Shiang Garden – ChineseBites Media Event

July 6, 2015Leave a comment

NOTE: Today’s post will be a guest post since K attended the ChineseBites media even on behalf of me. As part of the ChineseBites media event, all food was free, but all opinions are based on K’s own experience.

Since I have been quite busy these days, K attended the ChineseBites media event at Shiang Garden on behalf of me. Shiang Garden has been around for quite some time, and their decor is quite fancy with chandeliers hanging off the ceiling. We’ve both attended some weddings here and the food has always been quite on par. For the media event, K was able to try a whooping 13 dishes!

Prawns Salad with Papaya

First up was the Prawns Salad with Papaya, which was a very refreshing appetizer. K is not a big fan of papaya, but she actually quite enjoyed this dish. There is mayo on top of the prawns and it is great for the summer weather.

Sauteed Mixed Seafood

Next up was the Sauteed Mixed Seafood, which featured shrimp, scallops and sea cucumber intestines, which tastes sort of like a clam. All seafood were pretty fresh, although the clam was a bit chewy.

Tremella with Chicken & Crab Meat Soup

The Tremella with Chicken & Crab Meat Soup was quite delicious. Tremella is like a opaque jelly fungi and it was cut up into bits in the soup. It definitely gave the soup some texture. Allen, the general manager said that the soup normally doesn’t come with tobiko, but for presentation purposes this night, they did.

Whole Chicken in Abalone Sauce

The Whole Chicken in Abalone Sauce was presented like a piece of art! Looked like a peacock, and it was literally the whole chicken! The chicken was very moist and tender. The abalone sauce paired well with the chicken to give it more flavour.

XO Sauce

Allen also brought over some XO Sauce to try, which he said is homemade. K said this was really good since it wasn’t too spicy. It had bits of dried shrimp and scallop in the sauce.

Diced Beef Tenderloin in Honey & Pepper

The Diced Beef Tenderloin in Honey & Pepper had an awesome presentation. The beef bites were very tender and flavourful.

Specialty Layer Pork

The Specialty Layer Pork was really fatty but not super oily. K said it was one of the better ones she’s had. The meat was also pretty tender, while the fat just melted in your mouth.

The dish came with a side of steamed buns, which were perfect to pair together. Put some of that fatty meat in between your buns, and you get a delicious snack!

The meat to fat proportion was on point.

Lamb Chop with Honey & Pepper

The Lamb Chop with Honey & Pepper were really good. You don’t normally see lamb dishes at Chinese restaurants, so this was quite unexpected. The meat was very tender and wasn’t too gamey.

Whole Tilapia in En-Ping Style

Next up was the Whole Tilapia in En-Ping Style. There is a vermicelli like noodle underneath which is delicious when soaked in the sauce. The fish was also quite fresh and moist.

Lobster in Salted Egg Yolk

K’s favourite dish of the night was the Lobster in Salted Egg Yolk. You usually see this salted egg yolk batter on crab and shrimp dishes, but at Shiang Garden, they’ve done it to the lobster too! The batter is dry so it stays on the meat. The lobster was also very fresh.

BC Dungeness Crab in White Wine Sauce

The BC Dungeness Crab in White Wine Sauce was also a favourite amongst the bloggers. The meat is covered with egg whites to keep the meat very moist. It’s also heavily flavoured with the white wine sauce which is delicious. Again, very fresh crab!

Steamed Spot Prawns in Garlic

Another beautifully presented dish was the Steamed Spot Prawns in Garlic. These were butterflied, but K felt it was a bit unnecessary as it didn’t make it easier to eat. She felt that the spot prawns were just average and the ones she had weren’t very fresh.

Buddha’s Feast Roll with Cabbage

Basically the only real veggie dish of the night was the Buddha’s Feat Roll with Cabbage. These were cabbage rolls filled with enoki mushroom and julienned carrots. K felt that it was a bit hard to chew when it was all rolled up and ended up deconstructing it to eat.

Baked Durian Pastry and Osmanthus Flower Cake Pudding

To finish dinner off, there were two desserts. First was the Baked Durian Pastry, which K loved. The pastry was very flaky and there was an abundant of durian filling. You could tell it was fresh durian since it was very strong in taste and aroma. Great if you’re a durian lover! The second dessert was the Osmanthus Flower Cake Pudding. The jelly was light and refreshing, but quite typical. Nothing too special.

Overall, Shiang Garden executed the food well and their seafood was quite fresh. You can also count on them for presenting nice dishes for special occasions!

Sushi Van

July 4, 2015July 4, 2015Leave a comment

Roll Combo

Sushi Van is located on Granville near Broadway, and is among one of my favourite spots to have lunch with my colleagues since it’s close by and we don’t really have any other sushi restaurants nearby. It’s tucked away underneath the Vancouver Bullion Currency Exchange, so is a bit of a hidden gem for some. The tiny, but busy restaurant is run by Koreans, but the food is still pretty authentic and there are some decent eats.

My typical order will consist of the Roll Combo, since I find it to be a pretty good deal. For $9, you can choose any of their rolls which are under $6 and you get 5 pieces of assorted nigiri. The nigiris consist of Hokigai (surf clam), Tamago (egg), Ebi (shrimp), Tuna, and Salmon. The sashimi is actually pretty fresh and the rice portion is pretty on par. For the roll I can choose, I usually go for the House Roll, which consists of assorted fish, usually salmon and tuna, crab meat, cucumber, avocado, and masago. You really get a mix of ingredients here, and it works pretty well.

Negitoro Roll

I usually also add on a Negitoro Roll, and then I am filled.

Teriyaki & Sashimi Box

They also offer a variety of bento boxes during lunch hours,and E got the Teriyaki & Sashimi Box. It features beef teriyaki, an assortment of appy size sashimi, appy size tempura, salad, 4 pieces of California Roll, and rice. It’s quite a lot of food for around $12, but the quality is actually pretty good. You get quite a lot of sashimi too, with tuna, salmon, hamachi, and amebi.

Dynamite Roll and Chicken Teriyaki Roll

S went for some of the basics and got the Dynamite Roll which was filled with prawn tempura, avocado, cucumber, crab meat, masago. He also got the Chicken Teriyaki Roll, which is filled with chicken teriyaki and cucumbers. The neat thing about Sushi Van is that they use green tea in their rice, so you’ll find the rice to be a bit tinted in green. Apparently it’s more healthy this way.

Beef Box

Stevie D got the Beef Box, which features beef teriyaki, 4 pieces of California Roll, an appy size of tempura, salad, and rice.

Party Tray A

On another occasion, E and I decided to go all out and get the Party Tray A for just the two of us. It’s designed for 2-3 people, as the menu says, but I guess it’s really ideal for 3 as we ended up having quite a bit of leftover. You get quite a large variety, including the salmon roll, California roll, dynamite roll, spicy tuna roll, calamari roll, and Salifornia roll, which is California roll wrapped salmon and deep fried with BBQ sauce. For around $25, this is a pretty good deal if you share between 3 people.

Overall, Sushi Van offers some decent eats at a reasonable price. It can be quite busy during lunch hours, so service is not always the best. Seating can also be a bit cramped here since it’s relatively small. However, with the limited choices around here, it makes a good spot to enjoy some sushi. Oh, and be sure to try their Tokyo Tower, which is also a favourite!

Pros:
– Decent eats
– Reasonable prices

Cons:
– Service can be lacking during busy hours

Price Range: $10-20

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3 Service: 2.5 Ambiance: 2.5 Parking: 3 Overall: 3

Pepper Lunch Canada

June 28, 2015June 28, 2015Leave a comment

Pepper Lunch has been opened for some time now and it was the most talked about place when it first opened. I remember seeing line ups out the door and the hype was just crazy. Originally from Japan, they offer sizzling hot teppan style food. The Richmond location is the first location in Canada. Your order comes with a special electromagnetic cooker which will heat up to 260˚C in 70 seconds and then remain hot for more than 20 minutes at a lower temperature. Therefore, your food is still kept warm without overcooking.

Well when we visited the restaurant a few weeks ago after work, the place was completely empty except for another table of diners. The hype has died and there are no more line ups! At Pepper Lunch, you order at the front first, then they seat you and bring the food to you when it’s ready. You don’t really get much service.

Beef Pepper Rice

K got the Beef Pepper Rice. The server told us to start mixing the rice and meat together and pour the sauce in to give more flavour. It comes with a garlic soy sauce and a honey brown sauce which are both delicious when mixed together. This was pretty good and the meat was tender. It’s funny because they actually have screens around the restaurant playing videos on how to sizzle your meat.

Pepper Burger Steak

For myself, I got the Pepper Burger Steak, which is basically those Japanese hamburgers. My rice did not come on the plate, but I ended up pouring it in and also using the sauces that came with K’s dish in mine since it tasted so much better! The burger was well seasoned and wasn’t overcooked because of how the plate controls the temperature so well.

Overall, we thought Pepper Lunch is pretty good, but at the same time, it’s on the pricier side. The two dishes we got were on their lower end of the menu at around $10 after tax, but many of their other options are quite expensive. Their steaks for example, can go up to $30! Knowing that there really isn’t much service, it feels like the prices can get quite steep. K also mentioned that Teppan Kitchen at the Aberdeen Food Court essentially offers the same menu, but at a lower price and tastes just as good. We shall see if Pepper Lunch will stay around with all the competition in Richmond…

Pros:
– Quality and taste of food is pretty good
– Fun to have some interaction with your food

Cons:
– Can get pretty pricey depending on what you order

Price Range: $10-20

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3.5 Service: N/A Ambiance: 3 Parking: 3 Overall: 3

VanVan Izakaya – ChineseBites Media Event

June 27, 2015June 30, 2015Leave a comment

NOTE: As part of the ChineseBites media event, all food was free, but all opinions are based on my own experience.

A few weeks ago, I was invited by ChineseBites to try out the food at VanVan Izakaya along with a few other food bloggers.

It took over the old Benkei Ramen location not long ago, and I have passed by it many times. Something about their name just threw me off a bit, so I never ended up giving it a try.

The interior has many wooden accents and gives you that Japanese izakaya feel.

Raw Octopus with Wasabi

We started off with the Raw Octopus with Wasabi, which is really Tako Wasa. If you love wasabi and raw octopus, this is a great dish for you. I really enjoyed this as the octopus was fresh and you got that kick of spicy wasabi. It comes with seaweed so you can wrap the octopus.

Beef Carpaccio

The Beef Carpaccio came with mayo, balsamic vinegar, and cheese. The cheese was a stronger cheese and I think it might’ve been gorgonzola. The beef was sliced so thinly, that I couldn’t really taste it. I found this dish to be underwhelming.

Russian Roulette Octopus Balls

Next up was the Russian Roulette, which is a must order at VanVan. Not really because they are the best takoyakis, but more because of how it’s a fun dish to order with friends. One of these octopus balls are filled with a super spicy wasabi paste. Luckily, I didn’t get it, but apparently it was a very strong kick.

Beef Short Rib

The Beef Short Ribs were probably one of my favourites of the night. When it arrived, I thought that the beef was cooked rather medium rare compared to other restaurants, but it turned out to be perfect since it was very tender. Short ribs can be easily overcooked to dry, but this kept its moisture. The marinade was also very tasty.

Pork Jowl

The Pork Jowl was also another favourite of mine. They seem to be doing something right with their grilled dishes! It came with a Japanese citrus sauce, and the meat was extremely tender with that nice chew.

Ebi Mayo

Next up was Ebi Mayo, which was topped with a garlic chili mayo. These were only average as the batter slipped right out and the prawns were a bit mushy. I also didn’t really like that chili mayo seasoning they used.

Octopus and Marinated Mackerel Sashimi

Next up, we ordered every type of sashimi they had, which isn’t a lot since they focus more on their izakaya food. We started off with the Octopus and Marinated Mackerel. I really enjoyed the Octopus as it was tender with a slight chew. The Marinated Mackerel was also very fresh and surprisingly wasn’t too fishy for me. I’m usually note a huge fan of saba.

Albacore Tuna, Atlantic Salmon, Scallop Sashimi

Next were your typical Albacore Tuna and Atlantic Salmon. I found the tuna to be rather mushy and wasn’t as fresh as I’ve had. However, my favourite had got to be the Scallops. They were very fresh and had a great texture.

Chicken Thigh Karage

Chicken Thigh Karage followed and I found it to be average. It was crispy, but nothing that wowed me.

Marinated Jellyfish

Marinated Jellyfish tasted quite like your typical, which you can find at Chinese restaurants.

Curry Poutine

Curry Poutine was an odd dish, but actually tasted pretty good. The fries were crispy and topped generously with a Japanese curry sauce and some cheese.

Chopped Raw Salmon

The Chopped Raw Salmon came nicely presented in a box form along with some seaweed to wrap it in. The salmon was seasoned with a sweet garlic sauce.

Dried Squid Snack Tempura

We had originally wanted to order the Squid Tentacles Karage, but apparently they were sold out. Instead, we got the Dried Squid Snack Tempura, which was probably our least favourite at my table. It was literally the dried squid you would get in packs as a snack, but deep fried. I would’ve much rather ate the dried squid unbattered.

Whole Squid

One of my favourites of the night was the Whole Squid, which was essentially grilled squid. The squid was tender and had a nice char on top. The only issue was why do they put mayo on every dish! This really didn’t need any mayo since it was already very flavourful.

Japanese Old Style Omelette

The Japanese Old Style Omelette was again drizzled with an overload of mayo. There is supposed to be some pork in it, but it was quite little. My portion ended up having mostly cabbage and it had this odd sour taste to it. Not a fan.

BBQ Eel Rice in Hot Bowl

Onto some rice and noodle dishes. First up was the BBQ Eel Rice in Hot Bowl. This was pretty good with the eel being very flavourful. However, I wish the rice had that nice char from the hot bowl.

Pork Fried Noodle

The Pork Fried Noodle was alright. Sort of like a yakisoba. But again, I’m not sure why there’s a huge blob of mayo on the side. You really don’t need to mix that in, since the noodles are already flavoured well.

BBQ Pork Rice Bowl

Our last savoury dish was the BBQ Pork Rice Bowl, which I quite enjoyed. The BBQ pork was really tender and I enjoyed the light marinade.

Rice Cake Wrapped Strawberry

We then sampled one of each item on their dessert menu. The Rice Cake Wrapped Strawberry is a mochi ball filled with red bean paste and a whole strawberry. I love mochi and red bean paste, so I quite enjoyed this. However, I found that the strawberry threw things off a bit. It was a bit sour and the texture is much harder, so it didn’t work too well. Although it’s a nice concept, I would’ve preferred it without the strawberry.

Green Tea Soy Milk Pudding

Although the Green Tea Soy Milk Pudding had a weird texture when you scooped it, it was probably one of my favourite desserts. The pudding is in a very liquid form, but you get a good taste of the soy milk with just the right amount of green tea flavour.

Green Tea Ice Cream

We also had the Green Tea Ice Cream, which comes with whipped cream and some red bean paste. Nothing too special.

Black Sesame Ice Cream

And last but not least, we also had the Black Sesame Ice Cream, which is strong in black sesame flavour. Again, it comes with some whipped cream and red bean paste.

Overall, VanVan Izakaya has both hits and misses. I really enjoyed their grilled dishes, especially the short ribs, pork jowl, and squid. They only do sushi rolls during lunch time, but for dinner, you can still enjoy some of their sashimi dishes.

Ramen Jinya

June 26, 2015June 26, 2015Leave a comment

Ramen Jinya, located on Robson, closer towards Cambie, has been around Vancouver for many years. Finally, on a sunny weekend, S and I decided to try it out with K. We went at a pretty odd time in the afternoon, so we only had a short wait. Still, the place is packed any time of the day!

The interior is nice and modern, and seating feels much more spacious than many other ramen shops in Downtown. Service was also extremely friendly and attentive.

Crispy Chicken with Salad

S went for a combo for his noodles, so by adding an extra $4.50, he got the Crispy Chicken with Salad. I didn’t try this but it had a very nice crispy golden batter.

Tonkotsu Miso Ramen

K got the Tonkotsu Mison Ramen, which features pork belly char-siu, kikurage, green onion, spicy been sprouts, and corn. He said it was pretty good.

Tonkotsu Classic Ramen – Shio

S got the Tonkotsu Classic Ramen, which features a shio soup base. It featured pork belly char-siu, Kikurage, green onion, and fried onion.

JINYA Tonkotsu Black

For myself, I went with the JINYA Tonkotsu Black, which is their number one seller. It offers original pork broth with pork belly char-siu, kikurage, green onions, flavoured boiled egg, seaweed, black garlic oil, and garlic chips. I liked how the garlic oil wasn’t overbearing here, but you still got that hint of garlic flavour. The noodles they use in this broth are thin noodles, which I like since I find them more chewy.

Overall, Jinya didn’t disappoint and is a great option for ramen in Vancouver. Service is also extremely friendly. Jinya recently also opened a new store in Kerrisdale, so hopefully that disperses the crowds at the downtown location.

Pros:
– Great broth and noodles
– Friendly service

Cons:
– Expect waits during prime hours

Price Range: $10-20

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3.5 Service: 4 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 3 Overall: 3.5

Chewies (Coal Harbour Happy Hour)

June 8, 2015June 8, 2015Leave a comment

I’ve been on an oyster craze lately, so when SP and SK asked where to eat, I suggested Chewies at Coal Harbour. We decided to get there right after work so we could get our orders in for happy hour. There’s some construction going around here right now so it’s a bit hidden, but they do have some signs directing you.

The restaurant wasn’t too busy on a random Thursday night. The patio outside did fill up, but the indoor seating was still quite free. I hear they are quite packed on Fridays and weekends though. The Coal Harbour location has happy hour from 3-6pm daily, and the people were quite nice about it even though we arrived at 5:45. They made sure we got our orders in right before 6pm.

Whistler Paradise Valley Grapefruit Ale

Several of their BC craft beers and boutique wines were featured on their happy hour menu for $5, which is a pretty good deal. Their pints of beer are all 20oz, so it’s actually quite a bit! I chose the Whistler Paradise Valley Grapefruit Ale, which I loved! You got that hint of citrusy flavour and I liked how it wasn’t very bitter.

Parallel 49 Gypsy Tears Ruby Red Ale

SP got the Parrallel 49 Gypsy Tears Ruby Red Ale, which is more of a bitter ale. You could definitely taste the contrast from the grapefruit ale, but it’s definitely a lighter beer compared to some of the really strong bitter ones I’ve had.

We were obviously here for their buck a shuck oysters, so they first started us off with the sauces that go along with the oysters. They have four: a cucumber vinegar, your classic mignonette, cocktail sauce, and a spicy habanero. They also bring you some Tabasco sauce. Our favourite was probably the spicy habanero, but it really wasn’t even that spicy.

$1 BC Beach Oysters

We got a dozen of their $1 BC Beach Oysters, which were extremely fresh. They switch up their oysters depending on what’s in season, and the server explained to us the name and all, but I didn’t catch it.

They also offer $2 oysters during happy hour for their premium oysters. These were quite big, but they were still very sweet! The only issue I had was that one oyster or so had some shell bits in it. Always a sign of how good the shucker is.

Pan Seared Calamari

Their happy hour menu also features a selection of their ‘first bites’. They actually offer quite a large variety – so many that we ended up ordering almost the whole menu… Since it’s 50% off their regular price…why not? Well, first off, we started off with the Pan Seared Calamari. Like its name says, the calamari is seared rather than fried. These were actually really good though and a good alternative to the oily fried calamari. The squid had a nice char to it and was super tender! It came with a cucumber, mint and jalapeno salad with creme fraiche dressing and remoulade. That salad was a killer though as it was way too spicy!

Dungeness Crab Cakes

Next up were the Dungeness Crab Cakes with a lemon aioli and an avocado & cucumber salad in a cilantro-lime vinaigrette. They come with three pieces, so were perfect for us to share. These were pretty good although I wish they were slightly more seasoned. The lemon aioli helped bring more flavour for sure.

Fried Fanny Bay Oysters

And then there were the Fried Fanny Bay Oysters. These were parsley and cornmeal battered Fanny Bay oysters and came along with Chewies’ tartar sauce. I felt like these had more batter on it than the actual oyster. I was expecting more fatty oysters, but they were pretty small and felt rather overcooked. Not a huge fan of these.

Brioche Garlic Toast

The fried fanny bay oysters also come with the Brioche Garlic Toast, which were pretty delicious. Tastes just like your typical garlic bread with a nice crispy texture to it.

Oysters Rockefeller

Since we’re at Chewies, might as well keep loading up with the oyster dishes… So we got the Oysters Rockefeller, which featured fresh hand shucked BC oysters, absinthe, spinach and herb puree, and topped with Parmesan cheese bread crumbs. An order came with 5 oysters and these were pretty good. The oysters were quite large and fatty and I loved the spinach and herb puree underneath. I still prefer the ones at Joe Fortes a bit more though.

All Dressed Cajun Fries

We also got the All Dressed Cajun Fries. At first, I was skeptical to order this, since I’m not a huge fries person and I can only imagine how much they can do with fries. However, this was beyond my expectations! It ended up being very simliar to a poutine, with Andouille sausage, fresh garlic, diced tomatoes, cheese curds, Parmesan and garlic mayo. The fries were crispy and sizzling in the pan. The sausage and seasoning gave it a slight kick, but nothing overwhelming. Definitely a great dish to share.

Crocs & Hush Puppies

Lastly, we got the Crocs & Hush Puppies, which we were all curious about. Yes – crocs meant fried crocodile! Well the menu acutally detailed it as “chicken fried crocodile,” so I’m not really sure if we were eating crocodile or not. The meat was definitely much more chewy, but I actually quite liked the texture. Hush puppies refer to these cornbread balls and these were nothing too special. The dish came with a house vinaigrette and some jalapeno jelly which definitely had a level of spice.

Overall, happy hour at Chewies definitely met my expectations. They have a good selection of dishes with 50% off, and most of them were good, if not really good. My favourites had got to be the calamari and fries. Their oysters are also extremely fresh and you can even upgrade to their premium! Ambiance is also really nice with high ceilings and a modern environment. Great patio during the summer as well. Service on the other hand was a bit of a hit and miss. Our last two dishes actually didn’t come for the longest time and we had to remind them to cook it up. The server at the end was pretty nice though and apologized for our wait. Oh and by the way, if you end up like us ordering pretty much the whole menu, your happy hour deal isn’t so happy after all since the bill will add up. But hey, at least we left with a full tummy!

Pros:
– Fresh oysters for $1 or $2 during happy hour
– Good selection of dishes during happy hour for 50% off

Cons:
– They forgot two of our dishes at the end

Price Range: $25-30

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 4 Service: 3 Ambiance: 3.5 Parking: 3 Overall: 4

International Summer Night Market – ChineseBites Media Event

June 7, 2015June 7, 2015Leave a comment

NOTE: As part of the ChineseBites media event, all food and beverages were free, but all opinions are based on my own experience.

This weekend, I was invited by ChineseBites to sample all the stalls at the International Summer Night Market along with other food bloggers. This was the original night market back in the day, and it’s opened up once again this year. Located near Ikea, ISNM seems to have less traffic, but that also means less line ups and crowds! There is free admission and parking if you can find street parking, so definitely a good deal compared to the one by River Rock.

BBQ Squid

First up, we went for BBQ Squid, which offers all your favourite squid dishes. There are actually two squid stalls right across each other, but we decided to go for BBQ Squid.

BBQ Squid

Of course, we went for the must order BBQ Squid, and they gave us the sample in a small size. We had it original with an added spicy sauce. The sauce ended up to be a Thai chili sauce, which gave it a sweet and spicy kick. The squid had a nice char on the outside with a smokey flavour. Very tender and not overly chewy.

Halal BBQ

Next up is a night market must! Skewers! Surprisingly, Halal BBQ was the only skewer stall at ISNM. So if you wanted skewers, this was your only choice. The people are all dressed up in their Xin Jiang outfits and you can smell the skewers from a mile away! They offer lamb, chicken or chicken wing skewers.

Lamb Skewer

We went for the Lamb Skewer and got it spicy. They basically dust on some spicy powder on your skewer. The meat was sizzling hot and full of flavour. We did find that the meat was slightly dry though. Wish it was more moist!

Top Wok – Curry Fish Balls

Forgot to get a picture of the Top Wok stall, but you can’t miss it since it’s near the beginning and full of red decor. It’s a dim sum stall and we decided to try their Curry Fish Balls. They have a spicier version, but I chose their regular version. At $3 for a small size, you get around 5 fish balls. The sauce is slightly spicy, but not overwhelming. Another staple at the night market!

CoCoRo

CoCoRo seems to be a new stall this year and is definitely an eye catcher with all the pink advertising. They feature tons of deep fried desserts, frozen yogurt and okonomiyaki.

Deep Fried Ice Cream

First, we went tried the Deep Fried Ice Cream, which comes with chocolate sauce and icing sugar on top. The dough on the outside is a little tough to penetrate through with the fork, but once you do so, the vanilla ice cream oozes out. You get a mix of hot and cold in your mouth. It was surprisingly pretty good. I thought it would be really oily, but it wasn’t. The dough also tasted pretty decent compared to some other deep fried ice creams I’ve had.

Japanese Seafood Pancake (Okonomiyaki)

We then shared the Okonomiyaki, which was a good size and perfect to share between four friends. Japanese mayo and a savoury sauce was drizzled on top and topped with bonito flakes. We found some squid in our pancake, but we wished there was more. Still, it was a very flavourful and good item to share with friends.

Duang

Next up was Duang, which featured an assortment of deep fried goodies.

Monkey Brain

What caught our eyes was the Monkey Brain, which I’ve also seen in some menus at other Japanese restaurants. The owner explained to use that it is imitation crab and avocado deep fried with a delicious sauce. He said it sounds weird but to trust him that it would taste good. And he was right! This was basically like a deep fried California roll, but so much better! The spicy mayo and teriyaki-like sauce was addicting. I don’t even like avocados, but I could eat this again and again.

Long Hurricane Potato Fries

Next up were the infamous hurricane potato fries, also known as rotato these days. There are two stalls that sell it this year. They all claim they are the “original”, but I honestly don’t remember which one was here first. The stall we tried was called Long Hurricane Potato Fries, and the sauces they offers now are just endless!

14 flavours to choose from and the pricing here is much cheaper than the one at the night market by River Rock (which I hear has over 30 minute waits). I believe that the other stall offers yam and zucchini now, so that would definitely be something to try! (We were way too full to try anymore starchy items…)

BBQ Hurricane Potato

We got the BBQ Hurricane Potato, and when they said ‘long’, these were definitely long! I swear they are much longer than back in the day, which means a good deal for us! The potatoes are lightly dusted with the barbeque powder and they are sizzling hot! I almost burned my fingers eating this. I did wish that they were slightly crispier, but I hear that the second stall does just that.

Soy Boy

Soy Boy offers fresh soy pudding and a variety of toppings which are house made. This had got to be K’s favourite stall of the night. She loved it so much she asked if they had a physical store. Unfortunately, they don’t right now, so I guess she will need to pay another visit here for this.

The house made tofu pudding plus two toppings of your choice will set you back at $6.

Toppings include: grass jelly, red beans, pearls, mung beans, kidney beans, taro, honey cubes, yam balls, and fruits. You can sample the honey cubes and yam balls, which are probably their most unique toppings.

Tofu Pudding with Sweet Potato Mochi and Pearls

We got the Tofu Pudding with Sweet Potato Mochi and Pearls. You get a pretty big bowl of tofu pudding which is served cold. They then add syrup for you and you can choose between original or ginger syrup. We went for the original and it was the perfect amount of sweetness. The sweet potato mochi balls are a must order! They are home made and made with Hawaiian sweet potatoes. If you love mochi, you will love this. Chewy and with just a hint of sweetness. Along with the syrup, it works just well. As for the pearls, these are also house made and taste way better than your regular black pearls. I find those to be too chewy, so these are great, especially knowing that they are made in house. The guys here are also super friendly so feel free to ask them more about the toppings!

All About Ice Cream

All About Ice Cream is a stall featuring parfaits, but what caught our eyes were the fruit juices! Yes, you get to carry around a watermelon or pineapple, filled with it’s blended juice! Definitely picture worthy and we had over 10 people ask us where they could get this while we were walking around.

Watermelon Juice

How cute is this Watermelon Juice? It’s literally just blended watermelons, and I don’t think they add anything else like sugar. So depending on your watermelon, it could be sweeter or less sweet. I would’ve liked ours a bit more sweet, but it was still refreshing nonetheless. They do add some ice cubes as well, but I think there could’ve been more to make it more icy cold. A bit on the pricey side at $8 a juice, but if you share it with a friend, then it’s more affordable.

TW Traditional Snacks

Taiwanese food is always great at night markets, so TW Traditional Snacks offers all your Taiwanese night market staples. From candied fruits to wheel cakes and pork sausages, you can get your real Taiwanese experience here.

Deep Fried Stinky Tofu

But what’s even better is that they sell Deep Fried Stinky Tofu! It may be pungent at first, but the taste really isn’t as stinky as it smells. The tofu is fried to order, so you do need to wait a bit. It comes with some chili paste and a stinky sauce, although I thought it wasn’t as stinky as the authentic ones. The tofu itself is quite average, but I still enjoyed it because the sauce was flavourful. It also comes with a side of cabbage.

Miss Lina

Miss Lina offers crepe cake, which is all the hype these days. Layers of crepe on top of each other is the way to go! They offer 5 flavours, including an exotic durian flavour.

Matcha Crepe Cake

The cakes are pre-made and come out of the fridge when you order. They come in a case, so you can take it home to eat if you wish. Of course this is not comparable to the famous Lady M crepe cakes, but these are pretty good for what we can get in Vancouver. We got the Matcha Crepe Cake. The layers were very thin and the cake was creamy with a hint of matcha flavour.

Yuja Ade and Fruit Icy

A new stall that caught our eyes was Yuja Ade and Fruit Icy. These are basically the two items they sell. Run by these Korean guys, the stall offers you a taste of what’s hit in Korea right now. The Fruit Icy is your famous Korean patbingsoo or shaved ice with fruits on top. We didn’t try this, but instead went for the Yuja Ade. Yuja is this marmelade that is made from the fruit, yuzu, and is combined with honey or sugar. It’s basically like making a jam. The guy told us that this is usually served as a hot tea, but since it’s hot in the summer, they have made it as a cold drink.

Yuja Ade

The guy explains that the Yuja Ade is basically the yuja along with tonic soda. This is so refreshing and I love the sweet citrusy bits at the bottom. Plus, he said it’s great for women since it has three times more vitamin C than lemons. I want to make this at home now! Super friendly guys at the stall so definitely stop by when you’re thirsty!

Mr. and Mrs. Poppins Popcorn Bar

Mr. and Mrs. Poppins Popcorn Bar is newly opened as well and offers gourmet popcorn! They offer three flavours: Cinnamon Toast Sugar, White Truffle Oil Parmesan, and Sweet Seaweed Furikake.

The popcorn is popped fresh and seasoned as you order. You can also sample the flavours before you purchase. The seaweed flavour is definitely one that is unique. Run by couple, Victoria and Chris, they are super sweet people, so drop by to sample some popcorn!

White Truffle Oil Parmesan Popcorn

We ended up leaving with a bag of White Truffle Oil Parmesan, which was a huge bag for a low price of $3. Perfect for sharing, and it still tasted great the next day for us too! The popcorn has a strong aroma and taste of white truffle oil, which I absolutely love. Pretty addicting!

Sugar Twist Cotton Candy

Probably the most unique stall at ISNM would have to be Sugar Twist Cotton Candy.

It’s cotton candy art here! Depending on how many layers you want, the price increases. Their popular art includes butterflies and flowers.

It’s so amusing watching the guy spin the cotton candy!

Butterfly Shaped Cotton Candy

We got the Butterfly Shaped Cotton Candy, and it was almost too pretty to eat! Another picture worthy item at the night market. They also ask if you want the flavour to be original or strawberry flavoured. We chose strawberry, so at the end, they spin in some strawberry flavoured sugar. It’s actually pretty tasty and not overly sweet like the ones at carnivals. The shape does deflate pretty quickly once you start pulling it apart.

Takoyaki

I don’t remember the stall name for this one, but there are only two stalls for Takoyaki. Here we have the original flavoured one, and they were decent. Quite average and nothing spectacular.

Lazy Den Tea House

And to finish off our long night of greasy food, we ended our adventure at Lazy Den Tea House. They offer basic green teas and some Taiwanese snacks. They actually have a physical store in Port Moody as well.

Oolong Green Tea

We got the Oolong Green Tea, which was simple, but very good. I liked how it wasn’t sugary but rather had a strong tea flavour. Very refreshing!

Overall, ISNM is a great place to drop by for some snacks. The Richmond Night Market by River Rock has more stalls, but ISNM is less crowded and I found that the prices were relatively cheaper. With only two lanes of food stalls, ISNM definitely does not have as much to see and less variety for food though.

Hog Shack Cook House

June 6, 2015Leave a comment

Hog Shack has been around for a long time, and it’s probably the only barbeque meat restaurant we have in Richmond. Finally, I decided to make a trip to Steveston to get a meaty dinner.

The interior gives you that all American feel with white and red checkered tablecloths and wooden decor. They have a lot of long tables as well so it’s great for large groups. Their menu is basically for the meat lovers, with all meats smoked in house and all the rubs and sauces also made in house. It’s the place to go if you want some Kansas City style BBQ.

Smoke Lover’s Combo

Since S and I were not that hungry that day, we decided to just share a combo. The waitress said that the combos are quite large and would be sufficient for two people. When it came, I thought it looked rather small, but we were actually quite full by the end of it. The Smoke Lover’s Combo comes with beef brisket and pulled pork. With the combos, you can then choose two side dishes. We went for the potato wedges and hand-cut fries. The beef brisket had a nice crisp on the outside and was super moist and tender inside. The pulled pork was very flavourful and it wasn’t dry. The meats are definitely really good here! As for the potato wedges and fries, they are just quite average. They were crispy but I found that they were too golden brown, which meant that the oil might’ve been a bit old.

Overall, we were quite pleased with Hog Shack. If you’re looking for smoked meat in Vancouver, this is a great option other than the famous Memphis Blues. Service was subpar though. Felt like it wasn’t attentive enough although it was really one girl running the whole restaurant.

Pros:
– Great smoked meats
– Perfect place for large groups to share platters

Cons:
– Service was lacking a bit

Price Range: $20-40

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3 Service: 2.5 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 4 Overall: 3

Every Day is a Food Day

Category: Cuisine

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Hog Shack Cook House