Akari Japanese Restaurant

June 3, 20131 Comment

Akari Japanese Restaurant is located just off Lougheed Highway. It’s a fairly large restaurant, but I believe it’s owned by non-Japanese owners.

The restaurant is full of wooden decor and green plants. Seating is abundant and we were seated right away. It’s interesting that they also have some Korean dishes on their menu, so don’t expect authentic Japanese food here.

Chopped Scallop, Tobiko with Quail Egg, Tuna, and Salmon Nigiri

We chose to get some Nigiri to start. J chose the Salmon and Tuna to share, while I chose the Chopped Scallop and Tobiko with Quail Egg for myself. The Salmon and Tuna were both fresh and decent. I enjoyed the Chopped Scallop as it was loaded with scallops and topped with tobiko to add some crunch. The Tobiko with Quail Egg is a nigiri that I’ve seen in many people’s pictures but haven’t actually tried myself. I don’t know if I would order it again, since the raw egg on the top gives it a slimy texture and your mouth is just full of popping tobiko as you chew. Not exactly my favourite texture to bite into, but flavour-wise, it isn’t too bad.

Nabeyaki Udon

For myself, I was craving some warm udon. I ended up choosing the Nabeyaki Udon after staring at the extensive menu and being so indecisive. This was decent and came with two ebi tempuras. It was loaded with vegetables and a poached egg. Not bad!

Mul Naeng Myeon

J chose to get the Mul Naeng Myeon from the Korean menu. I took a bite from it and I thought it tasted better than the one at Kimbab Cheongkuk. It was a little spicy because of the mustard, but not bad!

Sushi Garden (Revisit)

May 28, 2013Leave a comment

Spicy Salmon Sashimi (1/2 order)

With my friends living in Vancouver or Coquitlam and myself in Richmond, we needed to find a meeting point right in the middle! And Burnaby seems to do the job! However, I’m not familiar with the restaurants in Burnaby, so I never know where to go… We ended up going to Sushi Garden since the food is cheap. Don’t expect amazing quality, but the price does it justice. SP and I shared half an order of Spicy Salmon Sashimi. I usually don’t order spicy sashimi because I can’t take much spice, but decided to give this a try. It didn’t end up to be too spicy and I loved the cucumbers that came along with it. Zesty flavour and I enjoyed the sauce. Definitely a good variation to typical salmon sashimi I always get.

Alaska Roll & Chopped Scallop Roll

We also ordered two rolls. I didn’t go for the unique rolls this time, but opted for the Chopped Scallop Roll. The rolls are a little on the smaller side, but it was decent. I wouldn’t say the scallops were too fresh. SP recommended the Alaska Roll, which had avocado, tobiko and was topped with salmon sashimi and a special sauce. This was quite good as the sauce was delicious, but I found that it was a little on the mushy side.

Takoyaki

SK ordered an udon as well as the Takoyaki. I took a piece of the Takoyaki and it was decent. Not a lot of filling, but at least the batter wasn’t mushy. Not bad for the price I guess.

Yaki Udon (Udon noodles stir fried with beef and veggies)

Lastly, SP and I shared the Yaki Udon with beef and veggies. It was topped with a large amount of shredded seaweed as well. The beef was definitely overcooked, and therefore extremely tough. The udon was decent although I wish it has a bit more sauce. Portion-wise, it was huge for only $7. Definitely not the best udon I’ve had though.

If you’re near the Metrotown area and looking for cheap sushi, then Sushi Garden is the place to go. Don’t expect outstanding service or quality, and you’ll be happy. The wait is quite long as they don’t take reservations, so we had to wait around 15 minutes for a table for 3. Oh, and let me remind you that the place is extremely cramped! So privacy isn’t the top priority here. I would suggest take-out if you want to eat comfortably!

Ningbo Seafood Restaurant 寧波海鮮酒家

May 27, 2013May 27, 2013Leave a comment

For Mother’s Day, my mom of course wanted Chinese food. She suggested we try Ningbo Seafood Restaurant since it is fairly new and we haven’t had Ning Bo cuisine before. The restaurant is located at Parker Place and you can enter from inside the mall or outside.

Even though we made reservations, we still needed to wait a while. We arrived at the restaurant and there wasn’t a hostess to greet us for more than 5 minutes. Service definitely lacks at the restaurant and they seemed to be understaffed on this busy day.

Chinese Mushroom with Bean Curd Roll

First we got the Chinese Mushroom with Bean Curd Roll. This was decent, but also quite typical. Nothing too special. The bean curd was cooked tender and the mushrooms inside gave it a good chew and flavour.

Dried Bamboo Shoot with Mushrooms

My mom wanted to try the Dried Bamboo Shoot with Mushrooms. Although the flavour was good, the texture of the mushrooms was way too tough to chew on. Only the dried bamboo shoots were chewable, but the mushrooms which were long and stringy were way over cooked.

Deep Fried Fish Sticks

We wanted to get a dish of fish, so my sister suggested the Deep Fried Fish Sticks. These are made of a batter made with seaweed, hence the slight green colour. The fish inside was extremely tender and was really delicious! We all agreed that the dish should have some sort of sauce to dip with, but it didn’t come with it. Or they just forgot. Overall, this was one of my favourite dishes.

House Special Chicken

We also saw on the menu the House Special Chicken and my mom immediately wanted to get it. However, it said that you must reserve the chicken in advance as they only have limited quantities each day. We asked the server and after a while, she said that she had snatched us an order! Apparently another table said they didn’t want it anymore, so she quickly reserved it for us.It came sizzling in a large pot.

Then our server cut up the chicken for us. The meat flaked off easily. The chicken was marinated in a soy based sauce and was actually quite sweet instead of salty. The skin was cooked so it was a little crispy as well. Not bad to go with rice!

Pan Fried Braised Pork with Veggies

The Pan Fried Braised Pork with Veggies is a famous Ning Bo dish. It is basically pork belly that is braised in a very flavourful sauce. I found that the pork was a bit too tough, probably because it was overcooked. There was lots of fat attached to it, but because the meat was tough, the texture overall wasn’t that good. I’ve had much better at other restaurants before. Plus, the dish actually didn’t’ have any veggies in it when it’s stated on the menu. The sauce is great to eat with rice though.

Sesame Dumplings and Osmanthus with Rice Gluten in Wine

Lastly, for dessert, we got the Sesame Dumplings and Osmanthus with Rice Gluten in Wine. This is one of my favourite desserts because it has tons of little mochi balls! They actually don’t have sesame dumplings in this dessert, so I’m not quite sure why it’s stated in the name. The alcohol isn’t very strong in it, so it’s definitely much more sweet with the osmanthus. A large bowl, which is plenty to share with 5 people!

Overall, we all agreed that Ningbo Seafood Restaurant was just average. Service was lacking and the food wasn’t superb.

Myung-Ga Sonmandoo

May 21, 2013Leave a comment

Since we had just finished shopping at H-mart, we looked for a quick snack in the same mall. Just across H-mart in the same complex was Myung Ga Snack Bar which offers a few basic Korean snacks and their famous dumplings.

The snack bar is fairly small with only tables on one side of the wall. The wall is plastered with Korean, which I’m guessing are the dishes on their menu. It’s a quick place to grab a snack, so the turnover rate is quite high.

On the other side of the wall is where the food is cooked. I saw tons of dumplings that had been steamed on the side, but I didn’t get a chance to try them this time.

Beside each table, they have a menu which thankfully has English translations on it. The prices are quite cheap too.

Spicy Rice Cake

First, we got the Spicy Rice Cake. A decent sized plate of rice cakes with fish cakes were covered with a spicy sauce. I found this to be quite spicy, so I ended up draining the spice out with some water. Kind of gross, but it worked. I especially loved the fish cakes.

I’m not sure what this was called, since J ordered this in Korean and it wasn’t on the menu. The roll on the left hand side was essentially clear potato noodles wrapped with seaweed lightly fried. On the other side were vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and onions, which were also lightly battered and fried. This was a crunchy snack although I still found it a little oily.

Oden (Fish Cake Soup)

Lastly, we got the Oden, which you often see at Japanese restaurants. It is a fish cake soup and it comes with different snacks, such as fish balls, fish tofu, and other delicious snacks. I enjoyed the soup, and the fish balls were bouncy.

All in all, cute shop to grab some quick Korean snacks. And I will be back for the dumplings!

Mimibuloveme

May 21, 2013May 21, 2013Leave a comment

I’ve been seeing everyone posting delicious dessert pictures from Mimibuloveme so I dragged J along to go check it out. Weirdly enough, the outside of their store says Bubble House. We were sort of confused for a second, but I walked closer and saw that they sold the same things I had saw on their Facebook page. I’m guessing they haven’t switched the sign from the previous shop?

The place is fairly small, and is actually the same location where Dots Desserts used to be. Their tables reminded me of what Dots had too. They also have this awesome panda bear sitting on a chair. Totally wanted to hug him.

They also have these paintings around the shop, and they also sell greeting cards with these characters.

Matcha Crepe – red bean, matcha ice cream

I chose the Matcha Crepe to share and it was filled with red bean and a few mochi balls inside and on the top. I wish they put more mochi balls, because those things are my favourite! It was then topped with a scoop of matcha ice cream on the side. Not bad! It’s also decently priced at around $5 compared to many other crepe places which charge at least $8.

Matcha Ice Cream

Because I enjoyed the Matcha Ice Cream so much, I asked for another scoop of it for just $1.50. Not bad at all considering a scoop of ice cream is usually over $3 at most dessert shops!

Overall, Mimibuloveme is a cute little shop to grab some desserts and chat with friends. I’m guessing that it gets really busy on weekends and late nights, and therefore hard to find a seat.

Gramercy Grill

May 19, 2013Leave a comment

For K’s birthday, I took her to Gramercy Grill for dinner. Unlike these few days, the week before was full of sunshine and it was still sunny in the evening! We were asked to choose to dine indoors or outdoors, and we opted indoors since we were afraid it would get chilly later in the evening.

Each day, they have different specials. We went on a Tuesday, and there was an oyster deal. We aren’t huge fans of oysters though, so we didn’t end up ordering any. Their menu also seems to be a little different from the one on their website and some prices have been changed as well. I wish I knew that they had a happy hour deal as well! We were only 3o minutes late for that!

The interior is quite classic with carpet flooring and wooden furniture. The crowd is a bit older, and it seems like there are some regulars. They also have a bar where many people came to watch the hockey game. Service was alright, but they essentially only have three people working the floor. There was one man, who was extremely friendly.

Calamari

Since not many of the main entrees really appealed to us, we ended up ordering three appetizers to share and an entree of mussels. We started with the Calamari, which we had imagined to be fried. Perhaps I didn’t read the description clearly, because it ended up being calamari served in a saucy broth. It ended up to be decent, but not what I was craving for. The calamari were cooked to tender and the sun-ripe tomatoes and olives gave the broth some flavour. I guess this was much more healthy!

Beef Carpaccio – truffle puree aioli, fried capers, shaved parmesan & crostini

Next up, I wanted the Beef Carpaccio. The beef was sliced extremely thing and topped with lots of parmesan, truffle puree aioli and fried capers. In the center, there were a few slices of crostini to accompany the carpaccio. I thought that there was a little too much parmesan, and wished they gave me a few more crostinis because the pairing worked so well together. The capers brought some flavour, but overall, I thought it was just okay. I’ve had better beef carpaccio elsewhere.

Gramercy Meatballs – Italian parsley, grana padano & house made tomato sauce

K had been to Gramercy Grill before, and she told me the Gramercy Meatballs were one of her favourites. Three large meatballs came sitting in a dish of tomato sauce. These were indeed quite delicious! The seasoning was just perfect and I started to crave some spaghetti to accompany these meatballs…

Local Mussels & Pommes Frites

Lastly, I wanted the Local Mussels & Pommes Frites. Unfortunately, we didn’t come on a Wednesday, because on Wednesdays, they have a deal for $10! Anyways, the portion was decent and each shell was filled with a plump mussel. The sauce reminded me of some curry/ indian inspired flavour actually. I don’t quite remeber what our server told us the sauce was comprised of, but on their website it says tomato sauce and merguez sausage. I didn’t find any sausages inside, however. So perhaps, it was a different broth. I only remember it having frozen corn in it. The fries on the other hand, were extremely crispy. I believe they are hand cut, as they taste homemade. They were extremely good!

Chocolate Torte

To end off our dinner, we decided to share the Chocolate Torte. They don’t have a dessert menu on their website, but they do have a selection of desserts to choose from. This had to be the best part of the meal. At first, I saw the melting ice cream and thought that this was presented so unpleasantly, but you will understand why once you bite into that torte. It’s almost like a brownie/ lava cake and the chocolate is so warm that it just melts in your mouth. Along with the ice cream that brings a hint of coolness, it is just amazing! There’s two pieces of the chocolate torte, and comes with a scoop of ice cream and whip cream, so it’s plenty to share between two. It takes some time to get served though, probably because they need to heat it up. A must try though.

Dinner at Gramercy Grill was alright. I didn’t find it to be spectacular, but it’s a nice place to spend your evening. The restaurant definitely caters to the older crowd as most of the items are quite classic. Prices are also on the higher range for the portions you get. However, that chocolate torte makes me want to come back!

New Spicy Chili Restaurant 小四川

May 15, 2013Leave a comment

J’s home is in Sze Chuan and we always see her eating food that is drenched in red soup or chilies. I still don’t understand how she takes the heat but we finally decided to go try it out with her. She told us that New Spicy Chili Restaurant is a restaurant that serves dishes which are less spicy. Okay… sure… we’ll see about that…

The restaurant was around half empty when we arrived on a weekday afternoon, although there was a large table of diners who looked like they worked at the same office. Office lunch I suppose? Soon after, the place began to fill up though. Definitely do not expect any service whatsoever here. It is extremely hard to get the attention of the lady, and I saw her talking to the phone while speaking with another customer too… Some of us might think it’s rude, but I guess she gets her job done?

Chicken with Spicy Sauce

We started off with the Chicken with Spicy Sauce. In Chinese, the dish directly translates to Saliva Chicken. Sounds a bit gross eh, but it tasted really just like any other chicken, or perhaps it was free range chicken. However, it was drenched in a red liquid. It scared me at first, but guess what…this was probably one of the least spicy dishes we ordered. The chicken still had skin on the top, and it was topped with the spicy sauce which also consisted of the seeds inside the chilies. I didn’t dare try the chicken that was soaked at the bottom. I only grabbed the top pieces to be safe.

Sliced Beef with Special Spicy Sauce

Next up, we got the Sliced Beef with Special Spicy Sauce. This was definitely the next level of spicy! The beef was sliced thinly and was tender, and even though there didn’t seem to be as much sauce as the chicken, it was spicy! I’m guessing it was marinated in the sauce or something…

Spicy Bean Sprout

We wanted some veggies as well, so we chose the Spicy Bean Sprout, which was again topped with chilies… Funny enough, I actually began to be able to eat the food though. Either I was getting used to the spice, or my tongue was just plain numb, because I could barely taste anything by now. And so I just kept stuffing myself with food now. The Bean Sprouts are one of my favourite veggies as they are tender and easy to chew. I ended up eating a lot of this, as it was also one of the less spicy dishes.

Spicy Fish Hot Pot

The Spicy Fish Hot Pot had to be the spiciest dishes we ordered. It came in a sizzling hot pot and was literally a pot of red liquid… Inside were fish filets and potato or glass noodles. Yea, I definitely did not dare try the noodles since noodles always absorb the liquid, and there was no way I would be alive after eating that… I did try the fish, and I’m not even sure if it was hot in temperature or just spicy. Yea, I pretty much had no feelings on my taste buds by now… Fish was tender though!

Sizzling Fish

I’m not exactly why they call it the Sizzling Fish (actually the menu said suzzling fish, but I’m not sure if that’s even a word), because this should simply be called grilled squid. That’s basically what it was! What the heck is sizzling fish…? Anyways, this came hot and sizzling in a pan and the squid were placed on tin foil. It smelled and reminded me of night market squid! Yum! The squid was cooked tender and the spice level was medium. A more acceptable spice, or maybe I was just getting used to all this spicy food.

Oh and a tip if you can’t take spice is to never place your food that is soaked in the red sauce on your rice. Your rice ends up being so spicy, that you can’t use it to cool you down. I also wonder how people eat here during the summer… I swear I was sweating by the end of this lunch. But for all you spicy lovers, this is the place to go! Most of these dishes are also popular Sze Chuan dishes and are also chef recommended on the menu!

Haroo (revisit)

May 14, 2013May 14, 2013Leave a comment

Appetizers – Kimchi, Seaweed, Sweet Potatoes, Bean Sprouts, Salad

For my sister’s birthday, she chose to have dinner at Haroo, which I’ve had lunch there before. So this was my first time having dinner at Haroo and I was excited to try out some of their platters which could be shared among the diners. First up, we were given appetizers, which included kimchi, a marinated seaweed, sweet potatoes, bean sprouts, and a salad. The appetizers were quite typical, but I loved the salad. The dressing seemed to be a vinaigrette which was a little sour, but so addicting! It was also presented nicely.

Congee

Each of us were also given a small bowl of congee. Apparently, you get a bowl for each dinner platter you order, and coincidentally we ordered five, so we each got our own! The congee was flavourful. It had a bit of sesame oil and was topped with both anchovy-like fish and black and white sesame. It was light and didn’t fill us up.

Bibimbab

We got a Bibimbap, which is part of the individual dinner set meals. It came with a small bowl of rice. We found this to be quite bland unless we add the red sauce which was a little sweet and spicy. This was just alright. I didn’t think it was amazing.

Japchae – stir fried potato noodle with beef & vegetable

We always get Japchae at Korean restaurants, so of course we chose to try the one at Haroo. This is essentially potato noodles which are clear and chewy, and they are stir fried with beef and vegetables. The sauce had a good consistency and the dish was flavourful overall.

Haemul Pajeon – seafood pancake

The Haemul Pajeon, which is a seafood pancake, was one of the best seafood pancakes I’ve had. The outer batter was crispy, with the inside being soft. It was also generously filled with seafood, with lots of squid and mussels. The seafood was also cooked so it was tender and easy to chew on. A must try at Haroo! The pancake also comes in two other variations: bulgogi and kimchi, which I have yet to try.

LA Galbi – marinated “AAA” sliced beef rib

We wanted some meat, so we went for the LA Galbi, which were marinated “AAA” sliced beef rib. This came sizzling hot and was a decent portion. The pieces I ate were quite tender, but my dad said some of it was tough.

Gunjung Tteokbokki – royal court rice cake with marinated beef

My sister and I love rice cakes, so we got the Gunjung Tteokbokki. I often see spicy rice cakes at Korean restaurants, but since I can’t take spice, this is the one I always get. The sauce is sweet and it is mixed with marinated beef and vegetables. Delicious!

Bulgogi Fried Rice

Since my dad loves to make his own fried rice (Chinese style), he got excited when he saw Korean style fried rice. So we ended up ordering the Bulgogi Fried Rice. It was much more moist compared to Chinese fried rice, and it definitely has much more flavours. I’m guessing it’s the garlic and onion. Mixed with some veggies, the dish was flavourful with a slight crunch. Not bad.

Overall, I was quite pleased with Haroo’s dinner menu. Don’t expect much service here as the man has limited English proficiency. You also serve yourself with water, tea, and utensils as they have a little drawer under the wooden table filled with the utensils and napkins.