Type Archives - Page 93 of 125

In Canadian

The Oakwood Canadian Bistro: Growler Sundays

November 10, 2012

On Sunday nights, Oakwood Canadian Bistro has $15 Growlers! It’s 64oz of any local craft beer on tap. Janice, Andy and I came here to try it out. I am not exactly sure if we were attracted by the amount of beer or just the cool bottle. If you remember the time when Vancouver had a basketball team…you’ll definitely go crazy over these bottles.

On the back of the bottle it says “Get your grizzly on”. Unfortunately, they don’t sell them and it’s quite hard to steal it and hide it in your purse. I’m still trying to find ways to acquire these bottles.

All Canadian Poutine ($11) has fries, curds, gravy, and smoked meat. It was a pile of deliciousness especially when pair with beer. The poutine isn’t very large, so sharing it with lots of people might be an issue if you’re really hungry.

Overall, I still love this restaurant for late night drinks or even brunch. Can’t go wrong with either!

Words of Wisdom:

Parking on street or in residential area
Great late night eats and specials

We Rate The Oakwood Canadian Bistro:

Address:
2741 West 4th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6K

Website:
http://www.theoakwood.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=2741+West+4th+Avenue+Vancouver,&hnear=2741+W+4th+Ave,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V6K+3V9&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Four Beakers

Tung Kee Seafood & Restaurant 通記海鮮野味酒家: Seafood Dinner is Sai Kung

November 9, 2012

We took a trip to Sai Kung district, which is Hong Kong’s 2nd largest district. We specifically went to Sai Kung town where it is mostly a fisherman town.It’s a popular place for seafood lovers! It’s very popular for tourists and locals. Even Anthony Bourdain came here for seafood.

You can find fresh seafood!

Even “peeing shrimp” that are in plastic bottles are sold. I’m not exactly why they are all in bottle, but there must be a good reason.

You can see local fishermen fish for seafood!

You can see people fishing…and even bring your own fishing rod too!

Since we were on the search for amazing seafood, my relatives took us to Tung Kee Seafood & Restaurant 通記海鮮野味酒家 to try a various selection of seafood. We actually had no idea what to order, so we asked the restaurant to make us enough for 9 people under a certain price per person.

Bottled Coke

Bottled Cream Soda

Chicken Feet

Fried and braised fish

Steamed Chicken

Calamari

Abalone

Lobster and crab with noodles

Deep Fried Oysters

Deep Fried Peeing Shrimp

Fried Rice

Scallops and vermicelli

Vegetables

Overall, we had a lot of great dishes. We were able to taste the fresh varieties of seafood from this area. The prices were fair and we all left super super full.

We Rate Tung Kee Seafood and Restaurant:

Address:
G/F, 96-102 Man Nin Street, Sai Kung

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=G%2FF,+96-102+Man+Nin+Street,+Sai+Kung&hnear=96+Man+Nin+St,+Hong+Kong&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Fast Food

Pepper Lunch: DIY Steak at a Food Court

November 8, 2012

Pepper Lunch is a fast food outlet that originated from Japan. It is a DIY steakhouse that is mostly found at food courts. They have locations all over Asia. All of the items are presented to you on a hot sizzling plate and you can mix your food and cook it to your liking. Their version of steak isn’t the same as what you would envision from North America.

It is equivalent to Teppan Kitchen in Vancouver’s Aberdeen Mall.

When I went to CityGate for some outlet shopping in Hong Kong, my sister and I ate here since our older sister told us this place was amazing.

There was a huge wait during my visit because they ran out of rice. Since there was no rice, they really couldn’t serve anyone…but they kept taking orders.

They have some plastic food models too so you can see what exactly goes into each dish. I got so hungry waiting for our order. Fast food wasn’t fast.

After 15 minutes, we got our order.

Chicken Steak and BBQ Wagyu comes with a side of rice, bean sprouts, beans, onions, corn, and sauce.

We mixed it all up and it looked very healthy for sure. The taste was ok, but I didn’t find it spectacular.

Beef Pepper Rice was better than the previous dish. We also mixed up this really well and put in all the sauce.

It looked really good and tasted great. I guess it’s best to order the items that is their most popular dish. My sister loved it too.

We ate our food in the food court seat at the mall. There was a lot of people especially on the weekend, so get ready to fight for a seat. Pepper Lunch was healthy as you can see what goes into your meal and cooks on the hot plate.

We Rate Pepper Lunch:

Address:
Food Republic, 2 / F, One CityGate,
20 Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung,

Website:
http://www.pepperlunch.com.sg/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Food+Republic,+2+%2F+F,+One+CityGate,+20+Tat+Tung+Road,+Tung+Chung,&fb=1&gl=ca&hq=Food+Republic,+2+%2F+F,+One+CityGate,+20+Tat+Tung+Road,+Tung+Chung,&cid=0,0,8990165243063772507&t=m&z=16&iwloc=A”]

In Bakery

The Baker & The Chef: A Sandwich Cafe

November 7, 2012

A few month ago a heard much hype from The Baker & The Chef that opened near Hastings and Cambie. They have items like sandwiches, soups, and of course baked goods.

The interior isn’t too large, but has lots of seating for singles or pairs of customers.

The Capilano Panini(Full- $8) has foccacia bread, grilled chicken breast, brie, mixed greens, and pesto. There are sticks of carrots and celery on the side, which is a nice touch. The sandwich was just average and nothing too impressive. It was just disappointing how little chicken there was in the sandwich. As you can see from the picture, it’s all in the center, so when you take your first bite, you won’t get chicken.

Overall, my friend and I thought this place was ok, but with a lot of other sandwich shops in close proximity, it’s hard to compete. It’s cool to get sandwiches named after cool Vancouver streets. Quite creative.

We Rate The Baker & The Chef:

Address:
320 Cambie St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.thebakerandthechef.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=320+Cambie+St+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=320+Cambie+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6B+2N3&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

Brioche: Soup, Sandwiches, and Lasagna in Gastown

November 6, 2012

Brioche is located in the Gastown close to both SFU Vancouver and Woodwards. They are known for their yummy comfort foods like soups, sandwiches, and pasta. M and I came here since it half way between both our offices. My last visit was about 2 years ago, so I wanted to see if there were any improvements.

The space is great for chats with friends over coffee and food.

Latte was OK. Couldn’t have been a bit stronger.

Grilled NY Striploin w/ Wild Mushroom Sauce is also served with soup. There are so many different ways of eating this. You can eat it like a sandwich, or eat it like an open-faced sandwich. This item is on the special board usually and is quite pricey when you decide to order it. The menu doesn’t specify price, so it’s really going to hurt your wallet since it’s just lunch.

I tend to order this item when I go to Brioche because it’s filling and the mushroom sauce and the tender striploin is super delicious.

Seafood Bisque was very watery and had more of a lemony tang to the flavour profile. The seafood taste wasn’t as prominent.

Bolognese Lasagna w/ 8 Layer Sauce and contains Bechamel, Salsiccia, Mushroom, and Bolognese. M did enjoy the dish, but for $18 was not worth it. He wouldn’t have ordered this if he knew the price before hand.

Overall, the food is great, but the price is way too much for a lunch. You can end up paying $20 for a dish and a drink.

Words of Wisdom:

Food is a pricey and no visible pricing on dishes
Best in small groups
Panini’s are really good
Parking garage across the street. Discounted parking for SFU students after 6pm.

We rate Broioche:

Website:
http://www.brioche.ca/

Address:
401 West Cordova Street
Vancouver BC

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=401+West+Cordova+Street+Vancouver+BC&hnear=401+W+Cordova+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V6B+1E5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In All You Can Eat

Pork Belly Beer House: Korean BBQ without the Grill

November 5, 2012

The Pork Belly Beer House is a Korean restaurant just off of Robson Street close to Safeway. It looks shady on the inside and outside, but it quite popular with Koreans. It gets quite packed in the evening since you can eat all the pork belly and side dishes for under $20.

The last time I was at Pork Belly Beer House, we had a mediocre all you can eat pork belly. We decided to come back to celebrate new jobs with friends and eat meat. For $16, you get pork belly, bulgogi, salad, rice, soup, kimchi, pop and sauces.

One of the biggest changes was that you can’t cook your own meat anymore. 🙁 Due to fire regulations and their inability to provide proper ventilation in the restaurant, the meat comes to you already cooked.

This was very disappointing because the point of Korean BBQ is cooking your own meat to your liking. We were not impressed because I like my Pork Belly crispy. We asked them to bring a few other dishes on the crispier side, but that never happened.

The pork belly is poor in quality and there is more fat than meat. What I hated the most about this pre-cooked option is that when you are half way done the plate of meat, it all goes cold.

The bulgogi was just lightly seasoned beef and grilled. Nothing amazing about it.

The food is just passable, but is only a good place for people who want a lot of food and drink. The meat is quite fatty, so make sure you don’t come here too often! Make sure you have a Korean with you since it’s easier to communicate with the servers to ensure you get what you order.

We rate Pork Belly Beer House:

Address:
Robson Street/West End
841 Bidwell Street
Vancouver, BC V6G

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=841+Bidwell+Street+Vancouver,+BC+V6G&hnear=841+Bidwell+St,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6G+2J8&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Coquitlam

Ajuker Fried Chicken: Korean Fried Chicken in Coquitlam

November 4, 2012

Ajuker Fried Chicken (AFC) is located on North Road in Coquitlam and serves up delicious Korean fried chicken. Their name was taken from a Korean chain restaurant. BusanGirl always frequents this restaurant with a bunch of her friends, so I made her take me to try their fried chicken.

Lots of Koreans and university students like to frequent this place at night for drinks, fried chicken, and hanging out with friends. The interior isn’t too big, but if you have a large group, they can accommodate them.

Hite Beer is a Korean beer that has a light flavour profile. It’s great with fried chicken.

Makgeolli is a Korean rice wine. It has about 7% alcohol and is made of fermented wheat and rice.

BusanGirl has a trick of adding a can of Sprite into the Makgeolli to make it taste better.

It a very popular drink in Korean culture, but I didn’t particularly love it. I’m not used to it. Everyone else at the table did enjoy it.

Complementary peanuts came to the table. It’s great to accompany the wine and beer as we wait for the food to arrive.

Complementary spicy tofu soup came to the table. We had no idea how to split this between the 4 of us, so we just stuck our spoon into it and drank it slowly. It didn’t look spicy at all, but it had a kick of spicy red peppers.

Complementary pickled radishes goes very well with the fried chicken.

Small Original Fried Chicken was really crispy on the outside and moist inside. I really like it a lot.

Sauced Fried chicken wasn’t spicy, but it was kinda like honey garlic with a kick. It’s the same as the original fried chicken and then they throw the sauce on it.

Korean Pancake was HUGE! It was so big that the plate couldn’t even contain it. The taste was OK, but not great. They definitely needed a bit more filling. The sauce that comes in it is a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.

Korean Fried Rice with Slices of Rice Cake was good!

Complementary Spicy Rice Cake (tteobokki) came at the end of the meal, we were quite surprised that so many complementary dishes arrived. It’s a normal occurrence at Korean restaurants since it’s part of their culture to have “service” come with the meal.

Overall, we did like this restaurant. Great to hang out with friend with some late night food and drinks. You get a lot of complementary dishes that come with your meal.

We Rate Ajuker Fried Chicken:

Address:
101-508 Clarke Road
Coquitlam, BC V3J7V6

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=101-508+Clarke+Road+Coquitlam,+BC+V3J7V6&hnear=508+Clarke+Rd,+Coquitlam,+British+Columbia+V3J+3X5&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Fast Food

Mos Burger: Awesome Fast Food Burgers

November 2, 2012

Mos Burger is a fast food chain from Japan. It has about 14 locations in Hong Kong near the major malls. They have been around since 1972! Mos Burger specializes in burgers! The burgers aren’t even comparable to any fast food joint I’ve been to so far.

They differentiate themselves as being “healthier” and less geasy than their competitors.

Cold Milk Tea was my sisters favorite drink here. You need to mix in liquid sugar into it, so it’s not pre-sweetened.

Hot Green Tea Latte was rich and frothy with a lot of green tea. Yum!

Mos Burger looks amazing! Everything is perfectly placed on the bun, so you can clearly see every layer. There is a patty, mayo, onion, meat sauce, and tomato between soft buns. It tasted really amazing as the meat sauce made the whole burger savory and moist.

Fish Burger has cheese, a fried filet, mayo, and onions between the 2 buns. It looks similar to McDonalds Fish O Filet, but it was slightly better than McDonalds. Very Very close in taste!

Overall, I was very impressed by this fast food chain! Someone should really bring this to Canada!

We Rate Mos Burger:

Address:
Shop 217-218, 2/F, Metroplaza,
223 Hing Fong Road, Kwai Fong

Website:
http://mosburger-hk.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Metroplaza,+223+Hing+Fong+Road,+Kwai+Fong&hl=en&hnear=Metroplaza,+223+Hing+Fong+Rd,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=16 “]

In Bakery

Caffe Divano: New Cafe in North Burnaby

October 31, 2012

Caffe Divano opened another cafe in the Lower Mainland and this location is on Hastings in North Burnaby. I pass by it quite often when I go to Downtown, so I was curious what it offered. KoreanGirl also saw it every time she hops onto the 135 bus, so we made it a mission to have some coffee and chat about what girls normally talk about.

There are lots of tables to sit at and would make a great place to study! We came around 5pm, so there wasn’t a lot of people here.

They have freshly baked goods and when they come right out of the oven, the store smells pretty delicious.

They also have sandwiches, wraps and desserts.

Homemade Oreo Cookie is made of 2 soft chocolate cookies sandwiching vanilla frosting. KoreanGirl and I did enjoy it because the texture of the cookie was great!

Latte was really good! They used 49th Parallel Coffee for this drink and it sure kept me awake all night.

Spanish Latte is a bit different as it contains espresso, steamed milk and condensed milk.

Overall, KoreanGirl and I loved chatting here and having a coffee. The prices are comparable to other cafes nearby. If you are looking for a place thats different than Starbucks, give Caffe Divano a try.

We Rate Caffe Divano:

Address:
4568 Hastings St
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.caffedivano.ca/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”Enter google map URL “]

In Delivery

Hanafubuki Sushi: Sushi Delivered in Downtown

October 30, 2012

Sometimes laziness hits and you just want to order food and have it delivered. My friends and I were chilling at TaiwaneseGirl’s place and we decided to order from Hanafubuki Sushi through Just-eat.ca. They have a few good places to order from.

We chose Hanafubuki Sushi that is located on Robson Street and out of all the sushi places they had available, it looked like it was the best one. The items looked good and the prices were fair.

Toro Tataki Salad ($ 7.50) has slices of avocado, toro and tomatoes over a bed a greens with a nice citrus sauce. It tasted good, but it was a bit small for the price.

Spicy Tuna Sashimi ($ 7.50) has chopped albacore tuna with cucumber, and spicy sauce. The spicy sauce is unlike the hot Korean paste that some restaurants use, this sauce is more spicy and sharp.

Platter B ($ 29.95) has 46 pieces in total. It comes with the Hanafubuki roll, tuna roll, salmon roll, California roll, BC roll, spicy tuna roll, and smoked salmon roll.

The rolls were really good and put together nicely. It has a good variety of rolls and we all were happy with what came.

Overall, Hanafubuki Sushi does have really awesome Japanese food and rolls.

We Rate Hanfubuki Sushi:

Address:
1610 Robson St Unit 102
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.hanafubukisushi.com/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1610+Robson+St+Unit+102+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1610+Robson+St+%23102,+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V6G+1C7&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Cafe

Australia Dairy Company: Eggs, Milk Tea, and Milk Pudding

October 29, 2012

Australia Dairy Company was voted one of the best restaurants in Hong Kong for 2012 according to Openrice.com. They are best known for their toast, scrambled egg, and steamed milk. It’s a very popular place and it attracts a lot of locals and tourists.

Even at 3pm, there was a lineup outside. Don’t be intimidated by the line, even though it is long, the service is very fast and efficient that you won’t spend too much time inside.

Bottled Milk was something my little sister wanted. She did enjoy it with the meal.

Hot Milk Tea.

Hot Milk Tea (Included in meal) was good. It is a smaller size that comes with the preset meals.

Toast with egg and ham was very simple, but so full of flavour. I was surprised! The gooey egg was the best scrambled eggs we ever ate!

Macaroni and roasted pork in broth was OK. Nothing fancy. It came with the combo, so I’m not complaining.

Cold steamed milk pudding is what we ordered at the end. Delicious!

Afterwards, we took a stroll to Temple Street to do a little bit of shopping. It’s a good place to barter for bags and wallets.

Overall, the Australia Dairy Company is great for cheap food and the eggs are to die for. As for the long lineup to go inside, it doesn’t take too long to get inside if you have a group of 2 or 4. The service is so quick that it just comes out immediately after ordering. It definitely more popular amongst the tourist for sure.

We Rate Australia Dairy Company:

Address:
G/F, 47-49 Parkes Street, Jordan

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=G%2FF,+47-49+Parkes+Street,+Jordan&hl=en&hnear=49+Parkes+St,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

DD Mau: Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwiches in Yaletown

October 28, 2012

DD Mau is a modern Vietnamese Banh Mi Sandwich shop. It’s located close to the Yaletown Skytrain. They sell drinks, salads, vermicelli bowls, and sandwiches.

Avocado Smoothie ($4.50) is made with fresh avocados and almond milk. It’s my all time favorite smoothie! The texture is great and the taste of avocado goes so well with the almond milk.

Thai Tea Latte is a new item they just introduced. I’ve never had anything like it, but it had an array of different spices and flavours. It was refreshing and delicious.

DD Mau Iced Coffee ($3.50) has espresso, sweet condensed milk, and Ice. M said it was the best iced coffee he has had so far. The owner said there is a secret ingredient inside! She wouldn’t tell us, but it was yummy!

Braised Sate Short Rib with Caramelized Onions and Watercress ($12) . This was their special feature when we were there. It’s more expensive than their regular Banh Mi Sandwiches, but M really enjoyed the flavours inside.

The sandwich is cut in half, so its easier to eat. The short ribs were very tender and went well with the pickled vegetables . M liked how the bread was a bit softer than most of the other Vietnamese sandwich places, so it doesn’t hurt the top of your mouth.

Crispy Roasted Pork ($8.80) has loads of duck and the addictive crackling! Kind like Meat & Bread, but with a Vietnamese twist.

Overall, M and I enjoyed the items that we had there. Some items can be expensive like their special sandwiches, but their regular sandwiches are still yummy.

Words of Wisdom:

Limited Seating
All of the sandwiches are good, you can’t go wrong

We Rate DD Mau:

Address:
1239 Pacific Blvd
Vancouver, BC

Website:
ddmau.ca

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1239+Pacific+Blvd+Vancouver,+BC&hnear=1239+Pacific+Blvd,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia+V6Z+2V2&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Granville Island

Whet: ‘Whet Your Appetite’ Dining Package Review

October 27, 2012

Whet is located at the entrance of Granville Island right across from the Children’s Toy Store. They serve up West Coast Cuisine and are dedicated in using sustainable and local products in their dishes.

Vaneats is offering a dining package right now that gives you 2 beers, 2 appetizers, and a main dish for $30. The items included are:

2 Sleeves of Angry Scotch Ale
Coconut Scallop Ceviche
Prawn, Shrimp, & Wild Mushrooms Salad
Choice of the following:
- Crispy Duck Leg
- Red Honey-Curry Coho

The interior is nicely spaced out and has a predominant wood texture. There is patio seating available too. When we went on a Monday night, it was pretty empty and the service felt very awkward. It’s probably best to go on busier night like Friday and Saturday.

2 Sleeves of Angry Scotch Ale are from Russell Brewing Company. It’s a dark ale with dominant malt accent that originated in Edinburgh. Made with Scottish specialty malts including Peated Malt imparting a slight smoky character to the beer.

I found that the beer best paired with the entrees more so than the appetizers. I am not a dark beer drinker, but I found it to be not too strong for the casual beer drinker.

Coconut Scallop Ceviche has hand peeled shrimp, citrus juices, ginger, jalapeño, corn chips, tobiko, & ikura.

It’s easy to share since each person has their own pile of chips! No more fighting over who’s chip is who’s. The ceviche was ok, but needed more acidity since the coconut neutralizes it.

One this I really didn’t like about the dish was how watery the ceviche was. I would be very hard to eat it without it dripping all over the table or on your clothes. We couldn’t figure out the best way to eat this.

Prawn, Shrimp, & Wild Mushrooms Salad has pan seared prawns and wild local mushrooms, hand peeled shrimp, arugula, grapefruit, taro root crisps, and a lemon-hazelnut vinaigrette.

When this arrived, we noticed they had the same grapefruit slices and the hand peeled shrimp in the previous dish. The mushrooms were my favorite part of the dish.

Red Honey-Curry Coho has wild BC Coho, saffron yoghurt, hot pickled lime puree, candied almonds, and cinnamon market vegetable. The interior was very moist and the outside had a great amount of unique flavours.

It’s very hard to share between two people, so you may want to order an additional entree. KoreanGirl and I found we were not too hungry after this meal.

Crispy Duck Leg, has confit of Fraser Valley duck leg, sweet chill ginger sauce, yam & plantain chips, sesame seeds, and grilled plums. This is the other option if you didn’t choose the Coho. You can check out Alvin’s review to see what he thought about this dish.

Overall, the dishes were just OK, KoreanGirl and I didn’t particularly enjoy this dining package. The service was really awkward, but maybe because it was just a Monday night. It was good that we were able to try the offerings from this restaurant and seeing the array of styles they put into their dishes. You probably need to order a few dishes to get the full Whet experience.

We Rate Whet:

Address:
1517 Anderson Road
Vancouver, BC V6H

Website:
www.whet.ca

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=1517+Anderson+Road+Vancouver,+BC+V6H&hnear=1517+Anderson+St,+Vancouver,+Greater+Vancouver+Regional+District,+British+Columbia&gl=ca&t=m&z=16 “]

In Bakery

Kam Wah Cafe 金華冰廳: Egg Tarts, Pineapple Buns, and Milk Tea

October 27, 2012

During this Summer, we were caught in a severe typhoon, but despite the warnings, we still headed out for some delicious lunch. Everyone had their umbrellas and if you had shoes on, they were guaranteed to be soaked. The typhoon actually increased in strength throughout the day reaching a No. 10 typhoon warning, which was the highest since 1999.

Kam Wah Cafe is located in the Prince Edward area very very close to Women’s Street. Their specialties are milk tea, egg tarts, pineapple bun with butter, and chicken wings. They have also won the Best Restaurant Awards in 2012 on Openrice.com.

The interior is typical of a Chinese Cafe. It’s normal to sit with strangers since there are limited tables to seat all the customers.

They have news articles along one of the walls of the shop, so you can read what others have said about them.

Hot Milk tea is delicious and needs to be mixed with sugar before drinking. You definitely want to order this if you are getting some of their buns or tarts.

Egg Tarts are very flakey on the outside and nice and firm in the egg mixture. It came very hot, so you know its fresh.

Pineapple bun with butter is their most famous item at the cafe.

The way I eat it is by mushing the bun with a fork until its flat. Then I use a knife and fork to eat it, so I don’t get crumbs all over my lap.

StirFried Beef Noodles was very very good here too. We were pleasantly surprised! It was a bit oily, but still has a great taste!

Overall, I thought this cafe was really good! Definitely take a trip here if you want some good pineapple buns, egg tarts, and milk tea!

We Rate Kam Wah Cafe:

Address:
47 Bute Street, Prince Edward

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=47+Bute+Street,+Prince+Edward&hnear=47+Bute+St,+Hong+Kong&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Cafe

Starbucks: Introduction of Starbucks Refreshers

October 25, 2012

Earlier this Summer, Starbucks launched their new drinks – “Starbucks Refreshers”. These are cold fruity drinks with “natural energy”. They use green coffee extract, so you get that boost of energy without drinking coffee.

The refreshers come in 2 flavours – Very Berry Hibiscus and Cool Lime.

There was a buy one get one free deal, so I couldn’t give up the chance at trying both and paying way less. I paid in Hong Kong dollars, so it translates to about $3.

Cool Lime is a mix of juice, mint, lime, caffeine, and then shaken with ice. It had a dominant flavour of mint and a secondary taste of the lime. I preferred this over the very berry hibiscus refresher.

Very Berry Hibiscus has not my favorite, but my sister prefered it over the Cool Lime refresher. The berries were not very fresh either.

It’s good that Starbucks is catering to the people who hate the coffee taste, but need the caffeine rush. I personally dislike the taste of both these drinks, but the Cool Lime is slightly better than the Very Berry Hibiscus.

Have you tried these yet?

In BBQ

Re-Up BBQ: At the River Market For Sandwiches + Tea

October 24, 2012

Re-Up BBQ opened a restaurant inside River Market in New Westminster. They have the same sandwiches you can find at their food carts and some other new BBQ items. I was here for a conference in the building and thought I had to have some of their amazing pulled pork for lunch.

You order on the left counter.

Then, you pick up your order on the right corner. The whole kitchen area is visible, so it’s fun watching them prepare your food.

Sweet Tea was good and refreshing to go with a pulled pork sandwich. It’s light, crisp and not too sugary.

Pulled Pork Sandwich has pulled pork slathered with BBQ sauce and coleslaw in a bun. It wasn’t as large as it was a long time ago when they first started their food cart.

Overall, not a bad place to eat at the River Market. It can be a bit pricey for just a sandwich and a drink.

We Rate Re-Up BBQ:

Address:
810 Quayside Dr
New Westminster, BC

Website:
http://reupbbq.com/river-market/

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=810+Quayside+Dr+New+Westminster,&hnear=810+Quayside+Dr,+New+Westminster,+British+Columbia+V3M+6B9&gl=ca&t=m&z=16″]

In Downtown

Feastro the Rolling Bistro: Rolling Around Downtown Vancouver

October 23, 2012

Feastro the Rolling Bistro has rolled its way over to the Art Gallery. They serve up local fresh seafood with their menu items. I was excited about this place since I heard much about it when they were near the Convention Centre.

Everything looked good, so I really have no idea what to choose. The fish and chips seemed good, so I ordered that.

I also splattered some vinegar onto my fish before digging in.

Fish and Chips ($13) has Red Snapper coated in a light panko breading, served with fresh-cut fries,our tangy red wine vinaigrette coleslaw and truck made tartar sauce. You definitely get a lot of food for the price. The taste of the snapper was ok, but nothing too impressive.

On the bottom, you have fries that are really awesome and crunchy! Then the coleslaw was OK too.

Overall, I found the items on the menu to be a bit pricey compared to other food carts that are around. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, except for their super crunchy crispy fries.

We Rate Feastro the Rolling Bistro:

Location:
Howe St x Robson near Art Gallery

Website:
http://www.feastro.ca/

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In Izakaya

Minami: Yummy Aburi Beef in Yaletown

October 22, 2012

When I came back from vacation, I headed out to Minami with @Lensflaaare and @Floyvr to see what all the hype was about Minami. Minami is the sister restaurant of Miku. They are popular for their aburi sushi.

It’s located really close to the Yaletown Skytrain on the Canada Line.

Unlike Miku, the atmosphere here was more dark and intimate.

Jasmine tea comes in tea pots. It tastes good and goes really well with their food.

Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi is pressed rice with local salmon, jalapeño, and miku sauce. This is their most popular item from both Miku and Minami. It’s so good!

Slow Roasted Beets & Watercress Salad has yuzu creme fraiche, fig, candied sesame cashew, fig chutney, and a yuzu chardonnay vinaigrette.

Kaisen Soba Pepperoncino has shrimp, squid, scallop, sweet pepper, shiitake, and jalapeno. This dish was ok, not too spicy, but I felt it was a weird combination of seafood and spice.

Aburi Carpaccio has a organic 64 degree egg, asian pear, market greens, lotus root chips, and jalapeno-garlic ponzu. It was fun popping the egg and letting it go all over the raw meat. I enjoyed the nice clean flavours.

Overall, the food was good, but our server was always in a rush and not very attentive. If I had a choice of going to either Miku or Minami, I would go back to Miku. I didn’t enjoy the ambiance or the service as much.

We Rate Minami:

Address:
1118 Mainland St
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.minamirestaurant.com/

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