Noodles Archives - Page 5 of 6

In Cafe

Sunny Spot Cafe: Xi’an Street Food on Main Street

February 10, 2015

Sunny Spot Cafe isn’t a place I would normally go to. I’ve passed by several times, but never took notice until Mags told me to come here for lunch. It is owned by a husband and wife that make all the Xi’an Street Food dishes by hand.

It’s only 2 of them working and they really make their customers feel at home.

We got seated promptly as it wasn’t too busy during the weekday lunch rush. We then asked for tea and ice water as we browsed through the menu.

The menu isn’t very large, but they have the basics – dumplings, soups, salad, noodles, and their specialty buns. All items are under $10 and is quite affordable.

Handmade Pork Dumplings ($8) comes with 10 pieces and are boiled. If you eat them by themselves, it is a bit bland, so you need a touch of sauce or the chilli oil to enhance their flavour.

Tripe and Glass Noodle in Hot and Sour Soup ($6) is very spicy and piping hot when it comes out.

Biang Biang Handcrafted Shaanxi Thick Noodles with Beef ($8) both Mags and Min ordered this dish and they thought it was good. Tasted very homey.

I’ve never been to Xi’an to tell if this is authentic or not, but the food tastes like what your parents would serve you. Good food, no fuss. The owners are nice and put a lot of love in their food that they serve. There’s one item that I didn’t try here, but I will have to next time – braised pork bun.

We Rate Sunny Spot Cafe:

Address:
2543 Main St Vancouver, BC

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

In Fairview

#DiningAsian2014: Benkei Ramen

August 26, 2014

From August 1 to 31, when you order featured Dining Asian dishes at participating restaurants, proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. This is their second year hosting this campaign and the participating restaurants are:

Benkei Noodle Shop
Tamarind Hill
Scoop
Fatty Hi Chinese Restaurant
Friend’s BBQ Restaurant
Next Noodle Bar

Money raised for the Canadian Cancer Society goes towards funding cancer research, providing support services that inform and empower people living with cancer, leading prevention initiatives and advocating for healthy public policies. It’s an organization that is dear to my heart. When you tweet or instagram their featured dish with #DiningAsian2014, you can be entered to win prizes.

I came to Benkei with Phyllis to catch up over a bowl of yummy noodles. There used to be a bunch of Benkei locations, but this is now the last left. I remember coming to Benkei often when there were not a lot of ramen options on Robson street.

At Benkei Ramen, they are featuring their Shio TanTan noodles with a spicy buta-don for $10.50 for the #diningasian campaign.

The meal is quite big for lunch and will fill you up.

Shio TanTan had a lot of yummy rich pork broth with a side of egg. The noodles were cooked nicely and this was quite enjoyable.

Spicy Buta-Don tasted a bit strange as the pork was dry and overcooked that it just tasted like flaked tuna. I wasn’t impressed by this item. I think this was the same pork used in the ramen, but I don’t think I noticed as much since the broth helped moisten the pork.

Overall, it’s good to revisit Benkei after all these years, but I think I will stick to the ramen for now.

We Rate Benkei Ramen:

Address:
545 West Broadway Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.benkeiramen.com/

In Gastown

Taishoken Ramen: Newest Ramen Shop in Vancouver

July 13, 2014

Taishoken Ramen is the newest ramen join in Vancouver. It is located right across from Tinsel Town. During their soft opening, they were offering ramen up for $5. Sadly, I don’t like lines so I never ended up trying it in it’s first week. Once that deal was over, there are rarely any lines and there’s always a spot to sit. The ramen is around $9 – $14, so it is a bit pricey for the ramen they have on the menu.

Taishoken is a Japanese chain and is best known for their tsukemen. They have a small variety of ramen, but you can find the usual – miso, shio, and spicy.

The interior has a communal table in the centre and more seats on the side for groups of 2 or 4. I’ve been here twice so far for lunch and dinner, but it’s not too busy.

On the table, you have pepper, chili oil, soy sauce and vinegar to add to your meal.

Special Spicy Ramen has 6 pieces of pork belly, a soft egg, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, scallions, and seaweed. I got the least spicy version and it was quite spicy. They give you a jug of unseasoned broth to add, so you can adjust the flavour. The pork belly was delicious and fatty. Yum.

The special size gives you extra soft boiled egg, extra chachu, and extra nori.

The egg was soft but not too oozy.

Special Tsukemen was what M ordered and he chose the pork shoulder. It is more lean than the pork belly. The noodle is cold and in a separate plate so you dip it into the broth to eat. I find that most people order this item. It’s really good and addictive. M always orders this now.

Overall, it’s decent ramen but there are still better ones in Vancouver. The Tsukemen is pretty good and its one item you should order when you’re here.

We Rate Taishoken Ramen:

Address:
515 Abbott St
Vancouver BC

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/taishokenramen.vancouver

In Bubble Tea

Shang Noodle House 尚麵館: Snack and Ramen

June 27, 2014

Shang Noodle House is a restaurant of the Kirin Group. We actually wanted to go to Kirin in the Starlight Casino location, but sadly their last call ended for Dim Sum, so our only option was to try Shang Noodle House. They share the same kitchen as Kirin, so you will find similar quality in food. I find the food items a strange mix of Hong Kong Style Cafe and Japanese Ramen Shop.

The interior is nice and has a lot of seating. As it was around 2pm, this place was pretty empty.

Mango Calpis ($3.50) was what a few of us ordered and it comes in the big bubble tea cups.

Steamed Shanghai Pork Dumplings ($4.58) comes with 4 pieces. The quality was ok, but still isn’t as addictive as Dinesty or Din Tai Fung.

Deep Fried Crispy Tofu ($4.28) has a lot of pieces for the order. Great for sharing.

Slider of Sliced Braised Beef Shank with Pan Fried Onion ($4.28) comes with the 2 sliders. It’s deliciously crispy on the outside.

Sliced Braised Beef Shank ($6.88) has 12 pieces and another great dish to share.

Roasted Pork Belly ($6.88) is yummy! The skin is very crispy and it’s dripping with flavour.

Malaysian-style Traditional Ramen with Chicken, Prawn and Squid in Spicy Laksa Soup ($9.88) was a huge bowl, but the overall taste was nothing like ramen or laksa.

Deep Fried Chicken Fillet Japanese Ramen in Pork Broth ($9.88) was what M ordered and it was good that all the fried items came on a separate dish so it does not get soggy in the ramen.

M had similar comments with the ramen not even close to being Japanese style. It was a still a big decent bowl of noodles.

Traditional Ramen with Spicy Meat Sauce ($7.88) had large portions too.

We found all the snacks to be great value and tasted really good. When we had the noodles, it was pretty unimpressive. I would stay away from the noodles and share a bunch of snacks…kinda like dim sum style.

We Rate Shang Noodle House:

Address:
350 Gifford Street
New Westminster BC

Website:
http://www.shangnoodlehouse.com/

In Four Beakers

Ask For Luigi: Dining on Mothers Day

June 6, 2014

Ask For Luigi is located in Gastown and has pretty awesome fresh pasta. My sisters and I came here for Mothers Day and we were fortunate enough to get a reservation. We made the reservation a few weeks prior just to avoid disappointment. This is my second visit as I really enjoyed my first visit.

When we got there at 5:30pm, there was a large line up. A handful of people didn’t have reservations, so some of them were lucky to get a seat and other had to come back later in the evening.

I would try to get a reservation, if not, put your name down and just head to a close lounge/bar for a drink. A good option is the Alibi Room.

Beef Carpaccio ($14) was the special for the night and it had garlic chips, capers, and a few other ingredients. Sprinkle some lemon on top and its quite delicious.

Anchovies & Eggs ($9) comes with 4 slices of bread, and the eggs with anchovies.

It’s a pretty neat dish and strangely visually appealing. The egg with the soft creamy yolk, anchovies, and roe. Eggs on Egg!

Luigi’s Meatballs ($14) comes with 3 pieces and toasted bread. These were a good size and perfect for sharing around the table.

Risotto ($17) has asparagus and topped with a piece of smoked sablefish. I think this is the most beautiful risotto I have ever eaten. This was really good!

Pappardelle and Duck Ragu ($19) is always a hit. It’s not too salty and is also quite addictive. You must order this.

Gluten-Free Pasta with pancetta, chilies & tomato sauce was what my little sister ordered. She’s celiac, so we were glad they had the option on the menu. It was ok, but not as exciting as the other pasta dishes.

Tagliatelle, fennel sausage & rapin ($18) was another pasta we had and it was good too!

Olive Oil Cake ($8) has slices of candied oranges on the bottom and topped with ricotta cheese, basil and a drizzle of olive oil. It was delicious!

Overall, the whole family was very happy with all the dishes and they could not stop eating. For the best experience, I would suggest making reservations at 5:30pm for their first seating as the service is fast and won’t disappoint.

We Rate Ask for Luigi:

Address:
305 Alexander Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.askforluigi.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=305+Alexander+St&sll=49.2844485,-123.0976786&sspn=0.0053748,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=305+Alexander+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6A+1C4&z=16 “]

In Japanese

Kinton Ramen: Ramen in Korea Town

May 9, 2014

Located in Toronto’s Korea Town (near Christie Station), Kinton Ramen is easy to spot. There are two floors at this location — ground floor is for dining and the above floor is an Izakaya (Japanese pub/bar).

The place was quite full when Huhu and I arrive but we got seats at the high table in less than 2 minutes. (If you’re willing to wait, I would try to get a lower table at the back because I had a hard time settling into the high chair).

I love eating out at Japanese places since I’ve found a liking towards draft Sapporo. Huhu and I cheered on a better week ahead (it was Sunday night). The pint of Sapporo ($5.80) tasted good as usual. I just wished there was a thin layer of foam at the top.

The menu was designed so you work from top to bottom.

pick broth base (pork or chicken)
pick flavour
pick noodle
pick meat
pick additional/optional toppings.

I had pork base shoyu ramen with thin noodles and pork belly. I found the meat more fattening than I would have liked (I preferred the meat from Santoukou near Younge x Dundas Square). Because of the fat from the meat, my broth had lots of pork fat floating around. If you discount the floating fat, the broth itself had clean taste to it. To be honest, there wasn’t anything special. Just a normal bowl of ramen. The portion was big — I couldn’t finish it all.

Huhu had pork base spicy garlic ramen with thin noodles and pork belly. As the name suggests, this bowl is very very garlic-y and spicy. If you’re on a date, try to get something else!

It was difficult to have a conversation with my friend there because the music was so loud. But at least I liked their playlist.

We Rate Kinton Ramen:

Address:
668 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON, Canada M6G 1L2

Website:
http://kintonramen.com/

In East Village

Laksa King: Laksa and Roti

May 3, 2014

M and I were craving some laksa and we were passing by Laksa King restaurant. The last time I came here was in 2011, which it was called Bo Laksa King, but Bo has left and now it’s just called Laksa King. With new owners, comes with new interior look with booths and a new mural painting.

The mural looks like a diner with some classic cars in the front. I thought this was a bit odd since this is a Burmese restaurant.

The menu more or less has stayed the same.

Nasi Goreng ($9.25) has stir fry rice with egg, shrimp, beef, shrimp paste, chilli and shredded lettuce. It tasted ok, but it all tasted quite bland and dry.

Laksa ($8.75) has your choice of vermicelli or yellow noodles served with tiger prawns, fish ball, tofu buff, hard boiled egg, chicken and a coconut curry broth. It was a tad spicy, but it is full of deep flavours.

Roti Canai (large – $6.99) has 2 pieces with the curry dip in the centre. The roti was beautifully crispy on the outside and it went really well with the dip. I could eat this all day.

Overall, the food was ok. It was a bit weird dining here since we were the only table dining here. Plus, even though we were the only ones here, the service was cold and not nice.

We rate Laksa King:

Address:
2546 E Hastings St
Vancouver, BC V5K

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

In Kid Friendly

Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina: Pizza and Pasta in Vegas

April 13, 2014

Inside the The Shops at Crystals right beside Aria is Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria and Cucina. My parents were raving about this place and how addictive their pasta was the day before. I was intrigued and I wanted to come here to see what they were talking about.

It has a warm and inviting atmosphere. Perfect for families. We came right when it opened and by 1pm, there was a good amount of people dining.

The other side of the restaurant, you can get a view of all the shops. Plus its great for people watching.

Shirley Temple was what my mom was craving. It is made using a mix of Grenadine syrup and soda. We were sad they didn’t use the recipe with orange juice.

Complimentary bread arrived at the table before the rest of the meal came. It is delicious rustic bread with a few pieces of butter on the side. The bread was really soft in the centre and crispy on the outside.

Prime Beef Carpaccio has roasted garlic aioli, crispy artichokes, goat cheese, and arugula. Oh man, this was addictive. Highly recommended.

Veal Ravioli has porcini mushrooms in a brown butter sauce and crisp sage on top. My sister thought it was a bit salty for her liking but the first few bites were good.

Rigatoncini is smothered in piemontese meat sauce, garlic, and parmesan reggiano. The sauce gets into the inside of the pasta so you get a good amount of sauce in each bite.

Spaghetti has tomatoes, basil, garlic with housemade meatballs. Very classic and simple dish. The meatballs were huge and it is very filling. My sister and my dad really liked this.

Wild Mushroom pizza has bechamel, fontina, thyme, and arugula on top. It has a thin crust and perfectly crisp all the way through.

Overall, the food was done pretty well and no complaints.

We Rate Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina:

Address:
3720 S Las Vegas Blvd
Las Vegas, NV

Website:
http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/53877

In Korean

KOBOB Burger: Korean Rice Burgers

March 24, 2014

A new restaurant has opened up a few blocks from my office. I was really excited because I’ve never had a Korean rice burger before. Rice Burgers have been popping around Vancouver for a while, but there was never a restaurant dedicated to it as their main feature.

Guu Garden used to have rice burgers as part of their lunch specials, but they don’t offer it anymore.

KOBOB Burgers is Korean owned and is family-run. The husband and wife duo – Colin Park and Connie Mun opened up the restaurant to share the delicious taste of Korean cuisine with the local community.

The menu has Bibimbob, Ramyeon, Korean Rice Burgers, and Korean Pancakes. The prices are very affordable for lunch.

The restaurant is quite small, so it can’t sit large groups. A lot of my coworkers come here to do take out or come with a smaller group.

The Korean Rice Burger is all wrapped up and put into a container.

Spicy Pork Korean Rice Burger with egg ($6 + $0.50) each side of the rice patty has seaweed and sesame seeds embedded into it. In addition to the spicy pork and egg, there is pickled radishes, and corn.

It is definitely a bit hard to eat as the rice is sticky, so I eat it with chopsticks rather than eating it like a traditional burger. The amount your get is pretty good. You will get full.

All of the flavours combined reminded me of a bibimbob, but in another format. I really like Korean food and all their yummy flavours, so thats why I enjoyed it.

Ramyeon with dumplings was simple and satisfying. This can be a bit spicy for some.

Overall, the food is simple and makes a great lunch in the neighbourhood. The prices are great and you will leave with your belly full. As they are still fairly new, they still have a few kinks to work out.

We Rate KOBOB Burgers:

Address:
1019 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/kobob.burger

In Cafe

Deer Garden Signatures 鹿園魚湯米線: DIY Noodle Combos

March 16, 2014

KoreanGirl had major cravings for laksa so we all went to Deer Garden Signatures on Fraser street. It was a far drive for us, but it was worth it to give this place a try. Too bad there isn’t one near Burnaby.

Deer Garden Signatures is best known for their noodle combos for $8.50.

Looking at the noodle combos menu, it looked like a great deal since you also get a drink to go with it. You choose your soup base, type of noodles, toppings, drink and any additional side dishes you want to order.

As you wait you get tea.

Coffee Milk Tea Mix is what I ordered. Really good! Most people usually order the coffee milk tea mix or just the regular milk tea. Can’t go wrong with either.

The side dishes arrived first. Pan Seared Ox Tongue ($1.95) was so tender! So flavourful too. Best tongue I’ve had in a long time. The sprinkle of salt and pepper on top was perfect to accentuate its flavour.

Pan Fried boneless chicken in teriyaki sauce ($1.75) pretty good!

Deep fried pork chop ($1.75) was another side dish and it was not bad. Pretty decent.

Desert wings with ginger ($1.75) came piping hot. It was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It has a distinct taste of ginger and white pepper.

Laksa with sliced beef brisket, specialty pork sausage and fish puffs. The bowl was huge! It comes with a bunch of other toppings as well, so you aren’t just getting what you ordered.

Overall, the food here was good and satisfying for a rainy cold day. Service is alright. You have a bell at your table to call for the servers to come. I do find that they do mix up orders and that some items are missed, so you need to check what you ordered properly. The pricing is decent and noodles are highly customizable, but it can add up. It’s also cash only.

We Rate Deer Garden Signatures:

Address:
6270 Fraser St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.deergarden.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=6270+Fraser+St&sll=49.2276641,-123.0906887&sspn=0.005381,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=6270+Fraser+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5W&z=16″]

In Four Beakers

Ask for Luigi: Yummy Pasta in Gastown

March 15, 2014

Ask for Luigi is a casual Italian-inspired restaurant serving up fresh handmade pasta. It is located in Railtown where the old 2 Chefs a Table until they closed the location. There is some free parking in the area.

The way you order is family-style, so all dishes are meant to be shared among the table. The appetizers arrive first and then the pasta dishes quickly follow. They have some gluten-free option available each day. They also do take-out too.

FoodQueen and I tried making a reservation on a Wednesday for a Sunday dinner and all their reservations were all gone. But, they said to come at 5:30pm and we would have a high chance at getting a spot.

It was 5:29pm and there were already people inside with 70% of the tables occupied. By 5:45pm, this place was packed! Not a single seat was left. People are crazy about their pasta. Some people have indicated that they had to wait over an hour for a table. Best to come early or attempt to make a reservation.

Fried Cauliflower & Aioli ($10) is their most popular appetizer. It reminded me of Nuba’s Najib’s Special. Really good!

Bocconcini Fritti ($9) is a vegetarian dish and its is essentially deep-fried cheese balls.

Oh boy, was it ooey and gooey with the cheese super stringy and dripping out.

Beef Carpaccio ($14) is topped was many different ingredients and sauces. It was our favourite appetizer. It’s a bit hard to taste the real flavour of the beef with all the fragrant toppings, but it was still very enjoyable.

Pappardelle & Duck Ragu ($19) was the pasta that we ordered. The thick pasta they used was perfect and it latched onto the sauce. The shreds of duck was yummy and tender.

Overall, FoodQueen and I enjoyed our dinner. The service was good and the food came quite quickly. We were all done within an hour. We were glad we came early so we didn’t have to wait in line.

We Rate Ask for Luigi:

Address:
305 Alexander Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.askforluigi.com/

In Cafe

Cafe Mai-Mai: Pho and Waffles

March 9, 2014

Cafe Mai-Mai is located in Marpole and is a family run Vietnamese cafe. They serve up Pho, Bahn Mi sandwiches, rice dishes, coffee and waffles. Their food also doesn’t contain any MSG.

M, Scarface, Mandy and I headed here after work to chow down on some pho. Pho is really just amazing winter comfort food with it’s warm broth heating you up from the inside.

Cafe de l’Orangerie previously occupied this place but has since moved to another location. Similar look but refreshed walls.

Vietnamese Coffee ($3.50) has the layer of condensed milk and then the coffee dripping from the top container.

Once it’s done dripping, you give it a good mix and then you can add your ice. What I like about this place is that they put a good amount of water so it make a cup of coffee. You definitely have enough to last you through the meal. It was good.

Shrimp salad rolls ($5.50) comes with 2 huge pieces cut in half, so you get 4 pieces. You have the noodles, shrimp, lettuce wrapped up in the rice paper. It also comes with sauce to dip it into.

The salad rolls are made to order, so they are fresh and slightly warm.

Spring rolls ($5.50) comes with 3 rolls and cut up in half to create 6 pieces. It’s crispy on the outside and savoury on the inside. There is also fish sauce to dip it into.

Vietnamese special ham and sausage sub (9″ – $4.49) is filled with vietnamese mayo, pate, pickled carrot, daikon, cucumber, cilantro and the ham and sausage. I wasn’t that hungry, so the 9″ was a good size.

Lemon grass chicken rice ($7.49) is served with vegetables, pickled carrot, daikon, cucumber and dish sauce. You also have the salad on the side.

#2 Phở đặc biệt (tái) House special pho ($7.80) has medium rare beef slices, flank, tendon, tripe, beef ball, and rice noodle in soup. It has no MSG and used some thin tender beef. The pho comes in only one size but it is comparable to a large size.

#11 Phở tái nạm, gân, sách ($7.50) has medium rare beef slices, beef flank, beef tendon, beef tripe, and rice noodle in soup. It was a large bowl, so

Single waffle($5) comes with butter and maple sauce. It’s the best way to try the waffle since it is crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Scarface and Mandu really loved the waffle and would stop eating them until it was all gone from the plate.

Waffle, apple, top with vanilla ice cream and strawberry sauce ($7.50) was ok, but the toppings was a let down. I’ve never seen wedges of apples on top of a waffle. They could definitely improve their toppings in the future.

The food at Cafe Mai-Mai was pretty average, there’s still a few kinks they need to work out on their menu. The prices are quite fair and you’ll be full.

We Rate Cafe Mai-Mai:

Address:
8636 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.cafemaimai.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=8636+Granville+St&sll=49.2080257,-123.1403123&sspn=0.0053832,0.0109864&t=m&hnear=8636+Granville+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6P+5A1&z=16 “]

In Chinese

Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant 부천성: Lunch in Pohang, Korea

March 8, 2014

Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant 부천성 is located in Pohang. We came here for lunch and what I always find interesting is that no matter where you find Chinese food in Korea, it’s never authentic. They always have their own version of Chinese food.

I actually don’t mind it. In my mind, I will always think its Korean food. Just wait till the Koreans discover dim sum, they will be mind blown.

The inner decor was simple. Nothing fancy. There was a good amount of people here for lunch.

Complimentary side dishes arrived – kimchi, pickled radish, onions and bean paste. You dip the onion into the bean paste and it magically counteracts the intensity of the onion. It’s weird, but it works.

Honey Almond Shrimp has deep-fried prawns smothered in a mayo mixture and topped with almond slices.

Noodles with Black bean Sauce (Jajangmyeon) was ordered by everyone. There is the noodle underneath and the black bean sauce on top.

Fried Rice with Seafood comes with a bit of black bean sauce on the side and a light soup. This is an item I always order. Black bean sauce is really good and when you add it to the fried rice, it’s pretty damn good. Too bad I didn’t really like how they made the fried rice.

At the end of the meal, we got these sticky sweet potatoes as a complimentary dessert. We all thought this was pretty meh.

We also got coffee at the end of the meal. Wasn’t very good either.

Overall, the restaurant was decent, but we all agreed Taesan Chinese Restaurant is still better for Korean Chinese food.

We rate Bu Chun Sung Chinese Restaurant:

Website:
http://xn--or3bo1es8m.kr/skin15/index.php

Address:
656-13 I-dong, Nam-Gu, Pohang-si,
Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://www.google.ca/maps?q=%EB%B6%80%EC%B2%9C%EC%84%B1&ie=UTF8&ll=36.028486,129.337449&spn=0.010221,0.021136&sll=36.0282921,129.3374541&sspn=0.0066637,0.0109864&t=m&cid=0xa41eb0cf2b3d3dd3&hq=%EB%B6%80%EC%B2%9C%EC%84%B1&z=16&iwloc=A “]

In Japanese

Kamamarui Ramen: Korean-Style Ramen

March 4, 2014

My sister and another friend highly recommended Kamamarui in South Burnaby for some delicious eats. They opened up near the end of last year and is know for their ramen and their “bomb”. The pictures looked great online, so I went with M for dinner.

I’ve always be wary coming here after the tragic incident 2 years ago.

The interior is simplistic and modern. You will see grey concrete walls, with wooden furniture. We assumed this place was Japanese-run, but once we walked into the door, we realized it was Korean-run. M knew obviously cause he’s Korean. We don’t see many Korean-run ramen joints in town. A lot of Korean-run Sushi places, but not ramen.

I’m not sure what the connection is but there is also a Kamamarui Ramen in Seoul, Korea too. Similar items but not exactly the same.

They even have the rear end of dogs as cute coat hangers.

Their menu is quite simple, they offer ramen, dons and a few side dishes.

Bomb ($3) is a rice ball seasoned with seaweed and teriyaki sauce. It is also topped with some sesame seeds. It’s a very popular item to be ordered, but I thought it lacked much flavour. There’s no filling inside, so its just the rice and seaweed.

Miso Ramen ($9) has a miso and pork soup base seasoned with miso flavour, green onions, bean sprout, and 2 slabs of chashu. The flavour of the broth really lacked depth and was very light. The pork was lean cut, so you don’t get the fatty delicious bits. Still…those are huge pieces of meat.

If you get the ramen and bomb combo, it’s $10.50, so you save $1.50.

Chicken Mini Don had the rice on the bottom, with flavourful chicken on top with some teriyaki sauce and a bit of peas.

Tonkotsu Ramen ($9) has a pork soup base with soy flavour, green onions, bean sprouts, and chashu. It’s similar to the Miso ramen but just with a different broth. I found a similar problem with the broth, it also lacked depth and was light in flavour.

You can get the mini don and the ramen for $14.50 as a combo.

The service was atrocious! Thats what pissed M off more than the food. They seemed like they are understaffed or inexperienced. We waited by the door to be seated, but no one acknowledged us there. The empty tables all had dishes still piled on top and seemed neglected. It took them a long time to take our order since all the staff seemed to have disappeared to the kitchen for some time. We also asked for more tea and water but none came back. They seemed quite frazzled and the whole experience just declined from there. They also mixed up our orders too.

Overall, the food is decent for Burnaby. It still doesn’t compare to the ones Downtown, but at least you don’t have to drive all the way downtown to get some ramen. M still prefers to go to Hakkaku Ramen in North Burnaby.

We Rate Kamamarui Ramen:

Address:
6514 Royal Oak Avenue
Burnaby, BC

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In lunch

Tealicious Richmond: Taiwanese Cuisine

January 21, 2014

Tealicious Taiwanese Cuisine is located in Richmond in a plaza near Cambie Road and Sexsmith Road. M and I were with CoffeeLover and he took us here to have some good noodles. They were open since August 2013 and serves up authentic Taiwanese dishes.

I’ve never heard of this place but was excited to give it a try.

Beef Noodle Soup ($6.75) has the beef broth some thick noodles and bits of beef. M thought it was ok. Not as good as some of the other places in town.

Black Pepper Chicken With Rice ($8.50) was huge! There is also some cold side dishes to accompany the meal. It was worth the price as you get pretty full. The chicken was tender and had the coating similar to salt and peppery chicken.

Seafood Noodle Soup 海鮮麵 ($8.95) was CoffeeLovers favourite item to order. There’s lots of seafood like fish, squid, and shrimp in it.

Overall, the food was ok. Nothing very special about the items that they have here.

We Rate Tealicious Richmond:

Address:
2116-3779 Sexsmith Rd
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.tealiciousrichmond.com/

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In Cambodian

24 Train Express Noodle House: New Pho Restaurant in Yaletown

December 23, 2013

There is a new Vietnamese/Cambodian restaurant in Yaletown. KoreanGirl, Mandu and I came here for lunch to devour bowls of pho. There’s no other Vietnamese restaurant in the area, so it’s nice to have something different around this area.

24 Train Express Noodle House is located in the previous locations of Sunset Burgers and Ace Burger Bar.

There’s outdoor seating, but it was a cold day so no one was there.

It’s packed during lunch, but the turnover of the table are quite quick.

Their menus have a different restaurant name on their menus. Perhaps they are part of the Gold Train Express chain of pho restaurants. They have one near UBC.

Spring Rolls ($5.80) comes with 2 pieces. It’s not uniformly shaped like other places, but it was decent and crunchy.

#14 Pho Tai Nam, Gan, Sach (Small – $6.50, Large – $7.50, XL – $8.75) has rare steak, tendon, tripe, brisket and noodle in soup.

#10 Pho Tai, Sach (Small – $6.50, Large – $7.50, XL – $8.75) has Rare steak, tripe and noodles in soup.

The different types of pho was decent. Nothing really special about it but it’s a easy quick lunch. Mandu said the broth was not as flavourful as other places, but was quite light.

The pho comes with lemons, bean sprouts, and basil. We asked for the bean sprouts to be cooked and they were nice enough to do so.

Overall, the food is decent with large portions and the prices are pretty good for this area.

We Rate 24 Train Express Noodle House:

Address:
550 Nelson Street
Vancouver, BC

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In Insadong

Pomodoro 뽀모도로: Spaghetti in Insadong

December 10, 2013

Our last night in Seoul, we headed to the Insadong area to have some pasta at Pomodoro. M’s sister recommended that we come have some delicious pasta here. She came here a few years ago and recall that it was good.

The space inside is small, so there isn’t a large amount of seats.

Below is their full menu. There’s English, so you won’t have a hard time ordering at all.

Complimentary Pickles and Jalapeños arrive at the table before the meal. It’s customary in Korean meals to have side dishes free of charge. These items were nothing special, but it’s something you can munch on while waiting for your meal.

Insalta mista di stagione (6,500 won) was a strange salad. It had sprouts at the top, greens, cherry tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and corn.

Spaghetti alla carbonara (14,500 won) has bacon and cream sauce.

Penne alla Fiesolana e Melanzane (13,000 won) has mozzarella cheese, eggplant and a tomato basil sauce.

Risotto alla Funghi (15,500 won) is Italian style rice with mushrooms and cream sauce. This dish was quite large and very very rich. I had a hard time eating it as it was quite salty.

Spaghetti ca carni capuliata (15,500 won) has chicken and vegetables in a tomato sauce.

Overall, all the pastas were ok. The food here was pretty expensive and you can get a lot better Korean food with that money. Perhaps something changed over the years because M’s sister also said it wasn’t as good as before.

We Rate Pomodoro:

Address:
6 Gwanhun-dong (28-1 Insadong-gil)
Jongno-gu, Seoul
South Korea

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In BBQ

Chengdu Szechuan Bistro 成都美食: Drool For Peking Duck

November 26, 2013

Chengdu Szechuan Bistro is located close to the corner of Robson and Denman street and have been around for a little bit over a year now. They specialize in fusion Chinese Szechuan cuisine. It’s a family run restaurant and Executive Chef Henry has over 20 years of cooking experience from Hong Kong and Canada.

I came here with a few friends to check it out and we heard they have peking duck, so it peaked our attention.

The interior isn’t too large but it has a row of booths, some bar seats, and some tables near the front. It has a lounge feel to this place as there is a large bar.

Peking Duck with 12 crepes is served with green onions, cucumber, and hoisin sauce. On top of the duck are prawn chips. The duck and the crepes are all made in-house. This is their signature dish.

The skin is nice and crispy with a good layer of meat underneath. Probably one of the best quality peking ducks around town. It wasn’t too fatty either. Super moist and yummy.

You take a little bit of everything and wrap it in the crepe. It’s really good. Highly recommended!!

The second part of the peking duck meal is the lettuce wraps. The rest of the duck meat and stir fries it. On the side, there are 6 lettuce wraps for you to put to ingredients into.

Just roll it up and begin munching away. Delicious! We definitely needed more lettuce wraps since 6 were not enough.

The perfect things to pair with the peking duck is with beer! I ordered a bottle of Tsingtao beer. Asian beer with asian food is a good mix.

Chengdu Special Fried Rice ($12) has house special fried rice with shrimp, chinese sausage, onions, jalapeño, broccoli stem in a spicy Szechuan style. This fried rice was definitely spicy with the jalapeño and Szechuan sauce. It’s finally good to see a fried rice that can pack some heat. If you like spicy food, you’ll like the rice.

Ginger Beef ($11) has crunchy beef in spicy ginger kung pao sauce with onions, carrots and fresh ginger. It’s one of their signature dishes and quite popular amongst guests. The dish was decent.

Mapo Tofu ($9) has soft tofu, spicy ground pork, shrimp, onions, chinese mushrooms and water chestnut.

Szechuan Pan Fried Prawns ($12) has pan-fried prawns in spicy garlic pepper oil. We table had mixed review on this item. Some said it was too salty, but some loved how it had a strong garlic flavour.

Szechuan Green Beans ($8) has long green bean tossed in a spicy Szechuan sauce with ground pork and preserved vegetables. This was really good. A bit oily, but good flavours.

Pumpkin & Red Bean Sticky Rice Cake Ice Cream ($6) nice sweet end to the meal. Its sticky, chewy and a bit sweet. It goes well with the ice cream.

Deep Fried Banana With Ice Cream ($6) has a honey glaze around the battered bananas. A fun dish to share.

Of course there is a fortune cookie. Did you know it’s actually an American invention?

The peking duck dishes are pretty awesome here and would recommend it to anyone. I found the other dishes to be quite average and is a bit more expansive compared to other restaurants.

If you are tired of ramen in the area, definitely come here and try their peking duck. You won’t regret it. Yum.

We Rate Chengdu Szechuan Bistro:

Address:
792 Denman St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
www.chengdubistro.ca

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

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