La Taqueria Taco Shop

August 22, 2013Leave a comment

M and I had wanted to check out Greedy Pig, but of all days, it just had to be closed on a Tuesday. That meant doing a quick Urbanspoon to see what was near. We found La Taqueria just down the block, and I had heard some good things about this taco shop. It’s painted bright yellow, so you won’t miss it.

You can see the chefs prepare your tacos if you stand at the very front of the shop.

The cashier was extremely friendly and asked if it were our first time here. Since it was, he thoroughly explained to us how the menu works. There are basically several beef, some chicken, one fish, and a variety of vegetarian tacos. Meat tacos are $2.50 each, but if you get 4 meat tacos, you are only charged $9.50. Veggie tacos are $2.00 each, and if you get 4 veggie tacos, then it’s $7.00. You can also mix and match between meat and veggie. All tacos are also served with cilantro, chopped onion and lime. Other than tacos, they also have quesadillas.

They also have a daily special menu.

They have a large selection of beverages, including both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Some seem to be originated from Mexico.

(Top center, clockwise) Asada, Tinga De Pollo, De Picadillo, Pescado and Dos Equis Lager Especial

M and I each got 4 tacos. The Asada is grilled AAA flank beef, and we both agreed it was the best out of the ones we tried. I think what was so great about it was that you could taste a bit of char from the grill, and it made it so much more flavourful. The De Picadillo consisted of sauteed ground tofu in chin chin’s secret recipe and is also a vegan taco. He said that this was one of his least favourites. We both got the Pescado and Tinga De Pollo. The Pescado consists of zarandeado fish with chipotle mayo, raddish and pepitas. We found the fish to be okay. I thought the fish was a bit too soft for my liking. The Tinga De Pollo had chicken with chorizo in a chipotle tomato sauce topped with mexican cheese and sour cream. This was probably the second best. Lots of chicken and very flavourful.

(Top center, clockwise) Pescado, Res En Cascabel, Tinga De Hongos, Tinga De Pollo and San Pellegrino Orange

For myself, I chose two different tacos different from what M had. The Res En Cascabel was their special, so I decided to give it a try. It had free range beef in a cascabel chili sauce, and I found it to be the spiciest of the four. However, the heat was still bearable and wasn’t numbing. I enjoyed this one the most out of the 4 tacos I had chosen, although M’s Asada definitely beat this one. The other taco that was different was the Tinga De Hongos which had sauteed fresh mushrooms in a spicy chipotle sauce. This one was also a vegan taco. I thought this one tasted sort of weird and I didn’t even really feel like I was eating mushrooms.

To add, all the tacos have two soft tortillas, since I’m pretty sure if it only had one, the ingredients would seep through. You would think that 4 tacos isn’t a lot, but this definitely filled me up. The tacos are filled with lots of ingredients and they pour out as you eat. It’s going to be a messy meal, but it’s worth it! They also have an area with different sauces, with the mildest as guacamole, and the hottest as something similar to Tabasco sauce I believe. I think this was my first time having Mexican food at an actual specialty store, so it was definitely an experience! I was really surprised that the sauces that originally come with the tacos were not as spicy as they sounded too.

Marutama Ramen

August 21, 2013Leave a comment

Marutama Ramen recently opened and people have been talking about this place quite a lot. It’s located on the first floor of what looks like a personal home. I wonder if the owners live upstairs. Anyways, it’s pretty hidden, so you won’t see many other restaurants nearby on this street.

When we arrived, we luckily got a seat right away. The interior is full of wooden furniture and there is a long communal table on one side. There is a also a bar area if you want to see how your ramen is cooked.

Marutama “Tamago Ra-Men”

This is their number 1 best seller. Inside is a slice of cha-shu, seaweed, and a soft-boiled flavoured egg. What makes Marutama extremely different from other ramen shops is their ultimate richly textured cloudy chicken soup. Yes, that is what they call their soup. So instead of using pork bone, they use a chicken soup base. The soup is extracted entirely from chicken, so at first, you will think it tastes quite odd. The soup definitely isn’t as strong as pork-bone based soups and I felt that it also wasn’t as oily. The seaweed is a Aosa Seaweed, which gives it an ocean flavour. It’s more like kelp so it brings a balance of salt to your soup. Extremely unique flavour, and it’s hard to describe until you have tried.

Here is the soft boiled egg broken up. You can see that the yolk is half cooked, so it is golden yellow and has a jelly like consistency. The egg was extremely delicious and cooked to perfection. Although you only get one piece of cha-shu, it was extremely delicious and melted in your mouth.

They also give you some fried garlic that you can add to your ramen for more flavour. For drinks, they serve you a cold tea, which is similar to the ones at Korean restaurants.

All in all, this is definitely a different ramen experience. I personally enjoyed it, but K still thinks the traditional porkbone soup is better. Also, the prices here are quite expensive. The Tamago Ra-Men was 10.50, and many of them were beyond this price if you wanted extra ingredients. However, you do get full from one bowl, and they also offer additional ramen for a small price. There were people waiting when we left as well, so I believe it gets packed the later you go.

Bon Crepe

August 19, 2013Leave a comment

After a bike ride at the Stanley Park seawall, K and I trekked down towards the Robson area and went to take a look at Bon Crepe. It is a Japanese owned convenience store with crepes, and other desserts. Inside, you will find all kinds of Japanese snacks, candies, drinks, but even some frozen foods and rice. They also have an assortment of household products and even hair dye. Then in a corner is the fast food area. They had parfaits, crepes, and soft serve ice cream. We went for the Matcha Soft Serve Ice Cream. I’m not sure if it’s because it is real matcha powder, but I found the ice cream to be quite flavourless. The cone itself was also a typical McDonald’s cone. It was okay on a sunny day, but I probably wouldn’t get that again. The ice cream was extremely smooth and for under $3, it doesn’t break your wallet. Their parfaits or crepes may be better since they have other ingredients in it as well.

Empire Seafood Restaurant

August 18, 2013Leave a comment

A while back, Empire Seafood Restaurant took over the old Milestone’s located next to London Drugs in Richmond. I had literally just gone here to eat the week before, but had failed to get some pictures since I arrived late. Since I’m leaving for Europe soon, my parents decided that I would miss Chinese food so much, that they basically took me out to have dim sum every weekend. Since they enjoyed it so much last week, they said we should go again… Yea, they don’t get sick of eating at the same place every week…

Deep Fried Eggplant w/ Prawn Paste

First up were the Deep Fried Eggplants w/ Prawn Paste. I don’t like eggplants, so I just ate the Prawn Paste. It’s very good especially when you dip it in the spicy vinegar sauce.

Steamed Phoenix Claws

And here came my favourite Steamed Phoenix Claws. They were flavourful, but at the same time, not too salty.

Steamed Rice Roll w/ Crispy Pork Roll

I’m not sure why they call it the Steamed Rice Roll w/ Crispy Pork Roll, but it is basically the typical steamed rice roll with Chinese donut and pork fluff inside. These were decent, and the rice roll was smooth.

Taro Root & Duck Pastry

These are always oily and fatty no matter where you go. They had a lot of filling in it, and the outer pastry was extremely flaky.

Beef Congee w/ Preserved Egg

The Beef Congee w/ Preserved Eggs were one of their specials. I think it was around $4, and is definitely a steal for the amount you get. It’s a size of a small bowl, but probably enough to go around for 4 people.

Steamed Layer Egg Custard Cake

I liked how these were different from typical sponge cake, where in this case, you can actually see the different layers. Still has the texture of a sponge cake, but it wasn’t as dry.

Pan Fried Chive & Pork Buns in Stone Pot

We were surprised to see the Pan Fried Chive & Pork Buns actually come in a Stone Pot. It was sizzling when it arrived with chives layered at the bottom for added flavour. They were quite delicious with a decent amount of filling and I especially appreciated the fried bottoms so you get a bit of crunch.

Pan Fried Turnip Cake

Last but not least were the Pan Fried Turnip Cakes, which were one of my favourite dishes. This was a large dish and great to share with lots of people. They were cut into cubes and lightly pan fried, and they definitely had some heat to them! Not the typical XO sauce, but a spicier sauce. Really good though!

Like many other Dim Sum restaurants, they also offer early bird specials. If you place your order between 9:00 am and 11:00 am, you get 20% off your order. Great for those early risers!

Qoola Plus (Richmond Centre)

August 14, 2013Leave a comment

Qoola opened not long ago at Richmond Centre and took over the old Carlton Cards location right next to McDonalds. The Qoola here is huge compared to the rest in Greater Vancouver, and it is actually called Qoola Plus. I think it’s because they offer more than just frozen yogurt here. Anyways, first you choose your flavour of frozen yorgurt and this is self serve, unlike Pinkberry. However, the downside is they don’t have little cups for you to taste test them, like at Menchies. You can still taste test the flavours, but you need to ask one of the employees, which becomes a hassle.

They have a large variety of toppings you can add, and it ranges from cookie crumbles, mochi, nuts, cheesecake, candies to fruits. They also have various sauces you can drizzle on.

And here is M since he wanted to get on the blog post…

Seating is also abundant here, with many couches further in the back. It makes a great place for groups to hangout, but also dates wit hseating areas for just two people. They close at 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 10pm on the other days. You can enter from the outdoor entrance if the mall is closed.

So I’m guessing what makes this location a Qoola Plus is the food that they offer. So other than frozen yogurt, you can purchase sandwiches and pasta! That’s pretty cool. Their display was not shown, since I guess they were sold out by the time we went. I wonder if they’re any good.

And here is mine creation! I have some Original Yogurt, Watermelon Sorbet and Mango Tango Sorbet. It is then topped with Mochi, and Green Tea Mochi. Not a huge fan of frozen yogurt, since I’m an ice cream person, but I thought it was decent. It’s not too sweet so I like that. The mochis were definitely my favourite part though. Especially the green tea mochi. It was a huge piece, and of course weighed more, but was extremely chewy. So good!

And here’s a snapshot of all our Qoola. My friends said that the original yogurt is by far the best, and the cheesecake topping is really good. The plus side of Qoola is that no Qoola is ever the same. You can customize it however you like, whereas Pinkberry employees make it for you. I’m guessing the Pinkberry upstairs in the food court is going to have some competition!

The Red Wagon

August 10, 20131 Comment

After watching countless Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives after midnight and having cravings of those greasy dishes, I’ve finally made my way to one of the featured diners. I’ve heard people raving about The Red Wagon, but it’s not exactly located in an area I would often go by. To be exact, I didn’t even know where it was. Located in the East side, this is definitely an area I never visit. It wasn’t too bad to get there though. A Canada Line skytrain to Waterfront, and then a short bus ride takes you one block away from this diner. As you can see, people were lining up, and it was around 1pm on a weekday.

But then J and I just walked in, since we weren’t sure if we should leave our name first, and the waitress told us to grab a seat right away. I guess the group outside was quite large and needed to wait for a large table. So if you’re looking for a table for two, it’s definitely easy! Literally no wait at all! So awesome, since we had imagined ourselves lining up.

This picture reminds me of the scene I saw on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives! But yea, as you can tell, the place is quite small. The kitchen area is extremely small as well.

Iced Lemonade, Iced Coffee

On a hot, sunny day, we needed some refreshers. I chose the Iced Lemonade, even though I was afraid it would be too tart. Surprisingly, it was quite sweet! They must’ve put some sweetener in or something. The colour was also extremely yellow…almost golden yellow. Not exactly the colour of lemonade I see when it’s freshly squeezed. But hey, it tasted great! J said his Iced Coffee was quite strong, but good. They also gave him an agave sweetener syrup, since he told us that sugar wouldn’t melt nicely in the iced drink. How thoughtful!

Crispy Pork Belly Sandwich – pickled veg, jalapeno, cilantro, mayo, baguette, chips

Onto our food! OMG. This was like delicious. We sort of chose the Crispy Pork Belly Sandwich, since the daily special was sold out, but am I glad I decided to try it out. It comes with a side of chips, which I believe are freshly baked, and extremely crispy. They are also ever so lightly seasoned with salt and are absolutely delicious. I wish they sold these to go. For $12, it’s a decent price for the amount of food you get, because you will actually get full by the end. I mean, you pay that price for a burger at many Western restaurant chains, but this is way better.

Onto the sandwich itself. I was not expecting so much pork belly in it, but it was filled with it! They were quite large pieces, but the pork belly was so soft, that it wasn’t a mess to eat. Other than the grease that was just pouring out. Yup, by the time I finished devouring this sandwich, my plate was filled with oil and grease. The pork belly had a good balance between the amount of fat and meat. This is definitely not something you should be eating everyday, but this is worth having a cheat day. I’m not a big fan of cilantro or even veggies in my sandwich, but for some reason, all these ingredients just added so much flavour and worked so well. I didn’t even pick out any cilantro, like I would usually. The baguette was also soft to bite on the inside, and crispy on the outside. I have to say, I enjoyed this sandwich more than the one at meat and bread, even though the two aren’t exactly the same.

Pulled Pork Pancakes – 3 buttermilk pancakes layered with pulled pork, JD-spiked maple syrup

And of course, we had to get their infamous Pulled Pork Pancakes. Pancakes aren’t my usual go-to item for breakfast, but these ones were amazing. The buttermilk pancakes were extremely fluffy. One thing I usually hate about pancakes are how dense they are made, and it makes you feel like you are eating a bunch of cake. This one was exactly the opposite. Fluffy and light. And who knew pulled pork would go with pancakes? I sort of questioned that at first, but once you try it, it will change your mind completely.

There is so much pulled pork in between each layer of pancake, and the flavouring is perfect. They also have their signature Jack Daniel’s syrup. I actually didn’t really taste any alcohol, but the flavour was definitely a bit different from normal maple syrup. This is a must try and well worth your $13!

By the end of the meal, we were completely full. We both shared each of the plates, and we couldn’t end up finishing all the pancakes. It’s a good idea to also take a walk after…since you will feel very guilty for eating all that oily food. I wouldn’t suggest coming here every week for breakfast, but it is definitely a must try! Oh, and when your bill comes, you get some coca cola gummies. I don’t know why, but it gives me a retro feel to it. Service was also quite pleasant. Our food did take quite a while to arrive though. At least 20 minutes. Other than that, I was extremely pleased with my food at The Red Wagon! PS. You could say this is heart attack food…so beware 🙂

Toe Dam Korean Fusion BBQ

August 8, 2013August 9, 2013Leave a comment

Toe Dam Korean Fusion BBQ is located in the same mall as the H-Mart on North Road. I think they are popular for their barbeques since each seating area has a ventilation area and grill installed. Most of the items were large dishes, perfect for sharing, but with only myself and J, we felt like it would be too much food. We saw that they had a lunch menu with set lunches, so we asked if we could get those instead. Even though it was clearly dinner time, they allowed us to order from the lunch menu.

Food took way too long to come out. I think it was around 30 minutes before we even got the appetizers. But then all our food shortly appeared. They could’ve at least brought us the appetizers a little earlier so we could have something to nibble on. Appetizers included radish, sweet potatoes, kimchi, and spicy marinated zucchinis. Everything was quite typical.

For my set lunch, I chose Marinated Beef with Spicy Tofu Soup. Portions were quite large, but quality was lacking. The beef was flavourful, but overcooked. It was tough to chew and not even close to being tender. The spicy tofu soup on the other hand, was a bit better. It wasn’t too spicy, and its consistency was a thin broth. Lots of tofu, but not really any other ingredients. The set also came with a bowl of rice.

J got his usual, Naengmyeon, which is a chewy noodle in a cold beef broth. This one was also spicy.

Lastly, he also got some Marinated Short Ribs. He also said these were quite tough and overcooked.

All in all, I was quite disappointed with the food at Tae Dam. Perhaps their hot pot or barbeques would be better, where diners can actually cook the meat themselves. Clearly, the chef just overcooks all the meat. Price points are decent for lunch, but the dinner menu looks quite expensive.

Old Country Buffet

August 8, 2013Leave a comment

I go to Seattle pretty much every year just to do some shopping. Finally, I got my passport back from applying for a Visa, and I could go down south! On a random weekday, K, E, and I decided to do a day trip just to Bellis Fair. We got there at around lunch time, and wanted to grab some cheap food. We’ve been to Bellis Fair multiple times, and we always pass by Old Country Buffet. Honestly, it reminds me of Uncle Willy on the outside. Never really dared looking in or even checking out the menu. For some reason, we just impulsively decided to just go try it out. Lunch is until 3:30, so make sure to get there before that time, or you will be paying the dinner price. Lunch is around $8 and drinks are an additional $2. Your total comes to around $10 a person for lunch. Honestly, the $2 for drinks is a stretch for me, since I can’t even finish a full cup of soda usually. I definitely should’ve stuck with a glass of water for free.

After you pay, you basically find your own seat wherever you want. Don’t expect any service whatsoever, other than someone coming to take away your dirty plates. I didn’t really get any close ups of any of the food in the warmers, since there were people all around me, and I also didn’t have any hands to hold my camera with a plate in the other hand.

But as you can see, they have multiple bars with different categories, like vegetables, salads, meats, and desserts. They even had an area to make your own taco with everything you would need from salsa to sour cream. They only had hard shell tacos though, which was fine since they were surprisingly crispy. I would’ve loved a soft tortilla though, since it’s not as messy to eat.

The variety of food is quite good for the price you pay. There is also a stir fry section where you can get a server to add the ingredients of your choice to make a stir fry immediately. I didn’t try it out though, since I assumed the stir fry wouldn’t be even comparable to actual Chinese stir fry.

This is my first round. Definitely not very presentable, since I just pile my food on top. I had some ribs, a seafood pancake, sweet and sour pork, some pasta, and caesar salad. Pretty typical food, and I wouldn’t say anything was amazing, but it wasn’t terrible.

K got the freshly baked pizza, which was apparently quite good.

E’s plate.

My round two consisted of more caesar salad. My poorly put together taco is also in the back. I also got some mac and cheese, which was pretty good! It was super cheesy. I also got a piece of fried chicken drumstick, and it was actually fried quite nicely. You could easily get your money’s worth just by eating fried chicken. (I hear that’s what people do at buffets, don’t they?)

I only have two rounds of actual food, and I got excited to move to desserts. However, I was utterly disappointed. Look at the pictures! None of the desserts looked appetizing…

Maybe the cookies or brownies? But they looked really sweet…

The pies and custards also looked overly sweet.

But I found a soft-serve ice cream machine! They had chocolate, vanilla, and even a swirl! I was definitely impressed with the swirl machine they had. Not many buffets have this.

But they also had orange sorbet, so I went for that instead. I can pretty much guarantee you it’s artificial flavouring though. I liked how they also had a variety of toppings and sauces you could add to your sundae. Perfect for the kids.

And last but not least, I was amazed at their slurpee machine. Okay, maybe I get amazed pretty easily. Our buffets in Vancouver don’t have this stuff! Or at least not at such a low price! I tried the blueberry fanta, and it made my tongue blue. Definitely artificial. Tasted sort of weird too… They have a bunch of other soft drinks, coffee, and lemonade as well though.

Overall, I can’t say Old Country Buffet is amazing, but it also isn’t terrible. I guess for the price you pay, it’s decent and you get a wide variety of food. I always feel ripped off at buffets since I can’t eat a lot, but at this price, I feel like I can eat my money’s worth of food. I hear they also offer breakfasts at a really cheap price, but I wonder what they serve.