Did you know Hot Pot Restaurants from all over the Lower Mainland have hilarious names? Some of them I have to admit are pretty lame, makes no sense, and are probably bad english translations. I just had to compile a short list of Hot Pot Restaurants in Vancouver to show you guys how funny they are.

• U Good Hot Pot
• Paper Rock Social Lounge
• New Concept Hot Pot
• KK Dollar Hot Pot Restaurant
• iSpicy Hot Pot
• Grand Honour Hot Pot
• Golden Coast Spice Hot Pot
• Chubby Lamb Hot Pot
• So Hot So Pot
• Fu Lin Hot Pot
• Fatty Cow Hot Pot

Of course this does not apply to all Hot Pot Restaurants. Some have normals ones, but I found the list above to be quite funny. Just so you know, I haven’t been to these Hot Pot restaurants, so I don’t know if they are any good. I just know, they make me giggle.

Do you know of any other Hot Pot restaurant with strange names?

My friend sent me an article about Fast Food Chains in the States having secret menus. You can order some very bizzare items… or even some old favorites that have been discontinued.

Coupon Sherpa of www.Couponsherpa.com wrote an article called ‘24 Secret Restaurant Menus Revealed‘, he lists 24 different fast food restaurants and the different items you can order. Looking at this list, more than half the list does not apply to Canada at all. But, it’s still pretty cool to see some of the weirdest sandwiches ever made. Perhaps I’ll take a trip to the states and go nuts by ordering the most obscure items. I can’t confirm if all of these items are available, but I am pretty sure you can order the specific ingredients to put that sandwich together. Do It Yourself type of thing.

I have been guilty of ordering a few of these items on the menus such as the McGangBang (McDonalds) and London Fog (Starbucks). I actually don’t go up to the counter to specifically order a McGangBang. If I did, I would get some pretty weird looks. They might even think I would want to rob the place. It’s pretty weird how he mentions Starbucks’s london fog since they did introduce it a while ago to their menu.  If you want a cheaper version of the London Fog, order an Earl Grey misto with 2 pumps of vanilla syrup.

If you have ordered these items that aren’t on their regular menu, let us know what your experience was.

Below is a condensed list of secret menus available in Vancouver.

Arbys

• Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich – This spin on the cordon bleu is a chicken breast with a piece of ham on top of it with melted Swiss cheese.
• Wet Fries – Hot fries smothered in cheese sauce.
• French Dip – This is a classic Arby’s menu item that is off most menu’s but can still be ordered.

Burger King

• Mustard Whopper – This is a normal Whopper with one difference, mustard is spread onto the sandwich instead of mayo.
• Veggie Whopper – A great alternative for vegetarians who love the flavor of Burger King, the beef is substituted for with a veggie patty.
• BLT – A bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich that comes in either a small or medium size.
• Ham and Cheese – A classic sandwich option that you can have served either hot or cold.
• Frings – An order of frings will split your French fry order with onion rings.
• Suicide Burger – This is a large burger including four meat patties, four slices of cheese, bacon and special sauce.
• Rodeo Burger – A burger assembled with onion rings and bbq sauce on it.
• BK Club – This sandwich is the Original chicken sandwich with bacon, tomato, and cheese.

Dairy Queen

• Chocolate Chip Blizzard – This blizzard sounds like your basic chocolate chip ice cream, but its not. It is made with quick to harden chocolate usually used on the dipping cones.
• Banana Split Blizzard – All your basic banana split flavors blended together into a blizzard.
• Jack and Jill Sundae – A classic sundae with marshmallow and hot fudge.
• Lavender Blue Sundae – This is a blueberry sundae with marshmallow.
• Frozen Hot Chocolate – In some places this is still on the menu seasonally, but basically it is hot chocolate blended with ice to give it a frozen crunch.
• Peanut Buster Parfait – This is a multi level sundae combining fudge, vanilla soft serve, and peanuts.

Fat Burger

• Hypocrite – A veggie burger topped with bacon.

KFC/A&W

• Poutine – This is a Canadian favorite that includes French fries, fried cheese curds, and gravy layered together.

McDonalds

• Biscuits and Gravy – This one may only be available in the South – but it’s the classic combination of gravy smothering hot biscuits.
• McKinley Mac – A big Mac with quarter pounder patties.
• Grilled Cheese – A bun grilled with American cheese inside.
• Big Mac with Quarter Pounder Patties – This is great if you are looking to decrease the cost and calories of the classic Big Mac Sandwich. You get the entire flavor with less meat.
• All American – This is a normal sized hamburger with only pickles and ketchup.
• Big McChicken – This is a huge sandwich in which the chicken patties replace the bun.
• Fries with Big Mac Sauce – Fries smothered in the secret and special big Mac Sauce.
• Chicken and Waffles – This is a McGriddle sandwich with chicken in the middle.
• Neopolitan Milk Shake – 1/3 vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice creams blended together into one shake.
• McLeprichon – This shake is only available in March and is composed of the shamrock shake mixed with the chocolate shake making a mint chocolate shake.
• Pie McFlurry – If you purchase a pie you can have it blended into your McFlurry.
• McGangBang – This is a double cheeseburger with a chicken patty in between the two beef patties.
• Land, Sea, and Air Burger – The Land, Sea, and Air burger, has a beef patty, chicken patty, and fillet-o-fish patty all piled high onto a bun.
• Root Beer Float – You can pick any size of root beer and they will add the vanilla ice cream on top.
• Coke Float – Any size of coke with ice cream. You can even get it with chocolate ice cream.
• Monster Mac – A big Mac composed of 8 meat patties.
• 2 Cheese Burger Meal Mac – Two cheese burgers, fries and a drink.

Starbucks – With the large variety of different Starbucks franchises it is important to know what’s in any hidden menu drink you order. Many should know these options however, since they are not all the same just remember the ingredients in case they do not know and they will be happy to make the drink for you.

• Biscotti Frapuccino – This is a typical frapuccino but it has a biscotti blended inside. You will have to purchase the biscotti separate when you are checking out, but you can have it in any flavor frap.
• Short Drink – This is a less expensive version of any Starbucks drink. It is smaller than a tall with a lower price.
• Red Eye – This is a shot of espresso in regular drip coffee.
• Black Eye – This drink has 2 shots of espresso in regular drip coffee.
• Green Eye – This drink includes 3 shots of espresso in regular drip coffee.
• Poor Mans Latte – We recommend you do not tell your Barista you are planning on creating this drink when you order. Order an iced Americano with no water and half ice, then use the free milk on the side to mix it up to your standards.
• Poor Mans Chai Latte – Same recommendation as above applies here. Order a Chai Tea Misto with extra foam, two tea bags, and half cinnamon and half vanilla syrup.
• French Pressed Coffee – If you want coffee served fresh from a French press you may have it with any variety in the shop.
• Chocolate Cream Frapuccino – This is a frapuccino made with chocolate syrup and chocolate frapuccino base.
• Cake Batter Frap – Order a vanilla frappucino and ask for both the vanilla bean and almond flavorings. It will taste just like cake batter.
• Crunchberry Frap – Flavored like the crunchberry cereal, this is a strawberrys and cream frappucino with hazelnut flavoring.
• Strawberry Blended Lemonade – Although this had been taken off the menu, most locations will still blend the strawberry flavoring with lemonade for you.
• London Fog – This is made with vanilla flavoring in Earl Gray Tea.
• Zebra Mocha (also called a Tuxedo or Penguin Mocha) – This is a mix of the white chocolate and regular chocolate mochas.
• Red Tux Mocha (also called Bleeding Penguin) – The same mix of white chocolate and regular chocolate mocha with raspberry flavoring.

Subway

• Pizza Sub – This sub was taken of the menu in most locations when Subway began marketing itself as healthy alternative to fast food. However, upon request you can get the Pizza Sub which combines cheese, tomato sauce, and pepperoni.

Taco Bell

• Cheesy Gordita Crunch – This is a seasonal favorite for many, however it can be ordered year round.
• Green Sauce – Although this sauce is still available in most South West locations, if you request it at your local restaurant usually they will have it on hand.
• Double Grilled Quesadilla – An extra crispy quesadilla.
• Chili Cheese Burrito – A burrito filled with chili and cheese instead of the usual mixes.
• Enchirito – This is a enchilada of beef, beans, cheese, diced onions, and red sauce.

Wendy’s

• Grand Slam – This burger has a total of four meat patties.
• Big Bacon Classic – This is your classic burger with bacon.
• Value Crispy Chicken Club – A reduced price Crispy Chicken sandwich with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo.
• Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe – This value sized burger includes lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and ketchup.
• Barnyard – A spicy chicken sandwich with ham, bacon and beef separated by cheese.

Today it was my first time eating cereal in a long long long LONG time. I got my bowl, milk and cereal ready. As I picked up the box I thought to myself “What do I put in first? Cereal or the milk?”.

I vaguely remember being a kid pouring in the milk first and not having enough cereal in my bowl to have a good even ratio. It really made me start wondering “how many people do put cereal first…or milk”! Everyone must have their own opinions about it and why they put that ingredient in first.

After thinking for about 30 seconds, I concluded that I should put in the cereal first so I don’t waste any milk. My love for Honey Nut Cheerios are greater than milk. If I really wanted to drink a lot of milk, I’ll pour myself a glass.

A question I pose to you all ” How do you prepare cereal? Do you put the cereal in first? or the milk?”. Any favorite cereals?

It has occurred to me I am oblivious when it comes to drinking hot chocolate. I always drink all the way to the bottom where most of the syrup and gunk settle. Is this really how you drink hot chocolate? I even googled, but they only tell me how to make hot chocolate.

There really shouldn’t be too much science or instruction to properly drink a hot chocolate….plus hot chocolate just looks so good to taste bad. In most of the hot chocolates I have encounter have the chocolate settle to the bottom of the cup. Powdered form of hot chocolate for sure wil have it.

The Hot Chocolate from Starbucks tasted so good until I got closer and closer to the bottom, as you can tell, there is the chocolate gunk that settles to the bottom and leave the last 1/4 of your Hot Chocolate to taste like sediments.

There are theories on the  proper way to enjoy your hot chocolate. FinanceBoy is the biggest Hot Chocolate lover…EVER. If I told you how many hot chocolates he has had in a day… you would be scared.

Here are some of his tips to enjoy the best Hot Chocolate:

• Find Hot Chocolate made with real chocolate rather than the powdered form
• Don’t leave it for too long or else it’ll cool down too much
• Stirring is always an option
• Don’t drink the whole hot chocolate, leave 1/4 left in the cup to avoid the “gunk”

Suggested places for awesome hot chocolate:

• Mink Chocolates
• Thomas Haas

I am not a hot chocolate expert, but perhaps you know a bit more than I do. If you would like to shed some light on enjoying hot chocolate or even some other places to get hot chocolate. Post a comment below!