Richmond Archives - Page 2 of 11

In Bubble Tea

[Sneak Peek] BlackBall opens in Richmond

July 26, 2019

BlackBall is an International Taiwanese Dessert Chain showcasing a menu of authentic Taiwanese desserts and drinks prepared with quality ingredients.

The extensive menu features the award-winning BlackBall Grass Jelly, “Xian Cao”, known for its silky smooth texture and healthy benefits. BlackBall has redefined the classic dessert by pairing it with a variety of toppings that reflects the most authentic taste of Asia.

Founded in 2006 in Taipei, Taiwan, by the Tang brothers, BlackBall has also been rapidly expanding and franchising around the world in the last few years. The international Taiwanese dessert chain has over 100 locations around the world.

This is the first location in BC and second in Canada. The first opened up in Toronto

We were invited for a sneak peek before it opens up to the public.

Interior

There are 2 levels to the shop and very high ceilings. Good for small to large groups.

Membership

Instead of membership cards, they have a small key chain is for regular membership. You can use it to collect points and redeem for free desserts and other perks.

VIP Membership

If you noticed, their menu has 2 prices – VIP member and non-VIP. If you’re a fan of Black Ball, you can purchase a VIP membership by prepaying a certain amount to your account to get discounted prices on all items on the menu.

You get the bigger black fuzzy keychain and you can show it every time to pay and get the discounted price. The membership is worth it if you plan on making multiple visits here as you need to prepay a balance on your account.

BlackBall Grass Jelly

This has a base of the grass jelly ice as the base, then topped with Yam Q, Taro Q, peanuts, red bean, Konjac jelly / agar (Brown sugar flavour konjac jelly), and then a creamer for grass jelly from Taiwan.

The grass jelly has an herbal taste but it balanced out with all the items in the bowl.

BlackBall Supreme

BlackBall Supreme is the ultimate item to share with a few friends. You get a bit of everything in this bowl and is a good size for 3-4 people.

The ultimate dessert here! Just look at that!

Regular Balls vs Q Balls

Some dishes come with both Taro and Yam Balls as well as Taro Q and Yam Q, but what’s the difference you ask?

Q balls contain 95% real taro/yam and regular balls contain 75% taro/yam to give it a chewier texture.

Agar Aiyu Jelly

If you’re looking for something that’s not grass jelly, they have aiyu jelly. This bowl has aloe vera, taro ball, yam ball, wintermelon flavour ice, aiyu jelly, crystal pearls, and coconut jelly.

Aiyu jelly is made from a plant unique to Taiwan and tastes sweet and fruity. It really matches with the items in the bowl and perfect for the summer.

Forest Matcha Ice

This comes with matcha jelly, matcha pudding made with milk, matcha, sesame mini ball, taro mini ball and rice balls.

The sesame mini balls were really good and we highly recommend it as a topping.

Shaved ice contains Matcha syrup, condensed milk, and shaved ice.

Waffles with Fresh Fruit and Cream

There are 2 liege waffles topped with strawberries, chocolate tubes, condensed milk and a scoop of ice cream. The other one has chocolate sauce, bananas, vanilla ice cream on the liege waffles.

Something different if you’re with friends but don’t want the other desserts.

Drinks

Besides desserts, they have a variety of drinks on the menu too. They come in medium size and large size. The ones pictured here are medium.

Fresh Milk with Purple Rice and mini sesame balls (Secret Menu Item)

Final Thoughts

A lot of people will compare BlackBall with MeetFresh, but what stands out from this place is the ability to customize what is in your bowl. Choose your base, toppings, and served hot, warm, cold or iced. They are so many toppings choices on the menu too.

Address:
1061 – 8300 Capstan Way, Richmond, BC

Website:
http://blackballdesserts.ca

In Canadian

Globe@YVR: Dinner with a View at Fairmont Vancouver Airport

July 18, 2019

Fairmont Vancouver Airport has their dining area – Globe@YVR and they always have a rotating seasonal menu to keep their dishes as fresh and as local as possible. Did you know, if you spend a minimum of $30, you get 3 hours of free parking at the airport. Thats awesome because it isn’t cheap to park at the airport.

We are back again to try a few items for the Summer menu. To take note, our appetizers and desserts are served differently than that they are normally served, but you can ask the server to make you something like that if you want.

If you sit by the window, you get a great view of the planes going to and leaving their gates. My friend and I were sitting here reminiscing about past trips and thinking about future ones. We even had a thought…what if we just finished dinner and spontaneously bought a cheap ticket somewhere. Great thoughts but spontaneity would have to wait as I have a 5 month year old at home.

Pomegranate Palmer

I went with a non-alcoholic beverage – Pomegranate Palmer made of iced tea, lemonade, and pomegranate juice. Very good and refreshing. The dominate taste is of the iced tea and sweetened up and given more dimension by the lemonade and pomegranate.

Pomegranate Paloma

My friend went with the Pomegranate Paloma and it was made of 1oz casamigos reposado tequila, 1/2 oz cointreau, pomegranate, and fresh grapefruit and lemon. She really enjoyed it.

Signature Beer Bread

You can add this to the start of your meal and it’s really delicious. It is made with local honey and baked fresh from the oven. It’s a treat and we really liked it. We had to come back again for this.

It is served piping hot and you have to slather on the butter covered in pollen.

Appetizer Platter

They gave us a tasting of their appetizers by turning it into a platter. It was a nice way of trying everything without having full portions. If you want something similar, let the server know.

Fresh Shucked Oysters use pacific north west oyster and it was topped with caviar. It was an interesting change to have it with caviar as the salty eggs pop in your mouth as you eat the oyster.

Diver Scallops were served with apple and celeriac slaw, pickled blueberry, and bee pollen. Very well cooked with a nice sear on the outside.

Pan Seared Foie Gras is served on sweet pickled plums, and brioche toast, with cognac jus. Loved the buttery taste with the texture of the brioche toast.

Prosciutto di Parma has anna’s burrata, figs, aged balsamic, and local greens. So damn good. My favourite of the items on the plate.

16oz Bone-In Rib Eye

The 16oz Bone-In Rib Eye has pomme purée, grilled marchetto farm asparagus, and natural jus. It was made to a medium rare and super delicious. It was more medium rare closer to the bone, but some parts were more cooked like the lobe of the rib eye.

1/2 Lobster

We added 1/2 lobster to the steak. There is lemon, butter and an aioli sauce for you to dunk the meat into.

The first time I had lobster here, it was delicious and had a nice bounce to the flesh. This time around, it was overcooked.

Herbed Rack of Lamb

The Herb rack of lamb is sous vide, so it is super tender and juicy. It is served with eggplant, dauphinoise potato, and thyme jus.

Dessert Platter

What a good way to get a taste of their desserts than with a platter. It’s not on the menu, but ask your server.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar

It is decadent with nice textures. It is topped with passionfruit pearls to balance the rich chocolate. Our favourite dessert on the platter.

Mango Mousse Cake

It has three layers of mango mousse and then cake in between. A good ratio of mousse and cake. The mango is strong but not too overpowering.

Final Thoughts

It was good to try a few more items on the menu. I like that there is free 3 hour parking with $30 purchase as it’s easy to spend that amount here. There is a good selection of West Coast cuisine and it’s just relaxing to come here before your flight or during a layover to treat yourself.

For more dishes and what we thought, go here for our previous dining experience.

Address:
Vancouver International Airport, 3111 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://www.fairmont.com/vancouver-airport-richmond/

In Chinese

Liuyishou Hotpot Richmond: First Location in Canada and Newly Revamped

July 7, 2019

Liuyishou Hotpot was founded in 2000 and has grown from a single location on a small street in Chongqing, China to over 1,200 locations around the world. Liuyishou Hotpot in Richmond is the very first location of North America and it’s become the first location to undergo the international hotpot chain’s recent brand refresh in North America.

After a 3-month renovation, Liuyishou Hotpot Richmond has reopened its doors with a brand new look.

We were invited to check out the space and try their signature items.

Interior

The space is bright and there are tons of booth seating. There is ventilation at every table, so you won’t be smelling too much like hot pot afterwards.

Selecting your broth

To being your hot pot experience, you need to select the types of broth for your table. You can choose your pot to have 1, 2, or 3 different broths.

Our table went with Liu’s House Special Soup Base, which is spicy and the Tomato Soup Base, a non-spicy option.

Sauce Bar, Fruit and Snacks

Don’t forget to visit the sauce bar to grab your sauce for the hot pot. There are also lots of fruits and snacks there to if you want something more to your meal.

Above the bar are signs with sauce recommendations, which I loved because most of the time I’m just putting sauces and ingredients together hoping it will be ok.

I made mine with mashed garlic, sesame oil, green onion and coriander. It was pretty good and I like how their sesame oil are in these cute cans.

We did grab some fruit for the end of the meal as its pretty refreshing.

Drink the Broth

Before you begin the hot pot, they suggest giving the broth a try, but only with the non-spicy broth. They scooped everyone a bowl to try.

Sliced Meat to order

What I really loved about Liuyishou Richmond is that their meat station is visible from the dining area, so there are no mysteries about how the meat is prepared. They use an industrial grade meat slices to cut all the meat so thinly.

How long do you cook the items for?

Each setting has a piece of paper indicating how many seconds or minutes you need to cook a specific item. I thought this was quite handy so you don’t end up overcooking or undercooking something.

What to Order?

There are a lot of options from meat, seafood, veggies, and carbs on the menu to accompany your hot pot.

My favourite items besides the sliced meat were the beef balls, cuttlefish balls, frozen tofu, crown daisy, shrimp paste with roe, and fried bean curd.

The items were liked the least were the Pacific White Shrimp as it was weird that it looked like a frozen popsicle stick. It also took a bit longer to cook too. Another item that was disappointing was the Argentinian Shrimp because it wasn’t cleaned, so there was still the vein with the poop inside.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed the hot pot experience at Liuyishou. What I do admire is how they have their meat slicing station in the open for all customers to see. All the meat is sliced to order and it hasn’t been sitting in a freezer for days.

My favourite dish was the sliced beef and lamb platter as it looks very unique and no other place has this kind of presentation. You can’t go wrong with any of their other sliced meats either.

Address:
4731 Garden City Rd #150, Richmond, BC

In Chinese

Vitality Steam Seafood Restaurant in Richmond

June 30, 2019

Vitality Steam Seafood Restaurant is the winner of the Ocean Wise Sustainable Seafood award from the 2019 Chinese Restaurant Award. They are best known for their unique steamed seafood experience. It’s been very popular in China for the past few years, but finally it’s in Richmond, BC.

They have partnered up with a lot of local suppliers to ensure their seafood is Ocean Wise certified and is a sustainable choice to continue to keep our oceans healthy. Vitality Steam Seafood restaurant uses Blundell Seafoods, Fanny Bay Oysters, Ocean Mama Seafood and Tri-Star Seafood as some of their suppliers.

Interior

There are a lot of booth seating inside with the steaming contraption in the middle of the table. Best for people in groups of 4 or 6. It is pretty spacious inside too.

Fanny Bay Oyster with Pickle Congee

You can choose to have congee cook throughout your meal. When it arrives, they pour it into the bottom of the steamer with water so it will slowly cook.

What I love about this is that the juices from all the seafood drips into the congee, so you get a delicious seafood-infused congee in the end.

Very delicious and we liked it even more when we added a dash of soy sauce to it for salt.

Japanese Style Black Cod

Not everything on the menu needs to be steamed. There is Japanese-style black cod and its very delicious and fatty. Highly recommended.

Pan Fried Scallop

There are some pan fried scallops too. They were big and plump!

Live Spot Prawn

The spot prawns were definitely alive and jumping around before being put into the steamer. The spot prawns are in season so they were plump and sweet. The price per pound can fluctuate depending on the market price.

Live Dungeness Crab

The crabs are beautifully presented on an ice platter before putting them into the steamer. Having this steamed really highlights the delicate and sweet meat.

Live Scallop

The texture from the live scallop and the pan fried scallop is so different. This had a soft texture and you can really taste the quality. They also put in vermicelli noodles on top for steaming.

Live Manila Clam

The clams were fun to watch as they steamed. They would slowly open up to indicate they are done. The quality was really good and each clam was plump.

Deluxe Korean Abalone

Seeing the abalone steamed like this is pretty interesting as it’s usually braised. With steaming, it is a bit tough as it’s such a big piece.

Organic Shrimp Fried Noodles

The are fried noodles with organic shrimp if you want something a bit more filling to compliment the meal. The shrimp were plump and very delicious but the noodles were a bit oily.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s a new experience in Richmond featuring high quality steamed seafood with the Ocean Wise certification. Steaming is a good way to taste the natural sweetness and delicacy of seafood. It’s a fun interactive way to cook too.

If you love fresh seafood and want to impress some out of town family or friends, definitely check out Vitality Steam Seafood.

Address:
8500 Alexandra Rd Unit 140, Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.vitalitysteamseafood.com

In Hot Pot

The Dolar Shop: Premium Hot Pot in Richmond

June 27, 2019

The Dolar Shop is a global chain specializing in premium hot pot experiences with 52 locations and over 3000 employees worldwide. This is their first location in Canada.

Each customer orders their own individual hot pot and then shares all the other dishes at the table. A great way to do hot pot and not share any germs.

I was invited by The Dolar Shop and I brought my parents and sister to experience this type of hot pot.

Waiting Area

The waiting area is pretty nice. There is a claw machine for kids, snacks, hot tea, and even complimentary phone chargers. I was definitely impressed as they really care about their guests even before they begin dining.

Interior

The restaurant has a lot of booth style seating and great for small to large groups. Each table/booth has their own indiction stove for everyone’s individual hot pot.

The space is very comfortable and mostly has white decor, which makes it look very clean and enjoyable.

30% off Deal

If you dine at Dolar Shop on Monday – Friday between 2pm – 5:30pm or 10 pm – 12am, you get to enjoy 30% off your entire bill (except alcohol).

You must begin dining at 2pm and finish by 5:30pm to get the deal. Be sure to follow them on their social media account for more details as this deal is available at the writing of this article and might be subject to change.

Appetizer, Fruit and Sauce Bar

For an additional $3.99, you get access to the sauce bar as well as appetizers and seasonal fruits. You do get The Dolar Shop Sauce made right at your table, but if you wanted a few different flavour options, the sauce bar is a great choice.

Look at all those sauce combinations that you can create!

There are 3 different kinds of appetizers.

It’s nice to have some fruit and appetizers to nibble on before the meal begins.

The Dolar Shop Sauce

They make the Dolar Shop Sauce table side with green onions, garlic, cilantro, Thai chili and soy sauce. If you don’t like spicy, you can omit the Thai Chili. Its nice to see they make everyone’s sauce in front of the table and it’s delicious too.

Soup Base

There are 6 different kinds of broth to choose from and they are around $6 – $9 per pot. I personally like the combination so I can dip the meat into the spicy portion and veggies into the non-spicy side.

Combination of Szechuan Hot & Spicy with The Dolar Shop Spare Rib Broth

Balls and Paté

It’s not a hot pot without balls and paté right? They don’t have a large selection of balls or paté on the menu, but it’s very tasty and fresh.

Secret Agent Balls (Secret Off Menu Item)

Meats

There is a large selection of beef on their menu and some lamb. The quality of the items were really good and they offer premium beef like wagyu and A5 Miyazaki Beef. All very delicious as well.

Selected Beef Platter with boneless short rib, boneless beef plate, beef tongue, and wagyu cubes

Seafood

Their seafood options are pretty large too with live seafood sold at market price, so the price does change depending on the season. They have tanks of seafood so they are very much alive.

To get a taste of the seafood menu, the deluxe platter is a great option.

Deluxe Platter with Shrimp paté, jumbo scallop, wagyu cubes, King Crab Legs, raw oysters, and white shrimp.

Fungi

Mixed Mushroom Basket with wood ear mushroom, enoki mushroom, oyster mushroom, Shimeji mushroom, shiitake mushroom, and king oyster mushroom.

Vegetables

Gotta have veggies to balance out the meal.

Veggie Basket with napa cabbage, lettuce, snow pea sprouts, spinach, tong ho and purple lettuce.

Frozen tofu, Seaweed Knots, Quail Eggs and Gluten

Starch

Complimentary Ice Cream

At the end of the meal, everyone gets complimentary ice cream. The cone is nice and crisp and the vanilla soft serve is filled all the way down into the cone, so you get a lot of ice cream.

It was a perfect end to the meal.

Final Thoughts

My family and I were impressed by The Dolar Shop! The service was great and the staff was very informative and gave a lot of good recommendations on what to order as the menu is a bit overwhelming with so many choices.

A lot of the ingredients we ordered with our hot pot was very fresh and flavourful. You can decide to be more fancy by othering the platters if you have guest you want to impress or go with the other cheaper options. It is still more expensive than some other hot pot options in Vancouver, but you are going to get great service, and quality ingredients here.

I like the use of the individual hot pots as you don’t have to share broth and spread germs. Plus, it’s just nice to have different hot pot broths.

Address:
5300 No 3 Rd, Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.dolarshop.com/en/Global.htm

In Bubble Tea

Chun Yang Tea 春陽茶事: Fresh Milk and Soy Milk Bubble Tea Options in Richmond

June 14, 2019

Chun Yang Tea has opened up their first North American locations in Richmond, BC and two in Ontario. They are best known for their black teas, use of real milk, and the Brown Sugar Pearl with Fresh Milk. They also have soy as a milk alternative so great for those who are lactose intolerant.

As were were in Richmond, my friends really wanted to go as we heard great things. I love bubble tea, so it was a no brainer to give it a shot.

Interior

The interior is really small. There are maybe around 9 chairs. Most people grab their drinks to go. You definitely don’t want to come here with a large group.

Chun Yang Black Soy Milk Tea with Pearls

This has a layer of the pearls, soy milk and then the black tea on top. It’s nice to see the layers between each item.

Chun Yang Black Soy Milk Tea

This is the drink without pearls. The drink was ok but the black tea needed to be stronger. At 100% sweetness, this was ok but could be a tad less.

Chun Yang Oolong Soy Milk Tea

The oolong tea isn’t as dark as the black tea but it does have a nice fragrance to it. 50% sweetness is good but I wouldn’t recommend going any lower than that. The soy milk was a good option even though I’m not lactose intolerant.

Final Thoughts

It’s good that they have soy, sugar and ice level options. With the oolong and black tea, we wished it was stronger with perhaps less milk. We did enjoy it with 50% sugar and any lower would make the drink too watery tasting.

My other friend ordered the popular Brown Sugar Pearl with Fresh Milk and really enjoyed it.

Address:
7971 Alderbridge Way #130, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://www.chunyangtea.ca/

In Richmond

Hot Star: Large Fried Chicken in Richmond

June 13, 2019

Hot Star Large Fried Chicken is open in Richmond and is a chain restaurant originating from Taiwan. They are best known for their massive chicken cutlets served in a white and blue sleeve. It’s essentially the size of your face.

My friend wanted to come here for her birthday, so we made sure to come here right when it opened on the weekend to avoid any lines. It has been a month since opening, but they are still in soft opening phase and a lot of the menu items are still coming soon. We thought it would be smoother by now but sadly not.

Interior

There are tables and seats on either side of the restaurant. Most people we saw did get it to go. We personally loved eating it when it’s hot and crispy.

Original Large Fried Chicken

This comes in a few varieties – Salt + Pepper, Spicy, Seaweed, Plum, and Curry. They didn’t have a lot of these flavours so we went with Salt + Pepper and Plum.

Salt + Pepper reminded us of a huge Taiwanese Salt and Peppery Chicken but in a cutlet format. Definitely our favourite of the bunch. The exterior was crisp and the inside was moist and flavourful.

Plum on the other hand was similar but had the sour plum notes in the batter. I still prefer the Salt + Pepper flavour.

Crispy Large Fried Chicken

This comes in 2 flavours – Spicy and Seaweed. We went with Seaweed. You can tell right away that the batter is different than the other set of chicken, plus the seaweed sprinkles are on the outside. The seaweed flavour does come through.

Popcorn Chicken

We got it spicy (medium) and it was similar to the large cutlets in terms of flavour. For $7.99, it’s very expensive for what you get. I would rather get the big pieces of chicken for better value.

Plum Sweet Potato

I was really into this and one of the most surprising items we tried. The soft sweet potato is very delicious and the batter on the outside is crispy and has a crunch to it. The textures worked very well. In terms of flavour, the sweet and salty of the plum and sweet potato worked well.

Fried King Oyster Mushroom

I did enjoy the mushrooms since I am a huge mushroom fan. A bit of crunch on the outside and the juicy mushrooms hiding inside. This item is pricey for the amount that you get.

Taipei 101 Corn

This big piece of corn has nice flavour and was surprisingly juicy and sweet. A hard item to share but if you wanted to have it all to yourself, that works too.

Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls

Each order comes with 5 pieces and these were pretty average spring rolls. Nothing interesting at all. I would pass on these.

Fried Buns

The fried buns has a few options of bun filling – Creamy Custard, Taro, or Black Sesame. We went with creamy custard since it sounded good.

These came piping hot but the creamy custard was sweet and not that creamy. Not what I imagined for the custard.

Blue Curacao Yogurt

There a a bunch of non alcoholic drinks on the menu. They are all very colourful and sweet. The Blue Curacao Yogurt was sweet and tasted like those asian yogurt drinks. It was ok but we wouldn’t get it again.

Final Thoughts

We are still waiting for many of the menu items to be available but still no idea when. We ordered almost everything that was possible to order off the soft opening menu. We had our eyes on the hot cheese fried chicken but sadly not available yet.

Everything is essentially deep fried but it took a very long time for our order to come out. We were the first group there and everyone else after also had to wait a long time for their order too. Given that they are in the soft opening phase, hopefully it improves. You don’t want to order here if you’re in a rush or short on time.

For what we could order, the only items I really liked were the Salt + Pepper Original Chicken and the Plum Sweet Potatoes. Everything else I wouldn’t get again.

Address:
1623-4791 Mcclelland Road, Richmond, BC V6X 0M5

Website:
http://www.hot-star.ca/

In Bakery

Daily Delicious: Bakery in Richmond

June 6, 2019

Daily Delicious is a new bakery in Richmond near River Rock Casino on No 3 Road. They are a small family owned bakery creating unique baked goods that are different than most bakeries in town.

Upon first look, they may not seem very special at all. From the outside, it seems like a plain Western bakery. I have to admit I had the same thoughts too until I saw what they were creating.

Pre-Order

A lot of the items are sold out later in the day, if you don’t want to be disappointed, make sure you preorder. There is no limit on what you need to pre-order, but there are discounts.

Call in to order or send them an Instagram message, you get 10% off. Orders of $20 or more gets 15% off. (This deal is on as of the publishing of this article and can change).

Interior

There is one table inside with 2 chairs and another table outside with 2 chairs. Most people grab and go.

Sea Salt Bread

One of their top sellers by far is their Sea Salt Bread according to the owner. I was stunned since it seems like a simple standard bun. You’ll want to eat this warm for maximum deliciousness as its soft and pillowy on the inside. Simple yet so good.

Salted Egg Yolk Croissant

Let the Salted Egg Yolk Croissant craze continue since this salted egg yolk croissant was pretty damn good. It was crispy on the outside and the salted egg yolk flavour was really well balanced. Very enjoyable and would definitely order this again.

This also holds up very well for the next day too.

Masago Butter Baguette

This baguette is something new in Vancouver but has been around for Japan for a while now. This was pretty interesting to me and definitely not for everyone.

Masago are little fish roe, so it does have a fishy aroma when you eat this baguette. If you are a fan of masago, this is pretty good. They put the masago butter on top as well as the middle to make sure there is plenty of masago in each bite.

Tastes good when you eat it fresh from the oven (once it’s cooled down) or reheat it in the oven later in the day.

Croffin with Matcha Cream Filling

This sounded really good with the croissant and muffin hybrid – croffin. I thought there was too much sugar on the outside and the matcha filling wasn’t very strong, a bit too subtle for my liking.

Almond Croissant

This almond croissant is quite nice and is very flakey on the outside with a good amount of almond flavour. I enjoyed it. Not the best almond croissant I’ve had but it’s good.

Final Thoughts

Overall, there were a few hits and misses but items like the salted egg yolk croissant can’t be missed. We only tried a small amount of the items they are baking so we will be back again. The prices are also very fair for all the baked goods.

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/dailydeliciousbakery/

Address:
110 – 2811 No 3 Rd, Richmond, BC

In Event

We ate at 27 stalls in the Richmond Night Market so you don’t have to

May 30, 2019

We are back at the 2019 Richmond Night Market to cover a lot of food stalls this year. Some new, some old, but always an exciting time to visit one of the best Night Market’s in North America. It’s open now and runs until October 14, 2019.

Admission

The line up to get into the night market can be long. It is $4.75 for adults and free for children (under 8) and seniors (60+).

Want to skip the long line for express entry? Check out their Express pass for $28, which gives you 6 entries to the night market and is transferable to others. It’s good for those who know they are going to the night market several times this Summer.

Shops

When you get to the night market, you’ll see a lot of stall side by side selling things from Korean socks, stationary, jewelry, and a lot more.

If you’re a food lover, skip this and go straight to the back for all the food stalls. You have time to shop later and not have your hands full with stuff you’ve bought.

Entertainment and Games

There’s always something going on at the night market with performances, games, and photo opportunities all over. Don’t be distracted just yet and go straight to the food stalls. There is time for entertainment later.

Food

This section is the big draw to the night market. Food, food, food and more food! Below is everything we had and if we recommend it or not. As we went to 37 stalls, it will be very brief.

La Meza Grill: Taco Trio (Lechon, Pork Sisig, and Tofu Sisig) [Recommended]

We loved the flavours of these tacos. Bite size and super delicious! If you ever get a chance to dine at their North Delta restaurant, it’s one of my favourite Filipino Restaurant in Metro Vancouver.

Afghan Yum: Mantu

These Afghan dumplings are definitely different and unique. Good flavours.

Rotato: Sour Cream and Roasted Garlic Pepper

A classic item to get at a night market, but make sure to go early or else the line up can get pretty long. You can choose a variety of flavours for your rotato.

Asomi Mochi: Cheesecake Mochi, Matcha Mochi, Chocolate [Recommended]

You can find this at a few retailers across Metro Vancouver, but their recently launched cheesecake mochi is pretty darn amazing if you like sweet mochi desserts.

Milk Cha

They are best known for their quirky colourful drinks in a baby bottle. They also have duo drink cups where you can choose 2 kinds of flavours off the menu.

MacSnacc: Four Cheese Mac n’ Cheese

This is massive and definitely really good to share among a group as you’ll probably get full off this.

iTofu: Tofu Parfait

Winner of the 2019 Chinese Restaurant Awards for best Tofu pudding in Vancouver! Really beautiful and delicious.

Big Beard: Skewers and Deep-Fried Squid

Richmond Night Market staples include assorted skewers and deep-fried squid. Great items for those who are going to the Night Market for their first time.

Mr. Crabzy: Deep-Fried Crab Claws

It is pretty expensive but if you want a solid deep-fried crab claws, this is the place.

Fluffy Souffle: Strawberry Soufflé Pancake

It takes a while for them to crank out these soufflé pancakes at the night market and come in a variety of flavours. The concept is very popular across Metro Vancouver, but this is the only place you can get it at the night market.

Say Cheese: Rainbow Grilled Cheese

This is the most instagrammable item to get this year at the night market. It is $6.50 and is visually stunning. They do add condensed milk into their grilled cheese, so it’s a bit sweet and savoury. Definitely not for everyone.

Mango Yummy: Mango Shaved Ice [Recommended]

Long time Richmond Night Market vendor – Mango Yummy is a must for their mango shaved ice. The summer time is perfect as mangoes are ripe and super sweet.

Chef James: Skewers and Roasted Corn [Recommended]

Chef James is the one place at the Richmond Night Market to get skewers and roasted corn. Really delicious and while you wait, it’s fun to watch them make all these skewers on the open flame.

Zzim Drumsticks: Spicy Drumstick with Rice Cakes [Recommended]

These are delicious and the sweet, savoury and spicy notes from their sauce is so good with their tender drumsticks and chewy rice cakes.

Salty’s Lobster Shack: Chowder and 1/2 Lobster Roll, Full Lobster Roll, Lobster Toast

Lobster, lobster, and more lobster. This is where you can get a taste of the East Coast on the West Coast.

Fusion Wrap: Kimchi Beef Wrap

A handheld meal wrapped up with a lot of good flavours. The roti-like wrap works well.

Sugarcane Juice

If you’re ever wondering what sugarcane tastes like, they have this at the night market freshly squeezed.

Tuk Tuk: Original Panna Cotta with Thai Cookies [Recommended]

The talk of the 2019 Richmond Night Market. A great dessert and the Thai cookies add such a great texture to the soft and smooth panna cotta.

Teapressu: Matcha Parfait with fresh fruit and twist soft serve on top

Cool down with some matcha parfait at Teapressu. Teapressu is best known for their delicious bubble tea but they recently launched their parfaits.

2 Sweet Guys: Deep-Fried Watermelon, Deep-Fried Cookie Dough

This is like carnival eats at 2 Sweet Guys. Very decadent and will satisfy your sweet tooth cravings. They also pride themselves for their deep-fried watermelon that has a very interesting texture that messes with your taste buds.

Mangoo: Rainbow Drink

Layer upon layers of different slushies to create this rainbow-like beverage.

Okonomi Bites: Tonkatsu Poutine

Poutine with a Japanese twist is what Okonomi Bites is all about. They solid out of their cheese tonkatsu version but we got their regular tonkatsu poutine.

Taco Tigre

They have fusion taco flavours like beef pho taco, chicken banh mi taco and 5 spice pork belly taco.

Nori Express [Recommended]

Sushi Noritaco with Tuna (Yellowfin Tuna, eel, sauce, veggies, and rice) and Spicy Salmon (Alaska sockeye salmon, spicy mayo, veggies, and rice.

This is like a sushi roll turned taco and it surprisingly works really well.

Icy Bar [Recommended]

Summer Special Icy with fresh strawberries, mango, basil seed, strawberry puree, coconut milk, shaved ice, and tapioca sago. Icy Bar is also another Richmond Night Market staple. If you can’t make it here, they also have a few cafe’s located across Metro Vancouver.

Rainbulb

Drinks served up in a flashing lightbulb is very aesthetically pleasing but just tastes like a normal soda. It’ll light up your night at the night market.

Bella Gelateria

We got 2 scoops of gelato in a cone – Akbar Mashti and Yuzu Citrus. They have a good range of flavours on their menu to keep you cool this summer.

Final Thoughts

So many food stalls that draw a serious crowd! There are people everywhere and that really makes the food area bumping. Later in the evening, you might just be shoulder to shoulder with other people going through the aisles of food. Sometimes I have thoughts that someone might accidentally poke my eye out with a lamb skewer as they walk past.

Address:
8351 River Rd, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://richmondnightmarket.com/

In Hot Pot

Yuan’s Chuan Chuan Xiang 袁记串串香温哥华店: Hot Pot in Richmond

May 14, 2019

Yuan’s Chuan Chuan Xiang is located inside Aberdeen Mall on the second floor. They specialize in Chengdu region of HotPot. They have many locations all over China and also one in Amsterdam too.

Chengdu is the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province and is known for their chili oil.

They are a little but hidden in the mall, but if you find the pandas, you’re in the right place. They have pandas because Chengdu is famous for their Giant Panda Breeding conservation center where visitors can view endangered giant pandas in their natural habitat.

We were invited to check out their unique hotpot concept.

Interior

There are lots of booth-style seating and good for small to large groups. There is ample ventilation too so you won’t smell like your food at some other restaurants.

There are seat covers to ensure no smell or splashes get onto your bag. If you want, they also have aprons to wear too.

They have private rooms if you have a gathering that you want to dine in a more intimate setting.

Making Your Own Sauce

As with any hot pot, sauce is a must! They have a sauce station for $2.45 per person.

The Chengdu way is a bowl of sauce made of garlic, peanuts, cilantro, green onions, a little oyster sauce and then top it up with their branded mini can of sesame oil. They recommend 1 can per person, 1/2 a can if people think it’s too much.

The sauce was actually really good. Usually customers don’t opt in to get the sauce, but the experience isn’t the same without it.

You gotta try it for the full experience.

Soup Base

For your soup base, we went with half house-special non-spicy broth and house-special spicy both. It’s a bit extra but good to try both kinds. Extra-spicy is an option too if you can handle it.

They suggest drinking the non-spicy soup base before you begin the hotpot as it’s the Sichuan way. The non-spicy soup has a very tasty depth of chicken and pork aroma, but it is salty. Some may say it might be too salty to drink. Cooking food in the soup base actually seasons it quite nice so you don’t need additional sauce, but it is still good though.

How to Hotpot at Yuan’s Hotpot

We initially thought the skewers of meat were for grilling but there isn’t a grill anywhere. The skewers are meant to be dunked and cooked in the hotpot, apparently that’s how they do it in Chengdu.

The skewers are 90 cents each or $4.50 for a set of 5. There are also bigger meat platters too, but at a higher price point. Skewers are recommended for people who are in smaller groups like us as we were only 2 people.

It is recommended to cook the non-spicy skewers into the non-spicy soup, and the spicy in the spicy soup. The spicy soup does have a nice kick of heat, so perfect for items like meat. For veggies, dunking it in the non-spicy soup is best.

Assorted Veggie Skewers

Bamboo Shoot Skewers

Spinach Skewers

Assorted spicy and non-spicy meats

Beef Throat

Deep Fried Pork

You can eat the deep fried pork when it’s hot. It’s very delicious, but when it cools down, you can actually throw it into the hotpot and it’s pretty amazing too. It’s like pork two ways.

Rice Cake

The rice cake is eaten on its own and not dunked into the hotpot. It’s a bit sticky and sweet. Sometimes it good to have something sweet and warm.

Ice Jelly

This has konjac jelly topped with seasonal fruits, crushed peanuts and haw flakes. A good way to end the meal.

Peach Soda

They have their own signature drinks that pairs well with the hotpot to cool you down like this peach soda. Sweet and refreshing.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we enjoyed this different style of hotpot at Yuan’s Chuan Chuan Xiang and it’s fun using skewers of meat and veggies instead of just throwing it into the pot. You’ll never forget what you put inside as the sticks are visible. Definitely worth a try and you’ll most likely spend around $30 – $40 per person.

Address:
Aberdeen Centre 2F, 4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://yuanhotpot.ca

In Richmond

Globe@YVR: Dining at Fairmont Vancouver Airport

April 29, 2019

Globe@YVR is the restaurant inside the Fairmont Vancouver Airport and is quite popular among travellers to and from the Vancouver International Airport, as well as locals. They boast a solid afternoon tea, brunch, as well as lunch and dinner made with local seasonal ingredients by Executive Chef Nandaskishore Rangan.

His style of cooking that is represented on the menu as he calls it ‘local and honest’. They work really closely with local producers like Gastown Greens to secure the best produce and support local businesses. I really admire this as they put a lot of care into their dishes.

As a bonus, if you spend a minimum of $30, you get 3 hours of free parking at the airport.

We were invited to get a taste of a few of the items off their Spring menu. Pretty exciting as we haven’t dined at the Globe@YVR yet.

Amuse Bouche

The amuse bouche was a beautiful bacon wrapped scallop with a maple glaze. Really delicious and the maple goes so well with the bacon. The scallop was seared nicely too.

Globe@YVR Signature Beer Bread

You can add this to the start of your meal and it’s really delicious. It is made with local honey and baked fresh from the oven. It’s a treat and we really liked it.

Mushroom

This dish is comprised of a variety of mushrooms, spinach tortellini, small vegetables, ricotta, and Gastown Greens. I like how they add a bit of interactivity to the dish as well. The come out the pour the broth and also shred the cheese.

The dish is simple but packed full of flavour with all these local ingredients. The mushrooms have a lot of savoury umami flavour.

Nova Scotia Lobster

This is flown in daily to retain its optimal freshness. It is paired with sautéed spinach, triple-cooked fries, garlic toast, béarnaise, and charred lemon. Really great item to share among the table.

Haida Gwaii Halibut

This is accompanied with parisienne potato, zucchini, tapioca crisp, and crab bisque. The halibut was soft with a delicious seasoning that doesn’t overpower the beautiful taste of it. I really enjoyed that tapioca crisps that came along with it.

Mascarpone

For dessert we have a mascarpone mousse on the bottom, fresh strawberries topped with a kataifi nest. Then a strawberry consommé is poured around the dessert. It’s a light dessert and I like the contrasting textures of the mousse and nest.

Final Thoughts

It was my first time dining at Globe@YVR and it was good to get a taste of what Executive Chef Nandaskishore Rangan has done to transform the menu. It is very representative of BC and what this province has to order, so, locals and visitors will get a joy from experiencing the dishes here.

They are popular for Afternoon Tea as it’s a great price and conveniently located right by the Airport as well as transit. Next time, if you’re at the airport and want to treat yourself or your friends to a great meal, check out Globe@YVR.

Address:
Vancouver International Airport, 3111 Grant McConachie Way, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://www.fairmont.com/vancouver-airport-richmond/

In Cafe

[Sneak Peek] Matcha Cafe Maiko in Richmond

April 26, 2019

The long awaited opening of Matcha Cafe Maiko in Metro Vancouver, specifically Richmond is just days away with a Grand Opening of May 2, 2019. Matcha Cafe Maiko is a popular matcha cafe in Hawaii known of their fun and delicious matcha treats. Since opening in Hawaii, they have opened more locations across North America. Last year, we went to their San Francisco location in Japan Town and enjoyed their soft serve mix and Maiko Special Sundae.

This location in Richmond will be the first in Canada to open.

We were invited for a sneak peek of their Richmond location to try a few of their signature items. If you’re looking for parking, there is paid street parking right outside.

Interior

The interior is small with only 2 tables to seat 4 people. It is mostly a place for take out or enjoyed outside. There is a park close by, so during hot days, it’s best to eat it outside anyways as you enjoy the weather.

If you insist on being inside, there are some benches for you to sit down.

Maiko Special

I like ordering this as it has a bit of everything. We got this with the mixture of the matcha and vanilla cream. It also has matcha chiffon, corn flakes, red bean, kotuko jelly, chestnuts, and shiratama mochi. I really enjoyed the shiratama mochi with the mix soft serve. My personal favourite item to order but it is just over $10.

Hojicha Tea

There is hojicha tea on the menu served cold on ice. It has a strong roasted flavour and will give you a nice tea buzz.

Kokuto Matcha Latte

This is their matcha latte with kokuto jelly (brown sugar jelly). It gives the drink a bit of texture and the brown sugar jelly gives extra sweetness to balance out the matcha.

Hojicha Latte Float

This has the hojicha latte tea on the bottom with the matcha and vanilla soft serve mix. It’s a good option to order if you want to try the taste of the Hojicha latte and their soft serve without getting 2 separate items. It comes in 2 sizes, so we recommend getting the larger size so you get more of the latte drink on the bottom.

We didn’t mix these together and just enjoyed with a spoon and straw to enjoy both parts.

Soft-serve Ice Cream

Their soft serve ice cream comes in vanilla, matcha, or a mix of both flavours. It comes in a house made waffle cone and you can add toppings to it for an additional charge. I added Kinako and Shiratama mochi balls to it.

If you want to be even more extra, they have a version of this with the gold leaf foil.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s good to have more matcha options in Metro Vancouver and Matcha Cafe Maiko has been a popular chain that customers wanted. I enjoyed their Maiko Special Parfait as well as the hojicha items.

Address:
199-8279 Saba Rd, Richmond, BC V6Y 4B6

Website:
http://www.matchacafe-maiko.com

In Japanese

[Sneak Peek] Ramen Taka in Aberdeen Centre

April 24, 2019

Ramen Taka has opened their second location at Aberdeen Centre on the 2nd floor. Their first location is on Bidwell and Robson Street. They are best known for their delicious broth that is topped with seasoned Hokkaido lard. It is very rich and piping hot, so make sure not to burn yourself.

We were invited for a sneak peek of their new location and try some menu items.

Interior

There is one long table of communal seating and some smaller tables on the side of the restaurant. Good for small to large groups.

Drinks

It’s great that they have Japanese drinks on the menu that pair with their appetizers and ramen. It’s fun when some drinks just bring back nostalgia like the ramune.

They have alcoholic drinks on the menu but isn’t available just yet.

Ramune is fun because you pop the marble into the drink and it’s like a fizzy soda. UCC Coffee is what the chef’s recommended and you can get it hot or cold.

Dragon’s Wing Gyoza

This comes with 5 pieces to an order. It’s also another chef recommended item on the menu. The gyoza were ok, but we wish they were cooked a bit more crispier on the exterior.

French Fries with Truffle Salt

Who can say no to fries? We clearly couldn’t. These were good but a tad on the soft side. Also, the truffle salt wasn’t as noticeable.

Kakuni

It was described as melt in your mouth, but it was more on the dry side as you can see from the picture. Perhaps they are still working out kinks.

Paitan Dragon’s Dewdrop Shoyu

This has their creamy white tonkotsu pork broth with their signature soy sauce flavour. It also comes with seaweed, chashu, mushroom, bamboo and half an egg. We added corn to this ramen as well as less lard. The broth was delicious but we wished the corn was more crunchy. The chashu was a bit dry and the noodles were a tad overcooked.

Paitan Supreme Dragon Miso

This has their hearty and rich white paitan tonkotsu pork broth with a blend of different miso pastes. This broth was a tad on the salty side but still delicious. It also comes with seaweed, chashu, mushroom, bamboo and half an egg.

Similar to the other ramen, chashu was dry and the noodles were soggy and overcooked.

Final Thoughts

Overall, they have a few kinks to work out before their grand opening. We’ve been to their original location and we know the potential they have and it can be really good. It was nice to see their new second location, but we would recommend waiting a bit till they get a rhythm going.

Address:
4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://ramentaka.ca

In Persian

Anar: Persian Cuisine in Richmond

April 18, 2019

Hidden away in President’s Plaza in Richmond is AnAr, a stall specializing in Persian Cuisine. Take the escalator up to the second floor and you’ll find it in the back of the food court. I’ve heard lots of good things about Anar, so we had to check it out with some friends.

I never realized that there was a food court here. You would normally think it would just be a bunch of stalls with Chinese food, but there is Persian food too.

They are family owned and there is definitely a lot of soul in the food that they create.

Dolmeh Barg

These are stuffed grape leaves with rice and herbs. Reminds me of a similar greek dish – dolmades. An appetizer to start off the meal to get those tastebuds going.

Lamb Shank

One of the best deals in town for a whole lamb shank and a huge side of dill rice. This would be very filling for one person but we shared it among the 3 of us. The lamb was very tender and flavourful.

All the juices under it go so well with the rice to soak up all the flavours. Highly Recommended.

Kubideh

There are two skewers of seasoned premium beef and lamb served with rice and salad.

The beef and lamb were very tasty and flavourful. Huge portions for lunch and it’s great. I would also highly recommend this as well.

I’m so impressed what they can create from the small space of a food court setting.

Final Thoughts

Overall, all the dishes we had were great and would come here again. They are opening their Steveston location soon, so we are looking forward to that.

Address:
President Plaza Second, 8181 Cambie Rd Floor 2260, Richmond

Website:
https://www.anargrill.com/

In Cafe

iTofu: Tofu Pudding and Drinks in Richmond

April 12, 2019

iTofu is a new tofu shop that has opened up in Richmond and got their start at the Richmond Night Market years ago. They serve up a variety of items from sweet to savoury. They recently won best tofu dessert at the Chinese Restaurant Awards.

There are some reserved parking stalls out front, but most of the parking is reserved for other businesses, so parking can be tricky. Also note, they only accept cash and debit, so no credit cards.

Interior

The space is a decent size and they have a few tables of 4 in the space. We went on a weekday afternoon and it wasn’t busy at all. It’s probably more busy on weekends and weekday evenings.

Sugar and Syrups

There are 3 types of sugar available to add onto your tofu pudding – ginger syrup, simple syrup, and cane sugar. All great items to add, so personally I add a bit of each.

Cold Tofu Pudding with Taro Balls

This is a popular item to order from the menu. It has the base of tofu pudding and topped with their colourful taro balls. Add a bit of sugar into it and it’s simply delicious. The tofu is smooth and silky, plus the taro balls have a good chew to them. Highly recommended.

With their tofu puddings, you can customize it with whatever toppings you want on top. Depending on what kind, it can be $1 or $2 extra.

Tofu Parfait

You get layers of tofu pudding and 3 topping options or $8.50. A pretty good price since it is a big size. If you want to premium toppings added, it’s only a $1 extra instead of $2 as this parfait comes with toppings.

We got ours with black glutinous rice, black sesame, and taro balls.

Tofu Drink

Their tofu drinks come with 2 toppings, so it’s not a regular plain tofu drink. I got mine with coconut jelly and grass jelly. I really enjoyed it as I got the mouthful of soy milk, tofu pudding, coconut jelly and grass jelly.

Final Thoughts

I love love love tofu pudding, so it is good to see another place open up in Metro Vancouver that specializes in it. The menu has a great selection that is more innovative than just the usual tofu pudding. Highly recommend this place but make sure you have cash or debit.

Address:
125 – 4940 No 3 Rd, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://www.itofu-richmond.com/

In Bubble Tea

The Ooleaf Tea Lounge: Bubble Tea Shop in Richmond

April 1, 2019

A new bubble tea shop is in town and it’s The Ooleaf Tea Lounge located right beside Aberdeen Skytrain Station. They are currently in their soft opening phase and are working out any kinks before their grand opening. They specialize in handmade oolong based tea beverages

Currently, their promotion is 50% off select drinks on their menu. When we went, there was only 1 drink on that menu and it was the black milk tea.

Interior

The space isn’t too large but there are a few small and large tables for different sizes of groups. I can imagine more people doing take out than actually sitting here, but who knows.

Brown Sugar Matcha

You can see the different layers of ingredients in here, but you should stir it up before you drink it. I usually don’t like brown sugar drinks but this was the right about of brown sugar where it isn’t too sweet or overpowering. Make sure to stir ip up really well before drinking.

Black Milk Tea

This was the special of the day with pearls, milk and the oolong tea. Make sure to stir it around since some of the sugar tends to settle on the bottom. We really enjoyed it and the pearls as well. Bold oolong tea and it was just a solid milk tea.

Bitter Melon Pineapple Fruit Tea

My friend got this because she was so curious what bitter melon pineapple fruit tea would taste like. It could be either really good or really bad. The bitter melon juice is obviously really bitter but there is a good amount of pineapple paired with it to attempt to offset the bitterness. For us, that still didn’t work, but we did still appreciate this drink and how some other people might like it.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I really liked the strong oolong tea in the drinks. Their menu is different and innovative especially with the bitter melon pineapple fruit tea…even though we didn’t personally like it, it’s very unique.

I would definitely come back for their other drinks for sure. Good balance of tea, milk and sweetness.

Address:
4000 No 3 Road #135, Richmond, BC

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/theooleaf/

In Cafe

Spiritea Launches Brown Sugar Peach Jelly

February 24, 2019

Spiritea just launched their brand new drink – Brown Sugar Peach Jelly as their alternative to Brown Sugar Milk Tea. It is their healthier and upgraded version of the Brown Sugar Milk Tea that has been popping up all over Asian and now in Vancouver.

At Spiritea, they take pride in using all natural and fresh ingredients. They do not consider themselves a bubble tea shop, but they do want to continue to present new and delicious alternatives that will satisfy those cravings.

Brown Sugar Peach Jelly

This drink features peach resin, a natural sap that forms on peach trees. It has a jelly like texture and contains many health benefits. ⁣⁣Give it a good shake before consuming so you can incorporate all the ingredients together.

They use quality ingredients, so there is fresh milk and the overall drink isn’t too sweet. The peach jelly texture is like birds nest or some sort of crushed jelly. There isn’t much taste to the peach jelly, just added texture since it replaces pearls in their version of this drink.

The drink will cost you $6.50 and comes in their Spiritea bottles so you can reuse it for some other purpose afterwards too.

Address:
4151 Hazelbridge Way Unit 1968, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://spiriteadrinks.com

In Bubble Tea

Bobii Frutii Richmond: We Tried 10 Items on the Menu

February 21, 2019

We are back at Bobii Frutii in Richmond BC to try even more items off the menu with some friends. Last time we only made a small dent in the menu, but there is so much more to try beyond their signature drinks.

I really like their drinks since it’s more tea-forward and not too sweet. They really take their time to craft the drinks, so the quality is definitely there. Plus, the drinks look pretty amazing.

There are some drinks like the matcha series are a tad more expensive but that’s because of the ingredients they use must be imported to retain the similar standards of Bobii Frutii around the world.

Interior

The space is quiet during the weekday, so that means there are tons of tables and wifi if you’re looking for that sort of thing.

I Don’t Want to Work

This has Oolong Tea, Milk and Butterfly Pea Boba. It’s not too sweet at all and the essence of oolong is nice. Very similar to the extraordinary milk tea but not as sweet.

I Don’t Want to Grow Up

This has Strawberry, Mango, Milk and Yogurt. Similar to the other drinks, they keep them in separate layers without mixing. It’s nice that you can taste both of the layers. Yet again, another good drink for the Summer.

Pandora Treasures

This beautiful drink has lemon, honey, Butterfly Pea Bobii and their Original Bobii. Definitely more icy but the lemon and honey combination work well together. Would be great and refreshing for a hot summers day.

Uji Snow

One of the more expensive options at Bobii Frutii and it’s their Matcha beverages as they use carefully selected Marukyu-Koyamaen matcha from Uji, Kyoto. Each order is hand whisked to ensure quality.

There is matcha, milk and their original pearls in this drink. The matcha is so good and you can taste the quality and its not too sweet. A good ratio of tea and sweetness.

Uji Snow Koicha Thick Tea

We were intrigued by this on the menu as it said ‘thick tea’. It’s very similar to the Uji Snow but with stronger intensity of matcha. If you look closely, it does have a darker colour to it.

Mermaid’s Tears

Sounds like a sad drink but isn’t. It is made with blended ice with mango, lemon, honey, milk and topped with Butterfly Pea Bobii.

Definitely super Instagrammable and delicious. It will give you a brain freeze if you drink it too fast but the flavours are nice.

Grapefruit Oolong Tea

This was a special they had in store and it has fresh grapefruit, and oolong tea in a slush format, then topped with a real slice of grapefruit. Very refreshing and the oolong tea is strong and compliments the grapefruit well.

Childhood Memory

This has brown sugar, bobii, and organic milk. Since the brown sugar milk beverages are making a big splash in Asia and now in Vancouver, almost every bubble tea shop has their own version.

This version by Bobii Frutii isn’t too sweet but has a good ratio of the bobii, milk and brown sugar. Definitely one of my favourites as I feel other places in town are too sweet or have bad pearls.

Yuzu Green Tea

This is very nice. The green tea taste pairs well with the yuzu like those Korean marmalade beverages. We got is as a slush but you can make it how you like. You can add different bobii to it too.

Uji Milk Foam

Look at the intense colour of that uji matcha. They do not skimp out of matcha at all. It is topped with the cheesy salty sweet milk foam on top. It’s not for everyone but if you are a milk foam lover, this might be for you.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Bobii Frutii is one of my favourite bubble tea places in Metro Vancouver, but it’s always a bit far for me personally as it can be a 45 minute drive. When I am in Richmond, I would recommend it to friends. The quality is there and is unique aesthetic quality when you look at the drinks.

Address:
157-4800 No 3 Rd, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://www.instagram.com/bobiifrutii.richmond/