Tsukiji

January 8, 2012May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Assorted Sashimi (Salmon, Tuna, Hamachi, Tako, Hokki, Hotate) and Uni (Sea Urchin)

Chopped Scallop Roll and House Roll (Prawn Tempura Roll Topped with Unagi, Avocado and Masago)

Nabeyaki Udon – Thick Noodle in Soup with Prawn Tempura, chicken, and Vegetables (Forgot to take the one in the big bowl!)

Negitoro Maki (Chopped Tuna Belly with Green Onion)

Unagi Don (Grilled BBQ Eel)

Karubi (Beef Short Ribs)

Went to Tsukiji for Christmas Eve Dinner since my family didn’t want to crowd at other restaurants, but Tsukiji was actually quite full too. They brought us to rooms where we actually had to take off our shoes and sit on mats, so it gave us a little Japanese ambiance to it. Food was quite good with good quality, but I have to say the portions are quite small for the price. We had to keep ordering after our first orders of food came since we were all still hungry! Place is still great though, and I’ll probably come back again!

Kumare

December 20, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Lumpiang Shanghai
Deep fried bite sized pork spring rolls

Beef Mami
Beef, egg, spring onions, and vegetables

Inihaw na Pusit
Grilled squid

Pancit Langlang
Stir-fried vermicelli and egg noodles, diced chicken and pork, and assorted vegetables.

Leche Flan

Ube Macapuno Cake
Ube chiffon cake and cream cheese icing

This is my second time at Kumare now! First time, I have to admit that I had no idea what I was ordering and wasn’t ordering the right “Filipino” food, so this time, I brought a Filipino friend with me for lunch! First off, we got some spring rolls that were filled with pork. They were really good and the filling was quite different from the ones I normally eat. Then, there was the soup, which I found quite interesting. It had a lot of vegetables and it had a sour taste to it. Not something I would normally order, but it wasn’t too bad. The squid was really interesting, as it was filled with green and red peppers, and then it was grilled. I have never tried something like this before! It was delicious other than the parts that were grilled a little too much. Those parts had a burnt taste to it. This time, my friend ordered noodles that were supposed to be Filipino – not those Pad Thai noodles I ordered last time that clearly were originated from the Malaysian and Thai Cuisine. The noodles were like vermicelli and had an interesting flavour to it. Quite delicious! And last but not least, I finally got to try their desserts, since Kumare also has a bakery section to the restaurant. I insisted on trying the Taro Chiffon Cake as I wanted to for the longest time, but my friend also suggested the Leche Flan, which is basically like a caramel pudding. So glad she ordered that because it was so delicious! Definitely one of my favourite desserts now! The Taro Cake was also not bad, as it had a nice taro flavour to it and the cream wasn’t too thick. It was also topped with some coconut that seemed to be freshly peeled off! Overall, it was a great experience having Filipino food. I think I might have a better idea of what to order next time and I’m definitely coming back!

Tokyo Joe Ramen Okawari

December 15, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Salmon and Tuna Sashimi

Assorted Sushi

Curry Ramen

Okawari Ramen – Japanese style Cha Shu Ginseng Noodle Soup

Tokyo Joe opened their ramen chain a few months ago in the save on foods mall in Richmond, just across from their sushi chain! I haven’t actually tried the sushi chain, but decided to try their ramen first. Upon entering, we were greeted by enthusiastic Japanese waitresses and the restaurant was quite empty. But a few minutes after sitting down, the place became full! They have specials every week and this week was the Curry Ramen so I decided to try that. The ramen wasn’t actually soaked in a curry soup base, but instead, the fried pork was drizzled with curry sauce, so it was just enough curry flavour without taking over the flavour of the ramen soup. The Okawari Ramen is basically like their house ramen, but it is different from other ramen, where they actually have ginseng in this one! I never got a chance to try it, but it looks delicious! Now I want to try the Tokyo Joe sushi factory across the street!

Steveston Cannery Cafe

December 6, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Scrambled Eggs with Sausage, Toast and Potato Hash

Shrimp Omelet with Toast and Potato Hash

Woke up early to go grab some breakfast, and realized that Richmond didn’t actually have a lot of “breakfast places”. Finally decided to try The Cannery Cafe in Steveston Village. It’s situated in an old building that’s said to be quite historic and had a lot of interesting Steveston heritage decor. Food is ordered at the counter and then they bring the food to you. Food is made simple, nothing too special or fancy, but I liked it since the portions were just right unlike the gigantic IHop portions. Great place to grab some good breakfast if you’re not looking for anything fancy.

G-Men

November 30, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Tan Tan Noodle

RCMP Ramen

G-Men is back! Few months ago, I got to the old location and thought that it had closed down permanently but luckily it has reopened on the busy street of food – Alexandra Rd. Now I can satisfy my cravings once again. I have to admit that parking is terrible around that area but I guess it’s worth it for some delicious ramen! Still in a quite small store but the decor seems nicer and their menu has changed drastically. They have much more variety with a lot of different appetizers as well. I decided try the Tan Tan Men which has a thicker soup base. It was actually a little spicy too! Definitely great ramen and I have yet to try some of their appetizers too!

Mushroom & Swiss Supreme Chicken Sandwich

November 29, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

I’ve been wanting to try the McDonald’s new Supreme Chicken Sandwiches for a while, and finally decided to get it! They have three flavours: Mushroom & Swiss, Tangy Thai and BLT. You can also choose from grilled chicken or crispy chicken. I went for the Mushroom & Swiss with crispy chicken and surprisingly with a fast food restaurant, it was overloaded with mushrooms. The bun is also quite different from their burgers. It seemed like a better quality type of bun, but it still seems quite pricey for a small sandwich at McDonald’s. Delicious nonetheless!

Sunway Restaurant

November 6, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Taiwanese Beef Noodle

Deep Fried Pop Chicken

Sunway Restaurant is located in Empire Centre, the mall next to Parker Place in Richmond. They are famous for their Taiwanese Beef Noodles and their Deep Fried Popcorn Chicken, so of course I had to try them. The beef noodles are great, but what really caught my attention were the popcorn chicken. I’ve tried a variety of popcorn chicken, like the ones at Pearl Castle and Well Tea, but these tasted very different. They had a unique outer crispy layer that was very different from the others I have tried. It felt less oily, and the crispy layer wasn’t too thick. Prices were also very reasonable with large portions. These popcorn chicken are a must try!

Bell’s Bake Shop

October 16, 2011May 4, 2013Leave a comment

Red Velvet Giant Cupcake

Did I make this myself? Nope…but it sure looks like one after a really disappointing cake fail story! I got my friend a giant cupcake for her birthday at Bell’s Bake Shop in Steveston Village, and by giant, I mean it’s supposed to be equivalent to around 20 cupcakes, so it feeds around 10 people. This one was red velvet with buttercream frosting. So I picked it up at the store, and they showed me how it looked inside the box, and I went back into the car carrying it on my lap while I was driven to the restaurant for dinner. I was told to just put it at room temperature so I handed it over to my waitress. Around 15 minutes into dinner, my waitress comes over and tells me that I should take a look at my cake. The manager was also there and said that he had opened it and the cake had fell. Basically the whole top half had toppled to one side. I was extremely disappointed and asked if they could do anything to fix it up. And this is what they came up with. Pretty good compared to what a mess it had looked like…The red colouring is from the birthday message I had paid to get written, and I told the chef to just smother it around since the message was ruined anyways. I had paid $35 for the cake with $2 extra for the birthday message. I don’t know if it was my own fault from the way I carried it, or the cake shop themselves, but I am definitely not going back there again – at least not for a giant cupcake. Yes, the giant cupcake looks really cool and presentable at the table, but if it is so unstable and just topples over, I really don’t think it’s worth it. I might as well just buy 20 different cupcakes.