Chatime – ChineseBites Media Event

June 3, 2015June 4, 20151 Comment

NOTE: All food and beverages were comped

The other week, I was invited by ChineseBites to attend the Chatime media event. This was the Broadway location, but they have opened up stores on Robson and in Richmond as well. They are the #1 bubble tea brand in the world and have over 1200 locations worldwide.

We got to try their top 10 drinks, which included:

1. Pearl Milk Tea
2. Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea
3. Taro Pudding Milk Tea
4. Brown Rice Green Milk Tea
5. Taiwan Mango QQ
6. Matcha Red Bean Milk Tea
7. Mango Smoothie
8. Red Bean Pearl Milk Tea
9. Matcha Tea Latte
10. Chocolate Mousse

You can also customize your drink with pearls, grass jelly, coconut jelly, red bean, coffee jelly, aloe vera, rainbow jelly and pudding.

They have two sizes – regular or large. Their large size is basically the size of the regular bubble teas elsewhere. The great thing about Chatime is that you can customize ice and sugar level.

They are famous for their teas, which are brewed fresh in store, using tea leaves and other high quality natural ingredients. Therefore, they rely on natural flavours without the use of preservatives, pre-made tea or tea powders.

There is a decent amount of seating, and the interior is bright and modern.

Taro Pudding Milk Tea and Mango Smoothie

I decided to try the Taro Pudding Milk Tea, with regular sugar and ice levels. You could immediately tell that they used fresh taro, since the drink was rather gritty with the taro bits. The pudding was smooth, but I wished that pudding was chopped up a bit, since I found it hard to get through the straw. S got the Mango Smoothie, which was refreshing with a slight tang. The ice wasn’t blended fully, so you got some bits of ice, which I enjoyed.

Chatime also treated us to some of their in house desserts and fruits. I’m not sure if they actually sell these during regular hours though.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with Chatime, and since it’s right near work, I’ll likely be visiting soon again. Thanks to ChineseBites for the invite!

Pros:
– Tea based drinks are of high quality
– Sugar and ice levels can be customized

Cons:
– Slightly on the pricey side for bubble tea

Price Range: $5-10

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

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

Strike 破店 (Richmond)

May 25, 2015Leave a comment

Beef Rolls

Strike has been around since forever, but I just never got the chance to try it. There are so many other bubble tea shops to choose from that I always forget to try Strike. Anyways, we decided to head there for an early dinner at around 5:00 pm. There were around two other tables of diners, but lots of staff already. However, the staff were all young teens and were chatting among themselves and completely ignored their customers. You really had to wave around to get the attention of them. Quite unprofessional. We started off with the Beef Rolls, which were probably one of the worst I’ve had. There was way too much dough and the dough wasn’t even crispy. The ratio to meat was also so little and there was barely any hoisin sauce.

Deep Fried Chicken Nuggets

Next up, we got S’s must order item: Deep Fried Chicken Nuggets. These were actually decent. They were crispy on the outside and moist inside. I also liked how they used the basil leaves to season the chicken. A dish I wouldn’t mind ordering again.

Taiwanese Sausage and Veggie Egg Fried Rice

Lastly, we got the Taiwanese Sausage and Veggie Egg Fried Rice. S found the rice to be a bit too moist and I didn’t really like the flavour of the Taiwanese sausage. I wouldn’t be ordering this in the future.

Overall, I was slightly disappointed with the food at Strike. Based on the items we ordered, nothing really wowed me and you could probably find the same quality of food at other restaurants.

Pros:
– Lots of seating

Cons:
– Service is lacking
– Food is just average or below average

Price Range: $10-15

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

Food: 2 Service: 2 Ambiance: 2.5 Parking: 3 Overall: 2

Chatime (Broadway)

May 12, 20151 Comment

Chatime is a Taiwanese bubble tea chain store and has franchises all around the world. In Vancouver, they have actually been selling their bubble tea inside Chef Hung restaurants, but they never had their own storefront. However, last month, they expanded in several locations around the Greater Vancouver. I believe they have one on Robson, one in Richmond and one on Broadway. Conveniently, the Richmond location is a few blocks away from my house, but the grand opening promotion had already passed for that location. Since Broadway’s location is also extremely close to work, I decided to head down there after work to take advantage of their grand opening promotion.

For the first week, they offered buy one get one free drinks. The free drink was either the Pearl Milk Tea or Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea. A really good deal!

As for your first drink, you can choose from their large assortment of drinks. They specialize in their tea drinks, so of course we tried one from their fresh tea line. They also have small or large sizes. The small is quite small compared to your typical bubble tea, yet the prices are around the same. Chatime definitely is on the pricier side, so the promo was great.

The great thing about Chatime is that they offer customization. They will always ask you for your sugar and ice option. This is great for people who are conscious about their sugar intake and I especially liked the ice option as I usually like my drinks to have less ice.

Service was not the quickest that day, but it can be understandable since they just opened.

Brown Rice Green Milk Tea & Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea

We decided to get the Brown Rice Green Milk Tea, which we opted for less sugar and less ice. This was delicious! You don’t normally see brown rice flavoured milk tea on the menu at other bubble tea shops, so we had to give this a try. Tasted basically like milk tea, but it had a hint of wheat flavour to it. This was a large size, and it came to be the same size as typical bubble teas. As we had purchased a large bubble tea, we got the free bubble tea also in a large size. We chose the Grass Jelly Roasted Milk Tea, which is a must try. The grass jelly is not super sweet, but was very smooth and soft. The milk tea itself was smooth and had a roasted flavour to it. Way better than your typical milk tea. I also find that their consistency is much more thin, rather than being very thick and milky. I actually prefer this consistency as you don’t get as filled up.

Overall, I’m super happy that there is a new bubble tea shop right by work and also home. They are on the pricey side, at around $5 for a large sized drink, but the quality of the drinks are great! Also a good amount of seating to enjoy your drink.

Pros:
– Roasted Milk Tea is delicious!
– Sugar and ice options

Cons:
– Service was a bit slow
– On the pricier side

Price Range: $5

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

Food: 4 Service: 2.5 Ambiance: 3 Parking: 3 Overall: 3.5

Uncle Lu 安可盧萬巒豬腳

March 20, 2015March 20, 20152 Comments

Uncle Lu opened up last year and is a sister store of Corner 23. They offer Taiwanese dishes, somewhat similar to Pearl Castle. The interior is actually decorated pretty nicely with lanterns and has a high ceiling. Service-wise, there isn’t much but it’s enough to get through dinner.

Stir Fried Satay Beef with Vegetables

We started off with Stir Fried Satay Beef with Vegetables. The beef was very tender and there was a lot of satay sauce on it. I found it slightly too oily though. Otherwise, a pretty good dish.

Salted Egg Yolk Fried Rice

We also got the Salted Egg Yolk Fried Rice to share. This was really delicious, with the rice being very flavourful due to the egg yolk.

Overall, based on the dishes we tried Uncle Lu seemed to be a decent spot for Taiwanese eats. There was quite a bit of traffic during dinner time on Friday, so I guess they must be doing something right. Prices are reasonable, and they have quite a large variety of food to choose from on their menu.

Pros:
– Decent eats
– Reasonable prices

Cons:
– Not much service

Price Range: $10-15

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

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

Maji Restaurant – revisit

January 28, 2015January 28, 2015Leave a comment

I’ve been wanting to revisit Maji for some time now, since I found that they had some pretty decent Taiwanese eats. However, parking here is just a nightmare, with Alexandra Street filled with diners on Friday nights. The restaurant itself is also packed! Luckily, we made last minute reservations while driving here and we were seated right away upon arrival. So be sure to make a call first!

Deep Fried Oysters

First up, we got the Deep Fried Oysters. These were big juicy oysters battered and deep fried. Along with a squeeze of lemon and this sweet chili sauce, it was very delicious. All of Maji’s dishes are meant to be shared, so this is great with a larger group.

Deep Fried Shrimp with Salted Egg Yolk

We also got the Deep Fried Shrimp with Salted Egg Yolk, which would have been perfect with white rice. The shrimps were deep fried with mashed salted egg yolk batter. You get tons of that egg yolk and I like how it was crispy and gave it a nice texture.

Taiwanese-Style Stir-Fried Noodles

Last but not least were the Taiwanese-Style Stir-Fried Noodles. A dish of oil noodles stir-fried with shredded cabbage, carrots, shredded pork, and basil. The basil flavour was very strong, and there was a good ratio of ingredients to noodles.

Overall, I was quite pleased with Maji once again. The only disappointment was they didn’t have their Taiwanese fruit beers that night, which I have been wanting to try. Prices are reasonable, and it’s a great place to share dishes with larger groups.

Pros:
– Great Taiwanese dishes for sharing and reasonably priced
– Ambiance is rustic, but modern

Cons:
– Parking is a nightmare
– Long waits if you don’t make reservations

Price Range: $10-20

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

Food: 4
Service: 4
Ambiance: 4
Parking: 1
Overall: 3.5

Maji

July 29, 2014Leave a comment

N had just come back from exchange, so along with S, we headed to Maji for dinner. Maji has opened for some time now, and I kept hearing good reviews about this Taiwanese restaurant. It’s located on Alexandra Rd. right next to Leisure – also Taiwanese owned. When we arrived, it was quite empty, with only one or two tables for dinner. However, it was a random weekday. I hear that it’s quite packed on weekends. Apparently, it’s been quite packed recently as well, since they just launched their Taiwanese beers in mid July. They seem to have a large variety of beers and drinks, so it would be a great place for a night out. They also open until quite late.

Kimchi Pork Fried Rice – fried rice with kimchi, shredded pork, and egg

Maji is a great place to share dishes. It’s not like Pearl Castle and others, where you order your own set of food. Hence, we ordered 4 dishes to share. First, the Kimchi Pork Fried Rice. This was actually my favourite dish! A hint of spicy kimchi, but very addicting! The rice is also on the moist side compared to Chinese fried rice, which I really liked. I could not stop eating this! Very flavourful, but I didn’t feel like it had MSG in it since I wasn’t thirsty after.

Spicy Eggplant – pan-fried eggplant stir fried with chili-bean sauce, ground pork, dried chili, and soy sauce

I’m not a fan of eggplants, but J loves it, so we ordered the Spicy Eggplant. I ended up having some too, and it was quite delicious! The chili-bean sauce was what really made the dish for me. I don’t really like the flavour of eggplants, but the sauce and spiciness overpowered the flavour of eggplants.

San-Pei Squid – squid stir-fried with San-Pei sauce; tossed with basil

Next was the San-Pei Squid. This was more mild and the only non-spicy dish we had. Still, very flavouful with the San-Pei sauce. The squid were also very tender and easy to chew.

Kung-Pao Chicken – spicy boneless chicken leg stir fried with Sichuan pepper, dried chili, and nuts

Lastly, we had the Kung-Pao Chicken, which I unfortunately, took a blurry picture of. I found this dish quite spicy since there are Sichuan peppers and dried chili in it. However, it was super tasty at the same time! Love the nuts in it too. I believe they were cashews.

Overall, I was very pleased with the food at Maji. Prices are also very reasonable. It’s more about the food than presentation here. Since it wasn’t busy, we were also able to sit for quite some time to just chat and the waitresses kept refilling water for us. Great service and good food!

Memory Corner

June 19, 2014Leave a comment

Memory Corner just opened this year and it seemed to catch many people’s attention. It’s located at the corner of No.3 across the city hall. That location has changed restaurants multiple times, probably because it’s an odd location. Well Memory Corner now takes the spot and they offer what many say is authentic Taiwanese food. I decided to try it out with J for a late lunch. I had saw tons of pictures online, so I had to give the Potted Milk Tea a try. I’m the type that will try things that look cute, even though it might not be amazing. Anyways, this was definitely a disappointment. Although it was very whimsical to look at, I definitely didn’t like that so called “soil” on my drink. It was basically cookie crumbles and I found it difficult to go down my throat. Imagine drinking some rough sediments. Not a great feeling. On the other hand, the milk tea itself was quite good. I wish I had just ordered a regular milk tea…

Satay Beef Fried Noodles

J got the Satay Beef Fried Noodles. I like how the food here looks very home cooked, so I feel like it might be more authentic tasting. J said it was pretty good.

Taiwanese Sausage

J also got a side of Taiwanese Sausages. This was my first time trying them. I found that they reminded me of a mix between Chinese sausages and typical American sausages. It was definitely interesting, although not my favourite. J is Taiwanese though, so he seemed to really enjoy them.

Taiwanese Deep-Fried Crispy Chicken Thigh in Noodle

I got the Taiwanese Deep-Fried Crispy Chicken Thigh in Noodle and the chicken came in a separate bowl so it wouldn’t get soggy. I love Taiwanese crispy chicken, and currently Sunway is my favourite place for them. Here, they were also quite crispy with a thin layer of batter. The seasoning wasn’t too strong or salty which I liked. I don’t think it beats Sunway’s though!

As for the noodles, I really enjoyed them! They were cooked to al dente, which is not common for Asian noodles. Something about the noodle’s texture was really good! It had a slight chew to it. I wonder if they were handmade. The broth was a bit of a disappointment though. Seemed more like a plain chicken broth with garlic chips in it. It really lacked flavour.

Overall, I was quite happy with Memory Corner’s food. The food is affordable, but keep in mind that the interior is nothing impressive. It’s really casual and similar to what you would see in Asia as a snackbar. They also only take cash and debit cards. I hear that they are famous for their lamb though. Will definitely give that a try next time!

Dinesty

August 1, 20132 Comments

Dinesty is next to Starbucks and Ebisu in Richmond, and I believe they recently opened one in Downtown on Robson. I’ve gone by this restaurant multiple times, but I don’t think I’ve actually ate here before. At last, J and I decided to grab an early dinner, and he suggested we go to Dinesty. It seems to be his favourite place to go.

I think we got there around 5 pm, so it was quite empty. However, shortly after sitting down, the place quickly became filled. Apparently, there are usually long waits during dinner time, and it’s almost impossible to get a seat without reservations. The food here seems to be a mix of Taiwanese and Shanghainese food. Decor is simple and clean, and I like the open kitchen they have. You can see the chefs preparing your food, just like Shanghai River. Sort of a similar concept in terms of their floor plan.

Steamed Pork Dumplings

I wanted some Steamed Pork Dumplings, or better known as Xiao Long Bao! An order came with 8 hot and steamy dumplings. The wrappers were thin, yet held the pork, and inside, it was juicy. The soup was very delicious!

Ma Po Tofu

J chose the Ma Po Tofu. It was a large serving, and definitely too much for two people to share. The tofu was soft and the sauce wasn’t too spicy. It would’ve been perfect with white rice, but we had ordered another rice. We ended up mixing it with our Shrimp Fried Rice, since it would be too spicy and salty to eat alone.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Lastly, I chose the Shrimp Fried Rice. It had a hint of shrimp paste flavour, and the rice was cooked so it wasn’t too moist and sticky. There were also an abundant of shrimps inside.

Overall, I enjoyed the dishes we had at Dinesty. I can see why people enjoy coming here for meals. You get a good amount of food, which is of decent quality, at a decent price. I hear that service isn’t as great once it gets really busy during peak times, so perhaps going early is the way to go here. I also like how all their menu items have pictures, so you get a sense of what you are ordering beforehand. Perfect for beginners of Chinese food!