 slabs of chashu. The flavour of the broth really lacked depth and was very light. The pork was lean cut, so you don’t get the fatty delicious bits. Still…those are huge pieces of meat.

If you get the ramen and bomb combo, it’s $10.50, so you save $1.50.

Chicken Mini Don had the rice on the bottom, with flavourful chicken on top with some teriyaki sauce and a bit of peas.

Tonkotsu Ramen ($9) has a pork soup base with soy flavour, green onions, bean sprouts, and chashu. It’s similar to the Miso ramen but just with a different broth. I found a similar problem with the broth, it also lacked depth and was light in flavour.

You can get the mini don and the ramen for $14.50 as a combo.

The service was atrocious! Thats what pissed M off more than the food. They seemed like they are understaffed or inexperienced. We waited by the door to be seated, but no one acknowledged us there. The empty tables all had dishes still piled on top and seemed neglected. It took them a long time to take our order since all the staff seemed to have disappeared to the kitchen for some time. We also asked for more tea and water but none came back. They seemed quite frazzled and the whole experience just declined from there. They also mixed up our orders too.

Overall, the food is decent for Burnaby. It still doesn’t compare to the ones Downtown, but at least you don’t have to drive all the way downtown to get some ramen. M still prefers to go to Hakkaku Ramen in North Burnaby.

We Rate Kamamarui Ramen:

Address:
6514 Royal Oak Avenue
Burnaby, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=6514+Royal+Oak+Ave&sll=49.2243728,-122.98879&sspn=0.0053814,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=6514+Royal+Oak+Ave,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5H+3P4&z=16″]

In Cafe

Chez Faye Cafe: Soup, Sandwiches and Korean Food

March 3, 2014

Chez Faye Cafe is located right beside the Yaletown Skytrain. KoreanGirl and I were hunting for some lunch and thought Chez Faye Cafe would be a great place for a soup and sandwich. She’s been here a few times, but I’ve never been. I pass by it a lot of times, but haven’t been here till now.

They serve sandwiches, soups and Korean food. Just simple food that is not complicated.

They are open on weekdays from the morning till late lunch, but aren’t open for dinner.

The interior is cozy and has about 15 tables or so. It’s quiet and peaceful during lunch, so you can relax before going back to the office. A lot of people did take out items to go.

I got the clubhouse sandwich with their daily soup feature – chicken soup with wild rice.

Clubhouse Sandwich has 3 layers of bread and between those layers are – tomatoes lettuce, mayo, bacon, and turkey. I chose my bread to be multigrain. The ingredients are pretty solid and I liked how the bacon was crispy and there were lots of tomatoes to keep the sandwich moist.

Chicken soup with wild rice paired nicely with the sandwich. It’s always nice to have soup on a cold rainy day.

Overall, the food isn’t special or anything, but it’s a good quick lunch that satisfies the hungry belly. I’d come here again for their sandwiches and soup!

We Rate Chez Faye Cafe:

Address:
1168 Hamilton St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=1168+Hamilton+St&sll=49.2751929,-123.122024&sspn=0.0053758,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=1168+Hamilton+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+2S2&z=16″]

In British Columbia

McCafe: Toasted Marshmallow Mocha

March 2, 2014

I was at McDonalds going for the free Small Coffee from February 24 til March 2nd, but something caught my eye… the toasted marshmallow mocha. I’m always a sucker for trying new things. They also have toasted marshmallow deluxe hot chocolate.

Their menu was weird too, they don’t have green tea lattes or Chai Tea lattes anymore. I missed my chance at getting it even though they were clearly still advertising it.

Toasted marshmallow mocha (Small – $2.69) it didn’t look very impressive at all. I should have just kept the lid on. It just tasted like their usual mocha but with the added toppings. The whipped cream melted into the mocha by the time I got back to the office. But, I still didn’t see a lot of marshmallows either…unless they melted too.

It’s the same price as a usual mocha, so you’re not paying extra for the marshmallows.

On the bright side, I collected enough stamps for a free coffee next time. This probably took me a long time to collect all the stamps.

Website:
http://www.mcdonalds.ca/

In Cafe

Kafka’s Coffee and Tea: Yummy Coffee on Main St.

March 1, 2014

While getting a morning breakfast with my coworkers, we stopped by Kafka’s for some coffee. They are serious about coffee and use various brewing methods. I don’t know the different brewing methods, but I know a good cup of coffee when I taste it.

He’s making a pour over. Coffee is really an art and is essential for mornings of an office worker. I’ve heard much about their syphon coffee but I needed something quick to-go.

Latte ($4.25) in my to go cup. I wish they filled it up to the top, but it fell an inch short. The latte tasted good.

I put on the lid and off I went to work with some good coffee.

We rate Kafka’s:

Address:
2525 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.kafkascoffee.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=2525+Main+St&sll=49.2624274,-123.101198&sspn=0.0053772,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=2525+Main+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+3E5&z=16″]