Thai Son Restaurant 泰山越南牛肉粉

October 16, 2013Leave a comment

My parents asked me what I would like to have for lunch before I left to the airport, and surprisingly, it wasn’t Japanese food, but some pho. I guess I had been craving some Vietnamese food for some time, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get some good quality ones while I was gone. Off we went to Thai Son, which is one of my favourites. We ordered two House Special Phos, Deep Fried Spring Rolls, Salad Rolls, and a plate of Grilled Pork Chop with Egg on Rice. The House Special Pho wasn’t too bad, but we agreed that the broth wasn’t as good as the one at Lan. It was a little less flavourful, but ingredients-wise, there was a good amount and the beef wasn’t old. Both spring rolls were done very well, and the deep fried one came with a fish sauce vinaigrette, while the salad roll came with a peanut sauce. Both were filled with lots of ingredients and would get you really full. Lastly, the Grilled Pork Chop with Egg on Rice surprised us as it was a large plate. Pork chop was grilled to perfection so it was tender and the flavours were right on. I also loved that they topped the egg with some grilled onions and when all mixed together, it was just delicious. And there we had it! My last meal in Greater Vancouver in the next 4 months. I can’t wait to share my food adventures with you guys in Europe now! But I have to say, I miss the variety of cuisines that Vancouver offers, because you can really find any cuisine you want, and they are often of good quality.

Sun Sui Wah 新瑞華海鮮酒家

October 15, 2013Leave a comment

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Roasted Squab

Still catching up on my Vancouver posts! Anyways, the night before I left for Europe, my family took me to eat what would be my last legit Chinese dinner. It’s definitely true that I can’t find quality Chinese food over here. We went to Sun Sui Wah, where I had dim sum here recently, but I don’t remember when the last time I had dinner here was. It was very packed and we had to wait a little even though we had reservations. First up, we had the Roasted Squab, which was roasted till crispy and golden brown. It wasn’t too salty but still flavourful. Really enjoyed it.

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Fish Maw and Fresh Crab Meat Soup

Next, we were served the Fish Maw and Fresh Crab Meat Soup. I loved this and it had an abundance of seafood. The perfect way to start dinner off!

Lotus Root, Snow Peas and Black Fungus

For vegetables, my mom decided to order the Lotus Roots, Snow Peas and Black Fungus, but it was definitely disappointing. I found it bland and it was something you could make yourself at home. The lotus roots were also cut in really big pieces and it was difficult to eat.

Deep Fried Fish Fillet

For seafood, we had Deep Fried Fish Fillet and the batter was light and fluffy. The fillet was fresh and tender and the garlic chips and spices made the dish more feisty.

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Honey Garlic Spareribs

Lastly, we had the Honey Garlic Spareribs, and this was also another favourite. I loved the sweetness to it and each sparerib had good amount of meat.

All in all, we enjoyed our meal and writing this post makes me miss Richmond and Vancouver food so much! Soon, you will hear about my Asian food stories here in Europe, and they are definitely not too great.

Vancuver Food Cart Festival 2013

October 10, 2013Leave a comment

Ever since I left for Europe, I have been traveling so much or so busy with school that I have totally neglected this blog. I feel terrible and now that I have finally settled down and won’t be traveling as frequently, I am going to promise that I post at least once a week or more frequently! I am already more than a month behind, hence I am still posting about Vancouver food I ate before I left…

Anyways, in August, I finally went to the Vancouver Food Cart Festival by Olympic Village. I had wanted to go the previous year, but because they only operate on Sundays from around end of June to end of August, I never was able to attend due to my work schedule on Sundays. Every Sunday, over 20 food cart vendors meet at this area along with other craft food, art, and community vendors. There’s music and also kids activities, so perfect for some family fun. I was here, obviously because of food! There were many that I could find right in the hot spots of downtown, but also some that I had never heard of.

Mogu Japanese Street Eats

First up, we decided to try Mogu Japanese Street Eats. I always see this when I go shopping in downtown, but have never came to try it. They are also featured at the Richmond Summer Night Market this year, so it is actually quite easy to try it. I did find that the pricing is quite high for a burger, but to be honest, most of the food trucks price their food relatively high.

Pork Miso Katsu – breaded deep fried pork cutlet, housemade red miso sauce, Asian hot mustard coleslaw

We got the Pork Miso Katsu Menu, so it also came with two pieces of Chicken Karage and a small drink. People have raved that Mogu has one of the best Chicken Karage, and I did enjoy it a lot. It is sweet and spicy because it comes with a house made sweet chili sauce. Definitely enjoyed it and I would put it as one of my top favourites for chicken karage.

This was the Pork Miso Katsu Burger, and the pork was cooked tender and moist. The bread was also soft and the sauce really made the burger stand out. I didn’t necessarily taste much miso flavour, but you could get the Asian feel to the burger.

PazzaRella

Next, we tried PazzaRella which is famous for the Napoletana Wood Fired Pizza. It takes a little while since they actually make the pizza on spot and fire it in the oven. Pretty cool and one pizza will fill you up. So it’s best to share it with a friend if you want to try other food at the festival.

Prosciutto Pizza

We got 2 Prosciutto Pizzas to share between four, and it was more than enough. They are around $11 each, so you can imagine they are quite large. Extremely thin crust and easy to bite and topped with fresh tomato sauce, arugula and prosciutto. I did find that they burnt the edges a bit, so it was a little bitter tasting at the edges, but other than that, it was fine.

Dougie Dog Diner

Dougie Dog Diner seemed to be a crowd pleaser, so E decided to try it as well. They are famous for their innovative hot dogs and they also have their own root beer. Apparently they were on Dragon’s Den, so I thought that was pretty neat.

Charlie Mac Dog – bacon, Mac and cheese, melted cheddar

E got the Charlie Mac Dog which is loaded with mac and cheese and topped with more cheese. He thought that it was alright, but definitely not worth the price though. It’s something you can make at home if you really want to.

Overall, the Vancouver Food Cart Festival is pretty nice if you want to have a collection of food cart vendors in one area. However, to be honest, it’s hard to try every food cart because each item on the menu is fairly large. It’s basically one whole meal, and it’s also quite hard to share the food. There was also an entrance fee, but you got a discount if you went in a large family. Cool place to check out, but probably just once a year. Parking was also extremely difficult to find, and was mostly paid parking.

Toyotomi

September 7, 2013Leave a comment

Salmon Sashimi

I’m currently in Barcelona, so I’m super behind on my blog, so let me finish blogging some of the food back at home in Vancouver. Before I left, I basically tried to eat as much Asian food as I could as I knew I would miss it. Japanese is my favourite, so my mom suggested we try Toyotomi for lunch. We had gone there a few years ago, but now that they have changed it to hot pot, just a sushi lunch menu was offered. When we got there on a Saturday afternoon, there was literally no one. We ordered some Salmon Sashimi, and it came on the ice cubes, just like the ones you get during hot pot. It was fresh and each piece was cut thickly, but not to the extent of Banzai’s enormous portions.

Duo Dynamite Roll – imitation crab meat, cucumber, avocado, w/ spicy tuna and crispy, Maple Roll – special spicy tuna topped with crispy and salmon sashimi, Chopped Scallop Roll

We also got some rolls, and they all came together on a wooden plate. They seem to present their food in an appealing way compared to many other sushi restaurants. The roll in the front was the Maple Roll. It had spicy tuna inside, and was topped with salmon sashimi, masago, and some crispy flakes and green onion. It was full of sauce and you didn’t need to use any soy sauce for it. This one was one of my favourites. The Duo Dynamite Roll was a typical dynamite roll but with two tempuras in it. The portion was quite large, but was quite typical. Last, the Chopped Scallop Roll was just okay for me. I did like that they had black sesame on it, since that makes it a little more deluxe, but I felt like there was too much rice on it, so the texture didn’t taste quite good.

Beef Sashimi

We also got some Beef Sashimi and I believe this was only under $5 which was a steal because the dish was huge. There were tons of beef sashimi in it and they sliced it fairly large. The sauce was quite acidic, but it was really good at the same time. This is a must order.

Chicken Teriyaki Don

Lastly, we got the Chicken Teriyaki Don. It came sizzling in a clay pot and was a very larger portion. Tons of rice, but also a lot of chicken and teriyaki sauce. It also came with some ripped up seaweed. It was flavourful with all the onions in it.

Overall, we were quite pleased with the food. The food also isn’t that expensive, and you will get really full from it. Sort of awkward that there was only one other table of diners the whole time we were there and it’s already a weekend. I guess people usually just come here for the hot pot!

Tealips Bubble Tea & Coffee

August 23, 2013Leave a comment

J always craves shaved ice, but doing a quick Google search of shaved ice locations in Richmond, I found that most of the best ones seemed to be at food courts. And others, of course being at typical bubble tea shops, which we’ve probably all been to by now. Since most malls close by 9:00pm, the food court wasn’t really an option for me, so I ventured out to look outside of Richmond. I found Tealips, which had pretty good ratings, and although it was a 30 minute drive to Burnaby, I gave it a shot.

The place actually seems to be Korean-owned, and they offer not only shaved ice, but waffles, coffee, tea, and other bubble tea drinks. The place also has wi-fi so you will see many customers with their laptops. The environment actually reminds me of Blenz, except they serve drinks and food other than coffee. It was quite busy the Friday night we went, but we luckily still found a two-seater table.

After placing your order and paying at the cash register, you are given a buzzer, much like the one at the Cheesecake Factory down in the States. I love how Korean restaurants always know how to utilize technology to their fullest. Super convenient and efficient way and customers don’t need to stand around waiting for their orders to be called.

Matcha Shaved Ice

There were only three types of shaved ice to choose from: red bean, match, and cocoa. As usual, I suggested we get the Matcha. They say that their shaved ice is an “Authentic Korean Dessert called Bing Soo”. And they also claim that there is 100% pure Japanese green tea. And it definitely was. Because even the Ice Cream on the top was just vanilla ice cream, but covered with match powder. and the shaved ice was also mixed with matcha powder. You could definitely taste the flavour of the tea and its hint of bitterness. However, it was fine because it was balanced out with the condensed milk and sweetness of the other ingredients. There were red bean, thinly sliced almonds, mochi, and an abundant of fruits. The fruit included chopped up strawberries, bananas, and my pineapples. I really enjoyed the pineapples and it was really sweet. The mochi was green tea mochi that were orginally a big ball and they were cut up into little pieces. They also sold these mochis separately. I wish that they had more mochi in the shaved ice though.

All in all, the shaved ice was quite delicious and refreshing. It is a very large bowl, hence priced at around $9, but is perfect to share with a friend. I hear that their bubble tea is also pretty good, so I would love to come back to try some.

La Taqueria Taco Shop

August 22, 2013Leave a comment

M and I had wanted to check out Greedy Pig, but of all days, it just had to be closed on a Tuesday. That meant doing a quick Urbanspoon to see what was near. We found La Taqueria just down the block, and I had heard some good things about this taco shop. It’s painted bright yellow, so you won’t miss it.

You can see the chefs prepare your tacos if you stand at the very front of the shop.

The cashier was extremely friendly and asked if it were our first time here. Since it was, he thoroughly explained to us how the menu works. There are basically several beef, some chicken, one fish, and a variety of vegetarian tacos. Meat tacos are $2.50 each, but if you get 4 meat tacos, you are only charged $9.50. Veggie tacos are $2.00 each, and if you get 4 veggie tacos, then it’s $7.00. You can also mix and match between meat and veggie. All tacos are also served with cilantro, chopped onion and lime. Other than tacos, they also have quesadillas.

They also have a daily special menu.

They have a large selection of beverages, including both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Some seem to be originated from Mexico.

(Top center, clockwise) Asada, Tinga De Pollo, De Picadillo, Pescado and Dos Equis Lager Especial

M and I each got 4 tacos. The Asada is grilled AAA flank beef, and we both agreed it was the best out of the ones we tried. I think what was so great about it was that you could taste a bit of char from the grill, and it made it so much more flavourful. The De Picadillo consisted of sauteed ground tofu in chin chin’s secret recipe and is also a vegan taco. He said that this was one of his least favourites. We both got the Pescado and Tinga De Pollo. The Pescado consists of zarandeado fish with chipotle mayo, raddish and pepitas. We found the fish to be okay. I thought the fish was a bit too soft for my liking. The Tinga De Pollo had chicken with chorizo in a chipotle tomato sauce topped with mexican cheese and sour cream. This was probably the second best. Lots of chicken and very flavourful.

(Top center, clockwise) Pescado, Res En Cascabel, Tinga De Hongos, Tinga De Pollo and San Pellegrino Orange

For myself, I chose two different tacos different from what M had. The Res En Cascabel was their special, so I decided to give it a try. It had free range beef in a cascabel chili sauce, and I found it to be the spiciest of the four. However, the heat was still bearable and wasn’t numbing. I enjoyed this one the most out of the 4 tacos I had chosen, although M’s Asada definitely beat this one. The other taco that was different was the Tinga De Hongos which had sauteed fresh mushrooms in a spicy chipotle sauce. This one was also a vegan taco. I thought this one tasted sort of weird and I didn’t even really feel like I was eating mushrooms.

To add, all the tacos have two soft tortillas, since I’m pretty sure if it only had one, the ingredients would seep through. You would think that 4 tacos isn’t a lot, but this definitely filled me up. The tacos are filled with lots of ingredients and they pour out as you eat. It’s going to be a messy meal, but it’s worth it! They also have an area with different sauces, with the mildest as guacamole, and the hottest as something similar to Tabasco sauce I believe. I think this was my first time having Mexican food at an actual specialty store, so it was definitely an experience! I was really surprised that the sauces that originally come with the tacos were not as spicy as they sounded too.

Marutama Ramen

August 21, 2013Leave a comment

Marutama Ramen recently opened and people have been talking about this place quite a lot. It’s located on the first floor of what looks like a personal home. I wonder if the owners live upstairs. Anyways, it’s pretty hidden, so you won’t see many other restaurants nearby on this street.

When we arrived, we luckily got a seat right away. The interior is full of wooden furniture and there is a long communal table on one side. There is a also a bar area if you want to see how your ramen is cooked.

Marutama “Tamago Ra-Men”

This is their number 1 best seller. Inside is a slice of cha-shu, seaweed, and a soft-boiled flavoured egg. What makes Marutama extremely different from other ramen shops is their ultimate richly textured cloudy chicken soup. Yes, that is what they call their soup. So instead of using pork bone, they use a chicken soup base. The soup is extracted entirely from chicken, so at first, you will think it tastes quite odd. The soup definitely isn’t as strong as pork-bone based soups and I felt that it also wasn’t as oily. The seaweed is a Aosa Seaweed, which gives it an ocean flavour. It’s more like kelp so it brings a balance of salt to your soup. Extremely unique flavour, and it’s hard to describe until you have tried.

Here is the soft boiled egg broken up. You can see that the yolk is half cooked, so it is golden yellow and has a jelly like consistency. The egg was extremely delicious and cooked to perfection. Although you only get one piece of cha-shu, it was extremely delicious and melted in your mouth.

They also give you some fried garlic that you can add to your ramen for more flavour. For drinks, they serve you a cold tea, which is similar to the ones at Korean restaurants.

All in all, this is definitely a different ramen experience. I personally enjoyed it, but K still thinks the traditional porkbone soup is better. Also, the prices here are quite expensive. The Tamago Ra-Men was 10.50, and many of them were beyond this price if you wanted extra ingredients. However, you do get full from one bowl, and they also offer additional ramen for a small price. There were people waiting when we left as well, so I believe it gets packed the later you go.

Bon Crepe

August 19, 2013Leave a comment

After a bike ride at the Stanley Park seawall, K and I trekked down towards the Robson area and went to take a look at Bon Crepe. It is a Japanese owned convenience store with crepes, and other desserts. Inside, you will find all kinds of Japanese snacks, candies, drinks, but even some frozen foods and rice. They also have an assortment of household products and even hair dye. Then in a corner is the fast food area. They had parfaits, crepes, and soft serve ice cream. We went for the Matcha Soft Serve Ice Cream. I’m not sure if it’s because it is real matcha powder, but I found the ice cream to be quite flavourless. The cone itself was also a typical McDonald’s cone. It was okay on a sunny day, but I probably wouldn’t get that again. The ice cream was extremely smooth and for under $3, it doesn’t break your wallet. Their parfaits or crepes may be better since they have other ingredients in it as well.