Yuu Japanese Tapas (Revisit #2)

May 26, 2014May 25, 2014Leave a comment

Green Tea, Red Bean Parfait

After some sushi, K was craving some deserts – specifically a parfait. Since we didn’t want to drive all the way to Vancouver, we decided to go to Yuu Japanese Tapas. We remembered that they had a large assortment of desserts, and I had also tried their parfait before. I warned K that it wasn’t amazing, but she still wanted to satisfy her parfait craving. She went for the Green Tea, Red Bean Parfait, which I had also ordered before. She, too, felt like it was a disappointment.

Warm Sweet Yam with Ice Cream

For myself, I wanted to try something unusual. I went for the Warm Sweet Yam with Ice Cream, and it was definitely really odd. It was purple yam that was mashed, with red bean surrounding it and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. We all agreed that it was something that we could probably make ourselves and definitely not worth the money.

Crispy Toast Cube with Chocolate, Almond & Ice Cream

Lastly, E got the Crispy Toast Cube with Chocolate, Almond & Ice Cream. This was probably the best one out of the bunch. Essentially toast that had been lightly fried and drizzled with lots of chocolate sauce.

Overall, we didn’t find that their desserts were any amazing. Desserts cost around $7 each, which is quite pricey what they were. Probably won’t be visiting here again for their desserts.

Koto Izakaya Sushi & Robata

May 25, 2014May 25, 2014Leave a comment

Chopped Scallop Roll People keep talking about how amazing Koto Izakaya is for their value, so I finally decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I didn’t try their late-night menu, which is when people usually go there since the food is imposingly really cheap. For their regular dinner menu, I didn’t find the prices to be a super good value. Average priced, but the quality isn’t superb. First, we had the Chopped Scallop Roll. It was filled with a lot of chopped scallop and topped with tons of tobiko and sesame seeds. The rice to filling ratio was pretty decent also. Toro Nigiri Next, we got some Toro Nigiri. This was actually pretty decent. However, I wouldn’t say the sashimi was packed on the rice too well. It was quite sloppy. The toro sashimi itself was very fatty and fresh though. Pretty good for the price you pay. Mentaiko Udon The Mentaiko Udon was a huge disappointment. It was simply udon with mentaiko on top. That wasn’t the real problem though. The problem was the mentaiko were all clumped together. It’s like they bought these cheap mentaiko that came in a paste or something and hadn’t treated it so they would split up. So at points, you would be eating a huge clump of mentaiko and it would be really salty. Lastly, we chose two specialty rolls. Koto doesn’t have a website so I couldn’t find their menu names. The one in the front was a roll topped with salmon sashimi, avocado, and massago. It also came with a spicy sauce, so no soy sauce was needed. Behind, we had a roll filled essentially like a dynamite roll, with deep fried prawns, and topped with unagi, avocado, orange and black tobiko. These were both pretty decent, but just as specialty rolls are usually, they were much more pricey. Overall, I thought Koto was just average. I guess it would a much better value for late-night, but I have yet to try. Don’t expect much service here though. It’s pretty slow and you have to wave your hand furiously to be noticed. They literally walk by you without looking. There’s also limited parking, so that might be a problem if it’s really packed.

Suika (Revisit #3)

May 24, 20141 Comment

Suika Mojito (watermelon)

Suika Snackbar reminds me of Guu, and is also always packed. We had our girls catch-up dinner here and the food didn’t disappoint. We got a pitcher of the Suika Mojito, which is basically watermelon flavoured. Super refreshing and delicious!

Corn Kakiage – organic corn niblets fried with cilantro batter, soy sauce, and butter

We started off with the Corn Kakiage, which was basically pieces of corn that had been battered up and deep fried. It was seasoned with a soy sauce and butter. Everyone enjoyed this! You get a nice crunchy batter on the outside, but the corn is still soft inside.

Lightly Smoked Tuna Tataki – with home made chili oil on a bed of sliced onion topped with scallions

Next, we had the Lightly Smoked Tuna Tataki. I found the portions to be a bit small, but regardless, it was still extremely fresh with a great texture. It came with a home made chili oil and was placed on top of sliced onions.

Aburi “Shime-Saba” Sushi – seared cured mackerel prsesed sushi served with mustard soy dressing

We also got two dishes of their sushi. Well, they actually only offer two types on their menu. First, was the Aburi “Shime-Saba” Sushi. Essentially, seared saba or mackerel, and this was done as a pressed sushi. Seared meant that it had been lightly torched. It came with a mustard soy dressing, so no extra soy sauce was needed. The fish was fresh and the dressing was extremely flavourful. Sometimes I find that saba has a fishy taste, but the dressing covers that up.

Aburi Toro Battera – lightly seared pressed fatty tuna sushi with avocado, shiso, sesame seeds topped with home made soy dressing & seaweed sauce

The second sushi we ordered was the Aburi Toro Battera, and this was my favourite. Since it was toro, the tuna was so fatty. With the tuna being seared, the tuna’s fatty oils came up so it was extremely smooth in the mouth. Again, it was pressed in a box shaped, and came with a home made soy dressing and seaweed sauce. This time, I didn’t find that the sauce was too overwhelming, so you could taste the freshness of the fish.

Dynamic Steak – “W” Lbs Beef Rib Steak with Wasabi, Soy & Garlic Sauce

Lastly, M suggested we try the Dynamic Steak. It was priced at $38, so I initially felt like it was quite pricey. However, when I saw the steak, I was in awe. It was humongous piece of steak! On the menu, it states that it is “W” Lbs – not exactly sure what that means. I don’t think this picture does it justice. The Rib Eye was enormous! The inside is cooked perfectly to medium-rare, so some of my friends who like their steak well-done were grossed out by how pink it was inside. I, on the other hand, loved the juiciness of the steak and thought it was excellent. I’m surprised they could handle cooking such a huge piece of steak. It was dressed with a wasabi, soy & garlic sauce, which gave it a Japanese flare.

Matcha Brulee – Frozen Matcha Creme Brulee with Fresh Whipped Cream & Red Bean Sauce

Lastly, I had to get my all time favourite dessert from Suika – the Matcha Brulee. It’s basically “frozen” matcha creme brulee, so it almost tastes like you’re eating matcha ice cream. Topped with some whipped ream and a bit of red bean sauce, this was the perfect way to end our meal! Always a fun time at Suika!

Takumi Japanese Restaurant

May 22, 2014Leave a comment

Burdock Root Salad

Located on West 10th, I feel like Takumi is a bit of a hidden gem. I probably would’ve never known about this Japanese restaurant until K suggested we go try. It’s Japanese owned and offers authentic Japanese cuisine. After ordering, we were given a complimentary appetizer. It was a Burdock Root Salad, which I absolutely loved. It was nicely seasoned with some sesames, and had a great crunch to it.

Sockeye Salmon and Albacore Tuna Sashimi

Next, we ordered some sashimi. We chose Sockeye Salmon and Albacore Tuna. Each order came with 5 pieces. They were sliced at a good thickness and was very fresh. I did find that their sashimi was a bit pricey though, but it was well worth it.

Tuna Tataki

Another appetizer we ordered was the Tuna Tataki. The tuna was very fresh and lightly seared on the sides. The dish was topped with carrot, ginger, green onion and the Chef’s original Yuzu sauce.

Takumi’s House Special, Chopped Scallop Roll, Natto Maki

And then came our rolls. In the front were K’s favourite Natto Maki. Behind, we have Takumi’s House Special. This was filled with salmon, tuna, crab, egg, tobiko & avocado. It was then topped with more tobiko. These were huge rolls and they definitely didn’t cheap out on the fillings. I really liked this roll! Also, we ordered my favourite Chopped Scallop. Also very fresh and filled with lots of scallops.

Yaki-Udon

Lastly, we got the Yaki-Udon. We had it without pork since K is vegetarian. It was filled with lots of veggies and very flavourful. I wouldn’t say it’s the best though. My favourite is still the one at Guu.

Overall, Takumi offers authentic Japanese food with high quality ingredients. Prices are higher than average, but around the same as any high quality authentic Japanese restaurant. Since they are in the Point Grey area, it also makes sense to price it higher. Will definitely return if I’m in that area again!

Charcoal Sushi & BBQ (Revisit #2)

May 18, 2014May 22, 2014Leave a comment

Sockeye Salmon Sashimi

Finally, we can get down to my Vancouver posts! I’m literally 5 months behind now…but I’m sure I can catch up quite quickly! Got home after a 14 hour flight and ended up passing out on my bed while waiting for my dad to come home from work. He woke me up and off we went to have some Japanese food that I had been missing for so long. We ended up at Charcoal, which was packed as usual. First, we got the Sockeye Salmon Sashimi. I was actually a bit disappointed with this. I found that the salmon was still sort of frozen and hadn’t been defrosted yet. It was still fresh and had a great texture, but it seemed to lack preparation. It’s also quite pricey for 4 pieces.

Chopped Scallop Roll and Dynamite Roll

I had been craving my Chopped Scallop Roll for the 4 months away. This did not disappoint me, and it was filled with lots of scallop. Dad got the Dynamite Roll, which was typical. Nothing too special, but filled with a good amount of fillings and a nice balance of rice.

Tokyo Roll

Lastly, we got one of the specialty rolls. We chose the Tokyo Roll, which was extremely colourful. It was filled with prawn tempura, cucumber slices, and tobiko. On top, it was layered with salmon sashimi and a nice mayo and spicy sauce. The best part about these rolls is you don’t need to use soy sauce, since it’s designed to be just eaten on its own.

I was honestly falling asleep from jet lag during dinner, but it was definitely a prime example of good Richmond sushi! Charcoal never disappoints!

The Nags Head – London

May 15, 2014May 13, 2014Leave a comment

My last night in London was bittersweet. It meant leaving Europe after 4 months, but at the same time, I was so excited to see my friends and family again. A must for shopaholics is to visit Oxford Street in London. It’s a street just full of shopping, including my personal favourites – Selfriges and Topshop. Selfriges has huge sales after Boxing Day too!

Since it was my last night, K and E said we might as well get the most out of it. After dropping A and C back at the hotel, we took the Tube back to Covent Garden. Covent Garden is near the Soho area, so there’s a variety of pubs and cafes. It’s also where the huge market and Royal Opera House is located around. We found The Nags Head just a block away from the Tube, so we quickly seated ourselves. We’re not huge drinkers, so K and I just got an Apple Cider which was on tap. Really good and crisp.

K was also in this total British pie mode after trying Pieminister, so she insisted we needed to get another pie. We went for the Chicken & Ham Pie this time, since she was really looking for something along the lines of a chicken pot pie. This came with peas, carrots and gravy. It was also supposed to come with potatoes, but they ran out, so we were given fries instead. The pie was flaky and fully filled with juicy chicken and a delicious sauce. Very good for pub food!

Overall, The Nags Head was a nice bar with average prices and a very convenient location. The interior was all wooden, giving it a traditional British pub feel. Service was average given that at most bars, you need to seat yourself anyways. The bartenders were pretty nice to us even though we weren’t sure what to order and took the time to explain to us. You’ll also find a mix of both locals and tourists here.

And that ends my posts for Europe. I am so grateful for this experience, and am happy to say that I’ve discovered some new cuisines and dishes that I am now craving for. Until next time! Now back to Vancouver we go!

Paramount Afternoon Tea – London

May 14, 2014May 22, 2014Leave a comment

I was only in London for two days, which really isn’t a lot. Everyone stayed an extra day, but I had to make my way back home to Vancouver! So on my last day, we set out to finish all the tourist spots! First was the Buckingham Palace. When we got there, we actually caught these men on the horses. Not exactly sure what the purpose of them were though. I believe it’s something to do with the Queen’s Life Guard.

The Buckingham Palace is the official residence and workplace of the monarchy of the UK. I actually didn’t think the palace was that impressive. After seeing the ones in France, like the Versailles Palace, the one in London really doesn’t seem as luxurious. I was imagining some fancy, magnificent building!

If you look closely, you’ll see the guards in grey. Changing of the Guard happens at 11:30 am daily, but from August to April, it occurs on alternate days. Unfortunately, on the day we were here, it was one of the days which the ceremony was not happening.

We then made our way to Winter Wonderland. Winter Wonderland is hosted at Hyde Park. It’s basically like a PNE for Vancouver, but at a greater scale. With rides, markets, an ice rink, restaurants, and many other activities. Hyde Park itself is one of the largest parks in London. It’s also a Royal Park!

They also featured a Magical Ice Kingdom, where there were ice sculptures. We found the admission a little pricey, so we skipped it. Regardless, just walking through the park is lots of fun since it’s really festive and entry to walk around is free! I would imagine that at night, the wonderland is even more amazing with the lights on.

If you continue walking through Hyde Park, you’ll end up at Kensington Palace. Do keep in mind that Hyde Park is quite big, so you’ll walk for quite some time, but it’s quite relaxing and a nice stroll. The palace was the residence of the British Royal Family beginning in the 17th century and is now the official residence in London for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and many others. Again, you need to pay for admission to visit the state rooms, but we were not too interested in it. I personally would skip this attraction if I was tight on time.

And then I came upon this window display! Love this picture just because my two favourite British icons are in it – Paddington Bear and Mr. Bean! I used to watch these two on TV as a child!

For the afternoon, we had made reservations for afternoon tea at Paramount, which is situated at the 37th level of the building. You get a 360 degree view of London. Unfortunately, we weren’t seated by the window. That sort of took away our whole experience. Afternoon tea is pretty pricey in London – much more than Vancouver in fact. Around the holidays, most of them are also fully booked, so you need to reserve well in advance! The inside is pretty fancy, sort of like a hotel restaurant setting. It’d probably be smart not to show up in your gym clothes, but it’s still relatively casual where you can wear jeans. Many people were just having a late lunch or a snack with drinks, so their menu is not just solely for afternoon tea.

Earl Grey, Sri Lanka

The afternoon tea set it pretty much set and costs £28, which includes a choice of tea. I find that pretty expensive since we can get afternoon tea for CAN$28! For my choice of tea, I chose the Earl Grey, since I was feeling something more classic. It was a really good Earl Grey, with a Ceylon tea base and a hint of citrus flavour. I found it odd how they didn’t offer me any milk or cream though. The pot is also relatively small, so you don’t get a lot in one brew. I also found it annoying how they didn’t ask if we needed more hot water. We were the ones who had to ask for it, and it took forever to come. I wouldn’t say the service was that great.

Here we have some clotted cream and homemade strawberry jam. Also in the back, we have some brown and white sugar cubes.

This was the bottom layer. All savouries, and also a layer I enjoyed the most. It included Smoked Salmon and White Cheese on Rye Pumpernickel, Dry Cured Ham with Piccalilli on Sour Dough, Free Range Boiled Egg with Grain Mustard, Mayonnaise & Cress on Toasted Brioche, Poached Chicken with Spring Onion Mayonnaise on Multi Gran Loaf, and Quiche of the Day. I enjoyed all of them except for the Quiche of the Day. I believe there was goat cheese in it, and it was too strong for my liking.

The middle layer were the desserts. It included a Baked Cheesecake with Rosemary Infused Blueberry, which was my favourite. It was so light and fluffy! There was also Chocolate Battenberg Cake, a Creme Brulee like dessert with caramel at the bottom, a raspberry cake, and cinnamon donuts.

At the top of the tier were warm Handmade Raisin & Plain Scones. I’m not a huge fan of scones just because I find they’re too dense. You get pretty full from this set, so I could barely finish my scones by the end of the meal.

And this was the afternoon tea set. This tray consisted of two sets.

And here was our table! It was pretty cramped though. They should’ve given us a larger table, knowing that we were here for afternoon tea. I find that their service is just lacking. You don’t really get checked up on unless you wave down your server.

But near the evening, you get a beautiful view of London. It’s a shame we weren’t seated by the window. I had to get up to take this picture. But regardless, I think it’s safe to say that it’s a must to take some time out of your busy travels to relax and have a traditional afternoon tea in London!

London Fish & Chips & Wicked

May 13, 2014May 22, 2014Leave a comment

In the evening, we continued exploring the main tourist spots. We found the famous London Eye, which is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe. You’re supposed to get some pretty spectacular views of the city from the top, but we didn’t feel like paying the price and to wait in line for this attraction.

We headed over to see the Big Ben instead, which I was actually really disappointed about. I have no idea why, but I always thought it would give me some wow factor, but I immediately thought…”really, that’s it?” I guess I had just expected a lot more in terms of details since it’s so talked about in pop culture. Anyways, the tower itself is really known as the Elizabeth Tower. Big Ben actually refers to the bell of the clock. The four-faced chiming clock is the largest in the world. The clock tower as a whole is the third tallest free-standing clock tower in the world.

It began to get dark, but we still made it to the Westminster Abbey. It’s a huge Gothic Church and has traditionally been known to a be a place for coronations and burials. I don’t think we were able to enter the church, but the exterior details were quite impressive. In this area, you’ll also find many important buildings. There is this little map on the street that shows you what each building is.

We walked towards the Trafalgar Square after, which wasn’t a very impressive view at night. We had a Broadway show to catch, so we quickly looked for some food around this area. We found London Fish & Chips on Bedford Street, and since London is supposed to be famous for fish and chips…of course we had to try some! K and I shared the Big Ben, which was battered fish fillet with six tiger shrimps. The shrimps were basically like popcorn shrimp. It also came with some chips, ketchup, tartar sauce, and a drink. The fish was lightly battered, and I thought it wasn’t too bad. I wouldn’t say it was amazing though. Just average and not too oily. I rather go to Pajo’s at Steveston in Vancouver though, since this meal cost around 10 pounds.

We had bought tickets online for a Broadway show prior to arrival. We were watching Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theater. Luckily, this was not the Apollo Theater on Shaftesbury Ave, since the ceiling of that theater had literally collapsed just a week before we arrived in London.

Wicked was a pretty cool story. It was funny and whimsical, and although I got confused at the end, I’m sure if you’ve read the book, you would have no problem understanding it. It’s also known as The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz. You’ll get some references about Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz since it’s told from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz. You’ll find both adults and kids in the theater since it’s very family friendly.

This was inside the theater. The set up was pretty cool. Even though we didn’t have amazing seats, we were still able to see everything clearly. You can’t really see the facial features of the actors, but other than that, everything is pretty clear. We found the prices in London much more expensive than say in New York, but it was still a great experience!