TaiwanFest 2012

September 29, 2012May 2, 2013Leave a comment

Again, I’m pretty much a month late on my posts. But anyways, TaiwanFest occurred during the Labour Day weekend, and was a festival to celebrate Taiwan culture and food! Since Vancouver is multicultural and has tons of Taiwanese, it made sense to have it here. And also Toronto I believe. It was hosted by Telus with all sorts of entertainment, with live performances, DIY art, music, and of course food! The event was held around the downtown Granville area and was free to public – well other than the food! Funny how J didn’t know about the event even though he’s Taiwanese, but I dragged him along nonetheless.

Family Lin

Taiwanese Soup Noodle ($5)

The streets were pretty packed and we saw a huge lineup to the booths for the Tainan Street Banquet. Some teen volunteers however, told us to go check out the other food booths since it would take a while to get in. Shouldn’t have listened to them since the lineup when we got back was even longer! But anyways, we ended up going to the International Food Fair area, where J got the Taiwanese Soup Noodle. I took a sip of the soup and thought it had a strange taste. Apparently it’s the taste of onions…? He said it wasn’t too bad though.

Sasaya Bistro

Oyster Omelet ($6)

A lot of the food I saw weren’t actually too familiar to me. Or they were fried food that I wasn’t craving that day. I ended up spotting a booth that sold the Oyster Omelet and purchased that instead. The wait was quite a while as they had told me beforehand. I guess it takes a little longer to cook this dish. I’ve had a really delicious oyster omelet at a family Taiwanese restaurant in Richmond a while back before, and I have to say this one wasn’t up to par. The outside of the omelet didn’t have that crispy texture and instead had a very glutinous jelly-like substance – something that I didn’t find too appealing for my taste. I also wasn’t too used to the sauce which was a little sour and spicy. I’m guessing the sauce is what they usually use though, but I would’ve liked it on the side.

Totoro

Passionfruit Slush ($5)

J got thirsty and also got a Passionfruit Slush. This was actually really good since it was refreshing on a hot sunny day. The passionfruit flavour wasn’t too sour as well, since I’ve had ones that were really sour. We then realized that the booth was Totoro, which is a bubble tea shop in Richmond. I don’t think they’re even Taiwanese operated, but oh well. It was still good.

Tainan Street Banquet

Fatty Pork with Young Bamboo on Vermicelli ($5)

Steamed Rice Pudding ($5) – Glutinous rice steamed with mushroom, minced pork and shrimps in circular pudding shape, served with sauce and coriander

We got filled up a bit now, so we decided to walk around and explore the other booths that were not related to food…After an hour or so, we decided to head back to the Tainan Street Banquet to check out why there was always a lineup. We waited roughly 10 minutes, and finally got to the entrance where we were given a tray. This area was actually all owned by the same restaurant/chef, and there were basically around 10 different menu items to choose from, and as you move along the line, you can let the people know what you want. They then place it on your tray and you proceed to pay. All items were $5, which wasn’t too bad, considering you’re at a special event and the portions were pretty good too. They also had tables to sit down at in this area. I was pretty confused with what to get, since I wasn’t familiar with most of it. We ended up getting the Fatty Pork with Young Bamboo on Vermicelli and the Steamed Rice Pudding. Good choice since we soon realized that almost everyone got those items too. The vermicelli wasn’t soup based so it was just moist. The fatty pork was actually really good, although it was lots of fat. I felt kind of unhealthy eating it, but I have to admit it’s good. The Steamed Rice Pudding was something that I had wanted to try since I got there. I saw other people eating it and I thought it looked really pretty! I really liked the mixture of minced beef, mushrooms, shrimp, and the sauce. It was flavourful and sort of reminded me of the sticky rice my mom makes. Good stuff!

I wish I posted this earlier so others could read and go, but I’m sure they will be back next year again. A great event to check out with family and friends!

Acme Cafe

September 27, 2012May 2, 2013Leave a comment

Americano

Veggie Sandwich – goat cheese, portobello mushroom, peppers, zucchini, sprouts, sun-dried tomato basil mayo. Ciabatta panini grilled; with cup of Curry Lentil

Chicken Club Sandwich – multi-grain, chicken, bacon, aged cheddar, tomato, arugula, sun-dried tomato may and grainy mustard; with cup of Curry Lentil

Shrimp Melt – shrimp, roasted peppers, and onions open faced and topped with Jack cheese. On a half-Ciabatta; with cup of Curry Lentil

High-faultin’ Grilled Cheese – cheddar, swiss, brie, cranberry-Grand Marnier relish. Ciabatta panini grilled; with cup of Curry Lentil

Close up of the High-faultin’ Grilled Cheese!

Mac and Cheese (side)

I barely ever wake up in time for brunch or breakfast, but KT, KC, J and I decided to make that happen. KT suggested to go to Acme Cafe in Gastown, and we tried to get there for their breakfast menu, but of course, we ended up late… So we were only able to order their non-breakfast food. Anyways, Acme Cafe was busy when we got there, but we only waited for perhaps 5 minutes to get a seat. The place is really cute, and reminds me of a vintage diner, yet a little modernized. They also have this seating area which is a semi-circle and you can watch the chefs prepare your food. Pretty cool place in my opinion.

Anyways, everything on the menu sounded delicious, so it was hard for me to choose something. I ended up getting the High-faultin’ Grilled Cheese since I love grilled cheese sandwiches, but this one seemed to be more than just a grilled cheese sandwich. They also had a normal grilled cheese sandwich, but this one was “high-faultin’”. The ciabatta was thin and crispy, with loads of cheese melted so it was stringy, and the unique part of it was that it had a cranberry-Grand Marnier relish. The hint of sourness actually worked really well with it and was a great twist to the normal grilled cheese sandwiches. I also took a bite from the Shrimp Melt, which was really delicious! It was open-faced so a little difficult to eat unless you cut it up, but the shrimp and all the ingredients together made it an excellent light sandwich to eat. Delicious! All the sandwiches also came with your choice of chips, or soup of the day. We all got the soup of the day, which was the Curry Lentil. Surprisingly, it wasn’t super spicy or anything. It just had a hint of curry flavour to it, but it was definitely a hearty soup. I’m not a big fan of lentils, so it was just alright for me. The two boys also got a side of Mac and Cheese, and a I stole a spoon. It was really good! There were loads of cheese. Like LOTS. But it worked well and I loved how the top was baked so it was a little crispy.

Overall, awesome place to grab brunch or even lunch. Service isn’t anything over the top, but was quick and efficient. Check it out!

Loving Hut (revisit)

September 26, 2012May 2, 2013Leave a comment

The new way to advertise: with a cute chick and cow…?

Cheese Sweet Potato Fries

Crispy Chick’n Burger – crispy Gardein patty, chipotle mayo, guacamole, jalapeno relish, tomato, red onion, lettuce

Grilled Mushroom Cheese Burger – beefless patty, grilled mushrooms, cheese sauce, mayo, mustard, (w/o tomatoes & red onions), lettuce

After a long walk around Yaletown by the water, where we almost hit Granville Island… K and I decided it was time to grab some Loving Hut burgers! I’ve been here once before and had the Crispy Chick’n Burger, which was delicious, so I decided to try something different. I got the Grilled mushroom Cheese Burger, which had a beefless patty and loads of mushrooms. It was really delicious, but I still think my number one favourite is the Crispy Chick’n Burger. That one is much more flavourful and I also like the spice it has, although I complain that it gets too spicy. So good though! We also got the Cheese Sweet Potato Fries, which at first, I had imagined it to be cheese inside the fries, but it was actually a cheese sauce drizzled on top. The cheese sauce also had a very interesting consistency. Not too sure what it was made of, but it definitely had spice to it! We had waited a while before we ate them too, and they became all soggy unfortunately, but they were still pretty delicious! Now I have to imagine how good they would’ve been when they first came out. If you’re looking for vegan burgers, Loving Hut is definitely the place to go to! Actually, if you’re just looking for a good burger, this is the place to go. I personally find that their burgers are probably better than some non-vegan burgers I’ve had. And I’m someone who enjoys my meat too… I guess that says a lot about their food! Check it out! Thanks Loving Hut for the delicious meal!

Granny’s Cheesecake & More

September 26, 2012May 2, 2013Leave a comment

Deep Fried Kool-Aid

Kool-Aid. Deep Fried? Wait, what? How can Kool-Aid be deep fried?! I think I asked that question so many times when I saw the signage. At Granny’s Cheesecake & More at PNE, they deep fry everything. From the typical bananas, to cheesecakes, and then all the way to the extreme: Deep Fried Kool-Aid. I tried to take a picture of the signage they had for “What on Earth is Deep Fried Kool-Aid”, but the lighting was pretty bad. So to summarize:

They make a super concentrated Kool-Aid mixture. Then they apparently add Granny’s secret ingredient, and then they deep fry it in small balls and then cover it with icing sugar!

Pretty cool idea, but how well did it taste is the question! They were definitely not as good as the Deep Fried Oreos, but you couldn’t say they were terrible. They lacked flavour, and I could just taste a hint of berry flavour, and then the rest was just like eating a piece of red dough. One is enough, and when you keep eating it, it becomes too much.

Prairie Smoke & Spice BBQ (at PNE Vancouver)

September 24, 2012May 2, 2013Leave a comment

Rib n’ Meat Combo – 1/3 rack of Ribs & Pulled Pork

The Fair at the PNE was also having a Rib Fest! Pretty much all of the participants had tons of awards, so it was hard to really choose which one was the best. I ended up going to the Prairie Smoke & Spice BBQ, which originates from Regina. We got the Rib n’ Meat Combo so we could try more than just the ribs. The ribs were flavourful and they weren’t too dry. The pulled pork was also quite delicious. It would’ve made a great pulled pork sandwich, which they also sold. I kind of wish I got the platter so I could try the brisket as well, but I didn’t really want a side dish.

Salt Spring Island Noodle Bar (at PNE)

September 23, 2012August 21, 20176 Comments

Chicken + Veg + Pad Thai + Thai Chow Mein

Continuation of The Fair at the PNE! We also looked for some actual food instead of just desserts, and we came across this Asian looking booth called Salt Spring Island Noodle Bar. We thought Pad Thai sounded appealing at that time, so we decided to get it, but we soon realized that it wasn’t the Pad Thai noodles, but the Pad Thai sauce! But it wasn’t even really close to that sauce anyways… It was actually some sort of spicy sauce with chow mein noodles. Although it wasn’t what we had expected, it was still pretty good. It’s not even Asian operated, but I have to say it’s probably better than most of the non-Asian operated food places I’ve tried. After searching it up, I also found that the noodle bar is actually from Salt Spring Island in the Gulf Islands! So it actually came all the way from Victoria to attend The Fair. Pretty cool!

Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cakes (at PNE)

September 22, 2012May 2, 2013Leave a comment

Deep Fried Pop Tarts… tempting…

Deep Fried Wagon Wheels…?

Deep Fried Oreos!

Almost a month overdue post now..since PNE was at the end of August! But anyways, PNE had tons of good food during the Fair, so this is just the beginning of some of the food I tried! I heard from my colleague back when I was interning about Deep Fried Oreos, and I knew I had to try them when I went to PNE. There were a two stands with them, but this stand also had Deep Fried Pop Tarts and such…so I decided to give it a try. They were surprisingly really good! I usually find oreos too sweet, but for some reason, these weren’t as sweet as normal oreos. The batter also didn’t feel too oily. It was basically a soft dough on the outside, and the oreo inside wasn’t extremely gooey or melty, so it was really good! They were extremely filling too. I still wonder what Deep Fried Pop Tarts would taste like, but I guess I’ll have to try next year!

B.C. Sushi

September 21, 2012May 2, 2013Leave a comment

Yam Tempura

Horenso Gomaae

Ebi Sunomono

Massago Cone, Dynamite Roll, Yam Tempura Roll, Kappa Maki, BC Roll, Chopped Scallop Roll

Yakitori

Salmon Sashimi

Agedashi Tofu

Deep Fried Chicken Knee

BBQ Chicken Wings

Tonkatsu

Lemon Chicken

Salmon Sushi, Hokkigai Sushi, Albacore Tuna Sushi, Tamago Sushi

Beef Teriyaki

Gyoza

Chicken Teriyaki

I was craving some late night sushi, so it was either get some cheap late night at Matsuyama, or get all you can eat. I hadn’t had all you can eat for a while, since I never seem to eat my money’s worth. Plus the quality of food is never up to par, so I usually rather pay more for good quality food. And eating all you can eat food with two people is definitely a bad idea. But…we ended up going to try B.C Sushi, since J said that it was pretty good. B.C. Sushi has two all you can eat menus for late night. You can either choose option A, which is $12.95 or choose option A+B which is $17.95. Option B basically includes sashimi and a few other options. We decided to choose option A+B since we wanted sashimi, but we later read that option A also had sashimi if we were to add $1.50 for 6 pieces. We definitely should’ve just gotten option A and added on the sashimi, since the other items in option B weren’t even anything extremely special. We wanted to try so many items but we couldn’t even finish it since we had ordered way too much food! Food quality wasn’t anything amazing, but I would say it’s much better than some of the other all you can eat places I’ve had. The dishes are huge too…which I totally did not expect. I was thinking they would be cheap and give us tiny dishes each time, but not at B.C. Sushi! So much food that we only ordered one round and we were already screaming for help.