Book Kyung Ban Jeom

April 5, 2013April 27, 2013Leave a comment

Book Kyung Ban Jeom is located on Robson St. where the rest of the Korean restaurants are located. It seems that there is this one little strip that is just filled with Koreans!

The restaurant is filled with mostly Korean families and young diners. The promotions on the wall are also all in Korean, so you basically don’t know what they are unless you’re Korean. The menu, however, has both English and Korean.

Side Dishes

The side dishes aren’t exactly the ones I prefer. They included yellow daikon and radish in a kimchi-like sauce.

Tang Suyuk

We ordered the Tang Suyuk, which reminded me of the Chinese sweet and sour prok. I believe this actually beef though. The outer layer is thin and crispy and not too greasy. It’s quite a large dish, so great to share. The sauce is thick and gooey, but not more on the sweet side than sour.

Ja Jang Myeon

We each got a Ja Jang Myeon, which is essentially the Ja Jiang Mian that Chinese people eat. However, the sauce and fillings are completely different! It’s a very gooey sauce and filled with lots of onions. I’m not a big fan of onions, so I actually prefer the Chinese style much more. The sauce is also much more focused on the sweet side, rather than the spicy side. An interesting variation!

BG Urban Cafe

April 2, 2013April 27, 2013Leave a comment

Santa Fe Smoked Turkey Wrap

I’ve actually never ate at BG Urban Cafe but this chain cafe is everywhere. I didn’t know what was good so decided to grab a wrap. I got the Santa Fe Smoked Turkey Wrap which they grilled for me. I found that it was way too soggy after a bit though, and the sauce which was watery kept dripping everywhere. I’ve never had so much difficult eating a wrap! The flavour was a little bland which I was fine with since the sour cream helped it a bit.

Sushi K Kamizato

April 1, 2013April 27, 2013Leave a comment

SP wanted to try Sushi K Kamizato, but it’s all the way in Coquitlam. Finally, we decided to go after our exam since it has some pretty good reviews! The restaurant is tucked away in a town center type of mall and is quite small.

When we arrived, we were surprised that the customers were mostly Caucasian. Usually, I look for Japanese customers to figure out if the place is authentic or not. But it does seem to be! The chef and lady, who seems to be the wife of the owner/chef, seemed to know every single customer. We almost felt a little strange since we were like foreigners in the restaurant. We were still greeted regardless, but the restaurant definitely has a loyal customer base.

The owner also seems to be a big fan of metallic rock music. The restaurant was playing rock music the whole time, except some of my friends found it a little too much for dinner.

Salmon and Tuna Karaage

We each received a complementary dish of Salmon and Tuna Karaage while we waited for out food. This was quite addicting with the chili mayo sauce.

Ebi Sunomono

C and M both got an Ebi Sunomono. Looked like the average appetizer.

Saba Pressed Sushi

They also got the Saba Pressed Sushi, which looked quite delicious!

Chicken Teriyaki Combo

C got the Chicken Teriyaki Combo which came with a side salad, rice and miso soup.

Grilled Aburi Saba Combo

M got the Grilled Aburi Saba Combo, which also came with a side salad, rice, and miso soup.

Spicy Chopped Scallop

Salmon Roll and Chopped Scallop Roll

Kamizato House Roll

For myself, I got the Kamizato House Roll. I actually didn’t find it as amazing as I had imagined. The top had some sort of mayo but it was also charred. I found that because it was charred, the flavour tasted a little burnt, which bothered me a little.It was basically a California roll with a little bit of salmon sashimi.

Chicken Yakiudon

I also got the Chicken Yakiudon which was a huge plate! I did find that the udon was a little undercooked as it was kind of hard. It also wasn’t what I had imagined and seemed quite simple. I was craving the one at Guu and it definitely wasn’t as good as that.

Spicy & Shout

Let it Beef

The specialty rolls definitely looked and tasted delicious according to my friends. I never actually tried them, but they seem to be what people come here for. Their ingredients are definitely fresh and I believe they cater to their loyal customer base. Overall, it wasn’t bad and I would love to come back to try their specialty rolls.

Moxie’s Classic Grill

March 31, 2013April 27, 2013Leave a comment

Earlier in the month, I went to Moxie’s for M’s birthday. It’s located by the Sandman Hotel, but sadly I took forever trying to find the entrance to the parking lot. Silly me.

Surprisingly, it was my first time going to Moxie’s. I guess it’s because it’s located near all the hotels, and not so much Central Richmond. The service and ambiance reminded me of Earl’s and the prices are reasonable.

Meatballs Stuffed with Bocconcini – over linguine in a classic tomato sauce with fresh basil + grana padano

I couldn’t decide what to get for the longest time, but ended up going for a classic spaghetti and meatball. But with a twist! The Meatballs Stuffed with Bocconcini sounded really interesting since meatballs filled with cheese are always better! It was served over a typical linguini covered in the classic tomato sauce. It also came with two slices of garlic bread, which were really good! Sadly, the meatballs weren’t as good as I had imagined. I was hoping for some real stringy cheese oozing out, but the cheese seemed to be a clump in the middle.

Overall, food was alright. Nothing too special, but will definitely fill you up at a decent price. They also catered to our large table really well with more than 20 people. Definitely a good place to go for birthday dinners if you have a large group.

Hanok Korean Restaurant

March 28, 2013April 27, 2013Leave a comment

Hanok Korean Restaurant recently took over the Mongolie Grill in Richmond on Alexandra Rd. We decided to check it out since there aren’t that many other Korean restaurants in Richmond. The restaurant seems to be owned by a Korean man, but the servers don’t speak Korean. S and I decided to let J decide what to order, but little did we know that we would be having a feast. J communicated with the owner and we ended up ordering a set menu that included more than 10 dishes…for the three of us.

Green Salad

Each of us were given a small bowl of Green Salad. Actually, it wasn’t that small now that I think about it, given the amount of food we had. This could’ve been downsized by half. Romaine lettuce and cucumbers along with a ranch-like dressy that was sour made it a great appetizer.

Kimchi

There was the typical dish of Kimchi which I did not end up trying since there were so many other dishes to try.

Rice Soup?

I’m not sure what this was actually. But I remember it was really tasty! It was almost like rice with mushrooms in a soup. Kind of like porridge but better. We were each given a bowl of this as well.

I have no idea what this was called, nor do I know exactly what it was. But it was really interesting! It was almost like a jelly. Alone, I don’t think it has any flavour, but it was topped with a spicy sauce. Very interesting, and definitely something I wouldn’t have ordered on its own. I also don’t see this often, but maybe it’s cause I don’t know what it’s called on the menu!

Marinated Seaweed

They also had the typical side dishes of Marinated Seaweed. Quite typical, and nothing too special.

This was also like the jelly dish above! But it was in a different sauce. This one wasn’t spicy, and seemed to be marinated in a soup or something. Honestly, I’m not too sure, but I really enjoyed this dish.

Assorted Deep Fried Tempura

The set menu also included some dishes that weren’t so Korean. I felt like I was eating at a Japanese restaurant for a second. There were Assorted Deep Fried Tempuras, with yam, carrot, and squash. Of course, these weren’t as good as the ones you get at Japanese restaurants.

Salmon Sashimi

Salmon Sashimi was also part of the menu! Kind of weird to be honest. The salmon wasn’t as fresh however. It was a little mushy and didn’t have the bouncy texture that fresh salmon had. Still, it wasn’t the worse I’ve had. The dish was huge for three people as well…

Assorted Pan Fried Delicacies

There was a dish of Assorted Pan Fried Delicacies. The one on the left seemed to be a mixture of meat packed together with veggies. The middle was a fish, and the one on the right was a mushroom. Not bad, and quite interesting.

This dish seemed to be similar to a Chinese dish. They were deep fried chicken in a sweet sauce. This one was just okay.

S loves her Sweet Potatoes at Korean restaurants, but surprisingly, the side dishes didn’t include it! J asked the owner if we could get some, and he happily offered them to us!

I wish I took a clearer picture of this dish because it was presented quite nicely! This was extremely interesting. At the bottom is a piece of lettuce. Then the next layer is a pear that is not quite ripe. Then there was a layer of ginseng mixed with honey. It was such an interesting combination and had a great crunch to it. It also felt very healthy!

This dish reminded me of a Chinese dish once again. It had a light soup with rice crackers in it, which when dipped in the soup became soft with a slight crunch. It was topped with a mixture of seafood including squid, shrimp, and mussels. Not bad.

Jap-Chae

I usually love Jap Chae, but to be honest, I was much more interested in all these new dishes I hadn’t tried. The Jap Chae was just typical, or I was just less impressed by it since I was amazed by all the other dishes. And by the way, our table was literally filled by now. We didn’t have room to move our dishes at all…

This was a fish that J said is filled with bones and not something that everyone likes. I didn’t end up trying it since I’m not a big fan of eating fish with bones in it.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Another dish was the Braised Short Ribs. The sauce was sweet and flavourful and filled with squash and carrots. The short ribs were huge and tender.

This was also a very interesting dish. The bottom was a thin slice of radish. On top was something similar to pork belly. The top had minced garlic. I felt that the minced garlic was too much for me so I brushed most of it off, but other than that, it was really interesting. It was refreshing and had a great crunch. It reminded me of Peking duck dish we eat at Chinese restaurants.

Another dish that tasted similar to kimchi. I think it was some sort of radish though. I found this spicier than kimchi.

Spicy Soft Tofu Soup

The Spicy Soft Tofu Soup came in a sizzling pot. It was filled with tofu and was in a tasty broth that had a hint of spice.

Spicy Stir Fried Squid with Rice Cake

The Spicy Stir Fried Squid with Rice Cake was a dish I had at another Korean restaurant. The squid was tender and the rice cakes were chewy. The sauce wasn’t too spicy, so I enjoyed it.

This was an extra dish that the owner also gave us. It was some sort of radish that was sour and reminded me of pickles. It was marinated in a kimchi-type of sauce and J loved it.

Lastly, when our bill came, we were given oranges that had been nicely peeled and cut out already and put back in the skin. How cute!

Overall, I was extremely pleased with Hanok! Look at our table for three! This was only halfway through dinner too, so our table was literally filled with food at all times and we had to eat quickly to clear up room for more food. The meal cost $35 a person, so it’s a tad more expensive than a regular meal, but you get A LOT of food. The meal was definitely enough for 4-5 people. The owner was also really friendly and constantly came to check up on us. At the end of dinner, he also came by to ask for feedback about which dishes we enjoyed and didn’t like. That is definitely a good start to understanding your customers better! I heard they also have good deals for lunch, so I will definitely come back to check it out.

Shyun Sushi Bar

March 13, 2013April 28, 2013Leave a comment

Shyun Sushi Bar seems to be a hidden gem. It’s not exactly easy to spot, but looking at the reviews online, it has really good ratings.

It serves authentic Japanese food, and I believe that the owners were working that day. We were greeted by a Japanese lady and there was a man behind the sushi bar. The place is quite simple but homey. There was only another table during our time at the restaurant, but it was a weekday night.

I thought their chinaware was quite special. They were decorated as opposed to typical plates that you could purchase on the market.

Gyu-Tata – quick-seared beef tenderloin sliced and immersed in “ponzu” sauce

We started off with the Gyu-Tata, which is basically their beef tataki. It was a large plate and the beef tenderloin was sliced thinly and lightly seared on the sides. Not bad!

Flying Dragon – BBQ eel, yam tempura, cucumber and salmon
Unagi Nigiri

We also got some sushi. We got the Flying Dragon, which had yam tempura and cucumber inside and topped with eel and salmon on the top. It was flavourful with the sauce and therefore you didn’t need to dip it in soy sauce. The Unagi Nigiri was also quite delicious.

Aburi Butter – *not on the menu!

J saw online that there was some sort of clam dish, but we realized that it was just a clam miso soup. We asked the lady if the chef could just cook up some sort of clam dish, and they did! It was flavoured with mushrooms, enoki mushrooms and a buttery sauce. Quite delicious!

Chopped Scallop Nigiri

I love chopped scallop, so I got the Chopped Scallop Nigiri. I was surprised that they had a little bit of tobiko on top, which I don’t see often. The scallops were extremely fresh and it was one of the best Chopped Scallop Nigiris I’ve had!

Sweet Crunch – some vegetables and kaiware

Lastly, we got the Sweet Crunch. It’s basically a california roll with something crunchy inside! I guess it was just a tempura batter, but it added some great texture.

Overall, I must agree with the other reviewers that Shyun Sushi Bar is a hidden gem. It’s authentic and the service is genuine. They also have some homemade desserts that sound delicious!

The Jade Seafood Restaurant 玉庭軒海鮮酒家

March 12, 2013April 28, 20131 Comment

Located on Alexander Rd, Jade Seafood Restaurant is always packed with people. They essentially have their own parkade, which is a big lot, but the place is still impossible to find spots.

If you place an order before 11 a.m., you can also get a discount for your dim sum. I believe it was 20% off.

Salted Chicken Congee

Instead of ordering the typical dim sum, we chose to get a dim sum set lunch that would feed 4 diners. It was only $39.99 so it was extremely affordable and filling. First, we had the Salted Chicken Congee which came with salted Chinese donuts and salted peanuts on the side. The congee was flavourful because there were pieces of salted chicken in it. However, I disliked how the chicken still had bones, so it was a little difficult to eat.

Vegetable in Fish Soup

The second dish was Vegetables in Fish Soup. It was topped with bean curd. The vegetables dipped in the fish soup made it tasty and healthy.

Chicken and Vegetable Chow Mein

The third dish was Chicken and Vegetable Chow Mein. I found that the noodles were way too oily but lacked flavour. This was just alright.

Assorted Dim Sum Platter – BBQ Pork Steamed Buns, Shrimp Dumplings, Seafood Spring Rolls, Siu Mai

The last item was the Assorted Dim Sum Platter. It included 4 of each items since it is designed for 4 people. The items were all decent but I wouldn’t say they were anything amazing. I found it odd that they put a steamed shrimp on top of the shrimp dumplings though. Only one…How odd…

Beef with Chinese Parsley Rice Roll

Since we had 5 people eating, we decided to add some extra dishes although we were comfortably full already. I didn’t try the Beef with Chinese Parsley Rice Roll, but I was told it was quite smooth.

Steamed Phoenix Claws

Lastly, we also got the Steamed Phoenix Claws, which is one of my favourite items for dim sum. This one was marinated nicely with a little heat.

Overall, Jade Seafood Restaurant has decent dim sum food. It’s not a place to expect spectacular food, but it isn’t bad. Service was also a hit and miss. Our first server was extremely efficient, but when we asked another server, it took us around 10 tries to get his attention. He stared at our direction, but I’m not sure where his eyes were looking because he either just zoned out or had terrible observation skills.

Froshberg Gelato

March 5, 2013April 28, 2013Leave a comment

Matcha Gelato

The new Dining Terrace at Richmond Centre has been open for quite some time now, and everyone was talking about the new Froshberg Gelato. I finally decided to go try it out during my break from work, and chose the Matcha Gelato. However, I wasn’t too satisfied with the flavour. I found it really sweet and almost artificial. It didn’t have the true matcha tea leaves flavour to it. It almost felt too milky and creamy for it to be a matcha gelato.

I’ve yet to try the other flavours though, so perhaps the other flavours are much better.