Food For Buddha

2012-01-28 Dinner @ U-Enjoy 陶醉吧

2012-01-28T21:00:00.228-08:00

#1680 - 8260 Westminster Hwy, Richmond, BC

778-297-1155

After a satisfying visit to this restaurant (see post 2012-01-12 Lunch @ U-Enjoy 陶醉吧), I picked up a voucher for the deal featured on The Red Pocket. This $8 "Exclusive Dinner Set" (regular $18) includes two choices of skewers (two skewers per choice, a total of four skewers), one entree and one drink.

Buddha Boy and I arrived pretty much right at opening. Being the first customers, we were quickly greeted and seated. What bothered us was the owners being a bit too friendly, to the point of being intrusive. Now, don't get us wrong, they were very nice people, but they kept on coming by to talk to us...grrr...it would be nice if they gave us some space to enjoy our dinner, peacefully.

As part of the deal, we had two choices of skewers from the "Exclusive Dinner Set" menu. Buddha Boy opted for Japanese Style Chicken Skewers 日式串燒雞 (left) and Korean Style Spicy Pork Skewers 韓式五花肉 (right). Both were good, but nothing extraordinary.

Also part of the deal, we had a choice of the entrees listed in the set menu, I opted for Singapore Style Fried Vermicelli 星洲炒米. The plate had ample ingredients with just the right amount of curry flavoring. However, it did lack wok-hei 鑊氣 (or 火候 in Mandarin). A drink was also included and Buddha Boy opted for Passion Fruit Calpis Soda 百香果可爾比斯梳打...nothing special.

Knowing my husband, the four skewers included in the set menu would not easily satisfy him. At $1.50 each, Buddha Boy ordered four more skewers: a Mochi with Bacon Skewer 串燒煙肉麻糬 (left), a Quail Egg with Bacon Skewer 串燒煙肉鵪鶉蛋 (left) and two Korean Style Chicken Skewer 韓式串燒雞 (right). Just like the ones previously, these were done nicely, but boring. Buddha Boy thought the skewers were a bit small for the price.

Buddha Boy's favorite dish was the Honey Garlic Chicken 蒜子蜜汁雞球. No, the chicken pieces were not crispy, but were freshly and nicely deep-fried in clean oil. And unlike many Chinese restaurants where the "honey" is actually sugar water/syrup, we could actually taste the honey fragrance along with the garlic. Buddha Boy enjoyed this so much that we ordered a second plate!!! Hahaha!

Of course, Buddha Boy could not leave this place without trying their Chicken in Three Special Sauce 三杯雞, or simply Three-Cup Chicken. Commonly speaking, this dish is usually oily and salty, but not the case here. Each piece of chicken absorbed in the necessary flavors while maintained its tenderness. We enjoyed it, but thought they could have "fried" the ginger (at the beginning) and the basil (at the end) a bit longer to extract more of the flavors.

The Pan Fried Chicken 生炒走地雞 was suggested by the owners. This popular dish (as claimed by the owners) was a simple stir-fry of free-ranged chicken, Chinese sausage and Chinese celery. At $18.95 for a large or $9.95 for a small, this was a lot pricier than most of the dishes on their menu. Flavor wise, this tasted like the Hakka Stir-Fry 客家小炒. I enjoyed it, but not so much for Buddha Boy, mainly because it's free-ranged chicken. Will I order this again? Most likely not...unless it's chicken meat with no bones...hahahahaha!

Overall, we enjoyed our visit. The restaurant is small but spacious. Service was courteous, except with that little intrusive glitch. Buddha Boy and I plan to visit again to try their clay pot rice.

2012-01-26 Dim Sum @ Good Eat Seafood Restaurant 惠食佳海鮮酒家

2012-01-26T15:00:00.124-08:00

8111 Leslie Road, Richmond, BC

604-249-0084

It was a cold and stormy morning, my dearest god-sister, Daisy, woke me up and dragged me all the way Richmond just for dim sum! Grrr...why can't you just let me cuddle in that warm blanket? Hahaha! Daisy wanted to take me to this restaurant on Leslie Road that has, perhaps, one of the lousiest parking setup ever in Richmond...and knowing how much I hate driving and parking in China, I ended up donating some money to the city and parked on the street.

Instead of going for something as simple and standard as har-gow 蝦餃, I ordered the Steamed Shrimp & Corn Dumpling 翡翠黃金餃. With such a fancy Chinese name, the dumpling tasted just like its English translation. Thin skins with not-so-crunchy shrimps, these dumplings was actually not too bad for the price. The corn added a nice sweetness and crunch to the overall package. For $2.50, no complaints.

Daisy and I didn't quite enjoy the Steamed Dumpling Stuffed with Diced Pork & Peanut 潮汕蒸粉粿. Extremely doughy skin with limited and over-salted filling. Even at $2.50, I wouldn't order this again.

At $2.50, I really shouldn't be complaining about the Deep-Fried Lotus Roots Cake 家鄉蓮藕餅...grrr...okay, just one question, where were the lotus roots?

The Baked Seafood with Portuguese Sauce 葡汁海鮮盞 had creamy Portuguese sauce with ample filling of chopped seafood and vegetables. The crust was baked nicely and was not overly sweet. This was our favorite dish.

The Rice with Mince Pork and Oyster in Soup 蠔仔肉碎泡飯 was pretty standard. Tasty, but nothing special. The pork broth was very flavorful, most likely enhanced with MSG...hahahaha!

The Chinese name of Deep Fried Spareribs with Honey Sauce 菊花蜜汁排骨 caught our attention...Chrysanthemum? Well, it's just simply finished with sprinkles of dried Chrysanthemum. The spareribs were tender and moist with crispy coatings, however, nothing extraordinary.

Daisy enjoyed Chicken & Pork Liver in Chinese Herbal Cuisine Soup 藥膳豬潤浸走地雞, but not so much for me. I like pork liver, but these were way too gamy, which made the soup gamy. I guess the Chinese herbs didn't help covering up the sub-par quality.

The owner suggested to try their signature, Chicken with Soy Sauce 惠食佳撈隔夜雞. It's simply free-ranged chicken soaked in a house-blend soy sauce and tossed with cilantro and green onions. Nothing special about the chicken, but the soy blend was very flavorful, salty, but tasty. Daisy and I detected fish sauce in the soy blend...interesting.

Overall, with tax and tips, our meal was just a little over $40. The price points were very reasonable. The quality, while not the greatest, but for the price, was enjoyable. A definite return for me, with Buddha Boy, of course.

2012-01-25 Dinner @ Black + Blue

2012-01-25T23:55:00.001-08:00

1032 Alberni Street, Vancouver, BC

604-637-0777

After lunch at Street Food City, I waited patiently for dinner to arrive. We had a reservation for four (Seto-san, MomJ, Buddha Girl and myself) at Black + Blue for DOV2012. Okay, originally, we had our minds set on the DOV menu, but we soon gave it up and went a-la-carte, with the exception of myself, who ordered an appetizer item off the DOV menu.

Buddha Girl had a girly drink...very unlike her. Suggested by our server, Chris, this Entering the Dragon was quite refreshing, not too sweet or strong. Buddha Girl can't recall what was in it, does anyone know?

MomJ's appetizer was a good bang for the buck. This large portion of Crispy Calamari was nicely seasoned and perfectly deep-fried. The batter was light and had just the right amount of coating on each piece of squid.

Buddha Girl ordered Shrimp Cocktail. The crunchy shrimps were the sizes of prawns. Can't recall what the white sauce was or tasted like, but the seafood cocktail sauce was not the typical off-the-shelf variety. The cocktail sauce was refreshing and tangy, yet not overwhelming, very tasty.

From the DOV menu, I had the "Bacon 'n' Eggs" (thick cut of double smoked bacon, fried duck egg, spicy maple syrup, wild arugula). The pork was well smoked and perfectly tender with a ham like flavor. The scrambled duck egg was light and fluffy, but it was a bit bland to counter the sweetness of the sauce and the the flavors of the bacon. The half slice of bread really didn't do much to the dish other than just rounding out the plate and to soak up the maple sauce. If I would have change anything, I would have preferred a poached egg instead.

Since Seto-san, the small eater, did not order an appetizer, I took the liberty and ordered him one, to share, of course. I ordered a side of Mac & Cheese as an appetizer. This was done very nicely and can pass as finger food. Each breaded brick was deep-fried to a nice crisp coat with creamy and cheesy filling inside. Something Buddha Girl insisted on ordering again on our next visit.

We were given four sauces to accompany our entrees...sorry, can't recall any of them. We ended saving all the sauces from our appetizers too.

MomJ (10oz) and Seto-san (16oz) each had a Prime Rib, accompanied with Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, red wine jus and caramelized pearl onions. The prime rib was done very nicely, tender as expected. There wasn't much herb nor garlic crusting on the edges, simple and good.

I had the PEI Blue Ribbon Porterhouse (24oz). I ordered this rare and it came out pretty much what I asked for. The tenderloin piece was nice and tender but the strip loin wasn't as good. Overall, I wasn't too impressed. For steak, I've only had two great experiences. One was at home, a simple Porterhouse that was tender throughout. And the other was at the Chicago Chop House, a 24oz NY Strip Loin done Chicago-style, blue as possible...and yes, I finished it all, including all the sides.

Usually, Buddha Girl's not really into Coq au Vin, simply because she doesn't like anything cooked with red wine, but because I've been raving about the white wine version and Buddha Girl always wondered why, she decided to give it a try. The chicken was very moist and tender, even for the white meat. While the white wine jus was rich yet not overpowering, it didn't penetrate the chicken as much as Buddha Girl would have liked. Nonetheless, my wife still enjoyed this dish, thank goodness.

I enjoyed being seated close to the action as we watched Chef Wolfe assist Chef Labahn in expediting. I noticed that their Urbanspoon rating is actually ranked pretty low, with a mix of food and service issues. Our experience was good. Our reservation was at 5:30pm, which was before the rush, and our food arrived with good timing. Our server, Chris, was top notch. He was attentive and informative, without being intrusive. Chris gave us enough space to enjoy our meal without making us felt we're being ignored or forgotten. With the amount of dining we do, we usually only experience this type of service once every year or two.

As funny as it seems, we enjoyed everything at Black + Blue except for the steak. We thought the prices are quite reasonable, though it may be higher for some. Next time we visit, we plan pick up a few of those discounted Glowbal gift certificates at Costco, and hopefully, food and service will be as good as this visit.

2012-01-25 Lunch @ DOV Street Food City

2012-01-25T14:00:00.001-08:00

DOV2012 Street Food City was an outdoor event where participating street food merchants gathered at one convenient location. The concept was similar to a food pod in Portland, except it's a lot smaller and was only on for three days. I arrived at approximately quarter to noon and lineups were building up at Re-Up BBQ, La Brasserie Street, Tacofino Cantina and Mom's Grilled Cheese Truck.

MOM'S GRILLED CHEESE TRUCK

604-767-9768

I was mainly here for two places and the first was the grilled cheese sandwich. I queued myself into the lineup, not bad, only four people ordering ahead of me.

I waited...waited...and waited, well, I wasn't the only one waiting. Eventually, after thirty minutes, I finally got my order. I had a Mom's Meatloaf Grilled Cheese Sandwich and added bacon to it. Mom made an error in the execution and offered to give me back $10, or a free sandwich on my next visit. I declined both, it wasn't necessary.

Because of the hiccup, it wasn't as nicely executed as others that went out. But coming down to taste, it was pretty good. The tender and moist meatloaf balanced well with the marinara. The bacon, unfortunately, wasn't crisp nor noticeable, meaning, it wasn't smokey nor salty. I like how the butter was nicely soaked into the bread. Overall, a good sandwich, a tad on the pricier side, but worth going for again.

RE-UP BBQ FOODCART

604-724-0894

After downing my grilled cheese, I bumped into @dailyslif. We caught up on what was going on in the foodie world and lined up at Re-Up BBQ. We lined up at approximately 12:30pm and waited for a least forty minutes. The line moved, but crawled like a snail.

The Bacon Explosion Sandwich was rolled pork with matted bacon, then smoked. The bacon that matted the roll didn't shine at all. The pork didn't have much smokiness and was quite bland. The only compliment I had was that it was tender and moist, and that was pretty much it.

Prior to the experience, the name "Bacon Explosion" intrigued me and I expected some kind of 'wow' factor. Unfortunately, one bite and I was immediately disappointed. For $8, I wouldn't eat this again.

The city really needs to find ways to make our street food program work. Perhaps consulting cities and countries that are big on street food and see how they control and maintain their success.

Overall, DOV2012 Street Food City was a good concept and in my opinion, a success. I hope we can have more merchants next year.

2012-01-22 Lunar New Year Eve 除夕大年夜 @ Chez Buddha

2012-01-22T23:55:00.000-08:00

Lunar new year is my favorite holiday of all time!!! All the food, all the shopping, all the celebrations!!! Downside, now that we're married...we gotta pass out the red-pockets 紅包.

Ever since I met Buddha Boy, we've been collecting these lunar zodiac animals every year. But I must say, the qualities and designs worsen year after year.

MomM wanted me to pick up some peanuts for praying, I went a step more and bought a peanut-shaped candy holder from T&T Supermarket and put peanuts in these...hehehehe!

My collection of red-pocket envelopes this year...my ATF has always been those miniature pockets...easy to store, easy to give.

Time to say bye-bye to the rabbits and welcome the dragons!!! I usually buy my lunar new year decorations and praying supplies from Bamboo Village 竹家莊 in Chinatown, across from New Town Bakery.

CW helped to put up the decorations and she stuck this to our bedroom door..."come babies come"!!! Hahahahaha!

Of course, just like other major Chinese festivals, we must pay our respects to our Buddhas and ancestors. For the lunar new year, we pray on the eve, the day, the second and the fifteenth day.

Okay, before you say anything about the table cloth...the story was...I realized, at the last minute, I needed a red table cloth, but the only one I could find in the dollar store near us was the picnic design..hey, at least it's red (and white)...hahahaha!

Our wine for the night...well, more like MomJ and DadT's wine for the night...alcoholics...hahahaha! Not sure who gave this to us...

Buddha Boy hogged the kitchen...hahaha! He's the head chef tonight...fine...fine...

Me, the sous-chef...grabbed a couple of burners and cooked my dishes on the side. :p

Our dinner for six (including Buddha Dog)...plus soup, rice and dessert. Too much? Never too much food at Chez Buddha...hahahaha!

MomJ, Buddha Boy and I each gave Buddha Dog a red-pocket..and yes, Buddha Dog was giving me an attitude because he hates cameras.

2012-01-21 Cupcakes @ ManCakes Bakery

2012-01-21T23:55:00.000-08:00

Buddha Boy and I are bad influences...wahahaha!!! Since CW never been to a Taboo Show before, we dragged her there to open her mind a little. Of course, not much food at the show, but when ManCakes Bakery came into sight, it immediately caught our attentions. Okay, the truth was, the cupcakes caught Buddha Boy's attention, CW and I were more attracted to the cute exhibitors...hehehehe!

The Buffalo Wing Cupcake (left) had a light hint of buffalo spiciness with a tangy and creamy filling (apparently it's cheesecake mousse, as stated on their website). Honestly we couldn't tell it was crispy chicken sprinkled on top but the hot sauce buttercream was tasty! Unfortunately, Buddha Boy and I couldn't quite taste all the "levels" of the Breakfast Cupcake (right).

Just wanted to share what CW and I saw at Metrotown prior to the Taboo Show...those of you from Taiwan would know exactly what this is...hahahaha!!!
電音太子爺..."保庇! 保庇! 保庇! 保庇! 保庇! 保庇! 保庇! 噢!"...LOL!!!

2012-01-19 Dinner @ Venice Garden Seafood Restaurant 海皇美食

2012-01-19T23:55:00.000-08:00

#262 - 2800 East 1st Avenue, Vancouver, BC

604-876-8828

Since we're shopping at T&T Supermarket, we offered to drive our friend home. It was only 9:30pm and he's scheduled till 10:20pm, so Buddha Boy and I went and had a late dinner upstairs.

We've attempted to dine at this restaurant three times and each time we left after sitting around for ten to fifteen minutes with either no menu, no tea, or no service. Finally, this time, we were lucky enough for them to spot the fat couple sitting right in the middle of the restaurant...and surprisingly, we received an above par service.

For $3.80/each, Buddha Boy ordered one Deep Fried Crab Claw 百花釀蟹鉗. Okay shrimp quality with a light coat of breading, not bad for the price. This picture was taken when the original claw was served but Buddha Boy had to sent it back because it was still frozen in the middle. Yes, the original had no sign of the "claw", but the new one did.

Buddha Boy and I enjoyed this simple yet tasty dish of Cashew Nut w Diced Chicken 腰果雞丁. It sometimes amazes me how a simple dish like this can go wrong at many Chinese restaurants, such as rancid vegetables or overcooked chicken.

The meat used in Shredded Chicken with Sesame Seeds 涼拌手撕雞 was free-ranged, a surprise to us yet not uncommon. Why waste any leftover unused/unsold chicken? The jellyfish was a bit soft for me, I prefer crunchy jellyfish. The chicken had a light saltiness but the overall dish was not. Very minimal sesame seeds, next to none.

Lately, Pineapple Sweet & Sour Pork 菠蘿咕嚕肉 has been our "fad item". The meat was well marinated and maintained a moist crunch, but the batter was thick. The sweet and sour sauce lacked that hawthorn kick and needed to be thicken up a little.

The Shanghai Style Pan-Fried Thick Noodle 上海粗炒麵 had ample amount of meat and a good wok-hei 鑊氣 (or 火候 in Mandarin), unfortunately the dish was over-salted.

I went with a $6.99 mix & match noodle soup combo. I had Udon 烏冬 (yes, I love udon) in Original Fish Soup 原味魚湯 with Sliced Pork 肉片 and Pork Intestine 鹵水大腸. Noodles and pork slices were pretty standard. The pork bung was cleaned thoroughly. Now...the soup base...WOW!!! Don't get me wrong, it's not a superb soup, but what shocked us was that a place like this has a fish soup base that's comparable to Deer Garden Signatures 鹿園魚湯米線 (one of the better choices, but still not the greatest). We detected a strong presence of fish fragrance without that fishiness. The bad? The soup was a bit salty.

The cheap side of Buddha Girl did not order any sides because it's $2 each...yup, I'm cheap...LOL!!! So I just stuck with a combo noodle soup with an accompanied drink of choice. I opted for Almond Milk 杏仁霜, pretty standard.

2012-01-18 Croissants @ Footo Delights

2012-01-18T23:55:00.001-08:00

820 Homer Street, Vancouver, BC

604-568-6500

Footo Delights was having a contest for new flavors and our submission to this was...bacon, of course.

Buddha Girl coordinated with Brenda (owner & operator of Footo Delights) to pick up our winnings. The Maple Bacon Croissants (not sure the exact menu name) weren't bad at all. The croissants had a sweet custard-like filling, a piece of bacon on each end of the horn with minced bacon sprinkled on top of a sweet glaze.

I liked how everything was incorporated, but being me, I'd actually like more bacon flavor. My suggestion would be adding more depth by incorporating bacon salt either into the filling or sprinkled on top of the glaze.

On top of our prize pack, I asked Buddha Girl to picked up nine more croissants to make it a dozen. We give props to Brenda for being very receptive to constructive criticisms and new ideas. If you are in the area and looking for a snack, give it a try.

2012-01-15 Processed Food @ Chez Buddha

2012-01-15T23:55:00.000-08:00

Our plan of waking up extremely early and have breakfast at Bakery Nouveau (then lunch at Pike Place Market) really turned out to be stepping out the door at 10am, had "brunch" at Burger King in Blaine, shopped, then off for an early dinner at Wonderful Buffet in Marysville. Yup, not exactly the food trip we were hoping for...hahahaha!

I absolutely love corn dogs!!! Unfortunately, most of the ones I found locally either contain beef, or "may contain beef"...so you can imagine how excited I was when I found non-beef sticks down south.

State Fair Corn Dogs Classic (right) were "batter wrapped hot dogs on a stick made with turkey and pork"...unfortunately, the links were dry and the batter was quite dense. Foster Farms Corn Dogs (left) were "plump and juicy chicken franks dipped in honey-crunchy batter"...something that Buddha Boy and I enjoyed. The chicken links were moist and, in comparison, the batter was much lighter and fluffier, . The gentle honey sweetness was a tasty bonus.

You can guess who bought the White Castle Microwaveable Cheeseburgers...speechless. This reminded of that movie, "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle"...a very "interesting" movie...and let's just leave it at that...

Well, the box did say "microwaveable"...so that pretty much explained the quality...let's just say these were at least nicely packaged?!?!?

Smucker's Uncrustables!!! I wanted both!!! But my meanie husband only allowed one...grrr...

"Thaw & Eat"...simple as that. The Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam Sandwich tasted no different than buying a jar of each then spread the butter/jam on couple slices of white bread. Okay, I admit, it's a gimmick and I am a sucker! :p

2012-01-15 Lunch @ Jubilant Restaurant 恩榮小館

2012-01-15T13:00:00.003-08:00

4200 No.3 Road, Richmond, BC

604-278-3555

Sitting below K.K. Dollar Hot Pot 開開豆撈坊, this Cantonese restaurant has been on my radar for quite some time. Finally, we made a venture here, mainly because we didn't know where to go and the parking line-up to get into Aberdeen Centre was getting silly. We arrived at opening and it was freezing cold inside, I guess they didn't get around to turning on the heat.

The Fresh Shrimps and Meat Dumplings Soup 淨鮮蝦水餃湯 was good. The crunchy shrimps were adequately seasoned and wrapped firmly. While many Chinese restaurants just uses the powdered shrimp stock as their soup bases, this place mixed it with pork broth which created a good balance of both the pork and shrimp flavors. Yes, there was MSG, but it wasn't as noticeable in comparison to many other well-known restaurants.

I wanted to try the Sweet & Sour Boneless Pork with Pineapple 菠蘿咕嚕肉. The batter was a bit on the thicker side but when you bite into it, at least there's more meat than batter. The pork was crisp and the sauce had a good amount of flavors. Overall, a solid dish.

Buddha Girl's Shanghai Stir Fried Thick Noodles 上海粗炒 had lots of noodles, acceptable amount of meat (could've give a little more) and limited amount of spinach. In terms of flavors, it was perfectly seasoned. Unfortunately, this lacked "wok-hei" 鑊氣.

The Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Fish 鹹魚蒸肉餅 was one of the better versions. Unlike many other Chinese restaurants, this places doesn't rely on the heavy use of baking soda. The meat was firm yet plump. The salted fish was not fishy and that "stinky" fragrance was easily picked up by the meat.

Both Buddha Girl and I enjoyed our meal here. Nothing was spectacular but we were very satisfied with the quality and service. We already have a few items in mind for our next visit.

2012-01-12 Lunch @ U-Enjoy 陶醉吧

2012-01-12T15:00:00.000-08:00

#1680 - 8260 Westminster Hwy, Richmond, BC

778-297-1155

Previously, I saw a deal on The Red Pocket for this new restaurant in Richmond called U-Enjoy 陶醉吧. I wanted to buy it, but hesitated because I wasn't sure exactly where it's located and what type of food they offer. While I was in Richmond, I drove by the area and found the restaurant. It's located in the Richmond Public Market, where Veggie Bunch once situated (Veggie Bunch later relocated to its current location on Buswell Street).

New renovation, new furniture, new owners. This new restaurant offers a more spacious and cleaner dining area. A mug of tea was served as soon as I sat down. A drink was included in my lunch special and I opted for Almond Milk 杏仁霜. Just like most places, it was just a common powdered drink.

I started with an order of Spicy Pig Ear 麻辣豬耳. For those who like spicy, you'll enjoy this. The spicy was fragrant and aromatic, but not numbing. The sesame sprinkles didn't do much but the sesame oil used did made its presence. A simple dish done well.

Next was my $6.95 (tax & tips excluded) lunch special of Diced Chicken Salted Fish Fried Rice 鹹魚雞粒炒飯. Good portion for the price. With hints of salted fish, the rice had just enough flavors. Chicken, ham, egg and cabbage were used along with chunks of salted fish. Unfortunately, the rice was a bit wet and there were few "chunks" that stuck together...not really the appropriate grains for fried rice.

Well, just two dishes (plus a drink) couldn't possibly satisfy me...hahaha! I added an order of Stir Fried Spicy Pork Belly 干椒五花肉. I was pleased with the limited amount of oil used, in all three dishes so far. The pork was cooked to a nice crisp while maintained its tenderness. A mix of jalapeno and Thai chili peppers were used along with onions and garlic to form that spicy fragrance. Unfortunately, it's not spicy enough for me...nonetheless, this was another tasty dish.

So...after the meal, the cheap Buddha Girl went home and picked up a voucher from The Red Pocket for this restaurant...yup, I'm crazy with group buys!!!

2012-01-10 Snacks @ Cattle Cafe 牛仔餐廳

2012-01-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

3510 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

604-638-8990

After a meal at Hai Phong, a quick buy to Marui Bakery and a quick visit to Hyun Dae Supermarket, we are now at the Cattle Cafe's newest location on Kingsway in Vancouver, where the former Da Rae Oak situated.

Let's talk about food first. The Lemon Tea 檸檬茶 was nothing but a poor quality steeped tea with two slices of lemon...hence being "lemon tea"...hahahaha!

Buddha Boy enjoyed his Corn Beef Meat & Egg Sandwich 鹹牛肉蛋治. Good amount of corn beef mixed in with the egg. Only complaint, bread was not toasted.

Buddha Boy and I shared an order of the Bubble Waffle 雞蛋仔. Bad Buddha Boy...BAD!!! This made his cough even worse!!! Anyhow, the egg waffles were perhaps the worst ever. Couple of the egg waffles still had runny liquid inside. The waffles weren't crispy, and when it was served, it wasn't even lukewarm...yup, it was cold when it got to our table.

Just like Cattle Cafe's two other locations, the seating here was tight...not very suitable for fat people like us. The inexperienced servers were not the friendliest people. One word to describe the cleanliness...filthy.

2012-01-10 Quick Visit @ Marui Bakery 丸井麵包廊

2012-01-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

3340 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

604-431-7707

In the complex of Honolulu Cafe on Kingsway, there's this Japanese-style Chinese bakery. Now, how Japanese is it? I really don't know. I've been to this bakery a couple of times and after each visit, I tell myself never to visit this bakery again simply because the owner lady is an absolute 817CH.

And yup, the hypocritical Buddha Girl was here once again...not sure why we walked in...

The BBQ Pork Bun 叉燒包 had very limited amount of meat, overpowered by too much salty sauce...sad...very sad.

The Potato & Luncheon Meat Bun 番薯午餐肉包 (left) and the Potato Chicken Bun 番薯雞包 (right) were just as sad as the BBQ Pork buns. Bun to filling ratio was poor with very limited amount of meat.

The Multi-Grain Whole Wheat Bread 十二谷麥包 was dense...another disappointment. So far, this is not a place for buns..

Funny how the buns were so disappointing but the cake rolls were quite the opposite. The sponge cake in Mango Roll 芒果卷蛋 (top right) had strong hints of mango, kinda like the mango powder used for bubble tea drinks. The Hazelnut Chocolate Roll 朱古力榛子卷 (bottom right) had a nice chocolate fragrance with a light hazelnut cream. The weakest of the three was the Blueberry Roll 藍莓卷 (bottom left), we honestly couldn't detect any "blueberry".

2012-01-10 Lunch @ Hai Phong Vietnamese Restaurant 海豐越南美食

2012-01-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

1246 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

604-872-3828

Day two of Buddha Boy's flu battle...that means another day of pho. When Buddha Boy asked me to choose the restaurant, I immediately thought of Hai Phong Vietnamese Restaurant 海豐越南美食, a restaurant that caught my attention every time I drove by. Located just a couple of blocks east of Green Lemongrass, this restaurant offers better parking and a larger menu.

Just like most pho restaurants, after we placed our orders (with pho), we were given a plate of bean sprouts, basil and lemon. Two dipping sauces were also provided to accompany the salad rolls we ordered. One was a sweetened but diluted fish sauce. The other was a mix of peanut butter and hoisin sauce.

We ordered two types of salad rolls. On the left was the Nem Nuong Cuon 燒稔肉沙拉卷 (#F, Grilled Pork Patty Salad Roll). The meat itself was a little too sweet and too salty, even when it's wrapped in a roll with lettuce and vermicelli. One the right was the Goi Cuon 越式沙拉卷 (#A, Shrimp & Pork Salad Roll). In comparison to last night's order at Green Lemongrass (photo), both rolls were weak and small. Shrimp quality wasn't the greatest.

My bowl of Dat Biet Nuoc Hu Tieu 特別湯麵 (#23, Special Pork Noodle Soup) came first. The pork broth was light yet rich. Ample and good varieties including shrimp, squid, pork, pig blood/heart/liver and pork hock. With a choice of rice noodles, thin egg noodles or both, I went with rice noodles. Yes, the soup broth was HOT!

Buddha Boy had the Pho Dac Biet 特別牛肉粉 (#1, Special Mixed Beef with Rice Noodle Soup). Buddha Boy enjoyed the pho broth here a lot more than Green Lemongrass. He thought it had more depth and more tastes of roasted onions. Ample amount of meat in a hot soup...perfect for the cold weather!

Despite the miss on the salad rolls, we enjoyed our visit. Buddha Boy and I plan to visit again to try some other items on the menu...such as Canh Ga Chien 炸雞翼 (#M, Garlic Butter Chicken Wings), Goi Ngo Sen Tom Thit 蝦豬肉連藕絲沙拉卷 (#M, Lotus Salad) and Bo Tai Chanh 生牛肉片配檸檬汁 (#O, Vietnamese Style Beef Sashimi).

2012-01-09 Lunch @ Green Lemongrass

2012-01-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

1086 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

604-875-6638

My poor husband got hit by the flu. Whenever Buddha Boy's under the weather, he almost always wanted pho. With so many choices along Kingsway, Buddha Boy chose Green Lemongrass...yes, we're here once again...hahaha!

I love basil!!! All that basil just for me!!! Yup, I'm one of those crazy people that will put all that basil in my pho...plus the lemon...but not so much the bean sprouts.

Personally, I like the Phnom Penh Rolls here, but since my husband was the sick patient, I went with his preference. The Goi Cuon 沙拉卷 (#A2, Salad Rolls) had shrimp, pork, vermicelli, lettuce and bean sprouts. Nothing extraordinary.

I really shouldn't allowed Buddha Boy having this...but I was weak...hahaha! The Nem Nuong 燒稔肉 (#A8, Char-Broiled Minced Pork) had a good texture with a light sweetness that kinda reminded me of Taiwanese sausages...LOL!

Buddha Boy's Pho Dac Biet 特別牛肉粉 (#P2, House Special) came with beef brisket, soft tendon, tripe, rare round steak and beef balls. Pretty standard. Buddha Boy's only complaint, the soup broth was not hot enough.

I had The Hu Tieu Ha Tien 海鮮豬肉虾饼裸條 (#T17, Seafood & Pork Noodle Soup). Again, nothing much to comment because it's pretty straight forward. Just like Buddha Boy's pho, the soup broth was not hot, a bit disappointing for the cold weather.

2012-01-08 Dinner @ IKEA Restaurant

2012-01-08T23:55:00.000-08:00

1000 Lougheed Highway, Coquitlam, BC

604-636-1000

My veggie day...where to eat? Since we're picking up a shelf from IKEA, why not have a budget dinner there? After all, there must be some kind of vegetarian dish for me.

Buddha Boy's Chicken Combo came with a quarter BBQ chicken and fries. The chicken was dry and chewy. The fries were not the greatest quality, but we were lucky to get a fresh batch.

Of course, Buddha Boy loves cheap meat, so he must order the Meatball Combo, which had fifteen pics of beef meatballs with mashed potatoes, gravy and lingonberry jam. Again, nothing special, just frozen meatballs commonly seen in supermarkets.

A stale piece of Garlic Bread...okay Buddha Boy, let's not complain too much here, it's only fifty cents.

What? No vegetarian pasta for me? Grrr...my only choice left was the Organic Crepes (spinach and cheese) with mixed vegetables on the side. The filling was cold and the crepe was only lukewarm. Again, don't complain too much here Buddha Girl...it's only $3.99.

FYI, the gravy at IKEA is vegetarian...I was so excited when I found out about it and immediately jumped on the chance of having a Mashed Potato with Gravy!!! An ATF of mine!!! Of course, the gravy is no where close to La Belle Patate...but for the moment, I was satisfied! LOL!

All said and done, our meal was less than $22...not the greatest, but was definitely one of the cheapest meals for us.

2012-01-06 Dinner @ Benss Cafe 本色時尚餐廳

2012-01-06T23:55:00.002-08:00

5628 Victoria Drive, Vancouver, BC

604-558-3839

After our visits last year to The One Spot Soup House (湯.com), we've been raving about it to MomJ...finally, a year later, we attempted to take her there for dinner only to find that it's packed with a waiting list!!! The three hungry stomachs didn't want to wait, so we drove off and sourced food elsewhere. On our way to the new Sandy La (formerly Nancy's Wonton House 鎮記), we noticed another new HK-style cafe on Victoria Drive. Hey, since it's not busy, let's try it.

The restaurant was purple...yup, very purple. It felt..."cold"...maybe because of the interior color? Again...purple. I was not too impressed when I saw the soy sauce stains on our table...not a good start...

Knowing me, I jumped on the chance to try fish soup noodles wherever it's offered. I had Udon in Parsley & Century Eggs Fish Soup (properly speaking, it's cilantro, not parsley) with Vietnamese Ham 扎肉 and Deep Fried Sliced Fish Cake 炸魚片. I asked for no napa cabbage 大白菜 (紹菜) and no bean curd (腐皮). After adding approximately two teaspoon-full of white pepper and two tablespoon-full of hot sauce, the soup broth was still fishy...yes, the fish soup broth was horrendously fishy. It was so gross that I had to quit after eating barely one third of it.

My $7.50 combo, not including tax and gratuity, also came with a drink. The Almond Milk 杏仁霜 was just a standard powdered drink.

No limitations on the $1.50 side orders? Good for us!!! The Pan Fried Pork Chop in Maggi Sauce 特色炸豬扒 (top left) was a good bang for the buck, but no "Maggi" taste. The Pan Fried Boneless Chicken in Teriyaki Sauce 照燒雞扒 was Buddha Boy's favorite out of the four sides. The chicken was moist and well marinated, but the teriyaki sauce was weak. MomJ and I liked the Deep-Fried Pork Chop 吉列豬扒 (bottom left). Tenderized meat with crispy breading, the chop was done well. Finally, while the Deep Fried Fish Fillet 吉列魚柳 was done nicely, I just don't like basa.

The Sweet & Sour Pork 菠蘿咕嚕肉 was a must try for us. The pork was under-seasoned and the coating was a bit thick, but it was crispy. The sweet and sour sauce lacked flavors every which way, it was neither sweet nor sour. Now to the pineapple chunks...some pieces were rancid and some weren't...yuck! Usually, I would bitch about it to the servers, but since nothing was good so far...we didn't bother, we wouldn't be back anyways.

A bowl of Soup of the Day 老火列湯 accompanied the Sweet & Sour Pork. MomJ said it's simply MSG soup, but Buddha Boy and I thought it was not bad, not much MSG, at least we weren't thirsty after sharing this.

MomJ and Buddha Boy each went with a clay rice pot. MomJ had the Benss Style Clay Pot Rice Topped w/ Pork Jowl & Preserved Vegetable 炸菜豬頸脊煲仔飯. Despite the horrible-tasting soup noodles, MomJ's clay pot rice was quite the opposite. The rice was done properly with good crusting on the bottom. The pork cheeks were tender yet crunchy, and were marinated well to give it a nice flavor. Not much taste with the preserved veggies, probably some cheap brand.

Buddha Boy's Benss Style Clay Pot Rice Topped w/ Minced Pork Cake & Salted Fish 鹹魚肉餅煲仔飯 was not as enjoyable as MomJ's rice pot, but it was infinity times better than my soup noodles (yes, I'm still choked about it). The minced pork patty was bad, they added so much baking soda that I could taste and "feel" it. Imagine the spongy texture of those dim sum beef balls? Well, it's ten times spongier than that. To properly make the minced pork, you just need to get fresh ground pork and mix it only in one direction. This method will prevent having that spongy texture, and the patty will be plump and firm. The soy sauce for the rice was on the table...yes, it was no doubt better than James Snacks 占士叻煲仔飯, but it wasn't as good as The One Spot Soup House (湯.com),

Will we visit again? With only MomJ's rice pot being decent? Probably not. If we do, we would only stick with some kind of fried rice or something. Stay away from the fish soup noodles...YUCK!!!

2012-01-06 AYCE @ Salam Bombay

2012-01-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

755 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC

604-681-6300

It's another lunch date with Buddha Boy. Since I've been craving for some butter chicken, Buddha Boy took me to this AYCE restaurant just around the corner from his office.

It's extremely inappropriate for me to talk about good or bad of any dishes because my knowledge of Indian cuisine is really limited to only butter chicken, tandoori chicken and naan, So, I'm gonna take the simple route and just post pictures with labels for this $15/person (plus tax & gratuity) lunch buffet,

LEFT = Pickles ~~ RIGHT = Mint Cutney

Raita

LEFT = Papdi Chat ~~ RIGHT = Green Salad

Pulao Rice

LEFT = Butter Chicken ~~ RIGHT = Tandoori Chicken

Lamb Kofta

Crab Cutlet

LEFT = Kadi Pakodi ~~ RIGHT = Shahi Panir

LEFT = Yellow Daal Tadka ~~ RIGHT = Alu Baingan

LEFT = Rice Pudding ~~ RIGHT = Fresh Fruits

Naan...so light and crispy!!! One of Buddha Boy's favorite place for it!!!

The restaurant was spacious and clean. Service was friendly...but forgetful!!! The manager forgot my order of 7-Up and the server forgot to refill our water glasses. Despite the minor misses, I enjoyed the food and will definitely ask Buddha Boy to take me here again...YUM!!!

2012-01-05 Dinner @ Hee Rae Dung Korean Chinese Restaurant 喜來燈

2012-01-05T23:55:00.000-08:00

435 North Road, Coquitlam, BC

604-939-0649

Since Buddha Boy got off work early, plus we had to pick up our delayed Christmas gift at Coquitlam Centre, we decided to head for this Korean-style Chinese restaurant on North Road. This restaurant has been on Buddha Boy's priority list ever since he read about it on Foodology.

Right after we ordered, we were served with a plate of Pickled Daikon, Black Bean Paste and raw Onions.

First to arrive was Buddha Boy's Koon Man Du (#44), or Deep Fried Dumplings. The chive and pork filling was flavorful but was a bit on the saltier side. Good ratio of chive to pork with good amount of green onions. Accompanied in the middle was a simple Cabbage Salad with Thousand Island dressing, simple yet refreshing.

Next was the Jjam Ja Myun (#28), which had both Jjam Bong (spicy seafood with noodle soup) and Ja Jang Myun (vegetable, pork and black bean sauce on noodle). I didn't enjoy the dry noodles (with black bean sauce) simply because I've never a fan of Jajangmyeon, the Korean-style of Chinese Zha-Jiang-Mian (炸醬麵). Buddha Boy, who has never tried it before, thought it's a bit boring, he prefers the Chinese-style with nothing but sauce and meat...lots of meat...hahahaha! The soup noodles were not spicy, but had that spicy fragrance that lingered around in the throat. For the price, it had a good amount and selections of seafood (squid, scallops, shrimps). Noodles were al-dente.

Buddha Boy already scouted out the menu before we came so he knew exactly what he wanted. Our final dish was his favorite dish of the night, the Kan Poong Ki (#2), or Sweet & Spicy Fried Chicken. The chicken was moist with crispy outer coating...perfectly deep-fried. The sweet & spicy sauce had just the right amount of flavors without overpowering each other. Buddha Boy enjoyed this so much that he couldn't stop talking about it for days!!!

Originally, we wanted to order more, thank goodness we didn't because the portions were quite big...and trust me, when we say big, it's BIG!!! We were so stuffed with ONLY three items!!! Overall, we enjoyed our visit here. Service was a bit slow but was thoughtful when attention was given. Kitchen was also slow when busy, but it was worth the wait.

2012-01-04 Lunch @ Ramen Jinya 陣家

2012-01-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

270 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC

604-568-9711

Honestly, ramen and I never really clicked. Growing up as a northern-Chinese descendent with two live-in chefs that specialized in northern-Chinese and Shanghai cuisines, my noodle preference would be thick, handmade and extremely Q (usually require kneading for approximately an hour). With that bias, it's quite inappropriate for me to talk about ramen...I simply don't know what's consider good or bad. Simply speaking, my post, my experience, my thoughts.

Butter chicken or ramen? With such a chilly weather, I opted to warm up with a bowl of noodles. So driving just around the corner from Grounds For Appeal (my favorite place for butter chicken) was this ramen shop that seemed to get a lot of attention lately.

Other than the noodles (al-dente for me), the Spicy Tonkatsu Ramen was disappointing. The meat was braised to a "melt-in-your-mouth" tenderness, but the "rumbled-in-your-stomach" fat was unbearable. The broth was porky, but it was extremely greasy and oily. To add more to the damage, the saltiness had me chucking down two glasses of water. In the end, I only managed to finish half of the bowl and left the rest...so not me.

My ramen was served in a large and deep bowl, which was okay, but the spoon provided was a soup spoon that's commonly used in Chinese households as a serving spoon, not an individual spoon. I don't know about others, but I wasn't too comfortable eating with an over-sized spoon that's the same length as my chopsticks.

So far, other than the time I visited Benkei Ramen on Robson (see post 2011-02-16 Lunch @ Benkei Ramen) with Gloria from I'm Busy Eating (formerly Fork or Chopstick?), I have not yet found another compatible bowl of ramen...it's really not the ramen...it's me, all me...LOL!!!

2012-01-03 Lunch @ Hapa Umi 海

2012-01-03T13:00:00.000-08:00

909 West Cordova Street, Vancouver, BC

604-420-4272

THANK YOU MR. & MRS. CRISPY LECHON!!!

Mr. & Mrs. Crispy showered us with a Living Social voucher for Hapa Umi. Initially, Buddha Girl and I planned to order just a bit over $60, then head over to VCC Cafeteria or Feastro the Rolling Bistro to top up the tank. But our plan didn't go very well, we were packed...overstuffed. Oh, btw, this was a lunch meal.

We arrived a bit after opening and was seated right away. Our server quickly greeted us with tea. The interior design was not very Japanese, instead, it's simple, chic and trendy, we liked it.

For some reason, I wanted a Negitoro. There was a nice balance of rice and tuna. The tuna was smooth, and was mixed nicely with the green onions. Dipped in a bit of soy and this was simple and good, well recommended.

Buddha Girl wanted Spicy Scallop Cone, usually she's never in for sushi cones. Surprisingly, as much as it looked like it's drenched in a lot of sauce, it wasn't. The scallops were probably frozen, but were freshly frozen. Honestly, this was quite nice, we both enjoyed this.

Kakuni and Scallop caught our attention, it's basically soy-braised pork belly and seared scallop. The pork belly braised perfectly to fork tender, and, surprisingly, not salty at all. The major flaw was the overcooked scallops.

Each order of Daily Fish Tacos came in two. Our server was very attentive and separated the order to two plates and provided each with a small soup. Not sure what fish was used but it was nicely cooked and seasoned. The smooth guacamole and creamy serrano tartar sauce added a nice freshness to the overall package. The tortilla was soft, tender and warm. Fresh cilantro, lettuce and tomatoes all balanced well together. The seaweed didn't really stand out, I would have preferred furikake instead.

Getting close to the end, we had the Kani Pasta. Al dente pasta with rich and creamy sauce, almost too rich. The richness was too apparent that the crab was forgotten. Honestly, the first few bites were good, but the richness gradually hit us.

Yup, I just had to have something deep fried, so Chicken Karaage it was. The chicken was lightly seasoned and was very moist, but was nothing special.

We ended up ordering quite a bit for the two of us, well, when do we not? After the voucher, we paid just a little under $30 (balance plus tips). Overall, we enjoyed our visit and was satisfied with the food and service. Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Crispy Lechon for spoiling us with this wonderful gift.

Yes, my wife's crazy, she even took pictures of the bathroom...thank goodness no residues in the toilet...

2012-01-02 Snacks @ Shanghai Ting 上海亭美食

2012-01-02T23:55:00.000-08:00

#1130 - 4540 No.3 Road, Richmond

604-278-8335

We were hungry...and since we were running errands in Richmond...plus we had some time to kill before meeting up with Seto-san and Yipster at Phnom Penh, we dragged CW to have something to snack on. Our previous visits to this Shanghai stall in Empire Centre were satisfying (see post 2010-07-18 Quick Lunch @ Food Courts and 2010-08-08 Quick Lunch @ Shanghai Ting), but after reading Janice's disappointing visit (see post Sad XLB: Shanghai Ting 上海亭美食), consistency was nowhere to be seen...so Buddha Boy and I wanted to check it out again.

Since it was chilly, on top of the XLB, I ordered a Vegetable Pork Wonton in Soup 薺菜豬肉餛飩. The wontons had very limited amount of shepherd's purse 薺菜. The wontons were overcooked. The soup was bland.

Between this visit, our last two visits (photo & photo) and Janice's visit (photo), inconsistency was clearly to blame...all the Shanghai Steamed Pork Buns 上海小籠包 looked different...WTF?

The skin was thin but loose. The soup was oily and salty. The meat had this freezer-burn taste. I had this place as my #4 place for XLB in 604, but now...need I say more? I'll just stick with Long's Noodle House 小龍記麵家.

2012-01-01 Dinner @ Dasarang Chicken

2012-01-01T23:55:00.000-08:00

4501 North Road, Burnaby, BC

604-568-7711

Originally, we wanted to try Hee Rae Dung 喜來燈 (it's been on Buddha Boy's radar ever since he read the post on Foodology), but the chubby couple forgot to check Urbanspoon...grrr...it's closed on Sundays!!! We ended up turning into this plaza because we saw two restaurants with their "OPEN" signs on.

After looking at the menus posted on both restaurants' windows, we settled with Dasarang Chicken...mainly because...it's deep-fried chicken!!! LOL!

After we ordered we were served with a Cabbage Salad and a small dish of Pickled Daikon. Not sure why a small dish of salt & pepper was also served...please educate us.

While Buddha Boy paid his focus to all the deep fried items, I had my eyes set on Pan Fried Chicken Gizzard with Veggie, or Moraejip. At $12.95, I thought the price was a bit on the higher side. Very good ratio of gizzards to fresh, crisp vegetables (mainly cabbage). The gizzards were tender while maintained the crunch...done perfectly! Lightly seasoned with salt, the two accompanied sauces (not exactly sure what type of sauces) weren't really needed.

From the deep-fried, Buddha Boy ordered a Half & Half. Yangnyeom Chicken (left) was simply deep-fried chicken smothered in a sweet & spicy sauce. The spicy was not hot (well, not for us) but it did had a kick. The sweetness tasted a bit like plum or hawthorn...very interesting. The right was just regular deep-fried chicken. Both halves were deep-fried nicely with crispy outer skin and tender moist meat.

We couldn't recall the name of this dish, but it's basically deep-fried boneless chicken with chili and garlic then sprinkled with sesame. This may not look spicy, but it really hit the spots. This kinda reminded me of Taiwanese salty & peppery chicken 鹽酥雞...hahahaha!

The servers were friendly but inexperienced and inattentive. The restaurant looked clean, but the rotten smell of spilled drinks (most likely beer) trapped in the bench upholstery stuck to our cloth...yes, our clothes smelled like yeast. While the food was enjoyable (and we do plan to visit again), after all, it's just deep-fried chicken.

2012-01-01 Snacks @ Al Basha

2012-01-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

3143 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC

604-568-8841

After a disappointing and an extremely unsatisfying NYE dinner at Shanghai River 滬江海派料理 (expensive with mediocre food...so overrated), Buddha Boy and I needed more food. We originally had Donair Dude in mind, but avoiding Downtown on new year's eve was also a top priority. In the end, we visited Al Basha and grabbed a couple of plates to go. Because we did not consume the food until half past midnight...this meal was, technically, our first for 2012...wahahahaha!

Funny thing was, we all had party/outing invitations, but somehow...we all chose to stay in for night...yup, we're lazy. The four of us (including Buddha Dog) all met up in the living room three minutes before twelve waiting to toast with our glasses (a bowl for Buddha Dog). MomJ had a Glenfiddich, I had an orange juice, Buddha Boy had a Diet Coke (with a couple of lime wedges) and Buddha Dog had water...yup, we're one weird family.

At any donair shops, with common offerings of lamb, beef or chicken, the latter has always been my one and only choice. The Chicken Plate had very generous amount of meat topped with drizzles of yogurt-like white sauce and hot sauce...(as you can tell, I'm not too knowledge in such food). Unlike our last visit where the chicken was a bit dry, this time, it was tender and moist. I like the rice, but not sure what was used for the flavors. The hummus was creamy with a strong garlic taste, the drizzles of olive oil was not needed. Nothing special about the salad.

Buddha Boy ordered the Beef Plate...we knew right away that it was a mistake when we saw the owner started heating thinly pre-sliced meats on a small electric griddle. Watching the preparation was painful...and yup, the result was dry and disappointing.

2011-12-30 Dinner @ Bellis Fair

2011-12-30T23:55:00.000-08:00

Momo and her boyfriend, TallGuy, bought MomJ a set of four tires from the States, the only thing was, we had to pick up the tires ourselves. So after work, Buddha Boy and I went for a quick trip down south and had a simple dinner at the food court in Bellis Fair.

KOJO OF JAPAN

360-671-8674

Knowing Buddha Boy, he went around studying all the menus from all the stalls then settled with the same old same old...

The Teriyaki Chicken on Rice was something that won't go too wrong...a safer choice for the big boy. Overcooked chicken with over-sweetened teriyaki sauce...yup, explained the food court quality.

THE LOTUS GRILL

360-671-5540

I was on a butter chicken kick lately but have not yet been able to have any!!! I was so desperate to the point that I went with this newly opened stall that offered butter chicken...

Sorry, I couldn't recall the price for my three-item combo. I opted for Butter Chicken (of course), Mixed Vegetables and Tandoori Chicken. The chicken in the butter chicken was tough and dry. The sauce tasted like store-bought jars. The zucchini and eggplant mix surprised me. The vegetables had a nice crunch, not that raw-textured taste. The tandoori chicken was a fail...simply one word, dry.

I don't know much about Naan so I could only tell you that this naan was quite light with a nice outer crispness. Buddha Boy said this was one of the better ones he has had...so I would trust his words.

Buddha Dog was very excited to see us...that's until I put him inside the tower of tires...wahahaha! Yes...I was mean...

The poor baby was traumatized for the rest of the night and refused to answer to me...he was pissed!!! Hahahaha!