Takeya Sushi

April 15, 2015April 15, 2015Leave a comment

Takeya Sushi is located in the Seafair Mall on No.1 and is Japanese run. The restaurant offers sit in, but is not the largest or most glamourous looking restaurant, so many choose to order take out. When we arrived just before 6:00pm, there was already a wait for tables. We decided to skip the dine in and ordered take out.

Sushi Combo H – 1 California Roll, 1 Mango California Roll, 1 Papaya California Roll

S chose Sushi Combo H, which comes with three variations of the California Roll. You get your typical California Roll, and then one filled with mango and the other filled with papaya. I’ve seen many restaurants with mango in their California rolls, but was surprised to see the papaya. S thought the sushi was good and yummy. He said he would likely return.

Takeya Nigiri – lightly grilled (Salmon Toro, Tuna Toro, Saba, Amaebi, Unagi, Salmon Roll (3pcs), Tuna Roll (3pcs)

For myself, I went for the Takeya Nigiri. They have Chef’s Specials every motnh, and you can check online to see what’s new. The Takeya Nigiri set was this month’s special. It was a great deal at $11.95 for an assortment of lightly grilled nigiris along with two maki rolls. The fish was very fresh and I especially liked the Salmon Toro and Tuna Toro. These two just melted in your mouth.

I can see why people line up for Takeya. It is a gem in Richmond with affordable, fresh and authentic sushi. Presentation-wise, it’s not the fanciest, since they use paper cups for the wasabi and pickled ginger. However, quality beats it. I’ll definitely be returning and it’s a great choice for take out.

Pros:
– Fresh and good quality sushi
– Reasonable prices

Cons:
– Always long waits for dine in

Price Range: $10-20

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 4
Service: N/A (take-out)
Ambiance: 2
Parking: 4
Overall: 3.5

Chewy Junior

March 29, 2015March 29, 2015Leave a comment

Chewy Junior opened their first North American flagship store in Vancouver last year in Gastown. I’ve walked by it many times and it always smelled really good. It’s a Singaporean chain store with various locations in Asia. They offer a healthy version of cream puffs, since they are baked rather than fried.

They have around 10 flavours to choose from and are priced from around $3.50 to $4.00 depending on the flavour.

Chocolate Oreo Crunch

I decided to get one each for S and I. I chose the Chocolate Oreo Crunch for S, which didn’t look too appealing. It was topped with crushed Oreo cookies on the top and filled with chocolate cream. Slightly on the sweet side, but not bad.

Matcha Nippon

For myself, I got the Matcha Nippon, which featured a matcha glaze and was filled with matcha cream. The cream puffs themselves are on the chewy side, hence perhaps why they are named Chewy Junior. I actually quite liked this chewy texture, but I still prefer Beta 5’s cream puffs. I find that these are quite pricey for what they are. They are more unique than Beard Papa, but priced a lot higher. Beta 5 is priced slightly higher, but the flavours are very unique and of high quality. Would I come back? Probably not, but I’d say the cream puffs aren’t bad.

Pros:
– Cream puffs are average, but I enjoy the chewy texture
– Lots of cream filling

Cons:
– Slightly on the pricey side for the size
– Not a lot of flavours to choose from – they seem to sell out

Price Range: $3.50-4.00

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Parking: 3
Overall: 3

Sushi Gallery

March 17, 2015Leave a comment

Sushi Gallery is located in the Kitsilano area and is rated very high on Urbanspoon. S and I decided to check it out after work and indeed it was busy. It’s by no means any fancy restaurant, and in fact, miso soup and such are self serve. Reminded me of Tokyo Joes.

Caterpillar Roll and Yam Tempura Roll

S chose the Caterpillar Roll and Yam Tempura Roll. The Caterpillar Roll was filled with crabmeat and eel, and topped with avocado and masago. He said they were decent.

Chopped Scallop Roll, Ika, Tamago, Chopped Scallop, Salmon, Toro Nigiri

For myself, I got the Chopped Scallop Roll and various Nigiris. The portions are quite large, but I wouldn’t say the fish is very fresh. It’s good value for the price, but I probably wouldn’t come back again since there’s better sushi spots out there. I think they are great if you aren’t looking for traditional sushi. Most people seemed to come here for less traditional rolls with sauces and such.

Service-wise, it was pretty friendly, but a little slow. It seems to be more of a self-serve spot, hence the lower prices. Many people also came here for take out.

Pros:
– Large portions
– Low prices

Cons:
– Not the spot for traditional sushi
– Seafood isn’t the freshest

Price Range: $5-10

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 2.5
Service: 2.5
Ambiance: 2.5
Parking: 3
Overall: 2.5

Pho TEN

March 15, 20152 Comments

Pho Ten is located across Ironwood mall, in the same strip mall as Original Joes. I’ve heard pretty good things about it, so I decided to check it out for lunch. The restaurant was pretty packed, but we still managed to get a seat. The interior is slightly nicer than most pho restaurants, but some of the leather on the couches were still peeling off…

Spring Rolls

We started off with the two orders of Spring Rolls. The spring rolls were quite small compared to most spring rolls at other restaurants, with very little filling. I also didn’t really like the wrapper they used, although it was still very crunchy. I would skip these spring rolls next time.

Bean sprouts and lime were served with our noodles.

Pho Ga Dac Biet

S chose the Pho Ga Dac Biet, which featured flat rice noodles with boneless chicken and quail eggs in chicken soup. S said it was decent.

Pho Ten Special

For myself, I got the Pho Ten Special, since I like my pho with all the ingredients. It came with rare sliced steak, brisket, fatty flank, tendon, tripe, crunchy flank, and beef balls. You get a good amount of ingredients, but I found the broth to lack flavour.

Overall, Pho Ten is decent. I wouldn’t say it’s the best, but it does it’s job for pho. Service is also pretty friendly.

Pros:
– Decent eats
– Service is friendlier than many pho restaurants

Cons:
– Seating may not be the best
– Just average – nothing too special

Price Range: $10-15

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food:3
Service: 3.5
Ambiance: 2.5
Parking: 3
Overall: 3

Soft Peaks

March 8, 2015March 8, 20151 Comment

Soft Peaks just opened over a month and it has gotten a lot of hype. I was fortunate enough to be invited to try their media samples. Located in the heart of Gastown, it’s very convenient and it was no surprise that there was a long line up on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

The shop is owned by two Korean brothers and they focus on ice cream that is made with Avalon organic milk. Everything about the shop is about local – from their local ingredients to their cups and spoons which come from local suppliers.

They are famous for their honeycomb topping, which comes from the Okanagan and Fraser Valley. The honeycomb on ice cream was the craze in South Korea last year, so it’s great that they’ve brought it to Vancouver.

Other than the honeycomb, they offer many other premium toppings, including Himalayan pink salt, Tim Tams and yuzu marmalade.

Honeycomb Peak

Of course I went for their signature ice cream – the Honeycomb Peak. It featured a piece of local honeycomb on top with corn flakes at the base. The honeycomb is sticky and sweet and the honey oozes out of the comb. I love the mix of honey with the creamy dairy based ice cream. Makes it super smooth and the sweetness of the honey is just right. However, I wish that I could dig into the corn flakes earlier on. You can’t really get to it until the end.

Green Forest

K chose the Green Forest, which features organic Premium Matcha powder, sweet red beans, and condensed milk on top of the soft serve. I actually really enjoyed this as it wasn’t too sweet. K said she wished there were some mochi balls as well. That would’ve been perfect!

Overall, we were quite pleased with Soft Peaks. They come at a premium price and are good treats once in a while. A good change from your typical gelatos. Service is friendly, but expect long waits since everyone is checking out the shop these days. They also have some seating upstairs if you want to enjoy your ice cream indoors.

* All food were complimentary.

Pros:
– Ice cream is smooth and ingredients are all local
– Interesting toppings to choose from

Cons:
– Long waits
– Premium prices

Price Range: $5-10

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 4
Service: 4
Ambiance: 3
Parking: 3
Overall: 3.5

Yah Yah Ya Ramen

March 3, 2015March 3, 20151 Comment

Yah Yah Ya Ramen opened next to Richmond Sushi just last year and replaced the previous Taiwanese restaurant. I thought the name was pretty funny, so I suggested we give it a try. They specialize in a le-kei soup, which is their pork soy sauce soup. Pork bone, chicken bone, konbu, and vegetables are boiled for over 12 hours to make this soup. It is then flavoured with soy sauce, green onion, and garlic.

The restaurant is not too big and is clean and simply decorated. We arrived around 6pm and were seated immediately. The restaurant began to get packed after a while, and by the time we left, there were some patrons waiting for seats. Seems like it’s quite popular.

Shoyu Ramen

S got the Shoyu Ramen, which is their number one ramen. The menu is fairly simple with really only shoyu, miso, shio, or spicy miso to choose from. For each bowl of noodles, you can choose whether you want the noodles: hard, normal, or soft; the taste: heavy, normal, or light; and the oil: more, normal, or less. S went for hard noodles, with heavy taste and normal oil. The shoyu ramen came with chashu, toasted seaweed, spinach, and half a flavoured egg. He also added extra toasted seaweed. I enjoyed this broth a lot more than the miso. Even though he chose heavy taste, I found the broth to be much lighter than many ramen joints. It wasn’t as salty as I would’ve imagined.

Miso Ramen

For myself, I got the Miso Ramen, which came with chashu, bean sprouts, seaweed, and half a flavoured egg. I chose hard noodles, normal taste and normal oil. The noodles were cooked to al dente, but I found the broth to be quite average and slightly too salty. I would stick with their shoyu soup, which is what they are famous for. The chashu was soft and melted in your mouth. The portions are pretty good and you get a good amount of the toppings for the price.

Pros:
– Reasonable prices and portions
– Service is friendly

Cons:
– Stick with the shoyu – miso was slightly too salty
– Line ups at peak hours

Price Range: $10-15

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Parking: 4
Overall: 3

Liquids & Solids

March 2, 2015March 2, 2015Leave a comment

Liquids & Solids is just a few blocks away from work and is perfect whenever you feel like some soup and sandwich. You can grab lunch, which will fill you up for around $10, which is pretty decent around the Broadway area. The shop is bustling at lunch time and you need to first line up to order. They then call your name and you can grab your order to go or to dine in. They offer mainly soups and sandwiches, but also quiches. They change their menu daily, so you may see some daily specials.

Heavenly Pesto Chicken and Salmon Chowder

On the first occasion, D recommended I try the Heavenly Pesto Chicken. This was delicious! The sandwich was filled with slow roasted chicken topped with aged cheddar, spinach, tomatoes and their popular pesto aioli. This was grilled up on sourdough, which was toasted perfect. The sandwiches are around $7.95, and you can add an extra $2 for soup. I chose the Salmon Chowder, which was filled with salmon pieces and vegetables. Very flavourful!

Cheesus Crust and Chili

E got the Cheesus Crust, which features a blend of cheddar, provolone, Parmesan and blue cheese. It is topped with a cilantro pesto, roasted red pepper antipasta and a touch of sour cream. She said it was very cheesy and had a slight heat. She also added the Chili to her meal.

Jack Daniel’s Pulled Pork and Chili

On another occasion, I had the Jack Daniel’s Pulled Pork, which featured slow roasted pork cooked for hours in Jack Daniel’s sauce. It was topped with carmelized onions and served grilled on Yukon gold, scallion foccacia bread. I also had the Chili which was filled with beans and shredded meat. The chili wasn’t too spicy, but full of ingredients and flavour.

The pulled pork was very moist and was slightly sweet. You couldn’t really taste the alcohol in it. Overall, great sandwiches and soups and reasonable prices. Not much service, but they are still friendly.

Pros:
– Great variety of sandwiches and soups
– Reasonable prices

Cons:
– Not much service
– Not too many seats for larger groups

Price Range: $5-15

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Parking: 3
Overall: 3

Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France

February 14, 2015Leave a comment

It’s the 5th year that Vancouver has hosted the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival. From January 17 until today, February 14, 2015, a list of shops offer hot chocolate flavours that may not normally be on their normal menu. We decided to check out Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France, which is hidden away just off Main Street. The sign is so small, that it was actually difficult to locate.

They offered the following hot chocolates which they said are exclusive to this festival:

“Marocchino”
Classic Italian drink: half drinking chocolate, half espresso.

“Praliné Chocolat”
Liquid house made Nutella: drinking chocolate + hazelnut praline.

“Lavande Classique”
Available only once a year, during the hot chocolate festival, the simple but classic lavender hot chocolate is back by popular demand.

“Aztec Glacé”
Anne’s favorite iced hot chocolate. Spicy, hot, cold, salty and sweet. Purely addictive.

All hot chocolates are also served with a meringue of your choice. They didn’t have any meringues, but offered either their house-made truffles or toffee.

The interior is really small and homey, but there are still a few seats if you want to sit down and drink your hot chocolate. They offer chocolates, waffles, and take home products like jam.

A display case of chocolates and as you can see, their meringues were sold out.

I chose the Orange Blossom Truffle which was complimentary with my drink. Loved that hint of orange blossom.

Lavande Classique

I chose the Lavande Classique. Very strong in chocolate flavour, but I found that the lavender aroma wasn’t strong enough. Very smooth though.

Orange Blossom Hot Chocolate

K decided to go for their original menu and went for their Orange Blossom Hot Chocolate. You can order just plain hot chocolate for $4 and add a flavour of your choice for $0.50. It tasted basically like my truffle, but I still found that the flavour wasn’t very strong in their drinks. If you order from their regular menu, then you don’t get a complimentary truffle or toffee.

Overall, we thought the hot chocolates were decent. They didn’t look special like the ones at Bel Cafe or Mink. Just came in a simple paper cup and no decorations. we found it pretty pricey since they weren’t really special, other than the flavours. Friendly service though.

Pros:
– Cute coffee and hot chocolate shop
– Decent hot chocolate and friendly service

Cons:
– Nothing too special for the price you pay

Price Range: $5-10

1: Terrible 2: Poor 3: Average 4: Good 5: Excellent

Food: 3
Service: 4
Ambiance: 3
Parking: 3
Overall: 3

Every Day is a Food Day

Category: $

Takeya Sushi

Chewy Junior

Sushi Gallery

Pho TEN

Soft Peaks

Yah Yah Ya Ramen

Liquids & Solids

Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France