Archive for October, 2007
Tuesday, October 16th, 2007
Samantha and I met up at Crave for dinner the other day. It is a semi-newish restaurant at 3941 Main Street in Vancouver. I had heard a lot of good things about this place but hadn’t had a chance to try it out until now.
For appies, I knew I had to try the crab cakes because Samantha had been raving about how great they are. 
I was very impressed by the serving size. Along with the crab cake, my dish came with two tasty side salads. One was julienned apple with parmesan cheese. I would have never thought this combination would work, but it was quite good! The other salad was mixed greens with a balsamic vinegarette. The crab cake itself was filled with crabby goodness and I wish I could have eaten two.
Samantha had the popcorn chicken, which came with a chilli mayo dip. The bowl of shrimp in this dish was huge and I liked how the shrimp did not have too much batter. Yum.
I originally wanted to order mussels but was told that they did not have any that night. 
Instead, I went for the chipotle bbq lacquered baby back ribs. This was served with the same mixed green salad that came with the crab cakes. My ribs were ok, but I found them to be on the dry side. The chipotle bbq sauce was good but I found that the flavour did not extend through all the pork ribs.
Samantha went for the beef burger and fries. She commented that her burger was pretty good but like my ribs, was also on the dry side. The portion size for this dish was huge though and quite a good deal at $9.50.
By this time, we were both quite full…but was unable to refuse a peek at the dessert menu. We decided to go with the lemon tart from the Thomas Haas bakery. As usual,Thomas Haas does not disappoint! The lemon flavour was light and tangy and the richness of the tart crust contrasted perfectly with the lemon.
The next time I go back to Crave, I will probably stick with the appetizers or smaller plates as this definitely seems to be their strong point. The main courses were not bad…but I was either too hyped up by other people or they just fell short of my expectations in general. Be sure to go on an empty stomach though because all the dishes have huge serving sizes.
Details:
3941 Main St, Vancouver
Tel: 604-872-3663
Summary:
Food: 
Service:
Price: $$
Posted in West Coast, Reviews | 3 Comments »
Monday, October 15th, 2007
Jenkins and I went to Tokyo Ichiban one day for an all-you-can-eat lunch. It’s been a while since we were last there so we decided to check it out. The all-you-can-eat is a pretty good deal at $10.95 pp on weekends…compared to the lunch boxes which range from $8-15, I believe. Tokyo Ichiban is near Lansdowne Mall in Richmond (3380 Lansdowne Rd).
I really like the green salad here. I think it is mostly because of the dressing they use, which appears to be some type of minced carrot and vinegar mixture.
The California and Dynamite rolls weren’t too bad, especially when you consider we were at an all-you-can-eat place. There also was not too much rice in the rolls, which was nice.
The lunch all-you-can-eat limits you to two orders of sashimi per person. Jenkins is not a big sashimi fan so I always get to eat his share. I thought the tuna was quite good…not frozen, which is what I sometimes encounter at some restaurants.
We also had some nigiri sushi. I found the sushi and tuna pieces to be on the thin side.
I really like the agedashi tofu here. The batter is not too thick and the dashi broth tastes delicious with the tofu and bonito flakes.
We also had a couple of fried items. First was the deep-fried smelt. These small fish can be eaten whole…bones and all! The batter was light and the smelt was very tasty. The orange coloured bundles in the picture are kani (imitation crab) and salmon in tempura batter. I can’t remember what these were called, but Jenkins always orders it each time we come here.
The yakitori looked a bit sad on the plate by itself but it was nicely grilled and actually tasted pretty good.
The gyoza was crunchy on the outside but we found the inside to be too mushy.
Chicken teriyaki is always an all-you-can-eat staple for us. The chicken was crispy on the outside, but I found there to be too much sauce for my liking.
We like to eat our chicken teriyaki with yakisoba. The noodles helped to soak up some of the sauce…but we found that there were more veggies in this dish than noodles!
I love eating temaki cones but only eat them at all-you-can-eat places because they are so expensive when you order them individually. We had the negitoro (chopped tuna with green onions) and chopped scallop cones. Both cones were very generous with the filling.
The oyster motoyaki is normally very good here but I found the oyster to be overcooked. Even the sauce did not have the flavour it normally has.
Jenkins liked the BBQ salmon head. I didn’t have any though because I was starting to get full and I was too lazy to pick out the meat from the bones.
In all, the lunch was not bad. The reason we had not been here for a while was because the service is very slow. In a way, that kind of works for all-you-can-eat though because it prevents you from overeating and you pace yourself.
Details:
170 -3380 Lansdowne Rd, Richmond
Tel: 604-279-8802
Summary:
Food:
Service:
Price: $
Posted in Japanese, Asian, Reviews | No Comments »
Sunday, October 14th, 2007
We had Thanksgiving dinner at my house last week and my aunt brought over a cake from Michelle’s Cake Shop in Kerrisdale (6033 West Boulevard). It was a fresh mango cake, which is one of my favourites!
This cake is delicious and filled with mango-y goodness. Light sponge cake is layered with mango and fresh whipped cream. As if this wasn’t enough, the entire cake is covered with fresh mango slices. It is nice and light…the perfect way to end a great meal.
I’m not sure how they cut the mango slices so thinly and evenly but I sure do appreciate the work put into this cake.
Details:
6033 West Boulevard, Vancouver
Tel: 604-261-3284
Summary:
Food:
Service: n/a
Price: $$
Posted in Dessert, Asian, Reviews | 1 Comment »
Thursday, October 11th, 2007
Jenkins and I went to Pho Viet the other day at 8291 Ackroyd Road in Richmond. I had always driven past this place but never ventured inside. After reading about Ben’s experience there and hearing Grick rave about it, I decided it was time I checked it out myself.
Since it was my first time here, I decided to try the special pho (usually option #1 on most Vietnamese restaurant menus around the Lower Mainland). It came with bean sprouts and some lime wedges.
As Grick had indicated to me before, the pho came out very quickly. Mine came with beef steak, fatty flank, tripe, and tendon. Most of the time, this dish also comes with beef balls…but not the one here. Other than that, I found it to be very tasty and the amount of beef, tripe, and tendons was very generous. My large bowl came out to be $6.
I also had a glass of coconut juice with chunks of young coconut. It is different from regular coconut in that the meat is very tender. This drink was very refreshing and helped to soothe my burning tongue after eating the pho I had spiked with chilli sauce.
Jenkins got a dry noodle with lemongrass chicken. It also came with a side salad of cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, and bean sprouts. The chicken was very flavourful and I liked the noodles because they were al dente and not mushy or overcooked.
This noodle dish was also served with a small bowl of sauce with chillis and fish sauce. It makes the dish less dry and is meant to be poured over the noodles and chicken.
I liked this place because the food came out quickly and the dishes are priced reasonably and very tasty. I’ll have to come back soon to try some of the other items they have on the menu.
Details:
125-8291 Ackroyd Rd, Richmond
Tel: 604-273-6399
Summary:
Food:
Service:
Price: $
Posted in Vietnamese, Asian, Reviews | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 10th, 2007
My family met up for an afternoon of dim sum last weekend at Gala Seafood Restaurant (located at Union Square in Richmond - 8300 Capstan Way). We were there at 11:30 and were greeted by a busy crowd of hungry dim summers. After a wait of about 20 minutes, we were finally seated.
Gala Seafood is an old school dim sum joint so the servers walk around with trays of food or push carts around. All you need to do is point and a steaming dish will be set down in front of you. There were ten of us so we quickly got down to business.
First came the “woo gok” or deep fried taro with pork and mushrooms inside. It is crispy on the outside but the inside is full of creamy taro goodness.
Next came one of my dim sum favs…cold chicken with pickled veggies and deep fried wonton skins. The chicken itself was a bit bland but the pickled vegetables and wonton skins added a nice crunch.
The bowl of steamed rice with Chinese sausage, chicken, and broccoli looked good and is usually a nice filler. Nothing special about this but it was still tasty.
Another cold dish…this time, it was jellyfish. The marinade did not have very much flavour though.
The next dish was quite unique and our server told us it was one of the most popular items at the restaurant. Chicken wings were stuffed with sticky rice and then deep fried. The chicken wing was very crispy and even though I was expecting the sticky rice inside, it was still an unexpected combination. I’m not convinced that the chicken wing and the sticky rice went well together though.
The sui mai was steaming hot and the shrimp inside was nice and crunchy.
The deep fried chicken knees tasted as expected…salty and crunchy. If you have never tried this before, it is much tastier than the description of “chicken knees” sounds and makes for a tasty snack.
The pineapple buns had BBQ pork on the inside. The savoury inside mixed with the sweet topping made for a nice taste combination.
Pan-fried pork buns are another one of my dim sum favs. I found the inside to be a bit mushy for my taste though.
I found the pan-fried turnip cakes to be a bit bland although they were very popular with the rest of my family.
Har gow…nothing special about this although the prawns were big and crunchy.
We shared some fried rice and noodles since there were so many of us. We had seafood fried rice with prawns and scallops.
The noodles were pan-fried “yee mein” with Chinese mushrooms. I found the sauce to be a bit “wet” as I like my “yee mein” to have less sauce.
The matcha glutinous rice balls with black sesame inside was an interesting dessert item. I could really taste the matcha and the sesame coating on the outside made for a nice crunch.
One of my favourite dim sum desserts is the tapioca pudding with red bean. The crusty topping was very good but there was very little red bean paste and I found the tapioca part to be a bit lacking in taste.
Overall, this restaurant was not bad. I was told by a friend that it changes owners quite frequently and that the quality of food may not be very good. However, I found the dim sum to be quite tasty and they had an interesting mix of unique dishes that you do not usually find at most dim sum restaurants. Be sure to get there early or make a reservation though as it does seem to be very busy.
Details:
1008-8300 Capstan Way, Richmond
Tel: 604-233-1095
Summary:
Food:
Service:
Price: $$
Posted in Asian, Chinese, Reviews | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 9th, 2007
Jenkins and I were searching for a breakfast place one day and realized that it has been a while since we went to MacDonald’s. I think I like the breakfast at MacDonald’s even more than their regular menu. Actually, I think I just like breakfast in general. We decided to go to the MacDonald’s on No. 3 Road and Granville in Richmond.
Usually, I just order one of the extra value meals since I love the hash browns at MacDonald’s. Jenkins and I weren’t feeling too hungry that day so opted out of the hash browns. We both had the Sausage and Egg McMuffin…my favourite breakfast sandwich there.
There’s just something about the egg and the sausage all packaged in the English muffin that is so tasty. While we ate, we perused through the nutrition guide supplied on our tray and were horrified to see that it had 26g of fat! Yikes!
We also had drinks to go with our artery clogging meal. I had a tea and Jenkins had apple juice.
This is probably not the meal to have if you are watching your weight. However, it is a tasty way to start your morning and definitely keeps you full and enough energy until lunch rolls around.
Summary:
Food:
Service: n/a
Price: $
Posted in Fast Food, Reviews | 2 Comments »
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