Rating Archives - Page 3 of 99

In Chinese

Xi’an Famous Foods: Spicy Noodles in New York

February 17, 2018

Xi’an Famous Foods is a chain of fast casual restaurants based in New York City that serves authentic Northern Chinese dishes. When in New York, I had to try it since I love some good spicy noodles. We went to the location closest to MoMA and it’s literally across the street.

Interior

There is seating on either side of the walls, but no group tables at all. Those who are eating alone or with people don’t have to worry. It was busy in the evening, so we waiting a little bit till another group left.

Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles in Soup

Spicy Cumin Lamb Hand-Ripped Noodles

Their hand-ripped noodles mixed with sauteed spicy cumin lamb. It was so so so delicious and comforting, but it had a kick of heat to it. There are good chunks of lamb in it. The noodles were a bit chewy.

Final Thoughts

It was great to have something in New York that wasn’t burgers or pizza.

We Rate Xi’an Famous Foods:

Address:
37 W 54th St, New York

Website:
http://xianfoods.com/

In Bubble Tea

Sweet Memory Desserts: Taiwanese Desserts in Richmond

February 16, 2018

Sweet Memory Desserts is located in Richmond on Leslie Road. It was opened by the people behind Memory Corner, which is also in Richmond. We were eating dinner close by and decided to grab some dessert.

Interior

The interior transports you back in time and it’s very cute with all the lanterns and ornate decoration all over the walls.

The space is pretty cramped when it’s busy, so there isn’t much space if you are carrying a big jacket and bag.

The brick walls, wooden furniture and the decor give the space so much character.

Sweetened Tea

As we got seated, they have a pot of sweetened tea for the table.

Passion fruit Shaved Ice

The passionfruit syrup and seeds drench the milk shaved ice underneath.

Soy Tofu Pudding with Three Coloured Taro and Yam Balls

This was pretty good and comes in large portions. I wasn’t expecting it to be this size. The taro and yam balls were hiding under all the tofu. Very good quality and I enjoyed it.

Tofu Pudding with Pearls

The cold tofu is in ginger syrup and has the pearls hiding underneath until you mix it up a little bit.

Grass Jelly

This is a popular dessert and grass jelly is made from the leaves and stalks of the mesona chineensis plant. It has a mild slightly bitter taste.

Bubble Tea

They have a few different milk teas on the menu.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the desserts were really good, interior was beautiful, but the table space is pretty small.

We Rate Sweet Memory Desserts:

Address:
130-8080 Leslie Rd, Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.memorycorner8.com/

In Cafe

812 Cake and Dessert: Korean Cake in Burnaby

February 14, 2018

812 Cake and Dessert denotes their 8 signature cakes and desserts, crafted from a 12 step baking process. They specialize in cakes and desserts all handcrafted. All items here are inspired by local, seasonal ingredients and prepared daily. They are located close to Gilmore skytrain in Burnaby and there are parking spots out front.

Cakes

When we arrived, they have most of the cakes available but one of them was sold out.

Tiramisu

I got a slice of the tiramisu and it has layers of mascarpone cream and espresso chantilly. The slices are a good size and delicious.

Sweet Potato

This has sweet potato mousse made with freshly cooked sweet potato and diplomat cream. One of my favourite sweet potato cake I’ve had. Highly recommended.

Salted Caramel

This cake has salted caramel chantilly made with house made salted caramel sauce and fresh whipping cream. I personally wasn’t a fan of this cake.

Strawberry Cheese Tart

Strawberry Cake

There are layers of Mascarpone chantilly with fresh strawberries.

Blueberry

There are layers of Mascarpone chantilly with house made blueberry compote.

Blueberry Cheese

This cake is different as it has cheese mousse with house made blueberry compote.

Iced Tea

They also have different teas and coffees on the menu to go with the cakes. We had the Basic Black Iced Tea and the Berry Herbal Tisane.

Final Thoughts

There are some really good cakes here at this cafe.

We Rate 812 Cake and Dessert:

Address:
4208 Dawson St, Burnaby, BC

Website:
https://812cake.com/

In East Village

Vietnamese Tea House: Pho in Vancouver

February 11, 2018

Vietnamese Tea House opened a few months ago serving authentic Vietnamese cuisine in the East Village on Hastings Street close to Nanaimo Street. A few of us were invited to come dine here for dinner. The restaurant is small but there is definitely a lot of soul in the kitchen for making good food with great value for what you are paying. Even tax is included in all prices. Everything is under $10.

Pandan tea

As we sat down, we were given a delightful pandan tea.

Avocado Rolls

This comes with 2 rolls cut in half, so you get 4 pieces per order. Nicely wrapped in a rice paper with lettuce vermicelli noodles and slices of avocados. There is a sauce on the side to dip in the avocado roll.

Beef Sashimi

Beef sashimi is cut thin and plated. It is topped with cilantro, peanuts, onions and sauce. Eat it up with a bit of everything on the plate. It was ok, but I felt like it needed some more acidity for my personal preferences.

Chicken Wings with garlic butter

The wings are golden brown topped with garlic butter sauce on each wing. With the addition of the sauce, it made the wing less crisp.

Chicken Wings with honey sauce

The honey sauce covers each wing but I guess kinda miss one of them. It was good but not as crisp similar to the other one. Some people do like saucy wings, but I prefer a bit crisp.

Stir Fried Corn with Shrimp

My favourite dish of the night was this dish of corn and shrimp. Such a simple item, but so full of flavour. It’s better known as a Vietnamese street food in Saigon, so you won’t typically find this in a restaurant.

Green papaya with beef jerky

The shredded green papaya and carrots are mixed with some basil, nuts and topped with pieces of beef jerky. Sounds like an odd combination, but this is another popular item in Vietnam.

Pork Spring Rolls

There are 2 spring rolls per order. Crisp on the outside and stuffed with a good amount of pork.

Pho

We chose ours with Beef Balls, Beef tripe and Rare Beef. A large is very affordable and you can add on all this meat. The broth is delicious and full of depth. tastes healthy too.

Bun Bo Hue

This is the spicy beef vermicelli soup loaded with lots of meat. Another favourite dish of the evening.

Vietnamese Crab Noodle Soup

They use real crab in this noodle soup, so it can be too crabby for some people. I liked it because it was hearty and goes well with the Vancouver rainy days.

Lemongrass Chicken and Pork Patty Vermicelli

The bottom has vermicelli noodles and topped with veggies, lemongrass chicken, pork, nuts and green onions.

Shredded Pork Banh Mi

The banh mi has the pork pickled veggies inside the soft bun. The exterior was a bit crisp but could have been a bit more.

Chicken Curry on Rice

The chicken curry comes in a small bowl with a huge plate of rice and veggies.

Then there is also a soup that accompanies this meal too. The curry sauce was a bit thin and could have been a bit better. I could stick with the other dishes and pass on the curry next time.

Special Vietnamese Pandan Milk Tea

Being called a Tea House, the tea better be good. I had the special Vietnamese Pandan Milk Tea with coconut jelly. The pandan milk tea is subtle but was yummy.

Avocado Slush

Avocado slush is made with real avocados. There is even a slice on top.

Jackfruit Slush

Everyone loved the jackfruit slush. Not very icy compared to other places around town and its great that there are a few pieces of jackfruit on top. If you’re looking for something quick, casual and affordable, this is the place to go.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised about this little restaurant. It has good pho, appetizers and drinks at great prices with tax included.

We Rate Vietnamese Tea House:

Address:
2526 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://vietnamese-tea-house.business.site/

In Cafe

Coffee Project NY: Deconstructed Latte

February 1, 2018

Experimenting with coffee has never been more fun. Coffee Project NY is a small cafe in the East Village is making customers get out of their morning routine and try coffee in a different way.

When I was in New York, I had to give it a try as we were in the area and needed a good cup of coffee.

Deconstructed Latte

The Deconstructed Latte was amazing. It starts off with a shot of espresso, a shot of creamy raw milk from Salem, NY, then the latte with a small bite of waffle. Then some sparkling water to cleanse the palate.

To drink this, you slowly sip a small amount of the espresso first like you’re drinking wine. Then move on to the raw milk. Last, sip the latte, which features both ingredients combined. It’s more than just coffee, it was a fun experience.

Highly recommended if you’re ever in New York City to check out this cafe.

We Rate Coffee Project NY:

Address:
239 E 5th St, New York

Website:
http://www.coffeeprojectny.com/

In BBQ

Happy Tree BBQ: Now Open in Burnaby

January 30, 2018

We were originally in Richmond wanting to go to Happy Tree BBQ there but the wait was an hour long, so we drove to their Burnaby location as the line as shorter. When we got there, we were seated right away as the space is larger. They specialize in skewered street food especially cumin lamb skewers. I’ve heard lots about this place and it’s always packed.

Make sure you bring cash if you are spending less than $50. I just came with one friend and we spent $49, but they were wanting us to pay in cash. Since there were no signs, they eventually eased up and let us pay by Credit Card.

Cucumber

For $4.95, this is a lot of cucumber in a spicy sauce. So delicious and it was a great item to pair with all the lamb skewers.

Lamb Kebob (Original)

Of all the skewers, this is the most popular and most delicious. Covered in delicious spices like cumin. There is a minimum order of 5 skewers, but for 2 people to devour it, it wasn’t a problem at all. You must order this.

Lamb Kebob (Special)

This lamb kebob is served on a metal skewer and also has a minimum 5 pieces per order. A good sprinkling of spices, but the original still wins out by a hair.

Angus beef Kabob

This also have a 5 piece minimum order with the angus beef. It has similar spices as the lamb but the texture of the beef was a bit tougher.

Chicken Wings

Unlike the other skewers, there is a minimum order of 2 skewers of the chicken wings. Delicious exterior and moist mean on the inside.

Steamed Buns

On each skewer, there are 2 pieces of the steamed buns which are them grilled. This could have used a bit longer on the grill as it cooked a bit unevenly. Not as delicious at the other meaty skewers, but it was go to try out.

Coconut Juice

Beer is a no-brainer with this type of food, but they have juices and non-alcoholic beverages on the menu. When I was looking at other people, I had to get it as its a good coconut drink.

Final Thought

Overall, the skewers were delicious and a great place to go to with a large group. The spices on the skewers were delightful. I would come back again.

We Rate Happy Tree BBQ:

Address:
3502 Kingsway St, Vancouver, BC

In Bubble Tea

Mr Moustache: Now Open in Burnaby

January 29, 2018

Mr Moustache has opened their next location right outside Metropolis at Metrotown taking over Cafe Joie. They have quietly opened up here for a soft opening but it was still busy on a Tuesday evening. They are popular for their bubble tea. They also have cakes and some games here too. The space is a decent size for small to medium sized groups.

Bubble Tea

Their bubble teas are pretty large and they come in a pitcher mug. Everyone comes here gets one.

Oolong Milk Tea with Pearls

I got this half sweet, but since it’s normally not too sweet, full sweetness is perfect for my tastes.I should have gotten this with fresh milk instead of powder if I’d known as I don’t like how frothy it gets on top. Either way, it was still good. They do have a section of the menu for fresh milk.

Mango Slushie

The mango slushie has mango bit on top, which is a nice touch. My friend added coconut jelly to this.

Green Tea Macchiato

This looks like a beer but it has the green tea on the bottom and cheesy foam on top.

Sweet Treats

They have a few sweet treats to go with bubble tea.

I got the Praline Chocolate Mousse. This was familiar and turn out it’s from Faubourg, a French bakery and cafe in Vancouver. A nice treat to share with a friend.

Canelé is a small French pastry flavored with rum and vanilla with a soft and tender custard centre and a dark, thick caramelized crust.

Final Thought

The bubble tea drinks here are good and I would come back to hang out with friends. The pastries were ok, but it’s good that there are those options if you want to much on something while having bubble tea.

We Rate Mr Moustache:

Address:
110-6125 Sussex Ave, Burnaby

In New York

When in New York, go to Joe’s Pizza

January 28, 2018

We were in New York for a week and one of places the internet told us to go to is Joe’s Pizza for an authentic New York slice. We went to their original location in Greenwich Village for a snack. For around $3 a slice, it’s not bad at all.

Interior

The shop is small and has limited seating. If you’re lucky enough to grab a seat, you should eat the pizza fresh. We ended up getting it to go and back at the apartment. They put our 2 slices in a take out box and it was easy to take on the subway.

Slice

Pepperoni Pizza and Fresh Mozzarella pizza were our picks. The slices were of good size and the crust was still a bit crisp with slight char.

Final Thoughts

Was it the best pizza we had? Of course not. For the convenience and price, it was decent. There are still lots of places in New York that make a good pizza especially in Brooklyn.

We Rate Joe’s Pizza:

Address:
7 Carmine Street, New York

Website:
http://www.joespizzanyc.com/

In East Village

Raclette NYC: Delicious Melted Alpine Cheese

January 27, 2018

A popular place is Raclette NYC is the East Village for some savoury melted cheese over your meal. How can you deny such a glorious thing? When we visited New York, we couldn’t say no. It’s gotten very popular in the news lately for this classic Swiss dish.

Interior

It was busy for lunch, so reservations are recommended to ensure you have a seat. We made reservations a few days in advanced and they did call us a day before to confirm our attendance.

Parsienne

The Parsienne has a 7 oz pan-seared marinated skirt steak, sautéed mushrooms, roasted asparagus and potatoes. The we got the black truffle cheese from France. One of the most popular choices. The best part of this experience is seeing the staff bring the raclette to your table and scrape the oozy cheese onto your plate right before your eyes. The stake was done medium rate and it was delicious.

Savoyarede

This dish has roasted potatoes, cornichons, and pickled white pearl onions. I wanted something simple and not too heavy as I already had a meal prior to this. I chose to have the porchini cheese from Switzerland. Delicious and cheesy with the savouriness of porchini. The overall dish was pretty meh, but then again, I chose a dish that wasn’t as interesting.

Final Thoughts

You pay for the dish and then you pay for the addition of the cheese. So, the menu is a bit deceiving even though these are both raclette dishes. If you’ve never tried this before, it’s still fun to try out and remember to get a reservation.

We Rate Raclette NYC:

Address:
511 E 12th St, New York

Website:
http://raclette.nyc/

In Hastings-Sunrise

Riz Sushi and Poké in Vancouver

January 25, 2018

Riz Sushi and Poké is located in a small plaza on Renfrew and Broadway in Vancouver. Their main business is catering, but they serve up lunch and dinner at their shop. You can find sushi combos, poké, udon, teriyaki and appetizers on their menu. We were invited to check out their poké bowls.

Interior

They have this epic mural on the wall of iconic artists. Even Kanye kissing Kanye can be seen.

Order up front and then you can find a seat and wait till your order is ready.

Onsen Egg

The onsen egg is delicious as it’s a egg cooked in a low temperature and then it sits in a soy broth with some green onions and tempura bits. We slurped it up and was tempted to get another.

Poké

We got one bowl with salmon and then another with tuna. I like the simplicity of the topping choices as you don’t really need too many toppings to over shadow the rest of the bowl. I personally found that there was too much sauce added to the bowl that you can barely taste the fish or the ingredients in the bowl. You probably want to tell them to go light on the sauce. As the tuna seems to be marinated in advanced, it created a gummy texture that I didn’t really enjoy.

On the other hand, my husband did enjoy their poké bowl with all the sauce. It all comes down to personal preferences. I’m a purist when it comes to poké so clean crisp flavours and my husband likes it saucy.

Final Thoughts

Both of us couldn’t come to a consensus so we agreed to disagree. Their hours of operation is 12pm – 8pm during weekdays. They are closed during the weekends.

We Rate Riz Sushi and Poké:

Address:
2887 E Broadway, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.rizsushi.com/

In Afternoon Tea

Neverland Tea Salon: High Tea in Vancouver

January 24, 2018

Neverland Tea Salon is located in Kitsilano and is a popular cafe serving up high tea. They take inspiration from Peter Pan, thus the name Neverland. What stands out is their variety of high teas that can cater towards vegans and those who are gluten and diary free. Good for groups of people with dietary restrictions, so they can dine together. We made a reservation ahead of time to ensure a spot.

Interior

There are a few things that remind you of Peter Pan in the dining area, like a big quote.

The details of the tea cups, chairs and utensils give it a nice look.

Demi Tea

Two of us got the Demi Tea set which includes 6 items (3 savouries, 2 sweets, and 1 scone). It also comes with up to 2 pots of tea for $25 per person.

English Breakfast

I got the English Breakfast and added some honey and milk to my cup of tea. A classic.

Savouries

Tarragon chicken salad with candied walnuts, salt-roasted pears & pickled grapes.

Lemon-herb mascarpone, cucumber and arugula.

Thai red curry egg salad with mango chutney, cucumber and red pepper.

Sweets

New York vanilla cheesecake on red velvet blondie base.

Cinnamon crumble date square.

Citrus scone with cream and house-made strawberry jam.

Tiger Lily Jasmine

For my second pots of tea, I got the Tiger Lily Jasmine as a good way to end the meal.

Final Thoughts

The scone was delicious and so were the sweets. I felt like the savouries were a bit of a let down as they weren’t as interesting, but the Thai Red curry egg sandwich has a good depth of flavour. What’s good about Neverland Tea Salon is their varieties of high tea. You can get different sizes of the high tea and there are vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options. Good to get a group together that has varying dietary options.

We Rate Neverland Tea Salon:

Address:
3066 W Broadway, Vancouver

Website:
http://neverlandtea.com/

In French

Lunch at Kitchen by Yugo in Downtown Vancouver

January 22, 2018

Kitchen by Yugo is located on Denman and Robson specializing in French and Japanese Fusion cuisine. I’ve heard lots about this place and I decided to come with a friend for lunch as it’s interesting how they will marry these two types of cuisines together.

Interior

The interior is nice with seating mostly on the left side and a kitchen and bar on the other.

Lunch Menu

Fish Miso Soup

This was the soup of the day and it was delicious, It has a piece of scallop and fish on the rim of the bowl. The miso soup had good depth of flavour. Highly recommended.

Pressed Aburi

This is pressed sushi with chef’s choice of assorted flame seared fish. It comes with 6 pieces and some fried veggie chips. My friend thought it was meh when you compare it to the other places in town that make similar aburi sushi.

House Bento

The house bento comes with 4 small dishes and served with rice. This seems to be quite popular item to order as you get to try a variety of items.

The items are:

Grilled Salmon with miso
Cauliflower Karaage
Tuna Tataki
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Lardons and Onions

The flavours of the bento box is more on the Japanese side beside. The salmon was delicate and the miso paste on top paired well. Usually I see this combination on black cod, but salmon was good too.

The roasted brussel sprouts were more on the heavier side taking on the French influences. Tasty but was a bit of the odd dish out as the others were more delicate in flavours.

The tuna tataki was great. Nicely seared on all sides with some veggies and ponzu sauce.

The deep-fried cauliflower was a nice touch to compliment the meal with added textures and crunch.

Final Thoughts

Being to pull off French and Japanese fusion is pretty hard and I applaud the chefs for finding the balance as the styles are very different. Japanese is simple and delicate where French is most heavy and rich. Somewhat polar opposites.

We Rate Kitchen By Yugo:

Address:
792 Denman St, Vancouver

Website:
http://restaurantyugo.com/

In Dineout

BlackBird Pub House: $20 Dine Out Vancouver Menu

January 20, 2018

This year’s Donnelly Group Dine Out Vancouver menus blend new food program highlights with a number of fresh dishes created by the culinary team. With hearty entrees, satisfying vegetarian options, and tempting desserts-all made-from-scratch-Donnelly Group is proud to offer delicious, value-packed $20 Dine Out menus. Donnelly Group’s culinary team Alvin Pillay, Sarah Stewart, and Chris Stewart have put their stamp on menus which are built around a core group of 14 dishes, mixed and matched to create unique offerings with multiple options at each location.

I went to dine at BlackBird Pub House near Burrard and Dunsmuir with my husband with the added wine pairings too.

This special menu goes on from January 19th till February 4th 2018.

Interior

The space is large and super packed during happy hour, but if you come after 6:30pm, it’s not as crazy.

Kale Caesar

The kale caesar has green apple, garlic croutons, and pumpkin seeds. A good portion for the first course and the dressing is light which I enjoyed a lot. It is paired with Summerhill ‘alive’ organic white from the Okanagan. It was delicious and I liked how the green apple played off notes from the wine.

The BC VQA wine suggestions are from Bar & Beverage Director Trevor Kallies, and this year, each selection is available singly and in different sized pours for sipping, sampling, and sharing.

Cauliflower & Brie Soup

The soup had a hearty depth of flavour with a base of charred lemon yogurt. This was paired with the Gehringer Cabernet Merlot.

Brisket Cavatappi

There is tomato, oregano, olives and grana padano. It’s a pretty big portion with a big chunk of tender shredded brisket. Very comforting and not overly complicated. The only ingredient that threw me off a little bit were the olives.

This dish is paired with Tinhorn Creek Merlot which goes well with the sauce.

Spicy Lamb Shepherd’s Pie

On top is the sweet potato mash with bourbon bbq gravy and on the bottom is the spicy lamb. It was interesting to see it some in a pot since it’s not really a shepherd’s pie.

This was paired with Adega Malbec.

Chocolate Praline Bar

It has peanut butter in the centre and topped with sweet cream and bits of peanuts.

It is pair with the Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve, which pairs really well with the dessert. My husband loved it as it has a palate of citrus, baking spices and toffee framed by notes of vanilla and oak.

Coconut Panna Cotta

The coconut panna cotta is topped with peach compote and candied ginger. Along with 2 ginger cookies. This portion was larger than the chocolate praline bar and there’s quite a bit to it.

I had it with the Monkey Shoulder, a blend of three Speyside Single Malts aged in ex-bourbon casks which impart a smooth and mellow vanilla flavour into the whisky with hints of zesty orange, honey and spiced oak.

Final Thoughts

For a $20 3-course set meal, this was pretty good and affordable. If you get the pairings, it will definitely be a lot more than you imagined, but you don’t have to pair with every single dish. All the dishes were good except, the Spicy Lamb Shepherd’s Pie. The best dish of the night was the coconut panna cotta.

We rate BlackBird:

Address:
905 Dunsmuir St, Vancouver

Website:
http://donnellygroup.ca/the-blackbird

In Dessert

The Pie Hole: Now Open in Burnaby

January 15, 2018

The Pie Hole opened their new location in Burnaby this weekend. Their first location is on Fraser Street and since it was a hit, they opened this one in Burnaby. Great for me since I live in Burnaby. Jenell Parsons is the owner of The Pie Hole. She spends countless hours in the kitchen baking, creating new recipes and delivering pie delicious pies to those in the Lower Mainland. I remember way back in 2011 when they first started out at the Baker’s Market in Vancouver. They have come a long way in 7 years.

Interior

The space in the Burnaby location is pretty large. There are 3 large refrigerators that have ready to cook pies and ice cream. Pie and ice cream go great together.

Near the counter are the pies that you can buy by slice or the whole pie. You can find sweet and savoury varieties.

You never know what pies they will have, so you might want to order the pies that you want online and then pick it up. We wanted some banana cream pie, but it wasn’t ready when we were there.

Hand Pies

Since it was early on in the day, we picked up some savoury hand pies to enjoy for lunch. We took them home and reheated them at 350F for 10 minutes.

Chicken Carbonara

Chicken Carbonara pie sounded pretty unique and is made with chicken, cream, parmesan cheese, bacon, flour, butter, peas, onions, mozzarella, garlic, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, water, and free run eggs. Delicious flakey exterior and meaty pieces of chicken inside.

Bacon Cheeseburger

Bacon Cheeseburger pie is made with ground beef, cheddar cheese, milk, flour, butter, mozzarella, bacon, pickles, mustard, onions, salt, sugar, pepper, water, sesame seeds, vinegar, and free run eggs. One of the popular flavours and it was moist with good flavour.

Mini Pies

They were giving way 100 mini pies to their first 100 customer when the store opened, so, the hubby and made sure we were the fist people to get there. I got the Butter Pecan and he got the Buttermilk Apple Crumble.

Buttermilk Apple Crumble

In this delicious mix are Granny Smith apples and Gala apples mixed with that butter brown sugar crumble. Nice flaky crust with the crunch of the crumble.

Butter Pecan

This is my ultimate weakness. Ooey gooey and has a good amount of pecans. My favourite kind of pie.

Chocolate Cream Pie

This slice was beautiful as it has dark chocolate ganache, chocolate silky layer, fresh whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle.

Final Thoughts

About time for a pie shop to open in Burnaby. I enjoyed their sweet pies over their savoury pies but maybe thats because I have a little sweet tooth. Either way, it’s good to have more pie options in the subburbs.

We Rate the Pie Hole:

Address:
7832 6th St, Burnaby

Website:
https://www.thepiehole.com/

In Chinese

Beijiang Restaurant: Halal Uyghur Cuisine in Richmond

January 14, 2018

Beijiang Restaurant opened in 2009 as the first Halal restaurant in Vancouver serving Uyghur dishes like Dapanji and Cumin Lamb. They recently moved to Leslie Road in Richmond, which now has their own parking lot. I was invited to check out the restaurant since I haven’t been here before. I don’t normally eat Uyghur dishes but I absolutely love the flavour profiles of chilis and cumin.

Interior

There are lots of large round tables for small to larger groups in the restaurant. Everything has been renovated, so you get a lot of decor that reflects the Beijiang region. They also have a bookable private room with a minimum spend if you ever need privacy with your group.

DaPanJi 大盘鸡

This Xianjiang dish is like a chicken stew with potatoes, veggies, and chicken with bones. It is cooked with a delightful sauce and you can adjust the level of spice. Some of us at the table liked spicy and some are ok with a little bit of spice, so the staff were able to choose the right amount.

Handmade noodles come with the dish too, so you can add them to it after so it can be coated in all that sauce.

Lauan Twigs Lamb Kebob 红柳枝羊肉串

The skewers are pretty meaty and covered in a good amount of spices like cumin. It does have a spicy kick to it which I enjoyed. I’ve never had lamb skewers on a sharpened stick, so it was fun to eat. One of my favourite dishes of the night. You can order this piece by piece.

Stir Fried Slice of Lamb with Steamed Buns

This is a fun dish to eat as you get to assemble your bun with the lamb and peppers. A good dish to share if you have a lot of people around the table.

We found this dish to be more on the oily side, so tea or Coca Cola pairs well.

Xianjiang-style Lamb Leg Shanks 新疆风味羊拐

Each order comes with one, so for our table of 4, we had 2 in total. It’s best to cut up the shanks to share among the table.

Some pieces were moist but then some pieces were more tough.

Baked Puff Pastry with Lamb 烤包子

Inside has a lamb filling wrapped in puff pastry. It was crisp on the outside, but I wanted a bit more seasoning in the filling.

Lamb Scorpion Hot Pot 羊蝎子

This was my absolutely favourite dish of the evening. They call it lamb scorpion hot pot is because the bones looks like the shape of a scorpion. The bubbling hot pot comes with boney pieces of lamb that you can eat with your hands. They provide you gloves so you each nibble away at each piece.

Once you get through most of the bones, you can add in freshly made noodles to the pot. It’s fun to see it being unwound. As it cooks in the broth, the flavour really soaks into the noodles.

Sweet Corn Pancake

The sweet corn pancake reminded me of a pizza. It was interesting to see this as one of their desserts, but surprisingly the corn went well with the sugar. Definitely unique but not for everyone.

Drinks

They have non-alcoholic drinks, beer, wine and tea at this restaurant. As some dishes are on the oily side, I found that tea and Coca-cola were great to go with the meal.

Final Thoughts

A great new space for Beijiang Restaurant gives them more space to do what they love. You will also find a good balance of Cantonese-style dishes on the menu too. I enjoyed their Halal Uyghur dishes and I’ll definitely be back.My favourites were the Lamb Scorpion Hot Pot, Lauan Twigs Lamb Kebob, and the Stir Fried Slice of Lamb with Steamed Buns.

We Rate Beijiang Restaurant:

Address:
8111 Leslie Rd, Richmond, BC

Website:
https://www.beijiangrestaurant.ca/

In Colorado

Four by Brother Luck in Colorado Springs: Review

January 13, 2018

Last Fall, I was visiting Colorado Springs and all the locals were raving about Four by Brother Luck and how he will be in Top Chef. He is no stranger to the culinary scene as he appreared on Beat Bobby Flay and won. Also he and appeared on Chopped. His restaurant – Four by Brother Luck focuses on the four providers behind his cooking – hunters, fisherman, farmer and gatherers.

Interior

The interior is pretty casual with lots of tables around the restaurant. We came here pretty late into the evening so it wasn’t too busy.

Popcorn with Pork Fat

As we waited for our dishes to arrive, some popcorn arrived for us to nibble on. It was cooked in fat and covered in some spices.

Broccoli Rabe Toast

For the starter, we chose the broccoli Rabe Toast which has mozzarella, pimento cheese, and garlic toast. This was ok, but I left the garlic toast took over this dish.

Charred Octopus

The charred octopus was delicious and was very tender. It is served with soy caramel, squid ink and kalamata. One of my favourite items.

Game Hen

This dish is gluten-free and it has apples, salsify, sunchokes, carrots and sorrels. The game hen was well seasoned and the root vegetables were enjoyable.

Beignet

The beignets is served with whipped milk, orange sugar, and espresso syrup. A sweet treat to end the night. Since it was my birthday, they added a candle in the centre.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the thought this restaurant was ok.It was one of the “fancier” restaurants in Colorado Springs, but none of the dishes stood out in particular.

We Rate Four by Brother Luck:

Address:
321 N Tejon St, Colorado Springs, CO

Website:
http://www.fourbybrotherluck.com/

In Korean

Bon Chon Chicken: Soy Garlic Fried Chicken

January 8, 2018

Bon Chon Chicken is a South Korean-based international fried chicken restaurant chain in New York. Majority of the US locations are in California and New York. We came on Thanksgiving long weekend and they were open. We wanted to come here for a visit as their fried chicken sounds and looks good.

Interior

This particular location near Wall Street wasn’t anything special. There is a large bar on the right side and seating on the left. Since it was the 5 of us, we were seated right away as Wall Street tends to die at night.

Soy Garlic Signature Fried Chicken

We got the medium size of drumsticks with 10 pieces per order. The chicken drumsticks were pretty huge and crispy even with the soy garlic sauce. Highly recommended.

Bibimbap

This has white rice, assorted seasonal vegetables, topped with egg, served in a sizzling stone bowl with Korean red pepper paste on the side. We added bulgogi to this item. The dish was meh.

Beer

Of course, if you have fried chicken, you need beer. Just stick with fried chicken and beer at Bon Chon.

We Rate Bon Chon:

Address:
104 John St. New York

Website:
https://bonchon.com

In Colorado

Pho 95: Vietnamese Food in Denver

January 7, 2018

Pho 95 is a popular Vietnamese restaurant for locals in Denver Colorado to get their piping hot bowl of comforting pho. They currently have 2 locations – one in Littleton and Denver. When we were visiting Denver, we were all craving pho, so we went on Yelp and found this gem.

Pho consists of beef broth, thin slices of beef and rice noodles. Their pho soup comes in several variations; some contain soft tendon, flank, steak and brisket. People commonly like to add a hearty helping of fresh basil, beansprouts, jalapenos, lime juice, and sauces like Siracha or Hoisin sauce to their broth.

Interior

The space is pretty large and they were able to seat our large family right at the lunch time rush.

Tea

Dac Biet (Tai chim nam gau gan sach)

This has the rice noodle soup with a combination of a variety of meat – rare steak, brisket, flank, tendon and tripe. The broth was very delicious and had a depth of flavour to it. I got the small size, which is a good size for a regular person. A large is pretty large for my standards.

Don’t forget to add any of the extra herbs, limes, bean sprouts, jalapeno, or sauces to your pho.

Pho Bo Vien

This is their meatball pho, but we added in rare beef into it as well since they didn’t have that combination on the menu. The meatballs were nice and large.