Surrey Archives - Foodology

In Japanese

Mauna Sushi: Aburi Oshi and Sushi Rolls in Surrey

July 3, 2021

Mauna Sushi is serving up Aburi Oshi in Surrey and it’s great to have more options in the area. Sean Ma is behind Mauna Sushi and has worked at Minami, Wasabi, and his own catering company prior to starting Sushi Mauna.

They are currently open for take out and delivery, but once the pandemic restrictions ease up, dine in will resume. Best to double check and give them a call. In the meantime, they are ready for you for your next party, picnic, or potluck.

Right now, they have 10% off takeout orders and free Mauna Aburi Tart if you order Tray D, E, F, G, H or the Aburi tray for a limited time only.

Taste Test

The Tray D features Salmon Oshi, Ebi Oshi, Saba Oshi, Explosion Roll and Hawaiian Roll. A good assortment of items in this tray and it is their most popular tray on the menu. Great item for get togethers with many people.

Mauna Aburi Tart is good for an individual person or if you are keen, you can share it with another person to have a taste. Good flavours and I like the crunchy bits from the fried tempura.

Tamago Maki, Avocado Maki, and Cucumber Maki for our little toddler. It’s solid and our daughter ate them up.

Final Thoughts

It’s great to have aburi oshi in this area a few minutes away from Guildford Town Centre, so you don’t have to travel all the way to Downtown Vancouver for it. Prices are very fair and affordable too.

Address:
14839 108 Ave, Surrey, BC V3R 1W2

Website:
https://maunasushi.ca/

In product

Potters: Western Canada’s largest Christmas store now open

November 12, 2020

With this pandemic, we have eagerly been awaiting the Christmas festivities to begin while staying safe. For us, our tree went up on November 1st to bring more warmth into our living room. With our little one almost turning 2, we wanted to make sure the holidays is the best. I needed to pick up a few more items to complete our home, so I headed to Potters, Western Canada’s largest Christmas store located in South Surrey, BC.

The Christmas Store at Potters has tens of thousands of holiday-related items in their 28,000-square-foot space. They are open now through December 24 for all your holiday needs. You’ll find things from ornaments, designer trees and collectibles, to stocking stuffers, food items and much more.

Safety

They are implemented a series of safety protocols to keep everyone safe during the pandemic.

Store management and staff have implemented safe shopping protocols, including reduced occupancy, temperature checks, hand-sanitizing stations placed throughout the store, widened and one-way aisles, check-out lanes with clearly marked distancing lines, and Plexiglas screens at every cashier desk. All visitors are requested to wear a mask and respect physical-distancing guidelines.

Store Layout

An annual holiday shopping tradition for many, The Christmas Store at Potters is guaranteed to put visitors into a holiday frame of mind. But this is about more than just shopping.

Come and marvel at intricate displays, such as the Enchanted Fairy Garden that greets all who enter. Venture into the 3,000-square-foot Dark Room, illuminated by more than 75 different Christmas-themed canvas paintings and more than 60 different Christmas-themed water lanterns.

And check out the brand new Bee Tree (an upside-down tree featuring a giant honeycomb and bee-themed ornaments) and the returning Ice Cream Tree (a white tree with a three-foot scoop of “ice cream” at the top, complemented by ornaments in the shape of ice cream cones, donuts, cupcakes and more).

Also returning this year is WhoVille, an entire section devoted to Grinch-themed items, including teddy bears, ornaments, mugs and snow globes.

For the foodies in your life (or for yourself!), the Gourmet Food area offers thousands of rare and special products, including hot chocolate from Montreal’s Gourmet Village (available in seven different colours and flavours); dessert toppings (including ice cream sauces in tasty flavours such as Banana Bread); locally-made jellies and syrups from Krause Berry Farms and The Preservatory; maple syrup and maple butter from Muskoka Lodge; and for the first time this year, Dr. Henry Whisky BBQ Sauce, created by local Chef Ann Kirsebom in honour of Dr. Bonnie Henry (100% of proceeds from every bottle will go to the BC COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund).

Cool Finds

Potters has an incredible inventory of toys, jigsaw puzzles, games, Coca-Cola collectibles (including ornaments and figures), Christmas stockings (more than 50 styles), and unique items for those hard-to-buy for adults.

I spent more time and money than I thought, but it was so worth it. I ended up getting a train set, some decor, and a dancing Santa. I never knew I needed a dancing Santa until now.

Address:
19158 48th Avenue, Surrey, BC

Website:
potters.ca/christmas

In Farm to Table

Rocky Mountain Flatbread: Now Open in South Surrey

October 26, 2019

Rocky Mountain Flatbread has opened their newest location in South Surrey. It’s great as it gives people especially families a new spot to eat a meal with their kids.

They have gluten free and vegan options for brunch, lunch & dinner.

Interior

The interior is spacious! Very beautiful with a lot of natural light. Lots of tables for small to large groups. Very family friendly.

They can seat up to 60 guests.

We love the signature garage door style windows. We had a dog with us so she could sit outside as we ate inside while keeping an eye on her.

Drinks

White Raspberry Sangria has BC VQA white wine, house made lemonade, Triple Sec, house made raspberry syrup, and lemon slices. It was nice and strong.

Triple Berry Mojito has Havana Club Rum, fresh mint, house made berry puree, simple syrup, soda, hand pressed lime juice, lime and mint Garnis. It was not too sweet and there was a nice balance of refreshing berries.

Bruchetta

This is made of organic bread with diced marinated tomatoes and Parmesan. It was really good and we highly recommend it. Tomatoes are so fresh with nice tangy sourness. The baguette had a garlic spread which made the whole dish super good.

Basil & Blackberry Salad

This has assorted greens, crimini mushrooms, mango, roasted red bell peppers, basil and blackberry dressing, and Vancouver grown sunflower sprouts. We also added smoked salmon to it. It was a solid salad. Very good start to the meal to get your taste buds going.

Pesto Shrimp Pizza

This pizza has organic tomato sauce, Mozzarella, Ocean Wise shrimp, red onions, artichokes, three herb pesto, and Asiago cheese. It was really good when you get it right away. The herb pesto sauce really stands out and pairs well with the shrimp. We liked the chewiness of the flatbread dough too.

Smoked Bacon and Snap Pea Pasta

This pasta has organic rotini, double smoked bacon, red onion, oyster mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, sugar snap peas , white wine cream sauce, and Parmesan. It’s a really good quality pasta with fresh ingredients. Very comforting.

Warm Double Chocolate Brownie

This popular dessert is made with Callebaut chocolate and served with house made vanilla ice cream. The decadent brownie was really good and loved the texture and crunch to it.

Affogato

The affogato has organic house made vanilla ice cream topped with Callebaut chocolate flakes and double espresso on the side. This is such a good way to end the meal. We liked how the espresso on the side rather than in the vanilla ice cream so you can control how much you add.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we love the look of the new location with their amazing farm to table menu items. It’s a great addition to the community who are wanting fresh, good quality ingredients in their food, plus being very kid friendly.

Address:
5570 152 St #105, Surrey, BC

Website:
https://www.rockymountainflatbread.ca

In Event

Black Market Supper Club in South Surrey: Review

August 5, 2019

Black Market Supper Club is an exclusive dining experience in a secret supper club atmosphere located in South Surrey. This is hosted and prepared by a world class chef, but no identity has been revealed. Not even a hint. As they cook in the kitchen, they wear black masks to keep their identity a secret.

I have my hunches who this chef is, but lets’ just keep that mystery as it’s more fun that way.

Each dinner has a particular theme attached to it. The one we attended was honouring the 25 year Anniversary of The French Laundry. This is the Chefs rendition of some classic french laundry dishes from the restaurant.

We were invited to check out the supper club and see what it entails.

Arrival

72 hours before the dinner, we were given and email with instructions to prepare for the dinner. This included the instructions and what to do when we arrived.

It began at 7pm, but we were told to arrive at 6:45pm at the said location. We just walked in, mingled and found our seats.

The home is gorgeous and it made me have some envy.

BYOB

The dinner doesn’t have alcohol provided, so you have to bring your own booze. An email will arrive and it will suggest what types of wines to pair with the meal.

They poured sparkling and still waters, as well has tonic, soda and cola, as these are complimentary.

Bread Service

Dutch Cheese and Charcoal Gougères with 3 types of compound butters:

lemon shallot and herb compound butter
brown butter burnt onion
everything bagel

The gougères were delicious and I loved all the different types of butter. I really loved that everything bagel butter.

Truffle Custard

The truffle custard is served with a black truffle ragout in a beautiful and colourful egg shell. As you dig through the layers, you get a dominant truffle aroma and then the texture of the silky custard. I found it was a tad salty.

Lobster Pancake

The pancake is stuffed with lobster, chives and mascarpone. Then it is served with a brown butter and carrot puree. The chunks of lobster were a good size and cooked well. You can’t go wrong with that delicious puree either which adds great complimentary flavour.

Yabba Dabba Do

This dish has various components – a slice of wagyu beef, braised short rib, bone marrow stuffed inside a potato and chanterelle mushrooms.

This was the main dish of the evening and was very hearty and rich. The bone marrow just oozed out of the potato with all its liquid gold. The braised short rib was very tender and fell off the bone. As for the slice of wagyu, it was a bit inconsistent from plate to plate. My friend got the end piece, so it was hard to get the melt in our mouth feel if you have those pieces.

Chocolate Veloute

Under the chocolate veloute is a Dutch caramel cookie and cinnamon stick ice cream with an edible flower as a garnish.

I found the dessert pretty sweet and the Dutch caramel cookie really sticks to your teeth.

Final Thoughts

Overall, if you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, this is definitely it. Each dinner is themed differently, so you can see which cuisine fits your tastebuds. The pacing of the dishes were very good as it started at 7pm and ended by 9:30ish depending how long you want to keep chatting.

With supper clubs, you’ll have a better time if you are mingling with the others at the table as it is communal seating. It’s not a place to have a quiet intimate meal, as these types of dinner are meant for you to meet others who have come to the dinner.

They haven’t revealed the next dinners yet, but you can email chef@blackmarketsupperclub.com to see what upcoming dinners are available and get your reservations.

Website:
https://blackmarketsupperclub.com

In Japanese

Mr. Tonkatsu: Now Open in Metro Vancouver

May 27, 2019

Mr. Tonkatsu is a chain restaurant from Toronto that serves up deep-fried pork cutlet served with rice, miso soup, and unlimited cabbage salad. Since there aren’t that many tonkatsu places in Vancouver, I was surprised Mr. Tonkatsu would open their first BC location in Surrey.

I came here during lunch while they were doing their soft opening to check out the space and their different tonkatsu dishes.

Interior

The space doesn’t have too much seating inside and the space seemed like it isn’t being utilized to it’s fullest. Perhaps this is just for the soft opening.

How to Eat Your Tonkatsu

There is a little sign that shows you how to best enjoy your tonkatsu. First, you grind the sesame seeds with a wooden stick until it’s crushed.

After that, you mix it with the special sauce and dunk your pieces of pork cutlet into it.

Katsu

You can choose your katsu with a few different varieties – pork tenderloin, chicken, pork loin with cheese, chicken with cheese, or tsuyuu (pork loin katsu in broth).

The most popular option is the pork loin with cheese. The pork itself is this and wrapped around a center of cheese, then the outside is crisp and fried till golden brown. It was delicious and paired well with the unlimited rice, miso soup and cabbage. The only critique that we had was the pork is very thin in comparison with the cheese. If you want something more meaty, just go with the tonkatsu without the cheese. There is also the option of adding extra piece of katsu too.

For the cabbage, make sure to add the dressing on top. They don’t really take initiative to fill up your rice, miso soup, or cabbage often, so you need to flag them down and ask for more if you need it.

Curry Katsu

It comes with curry, pickles, and unlimited rice, miso soup and cabbage. You can choose it with chicken, chicken with cheese, pork tenderloin, pork loin, pork loin with cheese, karaage, or shrimp.

I went with the curry katsu accompanied with the pork loin and cheese. It’s the same piece as the tonkatsu but with the added curry. The curry was a good flavour and there was a lot of sauce so the rice soaks up all the flavour.

Soy Garlic Chicken

At $18 a plate, you get a good amount of chicken with this order. Good to share among the table. I can’t remember how many pieces there were, but it was plenty for a group of 3.

The chicken isn’t as crispy because of the soy garlic sauce added after it’s been fried. It’s definitely more Korean than Japanese but then again, there is a sign outside that says ‘Korean’.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we through it was decent but wasn’t outstanding. A good addition to the neighbourhood as there isn’t any thing similar in Surrey. If you live in Metro Vancouver, now, you don’t have to travel all the way to Dowtown Vancouver to get tonkatsu.

Address:
10320 152 St A, Surrey, BC

Website:
http://www.mrtonkatsu.com/

In Filipino

Archie’s Grill: Filipino Cuisine in Surrey

March 7, 2019

I’ve been trying to find more hole in the wall restaurants to go to outside of Vancouver. There are a lot of restaurants in Metro Vancouver that are family owned whose foods tastes very homey and authentic. Today I found Archie’s Grill in Surrey near the Guildford Mall area. They specialize in home cooked Filipino cuisine.

Interior

The interior isn’t anything interesting but they have a few tables for small to large groups. You can also reserve tables if you have a very large group and want to ensure your spot at peak hours.

Congee Combo

The congee combo has Arroz Caldo, which is a Filipino Congee and it comes with a side of pork and tofu covered in vinegar.

The congee has a boiled egg in it, lots of garlic flavour, and topped with crispy chicharon. I also liked how it came with a calamansi lime too. The congee combo was very filling and it was hard to finish it all in one sitting. The congee was ok compared to the other ones I’ve had in the past. But I did like the extra touch of pork and tofu to round out the meal.

Spaghetti Combo

My husband went with his all time favourite Filipino dish of spaghetti. He loved it and it is served with chicken and garlic bread. A strange combination to some but it works really well. The sauce of the pasta is savoury and sweet, which gives it that signature taste.

Sizzling Sisig

This is sizzling pork sisig served with egg and a plate of garlic rice. I love when the Sizzling sisig arrives at the table as it really gets you salivating as the pork on the hot grill makes a lot of noises. When you eat the pork with rice, it’s really delicious with all the fatty porky aroma.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we were impressed by this little gem – Archie’s Grill near Guildford Mall. The food is on point, it’s nothing fancy, but for the price, it hits the spot. If you feel like you want some homey Filipino food in Surrey, check out Archie’s Grill. For the two of us, 3 dishes was a good amount of items to share.

Address:
10161 153 St, Surrey, BC

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jayhebron15/

In Fusion

Showshaa: Taproom & Indian Fusion Restaurant in Surrey

January 28, 2019

Showshaa is a Tap room which serves up modern Indian fusion cuisine. They are located in South Surrey, so it is quite a drive depending on where you live. My friend’s friend told us about this place and when I saw a picture I knew I had to go check it out for lunch. On the weekday, it was pretty quiet but on the weekends, I am sure it picks up during lunch as more people are off work.

Either way, we were excited to devour their modern Indian cuisine that is actually modern for once.

Interior

There are large windows surrounding the restaurant, but the focal point is really the bar and the TV screens. There are some high top seating, bar seating, booths, and standard seating.

If you have a big group especially in the evening, its best to make reservations.

Gol Gappa Shots

These come with 6 pieces per order on the cutest little cart. It’s a popular Indian street food with crispy shells stuffed with potato and other ingredients. It sits on top of a mixture of tamarind and mint water. You can pour the shot into the crispy shells or take it as a shot. Either way works.

The tamarind and mint mixture has an interesting taste. You get the pungency of the spices but it isn’t hot spicy.

Alternatively, you can pay a bit more to spike your Gol Gappa with vodka.

Sesame Paneer Fingers

Another signature dish at Showshaa and it has marinated paneer coasted with sesame and then fried. It is served in a glass with a sweet chili sauce.

This dish has a hint of spice and it’s delicious. There are 6 pieces to an order.

Cocktail Samosas

Another appetizer that comes on a cute cart too. There are small cute bite-sized vegetarian samosas that are crispy and stuffed with assorted fillings. It is served with 2 different types of sauces.

Spiced Mumbai Shrimp

Mumbai Spiced Prawns is marinated in kashmiri red chili powder, lemon juice, and roasted cumin. Then it is deep-fried to a crispy perfection. Another signature dish and it was really good too. A good hint of spices, crisp exterior and very plump prawns.

Tikka Salad

Since we had so many appetizers for lunch, we needed to balance out the meal with some vegetables, so we ordered the Tikka Salad.

You have your choice of chicken or paneer tikka. We went with chicken. It also comes with boiled egg, greens, walnuts, crasins, feta cheese, and a tangy mango dressing. A pretty solid salad if you’re looking for something a bit healthier on the menu. The chicken tikka was seasoned well, but was a tad on the dry side.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we were really impressed by the items on their small bites menu. Very modern and innovative for a tap room serving up Indian fusion cuisine. The flavours were definitely there with a good amount of heat. None of the dishes disappointed and we’ll definitely be back in the future. Their lunch specials looked really good too like thier unlimited Royal Lunch Thali for $15.

Address:
3020 152 St #101, Surrey, BC

Website:
http://showshaa.ca

In Buffet

Tandoori Flame: North America’s largest authentic Indian Buffet in Surrey

July 16, 2018

Tandoori Flame recently opened up in the Delta-Surrey area as North America’s largest authentic Indian Buffet. Since they have opened, there has been much buzz about this place and line ups everyday that seem to be never ending.

With their 450+ seating capacity with a multi-room layout, they are really drawing a crowd every day and night.

It is a unique dining experience with interactive food stations – 12 food stations and 150 food items. Thats a lot of items to choose from.

Prices

Dining Area

The space is nice and there are tons of tables for small to large groups. They take reservations if you have 40 people in a party or more.

It’s pretty hard to believe they can fit 450 people in this space.

The Buffet Area

The buffet can be very crowded at peak dinner time from 6pm till 8pm with waits of about 30 minutes. The buffet is nice and there are wood and copper panels and pots to give it a nice look.

There is an area for snacks and appetizers like Pani Puri, which you can fill with yogurt, tamarind, and other sauces or ingredients.

The most exciting section is at the back of the restaurant with all the curries and rice. So many varieties that it’s hard to choose what you want to add to your plate. Good thing it’s a buffet so you can grab a bit of everything.

My favourites are the daal tarka, palak paneer and butter chicken.

Fresh Dosa is made on their grill and its so fun to watch. They don’t do this all the time, but if you can catch them in action, its interesting to see how its made.

The make it seem so easy and its stuffed with a potato mixture.

There are big tandoori ovens making naan and chicken tandoori. If you ask them, they can make garlic naan.

At the centre of the buffet are fruits and veggies. All the healthy fresh items in the centre.

Another item made in front of you is the Chana bhatura, which is fried bread. To go with it, is the pindi chana which is like a chickepea stew.

Let’s Eat

Drinks like these do cost extra. We got the blueberry lassi and peachy iced tea. There are alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink options.

We started with some appetizers like samosas, chana bhatura, pindi chana, papadums, pan puri and some sauces.

Next round, I got some rice, palak paneer, naan, daal, butter chicken, and goat biryani.

I got some dosa, chicken tandoori, papadums and palak paneer.

There were tons of dessert options but I went with Mango Custard, Mango firni and petha. I was so stuffed that I wish I could of had more dessert.

Final Thoughts

The Indian buffet is something different for the Lower Mainland. It’s large and there are so many choices. I have been to a few other all you can eat Indian Buffets in town and this is large. It’s not as large as the all you can eat buffets in casinos, but for just Indian food, it’s impressive.

I never knew there were so many varieties of appetizers, curries, rice, and desserts. They do offer vegetarian and Halal options in the buffet.

The items in the buffet do vary, so some options may shift if you come here another time. They have a take out area as well if you love the food but don’t want to wait. Of course the take out isn’t all you can eat, but they will have a few favourite items to get to go – whether it be a meal for yourself and family.

Address:
11970 88 Ave, Delta, BC

Website:
http://tandooriflame.com/

In Surrey

Top 5 Restaurants for Late Night Eats in Whalley

April 27, 2016

When the sun goes down, Whalley has a lot of restaurants that are open late into the evening. I remember pulling all-nighters at SFU Surrey wishing there were some places that would be open past 8pm that were not fast food chains.

In collaboration with VENUE, a new condo development in Surrey, I present to you my list of Top 5 late night eats in the Whalley neighbourhood.

Chatime

Chatime recently opened their newest location very close to Surrey Central Skytrain station. They are a Taiwanese teahouse franchise and have over 1,0000 locations in 26 countries. They are best known for their wide selection of bubble teas with flavour that stand out from the competition.

I’m a big fan of Chatime and my favourites include their classic Roasted Milk tea with Grass Jelly, Brown Rice Green Milk Tea, and Thai Coffee Milk Tea with Coffee Jelly.

You won’t find any food here, but bubble tea is great for any time during the day or night.

If you go to SFU Surrey, they do free delivery with a minimum 4 drink purchase. What I like about this location is that it’s not crazy busy unlike their other locations.

Address: 10255 King George Boulevard, Surrey
Phone: (604) 588-6863
Website: http://www.ichatime.com/

Bubble 88

Bubble 88 is a Taiwanese Cafe and they have set meals at affordable prices. Like many cafes, it is cash only, so make sure you head to the ATM ahead of time. It’s one of the better Taiwanese cafes in the Lower Mainland and it’s great thats it’s located in Whalley.

Spicy pig ears, chicken nuggets, and spicy wontons are essential appetizers to order. Even though they are labeled as spicy, it barely registers on the spicy scale.

Their set items are very popular and come with a bowl of rice and side dishes. The portions are a good size for one person.

Address: 10209 King George Hwy, Surrey
Phone: (778) 395-8899

Taste of Punjab

Taste of Punjab has been around for quite some time now and close to King George Skytrain. This family-owned and run restaurant serves up Indian food.

Their menu is large with over 100 items, from tandoori to curry and even Indian-style Chinese food. Even when we were dining in here, they were playing Chinese Dramas on their TVs. A strange sight, but it’s all about the food right?

A few of the items we liked were the chicken pakora, butter chicken, and palak paneer. You can choose how spicy you want the dishes.

Their restaurant can seat big groups, but they also do take out if you want to eat in the comfort of your own home.

Address: 10009 Whalley Boulevard, Surrey
Phone: (604) 588-7700
Website: http://www.tasteofpunjab.ca/

Nahm Thai Bistro

Nahm Thai Bistro is a modern Thai restaurant that has been around since 2010. Instead of flying off to Thailand, you can enjoy the delicious tastes of their classic dishes right here.

From the first slurp and bites, we couldn’t put our forks down. We started off with the Thai Ice Tea, which blew our taste buds away. The combination of the strong tea, milk and sweetener is so comforting on a nice summer’s day. They also have a Fresh Lime Juice Soda.

The platter starter gives you a taste of a few different appetizers. The satay skewers were delicious. A few other things we enjoyed were the green curry and the Pad Thai. You also have the option of adjusting the spice level to your liking. Definitely a place I would recommend.

Address: 202-13650 102 Avenue, Surrey
Phone: (604) 930-8833
Website: http://www.nahm.ca/

Central City Brewing Co.

Central City Brewing Co. is an essential place to hang out for a late night out watching the game or just enjoying a few beers with friends. This place brings back memories since it’s right in Central City Mall and under SFU Surrey.

We would finish class and come here for a quick drink before heading back home. You will find their Red Racer craft beers on the menu. I went with their lager, which is light and crispy with a slight citrus finish.

Sometimes you need some greasy food in the evening to go with some beers. Their brew pub has the usual pub fare that you will find on the menu. Wings, burgers, and pizzas. Don’t worry, there are lighter items like salad if you’re not in the mood for typical pub staples. Central City Brewing Co. is great for large groups too.

Address: 13450 102 Avenue, Surrey
Phone: (604) 582-6620
Website: http://centralcitybrewpub.com/

That ends my two-part series exploring the delicious eats in Whalley. The neighbourhood is slowly changing and there are some great hidden gems to discover.

If you missed my Top 5 delicious eats in Whalley, check it out.

Do you have favourite late-night restaurants in the Whalley area that didn’t make the list? Let us know in the comments below.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by VENUE. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of VENUE.

In Surrey

Top 5 Delicious Eats in Whalley

April 20, 2016

Whalley is located in Surrey City Centre and home to SFU’s Surrey Campus. I spent a chunk of my early 20’s completing my undergrad degree and it was also around the same time I started Foodology 6 years ago. The neighbourhood has definitely changed a lot with the new public library and new City Hall building. Surrey is BC’s fastest growing city and by 2041, it is expected that the population may eclipse Vancouver. There are more and more developments going up as well as head offices moving into the area, the neighbourhood is definitely changing.

With more people in the area, that means delicious eateries can be found. In collaboration with VENUE, a new condo development in Surrey, I present to you, my list of my Top 5 Delicious Eats in the Whalley neighbourhood.

Pho Tam

Pho Tam is steps away from Surrey Central Skytrain, I would come here during breaks between classes to indulge in their large bowls of Pho packed full of ingredients. This hidden gem has been a neighbourhood favourite since it opened.

A few of our favourite phos are Pho Tai Bo Vien and the spicy – Bun Bo Hue. They are very generous with their meat, so you will be pigging through the bowl and still have some meat left for the very last bite.

If you aren’t into the soupy noodles, they have a variety of rice dishes too like beef short ribs and lemon grass chicken on rice.

Don’t forget, they are cash only, so make sure you have a few bills on hand. The place is packed during peak times, but turnover is quick, so you won’t be waiting too long.

Address: 10-10302 City Parkway, Surrey, BC
Phone: (604) 589.4223
Reservations: No

Sushi & Roll

Sushi & Roll is a popular spot for families and large groups to enjoy Japanese cuisine. Most evenings, you will find lots of people waiting for a table or ordering take out.

Although it is not 100% authentic Japanese, you will find the usual items like bento boxes, noodles, nigiris, sashimi, donburis, and their large selection of rolls. It reminds me of Sushi Garden, which is popular in Burnaby. Similar items on the menu too.

There are unconventional rolls like the crazy rabbit roll which is wrapped in cucumber instead of seaweed. On the other spectrum, you will find solid nigiri like tobiko with quail egg or the unagi nigri.

Address: 103- 10241 King George Blvd Surrey, BC
Phone: (604)498.4569
Reservations: Yes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sushirollsurrey

Taqueria Jalisco

Taqueria Jalisco has been around since 2006 serving authentic Mexican food in the neighbourhood. It’s an eatery/grocery store combined, so you can grab a few tacos and burritos while buying some imported Mexican sauces to bring home like mole. It is close to Gateway skytrain station, about a 5 minute walk.

It’s small inside, so there are only 4 tables, but once you are seated, they give you complimentary chips and salsa. You gotta order a Mexican Coca-Cola to start off the meal. The main difference is that they use cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup, which some people prefer.

Quesadilla, Nachos, Chimichanga, Flautas, Tamales, Tacos, Tortas, and Burritos can all be found on their menu. They have a wide range of options.

Address: 13648 105A Avenue, Surrey, BC
Phone: (604) 588.6100
Reservations: Yes
Website: http://www.taqueriajalisco.ca/

Manis Pan Asian Eatery

Manis Pan Asian Eatery is located under the Quattro building since October 2014. They are a family-owned restaurant specializing in South East Asian Cuisines. The owners are very humble and can easily guide you through the menu.

At this cute restaurant, you can enjoy classic dishes like Satay, Mee Goreng (Malaysian stir-fried egg noodles), and Singapore Laksa. The food is well executed and definitely delicious. You can also adjust the spice level on each dish from mild to super spicy.

The menu is quite large and they even have a lot of non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. Plus, a dessert menu. We went with the classic deep fried banana with coconut gelato. Really delicious and a great way to end the meal.

I highly recommend this place if you just need a mid day coffee or a full on meal.

Address:116-10768 Whalley Boulevard, Surrey, BC
Phone: (604) 497.1778
Reservations: Yes
Website: http://www.manisrestaurant.com/

Mal Li Jang Sung

Mal Li Jang Sung is a Korean Chinese restaurant and it’s always funny to describe this cuisine. There really isn’t anything Chinese about the dishes nor would you ever find it at a Chinese restaurant either. It’s basically food that Koreans think is Chinese.

The most well known dishes of Korean Chinese cuisine include jajang myeon (noodles with thick black bean sauce), jjamppong (Spicy seafood noodle soup), ttangsuyuk (Korean version of sweet and sour pork), kkangpunggi (Fried chicken glazed in sweet and spicy sauce), and jajangbab (Fried rice with thick black bean sauce).

The staff are really nice and can help you navigate thought the menu. Their combo items are pretty good value for larger groups. The 4 of us ended up spending around $35 for 4 people and we had leftovers.

Address: 13648 105A Avenue, Surrey, BC
Phone: (604) 588.6100
Reservations: Yes

Check back next week as I reveal my top 5 late night restaurants to eat in Whalley. If you have favourite restaurants that didn’t make the list, let us know in the comments below.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by VENUE. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of VENUE.

In Bubble Tea

Boiling Point Surrey: Personal-Sized Hot Pot

April 15, 2016

Boiling Point opened their newest location in Surrey, BC close to Guildford Town Centre. Their specialty is Taiwanese hot pot and they have with a few locations in BC and more in the US.

They are best known for their personalized hot pots and bubble tea. I was invited by ChineseBites and tried all their hot pots with a few other foodie. I’ve been to the other locations, but it was nice to try another location to see whats new.

The interior is nice with the wooden panels on the walls with the rustic bricks. With the large windows, there is a lot of natural light that travels into the restaurant during the day,

Kimchi Tofu is a side dish you can order to go with your meal. The tofu was smooth and the added kimchi wasn’t spicy at all.

Garlic Pork Belly is another new side dish on their menu and it sure has a strong garlic punch when you first taste it. The flavours were nice, but I felt like it was a tad over cooked.

Our table got the Fresh Milk Tea and Hokkaido Milk tea. I would suggest getting half sweet or a quarter sweet for these drinks.Both types are good, but I prefer thee Fresh Milk Tea since it is made with real milk and has a bolder tea flavour.

If you don’t want bubble tea, you can just grab some complimentary tea or water.

Pomelo Hot Pot is a new flavour they are introducing in stores on May 1st. Currently it’s only available in the Southern California Boiling Point locations.

In the pot, you will also find napa cabbage, pork belly, shrimp, seaweed, fish, enoki mushroom, scallop, Korean bean thread, baby octopus, kamaboko, firm tofu, dried bonito flakes, and green onion. This was an interesting flavour and it had more of a tangy sourness at the end. I find the soup base affects most of the flavour, but I don’t think I really liked the flavour.

You can also choose various levels of spice for all hot pots:

No Spicy
Mild Spicy
Medium Spicy
Very Spicy
Flaming Spicy

They also have 3 sauces that you can mix together to dip your hot pot items into – chili bean sauce, garlic soy sauce and chili oil.

Korean Bean Paste Hot Pot replaced their Kimchi Hot Soup. Inside, you will find soybean sprouts, nira, green zucchini, kimchi, pork belly, fish tofu, kamaboko, tempura, rice cake, enoki mushroom,fish fillet, wok noodle, lobster fish ball, crown daisy, seaweed, and Korean paste. I liked this flavour as it has the right about of spice and I liked the wok noodles that were in this.

Beef Hot Pot is another solid item. It is packed with napa, vermicelli, sliced angus beef, enoki mushroom, tomato, firm tofu, tempura, corn, pork meat ball, kamaboko, fried tofu skin, imitation crab, green onion, and cilantro. flavours, the corn added a bit of sweetness to this dish.

Thai Flavour Hot Pot is a bit sour, a bit spicy. Deep in the hot bowels of this hot pot is cabbage, taro stem, sliced pork, enoki mushroom, cuttlefish ring, fish ball, clam, crab, baby octopus,maitake mushroom, shrimp, and cilantro. I never liked the sour spicy flavour combination, so this wasn’t for me. I found the shells of the crab and shrimp hard to bite into.

Lamb Hot Pot was made flaming spicy to feel the spectrum of spiciness. It was hot, but not up to my category of flaming. Others may feel it as atomic. Always best to have it mild spicy or medium spicy.

In this pot, you will find napa, vermicelli, sliced lamb, enoki mushroom, imitation crab stick, kamanoko, pork blood ricecake, maitake mushroom, clam, pickled mustard greens, firm tofu, tempura, fried tofu skin, egg, green onion, and cilantro.

This was the mild lamb hot pot, the broth looks less spicy and tame.

Japanese Miso Hot Pot was another favourite. A good balance of meat and veggie in this dish.

You will find inside the pot – cabbage, udon, sliced pork, enoki mushroom, clam, fish ball, fish fillet, maitake mushroom, crab, fried tofu skin, soft tofu, egg, and green onion.

The broth is mild and goes with the ingredients very well. Not too salty either.

Curry Fishball Hot Pot is a classic and is only sold in Canada. You won’t find this in their US locations. I like this dish and you will find sliced pork in this dish in addition to the fish balls. The curry broth is thin and very flavourful. Not too salty either.

The is Napa, Vermicelli, Slice Pork, Enoki Mushroom, Imitation Crab Stick, Fish Ball, Fried Tofu Skin, Corn, Tempura, Mountain Yam, Chinese String Bean, Egg, Green Onion.

They place the fish balls very strategically so you think they are 4 full fish balls.

Taiwanese Spicy Hot Pot comes in only flaming spicy, so you don’t have an option to make it mild.

It has cabbage, instant noodle, sliced Angus beef, tempura, enoki mushroom, clam, fish ball, cuttlefish ring, pork intestine, pork blood rice cake, fried tofu skin, maitake mushroom, frozen tofu, greenonion, and topped with cilantro.

Some may want to grab a bubble tea or old water to go with this.

Snow Cubes are a nice little treat after the meal to quell the hot heat of the hot pots. These flavours were green tea, pudding, taro and strawberry.

I went with the green tea since it’s not too sweet.

Overall, the hot pots had lot of ingredients inside, but we did find that it was mostly about the broth that enhanced the experience. Curry Fishball Hot Pot, Korean Bean Paste Hot Pot, and Japanese Miso Hot Pot were my top 3 choices. With all the dishes, we did find that the meat all lumped together and was hard to pull apart. Anything with crab is super hard to eat since you have to pick out the meat from inside the shell.

If you’re craving for some hot soupy dish on cold rainy days, definitely check it out.

We Rate Boiling Point Surrey:

Address:
102-15146 100th Avenue, Surrey

Website:
http://bpgroupusa.com/

In Bubble Tea

Chatime Surrey: Bubble Tea near Surrey Central

January 7, 2016

Chatime opened their newest location near Surrey Central a few steps away from the Skytrain. I’ve been a fan of Chatime since they first opened up a few locations in Richmond and Vancouver. It’s great that they are slowly opening up more locations in the suburbs. Finally closer to home. Woot Woot.

To me, what makes them stand out is the flavours of their drinks. When I was invited to their soft opening, I couldn’t resist trying a bunch of drinks.

The customization on the amount of sugar and ice is great since it can change the flavour of the drink significantly.

They differentiate themselves from the competition by using freshly brewed tea and natural flavouring.

I have 3 drinks that I always order:

Roasted Milk Tea with Grass Jelly (half sweet + less ice)
Brown Rice Green Milk Tea (half sweet + less ice)
Thai Coffee Milk Tea with Coffee Jelly (slightly sweet + less ice)

My asian tastebuds just love these drinks. I don’t like my drinks too sweet, so I never get full sweetness and I don’t like my drinks getting diluted with too much ice. Plus, with less ice, that means more bbt right?

Ice Options: 0%, 80%, regular ,or 120% ice
Sugar Options: 0%, 30%, 50%, 80%, regular, or 120%

Of course they have a lot more drinks to choose from and different jellies and toppings to add inside.

Topping options:

Pearls
Grass Jelly
Pudding
Coconut Jelly
Coffee Jelly
Red Bean
Aloe Vera
Rainbow Jelly

You just need to add 50 cents for the toppings.

The drinks come in 2 sizes – large and regular. They also have hot drinks too. Who gets a regular when you can get a large for only 50 cents more.

Overall, great location and a decent number of seats. Most people do take out from what I’ve observed.

We rate Chatime Surrey:

Address:
10255 King George Boulevard, Surrey

Website: http://www.ichatime.com/

In Italian

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria: Pizzetta Lunch Special

June 22, 2014

I never take many trips to South Surrey, but while I was in the area, my coworker took us to Famoso Neopolitan Pizzeria in Morgan Crossing for lunch. I’ve been to the Commercial Drive location a few years ago and I remember the pizzas being pretty decent.

Once you are seated, there are menus at the table. You will find pencils and note pads on the table to write down your order. It helps you remember you are ordering when you go up to the counter.

I always thought this was a weird concept that you would have to go up to the counter to take your order and pay. Why can’t they just come and take your order? It’s part of their service-style across all their locations. I personally find that it just cheapens the experience.

Pizzetta is their lunch special and you can choose from a small pizza, which is half the size of their regular pizzas with an optional side.

I chose the Don Andreas pizza and the Napoli Salad ($12).

Don Andreas pizza is recently new on their spring and summer menu. It has creme fraiche, fior-di-latte, roasted chicken, corn and chipotle salsa, avocado, chopped cilantro, lime wedge, and served with a side of Valentina hot sauce.

Napoli Salad has field greens, ripe cherry tomatoes, diced red onions, carrots, chickpeas, and a balsamic vinaigrette.

Having the salad and the pizzetta was a good size for lunch. The quality of the food was pretty average.

We Rate Famoso Neopolitan Pizzeria:

Address:
15865 Croydon Dr Surrey BC

Website:
http://www.famoso.ca/

In Pub/Bar

Wings Tap and Grill: Cheap Wing Sundays

May 4, 2012

Wings Tap and Grill has a location in Newton Surrey and it was just packed on Sunday! Every Sunday they have wings and beer specials. It’s such a good deal that it’s hard to pass up! Wings are $0.47 each…. is use to be $0.39 but I guess they had to change their prices. Maybe it was a new thing a month ago because their Facebook page said it is $0.39. One thing that is mandatory is a drink purchase as well to get the cheaper wings.

The Social Media Network crew decided to hang out on Sundays for their wing special. We waited about an hour to get a table for 8.

Okanagan Spring Pale Ale is a good accompaniment with wings! It also has subtle hints of honey and citrus, so it’s not too bitter.

The Original Westcoaster has fresh lemon peels and cracked black pepper. I found the taste to be inconsistent with a few of my wings. Some had a nice subtle lemon taste, but then some other ones would be crazy sour and salty. It definitely confused me.

Chicago Salt & Pepper is just very simple, but you can’t go wrong with simple right? It’s always my favorite.

I chose all dry wings because I always hate getting sauce all over my hands when ordering other types of wings. I am able to eat the wings and still press the buttons on my cell phone. They also mixed both of the wings on a plate, so at times I would kinda forget what I would be eating until I bite into the wing.

Each person ordered about 20 wings each so we managed to fill up 2 of these metal bucket full of bones. Some people were better at cleaning the bones and some weren’t.

Overall, the wings were large than most of the other places in town. You will definitely get full from 20 wings and the beer is a good item to have and just chill with friends.

Words of Wisdom:

Long waits on Sunday due to Wings special
Wings special has a mandatory drink purchase and 10 wing per flavour minimum
They split the bill very easily and can split shared food too
A large variety of flavours for wings

We Rate Wings Tap and Grill:

Address:
7124 King George Highway
Surrey, BC

Website:
http://www.greatwings.ca/

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In Bubble Tea

Bubble 88: A Great Addition to Surrey

March 15, 2012

Bubble 88 is a Taiwanese restaurant that serves bubble tea and food. They are located very close to the SFU Surrey Campus, so it does draw a lot of traffic from students in the area.

It was a long day at school, so a few of us decided to head off to Bubble 88 for some light snacks before heading home.

The interior is quite nice with lots of modern decor. It’s good for large groups.

Coffee Milk Tea with Milk ($2.95) is essentially the coffee and tea mix that you would find in other restaurants. I requested that they use milk instead of the instant milk powder stuff. I tastes so much better and I’m sure much healthier too if you substitute with milk.

Deep Fried Squid Tentacles ($4.50) is good! A good amount of seasoning is added to the batter, so when it comes out, its delicious.

Wonton in Chili Sauce ($3.95) was not very spicy at all. The others at the table had some too and it was the right amount of spicy. It comes with 10 pieces, which is awesome because places like Bubble World give you less and charge you more.

Hot and Sour Soup ($5.25) was quite large. It seemed like it was never ending, so I decided to pack it to go. The taste was good, but not everyone will like it.

Deep Fried Pork Chop with Curry on Rice ($6.95)

Popcorn Chicken with Curry on Rice ($7.25) was also good. M liked it since the curry is more spicy than other places.

Overall, the food was good and the prices were affordable. It’s probably not the best Taiwanese food, but it will satisfy your cravings. It’s good to have another bubble tea place in Surrey besides Bubble World. I much prefer this place.

Words of Wisdom:

Lots of parking in front for free
Service is a bit slow
Good prices and decent quality

We Rate Bubble 88:

Address:

10209 King George Hwy
Surrey, BC

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In American

Ricky’s All Day Grill: Where the Utensils are Dirty

January 19, 2012

Ricky’s All Day Grill has a location in City Central Mall in Surrey. After class, a few of us got really hungry, so we came here to chow down.

They have a lot of items on their menu, so you might be able to find something that will fill your food cravings.

The first thing we noticed was that the utensils were really really dirty! So, we asked for new ones.

The second sets were also quite dirty! We didn’t bother asking for another set of utensils since if they can’t get it right the 2nd time, we didn’t have high hopes that it would be any cleaner. I think they just didn’t dry properly.

I’m sure this happens at most restaurants, but it’s still kinda gross. Best to grab a cup of water and start cleaning your utensils….Asian style.

Classic double egger has 2 eggs, shredded hash browns, toast with chorizo sausage. M liked the sausage, but other than that, everything else was decent.

Classic Benny with shaved ham has 2 poached eggs and ham on English muffins, topped with hollandaise. It also has shredded hash browns and fruit. InsecureGirl thought it was OK too, but not very good.

“R” Signature BLTC Salad comes with bacon, 3 cheeses, tomatoes, green onions and chicken strips with Dijon ranch dressing. It also comes with bread. I really didn’t like the salad. The chicken was dry and the salad didn’t seem very fresh.

Overall, the food was passable but nothing I would come back to. It’s still quite popular with students at the SFU campus.

Words of Wisdom:

Lots of Parking at the mall outside Ricky’s
Mediocre service
Dirty utensils
Prices slightly expensive for what you get

We Rate Ricky’s All Day Grill:
Address:
10153 King George Hwy
Surrey, BC
Website:
http://www.rickys-restaurants.com/

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In American

Nestle Toll House Cafe: Open at Guildford Mall

December 25, 2011

Nestle Toll House Cafe has opened its newest cafe at the Guildford Mall in Surrey – the first location in Canada! Gmoney works in the mall, so she kept me updated on when they would open. The reason why Nestle Toll House intrigued me was because of an old episode of friends, where Phoebe’s Grandmothers cookie recipe originated from a relative named “Nestley Toulouse”… which turns out it was a lie and was just the recipe on the back of a Nestle Toll House chocolate chip bag.

The serve up a lot of different items from cake cookies, brownies, cookies, cookie pizza, coffee, drinks…..etc.

There were lots of choices, which quite overwhelmed me as well.

I grabbed a few items to go. 2 cookies and a brownie came out to be around $9, which was really expensive. I don’t remember the exact prices, but I’m just guesstimating.

Button Brownie (~$3.49) has a mini chocolate chip cookie on top of a brownie. It tasted good and it was cute that there was the cookie on top. I found it was still a bit expensive considering it was just a brownie.

Walnut and Chocolate Chip (~$1.95) was really good. It was a bit hard to taste all the walnuts, but the texture was chocolaty and chewy.

Double Chocolate Chip (~$1.95) was also chewy and chocolaty.

Overall, the items are good, but there are still other places in town to get better cookies. I probably wouldn’t return since its a bit out of my way to go to Guildford Mall.

Words of Wisdom:

Can get Pricey
Large range of cookie flavours
A few seats
Located inside Guildford Mall

We Rate Nestle Toll House Cafe:

Address:

1237 – 2695 Guildford Town Centre

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In Fast Food

Extreme Pita: There’s Probably A Reason Why No One Orders Pizza Here

December 1, 2011

I was at school and decided to go to the food court for lunch. I was craving some pizza and I remember Extreme Pita having some pita type of pizzas. I had it at another location and it was pretty good. I thought I would indulge and grab a pizza. Most people usually get pita’s..but I felt a bit different today.

….I actually should have stuck with the pita….and you will see why.

Pepperoni Extreme Pizza (~$7) has pizza sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella on a pita wrap bread thing.

What I found very strange is that the person making my pizza had no idea how to make it! She had to look for instructions to put it together. Seeing that it’s really only 3 toppings, it shouldn’t too difficult. Clearly it was a bit challenging to them since you couldn’t see any pepperoni on this pizza. It was all hidden under the copious amounts of mozzarella. It took them a while to make this and it tasted really bad! It wasn’t crispy at all and was just a pile of cheese….that drowned out the pepperoni. They should probably rename this ‘Mozzarella Extreme Pizza’.

I’d probably never come back here…probably never go for the pita either since it was that disgusting.

Words of Wisdom: