Type Archives - Page 91 of 125

In Coquitlam

Sushi K Kamizato: Crazy Addictive Sushi

January 27, 2013

One of my favorite restaurants in 2012 and probably 2013 is Sushi K Kamizato in Port Coquitlam. Sushi K Kamizato is run by Chef Keith and his wife Chika in Port Coquitlam.

Salmon and Tuna Karaage comes complementary. It’s really addictive and a great start to the meal. My sister loves these, so every time we are here, she steals half of mine.

Seared Toro Nigiri is my favorite item on their menu. The toro just melts in your mouth! You don’t need any sauce for it, eating it in 2 bites is just perfection. You must order this!!!

Tuna Tataki Salad has spinach, peppers, carrots, and the chunks of tuna tataki on the centre. It’s really good too.

Salmon Sashimi has about 8 pieces and it’s really good quality salmon!

Grilled Aburi Saba comes with some sauteed cabbage and lemon on the side. The lemon definitely goes really well with it, so remember to squeeze it.

Torched Dynamite Roll isn’t on the menu, but having it torched adds a nice taste and texture to the roll.

OceanWiser Roll is a must try when you come here. It has raw ebi, salmon belly and cucumbers on the inside. It is topped with more salmon and avocado. It has its own sauce, so you don’t need to dip it in soy sauce.

PoCo Gunner was shrimp tempura and cucumber in the middle and topped with seared inari. Another popular roll.

Tuna Four-Ways isn’t on the menu, but it’s sometimes on their specials. It’s really good! He prepares tuna four different ways and extends the flavour and texture in each item. It must be eaten in order too. Definitely ask for this!

Pretty in Pink Roll is a special roll created to support anti-bullying. It has seared Japanese scallop in a bed of fresh spinach, brown rice, homemade salsa and garlic sauce. All held together with a pink soybean wrap and raspberry puree drizzle.$1 from each roll sold went towards the Boy & Girls Club of Greater Vancouver.

This is definitely a very healthy roll and it didn’t taste very good at all.

Chopped Scallop comes with 8 pieces and the scallops are large! You really get your moneys worth!

Saba Battera comes in 8 pieces and has mackerel and rice pressed into a box shape. Really good roll as well.

Green Tea Ice Cream is the same as anywhere else that would have green tea ice cream.

Overall, good service and food every time I come here. When the place is busy, expect your food to take a while longer. The strongest items on their menu are definitely anything from the sushi bar that’s raw. The cooked food is slightly lacking the saba is really good.

Words of Wisdom:

Small restaurant
Decently priced, but some items can be a bit expensive
All sushi comes with 8 pieces
Fresh ingredients
Grilled Aburi Saba, Seared Toro Nigiri, OceanWiser Roll, Tuna Tataki Salad, Agedashi Tofu, Salmon Sashimi, Tuna 4 ways, and Spicy & Shout Rolls is recommended!

We Rate Sushi Kamizato:

Address:
2850 Shaughnessy St, suite 2105

Website:
http://www.sushikkamizato.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2850+Shaughnessy+St,+suite+2105&hnear=2850+Shaughnessy+St+%232105,+Port+Coquitlam,+British+Columbia+V3C+6K5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Downtown

Go Go Thai Food: Lunch Specials and Take Out

January 25, 2013

Go Go Thai Food is located on Seymour Street across from Granville Skytrain and the Bay. Is a small little restaurant, but its popular with the lunch crowd for either Take Out or their good lunch specials. I met up with TaiwaneseGirl during our lunch break and decided to have their lunch special which contained a soup, appetizer and a curry for about $10.

Tom Yum Soup was very basic and there were only mushrooms in it. The taste is spicy and sour, thus giving the soup its distinctive taste.

Chicken Skewer was dry and didn’t really resemble fresh chicken. It tasted OK, but not great.

Spicy Green Curry with lamb was very very spicy. The menu had 3 hot peppers on it, but I ignored it since I thought I could handle it. It also comes with rice. The portion was a good size for lunch and you definitely get full.

Overall, the food was ok and had a good price. They have a lot of different curries, so you don’t have to get anything super spicy like what I accidentally did. The service was quick and we were able to get back to our offices in under 1 hour.

We Rate Go Go Thai Food:

Address:
682 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=682+Seymour+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=682+Seymour+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+3K6&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In All You Can Eat

Point Zero Four Fusion: Mediocre Hot Pot

January 23, 2013

Flo and I bought a voucher from SocialShopper to use at Point Zero Four Fusion. The voucher would entitle us to all you can eat hot pot for 2 people, plus a soup base of our choice, 2 drinks and 2 sauces. For $25 it wasn’t a bad deal at all.

After we bought it, our friends warned us about this place. We looked online and saw horrid reviews. I know it’s probably not good to read reviews before going to a restaurant. We tried to keep an open mind when we visited.

The interior is very large and has tons of seating!

We both had Sour Plum juice to go with the hot pot. It’s not a drink for everyone, but pairs nicely.

We added a few dollars to upgrade the drink to unlimited. The server wasn’t very keen on refilling our drinks and we ended up only drinking our 2 cups and the jug. We felt kinda ripped off since they said it was unlimited.

Satay Soup + Spicy soup wasn’t included in the voucher, so we added a few dollars to upgrade. There is definitely a few upgrades you need to do on top of the voucher to get a good experience.

Our frog legs, pork collar, sirloin beef, and grade beef.

Siu choy, tong ho, spinach, and baby bok choy.

Mushrooms, bean curd, tofu, fish, chicken, shrimp balls, beef ball, and cuttlefish balls.

black fungus, frozen tofu. pork blood, tofu puffs, and glutenous balls.

An incorrect amount of items arrived at our table. We only ordered 2 pieces of pork blood, but there was 6 pieces. We were not that thrilled about eating that much pork blood. The quality of most of the items on their all you can eat menu were OK, but not very amazing.

A few items we ordered did not arrive. We were missing some meat, oysters, noodles and some cooked items. We didn’t realize till the end but decided not to bother the waitress since she seemed very rude. The experience here was ok, but there are so many other hot pot restaurants around.

We Rate Point Zero Four Fusion:

Address:
8500 Alexandra Rd
Richmond, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=8500+Alexandra+Rd+Richmond,+BC&hnear=8500+Alexandra+Rd,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Dineout

EBO Restaurant: Dine Out 2013

January 19, 2013

EBO or otherwise known as ‘East of Boundary’ is located inside Grandvilla Casino in Burnaby. I’m not a gambler, but I come here for some good food. I decided to come here for Dine Out with M since I’ve heard their menu is amazing and only $28.

The interior is very beautiful and can seat lots of people. Our server Michael was very nice and helped us make some decisions.

Complementary Bread arrived at the table and there were 3 different varieties, which was great.

Wild Mushroom Soup has Mushroom Terrine, Truffled Brioche Coal, and Feta. I know the picture isn’t appetizing, but this soup is SO AMAZING. It was a good portion and if I could die in a pool full of this soup, I would be so happy. Definitely recommended!!!

Tuna is encrusted in a crisp rice crust, with Dungeness Crab, Avocado Puree, Compressed Watermelon on the plate. The portion was definitely way smaller than the soup. M thought this dish was ok, but preferred the wild mushroom soup instead.

Roasted Duck Confit is has curried butternut squash puree, white bean stew, and maple gel. It was very tender and had a crisp skin, but the duck was salty. If you want something less salty, maybe stick with the steelhead option.

Grilled Lamb Chops Barley (Additional $7) has braised neck, Sunchokes, and Salsa Verde. We were so excited to see the lamb chops on the menu that we didn’t see the addition $7 charge for this dish. It makes sense since this dish is originally $33 on the menu. M got the lamb medium and was cooked perfectly.

Chocolate Pot de Crème, Momon, Crispy Chocolate Bits

Looking at the menu, you probably have no idea what will arrive at your table. M imagined a chocolate cake, but it was more like a small chocolate mousse, cake and bits. It still tasted good.

Poached Pineapple, Spiced Filo, Almond Cake

This dessert was pretty good and I enjoyed it. A good end to the meal.

At the end we even got white chocolates with a passionfruit filling.

Overall, the $28 menu at EBO was pretty good. You just need to choose which item appeals to your palate . I totally wish I chose the steelhead instead of the duck. Just looking at their regular menu, you are definitely saving when getting the Dine Out menu.

We Rate EBO Restaurant :

Address:
4331 Dominion St
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.eborestaurant.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=4331+Dominion+St+Burnaby,+BC&hnear=4331+Dominion+St,+Burnaby,+British+Columbia+V5G+1B2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Cafe Savoureux: It’s Coffee Time

January 16, 2013

Cafe Savoureux is located in Richmond on Capstan Way near all those other bubble tea and dessert restaurants. After having Cruzpresso’s Bday dinner at Dinesty, we headed over to this place for some coffee.

This place is known for their coffee and has a variety of different types. If you’re not a coffee drinker, they have teas, slushies, and desserts.

The interior is cute and has very ornate plates and teacups on the walls.

They even have Kopi Luwak for $60! Kopi Luwak is coffee made from the beans of coffee berries eaten and excreted by civets. I’ve only heard about this on the news, but apparently its very good coffee.

Another coffee specialty is the Syphon Style Coffee. It gives you a clean pristine cup of coffee. A few of us ordered the coffee and they said it was really good!

Earl Grey Tea ($5.95) comes in a cute pot and tiny tea cup. The candle underneath keeps it warm.

Floating Coffee ($4.95) has iced coffee with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. M didn’t particularly like this but it might have been due to the funky ice cream cone cup.

Walnut Cheesecake came with the coffee and tea since there was a combo special when we went. It was decent cheesecake but it wasn’t crazy good.

Chocolate Toast ($2.95) is Nutella on top of thick toast.

Condenseed Milk Toast ($2.95) has drizzle of condensed milk on top.

Creme Caramel ($4.95) is quite average too.

Overall, the drinks were good, but the desserts were average. Cafe Savoureux is a nice place to have a drink of tea or coffee but you can probably pass on the desserts.

We Rate Cafe Savoureaux:

Address:
8368 Capstan Way
Richmond, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=8368+Capstan+Way+Richmond,+BC&hnear=8368+Capstan+Way,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6X&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

Fung Sing Cafe: New Hong Kong Style Cafe

January 15, 2013

Fung Sing Cafe is a new Hong Kong style cafe. This cafe was previously Sun Yee Cafe Restaurant but has switched owners and a new menu to go along with it. The owner of Fung Sing Cafe was a chef at Curry King and opened Fung Sing Cafe to call his own.

The interior isn’t amazing but there are large tables if you want to come in big groups.

Depend on what set you order, it might come with soup. They have 3 types of soup – cream soup, Chinese soup, and Russian borscht. All of them tasted pretty good. Everyone at our table had their own favorite soup. I personally love cream soup.

Cold Milk Tea is always a must when going to a HK style cafe.

House Special Beef Short Ribs ($10.50) has lots of short ribs and was tender. Pretty solid dish.

Sweet and Sour Pork ($10.50) was really good. I usually hate sweet and sour pork but they make it really good here! The breading is thin, so you can taste the pork inside. Definitely recommended!!

2 item sizzling combination ($12.95) comes with your choice of any 2 meat choices, soup, drink, a sauce and a side. I chose the rib eye steak and the chicken steak. I also chose the side of vegetables and mushroom sauce.

Choice of 2 combinations ($9.95) thats what the menu said what this was. Essentially you choose 2 meats, a sauce, and a side. It also comes with a choice of sauce and drink. Kgirl chose her option with fries.

This is what it looks like if you chose rice as a side.

This one would be the one with the side of vegetables.

It’s a pretty good value for under $10 and you get full. This option is very popular.

4 of us ordered the same thing. It’s simple and good.

Baked Ying Yang Rice (King Size -$9.50) is a must order! It’s huge! It’s so large that I have no idea who would be able to finish it.

Trust me, it’s quite large even if the pictures don’t 100% justify the size. It tastes good and its worth your money!

You can get a choice of dessert if you order a set item. There are 3 options – Mango pudding, tapioca with coconut milk, and ice cream crepe.

The mango pudding is quite plain but still a nice ending to the meal.

The coconut milk with tapioca is typical of a Chinese restaurant, but still good.

The ice cream crepe was a surprise to see.

Once you cut into it, the ice cream just oozes out. Really cool and a fun desssert for kids.

Overall, Fung Sing Cafe is pretty solid and we had no complaints. The price is very reasonable, staff were nice, and food was decent. I’d definitely come back for some of their specials!

Words of Wisdom:

You gotta order Choice of 2 combinations and the Baked Ying Yang Rice
Free parking at rear

We Rate Fung Sing Cafe:

Address:
2128 East Hastings St
Vancouver, BC

Website: http://fungsingcafe.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2128+East+Hastings+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=2128+E+Hastings+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5L+1V2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Fast Food

The Dining Terrace at Richmond Centre

January 14, 2013

Last year, the Dining Terrace in Richmond Centre opened revealing it’s $30 million, 44,000 square foot eating area. I’ve heard lots about it but since I live in Burnaby, I don’t really spend much time in Richmond. My parents took me here to eat lunch as we were meeting up with relatives. We decided to stop at the Dining Terrace so I could take a look and have a quick lunch.

There are 18 new food vendors and they are:

Opa!
A&W
U-Grill
Curry Express
Edo Japan
New York Fries
Thai Express
Umi
Pinkberry
Quiznos
Bourbon St. Grill
KFC
GoodAh Grill
Jugo Juice
Kung Pao Wok
Crepe De licious
Vina

These food vendors are quite typical of most food courts in the Lower Mainland. It still doesn’t compare to the Aberdeen food court for sure.

There’s a lot of seating and the interior looks really really nice.

All of the food vendors can be found at other food courts around the Lower Mainland as well, but they make these places look really nice.

Some of them have really vibrant and bold colors.

UMI Japanese Eatery & Udon Bar

Umi Sushi Express has several locations across Canada and serve Japanese food. This location is a bit unique from their other family of restaurants since it serves hot food. Their other locations have ready-to-serve items like sushi.

I ordered the chicken bento box and it has chicken teriyaki, a small salad, deep-fried veggie tempura and 4 California rolls. It’s not amazing Japanese food, but its passable food court quality.

Website: http://www.umisushiexpress.com/

Crepe De Licious

Crepe De Licious is located in the center of the food court across from Pinkberry. They have savory and sweet crepes. They even have breakfast crepes too. I really wanted a breakfast crepe but it was the lunch hour so they didn’t serve it anymore.

My sister ordered a Black + White Crepe, which is Nutella and bananas as the filling.

She also added a scoop of ice cream on top. It was quite a filling crepe and she really enjoyed it. But then again, who can resist Nutella? I know I can’t.

Website: http://www.crepedelicious.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=6760+No+3+Road,+Richmond,+British+Columbia&hl=en&hnear=6760+No+3+Rd,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6Y+0A2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Chinese

Cindy’s Palace: Signature Dishes

January 7, 2013

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by ChineseBites to try Cindy’s Palace’s signature dishes with a few other bloggers. The service is not representative of their usual service since they knew we were coming.

Cindy’s Palace is located on Nanaimo and 2nd and they invited a few bloggers to try their signature dishes. I’ve passed by several times when driving, but never thought too much about dining here. I actually don’t dine out at Chinese restaurants very often since I know I can get some at home. It was an adventure to see what else is out there.

The interior has many round tables and is busy on the weekend but week day is pretty empty.

Dim Sum Dishes:

Deep Fried Shrimp Cakes are filled with shrimp and breaded. It comes with 3 pieces and is one of their dim sum items. I don’t think it’s available during dinner time. It was packed full of shrimp and comes with 2 different sauces.

Pork Dumplings (Sui Mai) is very plump, so definitely filling and one of those items that are popular.

Shrimp Spring Roll with Wasabi comes with 6 pieces and loaded with shrimp inside. You couldn’t taste the wasabi, which was fine since it would have tasted weird. I really liked this item! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Crispy Tofu Stuffed with Vegetables in Thai Sauce was not one of my favorite items. The combination of the Thai sauce and the crispy tofu tasted a bit strange.

Dinner Dishes:

Stewed Spareribs in Whole Pumpkin you really need to scrape at the pumpkin to get some of its flesh. The spare ribs were nice but I don’t think the pumpkin added much flavour to the overall taste. Just a nicer presentation.

Pork Toro with Vegetables in housed in a fried wonton-like shell. Not a bad dish at all, you have the tender slices of pork with the vegetables, the sauce it a tad spicy, but isn’t too much to create a fire in your mouth.

Pan Fried Vermicelli with Beef in Black Pepper Sauce has the pieces of fried vermicelli on top and the beef, black pepper sauce, and softer noodles on the bottom. The black pepper is a bit overwhelming.

Lamb & Fish in Hot Pot was kinda like a hazard waiting to happen. There are lots of bones, so it’s really not good for little kids. I had to be like a detective to pick out the bones from my fish. Nonetheless, the soup was very flavourful.

Cindy’s Special Fried Rice was decent. It’s a good item to have at the table since it will fill you up and you can’t go wrong with it.

Braised Pork Hock with Special Preserved Plum Sauce had lots of bone and fat, which I guess is normal for the pork hock. It’s not my favorite dish.

Steamed Chinese Melon with Vegetables was a good veggie dish for a Chinese meal. You always need a veggie dish for sure. I like how it’s served in the melon bowl.

Steamed Chicken with Mushrooms on Rice in Lotus Leaf, I didn’t enjoy this dish. It was a bit dry and the flavours didn’t really pop out.

Stir Fried Prawns with Special Tea Leaves has a cool presentation, kinda like a cornucopia, but with prawns and tea leaves. I enjoyed this dish. But then again, I enjoy most prawn dishes anyways. The tea leaves added a subtle flavour to the prawns but not a large amount.

Deep Fried Squid with Salt & Pepper was sub par, it really needed more salt, garlic and spice to enhance the flavour.

Baked Pumpkin Pastries tasted really weird as a dessert but did look cute.

Glutinous Rice Balls with Sesame Paste was crispy on the outside and had the gooey sesame paste on the inside. I did enjoy this item.

The dishes at Cindy’s Palace can be a hit or miss, but pretty good offerings for dim sum or dinner. It’s in a strange place, but not bad.

We Rate Cindy’s Palace:

Address:
1796 Nanaimo St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1796+Nanaimo+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1796+Nanaimo+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5N+5B9&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Chinese

100% Healthy Dessert: Mixed Fruit of 13 Specialties

January 5, 2013

100% Healthy Dessert is a small dessert shop in Vancouver. I’m sure not all the dessert is healthy, but there are some pretty neat Chinese desserts. Is a nice little place to just catch up with friends.

The interior is quite small but isn’t too busy.

Mixed Fruit of 13 Specialties ($7.50) has the strangest name on the menu, so I ordered it. I was curious to see what 13 items were on this. We couldn’t figure it out, but it was good if you like shaved ice type of desserts.

Overall, the desserts were OK, but not crazy amazing. Most of the items on the menu are HK style desserts, so you will find some familiar favorites.

We Rate 100% Healthy Desserts:

Address:
8291 Westminster Hwy
Richmond, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=8291+Westminster+Hwy+Richmond,+BC&hnear=8291+Westminster+Hwy,+Richmond,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V6X+1A7&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

Take Five Cafe: Coffee, Appies, and Pasta

January 4, 2013

Take Five Cafe opened their 10th location in Gastown and this location serves meals and wine in addition to coffee, sandwiches and baked goods. A bunch of us decided to come here for a meeting and a dinner. They have this huge roundtable that is great for a large group of people.

The interior is spacious and has lots of tables on the left side.

On the right side is their bar.

Medium Latte is what I ordered to give me a jolt of energy.

Ethiopian Pour Over is very strong and has 3 times as much caffeine as a regular black coffee. Everyone that gets it here gets very wired and shaky after drinking it.

Tomato Bruschetta comes with 4 pieces and is topped with lots of diced tomatoes, balsamic and herbs. It’s yummy, but can easily fall apart if you’re not careful.

Rotini Pesto has rotini with pesto cream sauce and topped with parmesan cheese. It comes with 2 pieces of toast on the side. It was a strange sight to see pasta at a coffee place. The pasta tasted ok, but was a tad bland and not very fragrant.

Penne with Meatballs has penne tossed with rich tomato basil sauce and topped with meatballs and parmesan cheese.

Chorizo Farfalle has farfalle pasta, dried chorizo sausage, mushrooms, tomato, basil, and parmesan cheese.

Overall, the food here is alright, nothing too spectacular. It’s just a good space to hang out and it’s not too crowded compared to the other cafes in the area. Plus, they serve beer and wine.

We Rate Take Five Cafe:

Address:
62 West Cordova Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.takefivecafe.ca

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=62+West+Cordova+Street+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=62+W+Cordova+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+1C9&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Fast Food

A&W: Spicy Chipotle Chubby Chicken Burger

January 3, 2013

I always enjoy fast food and one day I was passing by the food court and saw A&W had a new burger! The Spicy Chipotle Chubby Chicken Burger looked delicious and isn’t one of their usual “family” burgers. Some of their chicken burgers do taste great!

They even renovated a lot of their food court locations to represent their new branding.

The A&W Spicy Chipotle Chubby Chicken Burger contains tomato, lettuce, chipotle mayo, cheddar cheese with jalapeño, the chubby chicken burger on a ciabatta bun. It was quite messy to eat since the chicken patty just wanted to slide out of the bun. The chicken was very moist and blended nicely with the chipotle sauce.

I upgraded it to a combo with onion rings, which makes it a bit expensive. Root Beer and onion rings are a must to complete the whole A&W experience.

Have you tried this yet?

In Chinese

Golden Ocean Seafood Restaurant: Signature Dishes

December 29, 2012

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by ChineseBites to try Golden Ocean Seafood Restaurant’s signature dishes with a few other bloggers. The service is not representative of their usual service since they knew we were coming.

Golden Ocean Seafood Restaurant is located in Kerrisdale on West 41st street. They serve dim sum in the mornings and the usual dinner at night.

We were able to sample a few dishes from their dim sum menu and other dishes on their dinner menu. You usually won’t be able to have dim sum items at night, so keep that in mind when reading this review.

The interior has lots of seats and is typical of a Chinese restaurant.

Dim Sum Dishes:

Breaded Shrimp with Deep Fried Egg Plant comes with 3 pieces and has the eggplant on the bottom and shrimp paste on top. Its a staple dish of all that order dim sum. One of my favorites since I love all dishes with shrimp.

Breaded Shrimp with Deep Fried Tofu is another great item. The deep-fried tofu on the bottom was crunchy and paired well with the shrimp.

Steamed Shrimps & Fungus Dumpling is another must order item. I’m sure most people order this item when they go for dim sum.

Mini Egg Tarts was pretty average and nothing too special.

Egg Pastry with Dried Shredded Coconut was quite sweet and sticky, I didn’t really particularly like this item very much.

Deep Fried Green Tea Sticky Rice Ball with Sesame are vibrant green and didn’t taste very good.

On the inside, you can see the black sesame.

Dinner Dishes:

Honey Garlic Spareribs and Deep Fried Shrimp Balls was pretty good, the honey garlic spareribs were nicely flavoured and slightly sweet. The deep-fried shrimp balls was a strange combination, but they tasted good too.

Crab with Special House Sauce it also has noodles underneath that soak up the natural crab flavour. Delicious!

Deep Fried Duck Wrapped in Taro tasted alright and definitely had more taro than duck. it was crunchy on the outside and soft in the center.

Stir Fried Beef with Steamed Buns was delicious and the beef in the stir-fry was very tender. You grab the bun and put some of the beef inside.

Steamed Tofu & Egg White with Diced Seafood & Meat was really good! It was delicious and best eaten with rice.

Dried Garlic & Enoki Mushrooms with Pea Tips was something I looked forward to because it was vegetables. I do love meat, but I also like vegetables more. With all Chinese meals, a dish of vegetables is a must.

Deep Fried Sole Fillet was crunchy and tasted ok. I never really liked deep fried fish since it really takes away from its delicate texture and flavour.

Baked Tapioca Pudding was ok, but not super amazing. On the inside, there is red bean paste.

Tofu Pudding comes in a cute container. The texture was a bit dense, but I didn’t mind at all, it just means it stays together a bit more when you’re scooping it up. I may just slightly have an addiction for tofu desserts. The tofu itself isn’t sweet, so you need to add some ginger syrup to it.

Overall, the food alright but nothing crazy amazing. Some dishes were outstanding and some were not very good. Nonetheless, it has always been a neighbourhood favorite for dim sum.

We Rate Golden Ocean Seafood Restaurant:

Address:
2046 W 41st Ave
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2046+W+41st+Ave+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=2046+W+41st+Ave,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6M+1Y8&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Bakery

Jenny’s Bakery: A True Hong Kong Treat

December 26, 2012

A visit to Hong Kong is incomplete without a visit to Jenny’s Bakery. It is very famous among locals and tourists. Their original location is in the Stanley Market, but have since open many more locations throughout Hong Kong. They have 5 other locations, so you don’t need to travel so far for their cookies.

They speak English, Cantonese, and Mandarin so you don’t need to fear if you don’t know how to order.

Getting to Jenny’s Bakery can be a bit of a challenge if you don’t know Hong Kong very well, you kinda need to follow some weird route to get there. Most of the locations are located inside a building, so it’s best to have clear directions to that place…or Google Street view it before hand.

8 Mix Box (Small – $95 HKD | Medium – $150 HKD) contains:

Coffee Almond
Cashew Nut
Almond Poppyseed
Hazelnut Macadamia
Walnut
Pistachio
Mixed Nuts
Chocolate Chip/Cashew/Walnut

I love nuts, so I usually get this box. Once you take a bite out of these cookies, you know why people rave about them. the texture and the ingredients are so delicious.

Photo Credit: Jenny's Bakery — Photo Credit: Jenny’s Bakery

4 Mix Box (Small – $60 HKD | Medium – $110) contains:

Shortbread
Butter
Coffee
Oatmeal Raisin

This version doesn’t contain nuts, but may contain traces of nuts…so if you have a friend allergic to nuts, you probably don’t want to get them this.

They make a great gift when bringing it back to Canada. I bought 10 boxes to bring home and it sure did consume my whole suitcase, but it was worth it.

We Rate Jenny’s Bakery:

Address:
1/F, No.11 Stanley New St., Stanley Market
Stanley, Hong Kong
香港赤柱, 新街11號1樓, （屈臣氏樓上）
(tel) 2813-8568, open 10am – 6pm

Website:
http://jennybakery.smugmug.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Stanley+Market,+Stanley,+Hong+Kong&hl=en&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=28.983303,68.203125&oq=+Stanley+Market&hq=Stanley+Market,+Stanley,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=14″]

In Bakery

The Last Crumb Bakery & Cafe: Hot Chocolate and Marshmallows

December 25, 2012

The Last Crumb Bakery & Cafe recently opened on Main Street. My sister was trying to get me out of the house, so she suggested we have lunch here. Since I love trying new places, I couldn’t say no.

It is located on Main and 15th near Burgoo. You can find street parking easily, but during busy times, you might have to park a bit further.

The cafe is 2 floors and is quite stunning. The whole concept of this bakery is to feel cozy and comfortable. It’s a great place to relax and catch up with friends over same good pastries and hot chocolate.

There’s a huge window in the back, so you can see them baking away! And they have a cool quote on their window – “Life is Short, Eat Dessert First”.

They have a bunch of different items to choose from.

They even have a few Gluten-Free items like macaroons, scones, cupcakes, and cookies.

They have a lot of different baked goods, I swear, their kitchen keeps pumping out delicious creations.

They are even whole pies on display. They looked so good.

What caught my eye when we first arrived was the board of hot chocolates. So many different kinds!

Almond Hot Chocolate with Almond Milk (M- $3.95) Instead of regular milk, they suggested to make it with almond milk, they assured me it was delicious and it sure was! It was smooth and so yummy!

Homemade Marshmallow ($0.50) was unlike any store bought marshmallow. Its kinda messy when you eat it, but it really can’t compare to anything found in store. If you have hot chocolate, you must order this!

They have a lunch menu at the back of the restaurant with special creations.

Proscuitto and Brie Sandwich with house made onion marmalade, arugula, pear and walnuts. The bread was baked fresh and was still warm when it arrived. The creaminess of the brie and the salty proscuitto always match perfectly.

Chicken BLT Sandwich with bacon, tomato, arugula and Dijon mayo. This was my favorite since the bacon was really thick and full of flavour.

Wild Mushroom Soup tasted alright. It definitely needed a bit more salt to bring out the flavours of the mushroom.

The food here is good, but not jaw droppingly amazing. The items can get quite expensive if you get a drink, sandwiches, and soup. Nonetheless, it is a great addition to Main St! I love how everything is made fresh and they are dedicated in using preservative-free and artificial-flavouring free ingredients.

We Rate The Last Crumb:

Address:
3080 Main St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.lastcrumb.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=3080+Main+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=3080+Main+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5T+3G5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Fast Food

McDonalds Seattle: CBO Sandwich, Peppermint Mocha, and McFlurry

December 16, 2012

When CanuckGirl and I go to Seattle, we usually stop by a McDonalds. She loves her cheap McNuggets and I love reviewing items that are different the McDonalds Canada.

Since it is the holidays, McDonalds released a few holiday items like the Peppermint Mocha and the Peppermint McFlurry. Also the CBO Sandwich intrigued me.

Grilled Chicken CBO Sandwich is 480 calories and has slices of cheese, the grilled chicken, bacon, sauteed onions, and sauce.

The sandwich was really good and all the ingredients made it a very creamy experience. The sauteed onions really make this sandwich awesome. So yummy!

Peppermint Mocha is different from the ones offered in Canada. The US version just has chocolate drizzle as the Canadian one has peppermint pieces on top. It tasted OK, but nothing very amazing at all.

Holiday Mint Mcflurry has swirls of reduced fat soft serve vanilla ice cream blended with peppermint candy pieces. CanuckGirl thought it was OK. She was craving something cold and sweet.

Have you tried any of these unique items?

In Downtown

Hubbub Sandwiches: Eat-in or Take Out

December 15, 2012

Hubbub Sandwiches is located close to the Vancouver Art Gallery and they serve up Sandwiches and salads. It’s quite popular during the lunch hour for people working in the area. I myself have gone a few times with friends and coworkers to grab a quick meal or get takeout.

Orange Sanpellegrino is M’s favorite drink. When he sees it at a store, he usually get it.

Turkey Sausage Sandwich with Clean Slaw.

The Clean Slaw is made of crisp cabbage with coconut, mint and cilantro in a light, zingy vinaigrette. I liked the slaw because it is unlike any other slaw. A good balance of textures and flavours.

The Turkey sausage sandwich has free-range, lightly spiced chorizo handmade by a local butcher with base of pickled jalapenos, creamy garlic sauce, romaine lettuce, cilantro, and crunchy caramelized onions atop a toasty baguette.

Pork Sandwich has marinated pork for 24 hours and has a spicy flavour profile. It is tender and very juicy. It’s one of the more popular sandwiches. It also contains the base of pickled jalapenos, creamy garlic sauce, romaine lettuce, cilantro, and crunchy caramelized onions atop a toasty baguette.

Pork Salad is similar to the Pork Sandwich, but it’s in a salad form. The sandwich comes with a lot of meat! It’s just piled on! The spiciness level isn’t for everyone as there are the additions of the pickled Jalapeño. I prefer eating it as a salad since you don’t have the messiness of a sandwich.

This is the size of the Clean Slaw for takeout.

Overall, it’s a pretty darn good option for lunch if you are wanting a quick tasty sandwich or salad.

Words of Wisdom:

Gluten Free option: Turn the sandwich into a salad
Take out option and order online
Most seating in 2′s and 4′s
Slightly pricey
Pork and the albacore tuna seemed good

We Rate Hubbub Sandwiches:

Address:

859 Hornby St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
hubbubsandwiches.com

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=859+Hornby+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=859+Hornby+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6Z+1T9&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Bakery

Lee’s Donuts: A Treat on Granville Island

December 14, 2012

KoreanGirl raved about how her parents love Lee’s Donuts on Granville Island. Lee’s Donuts is located inside the Granville Island Public Market and has stayed a family business for a very very long time.

The place is very busy during the weekends and donuts tend to sellout very fast! We came on a weekday night during closing time, so there were a few donuts left. Most of the flavours were sold out, but whats what happens when we come minutes before they close.

There are donuts behind the counter and in the glas counter.

Coconut Donut

Chocolate Crunch

German Chocolate

The donuts are pretty good and many people stand by their amazing texture and taste. I personally don’t like donuts, so I relied on my sister to give me her opinion. It’s unlike Krispy Kreme and Tim Hortons since it is slightly denser and more cake-like. It wasn’t too sweet and goes well with a cup of tea or coffee.

We Rate Lee’s Donuts:

Address:
1689 Johnston St
Vancouver, BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1689+Johnston+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1689+Johnston+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6H+3R9&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Downtown

Chipotle Vancouver: It’s Finally Open and We Ate Everything

December 13, 2012

My last taste of Chipotle Mexican Grill was the past Summer in New York. I have been left Chipotle-less for 6 months and when I got word that Chipotle was coming to Vancouver, I jumped for joy and so did my friends. We are a bit nuts, so once, we actually drove to Seattle just for Chipotle. When Chipotle invited me for a preview of the restaurant the night before the December 13th, 2012 opening, I had to say yes!

Chipotle Vancouver is the 6th location in Canada. After a successful launch in Toronto with 5 restaurants, it was time for them to come to Vancouver. Even though this is the first location in Downtown Vancouver, there are plans to expand to bring in more locations. There is no word on when or where, but expect more Chipotle locations in the near future.

All their ingredients are local and organic, so it is not 100% the same as the other Chipotle locations around the world.

The Vancouver location has huge windows so you can see everyone inside enjoying their meal.

They have some funky seating in the front.

The interior has lots of seating and each table is lit up with light overhead.

The high tables have bag hooks! BAG HOOKS! As a woman with a purse, it’s very important to have those since it’s kinda gross putting your bag on the floor. Or if you have shopping bags, it works wonders too.

You start by picking your type of item, then protein, and then all the filler to go inside. All basic items are $8.95. Guacamole is $2.21, which in my opinion is quite expansive…but it is real avocado.

Line up on the right side of the restaurant and work your way down the line as you create your perfect meal. The staff is very friendly and can help if you have questions.

Depending on your item, you can choose white rice or brown rice, then pinto or black beans.

The hard part is choosing the protein – chicken, steak, carnitas, or barbacoa.

Then you can add a variety of salsa from mild, medium, and hot. Throw on some sour cream, cheese, and lettuce. Remember, the guacamole is extra.

Depending on what you add-on after you build your burrito, it can cost you anywhere between $10 and $20. On the bright side they offer beer and margarita too. If you have kids, there is a kids menu too. I wish I was a kid sometimes.

The drink fountain is on the side.

If you are not in the mood for sugary pop, they have unsweetened tea. I keep thinking this is water, but it’s not.

Don’t forget your napkins, it will come in handy! There are also variations of Tabasco sauce for you to add a kick to your meal.

Chips ($1.20)

You can also add guac or salsa dips for a small charge.

Burrito ($8.95) cross-section looks like that. I couldn’t suggest you eat it like this unless you were sharing with a friend. It would definitely get messy.

M made his burrito without any vegetables, just rice, pinto beans, hot salsa, and steak. Sometimes it good to forget about the vegetables and ask for more rice, beans and salsa. You really can make your burrito anyway you like!

Soft Shell Tacos ($8.95) comes in 3 pieces. @Cruzpresso ordered his with all the same ingredients, but you can have different proteins in each taco if you preferred.

Hard Shell Taco ($8.95) comes in 3 pieces too. It’s a bit hard to eat if you are a messy eater. Remember to grab some napkins.

Salad ($8.95) has the lettuce underneath and all the toppings piled on top! The protein that came with this item was the steak. It’s chewy like a steak but it deliciously marinated.

Bowl ($8.95) + Guacamole ($2.21) I added carnitas meat and everything except the cheese into my bowl.

Thats what the inside of the bowl looks like. It was delicious and oh so filling.

Chicken Bowl ($8.95) minus the lettuce haha.

The chicken is hiding under all the ingredients. The chicken was quite tasty and flavourful.

We ate everything except for the kid’s meal or the vegetarian options. Burritos and bowls are quite popular! You can’t go wrong with any of the meats either. My person favorite item is the bowl with the barbacoa. It’s a good place to go if you are particular about your food. It’s very customizable to how you want it made.

If you are used to the Chipotle in the US, just know…the portions look smaller and you are paying about $2 more.

It’s great to have Chipotle in Vancouver, BC but it is quite similar to Red Burrito. In the end, the whole table agreed that Chipotle did taste better and they are dedicated to bring in good ingredients that are local, fresh, organic, and have no synthetic hormones.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is ready to start serving customers December 13th, 2012 at 11am!

We Rate Chipotle Mexican Grill:

Address:
818 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.chipotle.com/

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