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ZenQ is an international dessert chain originated from Taiwan within the same parent company as Chatime. They are quickly expanding in Canada, Vietnam and Hong Kong this year. They specialize in desserts that have grass jelly and Q balls (matcha, yam and taro flavoured).

Menu

Their menu has drinks and desserts.

Waffles

Orea Cocoa Waffle

There are 4 pieces of waffles with a sprinkling of Oreo cookies, bananas, chocolate sauce and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. Good for chocolate lovers.

Fresh Fruit Waffle

There are 4 pieces of waffles too with a drizzle of honey and as scoop of ice cream. The fruits that were on the plate are mangos, strawberry, honey dew, and banana. Of the two waffles, I liked this one because of all the fruits.

Creamy Frappe Series

Mango Creamy Frappe

They have a bunch of different snowy ice desserts, but this one has mango frappe, fresh mango, mango jelly, vanilla ice cream, condensed milk and fruit loops. The mango frappe was delicious and the textures of the mango and jelly went well together.

Tofu Pudding Series

Tofu Pudding No 3

In this dessert, there is Pearls, Q Balls, Peanuts, and Sweet Potato a top tofu pudding. The Q Balls were nice and chewy like mochi.

Hot Grass Jelly Series

Hot Grass Jelly No 2

This has grass jelly, taro, pearls, Q balls, and a ball of brown sugar.The grass jelly and the pearls were nice and chewy.

Royal Sweet Soup Series

Red Bean Soup No 3

Sweet potato in a red bean soup was ok, but we all personally didn’t like red bean soup.

Longan Black Glutinous Rice Series

Longan Black Glutinous Rice No 3

This version also has Sweet Potato right in the centre. The consistency is thicker and you get a lot of texture from the rice.

Oreo Cocoa Ice Diamond

If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll like the oreo chocolate drink.

Hot Hand Made Taro Milk Tea

There are pieces of taro in this and it’s pretty hard to find a taro milk tea with real taro. Make sure you mix this around as the taro sinks to the bottom.

Winter Melon Latte

The winter melon taste is faint as you can taste more of the milk and it has more of an almond taste to this.

ZenQ Milk Tea with Grass Jelly

Classic item to get at any bubble tea shop. Since they do specialize in grass jelly, it’s a must.

Strawberry Black Tea

The sweet strawberry paired with the black tea. Good for those who like a bit of caffeine and a fruity touch.

Mango Green Tea

The mango green tea I felt was a bit sweet for my taste preference.

Final Thoughts

Overall, some food and drinks were a hit and miss. If you want to impress your friends, go with the classic milk tea, waffles, grass jelly desserts or their tofu desserts. It’s good to have more options in town where there are desserts and bubble tea to hang out with friends.

We Rate ZenQ

Address:
495 SW Marine Dr, Vancouver

Website:
http://zenq.ca/

ZenQ Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The Tea of Brightness or TTOB is a Bubble Tea Cafe from Taiwan. There’s really not much I could really find online, but their cute menu items drew me in. I was with a few friends in the area and we made it a mission to give this place a try.

Menu

You will mostly find bubble tea drinks and bubble waffles on the menu.

Princess Milk Tea

The Princess Milk Tea was really the main reason why I wanted to come here. I thought it was initially latte art, but it turns out it’s a marshmallow. SUPER CUTE. MEOW. The milk tea wasn’t very good, but them again, I’ve had a lot of milk teas in my life time, so I’ve become a milk tea snob. I could taste the powdered milk and I really don’t like that taste.

Three Flavoured Bubble Waffle

The 3 flavours are original, chocolate and matcha. We didn’t take a liking to the matcha flavour as it seemed super artificial. The original and chocolate are very good. Where else are you going to find a 3 flavoured bubble waffle? It’s pretty unique but it’s too bad the matcha didn’t stand out.

Final Thoughts

The basic milk tea was definitely lacking, but since I didn’t try any other drinks, I can’t comment on the other drinks. At any new bubble tea shop, I always get the basic milk tea as it’s a basic sign if the shop is good or not. The aesthetic of the princess milk tea was great but the flavour and taste was lacking.

We Rate TTOB

Address:
3318 Cambie Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.ttob.com.tw/

The Tea of Brightness TTOB Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

I have a soft spot for Taiwanese comfort food, and 3 Quarters Full provides just that. Roman and I attended the Media Tasting for the cafe’s updated menu.

The spread of cakes, sandwiches and teas definitely ramped up our appetites and the first item that drew my attention was the pyramid of Pineapple Cakes. These rectangular-shaped pastries are filled with a pineapple filling that is thick and jam-like. The exterior is buttery like shortbread. The Pineapple Cake at 3 Quarters Full was so good, I couldn’t eat just one!

Roman particularly enjoyed the Crispy Pork Sandwich, which is a typical Taiwanese breakfast item according to owner, Kaiyu. This sandwich had shredded pork, sliced cucumbers, and a fried egg which were alternately in between not two, but 3 pieces of bread. The pork was tasty, and the sliced cucumbers added crunch. The fried egg tied the sandwich together by providing creaminess from its runny yolk.

Behind a glass window with the 3 Quarters Full logo, kitchen staff assembled Pork Baos for the attendees. Each bao, which is a steamed bun, was put together with care and had meaty and fatty portions of pork. The bao pillowy soft and the pork was tasty. I’m not a fan of thick pieces of pork fat, but the bao benefited from it because it made it deliciously moist. The pork fat enhanced the flavour of the meaty pork portion, and made the bao savoury.

A fave Taiwanese comfort food of mine is salt and pepper chicken, and the version at 3 Quarters Full is called Basil Popcorn Chicken. The deep fried basil added a delicious, subtle flavour.

To finish off the tasting, Roman and I tried two different types of cakes. One was a Naidong Roll, and the other was a Japanese-style Cheesecake. We tried the Naidong Roll in Taro and Strawberry. This cake consists of a spongey exterior, with a creamy and custard-like center. As for the cheesecake, it is less dense and not as creamy as regular cheesecake.

The cakes were delicious, and paired well with the Sea Salt Coffee. The coffee’s flavour reminded me of salted caramel, but not as sweet. I enjoyed its creaminess, and the touch of salt that finishes off a sip.

The next time you’re walking around the West End, be sure to pop into the cafe. If you’re craving a sweet treat or a savoury bite, 3 Quarters Full has something for you.

Address:
1789 Comox St, Vancouver

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/3quartersfullcafe/

3 Quarters Full Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Rhinofish is a Taiwanese Beef Noodle shop in Chinatown. It recently opened and I was excited because it’s hard to find good Taiwanese Beef Noodle in the area. Before they opened, they gave a few of us a sneak peek to see what to expect.

Niu Rou Mian

Taiwanese beef noodle with braised soup, tomato, baby bok choy, carrot, potato and asian sauerkraut. I had high hopes for this dish as it’s their specialty, but it fell short of expectations. The beef was very dry and did not melt in my mouth. The broth was deep in flavour but tasted more like Chinese medicine. The noodles themselves were good.

Hua Diao Ji Mian

Hua diao rice wine chicken broth, sous vide chicken breast, baby bok choy, cherry tomatoes, and tea infused egg. I preferred this a little bit more, but the broth flavour is very very subtle. It was a clean homey flavour to it. Some others commented saying it was bland. I added some mustard greens and some chili oil to transform the flavour.

Guo Bao

Taiwanese steamed bun with pork belly was ok but it needed something a bit more to bind the two things together. Maybe more sauce to moisten the bun slightly.

Xiao Huang Gua

Pickled Japanese cucumber with garlic and chili is a nice item to start with, but for $5, it’s a bit much for what you end up getting.

Mu Er

Wood ear mushroom with sesame soy dressing and plum salt in this dish. Another starter dish to share.

Yansuji with Nanjing sauce

A classic Taiwanese dish of crispy chicken nuggets topped with fried basil. the nanjing sauce is on the side. The chicken is good on it’s own, so the added sauce doesn’t add much difference. The chicken was moist on the inside and the outer fried are was crisp.

Yansuji with Parmesan and truffle oil

Very similar to the dish above with the different toppings and a bit of lemon.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food was ok but the menu prices are a bit high for what you get. We ended up giving the chef some feedback about the dishes but we’re not sure if he ever made changes before they opened. They tried to be innovative with their dishes but in the end it fell flat as they tried to reinvent the wheel as basic Taiwanese beef noodle is a classic dish. No one was impressed.

We Rate Rhinofish

Address:
550 Main St, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.rhinofishnoodlebar.com/

Rhinofish Noodle Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

45 Degree Bubble Tea House in Coal Harbour is a new bubble tea shop close to Stanley Park. M told me about this place, so one day when I was waiting for him to get off work, I came here to get a drink. I love bubble tea, so I’m always on the look out for the best bubble tea out in Metro Vancouver.

Interior

The space is nice and simple with a few tables for groups. I came at 3pm on a Monday, so it was pretty dead. The staff were very nice to guide me through the menu since my order seemed pretty basic. They made a lot of suggestions for me.

Sakura Oolong Mousse

The sakura oolong mousse was very floral and light. It complimented the mousse on top very well. It kinda reminded me of beer because of the colour. It was interesting trying to find the best way to drink this but it seems like they instruct everyone on how to drink it. You press you lips into the cup and tilt it 45 degrees to drink the you get a good ratio of the cream and tea in each sip. If you lift the tab up on the drink, you get too much foam.

Black Tea Mousse

I grabbed this to go. It was delicious but it was stronger because its black tea. A good option if you straight up asian tea without the floral taste. When I ordered this I found it was funny how they tried suggesting other drinks to me too.

Final Thoughts

They have a good selection of coffees and teas. Even a few items were sold out. The teas are great here and brewed fresh, which is awesome. I would definitely come back to try more.

We Rate 45 Degree Bubble Tea House

Address:
1467 W Pender Street, Vancouver

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/45-Degree-Bubble-Tea-House-1394743023927257/

45 Degree Bubble Tea House Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

MYST Asian Fusion just opened in Burnaby and they are serving up many different kinds of Asian cuisine. We were invited for a tasting of their menu to see what they offer. There is a parking lot but it can be quite full at peak hours, but there is free street parking too.

The restaurant is a bit hidden but just look out for the bright blue sign.

Interior

They have lots of seating inside with booth style configurations. This location took over Lester’s Arcade, so they really did a lot of renovations to get this look.

Drinks

Taiwanese Beer

They have a selection of Taiwanese Beer on the menu. It’s sweeter than the average beer and infused with fruity flavours.

Uchikinoki ice cream smoothie

A green tea drink with ice cream, mochi and red bean.

Slushies

They have huge slushies with marshmallow and chocolate eyeballs. This particular one was green apple flavour.

Pea Flower Tea

They have a series of pea flower tea, which have been quite popular among bubble tea shops around town. These 2 particular drinks were Calpis butterfly pea flower tea and the Strawberry lemon butterfly pea flower tea.

Potted Milk Tea

The milk tea base to topped with a cookie crumble and a green leaf. it was a really cool concept, but I didn’t like the gritty texture of the cookie crumble.

Takoyaki

It comes with 6 pieces and has a piece of cooked octopus inside. It is topped with mayo, teriyaki sauce, and shredded seaweed. It was interesting to see this on the menu, but tasted decent.

Fried green beans with minced pork

It has a good portion size for a table to share this. It had a nice caramelization from the hot pan. It was good.

Steamed sticky rice dumplings

7 pieces to an order in a steamed bamboo basket. The wrapper is filled with all the delicious sticky rice. It was an interesting dish but it was too carb heavy for my personal liking.

Skewers

They have a large variety of skewers on the menu. They were all pretty meh I would have wanted more char for added flavour.

  • Pork intestine
  • Lamb
  • Pork
  • Chicken
  • Fish cake
  • Chicken gizzard

Japanese style egg fried rice

There is a good amount of seafood in the fried rice and it’s topped with a fried egg, seaweed and mayo. My kind of comfort food.

Golden sand prawns with salted egg yolk sauce

Very delicious and the egg yolk crust is so addictive. I peeled the head off and at the rest with the shell on. Some people hate it with the shell but I oddly like it with the crunchy texture.

Chives & shrimp spring rolls

Mediocre spring rolls and nothing was special about them.

Pan fried beef pancake

The green onion pancake is rolled with beef, green onions and some sauce. 4 pieces some in an order and they are big pieces.

House special spicy lamb hot pot

This was my favourite dish of the evening. It is lit underneath with some fire to keep it nice and hot as you eat the meal. It is served with rice and 2 side dishes.

The hot pot was packed full of ingredients like spam, tofu, fish cake, bean curd, and imitation crab.

Deep fried ginger flavour chicken whole wings

This is their large order and each wing was perfectly fried. The exterior was crisp and golden brown.

Fried chicken in chili pepper

The pieces had a lot of bones so it wasn’t as enjoyable to eat. Meh.

Sandwiches

The sandwiches are pretty basic. Egg, tomato, ham and cucumber are inside the slices of white bread.

Chives, shrimp & pork dumplings

Pretty decent for dumplings and there is 10 pieces to the order and some sauce on the side.

Taiwanese style fried rice vermicelli

Soft vermicelli noodles with some veggies and meat mixed throughout.

Assorted deep fried basket

This basked had squid tentacles, salt and peppery chicken, blood sausage, and other deep fried items.

MYST beef noodle soup

Inside, we added beef shank, tripe, and tendon. It was decent and filling.

Marinated 3 item combo

This had dried tofu, seaweed and pork ear string. It was served cold on this dish and we slowly picked at it.

TaiNan style egg noodle soup

This was an ok dish but it didn’t compare to the other soupy dishes on the menu.

Myst deluxe marinated pork with rice

This dish had a lot of ingredients in it. Just mix it all together and enjoy.

Preserved cabbage with shredded pork fried rice cake

It was a good dish for sharing around the table. The chewy rice cakes with the preserved cabbage and pork were a nice combination.

Hakka style sweet rice cake

Nope. The dates gave it an odd bitter preserved flavour to the dish. No one likes it, but maybe you have to have an acquired taste.

Myst Jelly

This is a Winter Melon Jelly and has a consistency of a harder jello. It was very sweet and I didn’t really like this either.

Shaved Snowflake

They have this in either strawberry or mango flavours. We got the strawberry version and it sit on top of dry ice that makes the fog underneath. The strawberry shaved ice and the ice cream have a sweet artificial taste to it, kinda like Pocky. The strawberry slices were fresh.

Myst Taiyaki

The taiyaki sits in a ice cream cone bowl, matcha ice cream, mochi, red bean sauce, chocolate drizzle and a chocolate wafer stick. It was a dessert fit for a kid.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the food was so-so, but there is quite a variety that you’ll find something to enjoy. My favourite were the House special spicy lamb hot pot, deep fried chicken wings, and the golden sand prawns with salted egg yolk sauce.

We Rate MYST

Address:
6400 Kingsway, Burnaby

Website:
http://www.myst6400.com/

Myst Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Shiny Tea inside International Village is serving up soft serve ice cream. They still have their classic milk teas and other drinks. After work, I came with a few friends to begin the long weekend and to enjoy some ice cream. It was close to the office, so we thought it would be great for a visit. It got busy later into the evening.

Interior

There are about 14 seat inside, so it’s not great for really large groups. But, the food court is a few steps away, so you can go there instead to sit and eat.

Soft Serve Ice Cream “Italian Gelato”

They have 2 flavours on rotation – Peach Mango Green Tea and their Sri Lankan Black Tea. You get 1 sauce and toppings are extra. The flavours change every week, but they usually have one tea-based flavour and a fruity one. They let you taste the flavours before you purchase, which is nice.

There is only one size, so it’s still good for individual consumption or sharing.

Yaaassss…condensed  milk.

I got the Sri Lankan Black Tea with white pearls, black pearls and condensed milk.

They did have suggested toppings and sauces, but I wasn’t feeling it, so I crafted my own and it turned out delicious.

My friend got the Peach Mango Green Tea with brown sugar honey and it was a bit on the sweet side.

Milk tea

There are lots of drinks on the menu to choose from, but my favourites are the milk teas.

My friend got the 3Q milk tea. It has black pearls, white pearls and coconut jelly.

Overall,

We Rate Shiny Tea

Address:
88 W Pender St,Unit 2113, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.shinytea.ca/

Shiny Tea Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Chatime locations are slowly popping up all over Vancouver and in the subburbs. Their newest location that just opened in Chatime in Kerrisdale.

They are having their soft opening right now, but on March 10th till the 12th, they will be having their grand opening, where they are having a buy 1 get 1 free promotion, where the free drink is either Pearl Milk Tea or Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea.

I go to Chatime quite often as it’s my go to bubble tea shop in Vancouver. I always go with my usual order – Roasted Milk Tea with Grass Jelly, half sweet and less ice. This time around, we tried 5 different drink combinations to explore more items on their menu.

Interior

On the right side is where you put in your order and then wait till its ready.

There are a few tables in the front, but there are more chairs and tables in the back to enjoy your bubble tea and spend time with friends.

Butterfly Pea with Grapefruit Juice

We got this drink regular sweetness and regular ice. Butterfly pea is been brewed in teas dating back centuries while providing numerous health benefits. These flowers are known to act as anti-oxidants, increase blood circulation, help you sleep and promote skin health. The natural blue colour of the drink will magically change colours as the acidity level changes.

 

The name was inspired due to the shape of the flower and its glamourous blue-violet colour, resembling a butterfly.

The tea itself isn’t very strong, but the grapefruit juice balances really well with this drink. I can see it being a great drink to get once the temperature starts rising in Vancouver.

Oolong Tea Mousse

Oolong tea mousse was made with half sugar and regular ice. I like the variety of tea with the delicious salty sweet mousse on top. Similar to another bubble tea chain in town.

Pretty good drink, but I would get it with less ice.

Hazelnut Milk Tea + Coffee Jelly

We got this with no sugar and less ice. I’ve never had hazelnut milk tea before and it was good with the coffee jelly. Surprising combination.

Kumquat Lemon Juice + Aiyu Jelly

It has regular sugar and regular ice. They use fresh kumquat when available, but due to it being a seasonal fruit, real fruit syrup may be substituted. It was refreshing and tangy.

Aiyu jelly is a jelly made from the seeds of various figs that is found in the mountains of Taiwan. Aiyu jelly is usually served with honey and lemon juice as well as fruit tea. A good combination.

Strawberry Au Lait + Pudding

This last drink has regular sugar. It is made with blended strawberry syrup, coconut jelly and milk, then topped with more coconut jelly. On the bottom, there is pudding added.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the bubble tea is pretty consistent with some of the other locations and bubble tea is just delicious. If it’s your first time here, I would suggest my favourite drink – Roasted Milk Tea with Grass Jelly, half sweet and less ice. I always love getting milk tea as it’s a great benchmark to see how their drinks compare to other companies.

We Rate Chatime Kerrisdale

Address:
6075 West Blvd, Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://www.chatimebc.com/

Chatime Kerrisdale Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

gongcha-palo-alto-3

Gong Cha is one of my fondest memories from Hong Kong. Having bubble tea with their signature cream on top was something very unique to Asian until Gong Cha started expanding to the United States and Canada.

When I was in Palo Alto visiting a friend, I had to come here for an after dinner bubble tea.

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They have a guide on the table if you want to know the different levels of customizations you can do to your drink like sweetness, ice, and toppings.

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Milk Foam Green Tea was what I ordered with 50% sweetness and 50% ice. The milk foam on top is a bit salty, but after a while, it starts tasting pretty good with the tea.

We rate Gong Cha3rated

Address:
439 Waverley St, Palo Alto

Website:
http://gong-cha-usa.com/

Gong Cha Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

maji-1

Maji is a Taiwanese Stir Fry restaurant in Richmond. I’ve been here before and I remember liking it for their dishes and beer. We came her for dinner and it was pretty packed with people waiting outside.

I was invited by Chopstick Fest to try their signature dishes in anticipation for Vancouver’s first Chinese Cuisine Festival in October.

Interior

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There are lots of tables inside for small to large groups. It’s best to call ahead to make reservations so you don’t have to wait in line during peak hours.

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Taiwanese Beer

maji-15

They have Taiwanese Beer available in delicious fruit flavours. Alcohol content is pretty low compared to the usual beer. It’s a super light beer that goes well with Taiwanese food.

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Food

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Spicy Deep Fried Chicken uses boneless chicken leg served on shredded cabbage, chili sauce and cilantro. I liked the use of the dark meat from the chicken leg.

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Crispy Chicken Skin is super crisp and served with salt, pepper, green onions, and chili. One of our favourite dishes of the night.

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Braised Food platter comes with your choice of braised items. For our platter, we had:

  • braised egg
  • braised pork intestines
  • braised beef tripe
  • braised chicken gizzard

A nice dish for all to share assuming they like the taste of innards. I grew up with similar food, so I never flinch at eating this. The sauce that the items were braised in was delicious.

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Dongpo Pork has delicious pork belly marinated with soy sauce and their secret brown sauce. The layers of fat and meat were so delicious.

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Deep Fried Shrimps with Pineapples has the shrimp tossed in pineapples, house-special dressing, and garnished with parsley.

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Taiwanese-style stir-fried noodles use oil noodles with shredded cabbage, carrots, shredded pork and basil.

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Basil Clams has the clams sauteed in garlic, ginger and  basil. The basil didn’t stand out too much but the clams were yummy.

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Hakka Style Pork and Squid has shredded pork belly stir-fried withy squid, bean curd, dried shrimp, celery and chili.

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Sesame Oil Pork Fried Rice has shredded pork, egg, rice, veggies and tossed in sesame oil. A good solid fried rice, but could have use a pinch more salt.

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Pan-Fried Egg Tofu with Soy Bean Paste has egg tofu, vegetables, and soybean paste served in a hot skillet. The tofu was really good and silky smooth.

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Overall, I really like Maji. The small plates are great for sharing and it reminds me of eating a dinner at home where you have the many dishes to pick from.

We Rate Maji35rating

Address:
1180-8391 Alexandra Road, Richmond

Website:
http://www.majirestaurant.ca/

Maji Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

kerrisdale-bubble-waffle-i-1

Bubble Waffle Cafe has their newest location in Kerrisdale. They serve popular street food snacks such as curry fish balls, egg waffles, stinky tofu, and fish soup noodles.

I was invited by ChineseBites to check out a few items on the menu.

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This location has a decent amount of seating. Most people come here to grab a bowl of noodles and some bubble tea.

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Due to their location, you’ll notice the prices are slightly higher than the other locations in the Lower Mainland. Either way, it’s still quite affordable.

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Cheesecake Bubble Waffle was ok, but it was a bit sweet. I would stick with the original. Can’t go wrong with the classics.

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Matcha Bubble Waffle had a nice crunchy exterior with pillowy soft bubbles. I found the matcha very very subtle, barely noticeable.

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Cinnamon Bubble Waffle wasn’t very good at all. It was just overpowering and people should just stick with the classic original bubble waffle.

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Taiwan Sausage comes with 2 pieces on skewers. It was ok, but I didn’t find anything special about it.

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Fish Sui Mai has 6 pieces in an order. The texture was bouncy and lacked much flavour. It was mostly the sauce that added the extra flavour.

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Stinky Tofu isn’t for everyone due to its smell. It’s a deep fried tofu square topped with the fermented sauce.

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Takoyaki comes with 6 pieces and is topped with bonito flakes. Delicious and you can’t go wrong with takoyaki. Inside you will find a little piece of octopus.

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Chicken Nuggets was a good choice too. Deep fried chicken nuggets with salt and pepper is always a hit.

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Fried Shrimp Ball was ok, but since it doesn’t have any sauce to go with it, I felt like something was missing.

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Milk Tea is a classic item to order. I thought it was a tad sweet for regular sweetness, so next time I would do half sweet.

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You can create your own bowl of noodles with any combination of soup base, noodles, and toppings.

I went with the Preserved Egg Fish soup with udon, sliced beef brisket, fish tofu, fish puff, and more preserved egg.

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The udon noodles was slightly thinner, but it was good. I quite liked the broth as it was pretty unique. I have a secret obsession for preserved egg. Even though it looks weird, I really love it.

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Another popular option was the laksa soup base.

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Overall, I found the food to be ok. The noodle soups were good and they have a wide range of broths which is nice. The flavoured bubble waffles were totally a miss. You just can’t beat original.

We Rate Bubble Waffle Cafe3rated

Address:
2279 West 41st Avenue, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.bubblewafflecafe.com/

Bubble Waffle Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

pearl-house-4

Pearl House Restaurant in South Burnaby in the Edmonds area specializing in casual Taiwanese food. I came here with a few friends for a quick lunch before going to the mall. I haven’t heard too much about this place, but I always love trying new places.

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The interior is bright and has tables configured for groups of 2’s and 4’s. There is one larger table near the back for big groups.

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Deep Fried Boneless Chicken Leg on Rice comes with 3 side dishes on the plate – marinated cucumbers, tofu and seaweed. A good portion for the price.

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When digging in, I realized they gave me the one with bone, but I let that slide since the service was already bad here. If I sent it back, it would take sometime for them to correct the dish. I was hungry in the morning, so I didn’t want not eat. The skin was very crispy and tasted good.

We also ordered the marinated pork ear slice and Wontons in chili sauce as appetizers, but it felt a bit below average. I forgot to take pictures, but the pork ear slice just had way too much green onion in it. The wontons in chili sauce tasted quite bland and not very spicy either.

My other friends ordered a noodle dish and another rice dish, but this place doesn’t compare to other Taiwanese cafes.

Overall, the food we had was all below average. There wasn’t any dish that would make us come back to have more. The service was poor and our waiter was a bit unhygienic when touching our plates and cups.

We Rate Pearl House Restaurant2rating

Address:
7152 Sperling, Burnaby

Pearl House Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

fat-mao-outer

Fat Mao is the latest addition to Chinatown. Recently, there has been a bunch of new restaurants opening up nearby like Torafuku and Ramen Butcher. Since I work close to this area, I get super excited when something new opens up.

Chef Angus An’s (chef and owner of Maenam) newest venture serves noodle dishes inspired by a range of Asian cuisines. Recipes at Fat Mao are inspired by Chef Angus’s travels in Asia and his favourite family meals from childhood. Flavourful curries, sauces, and rice and wheat noodles are made fresh from scratch, and dishes touch on Thai, Taiwanese, Japanese, and Singaporean cuisines.

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The casual 25-seater is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday to Sunday from 11am. Fat Mao will stay open until noodles run out, or 10pm—whichever comes first. Dishes are affordably priced under $12.

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I came here with my coworkers during lunch and we were excited to give it a try.

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While you wait for your order, you can read some Slam Dunk comics. If you can’t read Chinese like me…you can just look at the pictures. hahaha.

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Century Egg with House Tofu ($7.99) is a nice dish to share in addition with your own individual noodles. I love this dish as the egg and the tofu are perfect matches. We were amazed by how smooth the tofu was.

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Braised Duck Noodles ($11.99) comes with a huge duck leg which was awesome. They use rice noodles rolls in this dish. I didn’t like the use of the noodles as they didn’t really match to soak up the broth. The sauce is more thin compared to some of the other dishes. The broth was bland and I didn’t like it very much.

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The waitress also suggested to add a few scoops of the hot vinegar sauce. It didn’t really help with the flavours either.

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Koh Soi – Chiang Mai Curry Chicken ($11.99) was our favourite dish from the group. The sauce was pretty good, the chicken leg was huge and we loved the added texture from the crunchy bits on top. We would definitely recommend this.

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Taiwanese-style Beef Noodle ($11.99) was another good dish according to Anne. Its well-balanced and has a good amount of beef.

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Dan Dan Noodles ($8.99) is made with the same noodles as the curry noodles. My other coworker enjoyed it.

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In the end, a bowl full of noodles and a shared side dish was just the right amount. Most of the dishes were fusion and the lack of descriptions on the menu may surprise some when the food arrives. The price is good for lunch but you definitely should get the Koh Soi – Chiang Mai Curry Chicken dish.

If you eat all the way down into your noodle bowl, you will find a cute surprise. Meow.

We Rate Fat Mao

Address:
217 East Georgia Street, Vancouver

Website:
http://www.fatmaonoodles.com/

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boiling-point-menu

Boiling Point is a Taiwanese hot pot soup specialty restaurant with 2 locations in BC and 15 more in the USA.

They are best known for their personalized hot pots and bubble tea. I was invited by ChineseBites and tried all their hot pots with a few other bloggers. I’ve been here before, but its always nice to revisit restaurant to see what has changed.

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There is booth seating, so its good for groups of 4.

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There’s also one larger table if you have a big group like us.

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Boiling Point has 10 different hot pots and you can do add-ons to them.

You can choose your level of spiciness for each hot pot:

  1. None
  2. Mild
  3. Medium
  4. Very spicy
  5. Flaming spicy

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House Special Hot Pot has napa cabbage, fermented tofu, sliced pork, enoki mushroom, kamaboko, pork balls, clam, quail egg, pork blood, pork intestine, nira, preserved vegetables, tomato, and cilantro.

I wasn’t a big fan of this hot pot since it has a lot of odd ingredients like the fermented tofu, pork blood and intestines. It always has this weird taste that I dislike.

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Seafood and Tofu Hot Pot has Taiwanese bok choy and under all of that is shrimp, sliced pork, enoki mushroom, frozen tofu, baby octopus, clam, cuttlefish ring, fish fillet, fish ball, vermicelli, egg, and green onion.

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Kimchi Hot Pot has napa, vermicelli, sliced pork, enoki mushroom, egg, kamaboko, meat ball, clam, fuzhou fish Ball, kimchi, firm tofu, fried tofu skin, imitation crab stick, and green onion.

This is one of my favourites. The kimchi isn’t very spicy and when it is cooked, it has a very nice savoury flavour. A good balance of ingredients.

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Beef Hot Pot has napa, vermicelli, sliced angus beef, enoki mushroom, tomato, firm tofu, tempura, corn, pork ball, kamaboko, fried tofu skin, imitation crab stick, green onion, and cilantro.

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Lamb Hot Pot has napa, vermicelli, sliced lamb, enoki mushroom, Imitation crab stick, kamanoko, pork blood, rice cake, organic maitake mushroom, clam, pickled mustard greens, firm tofu, tempura, fried tofu skin, egg, green onion, and cilantro. This was a decent hot pot and you can’t go wrong with it.

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Curry Fish Ball Hot Pot is only available in Canada and Washington location. Inside the hot pot is napa, vermicelli, slice pork, enoki mushroom, imitation crab stick, fish ball, fried tofu skin, corn, tempura, mountain yam, Chinese string bean, egg, and green onion. It was a good hot pot and the flavours were good.

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Taiwanese Spicy Hot Pot is served flaming spicy. Man, this was SPICY. Don’t get it if you’re not able to handle spicy. Also in this hot pot is cabbage, instant noodle, sliced angus, enoki mushrooms, clams, fish balls, cuttlefish ring, pork intestine, pork blood rice cake, fried tofu skin, maitake mushroom, frozen tofu, green onion, and cilantro.

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Japanese Miso Hot Pot has cabbage, udon, sliced pork, enoki mushroom, clam, fish ball, fish fillet, organic maitake mushroom, crab, fried tofu skin, soft tofu, egg, and green onion.

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Thai Flavour Hot Pot has cabbage, taro stem, sliced pork, enoki mushroom, cuttlefish ring, fish ball, clam, crab, baby octopus, organic maitake mushroom, shrimp, and cilantro. I didn’t really like this hot pot. It’s hard to eat the crab without getting too messy.

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Tomato Veggie Hot Pot has nappa, vermicelli, sliced pork, enoki mushroom, tomato, firm tofu, corn, tofu skin, string beans, and king oyster mushrooms.

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Organic Tofu Hot Pot is not a veggie dish as it has sliced pork and lobster ball.

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Each hot pot comes with a bowl of rice. You would scoop some of the items into the rice bowl to cool down before you eat it.

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They also have 3 sauces that you can mix together to dip your hot pot items into – Chili oil, garlic soy sauce, and chili bean sauce.You can also purchase bottles of these to take home.

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You mix a little bit of each into your sauce dish.

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Spicy Fermented Tofu is evil in disguise. It’s not for everyone and has a stinky feet odor to it. Some people love it, but I wouldn’t want to eat this again.

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Udon is an extra item you can order if you need more substance to your hot pot.

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Original Wok Noodle is their own specialty noodle that they have in packages.

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Spinach Wok Noodle is similar to the one above but with spinach, thus the slight green color. Good al dente texture and it was enjoyable.

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Fresh Milk Tea uses real milk instead of powder. When it arrives, you can tell the difference between the two densities of liquid, so the tea is on the bottom half and milk is on the other half.

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I mixed it around and then it looked a lot more like milk tea. It was good but I would have preferred it half sweet.

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Snow Cubes come in six different flavours:

  • Strawberry
  • Sesame
  • Matcha
  • Chocolate
  • Taro
  • Hokkaido Flavour with Brown Sugar Konjac

They look cute and is a nice refreshing dessert after the hot pot, but it was pretty difficult eating them. If you have sensitive teeth, biting into these cool blocks will cause you discomfort. The flavours were ok, but everyone hated the strawberry one as it tasted a bit artificial.

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You can even take some home, but they can melt within 15 minutes. Especially during a hot summers day…it may not make it home in one piece.

Overall, the hot pots were ok, but some flavours were not very good. I would stick with the beef hot pot, kimchi hot pot and the curry fish ball hot pot. When it comes to the ingredients inside the hot pot, I don’t really like fermented tofu, blood, or intestines.

The menu has changed since the last time I came here in 2013, but I still don’t like how you can’t control the heat of the hot pot. I don’t like eating my food crazy hot in temperature. Everything keeps cooking until the flame underneath goes out. By that time, if you still have stuff in the hot pot, it gets over cooked.

I understand the appeal with personal hot pots, but I like the traditional hot pots because of the interactive experience and the ability to pick and choose everything that goes inside.

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by ChineseBites to dine at Boiling Point and my meal was comped. All thoughts are my own.

We Rate Boiling Point

Address:
5276 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.bpgroupusa.com/home.php

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[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=5276+Kingsway+Burnaby,+BC&t=m&hnear=5276+Kingsway,+Burnaby,+Greater+Vancouver,+British+Columbia+V5H&z=16″]

Tea-Wok-Cafe-outer

Tea Wok opened right under Columbia College on Terminal close to Science World. The cafe is pretty hidden and you will probably only notice it if you walk around this area. They serve up Taiwanese dishes, bubble tea and dessert.

Their menu is quite limited and is not like the full Tea Wok Restaurant. When we came, they said their fryer was broken so they couldn’t make any other that good salt peppery chicken.

Tea-Wok-Cafe-counter Tea-Wok-Cafe-inner

The interior isn’t too large inside, but can still fit large groups if its not busy. During lunch time I did notice most people did do take out.

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Jasmine Green Tea is always a cold drink that I enjoy. I find that it was a tad sweeter than most places, so I should have ordered it half sweet.

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Minced Pork with marinated egg on rice was one of their lunch specials. It’s pretty basic for a lunch meal and there wasn’t anything special about it.

A lot of the food on the menu is more like Asian fast food. The food is average and nothing special.

We Rate Tea Wok Cafe:

Address:
418 Terminal Avenue,
Vancouver, BC

Website:
http://teawok.com/

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pearl-castle-outer

Pearl Castle‘s main location is in Continental Centre in Richmond. They also have 3 other locations throughout the Lower Mainland. Pearl Castle is a Taiwanese Cafe and they have won the Chinese Restaurant Awards Diners’ Choice winner for ‘Best Taiwanese Restaurant’ year after year between 2010 and 2013.

I usually come to Pearl Castle late in the evening to grab a quick bite with friends and chat over some drinks. Ever since Deer Garden moved out from this complex, they have really been up-ing their game to expand their menu. I was invited by ChineseBites to try a variety of food and drinks off the menu, so just be warned, this isn’t a normal dining experience.

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They offer a wide variety of tea-based beverages, slushes, bubble teas, and juices. They have added a few new drinks onto their menu recently and are launching their cotton candy beverages in mid June.

The group of us managed to sample (left to right):

  • Pudding Milk Tea
  • Coconut red bean
  • Peach lemon green tea
  • Green tea red bean
  • Traditional black tea with jelly noodle topping
  • Winter melon juice with jelly noodle topping
  • Green lattea
  • Fresh taro green milk tea
  • Roasted rice lattea

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There’s also a Ferrero Rocher chocolate milkshake too.

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I had the Roasted Rice Lattea all to myself. I really enjoyed it because you can just sip away at it and it’s not too sweet. You need to drink it with a cream on top. Without it, the drink is way too bland.

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Young Girl’s Dream is a new drink launching mid June 2015. It has grenadine, calpis, pop and cotton candy. It looks really fun and exciting but it is on the sweeter side.

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Blue sky has blue tangerine, calpis, pop and cotton candy. Similar to the Young Girl’s Dream, its fun but quite sweet. I’m sure you’ll have blue lips after drinking and eating the cotton candy.

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Wonton with chili sauce was decent. The skin of it was slightly thicker and the pork inside could have been more dense as it fell apart easily.

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Deep fried fish cake was pretty good. I’ve never had deep fried fish cake like this before. I find that Pearl Castle makes deep fried things super delicious. It comes with a seafood sauce and house special sauce, so make sure you dip the fish cake into it because its delicious.

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Deep fried mushroom was another great item. You should also dip this into their seafood sauce or house special sauce.

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Deep fried tofu comes with a side of kimchi and sauce. I just really love their deep fried food with the spices they put on top. I didn’t like the kimchi that came with it, it wasn’t very fresh.

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Taiwanese Sausages comes in nice thin slices. A good dish for sharing with a few friends.

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Pineapple shrimp fried rice is a new item on their menu. Yummy and you can’t go wrong with fried rice.

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Kimchi seafood fried udon was more sour in taste that I would have liked. It was decent, but not the best one I’ve had.

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Three cup chicken is an award winning dish from the 2015 Chinese Restaurant Awards Diners’ Choice winner. The dish is served with 3 side dishes, rice and some cookies. These set meals will make you quite full. Good flavours, but it was a bit dry.

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Marinated chicken with rice is another new item added to their menu. You have the chicken steal with some veggies and tofu. On the side, you have some cookies. It seems like all the set meals comes with cookies. These cookies will seem familiar because I’m pretty sure you’ve had them when you were a kid.

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Milk seafood & pork hot pot is pretty darn good. I would definitely come back to have this again. It tastes like a savoury creamy soup rather than milk. It has a decent amount of seafood and pork.

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Curry coconut seafood & pork hot pot is a new addition to the menu and it’s similar to the hot pot above, but it has curry and coconut flavours. Another good flavour combination, but I still prefer the milk version.

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Garlic sauce chicken is similar to the three cup chicken dish, but with more garlic.

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Fish Nuggets with Sour Sauce comes with the 3 side dishes and rice. Red chili peppers are hot, but it balances well with the fish nuggets.

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Original Taiwanese beef noodle was surprisingly good. The beef was tender and the noodles were really enjoyable with a good texture.

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Spicy incense pot is a new item on the menu and it is heated underneath to keep it warm. When they say spicy, it’s pretty spicy because of the red chili peppers. Watch out.

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Marinated pork with rice is another new dish and it’s similar to the marinated chicken dish. The only difference is the protein.

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Vegetarian abalone mushroom with three spices comes with rice and veggies. It’s not the most exciting dish, but if you’re a vegetarian, this may be for you.

We went through a lot of dishes for one dinner, so near the end, most of the dishes started tasting similar. We don’t normally have so many dishes come at the same time, so it was a marathon to taste everything unless a lot of the dishes contain the three spice powder. My favourite items are the hot pots.

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

We Rate Pearl Castle:

Address:
Continental Centre
1128-3779 Sexsmith Road, Richmond

Website:
http://pearlcastle.com/en/

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uncle-lu-outer

Uncle Lu is a new café that opened last year in Richmond. They are a Taiwanese bubble tea café specializing in braised pork hock, noodle soups and bubble tea.

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The restaurant has high ceilings and they also have a good amount of booth seating.

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I’m pretty picky when it comes to bubble tea. So when we asked if they use powder in their bubble tea, they said no. But the waitress didn’t understand our question. Definitely lost in translation. After putting in our order, we saw them take out the large powdered containers and then we knew they use powder. We inquired with another waiter and he did confirm they only use powder since there’s not a lot of fruit in season during winter.

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Royal Milk Tea ($4.75) was alright. It did have quite a bit of foam at the top.

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Mango Slush with pearls ($4.75) is a nice refreshing drink when it’s hot outside. Great for summer.

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Deep Fried Peppery Chicken with Basil ($6.75) is a good snack. Good for sharing too. Nice crunchy exterior with juicy tender meat inside.

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Braised Pork Hock is marinated in soy sauce and comes with a potent garlic sauce. Certain parts are quite fatty so we just avoided those parts.

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Five Spice Beef Wrap ($5.95) comes chopped up into 5 pieces. Good flavour of the five spiced beef.

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Taiwanese Style Grilled Steak ($10.95) comes on a hot skillet with noodles, veggies and egg. I found the dish quite bland even-though it comes with a peppery sauce. I prefer the skillets at Strike.

uncle-lu-menu

Overall, the food was ok, but I wasn’t too impressed. Perhaps it was because we ordered pretty typical items that would be found at most Taiwanese Cafes.

We Rate Uncle Lu:

Address:
3779 Sexsmith Rd
Richmond, BC

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maji-sign

Maji Restaurant is located in Richmond on Alexander Road with all the other delicious restaurants on that strip. I came here for dinner with a few friends and I was excited to try this place. Maji serves Taiwanese food and are only open for dinner till late.

There is parking in the back, but during peak hours, it’s really hard to find a spot. You may find yourself having to park further away.

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The interior is unique and the bricks on the walls look quite neat. It is a bit dark inside, but it sets the mood for late night snack and drinks.

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If you know Taiwanese Beer, this beer is pretty delicious! I haven’t been able to find it at any other restaurant till now. It’s very light and has a crisp taste.

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Stir Fried Gai Lan ($6.25) was delicious! It is stir fried with garlic. The downside is that it’s a bit oily.

maji-taro-chicken

Taro Chicken ($8.99) is once of the dishes our friends suggested. It has a good amount of chicken and taro. Some of the chicken had bits of bone, but the sauce was very good. I would get this again.

maji-rice

Rice was ordered so we could eat it with the dishes we ordered. Since I don’t eat a lot of rice.

Overall, the food was pretty good. M and I shared these items and we still had to take some of it to go. The portions are perfect and price is great.

We rate Maji Restaurant

Address:
1180 – 8391 Alexandra Rd
Richmond BC

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

Maji Restaurant 麻吉台式熱炒 on Urbanspoon