O My Sweet Tooth!

美味關係 The One Restaurant, Burnaby

2011-08-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have read a lot about The One Restaurant, but never got around to visiting it since Burnaby is so far away from me! I finally had the chance before our night stroll in Central Park since LT lives so close to Burnaby.

蜂蜜綠奶茶
Honey Green Milk Tea (Large)

$5.50

I had a Honey Green Milk Tea, which was pretty good!

鹽酥雞
Salty Deep Fried Chicken Nuggets

$5.75

Flavour-wise this was pretty good. Would be better if it was less battered and smaller.

皇家奶茶
Royal Milk Tea (Large)

$5.50

LT's Royal Milk Tea had a really strong black tea aroma.

I saw a customer from the table beside us ordered a slush and it looked huge! Next time I am going to order that!

♥ Elaine XOXO

The One Restaurant
5908 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC
View Map

BierCraft Bistro, Vancouver

2011-08-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

BierCraft Bistro, formerly named Stella's, is a restaurant that offers a variety of beer selections.

I have always been curious about this place, but the only time I visited was for desserts. Therefore, for LT's birthday, I decided to pick BierCraft Bistro as the location.

Complimentary Chips

They served us complimentary chips rather than the usual bread, and it was some pretty good chips. They were similar to Miss Vickie's potato chips both in flavour and texture.

Mort Subite Framboise

Thick raspberry aroma. Flavour is fruity and sweet throughout. Ends sweet, yet slightly dry.
$13.00

I don't usually like drinking beer, but I love fruit beers, because they taste just like fruit-flavoured pop! The raspberry beer wasn't as sweet as I would like it to be, but the raspberry aroma was very strong.

Mort Subite Framboise

They also come in very unique bottles, although the prices are very steep!

Chapeau Apricot Lambic

Taste is very sweet apricots, some spice and a bit of tartness. The finish is similar to the syrupy fruitiness of canned fruit.
$13.00

LT's apricot beer was a pretty girly drink hahaha. It was almost just like apricot juice. I liked it a lot! I am totally going to order it next time!

Gulden Draak

A strong dark ale with chocolate and coffee overtones. Aroma of sugary yeast, caramel, malt and alcohol.
$9.75

I am not particular fond of dark ales as they are usually more bitter. I couldn't really taste any of the chocolate and coffee overtones from the one sip that I took.

Calamari

Flash fried calamari, key lime & chili dusted, cilantro citrus aioli
$11.00

The Calamari was pretty standard. It could've used a little more batter so it would be more crisp.

Warm Tuna Nicoise

Seared Yellowfin tuna steak, green beans, mini red potatoes, cherry tomatoes, olive tapenade, balsamic glaze
$20.00

I don't remember much from this main except that it tasted kind of like chicken. I don't know why but cooked tuna always taste like chicken to me.

Wild Mushroom Penne

Seasonal exotic mushrooms, roasted garlic, fresh thyme in a citrus cream sauce
$20.00

The pasta was very flavourful and cooked to just the right texture. It would be even better if the sauce was infused with mushrooms somehow too. Please excuse the blurry picture. It's hard taking pictures in a dark restaurant!

Forgot what this was...

Madrid Mussels (1 lb)

Chorizo sausage, plum tomatoes, white wine, serrano chilis
$15.50

I ordered the Madrid Mussels, which came in a very savoury broth with a hint of spiciness. It was slightly over-salted, but I suppose if you eat it with bread or Belgian fries it would've been fine. The mussels were a bit disappointing because they were not plump enough. For quite a few of them, they were stringy when I tried to take the meat off from the shell. The plum tomatores and Chorizo sausage really enhanced this dish though!

Chocolate Torte

Gluten free Belgian chocolate torte, creme Anglaise & caramel sauce
$7.50

This was given to LT on the house, since it was his birthday. They normally serve this on their menu too. This was surprisingly very good! The torte wasn't too sweet yet it wasn't bitter from the dark chocolate. The caramel sauce was also light on the sweetness. The texture of this was almost like a mixture of truffle and chocolate. I would totally order this again!

I forgot to take a picture of the dessert by itself so I have to block LT's face hahaha!

♥ Elaine XOXO

BierCraft Bistro
3305 Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC
View Map

歡欣餐廳 Alleluia Cafe, Richmond

2011-07-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

After attempting to learn how to bike, LT and I decided to grab dinner at a casual place, since he wore a beater =P

羅宋湯
Borsch

The Borsch came with our meals I think. It was basically a ton of ketchup mixed with water =S

凍檸蜜
Cold Honey Lemon

This is my standard drink =P

This was fish fillets cooked with eggplants. Unfortunately the eggplants weren't cooked long enough with the sauce, so the flavour didn't seep in yet. However, the fish fillets were very soft and flavourful! Loved it!

This was some sort of Szechuan chicken dish. The chicken was nice and tender, but there were a lot of fillers. LT even asked the waitress whether the dish is hot or cold after his previous experience at Landmark Hot Pot House LMAO!

♥ Elaine XOXO

Alleluia Cafe
8131 Westminster Highway
Richmond, BC
View Map

Mr. Zhang Szechuan Restaurant, Vancouver

2011-07-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

On a lazy Canada Day, I decided to have dinner with JL and CL. We wanted to go to Shima-Ya but it was way too packed!

This was a complimentary item. It was marinated very well and the meat was tender.

熗土豆絲
Potato Thread

This was also a complimentary item. They were savoury but I would like them better if they were dressed with vinegar.

魚香茄子
Eggplant With Sour Spicy Sauce

$8.50

This was my favourite dish of the night. The eggplant was cooked very soft, just the way I like them to be. Although it was not spicy, the sweet and sour flavour was very appetizing!

夫妻肺片（小）
Beef Tripe With Red Chili And Spicy Sauce (Small)

$3.50

The portions were really decent for the small size. It was decently spicy too!

羊肉串
Lamb Skewer

$1.25/skewer

The lamb was a bit overcooked so it was not that tender and juicy, but I did like how it had a lot of spices on there.

炸饅頭片
Fried Bun Slices

$2.50

The bun slices were a bit big and inconvenient for dipping the condensed milk in.

川東熏鴨子（半只）
Salted Duck (Half)

$12.98

Although slightly overcooked, the smoked duck was still pretty tender. The skin was crisp with an optimal amount of fat under it. I loved how there was a strong smoky aroma!

♥ Elaine XOXO

Mr. Zhang Szechuan Restaurant
5628 Victoria Drive
Vancouver, BC
View Map

勝記（中心店）Sheng Ji (Zhong Xin Dian), 深圳 Shen Zhen

2011-07-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

Right after I arrived in China, my family took me to dim sum at Sheng Ji. It's a place that we dine at quite often, both lunch and dinner.

Complimentary Appetizer

This bean curd skin was a complimentary appetizer! It was really good!

Complimentary Appetizer

The black fungus was pretty standard.

Complimentary Appetizer

This was my favourite! Better than any of the pig ears I have had in Vancouver hahaha!

The restaurant gives you a plastic wrapper for your phone in order to protect it when they fill your tea, just in case they spill it on your phone and you ask them to pay hahaha!

沙姜豬手
Pork Hock W/ Vinegar

58.00 RMB

Please excuse my horrible English translation LMAO I don't usually like pork hock, but the vinegar flavour seeped into the meat very well and it was quite appetizing.

韭菜燴新鮮豬紅
Pork Blood Braised W/ Chives

13.80 RMB

This was sort of like a savoury stew and they ask if you want pepper on it. The pork blood was very good. Soft but chewy enough to not fall apart when you pick it up with the chopstick. Surprisingly I didn't realize the chives were there!

白灼田園鴛鴦菜
Blanched Vegetables

16.80 RMB

This was standard.

燒鵝
Roast Goose

65.00 RMB

The Roast Duck was not the best I have had, but it was pretty good, especially when I can't even get them in Vancouver >< There was a lot of meat under the skin and the fat to lean ratio was perfect! I would've wished for a more crispy skin though!

黃沙蜆（豉汁焗）
Clams Baked W/ Soya Sauce

36.00 RMB

I don't really like such small clams LMAO I can barely taste the meat...

芝士焗番薯
Baked Sweet Potato W/ Cheese

20.70 RMB

I actually like the sweet potato with cheese combination better than normal potato! Unfortunately I think they should've put more cheese on there!

鮑魚汁燜鳳爪
Braised Chicken Feet W/ Abalone Sauce

32.00 RMB

I prefer the skin of the chicken feet cooked to softer. This was a bit too chewy for my liking and it wasn't too flavourful.

一品香滑芋茸包
Taro Bun

13.80 RMB

一品香滑芋茸包
Taro Bun

The Taro Bun was pretty good, but I wish the taro flavour was stronger.

鬆軟蚝皇叉燒包
Steamed Pork BBQ Bun

13.80 RMB

I don't really like pork BBQ bun so I didn't have any of this...

四式菜汁蝦餃皇
Shrimp Dumplings

50.00 RMB

These Shrimp Dumplings looked very interesting, but the skin was really thick. The colour from the skin came from vegetable juice.

清香欖仁馬蹄腸
Water Chestnut Roll

16.80 RMB

This was quite different to the usual rice rolls served at dim sum places. It was sweet and quite refreshing. You get peanut sauce as a side dip.

醬皇豉汁蒸鳳爪
Chicken Feet Steamed W/ Soya Sauce

16.80 RMB

This was decent. Flavourful and tender.

粗糧流金蕎麥包
Salted Egg Yolk Bun

13.80 RMB

This tasted really sweet. It was more like creamy custard bun more than salted egg yolk.

粗糧流金蕎麥包
Salted Egg Yolk Buckwheat Bun

It was also not liquid-y enough.

新派細細炸春捲
Thin Spring Rolls

13.80 RMB

They were suppose to have shrimps in them but I could barely taste them!

四寶鮮蝦蒸燒賣
Steamed Pork Dumplings W/ Shrimp

25.00 RMB

I don't know why the pork in siu mai's in Vancouver never taste as good as the ones in Asia. It's always too fatty. Although the shrimp used in Vancouver is always plump and fresh, they are never as flavourful either. I missed siu mai in Asia!

♥ Elaine XOXO

勝記（中心店）Sheng Ji (Zhong Xin Dian)
福田區深南大道 4019 號航天大廈 B 座 2 樓
Fu Tian Qu Shen Nan Da Dao 4019 Hao Hang Tian Da Sha B Zuo 2 Lou

Cazba, North Vancouver

2011-07-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

As a food blogger, I am always open to new food and ideas (to a certain extent). Hence I wanted my coworker RD to introduce me to his world of Persian food! We made a trip all the way to North Vancouver to try Cazba out!

It's worth noting that my buddy's new favourite line to say to me is: "Trying new things is overrated." Well I am Chinese and I eat almost everything, but I also respect people who have specific preferences with their food (like how I hate onions). However, I do feel like RD should be more open to the variety of food available in Vancouver because he's missing out!

Mast-O Moosir

Yogurt with shallots.
$2.95

Believe it or not, this is actually the first time I have had this sort of yogurt dip. The tangy and creamy yogurt was very appetizing and more than enough for the two of us to eat with the pita bread!

On a side note, I have been drinking a lot of Diet Pepsi lately because it's 0 calories, but I am quite skeptical about that fact...

Pita

I don't usually eat pita bread at Greek restaurants because they are really thick. I am not a big bread person and that just makes me feel like I am consuming flour. I like how it's a thin wrap here where you can stuff the yogurt dip in the middle. However, I did find it a bit stale and I wish it was warm and fresh.

Jujeh Kabob (Without Bone)

One skewer of boneless chicken breast served with half rice & salad and grilled tomato.
$8.95

The portions are actually really huge here for under $10! I was surprised at how incredibly tender the chicken was although it was suppose to be breast meat. However it did get a little dry near the end of the meal. It would've been better if the meat was more moist (less overcooked). The chicken was marinated very well and loaded with flavours and there was also a hint of smoky taste. The juice from the meat mixed with rice was also lovely! This is the first time I have seen a grilled tomato but it was nothing too memorable =P

Trying out a new cuisine for me this time wasn't that hard, since I find Persian food pretty similar to the Greek food that I usually eat. The usual meat skewer, rice and salad combination! I wonder how these two cuisines got influences from each other?

♥ Elaine XOXO

Cazba
132 West 16th Street
North Vancouver, BC
View Map

Airline Meals: Cathay Pacific

2011-07-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

I will be back in Asia for about a month, so there will be posts about food in Hong Kong and China! Cathay Pacific is my usual airline for going to Hong Kong, as I think they have better service and food than Air Canada!

Supper

Prawn salad; chicken steamed with mushrooms, steamed jasmine rice and mixed vegetables; Haagen-Dazs ice cream

I took the 2:45AM flight, so this was my dinner. The Prawn Salad was actually really good, it had many chunks of imitation crab in there and the prawns were fresh and plump. I wish there were a little more veggies though! As for the main course, the chicken was actually tender and flavourful. The veggies were bland as they were just steamed. The meal was not bad for airline food.

I forgot to take a picture of the ice cream, but it was basically the smaller size popsicle ones. I remember you used to have to request it, but now it comes with your dinner! Super awesome!

I didn't eat the cookie because I don't like oatmeal cookies. The bread was soso but you can't expect much for bread on the flight.

Breakfast

Seasonal fresh fruit; scrambled eggs Huevos Rancheros, parsley diced potatoes, pork sausage and spinach; croissant with fruit preserve and butter

I usually like the breakfast on the flight better than other meals. I think because they are easier to make. I had a croissant sandwich once on the Cathay Pacific flight and it was the best I have ever had! Too bad they don't have it this time around!

Croissant

The croissant was soft and buttery, but a bit soggy and not as flaky. It was pretty good.

Scrambled Eggs Huevos Rancheros, Parsley Diced Potatoes, Pork Sausage & Spinach

I love pork sausages for breakfast! They are always good! The scrambled eggs weren't bad either. Nice and fluffy. The spinach was a bit weird so I skipped that.

Strawberry Yogurt

It's a pretty big meal. There was also strawberry yogurt.

Seasonal Fresh Fruit

The melon and honey dew were both fairly sweet!

Airline food is getting better and better! I look forward to my return flight!

♥ Elaine XOXO

茶井 Well Tea, Richmond

2011-07-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

After visiting my awesome teachers from my highschool, I decided to have lunch at Well Tea, as I was craving for shaved ice!

胚芽奶茶（熱）
Wheat Germ Milk Tea (Hot)

$4.25

This is ES's drink. I have no idea they put wheat germ on the side now. I was so amused hahaha!

蜂蜜奶茶
Honey Milk Tea

$4.00

9 King had the Honey Milk Tea. I usually get the green tea version of it =P

傳統刨冰
Ice Plate

煉奶、芋頭、紅豆
Condensed milk, taro, red beans
$4.00

Their shaved ice was disappointing. The taro was quite hard and had a weird taste to it. I chose the black sugar option, which was slightly more expensive, but I regret it because I realized I don't like the distinct taste. The ice particles were also too chunky. The good part was that they give an ample amount of condensed milk, which was more dense in texture than the ones I am used to, and also a little sweeter.

I easily finished this entire plate. Sigh. My diet...

炸醬麵
Dry Noodle In House Special Meat Sauce

$6.75

Among the three of us, ES was the only one that had a real lunch LMAO She said it was not bad.

♥ Elaine XOXO

Well Tea
4811 Hazelbridge Way
Richmond, BC
View Map

Benkei Ramen (Robson), Vancouver

2011-07-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

It has probably been a year since I last visited my favourite ramen joint. I was eager to find out whether the quality has stayed the same, as I have heard some negative feedback about their other newly-opened locations. Their menu has changed and it looks nicer now!

I remember the Akaoni used to be served in a limited quantity and I would get super pissed off if me and my friends shopped too late and they run out of it. I don't eat non-spicy ramen hahaha!

Miso

$7.80

PP's Miso is basically a non-spicy version of the Akaoni. He claims that if you add in the spicy sauce of theirs, it's basically the same thing. Rather than fried minced pork, the Miso comes with chasu instead. I am not sure why I didn't taste this one...oh well...

Akaoni

$8.95

And here's my all-time favourite ramen!!! The Akaoni was still as good as I remembered it to be, although it was more oily and less spicy than what it used to be. Benkei's broth has a very concentrated savoury flavour with a sweet undertone.

Akaoni

I always add a side of butter and egg with my ramen! The butter makes the broth extra rich and their soft-boiled egg is the best! They are both must add-on's!

It was definitely a very satisfying dinner with my beloved friends Polka Dot and PP. Benkei is the only place where I can finish the entire bowl of noodles because the broth is so good! I am a happy girl!

♥ Elaine XOXO

Benkei Ramen
1741 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC
View Map

春秋火鍋 Landmark Hot Pot House, Vancouver

2011-07-15T04:47:00.000-07:00

After his Rihanna concert, LT and I decided to grab a bite with DC. Landmark has a late night menu so we decided to give that a try.

DC ordered a tung choy dish, which was pretty typical, nothing too special. It's worth noting that their prices are quite high for late night =S They look like normal prices to me!

LT ordered some sort of Szechuan chicken dish, which he expected to be hot, but it turned out to be a cold dish. There was probably more fillers like peanuts than chicken.

I ordered a deep fried bun. It was okay, but very oily.

Why is it that restaurants always only give a tiny saucer of condensed milk when it's NEVER enough to dip with anyways?

Although I did have a previously good experience at Landmark with their spicy hot pot, their late night menu was disappointing and I don't plan on returning.

♥ Elaine XOXO

Landmark Hot Pot House
4023 Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC
View Map

百分百甜品 100% Dessert, Richmond

2011-07-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

I love going to 100% Dessert in the summer for their icy desserts to relieve the summer heat, although it hasn't been that hot lately =P

I always order anything with strawberries in them! I forgot to take down the name as always =P The strawberries were a bit too sour for my liking and I wish there was more condensed milk. Other than that, it was pretty refreshing. I also wish that their shaved ice particles were finer, as they were slightly too chunky.

KJ had a mango shaved ice dessert which was almost identical to mine.

It has been a year since I last came, it feels like the quality of their desserts has gone down unfortunately.

♥ Elaine XOXO

100% Dessert
8291 Westminster Highway
Richmond, BC
View Map

Capstone Tea & Fondue, Richmond

2011-07-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I last had chocolate fondue, since not a lot of places serve it in Vancouver. Capstone is one of the few that does, but it's all the way in downtown, not very convenient! Since it has finally opened up in Richmond, I decided to give it a try with VW!

Mango Pineapple Slush (No Milk)

I had a Mango Pineapple Slush as my drink, which was fairly light in flavour. The fruity tastes weren't that prominent.

Blueberry Iced Tea

While VW's drink looked very interesting, I thought it was kind of weird. It was not sweet at all...

We ordered AYCE fondue, but I think next time I would just share a single order with someone, because we didn't really replenish anything.

A lot of the fruits were still too sour to be dipped in the chocolate fondue. My favourites were the strawberries and bananas.

Chocolate Fondue

For this location, they use individual dipping pots for each person instead of a shared one. It looks very cute! They use dark chocolate for the fondue, but I like how it wasn't too bitter.

Ice-Cream Balls

For a dollar extra, we ordered a side of ice-cream balls. They are like perfect for chocolate fondue! I love how the chocolate solidifies right when you dip it in!

Ice-Cream Balls

Maybe I will just have the chocolate fondue with ice-cream balls only next time!

It was a nice and summery day, so I was wearing my big straw hat and summer attire inside the restaurant. Everybody probably thought I was weird =P

♥ Elaine XOXO

Capstone Tea & Fondue
#160-9020 Capstan Way
Richmond, BC
View Map

果間茶坊／桂花林 Bubble Fruity Revisited, Richmond

2011-07-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

After Hot Lady Hot Pot, DY wanted to go for desserts. Since she was craving for Chinese desserts, I suggested that we pay Bubble Fruity a visit. It was super packed when we arrived! Definitely a big difference in comparison to my last visit!

酒釀小丸子
Dumplings W/ Wine

$4.00

This was pretty fragrant and light. I have never had this before so I don't know how it's suppose to taste like, but I enjoyed it.

生磨杏仁糊（熱）
Almond Paste

$4.00

Normally I would order something cold, but I was feeling very sick on that day, so I ordered a hot dessert. It was not very heavy and the sweetness level was right on the spot. However, it wasn't as aromatic as the Hot Almond Powder from Lido Restaurant.

芒果西米露（冷）
Mango Flavour Sago Cream (Cold)

$4.00

This is my favourite item to get here. However lately I realized the mango flavour is not as heavy anymore. It might have something to do with whether the mangoes are in season or not.

楊枝甘露
Mango Sago Cream

$4.00

From another visit a while back, my friend ordered the Mango Sago Cream, which is basically the same as the previous item but with the addition of pomelo I think.

Visit #1

♥ Elaine XOXO

Bubble Fruity
#180-8188 Saba Road
Richmond, BC
View Map

麻辣妞妞火鍋專門店 Hot Lady Hot Pot, Richmond

2011-07-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have been craving for a decent spicy hot pot for the longest time, but Spicy Legend on Kingsway isn't too convenient for me to go to. Finally, this place opened up in Richmond, and I have read a lot of decent reviews on a Chinese forum. I decided to try it out with Buddha Girl from Food For Buddha, DY and Pokemon (as BG names her LMAO).

Sour Plum Juice
酸梅汁

$5.00/jug

This is definitely refreshing when eating hot pot ^^

特色鴛鴦鍋

$10.00

We got their double soup base, since DY and Pokemon can't take the spiciness and we also like our veggies cooked in clear broth. If we cook the veggies in a spicy broth, it absorbs all the oil and spiciness, which kind of defeats the purpose of eating them.

秘製麻辣紅湯鍋底

For the spicy soup base, you have a choice for both spiciness and numbness. We chose medium for both. It was definitely spicy enough! Finally!!! The broth was very fragrant and quite flavourful. Apparently the chef's from Szechuan. That's why =P The best spicy soup base I have had to date is from Landmark Hot Pot House.

Sauces & Seasonings

蒜蓉、芝麻醬、香菜、沙茶醬、腐乳、韭菜花。
Minced garlic, sesame sauce, cilantro, satay sauce, fermented bean curd sauce & chives flower sauce.

Everything else was $1.00 each aside from the cilantro and chives flower sauce.

豬皮、豬肚、秘製大腸、豬紅、魚豆腐、龍蝦丸。
Pork skin, pork stomach, pork intestine, pork blood, fish tofu & lobster balls.

Then the hot pot ingredients are pretty straight-forward...

肥羊片
Lamb Slices

Since I can't eat beef anymore, I eat lamb slices now for hot pot. They were pretty good. Not too gamey.

青口、秘製魚片、墨魚仔...
Mussels, fish slices, baby squid...etc.

I really don't remember what we ordered anymore...

杏鮑菇、萵筍、南瓜、芋頭、藕片，冬瓜、芋絲、黑木耳、腐竹。
Oyster mushroom, asparagus lettuce, pumpkin, taro, lotus root slices, wintermelon, konnyaku, black fungus & dried bean curd.

I don't know why their taro was like super hard. I cooked them for like half an hour and they were still so hard x___X The dried bean curd tasted super good with the spicy broth! It absorbs all the flavour! Too bad its calories are like surprisingly SUPER HIGH.

生蠔
Oyster

Limit 2 per person.

菠菜
Spinach

Gotta have my veggies =P I like them unlike someone *cough*BG*cough*

銀絲卷

Too bad they don't have the fried version of this...

鮮水餃
Fresh Dumplings

You can actually order quail eggs here o_O Very interesting! Come to think of it, I haven't had them for a while.

I really like this place and will definitely come again if I want spicy hot pot! Do make reservations before going because they are a small restaurant. There were a few items that they ran out of when we went, but that's forgivable since they are still really new. The service was pretty good too.

♥ Elaine XOXO

Hot Lady Hot Pot 麻辣妞妞火鍋專門店
#1185-8580 Alexandra Road
Richmond, BC
View Map

Kintaro Ramen, Vancouver

2011-06-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

I realized I haven't eaten ramen for the longest time. I used to love eating them SO MUCH. I hate you diet and calories x___X

I am a weird person hahaha especially with food! I don't really like noodles in general, because it tastes like flour to me. So if I eat ramen, the soup base has to be flavourful enough to cover the flour taste; therefore, I only ever eat spicy ramen =P My favourite ones are the Akaoni from Benkei Ramen and the Toroniku Kara Miso Ramen from Hokkaido Ramen Santouka!

Shio Ramen

Bean sprout, menma, green onion, boiled egg and BBQ pork. Ramen in simple and mild soup made from pork-bone stock and natural sea salt.
$7.25

On this particular I was super sick and my throat hurts, so my dining companion wouldn't let me order their infamous Spicy Garlic Ramen T^T Sigh I was devastated! One interesting thing about Kintaro is that they let you choose whether you want your soup to be rich, medium or light and the BBQ pork to be fat or lean. I chose a medium broth and fat BBQ pork. I know it's fattening, but since I am eating ramen already, there's no point in eating a "light" ramen...

To be honest, I thought the ramen was horrible. The broth was salty and oily, but the flavour has no depth at all. I don't like the egg either. I like how it's cooked at Benkei Ramen, where it's sort of uncooked? Not sure how to describe it =P The BBQ pork. Well let's just say I don't really like this kind of meat. The fatty parts were fat but the lean parts were so dry.

Spicy Garlic Ramen

On another visit I finally had the chance to try their spicy ramen. I was disappointed again. It really wasn't as good as everyone said. I went for a medium broth and lean BBQ pork. It wasn't that spicy and the broth was oily, and again no depth in the flavour. The lean pork was super dry but I guess that's my fault for not choosing fat BBQ pork. I prefer the pork cheek (toroniku) meat from Hokkaido Ramen Santouka. I also like my noodles to be a bit softer rather than the al dente ones from Kintaro.

I am not really sure whether I am being too picky, but my views of Kintaro seem to be different from everyone else. I really don't think I would return with all the other ramen joints so close by and better in my opinion. Also, although all ramen restaurants are usually quite hot and stuffy, I find Kintaro to be the worst with their open kitchen...

♥ Elaine XOXO

Kintaro Ramen
788 Denman Street
Vancouver, BC
View Map

Ap Gu Jung, Vancouver

2011-06-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Back during the Stanley Cup Finals, you basically have to go to a restaurant 4 hours early to get seats. And sometimes we get lazy...so...we have to resort to other options. Ap Gu Jung actually have a huge monitor on one side of their walls, which is quite convenient for game time, although the quality can't compare to HD TV's.

Market Style Rice Cakes & Fish Cakes

Served in a hot red pepper sauce.
$8.95

I was never a fan of rice cakes, so I am kind of biased with this. For me, rice cakes always only have flavour coated on the outside, but when you bite into the inside, it's just basically flour =P I do know a lot of people like them for their texture though!

This dish was pretty hot and there were some glass noodles inside which I loved a lot, because it absorbed all the spicy sauce!

Banchans

As always Korean restaurants would serve banchans on the side. I usually only eat the seaweed and the sweet potato. It's worth noting that I love their seaweed dish, because it was extra tangy =P

Sizzling Stone Bowl Of Rice

Fresh vegetables, seaweed, seasame oil, an egg & hot pepper paste.
$11.95

This dish was okay I guess. It was pretty bland if you don't add A TON of sauce in there. However, the hot pepper paste tastes sweet to me. I can barely taste any spiciness in there...

Kimchi Seafood Pancake

$9.95

The Kimchi Seafood Pancake was extra crispy and the kimchi added a distinct flavour to it. However, there weren't a lot of seafood in there...

Assorted BBQ Skewers

Chicken, prawn, chicken heart, sausage, fish cake & pork.
$19.95

To be honest I didn't pay that much attention to the food as I was watching the game, but their BBQ skewers weren't that impressive. The prawn and pork skewers were pretty bland. The chicken heart wasn't cooked long enough so it was still bleeding o_O Kind of scary! The chicken skewer was the best - tender and flavourful. The sausage and fish cake ones were typical, nothing special.

Fried Chicken

With sweet & zesty sauce.
$15.95

Wow! First time I have seen something like this. I was pretty impressed =P The sweet & zesty sauce basically tastes like ketchup. It was pretty good but the chicken meat was a little bit on the dry side.

Marinated BBQ Beef Short Ribs

$23.95

I think BBQ short ribs are pretty hard to mess up anywhere, but the price is quite hefty for the portions...

Homemade Pork & Vegetable Steamed Mini Dumplings

$7.95

These were okay but nothing special. The sauce was sweet and you can taste the sesame oil in there.

I have yet to love Korean food, but it's okay to have them once in a while I guess. It is quite expensive though! I really need a Korean friend to introduce me to proper and authentic Korean food =P

♥ Elaine XOXO

Ap Gu Jung
1642 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC
View Map

Ajisai Sushi Bar, Vancouver

2011-06-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Over the past year or so I have been more adventurous with my meals, partially because of blogging. I actually didn't used to eat a lot of raw food, but now I am fine with most types of sashimi, with the exception of salmon. I have been craving for some good raw fish lately, so I decided to come with SC to Ajisai Sushi Bar, which is renowned for their sushi and sashimi. Even though it was a week night, we still had to wait around 30 minutes for seats, since it's a small restaurant!

Assorted Sashimi

Salmon, tuna, tako, hokki gai...etc.
$14.00

Since I just recently started eating more kinds of sashimi, I can't really recognize the fish on the far right of the picture. Can anyone help? =P

I don't know how to comment too much about the Assorted Sashimi aside from everything was really fresh.

BBQ Fish Fillet (Marinated Black Cod)

This was well-marinated with a smokey flavour. The fish was flaky yet very tender and juicy. It was hard to break apart on the sides as it was slightly overcooked, but overall it was REAL GOOD!

Then we ordered some rolls and nigris to try! Ajisai is a busy restaurant and it's almost always packed with customers, hence the chefs working are always occupied too. They try to make everything we ordered before they hand us the plate, and midway through our order I think they either forgot about it or moved on to something else. I understand that they are busy but our sushi was just left there out in the air for a while, not a good idea for our hungry stomachs and the food itself.

Spicy Chopped Scallop Roll

$3.75

While I did enjoy the fresh scallops, I find that they put too much rice and veggies in their rolls.

Tobiko Sushi

$1.75/each

The Tobiko Sushi was pretty decent, except the seaweed was a bit soggy from the rice because it was left out for too long.

Tamago Sushi

$1.50/each

The Tamago Sushi was executed well with a nice fluffy texture and a very strong eggy flavour. It would be better if it was sweetened a little more though!

Toro Sushi

$2.50/each

THIS my friends, was super duper delicious. The Toro was melt-in-your-mouth and extremely buttery. The natural oil of the Toro acted as a natural dressing that enhanced the flavour of the rice. Next time I go I would totally just order like five of this ♥ ♥ ♥

Saba Sushi

$1.80/each

I realized Saba is the kind of "fishy" fish that I don't really like, so I can't comment much. Yes I kind of ordered this one randomly =P

Unagi Cheese Roll

Any rolls with cream cheese is almost like an instant win for me. With this particular one, they had a type of cilantro in there, which gave the roll a very interesting and distinct flavour.

Dynamite Roll

$4.50

Their Dynamite Roll is not the typical ones you see with prawn tempura inside. The prawns inside aren't coated with batter and deep-fried, instead they use corn flakes to make up for the crunch. While it's an interesting idea, I prefer the tempura version better. There were a lot of rice and veggies and not a lot of prawns, so I could barely taste the prawns.

♥ Elaine XOXO

Ajisai Sushi Bar
2081 West 42nd Avenue
Vancouver, BC
View Map

龍珠茶園 Dragon Ball Tea House, Vancouver

2011-06-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Dragon Ball Tea House has the reputation for the best BBT in Vancouver. I would say it's quite true! Their fresh fruit drinks are just too awesome. Too bad it's not located in Richmond, so it's a bit far for me to go for casual hangouts.

新鮮草莓芒果冰沙（有牛奶）
Fresh Strawberry & Mango Slush (W/ Milk)

Since it's inconvenient to come, I always drop by for a BBT whenever I am driving around that area LMAO!

This is definitely my favourite drink! They have the perfect amount of milk to fruits to ice ratio! The blend was very creamy and smooth; not too sweet and with a tangy flavour from the strawberries.

新鮮芒果冰沙（有牛奶）
Fresh Mango Slush (W/ Milk)

Well this was a little bit sweeter than the previous one because there were no strawberries, but still super awesome!

熱蜂蜜綠奶茶
Hot Honey Green Milk Tea

This was the only fail drink I have ever had here. It was not sweet enough even when I asked for extra sugar syrup. It was just very watered down. I should've ordered their slushes but I was way too cold at the time x_X

日本綠茶（有雪糕）
Japanese Green Tea (W/ Ice Cream)

Again, this was fantastic. Super creamy and rich! Loved it! Although I was never a tapioca pearl fan, I now understand why people rave about Dragon Ball's tapioca pearls. It was very chewy and soft. Not like those bad stale ones that taste kind of sour =P I might actually order them next time!

新鮮西瓜荔枝冰沙（沒牛奶）
Fresh Watermelon & Lychee Slush (No Milk)

Whenever I go to BBT places for fresh fruit drinks, I always stick with the mango and strawberry flavours. And it's not that I don't love other fruits, I just don't like to try new things I think? GT's drink is something that I would never have ordered if I came here by myself, so I am glad that I tried it! It was a lot lighter than the milk slushes that I usually order. There were real chunks of lychee in there. It's definitely a refreshing drink for the summer!

I love this place! The only problem is that I never know what to order because everything is good XD

♥ Elaine XOXO

龍珠茶園 Dragon Ball Tea House
1007 West King Edward Avenue
Vancouver, BC
View Map

Joey (Broadway), Vancouver

2011-06-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Because of the game, my friends and I have been constantly searching out for places to watch the game. Everywhere is packed! You always have to go like at least two or three hours early to get seats =___= I wonder if the restaurants are making money because the turnover is so low sometimes?

AMF Spanish (Strawberry) Margarita

Cuervo Gold tequila, Spanish brandy, fresh lemon & lime
$8.99

This was very flavourful but also very strong in alcohol content. I realized most drinks in Joey are like this. Maybe that's why their drinks are typically more expensive LMAO?

Ahi Tuna Tacos

Seared rare with sesame ginger coleslaw and wasabi-lime aioli
$11.49

Now this is the appetizer that everyone raves about. It was pretty good, but I think it's overrated and expensive. This is an Asian-fusion dish that I don't mind and you can taste the sesame oil in there. I personally don't like how it was messy to eat. However, I did love the wasabi-lime aioli sauce! I think that was the highlight of the dish.

Italian Flatbread

Crushed tomatoes, peppered salami & Mediterranean olives
$13.99

This was a pretty simple appetizer. Not bad.

Individually Baked Apple Pie

Brown sugared apples, toasted almonds, hand-folded puff pastry, caramel sauce and maple ice cream
$7.99

Now this is the sh*t. LMAO sorry for the foul language, but it is THAT GOOD. Remember to choose the maple ice cream when asked for a choice of that and vanilla! I personally would always want to order an extra scoop of ice cream with these sort of desserts but that's just my personal preference =P There were huge slices of apple which balanced out the sweetness of the caramel sauce. The puff pastry was super fluffy and crisp! I can honestly say this is the best apple pie around!

♥ Elaine XOXO

Joey (Broadway)
1424 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
View Map

Cheesecake Etc. Revisited, Vancouver

2011-06-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yes I was there again. Don't judge =P

Chocolate Cheesecake

$5.50

PP got a simple Chocolate Cheesecake. It's a good option for people who doesn't like sweet stuffs. It tasted more dense than the Original Cheesecake and the chocolate flavour was very heavy. It was probably made with dark chocolate?

Cheesecake Trifle

$4.75

Now this is something me and Polka Dot have been wanting to order for ages but they are always out of it! It's basically like melted cheesecake but the bottom has some sort of crust. I really like it but it's also very sweet.

Visit #1

♥ Elaine XOXO

Cheesecake Etc.
2141 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC
View Map

高柏餐廳 Copa Cafe, Vancouver

2011-06-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Copa Cafe is one of my favourite HK-style cafes around town, although it's definitely on the pricier side.

Soup

I ordered from the 中式原盅老火燉湯套餐 Chinese Double Boil Soup Combo menu, so I got a soup with my meal! It appears to be chicken with ginseng soup. It was surprisingly flavourful and the ginseng aroma was very strong. You can tell they put actual ginseng in there if your entire body becomes hot after drinking the soup. By the way, this combo doesn't come with a drink. Oh well. Less calories right =P

焗肉醬意粉
Spaghetti Bolognaise

$8.95

Polka Dot ordered the Spaghetti Bolognaise from the regular menu. While the sauce was very good and not oily like some other places, there were way too much spaghetti! Not enough sauce!

粟米石斑
Cod Fillet W/ Creamy Corn

$12.95

I loved ML's meal! I should've ordered that! The tender fillet paired with the sweet creamy corn sauce was super good! The deep-fried cod wasn't oily at all either. This was also part of the menu that comes with the soup.

魚香茄子煲
Braised Eggplant W/ Salted Fish & Green Onion Pot

$12.95

I am always in search for a good eggplant dish! I love eggplants but it's always very hard to make them good. For this dish, the eggplants were very flavourful. I love it when they are cooked to very soft, almost gooey hehehe =P However, the consequence of that is everything else was just SUPER SALTY. I guess maybe it would've been better if I ate rice with it. I wish there were more eggplants and less fillers like onions and peppers.

芝士焗海鮮飯
Baked Seafood W/ Cheese On Rice

$10.95

PP's meal was also super yummy. There were a lot of (or overflowing) seafood and definitely sufficient sauce to eat up all the rice.

I remember a long time ago when I first came to Copa Cafe, I was attempting to order a 柱侯牛腩湯河 Chu Hou Beef Brisket W/ Rice Noodle In Soup, but I ended up getting a dry version of it that comes with a sauce and you are suppose to mix them together. It was surprisingly good and something I have never seen LMAO I went back a couple of times to try to order it but I never got it =/ and it's not on the menu. This remains as an unsolved mystery in my heart LMAO

♥ Elaine XOXO

Copa Cafe
4030 Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC
View Map

Nikkoffee, Richmond

2011-06-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Various pictures on Facebook posted by my friends of the 奶蓋茶 Nikkoccino sparked my interest, so I decided to go with SG for a light dinner. The garden theme decor is very neat and cute!

綠蓋奶蓋茶
Matcha Top Nikkoccino

$4.50

I chose the Nikkoccino with green tea topping, which basically is a thick layer of foamy cream on top of regular green tea. We were instructed to not mix the two layers together, or else it just becomes regular milk tea. You can either use a straw to sip the two layers separately, and drink them together. Or if you get used to it, you can skip the straw and just sip it. I actually liked it a lot and the portions are HUGE. Definitely a lot bigger than regular BBT!

黑蓋奶蓋茶
Chocolate Top Nikkoccino

$4.25

SG chose the one with chocolate topping and it comes with black tea. It's just a matter of personal preference. I prefer green tea much better!

葡萄牙海鮮奶油咖哩
Seafood Portuguese Cream Curry

Caramelized apple & onion in Portugues parmesan cream sauce infused w/ curry seafood & fish fillet.
$7.95

In terms of food I think they have a lot of room for improvement. The meal came lukewarm, so it appears to me that they just heated it up with a microwave. While the food was okay, it tasted like much like amateur cooking to me. It was not up to par for restaurant cooking. To be honest, I can get much bigger portions and better quality at a HK-style cafe...

I will definitely come back again for the Nikkoccino as it is a very interesting drink! As for the food, probably not...

♥ Elaine XOXO

Nikkoffee
6900 No. 3 Road
Richmond, BC
View Map

Elephant Walk Neighbourhood Pub, Vancouver

2011-06-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

The 28th of May was the Champions League finals, so I specifcally got it off work so I can support my beloved Manchester United ♥ ♥ ♥.

Egg Benedict

The food exceeded my expectations. It was quite good for pub food. The benedict was made perfectly. Don't you just love it when you break the yolk and the yummy goodness flows out =P Excuse my lack of descriptive terms.

Sorry I didn't take down the description of the food and it's not available on their online menu. I was pretty choked that my team lost =( I was dressed in full gear too!!! Sigh. I went home and cried. I love soccer THAT MUCH. I will ACTUALLY fight you if you argue with me about my team LMAO

♥ Elaine XOXO

Elephant Walk Neighbourhood Pub
1445 East 41st Avenue
Vancouver, BC
View Map

小龍記麵家 Long's Noodle House, Vancouver

2011-06-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Bob told me of a place that has the BEST XLB in Vancouver. As a food blogger, I had to go test it out, right?

Remember to always make a reservation before you go! Especially for dinner! We went on a weekday night and the wait was a little over an hour! Luckily it was a good day so we just went to Queen Elizabeth Park to kill some time.

糟香醉雞
Wine Chicken

$5.95

The chicken was very aromatic and tender. I especially loved the ones at the bottom because they were heavier in wine taste. Although the jug appears to be small, there were actually a lot of meat in there!

南翔小籠包（六）
Steamed Mini Pork Buns (6)

$4.95

They were indeed very good! The broth was extremely flavourful, although I would've preferred thinner skin. Am I being too picky hahaha? I think it ties with the ones from Shanghai Wonderful Restaurant, but I would need a revisit to confirm this!

苔條黃魚
Yellow Fish With Seaweed

$12.95

I was disappointed with this dish. There were a lot of pieces where there was only batter and no fish, hence it was extremely oily and disgusting. We found probably only 5 or 6 "good" pieces with tender fish inside. If all of them were "good" pieces, I would probably give it 4/6, but too bad :(

鹹蛋黃鍋巴
Crispy Rice With Salty Egg Sauce

$10.95

While I am not a big fan of crispy rice, I loved the salty egg sauce!!! I wish I had it with just regular rice or something hahaha! It was a bit overwhelming once you eat too much of it though.

乾煸四季豆
Green Beans With Soya Sauce

$10.95

I wanted some kind of light vegetable dish, but I lost at rock paper scissors T_T! This was not bad; very flavourful and the beans were the soft kind that I like. However, I wish it was spicy!

上海粗炒麵
Shanghai Style Pan-Fried Thick Noodles

$7.00

These were okay, but a bit oily. Still doesn't compare to my favourite ones at Shanghai House Restaurant.

Overall, I was quite satisfied with the meal. I am planning a revisit soon to try some other interesting dishes!

♥ Elaine XOXO

Long's Noodle House
4853 Main Street
Vancouver, BC
View Map

Cheesecake Etc., Vancouver

2011-06-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

I am a crazy cheesecake fanatic! Once I ate two slices per day for a week straight x___X No wonder I need to lose weight! Cheesecake Etc. has the best cheesecake in Vancouver hands down! Or even the best I have tasted! The only one I have eaten that could compete is made by this chef that used to work at an Italian restaurant.

Mandarin Oranges W/ Chocolate Sauce

$6.25

Since everyone else ordered the same thing, PP took the chance to try the Gourmet Special of the day, which was Mandarin Oranges W/ Chocolate Sauce. It was alright, but I don't think mandarin oranges and chocolate sauce work that well together.

Cheesecake W/ Strawberries

$5.50

Nothing beats the Cheesecake W/ Strawberries here! It's very rich in the cheese flavour without being too dense and it's still a little fluffy. Perfect! I could eat this every single day if it weren't for the calories. I almost always order a side of extra strawberry sauce with it because it's so yummy! I didn't do that on this occasion since it was too much food for one day T_T

I actually don't like whip cream but I never order without it because it makes it look prettier hehehe =P

Did I mention my nickname in highschool was The Ring Girl? Now you know why XD I remember the lighting used to be super dark before the expansion, but now it's a lot brighter! Good and bad I guess! It's not as romantic if you go on a date now =P There was one time when I saw this couple making out in the dark corner near the door hehehe!

♥ Elaine XOXO

Cheesecake Etc.
2141 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC
View Map