Tera V Burger

September 5, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Barbecue Tempeh Burger – Organic tempeh, smokey barbecue sauce, fresh veggies and cheese on a whole wheat bun

Barbecue Tofu Wrap – Organic smoked tofu, fresh veggies, cheese, and smoky barbecue sauce in a whole wheat tortilla

Adventure time with K and J! We were originally supposed to try some vegan lasagna at a cafe, but unfortunately it was closed for good when we arrived. We were around the Broadway neighbourhood, so we decided to walk around to find a different place. Problem was, we weren’t exactly in the restaurant populated area of Broadway. We kept walking and started to get hungry and we spotted Tera V Burger. We checked out the menu and learned that it was a vegetarian so we thought it would be perfect. The place is supposed to be like a fast food burger chain and their mission is to try and make a movement for people to start eating vegetarian meals. You order your food first at the counter, and then you take a seat and they will serve it to you on a tray.

Both K and J got the Barbecue Tempeh Burger, which they said was quite delicious. Lots of veggies and an overload of barbecue sauce. For myself, I got the Barbecue Tofu Wrap since I wanted a small snack. It was actually quite filling and I was very full by the end. There were lots of tofu, and again, lots of barbecue sauce. Although the sauce was needed since the tofu was pretty much bland, I thought that it was almost too much, since it got really salty.

Not a bad place to go for some vegetarian burgers and wraps. The place was pretty empty, but I guess it’s pretty new. They also offer a variety of salads, sandwiches, and drinks.

Thoa’s Restaurant & Lounge

August 27, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Mango Fizz

Strawberry Lemonade

Chicken Pad Thai – Traditional Thai styled rice noodles pan-fried with chicken, bean sprout, cilantro, crushed peanuts, lime and onions in tamarind paprika sauce

Chicken Curry Fried Rice – Chicken, rice, eggs, carrots, pineapple, coconut milk,
hint of yellow curry & onions

Recently J and I decided to go explore downtown Seattle and check out the Pike Place Market. I had this feeling that I came here when I was really young, but I really had no memory of it. We got there around lunch time and we were starving, so of course we decided to look for food. I had checked out some popular spots in the market beforehand, but since it was lunch time, line ups were everywhere. What a busy area! We were way too hungry to wait, so we walked beyond the market, more into the downtown area, but still near the waterfront. We finally found Thoa’s Restaurant & Lounge, which seemed to be a pretty nice, modern-looking Vietnamese restaurant. We were starving, and saw no line up, so we didn’t care anymore! We just wanted food! Thoa’s was definitely not as busy compared to those popular shops in the marketplace, but it was still roughly half occupied.

I decided to get the Strawberry Lemonade, while J got the Mango Fizz. I found my lemonade a little sour, but it was alright. It was a hot, sunny day, so the drink was greatly appreciated. As for food, I got the Chicken Pad Thai. I found the noodles a little overcooked, as they were pretty soggy and clumping together. It was also pretty bland, and lacking flavour. I’ve definitely had better pad thai back in Vancouver, so I was not too impressed. I tried a bit of J’s Chicken Curry Fried Rice, and it was also just mediocre. We both agreed that we’ve had better versions of these dishes. Service was also not that great. We weren’t greeted right away when we walked in, and the server also gave us no utensils until I asked for them. The mood seemed pretty “dead’ in there, even though it was all decorated to fit the cuisine’s culture. Overall, not bad, but probably wouldn’t revisit again.

Gingeri Chinese Cuisine

August 22, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Fresh Fruit Salad & Deep Fried Crab Claws w/ Shrimp Paste

Braised Whole Dried Scallops in Mo Qua Rings

Braised Superior Shark’s Fin in Supreme Thick Soup

Braised Whole Australia Abalones with Vegetables

Pan Fried Lobsters in Consomme Sauce

Steamed Rock Cod

Fried Rice with Shrimps in Cream & Chicken in Tomato Sauce

Dumplings in Supreme Soup

Chinese Petit

Coffee Jelly

Sweetened Sesame Dumplings in Red Bean Cream

Gingeri is one of my mom’s favourite dim sum place. I swear she suggests to come here every time we want dim sum food. Not long ago though, I attended a wedding and they held it at Gingeri. I don’t normally come here for dinners, so I was actually kind of curious what the food was like for dinner time. Chinese weddings always have some crazy dinner banquets, with hours of food. This one had around 12 courses I believe? I’m missing two pictures I think, since I was too excited to eat…

First up was Roasted Pig Slices with Jellyfish Appetizer, which was one of the dishes where I got too excited to eat that I totally forgot to take a picture of. The pig skin was roasted to a nice crisp, and the meat wasn’t too salty. Jellyfish is one of my favourite Chinese appetizers, and this one was marinated very well. The second dish was the Fresh Fruit Salad & Deep Fried Crab Claws w/ Shrimp Paste. It was basically a crab claw with shrimp paste surrounding it to form a round shape and then it was deep fried. I really liked the shrimp part, but the crab claw didn’t really have any meat to it. Way too many fruits on the side too..I was already starting to get full. Third dish: Braised Whole Dried Scallops in Mo Qua Rings. This was a really nice dish, as the Mo Qua, which were basically some sort of melon were braised in a very nice sauce. The dried scallops were also extremely soft. Fourth dish: Braised Superior Shark’s Fin in Supreme Thick Soup. The soup was definitely very thick, and you could feel the collagen stick to your lips. They also didn’t cheap out on the ingredients. Fifth dish: Braised Whole Australia Abalones with Vegetables. Another delicacy in Chinese cuisine. The abalone was quite large in size, and it was cooked so it wasn’t too chewy or too soft. Perfect tenderness! I also loved the sauce that it was paired with. But oh my, I was getting REALLY full by the fifth course…so I started leaving my vegetables behind.. Moving on, sixth course was the Pan Fried Lobsters in Consomme Sauce. These were alright. I’ve had better lobsters before. Nothing too special. Seventh course: Deep Fried Crispy Squabs. And yes, I forgot to snap a picture of it as well. It was served still hot and crispy. Good stuff! Eighth dish: Steamed Rock Cod. I’m not a big fan of fish, so this was probably my least favourite of the night. I have to say that the fish wasn’t fishy though, and the meat was quite tender. Still, steamed fish isn’t something I like to eat. Ninth course: Fried Rice with Shrimps in Cream & Chicken in Tomato Sauce. This dish, no one at my table even touched it. We were all too full, and stuffing ourselves with more rice seemed silly. Some of us ended up packing it away instead, so I can’t comment. Tenth dish: Dumplings in Supreme Soup. These were actually really nice to end the dinner off. The dumplings were filled with shrimp and the soup was a thin clear broth. As for the desserts, there were Chinese Petits, which were basiaclly some sort of cookie dough batter, with read bean paste inside. As well, there was Coffee Jelly, which was one of my favourites. It was strong in coffee flavour and was a great dessert for a summer night. Lastly, there was the Sweetened Sesame Dumplings in Red Bean Cream. I’m not a fan of red bean soup, but I enjoyed the sesame dumplings as I love the surprise of the filling spilling out when you bite into these sweet dumplings.

Way too much food for this set menu, and I wish everything was portioned smaller, so I could actually eat everything without feeling like my stomach would explode… Good food though! And service wasn’t too bad.

Banana Leaf

August 19, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Curry Boneless Chicken – boneless chicken breast simmered in creamy curry with lemon grass, coconut cream

Coconut Rice in Banana Leaf – rice wrapped in fresh banana leaf cooked with coconut milk

Singapore Laska – rice noodle in coconut soup base made of dried shrimps, chili, garlic, lemon grass & turmeric with bean sprout, cilantro, tofu, egg, chicken, fish-cake, squid & shrimps

After hitting up Bella Gelateria, we went on Davie Street, since I wanted to try Thai Basil. Sadly, it was going to close in about an hour or so, and the seating was very limited. So off we went to explore what food there was to eat on Davie. And there was a lot! Such a busy street. We ended up at Banana Leaf, since it was still sort of Thai/ Malaysian – well it’s supposed to be Malaysian, but close enough. It was actually already pretty late for dinner time, but the place was still quite full. It’s dim inside, and you get a pretty Malaysian feel to it.

I got the Singapore Laska, which was actually quite delicious. I’m always kind of unsure about places that seem pretty westernized, just because I feel like the food may not be as authentic and probably just catered for the Canadians. But the laska was actually quite comparable to many of the laskas I have tried at other Asian restaurants. I loved the tofu puffs and fish-cake, and there was a large abundance of ingredients. The soup was really nice with a hint of coconut flavour, and wasn’t so spicy that I couldn’t eat it.

Good food and service! I believe it’s a chain restaurant, so there are a few more around Vancouver.

Dragon View Chinese Cuisine

August 15, 2012May 5, 2013Leave a comment

Chinese Donuts Wrapped w/ Rice Rolls

Steamed Shrimp Dumplings

Steamed Chicken Feet in B/B Sauce

Deep Fried Squid Tentacle

Mini Sticky Rice Wrapped w/ Bamboo Leaf

Lychee, Goji Berries and Chrysanthemum Gelatin Dessert

My parents decided to grab some dim sum for lunch, and since we were already at Continental Centre, we decided to just go to Dragon View Chinese Cuisine. I’ve been here a few times, but not recently, so I had forgot what it was like. Food was typical and I quite liked it. My family and I both felt that the chef seemed to cook most of the food with less feisty flavours. Most of the dishes were on the bland side, but not to the extent that it was terrible. I actually quite liked it since I don’t like to eat too flavourful stuff sometimes. My favourite was the dessert! It was a gelatin dessert that had lychee, goji berries and chrysanthemum in it. So refreshing on a sunny day!

Service that day was really well. This lady, who I believe was the owner, was extremely friendly and quick. A few days later though, I went back for dinner with some family friends, and the service was just plain terrible! Our server was extremely rude, and in the middle of taking our order, he just told us to hold on and he walked away for like 5 minutes. What kind of service is that? He was also extremely unfriendly when we asked questions about the menu, and he just seemed arrogant. Definitely was disappointed the second time.

Cora’s Breakfast & Lunch (Ironwood)

August 13, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Fruit Cocktail

Jo Construction – 3 eggs (easy over), 3 sausages, and bacon

Toast that came along with Jo Construction

Eggs Ben et Dictine – two poached eggs and ham on an English muffin covered with Hollandaise sauce, served with roasted potatoes and fresh fruit

My parents normally don’t go out to eat breakfast, unless it’s dim sum, but we decided to head down to Ironwood to check out Cora’s since it had opened not too long ago. The service there is…interesting. The people are really friendly, but a little overly friendly that it seems almost fake. They seem to just recite these lines, and it’s almost a little awkward.

But anyways, my dad decided to try their Fruit Cocktail of the day, which was supposed to consist of 5 fruits or something like that. I don’t remember which fruits she said, but I took a sip, and it was alright. Just a bunch of fruits blended together I’m guessing, but not a smoothie texture for sure. It was much more light and watery. For myself, I got the Eggs Ben et Dictine. I seem to always get the eggs benedict at breakfast places, but that’s cause I feel like I can’t easily make that at home. Or at least I don’t feel that I’m skilled enough to do so! It was presented really nicely with fruits covering the plate in a nice presentation. Apparently, at Cora’s, their selling point is that their breakfasts are supposed to be extremely healthy because of all the fruits they add to the plate. But the funny thing was that my roasted potatoes were the last thing I would call healthy. They sure were roasted… Some of them were so burnt that you pretty much couldn’t even take a bite from the side. It was just pure black. I swear I had 1/3 of the potatoes left on my plate because they were just clearly inedible.

Other than that, everything was decent. Surprisingly, the portions weren’t as large as I had imagined. I think it’s probably because 1/4 of your plate is full of fruits, so it’s not as filling. So I would say Cora’s definitely has smaller portions compared to places such as IHop. I was also quite surprised that on a weekday morning, there were actually quite a few tables of people eating.

Hime Sushi

August 13, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Complimentary Edamame – cooked green soy beans

Red Dragon Roll – inside: crunch, prawn tempura, cucumber; top: salmon & avocado with house sauce

Oshinko Roll

Ankake Tofu – deep-fried tofu with mixed vegetable topping

Ebi Mayo – deep fried prawns & yam with house mayo sauce

Crunch Munch – inside: prawn tempura, crunch, tobiko, cucumber; top: grilled unagi, avocado with house sauce

J’s birthday was a while back, so yes this is from a while back too. Anyways, S and I had a whole day of fun planned and of course that included some delicious food! We had a beer tasting fundraiser for Sauder Africa Intiative (which by the way is something everyone should check out!), which was on Main Street, so we had to look for something nearby since we had to go set up as well. We remembered J liked Japanese food, so I did some urbanspooning and off we went to Hime Sushi. It’s a tiny little Japanese shop with pretty much all seats occupied during dinner hours, which is a good sign.

After placing our orders, they offered us a small plate of Edamame beans, which was great to munch on while waiting for our food. We ordered the Ankake Tofu after peering over at the table next to ours, and it was a good choice. It was a great alternative to Agedashi Tofu, as it was sill fried, but felt much more healthy. The vegetables and sauce covered the tofu and was a good change to the usual. S had her Oshinko Roll as always. I chose to get the Red Dragon Roll. I really enjoyed it as there was a crunch to it and it also had my favourite salmon sashimi. Yum! J chose to get the Crunch Munch. I found it to be sort of similar to the Red Dragon Roll, actually just because they both had that crunchy texture. It had grilled unagi on top, so I wasn’t as fond of it. We also got the Ebi Mayo, which I really enjoyed. The batter was light and not oily, which is always a plus. I also liked the crunchy noodles that the shrimps lay on.

Overall, Hime Sushi was not bad. They have some pretty interesting rolls and their food seems to be quite consistent. Not bad!

Nicli Antica Pizzeria

August 10, 2012May 3, 2013Leave a comment

Chili Oil and Rosemary Oil

Margherita di Bufala – pomodoro, grana padano, buffalo mozzarela, basil

I hadn’t gone on a food adventure in a while with Steph, so after a school meeting, we decided to go grab some food. I had a gift card for Nicli Antica Pizzeria, so I decided to bring her there to check it out. The pizzeria is located in the edge of Gastown, and although there are very nice looking boutiques and such around the area, the people in the area are still somewhat..sketch if that’s nice to say. We parked on the sidewalk in front of the pizzeria but there were some creepy men murmuring to us! A little scary… Anyways, when we got in, the place was totally different from the outside. The outside looks all antique and vintage, but the inside was clean and modern. I loved how everything was white with pops of red. So pretty!

We didn’t exactly know what to order since after reading the menu, we were still pretty confused. Most of the ingredients were in Italian, and I was just plain confused. We decided to ask our server what she would recommend. She suggested us to try the Margherita di Bufala as it was one of the most popular, and so we did. Basically, they make Neapolitan pizzas, which I’m still not too sure what exactly it is, since I didn’t really do much research. I read it briefly somewhere online though, and I think it has something to do with the crust and how they actually heat it using a special oven or some sort. And wow, the crust was actually so thin! The ingredients were also extremely fresh. You could tell the tomato sauce and the buffalo mozzarella were fresh. When you take a bite with the basil leaf on top, it was really good too! I did find that the crust got a little tough at the bottom after the pizza sat for a while. You could tell especially, when you tried to use a knife to cut it, and it became really difficult to slice. Parts of the crust were also a little burnt, which gave it an ashy taste, that I didn’t quite like. But other than that, the pizza was extremely delicious. The pizza is also large enough to share with 2 – 3 people, although we saw many tables ordering one pizza for each person.