Cafe Archives - Page 23 of 28

In Cafe

Charlie Brown Cafe 查理布朗咖啡專門店: Novelty Cafe in Hong Kong

October 20, 2012

Charlie Brown Cafe is every child’s dream! Or at least my dream since I grew up watching the cartoon and reading the comics. This location is their flagship store. When I passed by, I had to stop and go here. It wasn’t our plan to go here, but my sister and I couldn’t resist.

We walked up the stairs and everything is Charlie Brown!!

It’s a great place to chill with friends too. Lots of seats!

When you walk to the counter, there are so many cakes!

So many cute things!

There are even cakes shaped like their heads!

3D Lucy ($500 HKD or $70 CDN) Crazy expensive cake, but I am sure someone bought it.

Soy matcha Frappe tasted OK. It was a bit thick and icy.

Latte was so cute! You get to choose what character on top. I just chose Charlie Brown because its iconic. It also tasted great!

Tiramisu was way too cute to eat.

But, I knew I couldn’t stare at it all day, so I eventually ate it. Really good!

Woodstock Mango Mousse was also super cute. Trust me, I took a lot of pictures!

But, we also had to eat it! The mango mousse is on the outside and there is a gelatine puree inside. It tasted good too.

Their lights are very cute on the ceiling! Don’t you love Linus?

Overall, the desserts are good and its a great place to go to if you are a Charlie Brown fan. Theres lots of merchandise to purchase and lots of food to eat. They also have sandwiches and set meals, so you aren’t just limited to drinks and desserts.

Have you been here before?

We Rate Charlie Brown Cafe:

Address:
G/F-1/F, Kok Pah Mansion, 58-60 Cameron Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Website:
http://www.charliebrowncafe.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Kok+Pah+Mansion,+58-60+Cameron+Road,+Tsim+Sha+Tsui&hl=en&hnear=Kok+Pah+Mansion,+58-60+Cameron+Rd,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=16″]

In Bubble Tea

Sweet Garden 糖圓園: Shaved Ice x Bubble Tea

October 19, 2012

Sweet Garden has a few locations in Hong Kong. The location I went to was in the Windsor House in Causeway Bay. We were walking around the mall and got thirsty, so we decided to stop for some drinks before heading home.

It’s very colorful inside! Service was OK, but you have to ask for an english menu.

We ordered Milk Tea with pearls and coffee shaved ice, Red Bean Milk with Milk Shaved Ice, and Milk Tea with Milk Shaved Ice. The taste of the drinks were good, but it was a tad expensive.

Overall, it was cool having the combination of shaved ice on top and the bubble tea on the bottom. It’s not a good drink if you are wanting to quench your thirst because it is quite sugary.

We Rate Sweet Garden:

Address:
4/F, Windsor House, 311 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Windsor+House,+311+Gloucester+Road,+Causeway+Bay&hl=en&hnear=Windsor+House,+311+Gloucester+Rd,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Cat Store Cafe: Cat Friendly Dining in Hong Kong

October 7, 2012

Cat Store is a very unique cafe that caters to cat lovers. You can dine with your friends and play with their cats. This cafe is great for people who love cats, but can’t have a cat at home. Especially in Hong Kong since apartments can be a bit small to raise pets.

The Cat Store is located inside the Po Ming Building on the 3rd floor. It took me a long time to figure out how to get inside.

Once you are inside the building, head up the elevator to the 3rd floor.

Then, you will take a left and follow the signs

Once you find this door, you know you have arrived!

Don’t be scared by the “members only” sign. You can sign up for a card inside. It’s also best to call ahead for reservations because this place can get busy!

The inside is very cluttered with a lot of cat items.

Cats are seen everywhere! Even in shelves.

You can even sit with them at your table.

There are also catnip toys, so you can make the cats go crazy!

A few cats can be seen roaming around the floors….or sleeping on the floor, so watch out and don’t step on them.

Lychee Soda ($30 HKD) was good! I love lychee!

Snowy Peach Soda with Peach ($32 HKD) was good according to my sister.

Penne with Chicken in Tomato Sauce ($48 HKD) was very poor. The sauce was thin and lacked flavour.

Smoked Duck Breast Pizza ($54 HKD) was average too. My little sister loved it because of all the cheese.

Cat Cookies with Ice Cream ($42 HKD – 2pcs) was really cute and great for kids. It’s fun to eat! Unfortunately, the taste was just OK. Nothing too special.

Overall, the food and service was pretty poor. The only attraction is the cats. All the items are pretty expensive according to Hong Kong standards for this type of food. You can easily get a meal for $25 HKD elsewhere. The service was very disorganized and they forgot a few items in our order.

Words of Wisdom:

Slow Service
Expensive for the quality of food.
It’s a good place to go if you just want to have a drink and play with cats
Membership required
Make reservations

We Rate Cate Store Cafe:

Address:
Flat D-E, 3/F Po Ming Building, Fu Ming Street
Causeway Bay

Website:
http://www.ahmeow.com/mainpage.html

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Cat+stor,+Causeway+Bay,+Hong+Kong&hl=en&sll=22.282743,114.188976&sspn=0.089428,0.15398&oq=cat+stor&hq=Cat+stor,&hnear=Causeway+Bay,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

Florinda Cafe: Specializing in Macau Cuisine

September 30, 2012

Macau Restaurant, also known as Florinda Cafe is very popular amongst tourist visiting Macau and Hong Kong. This location was at the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal and was very busy during the peak hours.

They are best known for their Portugese egg tarts and Macanese Crispy Buns with pork chop. We decided to have lunch here before our ferry to Cheung Chau arrived.

It was very early in the morning around 10am, so no line ups.

They even have a cart for their tarts if people just want it to-go.

There are a lot of tables inside and most can fit 4 or 5 people.

They have a special “Yummy Tea Set” from 2:30pm to 6pm. They all come with drinks.

Portugese Egg Tart with Egg White. They didn’t have any with the egg yolks left, so we had to settle for egg whites only.

The egg mixture is a bit sweet, but it was very delicious! The tart was very flaky and housed the egg mixture perfectly. I could eat a bunch of these! Yum.

Macanese Crispy Buns with pork chop and scrambled eggs (Set A)

The set came with a drink so I got Ying Yeung (Coffee and Tea mix). It tasted average.

Scrambled Eggs were average too. You definitely want to add some salt and pepper to it.

Macanese Crispy Buns with pork chop was good. It has some grilled onion in there too. The meat was a bit chewy, but the whole sandwich did have a good flavour.

With our bellies full, we hopped onto the ferry to head to Cheung Chau Island. We had a good view of the Harbour and the other surrounding Islands.

Overall, the food at Florinda Cafe was average, but it was fun to get a taste of Macau food and how it differs from Hong Kong.

We Rate Florinda Cafe:

Address:
Shun Tak Centre, 200 Connaught Rd.,
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Shun+Tak+Centre,+200+Connaught+Rd.,Sheung+Wan,+Hong+Kong&hl=en&hq=Shun+Tak+Centre,+200+Connaught+Rd.,Sheung+Wan,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=15″]

In Cafe

Tokachi Gyuu Japanese Restaurant: Gross Japanese Restaurant

September 27, 2012

Tokachi Gyuu Japanese Restaurant has several restaurants all over Hong Kong. We wanted to try something different for lunch, so we thought about coming to this restaurant.

Outside the restaurant, there is a huge menu. If you are waiting, you can figure out what you want before being seated. Or if you are passing by, you can see what they serve.

During lunch time, this place was packed. It was hard getting a table of 5.

Your lunch meal sets come with drinks. You can add a few bucks for them to make it an ice drink instead of a hot drink. We ordered chrysanthemum tea and milk tea. The milk tea was good, but the chrysanthemum tea was way too sweet! It was very hard to drink.

Ramen was nowhere near authentic. It wasn’t very good either.

Baked Seafood on rice wasn’t very large and had an ok amount of seafood. None of the seafood was very fresh, probably pre-frozen.

Kimchi noodle soup with dumplings was pretty spicy and hot. I was feeling like having something spicy so I chose this. It’s not exactly Japanese as it was Korean…but it wasn’t authentic Korean either. All the items here have a Chinese twist to it.

Spicy beef brisket with rice was what my grandpa had. It was probably the only decent dish that we all ordered. The meat was tender and had a good amount of spice.

My moms combo came with noodles and fried fish.

Noodles with fried dumplings was very mediocre.

Fried fish with salad was ok as well. Not too impressive.

Overall, if you are looking for Japanese food, don’t come here. It is nowhere close to authentic or even decent. Most of the items here have a Chinese twist to the dishes. I would not come here again. It was expensive and the service was atrocious!

We Rate Tokachi Gyuu Japanese Restaurant:

Address:
Shop L047, G/F, Tin Yiu Plaza, Tin Shui Wai

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Tin+Yiu+Plaza,+Tin+Yiu+Road,+Tin+Shui+Wai,+Hong+Kong&hl=en&hq=Tin+Yiu+Plaza,+Tin+Yiu+Road,+Tin+Shui+Wai,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=15 “]

In Cafe

Salt Spring Coffee: Fair-Trade Coffee Shop in Vancouver

September 26, 2012

Salt Spring Coffee was just named Best Fair Trade Coffee Shop in Vancouver for 2011 and 2012 according to The Georgia Strait. The coffee shop sells a variety of drinks such as Happy Planet, San Pellegrino, juice, tea and of course coffee. They also sell pastries and sandwiches.

I came here since I needed some wi-fi to get some work done. Plus, I was getting bored with Starbucks coffee. This place is a definite refresher.

I also needed a snack and caffeine to make my day complete.

Soy latte ($3.05 +$0.75) was very smooth and had a nice strong flavour. I had to add $0.75 cents for soy, which was a bit much in my opinion. Nonetheless, it still tasted good.

Chocolate Croissant is flaky on the outside with 2 chocolate stick inside. It tasted alright.

Overall, it s a good atmosphere just to study or do work. When I was here, there was a bunch of people on their Macbooks.

Words of Wisdom:

Complementary Wifi and electrical plugs available
Tables inside and outside
Friendly service
Great tasting fair-trade Coffee

We Rate Salt Spring Coffee:

Address:
4295 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.saltspringcoffee.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4295+Main+St+Vancouver,+BC&hl=en&hnear=4295+Main+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V5V+3P9&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Bakery

Paul Lafayet: French Patisserie in Hong Kong

September 24, 2012

Paul Lafayet is a 3 Michelin starred pastry chef who bring the citizens of Hong Kong authentic French pastries and desserts. This location is in K11 in Tsim Sha Tsui. They are best known for their yummy macarons and delicate cakes. The price is quite expensive compared to other food items in Hong Kong.

When you walk in, you will see their large display case of macarons on top with various different flavours.

Then below that are the variety of cakes. I bought a few different items about bought them home to eat after dinner.

I ordered 10 macaroons in total and they put them all neatly in a box so it doesn’t get crushed during the ride home.

Oolong Macaron was a unique flavour! The taste was very subtle, but well put together.

Chocolate Macaron was another delicious choice and great for everyone.

I loved the chocolate one because it was very chewy and rich with chocolate mousse in the middle.

Matcha Macaron also has a nice subtle flavour

Caramel Macaron was a bit more sweet than the others, but still has a good taste.

Pistachio macaron tasted good as well, but they could have done a but more to enhance the pistachio taste.

Raspberry macaron has a lot of color to it, so when you eat it, your lips and tongue turn a bit red.

Sesame macaron was one of my favorites. It’s not a common flavour to see around. Plus, they make this one look pretty.

Earl Grey Macaron is another tea flavoured macaron. I really do love tea infused macarons because it suits very well with a cup of tea. I found this particular macaron interesting because the 2 side of it are different colors!

Chocolate Mousse was what my little sister ordered. It comes in a cup and can be reused for other uses like making other desserts or drinking from it. The mousse was rich, smooth, and had a great flavour.

Cheese Cake with fresh blueberries on top was ok. It wasn’t as amazing as I thought it was, plus it was very small and quite expensive.

Overall the macarons had a nice flavours, but the texture of the macaron was not perfect. Since the weather of Hong Kong is quite humid, it made the macarons fall apart easily. You could twist the 2 side off like an oreo cookie. None of the items were disappointing, they all had great flavours.

We Rate Paul Lafayet:

Address:
Shop G23, K11, 18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Website:
http://www.paullafayet.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=18+Hanoi+Road,+Tsim+Sha+Tsui&hnear=18+Hanoi+Rd,+Hong+Kong&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Kona Beans: Chilling at a Cafe in South Korea

August 29, 2012

Kona Beans was the closest coffee shop to my hotel. On my last day in Seoul, I decided to chill here before my bus arrived to take me to the airport. It has 2 level, upstairs is smoking and downstairs is non-smoking. It’s great that they give people this option.

Kona Beans is a cafe that originated from Hawaii. There are several franchise locations all over Seoul.

When ordering, you get the electronic beeper to indicate when your order is ready for pick up!

It’s really relaxing inside and you can do your work and have a drink. Its a good place to work since wifi is available.

Kiwi smoothie tasted alright. I don’t know why I didn’t order a coffee at a coffee shop, but I guess I felt like juice.

If I do come back next time, I will definitely order coffee instead. Nonetheless, it’s a nice cafe.

Words of Wisdom:

Another location at 42 Apgujeongro-gil is opened by a few of the mothers of the Super Juniors group
Non-smoking area
Friendly staff

We rate Kona Beans:

Location:
All over Korea

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In Cafe

Starbucks in Asia: Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino

August 25, 2012

I was strolling through the international departures of Seoul International Airport before my flight back to Hong Kong and I stumbled upon a Starbucks! I noticed they were promoting 2 of their new drinks -Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino and the Soy Green Tea Frappuccino. Since I had 20 minutes left till departure, I thought I might as well kill time trying something new.

These drinks are also available in Hong Kong as well. I am not exactly sure about other Asian countries.

Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino was pretty good. The beans were not too sweet and balanced nicely with the green tea. I usually dislike red beans, but the way they cooked the beans were very firm and enjoyable. I would definitely order this again.

Even though they don’t sell these in Vancouver, Canada. You can still get something similar from a few local bubble tea cafes in Richmond. If you do encounter this drink on your travel, definitely give it a try!

In Cafe

Piano Cafe: Patio, Coffee, and a Grand Piano

August 20, 2012

After having Samgyeopsal, Steven and I walked around several blocks to find a nice cafe with a patio. We walked through the wet monsoon weather and found ourselves here. It was a nice little cozy cafe with a grand piano in the middle of the room.

There are lots of tables inside too. As we were here, there would be lots of couples celebrating anniversaries and playing the piano to impress their girlfriends. Lot of happy memories are made here.

Even Steven tried impressing the server at the cafe.

Steven ordered the Iced Coffee and the Affogato. If you are a coffee lover, those are a few of the items you should order! They are good items to cool off from the hot Summer weather.

I got the Caffe Latte. I enjoy it and it was pretty good.

Overall the experience was great! Chilin on their patio and catching up over coffee…as we spy on the couples inside the restaurant.

Words of Wisdom:

Great coffee
Great place to take a date
You better learn piano before coming here if you are on a date

We Rate Piano Cafe:

In BBQ

Yun Fat Tea House: BBQ Meats in Hong Kong

August 1, 2012

Yun Fat Tea House (潤發茶餐廳) in Mong Kok is known to locals for their delicious BBQ meats. If you were just walking by, you would probably not notice this restaurant. It’s not aesthetically pleasing on the outside and has no english at all.

The inside looks like any other Hong Kong style cafe.

Chicken and bone soup was very good. The flavour from the meat and bones really made this soup fragrant and enjoyable.

Look at that meat!!!

BBQ Duck and BBQ Pork on Rice was what everyone else at the table ordered. You gotta eat their signature items here. The meat was very beautiful, tender and very flavourful.

Deep-Fried Fish in Creamed Corn Sauce on Rice comes in a large portion! I couldn’t even finish it! The creamed corn sauce was yummy, but I wasn’t a fan of the fried fish.

Minced meat and vegetable sauce with egg yolk on rice was very good! There was enough sauce for all the rice and my little sister really enjoyed it. I tried some of it too and the meat just melts in your mouth! Yum!

Overall, it was a good decent meal. The down side is that there is no English here. I had to get my mom to order something for me since I can’t read Chinese.

Words of Wisdom:

Get off at Mong Kok MTR Exit B3
BBQ Meats is a must
No English Menu
Floor Toilets and kinda dirty

We Rate Yun Fat Tea House:

Address:
56 Mong Kok Street,
Mong Kok, Hong Kong

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In Cafe

Maxim’s Hong Kong Day: Wontons, Sandwiches and Pineapple Buns

July 30, 2012

Maxim’s Hong Kong Day is a quick-service restaurant. We were in Olympic City shopping mall, so we decided to get a quick bite to eat. They sell the usual Hong Kong Style cafe food.

There are a lot of seats inside and nice interior.

You are able to see through into the kitchen to see the food and drinks being prepared.

Hot Chocolate was made with powder and it wasn’t stirred very well. After mixing it up more on our own, it tasted ok according to my sister.

Hot coffee and tea mix was good and it’s a perfect drink for people who love tea and coffee.

Wonton Noodle in Soup was alright but nothing impressive.

Maxim’s Hong Kong Day BBQ Pork Club Sandwiches were pretty awesome. It comes with layers of egg, pork, tomatoes and lettuce. The gooey egg definitely adds character to this sandwich.

Pineapple Crispy Bun with Butter

The slice of butter was quite large and too much for this bun. I took half of the butter out and it was still enough to cover a lot of the surface area on the inside. The bun was good, but there could have had more topping and be more crispy.

Overall the food was alright, but nothing to rave about. The service was ok as well, but we did notice another table had an issue with a fly in their drink and got the managers and security involved.

We Rate Maxim’s Hong Kong Day:

Address:
Shop UG65, Olympian City Phase 3, 1 Hoi Wang Road,
Tai Kok Tsui, Hong Kong

Website:
http://www.maxims.com.hk/en/main.asp

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In Cafe

Honeymoon Desserts: Drinks and Desserts in Hong Kong

July 27, 2012

Honeymoon Desserts established its first location in Sai Kung district in 1995. It was soon developed into the current chain-stores you see today. Its popular among the locals especially the youth in Hong Kong. I was recommended by Joyce of VanFoodies to try out this dessert place too! Since I saw it at Langham Mall, I decided to grab a drink here with my sister and mom.

Mango Pomelo & Sago Sweet Drink was ordered by my little sister. She really enjoyed it! It might be because she has a secret addiction to mangoes.

Watermelon Juice was ordered by my mom and she didn’t want anything too sweet. She thought it was good too.

Mango Pomelo & Sago Sweet Soup with Green Tea Ice Cream was very good and refreshing on a hot summers day in Hong Kong. The green tea pairs nicely with the mango and its great for people who have a sweet tooth.

Overall, pretty good option for cold drinks and desserts. It’s similar to Hui Lau Shan, but the items are very very similar.

Words of Wisdom:

At Langham Mall Exit C3 of Monk Kok Station
Very busy, but turnover of tables is fast
You can reserve tables

We Rate Honeymoon Desserts:

Address:
Shop 409, Level 4, Langham Place, 8 Argyle Street,
Mong Kok, Hong Kong

Website:
http://www.honeymoon-dessert.com/en_us/

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In Cafe

Big Thumb Restaurant: Two Thumbs Down For Pasta

July 26, 2012

One day we headed to Tuen Muen to go shopping at The Trend Plaza and got pretty hungry, so we went to the Big Thumb Restaurant. We didn’t know what to eat, but we were sure we didn’t want dim sum. This restaurant is located on the ground floor near a bunch of other restaurants.

Cold Milk and Coffee Mix (Yuen Yeung) is my favorite drink in Hong Kong besides milk tea. It gives you more of a coffee taste with an addition of more caffeine.

This was one of their special Summer drinks that they are offering. It’s too bad no one remember what it’s called, but my sister said it was very yummy.

Iced Lemon Tea was what my dad ordered with his meal.

Iced Red Bean and Coconut Drink seemed ok, but I am sure they could have given us more red beans.

Beef Brisket Curry comes was a good size portion and rice for one. It has a little bit of spice but not too much.

Pork Laksa comes with noodles, egg, sliced up pork steak and vegetables.

Seafood Laksa has tofu, egg, fish, shrimp, and vegetables. The seafood isn’t too impressive, but decent.

Ramen comes with imitation crab stick, corn, egg, seaweed, slices up pork cutlet and noodles in a pork broth.

Braised mushroom and clams in pasta was a horrible dish. It lacked flavour and had little to no flavour. I was expecting a little bit of sauce at least. Avoid this dish.

Overall, the food was ok, but nothing to rave about. The service was fine, but I was kinda annoyed how you aren’t supposed to take pictures, but I did anyways. hehehe. There are also lots of options besides this restaurant. Then entire mall has tons and tons of options.

We Rate the Big Thumb Restaurant:

Address:

Shop 8, G/F, The Trend Plaza, 2 Tuen Lung Street,
Tuen Mun, Hong Kong

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In Bakery

Ess-A-Bagel: It’s a Bagel in New York

July 16, 2012

Ess-A-Bagel is located in Midtown East in New York. They are best known for their bagels and it was conveniently located less than a black away from my hotel! CanuckGirl went twice and told me it was very awesome and delicious!

You can order bagels at the back of the store, but if you want it prepared, you need to go to the counter on the left.

They have a lot of cream cheese! Imagine a gelato shop but instead of gelato, it’s cream cheese.

Sesame Bagel ($1) was not as fresh as the one I had devoured in montreal. I had the sesame bagel toasted on each side and didn’t add any cream cheese inside. I wanted to taste the bagel itself, which I guess was a mistake. It’s not very great on its own, you really need something to go with this.

I took the bagel back with me as I waited for my flight to Vancouver. As I sat there eating my plain cream cheese-less bagel, I really wish I ordered it with cream cheese or some other type of filling. Departing New York with regret because I wish I could have eaten more.

Address:
831 3rd Ave Ste 1
New York, NY

Website:
http://www.ess-a-bagel.com/

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In Cafe

Food Adventure in New Westminster: Ki Sushi, Tre Galli Gelato, Karmavore, and Boathouse

June 13, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: The Food Adventure was paid courtesy of the Salient Group. The reviews are unbiased as the restaurants were chosen by the winner and no restaurants had prior knowledge of our presence.

A few weeks ago, I held a contest to have a reader join me for an all-day food adventure with me. Through the powers of Excel, @depotato got drawn as the winner. Since it was also her sister’s (@seapotato)birthday, we took her along on our adventure in New Westminster. She selected a few places to go to – Ki Sushi, Tre Galli Gelato, Karmavore and the Boathouse.

Since they have never been to New Westminster, we walked around checking out a few really cool stores like the retro video game store and a board game store. Clearly, we 3 were very nerdy and loved video games. The day was very fun despite some restaurants being a hit and miss.

Ki Sushi

At 11am, we went to Ki Sushi. Since they just opened, it was quite busy, but by 12pm there were definitely more customers. They sell the usual type of Japanese dishes. I’ve been here about 5 years ago and they have undergone some renovations.

Salmon and Tuna Sashimi ($11.95) has about 5 pieces each and was a decent price. It tasted delicious and fresh. What I liked out the place is that they use Wild Sockeye salmon rather than the usual salmon.

Seafood Salad ($9.95) was very massive and had a good amount of seafood. It had ebi, hoki, tako, baby shrimp, avocado, shredded lettuce, and a citrus sauce. The salad was good, but we wished it was larger pieces of lettuce rather than the shredded lettuce. Also, there was way too much sauce.

Gyoza ($3.50) was very sloppy and poorly executed. When you pick up the gyoza, it would fall apart instantly. I assume when they were making them, they probably didn’t seal it well enough.

Prawn Tempura ($8.25) was a good size and was crunchy on the outside.

American Roll ($12.95) has half a soft-shelled crab and seaweed on top of 8 rolls. The inside of the roll has avocado and crab. It is wrapped with tuna. This was my favorite roll, but it was a bit expensive.

Vancouver Roll ($9.94) is topped with avocado and eel on top. It was also a favorite of the table.

Maple Roll ($6.96) has wild sockeye on top and the inside has tuna. If you love sashimi, you’ll definitely love this.

Overall, the food can be a hit and miss. The service was ok, but we did notice some of the dishes were quite dirty so we had to swap them. The food came out fairly quickly which wasn’t too bad.

Words of Wisdom:

Hit and Miss dishes
Good sushi
Decent prices

We Rate Ki Sushi:

Address:
31 8th St
New Westminster, BC
Website:
http://www.kisushi.ca/index.asp

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River Market

We stopped by after our lunch to check out The River Market near the waterfront. They have the worlds tallest toy soldier, a good amount of shops and restaurants. It was moderately busy on the weekends. The busiest areas were inside River Market since there are some amazing restaurants there – Wallys Burgers, Re-Up BBQ, and some other places.

I use to come to this area quite often as a kid and this area has definitely transformed a lot!

Right by the dock, there was also the Samson V Maritime Museum. It’s free to enter and you can look into their engine room, captains deck, and their living quarters.

Tre Galli Gelato

As we were walking around River Market, gelato caught the eyes of @seapotato and she just had an urge for gelato. Tre Galli Gelato Caffe has a large selection of gelato and they serve coffee.

Guava Gelato / Espresso Gelato ($3.75) was a strange combination by @seapotato but she enjoyed it.

Espresso Gelato / Hazelnut Gelato ($3.75) was chosen by @depotato and she liked both flavours. She also said the hazelnut gelato was more dominant compared to the espresso gelato.

Hazelnut Gelato ($3.75) was what I chose. The flavour was very nice and strong, so it was nice for a hot day outside.

Overall, the gelato was a good price and the flavours were very delicious. It’s a good item to snack on if you are at the River Market chilling with a few friends.

Words of Wisdom:

You can sample the flavours
A good selection of drinks
Decent prices
Close to New West Skytrain

We Rate Tre Galli Gelato:

Address:
810 Quayside Dr
New Westminster, BC

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Karmavore – The Vegan Shop

Karmavore is a vegan shop in the heart of New Westminster. They have a eco-friendly retail shop on the main level and a grocery store/deli in the basement. They are 100% vegan. It’s the perfect spot if you are vegan.

They have a few tables downstairs, but the space isn’t too large. You can find some unique items here. We were drawn here by their root beer floats but it turns out they were not available. We were quite sad, but we decided to grab some other snack and drinks since we were there anyways.

We consumed the following:

English Breakfast Tea ($1.75)
Carob Peanut Butter Puck ($2.50)
Edible Flours Mini Red velvet Cupcake ($1.99)
Happy Planet Lost lagoon Mango Smoothie ($2.79)
King Island Coconut Water ($1.49)

Overall, we were a bit disappointed since they didn’t have the root beer float even though it was still written on their chalk board. As we ordered our pastries, they were quite hesitant to give us a plate since we wanted to eat it in the shop. It seems like it really was a “grab n go” deli. Nonetheless, it’s a good spot to go to if you work or live in the area to grab something.

We Rate Karmavore:

Address:
610 Columbia Street
New Westminster, BC

Website:
http://www.karmavore.ca/

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Downtown New Westminster

As we finished our snack, we walked around Columbia Street to see what was in the area. We stopped by the Trapp + Holbrook presentation center and had a tour of their apartments. It was very pretty and I was so amazed by their fridges since it was built into their cabinets.

We check out most of the stores on Columbia street and walked up a giant hill onto 6th st. We huffed and we puffed and then we went to Blenz to grab a drink before heading back down to the River Market for dinner. We also found some vegemite and marmite at Sherlock’s Cafe.

The Boathouse

For our dinner, we decided to get our fill of seafood by going to the Boathouse. It is located right by the River Market and is known for their steaks and seafood. As we arrived, we were really looking forward to oysters and lobsters. Unfortunately, they already sold out of lobster tails and Shrimp Kisses. We were very disappointed since it was very early in the evening, so there was no way they would have been sold out. It was a weekend, so it didn’t make sense they wouldn’t be prepared for the weekend rush of customers.

@depotato and @seapotato decided to get 3 course dinner set for $35 instead.

Complementary bread was very good. It was fluffy in the center and nice and nice and crisp on the outside. It also came with some herb butter to spread.

Boathouse original West-coast Chowder didn’t seem very hearty like how a chowder is supposed to be.

Crispy Calamari comes with Tzatziki. It was nice and tender. Very soft and chewy.

6 Kusshi Oysters + 6 Royal Miyagi Oysters ($17.99) tasted good and their tastes were a bit different, but Kusshi is definitely the better oyster. What I noticed when I reviewed by photos was how battered the oysters looked. Whoever shucked these were quite aggressive with them.

Thai Crab Cakes ($12.99) comes with 3 pieces and the taste was alright, but we did notice there was not a lot of crab meat compared to the amount of bread crumbs.

Mixed Seafood Grill has grilled sockeye, crab stuffed jumbo prawns, pan seared sea scallops and fire grilled prawns with tomato pesto orzo and vegetables.

7oz Sirloin Steak with stuffed prawns ($29.99) was asked to be cooked medium rare, but the cut of meat was very tough.It seemed to be cooked medium instead. I just left it since I didn’t want to be picky. They gave M a steak knife for his steak, but didn’t give me one for some reason. So, I just assumed I would use my regular knife. It was very hard to cut, I had to use a lot of strength to cut up my steak.

14oz Prime New York Steak ($39.99) was what M ordered and it was a huge steak. He ordered it rare and there are visible grill lines. On the menu it states “the top .2% of world class beef – the best quality available and exclusively cut for Boathouse”. M did not think the quality was there. He was quite disappointed as well.

Molten Chocolate Brownie ($8.99) is served warm with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and strawberries on the side. M said the brownie was very warm and the ice cream definitely balanced it out.

Famous Mud pie is also known as the mocha ice cream pie. It comes with a chocolate ganache sauce and maple almonds. It did taste good.

Creme Brulee was ok according to @depotato. She did say the crust was very hard and it made it a bit bitter.

Overall, I was not satisfied with the service or food at this Boathouse location. I’ve been to other Boathouse locations and the quality was not here. I would not return to this location again. Even though we told the server that it was @seapotato’s birthday, they did not provide a sparkler on her cake compared to the other customers in the restaurant. Also, they charged us for the cake when it was supposed to be complimentary. You can pay the same price at Black & Blue Downtown to get better quality…and pay less.

Words of Wisdom:

Quality is not there
Overpriced
Inconsistent service amongst customers

We Rate Boathouse:
Address:
900 Quayside Dr
New Westminster, BC

Website:
http://www.boathouserestaurants.ca/

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In Back Bay

Au Bon Pain: It Came From Boston, Not Paris

June 11, 2012

Au Bon Pain is a chain of cafes that originated in Boston. The cafe can be found all around the world from Taiwan to Kuwait with over 250 locations. The idea came about at Faneuil Hall Marketplace in 1978, where founder Louis Kane wanted to bring fresh-baked goods to the people of Boston.

While I was visiting Boston, I would constantly bump into this cafe. At first glance, I would not think it originated in Boston. After Ange bugged my to try something besides Starbucks, I decided to check it out.

The interior remind me of a cafeteria. It’s layout is a little bit strange for my liking, but it’s layout is supposed to resemble a marketplace. They have an assortment of baked goods, soups and a bunch of other items.

There is also a counter to order freshly made sandwiches, wraps and salads that can be highly customized.

As I was just needing a snack, I grabbed a cappuccino and a chocolate croissant.

Cappuccino was quite bad. It was very heavy and it seemed more like a latte instead. There was barely any foam and was not representative of the calories indicated on their menu.

Chocolate Croissant was a bit disappointing too. It didn’t have a flakey texture that a croissant is supposed to have. It has powdered sugar and a chocolate drizzle on top.

On the inside, the croissant has a bread-like consistency and hollow is the center. It was quite mediocre and nothing too special. You could tell it was sitting out for a while. It might be good to heat it up in their microwave for a few seconds.

Overall, Au Bon Pain is good if you want something quick and decent. It’s not good if you have high expectations. Service is also quite mediocre.

Words of Wisdom:

Complementary Wifi
Quick and fast

We Rate Au Bon Pain:

Address:
26 Park Plz
Boston, MA

Website:
http://www.aubonpain.com/

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In 24 hours

St. Viateur Bagel & Cafe: Awesome Montreal Bagels

June 1, 2012

St. Viateur Bagel and Cafe is known best for their freshly made bagels. It is a family owned business since 1957. They are open 24 hours and sell about 1000 bagels each day! This isn’t their original location, but they still make fresh bagels here too.

CanuckGirl and I were passing by and we just had to have a taste of their famous bagels!

Right at the counter of the cashier, you can see them make all the bagels. They are very fresh! If you look into the oven, they have a few dozen in their making. It’s really fun seeing them work their magic.

Their mascot is called sesame and he can be seen depicted on their bags, murals and interior decor.

Sesame Bagel ($0.70) was still very hot when we got it. We decided to get this flavour since the mascot is a sesame bagel. It was the most mazing bagel I’ve ever had. 1000000x better than anything in Vancouver. We ate this bagel right away and it was crunchy on the outside and super hot and chewy on the inside.

Words of Wisdom: