8th Annual Chinese Restaurant Awards Ceremony

March 20, 2016Leave a comment

On March 2nd, 2016, we were invited to the 8th Annual Chinese Restaurant Awards (CRA) ceremony held at the River Rock Show Theatre.

The afternoon recognized the winners of the Critic’s Choice Signature Dish Awards and Social Media Choice Awards.

We were able to sample some of the winner’s dishes along with some drinks thanks to sponsors.

Each year, the CRA recognizes a Canadian food product-of-excellence that has incorporated into Chinese cuisine. This year’s winner is the B.C. Geoduck by Underwater Harvester’s Association.

We got to sample a dish using geoduck by the award winning Chef Sam Leung from Dynasty Seafood Restaurant. They presented to us a plate of B.C. Geoduck with Dungeness Crab Roe and Yuzi. This was creamy and the flavour and texture of the geoduck was right on.

Others who were present included the chefs from Peninsula Seafood Restaurant, including executive chef Yao Wei Guang and dim sum hed chef Keong Wong. Peninsula won the 2016 Diner’s Choice Awards for Best Fine Dining Restaurant.

They served us Chef’s Special Red-braised Pork which had just the right amount of fat to meat ratio. This was also extremely flavourful.

Memory Corner won Diner’s Choice Awards for the best Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice which we got to sample. Flavourful and fatty pork with a side of marinated hard boiled egg.

Saint Germain Bakery won Diner’s Choice Awards for best bakery shop and showcased a variety of their delectable cakes. Light and fluffy and not overly sweet.

Mission Hill Family Estate helped cover us for wines and we got to sample their Five Vineyards 2013 Chardonnay.

Hennessy showcased their Very Special Cognac.

K sampled the cognac with a mix of ginger ale.

Heineken was also at the event to cover the guests who wanted some beer.

Dawn Chubai from Breakfast Television, CityTV and William Ho Wood Kuen from Fairchild TV and Radio were the emcees for the afternoon and we got to congratulate all the winners of the recipients of the Critic’s Choice Signature Dish Awards and Social Media Choice Awards.

Another great year of delicious food and congratulations to all the chefs and restaurant winners!

To see the list of winners for the Chinese Restaurant Awards’ 2016 Diners’ Choice Awards which was released earlier, check out Vancity Buzz’s article.

Winners of the Critics’ Choice Signature Dish Awards – Metro Vancouver

SALT AND PEPPER CRUSTED DUNGENESS CRAB

Landmark Hotpot House
4023 Cambie Street, Vancouver (604) 872-2868

SABLEFISH WITH SHREDDED PORK, LUFFA, PICKLED VEGETABLES IN CONGEE SOUP

Dynasty Seafood restaurant
#108-777 West Broadway, Vancouver (604) 876-8388

STEAMED EGG WITH CLAMS

Shroom Restaurant
6555 Fraser Street, Vancouver (604) 568-7797

CHEF TONY’S SPECIAL CHARCOAL GRILLED DUCK

Chef Tony Seafood Restaurant
#101-4600 No.3 Road, Richmond (604) 279-0083

CHICKEN WITH STICKY RICE IN CLAYPOT

Golden Eats Seafood Restaurant
2141 Kingsway, Vancouver (604) 336-3389

LAMB HOTPOT

The Jade Seafood Restaurant
8511 Alexandra Road, Richmond (604) 249-0082

LAMB IN SOUP

Old Xian’s Food
#2010-8580 Alexandra Road, Richmond (604) 370-3888

BRAISED WINTER MELON WITH VEGETABLE AND MUSHROOM

Dynasty Seafood restaurant
#108-777 West Broadway, Vancouver (604) 876-8388

TOFU SKIN WRAPPED MUSHROOMS WITH VEGETABLES

Hoitong Chinese Seafood Restaurant
#155-8191 Westminster Hwy, Richmond (604) 276-9229

DURIAN EGGTART

Yue Delicacy Restaurant
8077 Alexandra Road, Richmond (604) 233-1219

Winners of the Social Media Choice Awards – Metro Vancouver

BEST SICHUAN WATER-BOILED FISH

Tian Shi Fu Restaurant
8151 Alexandra Road, Richmond (604) 273-3388

BEST TAIWANESE BRAISED PORK RICE

Corner 23
4008 Cambie Street, Vancouver (604) 879-8815

BEST HONG KONG-STYLE ROAST DUCK

Parker Place (Aberdeen) Meat & B.B.Q.
#1020-4380 No.3 Road, Richmond (604) 233-1138

BEST SHANGHAI-STYLE DRUNKEN CHICKEN

Top Shanghai Cuisine Restaurant
#120-5880 No.3 Road, Richmond (604) 278-8790

BEST MANGO SAGO WITH POMELO/GRAPEFRUIT

Doolami Dessert
8030 Granville Street, Vancouver (778) 737-7123

BiBo Restaurant -Media Launch

March 12, 2016Leave a comment

NOTE: All food and beverages were complimentary, but all opinions are based on my own personal experience.

Last month, I was invited by Peak Communicators to attend the official launch of Bibo Restaurant at Richmond’s McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Mall. They had their soft opening back in October last year, but the official launch was on February 29, 2016. This is now their second location, with the first in Kitsilano.

During the media launch, we were greeted by the owners Andrea and his wife and business partner, Michela. As native Italians, the owners are passionate about creating an authentic atmosphere at the restaurant that mirrors traditional Italian values, heritage, and ambiance.

The interior is bright and modern with long tables for communal type seating.

At the end of the restaurant is a large bar and we were able to sample a variety of drinks.

The Cortese Gavi di Gavi DOCG is a distinguished white wine produced in a very small region surrounding the little town of Gavi. It has a medium body and notes of limes. This wine is exclusive to BiBo.

All other wines are carefully selected and sourced by the owners to ensure it’s consistent with the authentic Italian ambiance and complimentary to the traditional Italian dishes.

We also got to sample some of their Italian sodas which I fancied. These are are imported from Italy and are great for both children and adults.

They had set up a buffet style event for us to showcase some of their best menu items. On one side were a selection of meats.

Bio boasts a selection of fresh and natural ingredients sourced from Italy, including many of these cheese.

Olive oil is imported from Tuscany and Campania, and Porcini mushrooms from Piedmont. The olives and artichokes are from Michela’s uncle who owns a farm in Salerno.

I asked the servers to give me a sample of everything. This included the Coppa Piacentina, which is a seasoned meat left to age for at least six weeks.

So many choices of fresh meats and cheese, so a perfect place to get a charcuterie board along with a glass of wine.

Risotto Balls were Crispy on the outside and gooey in the inside.

There were also a selection of polenta bites. They also offer gluten-free and vegetarian options.

We then got to watch the pizza chefs in action. BiBo’s pizza chefs are all from Napoli and have trained at the Neapolitan Pizza School. All pizza crusts are hand-stretched and baked in a wood0fired oven and topped with the highest quality ingredients.

This was the Butternut Squash Pizza. I liked the sweetness of the squash along with the salty meat. The crust is definitely really light and crispy. This is what you call thin crust! Usually I’m not a fan of eating the crust, but this was really good.

They have a good variety of choices including this Spicy Chorizo as well as classics like the Margherita.

Lastly, we got to sample some of their pastas, including this meat ravioli and risotto.

Overall, a great new addition to Richmond’s vast choices of restaurants. Perfect to stop by after a day of shopping at the outlet. BiBo’s owners also announced that they will be opening its third location in the Olympic Village district this summer!

In celebration of the grand opening, BiBo is offering promotions at its new Richmond location only. This includes discounts on all bottles of Italian wines exclusive to the restaurant every Tuesday and Wednesday. As well, there is a special Pizza and Beer for $18 every Monday until May 30, 2016.

Shiny Tea

March 5, 2016March 5, 2016Leave a comment

Shiny Tea opened up shortly after the new addition to Aberdeen Centre, called Aberdeen Square, finished renovations. It’s actually really close to the Canada Line skytrain connector. I heard a lot about their tiny white pearls so I finally decided to come check it out.

On a Sunday afternoon around 4pm, this place was PACKED. This is a take away only location and the lineup to order was massive. There were also tons of people waiting for their drinks when we arrived.

They have an extensive list of drinks and many choices if you enjoy tea flavours. They claim that they are authorized by the inventor of Taiwanese’s tapioca milk tea. Prices are around the same as Chatime and they offer large and medium sizes.

Panda Milk Tea

We both got the Panda Milk Tea as it features a mix of small white pearls and regular sized black pearls. You are able to customize your drink by sugar and ice level, just like Chatime. We went for 50% sugar level and found that it was barely sweet, whereas if we got 50% at Chatime, it would still be very sweet. I would suggest getting 25% less sugar then if you want your drink to still be a little sweet. We found that the small white pearls were really just sago which you find when you order mango sago desserts. Therefore, I didn’t find it that special. Plus, they are so small so I found that I swallowed them without chewing which probably isn’t very good for you… Anyways, their milk tea is quite smooth and you can smell the brew of tea all around the surroundings. Still, I think I prefer Chatime’s roasted milk tea, but Shiny Tea is pretty good if you want bubble tea and you’re near Aberdeen. Overall, we waited 10 minutes in line to order and another 20 minutes for our drinks.

Pros:
– Great choice of tea flavoured drinks
– Choice of small and big pearls
– Able to customize sugar and ice level

Cons:
– Long waits to order and receive drink

Price Range: $5/person

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

Food: 3.5 Service: 3 Ambiance: N/A Parking: 2.5 Overall: 3.5

Purdy’s – Truffle-Making Class

February 29, 2016February 28, 2016Leave a comment

Over the weekend, S and I attended the truffle-making class at Purdy’s. The class is $50 per person and happens on select dates every month. Check on their website for dates and to sign up.

We chose the Granville location and it is really one of their retail stores, but they’ve turned their back room into a space to host their class.

We arrived a bit early so checked out their retail store, including the aweseome chocolate fountain while waiting.

Purdy’s actually began in Vancouver in 1907 and the first store was on Robson Street! We were then taken to the back office to begin our class led by our chocolatier, Mark.

The first hour was an introduction of Purdy’s history and how chocolate is made. We learned that chocolate begins with this huge cocoa pod and that most of the cocoa is from West Africa.

When you crack open the cocoa pod, there is some white flesh similar to lychee and these little cocoa beans.

Crack open these cocoa beans, and you will have cocoa nibs. We got to sample some of this and it was rather bitter and had a roasted flavour similar to coffee.

Cocoa nibs can go through a hydraulic press to be separated into cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is commonly used in cosmetics and is great for making lotion.

We were then shown the chocolate flavour wheel and told to taste some chocolates and determine what type of flavour profiles we could taste. We were also taught to smell the chocolate first and take a bite of the chocolate instead of putting the whole piece in our mouth.

We started off with this medium roast 72% dark chocolate made with cocoa beans from Peru. I found this to have a slightly tart flavour with cherry tones.

Next was a dark roast 72% dark chocolate with beans from Ecuador. I quite enjoyed this one as the flavours lasted longer in my mouth and had a bitterness to it.

A new creation we got to sample was the Yuzu Jelly Ganache. I loved this one as I enjoy the citrus flavours of yuzu. Jelly in chocolate is always a plus!

After the hour of history and chocolate processes, we finally got to put our hands to work! They set up a station with various liqueurs and flavours we could add into our chocolate. There were also toppings that we could put on top of our chocolates.

They provide you with chocolate shot cups which are our base where we pipe our truffle filling into. We then mixed cream into already melted chocolate and whisked it up until smooth and consistent. We then added our flavours. I chose a hazelnut liqueur while S chose the raspberry flavour.

We then did some piping and here is our finished product! We each got to take home 21 truffles. You can pay an extra $30 to make another set.

Overall, we had a great time learning the history and process of making Purdy’s truffles. A great two hours of knowledge and fun and you get to take home the recipe to make at home. Great event for a date or just with friends! They also have a chocolate bark-making class available.

Applause Japanese Restaurant

February 28, 2016Leave a comment

S and I have been on a roll trying out new restaurants around the Marpole area since it’s on our way home from work anyways. This time we tried Applause Japanese Restaurant in a small strip mall. There is some parking on the side of the mall.

We arrived pretty early (around 6pm) so the restaurant was not too busy yet. However, food still took quite a long time to come out. Service was friendly though.

For myself, I got the Chirashi Don which came with miso soup. All their dons come with miso soup. Quite average and wished there was more tofu.

Chirashi Don

The Chirashi Don was a huge bowl of assorted sashimi on rice. Toppings included tuna, octopus, hokkigai, hamachi, saba, ebi, salmon, and tamago. All the sashimi was very fresh and the rice was pretty good with a nice ratio of rice vinegar. For under $14 and the amount and quality of the sashimi, I thought it was pretty reasonable

Yakiudon

S got the Yakiudon which comes with chicken and baby shrimp. This was a huge plate even to share between two people, let alone to finish by one. It was sizzling hot when it arrived and we really enjoyed the flavours of this dish. Great deal for under $10!

Overall, I quite enjoyed the quality of food at Applause Japanese Restaurant. Some of their rolls are slightly more expensive than other restaurants, but the quality of their sashimi seem pretty good based on the chirashi don I had. Will be back to try other items.

Pros:
– Good quality sashimi
– Reasonable prices for portion and quality

Cons:
– Interior is not the nicest (odd curtains)

Price Range: $10-20/person

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

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

Le Crocodile (2016 Valentine’s Menu)

February 27, 2016February 27, 2016Leave a comment

For Valentine’s this year, S spoiled me with a fancy five course dinner at Le Crocodile. Le Crocodile has been around for over 30 years now and is known to Vancouverites for being the classic fine dining spot featuring French cuisine. This elegant restaurant is known to impress.

Surprisingly, the restaurant was quite brightly lit, although they did dim the lights later in the evening. Many couples had already been seated when we arrived. I don’t know if the seating is as tight on normal nights, but I found that we were quite close to the other couples next to us, so it wasn’t the most intimate experience. Perhaps they tried to fit more people in during this night to maximize capacity.

Dinner started off with complimentary bread, which featured both white and whole wheat. Slightly warm but not the best I’ve had. I found it on the harder side.

Dungeness Crab Cake Lady Purse

Our first appetizer on the menu was the Dungeness Crab Cake Lady Purse which was served with a heirloom tomato and fennel salad with lemon and yam aioli. The presentation was beautiful with the puff pastry shaped into a beautiful fan. However, it got quite messy as the pastry got everywhere on the table when we began to eat it. The crab cake itself was pretty good and I really enjoyed the salad which has a nice acidity to it.

Wild Mushroom Ravioli

Next up was the Wild Mushroom Ravioli served with thinly sliced duck breast in a foie gras veloute. The duck was nicely cooked to a medium rare and I loved the earthy flavour of the mushroom filling paired with the foie gras sauce. However, I did find that the ravioli was slightly undercooked for mine. The edges were still quite hard. Not sure if they did that on purpose.

Grilled Beef Tenderloin and Roasted Lobster Tail

For our mains, we could choose between the Grilled Beef Tenderloin and Roasted Lobster Tail or Sablefish with Tagliatelle Pasta and Grilled Alaskan Scallops. However, S and I both ended up choosing the Grilled Beef Tenderloin and Roasted Lobster Tail. This was served with a pinot noir and black truffle reduction. The tenderloin itself was quite a large portion and I liked the crispy edges. However, I had asked mine for medium rare and I found it to be slightly more of a medium. Only the very centre was more rare. S’s was cooked on point though. The lobster was slightly too salty for my liking. However, I really loved the red wine and black truffle reduction. I couldn’t stop dipping my meat into it!

Pineapple and Vodka Sorbet

We were then served a palette cleanser which was the Pineapple and Vodka Sorbet. It was really refreshing and definitely cleaned our palettes from all the previous flavours.

Valentine’s Dessert Creation

Lastly, for dessert, you get to share their Valentine’s Dessert Creation. This was perfect since we were already really full! It came with a delicious coconut soufflé. This was super light and fluffy! My favourite of the three. In the middle was a chocolate brownie with maple caramel ice cream. On the very end were two lemon curd tarts topped with raspberries. I found these a little too tart for my liking.

And of course dinner ends with their signature crocodile chocolates (one milk and one dark). Nothing too special about these to be honest…

Overall, we enjoyed our evening at Le Crocodile with a great fine ding experience and service. However, I had higher hopes for the food and left feeling everything was good but nothing “wowed” me. You know that feeling when you want to go back already and have the dish again? That didn’t happen based on the dishes on the Valentines’ menu… I guess they settled for dishes that could be easily executed during the busy night, so I think I will have to come back again on a regular day to get the full experience and choose dishes they are famous for. Plus for $98 a person, this was quite a hefty dinner.

Pros:
– Consistent and good quality dishes
– Professional and attentive service

Cons:
– Expensive, although portions are very reasonable
– Dishes from the Valentine’s menu were good but nothing amazing

Price Range: $98/person (Valentine’s menu)

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

Food: 3.5 Service: 4 Ambiance: 4.5 Parking: 3 Overall: 3.5

Mega Sushi (JUST EAT)

February 23, 2016February 21, 2016Leave a comment

Source: www.just-eat.ca

Recently I won a $25 credit voucher to be used towards Just Eat, an online food ordering system. Placing an order is easy. Just enter your postal code online or on their mobile app and they will show you a list of all the restaurants available for delivery to you. Choose the items you want and pay online with credit or debit card or choose to pay cash in person. Delivery may be charged or free depending on the restaurant. You can also choose to tip the driver online. You can also select the delivery time.

Assorted Sushi Combo

S and I get lazy on Saturday nights and enjoy just ordering take out home, so we took advantage of Just Eat without needing to head out. We chose to order from Mega Sushi since I’ve had good experiences at their restaurant. We made the order earlier in the afternoon and by 5:00pm, when the restaurant opened, they immediately called us to confirm our order and delivery time. We had set our delivery time to be 6:30pm and by 6:00pm, the restaurant already called us to confirm whether we would be home and our food arrived by 6:15pm – even earlier than what we had requested.

We got the Assorted Sushi Combo which featured a California roll and 8 pieces of nigiri. The rolls were well made and fish was very fresh. Had nothing to complain and tasted as if we were at the restaurant.

Mango Roll

We also got the Mango Roll which was still beautifully presented in the take out box. The roll was filled with prawn tempura, cucumber and avocado, and topped with fresh slices of mango and tobiko. This was delicious with the mango being very sweet.

Negitoro Roll

I also got a Negitoro Roll and it was filled generously with a good ratio to rice.

Overall, we were extremely please with the delivery service and food quality of Mega Sushi. From my experience with Just Eat for Richmond delivery service, it is always the restaurant employee or owner who is delivering the food. Therefore, it really depends on the restaurant for the quality of delivery service. We had a poor experience before where our food was almost an hour late, but Mega Sushi didn’t fail and I will be using their service again. Prices were the same as in their restaurant and delivery charge was only $3.95 or free if your order is over $35. Check out the ratings on Just Eat’s website to determine which restaurant is worth ordering from.

Just Eat

Pros:
– Easy to order online or on mobile app
– Can pay online so no need to fuss with cash

Cons:
– Hit or miss with delivery times depending on restaurant

Mega Sushi

Pros:
– Well constructed sushi
– Sashimi is very fresh

Cons:
– Prices slightly higher

Price Range: $15-20/person

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

Food: 4 Service: N/A Ambiance: N/A Parking: N/A

Sushi Mura

February 22, 2016February 21, 20162 Comments

We drive on Oak pretty much everyday going to and from work, and Sushi Mura is one of the restaurants that we pass by. Finally, I suggested to S that we should check it out on our way home. The interior and menu reminds me of Sushi Garden so I have a feeling they might be owned by the same people. Even by 6pm, the place was already filled but we luckily got a seat right away.

Chirashi Don

I decided to try their Chirashi Don because it was only for a low price of $10.95. The don came with an assortment of sashimi, including regular salmon, wild salmon, tuna, toro, tuna tataki, ebi, tamago, and hokkigai.

I was surprised with the amount of sashimi I got (around 3 pieces of each). However, you can tell from the picture that the knife skills were quite poor so many of the fish did not have any clean cuts. The sashimi was surprisingly quite fresh for the price though. The rice was not very good as it was served too warm and a bit mushy. However, I can’t complain for the price.

Special Mango Roll

S got the Special Mango Roll for $6.95 which was filled with mango, cucumber, avocado and topped with slices of mango and pineapple sauce. Price was good for the portion but quality was terrible! The rice was warm and mushy and mangoes were too tart. There was no texture to this roll at all.

Chicken Teriyaki Roll

S also got the Chicken Teriyaki Roll. The rice here looked slightly better but S still said it was quite average.

Overall, we were slightly disappointed with the quality at Sushi Mura. The prices are cheap but the quality is not there. Food came out so fast it was astonishing. There were many students eating dinner here after school and I can see why it is attractive for the students with the low prices and large portions.

Pros:
– Low prices and large portions
– Sashimi is pretty fresh

Cons:
– Sushi rice is very poorly made
– Knife skills are poor and sushi is poorly constructed

Price Range: $10-15/person

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

Food: 2.5 Service: 2 Ambiance: 2.5 Parking: 2 Overall: 2.5