March 2015

In product

M&M’s Chocolate Bar: Chocolate with More Chocolate

March 28, 2015

We all know and love M&M’s from our childhood. When I was at the store this weekend and it’s been a while since I’ve noticed they created their M&M’s Chocolate Bar.

M&M’s just went through a merger with the chocolate bar and the result – a deliciously successful conglomerate. Now you can have your chocolate bar and eat your M&M’s too! Creamy, smooth milk chocolate sprinkled with M&M’s minis Milk Chocolate Candies creates an irresistible crunch that, well, raises the chocolate bar to an M&M’s level.

You can snap off smaller portion pieces from the chocolate bar and share with friends. You will see bits of the M&M mini’s hiding underneath.

Mmm look at that! There’s a good amount of M&Ms inside of the bar. Every bite you will find a few of those little guys. It’s a good combination and its a bit addictive because of the crunchy texture that the M&M mini’s give to the chocolate bar.

Website: http://www.mms.com/us/chocolatebar

In product

Pepperidge Farm Cracker Chips: Ketchup

March 27, 2015

Pepperidge Farm makes chips?! They just came out with Cracker Chips is various flavours. I picked up their ketchup flavour from Safeway to give it a try. I thought they only made Goldfishes, but they do more that just that.

She shape of the chip reminds me of Crispers but with whole grain. It’s very crispy and topped with a lot of ketchup seasoning. It was a little bit addictive, but it’s only because I haven’t had ketchup chips in a long time.

The ketchup flavour isn’t 100% like Lay’s, but its pretty close.

Some of the other flavours it comes in are cheddar, Cheddar + Sour Cream, BBQ, and Zesty Chilli and Lime.

It’s an interesting concept, but I think I prefer to have Lay’s Ketchup chips to cure my chip cravings.

Website: http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/ProductDetail.aspx?catID=1583&prdID=121071

In Chinese

Ling Yen Mountain Temple: Vegetarian Recipes

March 26, 2015

Ling Yen Mountain Temple is located on “Highway to Heaven“. The road is named after the 60 temples, mosques, churches and chapels that stand side by side on No. 5 Road.

They opened in 1999 and the temple has a traditional Chinese quadrangular building. The temple is in the Pure Land tradition of Ling Yen Shan near Suzhou, Jiangsu, China. It is an offshoot of Ling Yen Shan monastery near Puli, Nantou, Taiwan, which was founded by Master Miao Lien in 1984.

The temple has regular celebrations of events during different seasons. During the celebration of Buddha’s birthday and Chinese New Year, the building is surrounded with 1000 special lanterns. Paramita Ball prayers are also set out on occasion.

They are open for tours and for guest to come and seek wisdom. There are over 10,000 members in Greater Vancouver as well as a few resident monastics that live here.

We weren’t able to take photos of the inside where the big Buddha statues are, but they are quite nice.

They have a garden where they grow things, but since it was the winter, nothing much grew when we were here.

Everyday, they offer free vegetarian lunches to their guests.

Here are a few recipes from their Vegetarian Cook Book – Pure Taste Pure Mind. The recipes were compiled by their volunteers. You can grab a copy of their book from the temple for free.

[tabs tab1=”Crispy Tofu Balls” tab2=”Braised Spongy Gluten” tab3=”Pineapple Shortcake”]

[tab id=1]

Ingredients:

1 piece of firm tofu
3 sheets of nori
a few sprigs of Thai basil
100g button mushrooms
vegetarian ham
potato starch
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
dash of oil

Instructions:

Wash the tofu. Drain and mash into a paste. Cut the nori into small pieces. Wash and mince the Thai basil and button mushrooms. Mince the vegetarian ham.
Add salt and pepper, and thoroughly mix all ingredients. Make 2cm wide balls with the pasta
Lightly and evenly cover the balls with potato starch. Let them sit for a few seconds and then deep-fry until golden brown.

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[tab id=2]

Ingredients:

1 pack of baked spongy gluten
5 dried shiitake mushrooms
4pcs bamboo shoots
several dried daylily flowers (soak until tender and cleaned)
several pieces of black wood ear mushrooms (soak until tender and cleaned)
peanuts
13-15 tsp of oil
10 tsp of soy sauce
6.5 tsp of sugar
cornstarch
slices of ginger
sesame oil

Instructions:

Julienne and stir-fry bamboo shoots in a preheated skillet with oil. Add a splash of water and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 tsp of soy sauce and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Stir well. Remove from heat and set aside.
Blanch spongy gluten. Remove from water and squeeze dry. Shred into small pieces. In a preheated skilled with 5 tsp of oil, add 5 -6 pieces of ginger and cook until aromatized. Add spongy gluten and cook until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
Soak shiitake mushrooms in water until soft. Wash and cut into small pieces. Add 1 tsp of soy sauce and a bit of cornstarch; mix well. In a skillet, heat 2 tsp of oil. Pour in the shiitake mushrooms and stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a skillet, heat 3 tsp of water, 6-7 tsp of oil, 8 tsp of soy sauce, 6 tsp of sugar and a pinch of grated ginger. Add daylilies and wood ear mushrooms. Cook for 8 minutes until tender. Stir in spongy gluten and shiitake mushrooms. Add bamboo shoots and mix. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens. Drizzle some sesame oil and serve. Add peanuts as garnish if desired.

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[tab id=3]

Ingredients:

55g unsalted butter
45g vegetable shortening
35g icing sugar
15g evaporated milk
150g all purpose flour
15g skim milk powder
500g pineapple jam

Instructions:

Cream butter and vegetable shortening together. Mix in the icing sugar. Add evaporated milk into the mixture and beat together.
Sift in skim milk powder and flour. Mix well.
Fill out the dough and cut into pieces. Put some pineapple jin in the center of the dough pieces and press them into a mold. Take them out and line them on a baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes in an oven preheated at 350F. Flip the shortcakes and bake for another 6 minutes.

Cooking tips:

A typical square mould for pineapple shortcake calls for 25g of dough and 25g of filling. If you use a smaller, flatter mold, use about 15g of dough and 15g of filling. For flower-shaped molds, experiment with the amount of dough and filling needed. Most standard pineapple shortcakes have a dough-to-filling ratio of 1:1.

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In British Columbia

Little BabyCakes: Miniature Cupcakes

March 25, 2015

The idea of Little Baby Cakes was conceived in summer of 2014, when the owners discovered an untapped market that would revolutionize the cupcake scene in Vancouver. Their philosophy is to present Vancouverites with a smaller (and healthier) cupcake option, produce artisan cupcakes made from quality ingredients, and support local businesses.

Little Baby Cakes’ cupcakes are crafted with care and love. Their quarter-sized cupcakes will satisfy your cravings without sacrificing your diet. Sometimes you just need a tiny taste.

At 1.5 inches tall, the cupcakes are much smaller than the average cupcake (and consequently, lower in calories). This creates the perfect opportunity for people who are health conscious to sample multiple flavours without the guilt of packing on pounds.

The prices of these one-bite indulgence cupcakes are $7 for 6, or $13 for 12.

They currently don’t have a storefront, but you can find them at Holt Renfrew on their Skybridge from March 26th – April 4th during regular store hours.

Double Fudge is a delight! You have the dark chocolate base finished with dark chocolate frosting, then dusted with powdered sugar.

Coconut Paradise has the original cupcake base topped with a blue coconut frosting and real coconut bits.

Earl Grey has the vanilla base, topped with the earl grey frosting and bits of tea on top.

Original is pretty standard but they make it pretty good.

Red Pearl has the Red velvet base with cream cheese frosting and sugar pearls on top.

Salted Caramel was interesting. It’s good if you like salty and sweet items.

I shared them around the office and my coworkers love the flavours and thought they would make an amazing addition to a baby shower since the cupcakes are teenie tiny.

I’m not a cupcake person, but I did find the size very enjoyable to eat.

Website: http://littlebabycakes.ca/

In product

Lay’s Canada: Milk Chocolate Covered Wavy Chips

March 24, 2015

I love finding new items at the grocery store. Earlier this year, Lay’s Canada introduced milk chocolate covered wavy chips just in time for Valentines Day. But, I rarely pay attention to whats new on the shelves unless I go hunting for junk food. Trying to be healthy is hard.

Chocolate covered potato chips by Lay’s was introduced in 2013 to the States, but we didn’t get it until 2015. I wonder why there was a delay.

The bags are much smaller than the regular chip bag. At 141g per bag, thats much smaller than their usual bags.

In the bag, you will see one side of the chips are heavily coated while the other side is quite sparse. The chip is still crisp and the chocolate and salt work well together if you like the salty sweet combination.

The chocolate is quite rich, so I would have preferred it to be dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

It’s in stores for a limited time, but you can still find them at stores like 7 Eleven, SuperStore, Loblaws or Save on Foods. They sell for about $5 – $6 from the stores I’ve been to. Pretty pricey when you compare it to regular chips.

Website: http://www.lays.ca/

In Contest

Catelli: Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains Pasta

March 23, 2015

Catelli Healthy Harvest Ancient Grains Pasta just launched in Western Canada in early 2015. It currently comes in 3 cuts – spaghetti, spaghettini and rotini. It is 100% whole grain pasta, made with 100% Canadian wheat and five ancient grains – quinoa, teff, amaranth, millet, and sorghum. These grains have funny names, but they each have their own health benefits. It’s all natural with no preservatives and GMO free certified.

Coupon codes for Catelli can be found here for a limited time and quantity. If you want to enter for a years supply of Catelli^® Healthy Harvest^®Ancient Grains pasta, scroll down.

Celebrity Chef Lynn Crawford shared with us her top 10 tips for cooking Whole Grain Pasta. Some people are unsure if they should be cooking the pasta differently than white pasta. These tips will help.

Watch your cooking time: Pasta should be cooked according to the cook time guide on the package to achieve the ideal al dente texture. For a professional twist, cut one to two minutes off the suggested cooking time, drain and finish off cooking your pasta in the sauce.

Skip the oil: There is no need to add oil to your cooking water. Despite popular belief, this actually takes away from the pasta’s final texture and ability to adhere to the sauce. Skip the oil and embrace the starchiness of your pasta.

Water your pasta: When cooking pasta, use a large pot. As basic as it sounds, it will make a difference in the outcome of your pasta. You will need one litre of water to about 100 grams of pasta. Using a large pot will give the pasta room to boil and help keep the noodles from sticking together.

Think salty sea: Add a generous amount of sea salt to the boiling water to ensure your pasta is well seasoned. You may even want to taste the water before adding your pasta to make sure there is enough salt.

Avoid rinsing: For hot pasta dishes, never rinse the pasta after cooking in order to retain the starch and enable warm sauces to better adhere to the pasta.

Create the perfect pair: Delicate pasta shapes go well with delicate sauces, and heartier, ridged shapes pair well with richer sauces and ragus. For example, try long thin pasta, such as spaghetti, with a classic marinara sauce. Penne, ziti or rigatoni lend themselves to thicker sauces with more texture, such as a ragu Bolognese.

Embrace the texture: Whole grain pasta has a hearty, firm texture that’s perfect for cold or chilled recipes and marinates well in tangy dressings. The firmness of the noodles also provides a good base for both crunchy and juicy fresh vegetables.

Top it off: With a nutty, rich flavour, whole grain pasta can take on other strong, complex flavours. Ingredients that pair well with whole grain pasta include garlic, chili, anchovies, rich pesto sauces, and bitter or dark leafy greens such as kale, Swiss chard and radicchio.

Take the heat: When preparing hot pasta recipes, keep your serving plates or bowls warm in an oven set to a low temperature until you’re ready to serve. This will ensure that your final dish stays nice and hot.

Crank up the flavour: Whole grain pasta is an easy base on which to build a healthy and delicious meal. Incorporate a lean protein, plenty of fresh vegetables, and seasoning with big flavours in the pasta for an even more nutritious and satisfying dish.

We found that the best cooking time for the pasta was around 8 minutes to have a nice al dente texture that wasn’t too limp or too hard.

Below are 3 recipes you can check out:

[tabs tab1=”Chef Crawford’s Classic Tomato Sauce” ]

[tab id=1]

Makes 4 cups (1 L)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1⁄8 tsp (0.5 mL) chili flakes
1 tbsp (15 mL) tomato paste
1 tsp (5 mL) sugar
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped parsley
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped basil

Instructions:

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and chili flakes. Cook until the onions are golden brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and sugar; cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley and basil.

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[tabs tab1=”Chef Crawford’s Basil Pesto Sauce” ]

[tab id=1]

Makes 2 cups (500 mL)

Ingredients:

3 cups (750 mL) loosely packed basil leaves
¼ cup (60 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp (30 mL) pine nuts, toasted
2 cloves garlic
1 cup (250 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

In a food processor, combine the basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, and ¼ cup (60 mL) of the olive oil. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. With the machine running, add the remaining olive oil in a slow, steady stream until the pesto has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

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[tabs tab1=”Chilled Noodle Salad with Ginger Wasabi Dressing” ]

[tab id=1]

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 8 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 pkg (340 g) Catelli^® Healthy Harvest^® Ancient Grains Spaghettini
2 cups (500 ml) snow peas, thinly sliced diagonally
1 cup (250 ml) shelled edamame
1 small English cucumber
2 cups (500 ml) napa cabbage, finely shredded
1 cup (250 ml) red pepper, cut into matchsticks
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1/4 cup (60 ml) cilantro leaves
2 tbsp (30 ml) black sesame seeds

Ginger-Wasabi Dressing:

1/4 cup (60 ml) seasoned rice vinegar
3 tbsp (45 ml) canola oil
2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
1 tsp (5 ml) lemon zest
2 tsp (10 ml) brown sugar
2 tsp (10 ml) sesame oil
1 tsp (5 ml) grated fresh ginger
wasabi to taste

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well. Rinse under cold water until well chilled; transfer to large bowl and set aside.

In a pot of boiling water, cook snow peas and edamame until tender-crisp. Drain and rinse under cold water until well chilled; set aside.

Meanwhile, halve the cucumber lengthwise and use the end of a spoon to scoop and discard seeds; cut cucumber into julienne strips.

Ginger-Wasabi Dressing: Whisk together rice vinegar, canola oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and zest, brown sugar, sesame oil and ginger. Season with wasabi to taste.

Add cucumber, snow peas, edamame, napa cabbage, red pepper, green onions andavocado to noodles; toss with enough dressing to coat.

Garnish with cilantro leaves and black sesame seeds.

Tip: If you have time, you can chill the noodle dish by refrigerating for 1 to 4 hours.

Per serving: 590 calories, 19 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 710 mg sodium,
84 g carbohydrates, 145 g fibre, 13 g sugar, 21 g protein

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Want to win a year supply of Catelli^® Healthy Harvest^®Ancient Grains pasta? Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In Richmond

LuLu Island Winery: Tour and Tasting in Richmond

March 22, 2015

I never knew there was a Winery in Richmond until now. LuLu Island Winery is an award-winning producer of wine. They also are Canada’s largest exporter of Icewine to China.

During the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, LuLu Island Winery was selected as China’s hospitality centre – China House, a place where athletes, coaches, team officials and the Chinese media can take a break from the high-pressure competition, welcome guests and celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.

During our Tourism Richmond Media Trip, we had a stop here to have a tour and taste of what LuLu Island Winery has to offer. The space is huge and they have various tasting rooms.

Throughout the year, it is a regular tourist destination for those traveling via tour buses.

During the Tasting Tour, you get to sample a variety of their red wines, white wines and icewine. Since our group had a limited time here, we just went straight to the tasting. Usually, a tour and tasting would be 90 minutes long.

A tasting isn’t necessarily only for wine lovers, it’s a way to figure out what types of wines work for you.

For myself, I don’t enjoy red wine as it is not as sweet as white wine. I love white wine like a Pinot Gris or Riesling.

The tasting was quite educational and I did learn a thing or 2 about icewine.

In Canada, icewine is trademarked as one word. If you see ice wine or iced wine, they are fakes.
Icewine from Canada has a VQA stamp to ensure consumers they are purchasing 100% BC wine.

There’s increasingly more and more fake icewines being sold in China, so you really need to do your homework before purchasing a bottle because icewine’s are not cheap.

Icewine for me is just way too sweet. I’ll buy it as gifts for family members in other countries but it’s not for me.

If you think all wines are made of grapes, that’s a lie. LuLu Island Winery makes some amazing fruit wines like Blueberry wine, Raspberry wine, and Passionfruit wine.

A local favourite is the Blueberry wine. BC produces tons and tons of blueberries and it makes the perfect wine. It has a delicate, clean, light blueberry flavour. Slightly sweet. It makes for a great gift or you can consume it all yourself.

I did enjoy the winery tasting and I would highly recommend it.

Address:
16880 Westminster Hwy
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.luluislandwinery.com/

In Dim Sum

Top Shanghai Cuisine 上海一只鼎: Shanghai Cuisine in Richmond

March 21, 2015

Top Shanghai Cuisine Restaurant is in Richmond and we came here for a morning Shanghainese meal. We came right when it opened. Within 30 minutes this restaurant was packed and there was a line forming.

In 2013, they won best Dim Sum restaurant from the Chinese Restaurant Awards.

All around the dining room are lots of pictures of their dishes. It makes you even more hungry when waiting for dishes to arrive.

Salty Soy Milk is one of my favourite dishes to order at a Shanghai Restaurant. It’s a savoury soup with tofu puffs, green onions, tiny shrimp, and a tad of chili oil.

Chinese Donut is a long golden brown donut.Except it’s not sweet at all. It is salted and eaten during breakfast with congee or soymilk.

Wontons with Chili Sauce is another one of my favourites. It has a bunch of boiled wonton and then slathered with chili oil mixture on top.

Xiao Long Bao or steamed pork dumpling comes with 6 pieces per order. The skin is thin and there’s lots of hot soup inside with the tender pork. Eating these are fun because you must not pop the skin or else the soup will ooze out. The way I eat these are just putting it on my spoon, bite a tiny hole into the XLB and sip the soup inside. Then I can devour the rest.

I’m pretty sure everyone orders this! It’s what they are known for.

Pan-fried Pork Buns has 6 per order, the one that arrived for us combined both orders. The bun is much thicker that the Xiao Long Bao, but has similar soup and pork inside. Another top selling item from this restaurant.

Fried Fish in Seaweed Batter was surprisingly very delicious and addictive! It’s very aromatic and pairs so well. The look may not be very appealing, but you gotta order this if you have a large group.

Spring Rolls is a weird thing to see on the menu as it is a Shanghainese restaurant. The spring rolls were pretty average but nothing about it stood out.

Shanghai Pan Fried Noodles had a good amount of vegetables and the sauce tasted great.

Sticky Rice Rolls were wrapped up in plastic wrap and then portioned out. I have never seen it in a restaurant like this. You can eat everything but the plastic wrap. I think they kept it on as it makes it easier to eat without the rice sticking to your hands.

Inside the rice rolls is pickled veggies, Chinese donut and pork floss. Pretty standard fillings. I found this to be rather bland and boring.

Deep Fried Pastries with Daikon was something I haven’t seen before. A deep-fried bun with lots of shredded daikon inside.

Beef Brisket Noodle Soup is a bit hard to share with a big group unless you have awesome chopstick skills. It was really good and the beef brisket had a good depth of flavour.

Overall, the food here is good, but still not the best. My favourite Shanghainese place is still Long’s Noodle House on Main Street.

We Rate Top Shanghai Cuisine:

Address:
8100 Ackroyd Rd #120
Richmond, BC V6X 3K2

Website:
http://www.topshanghaicuisine.com/

In Bubble Tea

Uncle Lu 安可盧萬巒豬腳: Taiwanese Cafe in Richmond

March 18, 2015

Uncle Lu is a new café that opened last year in Richmond. They are a Taiwanese bubble tea café specializing in braised pork hock, noodle soups and bubble tea.

The restaurant has high ceilings and they also have a good amount of booth seating.

I’m pretty picky when it comes to bubble tea. So when we asked if they use powder in their bubble tea, they said no. But the waitress didn’t understand our question. Definitely lost in translation. After putting in our order, we saw them take out the large powdered containers and then we knew they use powder. We inquired with another waiter and he did confirm they only use powder since there’s not a lot of fruit in season during winter.

Royal Milk Tea ($4.75) was alright. It did have quite a bit of foam at the top.

Mango Slush with pearls ($4.75) is a nice refreshing drink when it’s hot outside. Great for summer.

Deep Fried Peppery Chicken with Basil ($6.75) is a good snack. Good for sharing too. Nice crunchy exterior with juicy tender meat inside.

Braised Pork Hock is marinated in soy sauce and comes with a potent garlic sauce. Certain parts are quite fatty so we just avoided those parts.

Five Spice Beef Wrap ($5.95) comes chopped up into 5 pieces. Good flavour of the five spiced beef.

Taiwanese Style Grilled Steak ($10.95) comes on a hot skillet with noodles, veggies and egg. I found the dish quite bland even-though it comes with a peppery sauce. I prefer the skillets at Strike.

Overall, the food was ok, but I wasn’t too impressed. Perhaps it was because we ordered pretty typical items that would be found at most Taiwanese Cafes.

We Rate Uncle Lu:

Address:
3779 Sexsmith Rd
Richmond, BC

In Dessert

Soft Peaks: Soft Serve Ice Cream in Vancouver

March 17, 2015

Soft Peaks Ice Cream serves up fresh organic soft serve ice cream. The soft serve is made with Avalon organic milk. I remember a year ago when I was in Korea, soft serve with honeycomb was the newest trend. Now, its hitting Vancouver.

Ever since they have opened, they have been crazy busy during peak hours.

Founders – Dan and Ken Kim of Soft Peaks are brothers and best friends who started Soft Peaks, the two came together to pursue a shared dream. They both love ice cream, so soft serve was a perfect shop to open up.

Small Size vs Regular Size

Honeycomb Peak (Regular – $6.75) is topped with their signature swirl topped with a piece of local honeycomb. They honeycomb is from the Okanagan and Fraser Valley.

The soft serve was quite rich but at the same time kinda bland. The honeycomb is pretty sweet, so you really need to disperse it through out the soft serve. I did enjoy the cereal underneath, but it would take a long time until I could dig down into it.

Mudslide (Regular – $6.25) has a twist topped with TimTam flakes and chocolate syrup. TimTams are these delicious chocolate biscuits from Australia.

Overall, Soft Peaks was ok, but I don’t believe I’m a fan of soft serve. The group consensus was that the soft serve was ok, but they still prefer to have ice cream from Earnest Ice Cream or gelato from Bella Gelateria. Soft Peaks is different and it’s really hard to compare it to ice cream or gelato. The Soft Serve is really geared towards asian taste buds as it is not too sweet at all.

We Rate Soft Peaks:

Address:
25 Alexander St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://softpeaks.ca/

In Chinese

Bushuair Restaurant 聚湘村: Hunan Cuisine in Richmond

March 15, 2015

Bushuair Restaurant specializes in Hunan style cuisine. They are best known for their head pounding level of spice. You will find a common use of chilies and picked vegetables in their dishes. If you love spicy food, you will love Bushuair Restaurant.

There’s lots of round tables and booth seating inside.

Tea Smoked Pork Belly was not a spicy dish. The strips of pork belly is smoked and has a nice depth of flavour. Very delicious!

Wild Speculation Beef Salamander has the strangest name, but is a highly recommended dish to order if you love spicy. There are no salamanders in this dish, but there are these spicy little pickled peppers in there.

Some of us were quite addicted to the spicy peppers even though it would make us cry.

Quick-fried pig’s kidney with vegetables are slightly spicy. The kidneys are scored to give it that extra texture.

Fern Root Noodles is served cold but man does it ever pack a punch of spice. It kicks in a little bit after you eat it and then your mouth is on fire screaming for water. It was a pleasant spiciness. You’re going to sweat but its so satisfying.

This restaurant isn’t for people who can’t handle your spice. You’ll probably spend the entire meal in agony.

We Rate Bushuair restaurant:

Address:
121-4600 No 3 Road
Richmond, BC

In Chinese

Chef Tony: Chinese New Year Feast

March 14, 2015

Chef Tony opened in Richmond in early 2014 as an upscale Cantonese Eatery. The restaurant is quite beautiful with elaborate decorations. They have a banquet hall with 16 large tables plus 4 private VIP dining rooms. A good venue if you have a large group to host. This restaurant is pricier than the average.

It was recently voted one of the top 10 new Vancouver restaurants in 2014 by the Globe and Mail.

You’ll notice instantly that this place is much fancier. Its in the details and the service.

I opted for beer. Seriously, the best drink for Chinese food is beer to keep your palate refreshed.

They presented us with a few appetizer before the meal began. This tasted like an egg roll, but in a square-shaped form. Flakey and delicious. I really enjoyed it and reminded me of childhood.

Gluten cubes remind me of tofu but it’s not. Very spongey and it does suck up a lot of flavour from the sauce.

Marinated Cloud Ear Fungus has a slimy texture with a bit of a crunch.

Salted Peanuts has always been a weird item that comes with Chinese dinners. I could never figure out why they serve this before the meal.

Assorted Cold Cuts Platter with Black Truffle Chicken was delicious. It’s a visually stunning dish, plus there’s lots to try. I love picking at every item since it’s like a sampler.

Deep Fried Tender Squabs is so good. Theres no words to explain how good it is. Its one of my favourite dishes.

Braised Oysters and Pig Tongue in Oyster Sauce with black moss is a strange-looking dish but tasted quite good if you can tolerate the texture and ingredients. I grew up with the type of food, so I’m not stranger to it.

Dried Scallop and Crab Meat with Pea Leaves is shaped like a ying yang. The pea leaves have a slightly sweet taste that pairs well with the salty mixture on top. I love pea leaves!

Double Boiled Chicken Soup with Matsuke Mushroom and Conch comes in a huge pot. It is served in individual bowls by the servers. Very clear broth with nice depth of flavour.

Pan-Fried Lobsters with House Stock the pieces are carefully cut up so you don’t have to get messy eating all the pieces. Just grab a fork to extract the meat. In Chinese culture, a lobster symbolizes a strong marriage and family bond.

Deep Fried Crispy Free Range Chicken was cook slightly under so the bones are still red. It’s intentional as the meat is still juicy and flavourful.

Pan-Fried Beef Shoulder Tender with Mastuke and Ling Oyster mushroom

Steamed Fish in Soy Sauce Rock Cod is another common item to see at the table during New Years. The whole fish with the head is a symbol of long life and good fortune. Their fish was really good here. I am usually indifferent bout fish but mmmm it was awesome.

Fried Rice with Assorted Meat and Seafood in Brown Sauce was yummy. We had so many dishes during this dinner and I was about to pop.

Egg Noodle with Enoki Mushroom with Abalone Sauce its an essential dish to have during the New Years as noodles mean longevity to ensure a long life. Whatever you do, don’t cut the noodles.

Steamed Brown Sugar Sponge Cake is served hot and really yummy.

Steamed Brown Sugar Honey Cake is yummy! They have a similar dessert at Jade restaurant too. SO addictive and not too sweet. Asian desserts are usual not as sweet as Western desserts.

This was definitely a delicious dinner at Chef Tony. All the dishes were prepared well and stands out as a Chinese restaurant. The dishes are pricey, so it’s definitely not an everyday restaurant. Good for special occasions.

We Rate Chef Tony:

Address:
101-4600 No.3 Road
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://cheftonycanada.com/en/

In Hotel Review

Four Points by Sheraton Vancouver Airport

March 13, 2015

Four Points By Sheraton at Vancouver Airport is located on Alexandra Road in Richmond. It isn’t close to the Airport nor is it in Vancouver. The airport isn’t too far away from the hotel, but its nice that they have free shuttle service to and from the airport. It gives you peace of mind when you’re traveling.

If you’re wondering what is around Richmond, it’s a food lovers paradise. It’s a daily dining adventure, promising fresh seafood, the best Chinese restaurants outside of China and unparalleled authentic cuisine from across Asia – especially among the 200+ restaurants. It feels like being in Hong Kong without actually being there.

Across the street from Four Points By Sheraton at Vancouver Airport is Golden Village, a strip a Asian Restaurants. Looking for a late night snack? Just walk across the street.

I stayed in their room with a King Sized Bed on their top floor.

Their rooms have a standard configuration – bed, chair, desk, tv and bathroom.

My room was a bit different and the bathroom was closer to the door. They have a good amount of channels on the TV and free wifi. I spent most of my time watching the Food Network or Home and Garden TV.

In the room, there is a coffee make, water boiler, coffee, tea, an ice bucket, cups, sugar, cream and 2 bottles of water.

All free to consume. There’s also a mini fridge under the desk.

The bathroom is clean and spacious.

They have body wash, shampoo and conditioner.

Also, soap, lotion, mouthwash, and a nail file. If you need anything else, the front desk can help you out. I forgot toothpaste and they were able to get me some.

In the morning, there is complimentary coffee and tea in the lobby. No need to brew it yourself. Ultimate laziness.

Overall, the stay was good and it’s great to have a lot of food options close to the hotel.

Address:
8368 Alexandra Road
Richmond, British Columbia, V6X 4A6

Website: http://www.fourpointsvancouverairport.com/

In Burmese

Amay House: Burmese Cuisine in Vancouver

March 12, 2015

Amay’s House is a Burmese restaurant in Vancouver. There’s only a handful of Burmese restaurants in Vancouver. My mom grew up in Burma, so she gets really excited when visiting a Burmese restaurant.

I’ve been meaning to come here for a while but haven’t had the chance to make a visit until now. Plus, a few readers urged me to come for a visit.

The restaurant isn’t that pretty. It’s kinda like a hole in a wall. Very simple decor and nothing fancy.

Myanmar Tea Leaf Salad ($7.50) has fermented tea leaves, tomato, cabbage, assorted beans and nuts. This is always my favourite item to order at any Burmese restaurant, the crunchy texture of the beans mesh so well with the vegetables. Their version was good but I preferred the one at Wahh Tee a bit more.

Large Prata served with Chicken Curry ($6.50) is crisp on the outside and when its dipped in the curry, it’s pretty darn good. You can’t leave Amay House without getting Roti.

Noodle Salad ($7.50) is made with egg noodles, shrimp powder, bean powder, tamarind sauce, cabbage, onions, and cilantro. It comes with a clear soup on the side. It was creamy and full of flavour. The mixture of spices were great.

Chicken Satay ($6.50) and Beef Satay ($6.50) come with 3 pieces each. They were not good as they were tough and over cooked.

Fish Noodle Soup Mohinga ($7) has rice noodles, catfish broth, lemongrass, cilantro, fried garlic and fried split chana dal. A staple of Burmese cuisine! We order this dish at any Burmese restaurant as a baseline test to see how good or bad a restaurant is. If you can’t get Mohinga right, then something isn’t right.

Coconut Milk Noodle Soup ($7) has egg noodles, coconut milk, chicken curry, onion and deep fried noodle crisps. It has a rich coconut taste and was quite enjoyable.

Overall, pretty good Burmese food here, but since it was a busy Friday the service was sparse. There was only one server that seemed to do everything. Once the order was in, the food came out at a steady pace.I still prefer to go to Wahh Tee.

We Rate Amay House:

Address:
5076 Victoria Drive
Vancouver, BC

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/amayshouse

In British Columbia

Whitecaps FC Food Options at BC Place

March 11, 2015

BC Place and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC have announced enhancements to their food and beverage menus for their 2015 season. I love more options than just the usual popcorn, burger and hot dogs. With such a foodie-centric city, I’m glad we are getting more options to have a better experience in the stands.

A few examples of food items featured are:

Foot Long Hot Dogs
Bacon Burger
Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Chicken Poutine
Veggie Poutine
Oceanwise Calamari
Oceanwise Halibut Burger
Smoked Pork Belly sandwich
Steamed pork dumplings
Bacon fried rice
BBQ Chicken Leg
Honey Lager Sausage
Old-Fashioned Ham and Prosciutto Flatbread
Grilled Veggie Panini
Smoked Turkey and Salami Panini
Montreal smoked meat panini
Cold smoked BC sockeye salmon and shrimp on a bagel
Cheese and charcuterie plate
Assorted sushi
Garden greens
Multigrain quinoa salad
and more.

The food items range from $7.00 to $10.50. Some items are more exciting than the others.

The Thirsty Pigeon is a new concept for BC Place offering over 20 varieties of beer.

These include Budwiser, Bud light, Kokanee, Stella Artois, Alexander Keither’s IPA, Corona, Shocktop, Goose Island, Alexander Keith’s Hop Series, Stanley Park Amber, Stanley Park Windstorm, Steamworks Pilsner, Red Racer IPA, Parallel 49 Filthy Dirty IPA, Michelob Ultra, Bud Light Platiunum, Bud Light Lime, Bud Chelada, and Bud Light Chelada.

There are also Gluten-free beer options like Omission Pale, Bards Gold, and New Grist.

The prices range from $8 to $9.00 or $9.25 for a 500ml can. Of course you need beer at a Whitecaps game. Am I right?

Calamari is made with Oceanwise squid, lightly battered and dried till crisp. It is served with tartar sauce, lemon wedge, and kettle chips.

Halibut Burger is made with Oceanwise halibut. It also has cheddar cheese, and housemade tartar sauce on a sesame brioche bun.

BBQ Chicken Leg is served with grilled corn on the cob, with rosemary and garlic bread stick. Taste-wise, this was my favourite item as the leg is tender, moist and full of flavour. That smoked skin is so good. the downside of this dish is that its so hard to eat. You can use a fork to eat it or make your fingers all greasy.

Smoked Pork Belly Sandwich has beer soaked onions, roasted tomato jam, and served on a Pretzel bun. The pork bell is fatty but oh so good if you love the flavour of fat.

Veggie Poutine has black beans, fire-roasted tomato, mushroom and cheese curds. The dish is a good size for sharing if you’re in the sharing mood.

Assorted Sushi comes with 8 pieces sushi. Looks pretty meh and taste pretty meh.

Vij’s is teaming up with BC Place and Centerplate to open 2 new food concession stands, plus 4 locations in the stadium to buy his famous curries.

The 3 options available are:

Creamy Chicken and Chickpeas with cilantro
Veggie Navy Bean Curry with Kale and Garam Masala
Sirloin Beef and Spinach Curry

The Vij’s items range from $9.75 to $10.75

It is served with rice and fluffy soft naan. It’s an easy item to eat and you’ll make your neighbors jealous with all the fragrant smells. Just try not to spill any on your clothes.

Overall, it’s good to see the varieties in the food that they offer. You no longer have to choose from a smaller amount of dishes. Prices are fair and won’t break your wallet either.

Website: https://www.bcplacestadium.com/

In Chinese

Golden Paramount Seafood Restaurant 金百樂海鮮酒家: Dim Sum in Richmond

March 8, 2015

Golden Paramount Seafood Restaurant is located in Richmond close to Richmond Centre Mall. It’s a bit hidden in a nearby plaza. We came here on a media tour with Tourism Richmond to taste the flavours of Cantonese cuisine for early morning dim sum. I haven’t been to Golden Paramount, so it was definitely an adventure.

The restaurant isn’t as large as some other Chinese restaurants, but as long as you have reservations, you’ll be just fine. It doesn’t get too busy on the weekends until 11am.

In true blogger fashion, we definitely filled up the whole table with food. It’s great eating with people who have a passion for food because they have huge stomachs. hahaha.

Steamed Prawn Dumpling comes with 5 pieces in each basket. Pretty standard taste. I love eating these with hot sauce or XO sauce. Mmmmm.

Steamed Dumpling with Crab and Meat comes with 3 pieces in each basket. Very yummy as well.

Deep Fried Spring Roll with Turnip was strange tasting but thats probably because of the addition of the turnip.

Pan Fried Pork Dumpling comes with 4 pieces. It’s mostly pan-fried on one side.

Preserved Egg Pastry with Pork has its golden top with savoury filling on the inside.

Deep Fried Eggplant with fish Paste is another one of my favourites.

Duck Feet with Pumpkin is not for the squeamish. You’re mostly just eating the skin and tendons of the feet. It’s really all about the sauce. But I do understand it may be strange sucking feet in front of all your friends. Sorry, not sorry.

Beef Tripe in Scallop Sauce it is essentially beef stomach. I haven’t been fond of this type of beef tripe. It’s chewy and slimy.

Beef Tripe with Ginger and onion is fragrant and has a slightly crunchy texture. The texture reminds me of a cats tongue because of all the little bumps. This is the type of tripe I like.

Fried Rice with Scallops and Egg White was delicious. Simple but has a lot of flavour. It’s a wonder what egg can do to a dish.

Stir Fried Sticky Rice was not a favourite. I prefer sticky rice wrapped up in the leaves.

Spare Ribs on Rice Roll in a Hot Pot is delicious. I feel like I’m always the only one that loves this dish. I really like pulling the meat off all the bones.

Bean Curd Sheets with Pea Tips and Consomme is my favourite item. I really just enjoy the sweet flavour of the pea tips. Oh so good. It’s one item I could eat forever and ever.

Pan Fried Oysters is one of their specialties and everyone seems to be talking about them. As an oyster fan, I did enjoy these.

Sweet and Sour Pork was a delight. Good size chunks with not too much fat or breading.

Beef Shanghai Noodles was really good. Not too oily and just the right amount of char from the super hot wok.

Stir Fried Noodles were a bit bland.

Water Chestnut Jelly was a yummy treat at the end of the meal. The right amount of sweetness and the crunchy texture of the chestnuts were great.

Overall, the dim sum quality is decent here. Certain dishes shine here but a few that could have better execution.

We Rate Golden Paramount Seafood Restaurant:

Address:
8071 Park Rd
Richmond, BC

In Chinese

Golden Szechuan Restaurant 老四川: Szechuan Cuisine in Richmond

March 7, 2015

Whats great about Richmond, BC is their abundance of different Chinese cuisine. Even thought I’ve grew up in Vancouver, it always amazes me how much diversity we have in the different cuisines. Not all Chinese restaurants are the same.

While on a media tour with Tourism Richmond, they took us to Golden Szechuan Restaurant on No. 3 Road to show us the spicy side of Szechuan cuisine. They emphasize the use of chili in their dishes, so you will taste spicy and pungent flavours.

The restaurant is quite large with high ceilings. It’s great for small to large groups.

Pork Slices Hanging on Bamboo is a pretty cool dish to order as it has a funny presentation. We dubbed this “Meat Laundry” as it reminded us of a laundry rack with hanging meat.

You have strips of cucumber and pork slices hanging above a spicy sauce. To devour this, you just take a piece of cucumber and pork, then dip it into the sauce. The sauce is very good and definitely enhances the flavour of the cucumber and the pork.

Szechuan Fried Green Beans were delicious. Not spicy at all, but had a lot of flavour. I could eat this all day.

House Special Diced Chicken with Red Pepper was our favourite dish. It had a good amount of spice, but the chicken was tender and flavourful. Mmm Mmm Mmm.

Hot & Sour Potatoes were my least favourite dish. The spiciness and the sourness of the potatoes didn’t work out too well for me. I would rather have crispy hash browns.

Boiled Beef in Chili Oil was good. You definitely need to eat this with rice. If you don’t have the stomach for spicy food, this dish isn’t for you. Luckily for me, I love spicy food! The level of spice was manageable, but not too intense.

Overall, it was great to see the variations on Chinese cuisine. When it comes to Szechuan cuisine, I still prefer New Spicy Chili in Richmond as it’s more casual, better execution and more affordable. Golden Szechuan Restaurant is more high-end and expensive.

We Rate Golden Szechuan Restaurant:

Address:
3631 Number 3 Rd
Richmond, BC

In American

Bubba Gump Shrimp: Happy Hour in Anaheim

March 5, 2015

We spent a whole day in Disneyland and needed a late night snack. Close to our hotel is a Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant inspired by the movie Forest Gump. If you are a fan of the movie, you gotta visit this place at least once. It’s a good thing I watched Forest Gump a few weeks ago, so I understood all the little references it makes to the movie.

They have happy hour daily from 9:30pm until closing. Also, Monday to Friday from 3:30 to 5:30pm. Select items on their happy hour are $4 – $6. Select drinks are $3 to $6. Great deals!

Since 9:30pm is quite late, the restaurant is pretty empty. Everyone must have been tired from all the Disney Parks madness. We were all tired, but we needed some food.

At your table, you have these license places that have 2 sayings to indicate if you need assistance.

Run, Forest, Run = Everything is A OK
Stop, Forest, Stop = I need some service here

We grabbed a beer to go with the meal. $5 for imported pints. It’s been a few weeks so I forgot what type of beer we ordered.

Bubba’s Far Out Dip ($4) has spinach, roasted red peppers, artichokes and Monterey Jack cheese with homemade Tortilla chips. The dip was really good and creamy. It probably has a lot of fat but we’re on vacation so we eat everything.

Cajun Shrimp ($6) is sautéed in a hot and spicy cajun butter sauce. It is also served with garlic bread. It wasn’t very spicy at all. The quality of the shrimp were ok but not great.

Fried Fish Tacos ($6) is pretty disappointing, its breaded fish with cheese and lettuce with a side of lime. You can just avoid these at all costs unless you order a side of salsa and sour cream.

Shrimper’s Heaven ($21.49) has hand breaded coconut shrimp, chilled shrimp, fried shrimp, and Japanese style tempura shrimp with fries. It also comes with a few sauces – Tangy Asian, Cajun Marmalade, and Zesty Cocktail.

This items is a good way to try all their different shrimp.