East Is East visit #2-CHAI N' SPICE!

Middle Eastern. For some reason, I always go for Middle Eastern restaurants when I am not in the mood of having Chinese/Japanese food, which are the most common ones I usually have (especially Japanese, thankyouverymuch ;)). Maybe I like the pungent smell and flavour of the spices they use, and also the curiosity to know more about the cuisine.

Like last night, when I was feeling something "special". The first Middle East restaurant I could think of was East Is East, where I have been there once in the early summer. So, any other choices? Yes of course; however, I didn't have Wi-fi at that time and could not think of any except East Is East. Well, since I did not get to try a lot from their menu...why not?

Meloty-Late-worthy "lunch" ;)

I know I know...it's been a (long) while since my last post. Reason? Very simple-because I have a bunch of tests/exams every week! But how could I waste the one-and-only Halloween sitting in front of a pile of numbers (ahem. calculus, to be precise.)?

So I first started my Halloween with a late lunch. I mean really late, like 2pm. Why so late? It's not because I woke up at 1pm or studied till 1-2am last night, no no no. So...why? I met up with EU and she suggested Meloty in Richmond.

I am no stranger to Meloty. I think it is probably the only "high-tea" place in Richmond. I have tried Secret Garden at Kerrisdale before (posts here and here) and I really like it. Honestly, who doesn't love hightea? ;D It is always great to sit down with friends, enjoying savoury and sweet goodies, and spend almost the whole day at a restaurant. So I have no reason not to give Meloty a try...

Dinesty Chinese Restaurant

Autumn is almost here/is already here, but I can still remember the heat in Vancouver this summer (someone told me the temp went up to 33'C one day!?). The worst thing is there isn't any air-con or fan in my house! So I tried to stay indoor as much as I could; it didn't have to be long, but just long enough for me to cool down a bit. In that case, being here at Dinesty is simple: I live near and it got air-con. But most importantly, it's the food that makes me wanna come back again and again! :)

Buzz Cafe and Espresso Bar-Art + Cofee

I know there are quite a number of cafe posts going on in my blog, especially during the early summer. The reason is simple. It's because I was bored. As a result, I decided to visit the cafes that I have always wanted to visit: Arbutus Coffee, Bojangles Cafe, and Elysian Coffee.
I would go to Urbanspoon and see which cafes I was interested in :P There's one that caught my sight right away due to it's location and name. I know there is a gallery there in the corner but I never noticed there's also a cafe!

So, curious enough, I decided to go there and see what's actually inside this gallery...

Tokyo Thyme

It has been awhile since my summer holiday ended. I know there are various new restaurants opening here and there, and I can't wait to try them! During my two months in Hong Kong, I gotta admit that sometimes...I would miss the food here in Vancouver (i.e. SUSHI!). So when I came back, I just wanted to go to any restaurant, any.

Last weekend, EU and I finally decided to start our food journey together again. For some reason, we both wanted to go to Kerrisdale (maybe this was due to the perfect weather last saturday :P). At first, I thought we're going to the one we have tried before-Asa Sushi. Then when EU suddenly pulled over and parked her car by the roadside, I realized we're going to try something new today woohoo! Well, actually this was EU's second visit, but she was also excited to show me this little restaurant across the road. Aha...Tokyo Thyme...herbs from Tokyo? :P
(all photos are from her blog since I didn't know we're going to try a new restaurant...)

Elysian Coffee

VANCOUVERRR! This is one of the long-lost posts that are "supposed" to be posted this summer. This summer I got to go to a lot of different cafes that I've always to try, or actually I should say I will like to try any cafes that have wifi. Why? Because one of my summer vacay habits was to bring my laptop wherever I go. Aha, good memories, good memories ;)

So here it is, Elysian Coffee. It will definitely be one of my favourite cafes so far.

Hong Kong-Loshan Snow Garden Restaurant

As I've mentioned in the last post, we actually finished celebrating my mom's dinner before heading off to Macau. There is always a "Restaurant List for Celebration" in our family, Snow Garden is one of them; we will have dinner here at least once every year for birthdays, festivals, etc. So, here's my last post on my Hong Kong trip this summer. Enjoy! :)

(photo taken by my sister)

Macau-Restaurante Platao

Before posting my mom's birthday dinner, let me start a new post on our short trip to Macau. Talk about the food, there isn't a Macau-nese or Macau cuisine. Most restaurants in Macau are actually Portuguese/Portuguese fusion because it used to be a colony of Portugal before.

We will normally go to the same restaurants when we go to Macau; in other words, we seldom explore ourselves to new restaurants even though we know they have similar foods. My sister, however, brought us to a new Portuguese restaurant this time...

(Picture from backpackers)

Hong Kong-Lock Cha Tea House

My sister is a good party-planner. No matter its my birthday or her friends' birthday, she just knows how to give them an unforgettable birthday. Because of this reason, my dad and I decided to give not all, but most, responsibility to design a memorable birthday for my mom.

Well, the first surprise she gave my mom was flawless. She secretly booked a restaurant for lunch without telling my mom (and me) the location. Then in a sunny Saturday afternoon, she brought us to the...Hong Kong Park. What? A Park? Yes indeed, that was exactly my reaction. We would have our lunch in a park......with a restaurant hidden inside ;)

(photo from Openrice)

Hong Kong-Yung Kee Restaurant

August is a "big month" in my family, probably because it's the last month of my summer holiday so I need to play hard, but the main reason is because there are a lot of celebrations this month. For example, my sister and mom's birthdays; my sister's is on the 20th and my mom is on the 21st. How nice isn't it?
Okay, so here comes the downside. I need time to digest all the stuff I had in my sister birthday dinner before having another feast for my mom's birthday!

For my sister's birthday, we went to a well-known restaurant in Central (near Lan Kwai Fong)...ready to have another feast in August.

(photo taken by my sister, with her new camera)

Japan trip-星岡茶寮

I remember this was the last day of our Japan trip. My dad decided to end the trip with a wonderful, perfect, filling meal.

We did not really plan for the last day, so my mom (and ahem, my sister) chose to make a last minute shopping at Isetan. We, well at least I, were totally exhausted after spending the entire day walking and walking around Shinjuku. My dad and I were too tired to bother finding a fancy restaurant for our last meal. At last, we went to Isetan for dinner again (To see the first dinner I had at Isetan, please read here), and we saw this Japanese restaurant that was hidden inside an alley.

Japan trip-うまい鮨勘(Umai Sushi Kan)

A sashimi lover, one of the must-go tourist spots is the Tsukiji Market. We went there in the afternoon and were planning to have lunch there. However, when we arrived, almost all the restaurants we saw were already packed with people! Disappointed enough, we then decided to go to somewhere else for lunch. While we were planning to leave, a small but quiet restaurant appeared in a aisle that nobody had noticed yet.

Without thinking, we entered this small restaurant and could not wait to try some fresh fish! (Sorry dad!) :P

(Picture from gourmet.livedoor.com)

Japan trip-雷門滿留賀(まるか)

Our plan that day was to go to Asakusa, the place where you will see that big red lantern hanging. I remembered the weather was brutal that day; we were all wet after taking the subway. So before we continued our journey, we decided to find a place to restore our energy first. The one restaurant that we were facing was Marukan, an old-style soba restaurant.

Japan Trip-Oto Oto: Desserts

Of course, we need some desserts to end our wonderful meal at Oto Oto right? ;) (Not to mention that we were already very full at that time)


My dad was already so full that he could not stuff anything more into his stomach. So the rest of us each ordered a dessert...
Greentea Ice-cream

• Decorated with a cracker.
• I didn't try this though...

Greentea and Vanilla Ice-cream with Brown Syrup

• It also came with some red bean paste with sesame seeds sprinkled on top.
• If you look clearly, there are also mochi and some fruits with the ice-cream.
• Again, I didn't try this but my sister did enjoy this a lot (She loves desserts anyway).

Tofu Pudding with Pieces of Fruits, Served with Syrup

• The pudding was smooth and yummy. I enjoyed it a lot.
• It actually reminded me of their Soften Tofu I just had for dinner.

If you like to know more about Oto Oto or their other branches, please visit their website here.

Japan Trip-Oto Oto

Oto Oto is probably the nearest restaurant where you can find all kinds of Japanese food, which means it has both cooked and raw food that can satisfy those who don't eat sashimi, and also some/most of the sushis. My dad is the only person in the family who does not-or even cannot-accept raw fish. So, Oto Oto is the best choice for us.

We went there on the first night we arrived. It was about 8:30pm and this restaurant was already full; we had to wait for 20-30mins at least. We went to somewhere else of course, but before we left, we made a reservation for next day's dinner. There we go: this fancy, busy restaurant.

Japan trip-Isetan Dining

It's very common to find a lot of restaurants on the top levels (normally) of every shopping malls/centres in Japan. One of the must-go shopping places in Japan is Isetan. We went there one night, already exhausted after spending almost the whole day shopping in the same district. Then my dad suggested let's find a nearby restaurant for dinner. So we went to the top level, walked around to see what restaurants there were...lastly, we decided Isetan Dining because it has the most variety of food, which can satisfy my mom and dad.

Japan trip-Coffee Negishi

Underground restaurants are very common in Japan, almost every department store has a basement where you can find small shops, restaurants, bakeries, etc.

Since we lived near Shinjuku, the basement of Odakyu (one of the big department stores in Tokyo Japan) was the most familier to us. Most restaurants there are cafes. So when we decided to have breakfast one morning, the first coffee shop that appeared to us immediately became our first choice.

Japan trip-Cha-Cafe

My dad was constantly thirsty because he kept sweating and sweating and sweating like crazy (yea he sweat A LOT). Also because he did not feel too well in the beginning of the trip, so when we knew he really need to rest, we stopped and would find a place to get a drink, took a rest and recovered a little bit...

The same case happened when we were in Shibuya (Omotesando to be precise) one day. A cafe caught out sight immediately when we looked up a random building :D

Japan trip-Roku-Maru Gogenton

After staying in Hong Kong for about a week, I had to pack my stuff again and readied for another trip to Tokyo Japan.

I did not spend much time taking photos of the tourist attractions; instead, almost all the photos I took this time were all about the food! So, here is our first meal in Japan! :)

Bojangles Cafe in Yaletown-Seaview & Coffee

I was in Yaletown one late afternoon. When I planned to make a left turn to the Skytrain Station, the sparkling seaside just caught my sight right away. The weather was hot like crazy, but walking along the seaside was what people do during summer, right? So I changed my direction, headed to Pacfic Blvd...

There were A LOT of people when I got there; sitting outside the coffee shops, taking their dogs for a walk, cycling on the bikes, taking pictures of the wonderful seaside...As I continued to walk along the seaside, I saw Bojangles Cafe, which I've tried to look for it for a couple of times. Though I was not hungry/thirsty at all, I still decided to go in and take a look.

Miura Waffle Milk Bar Revisited-Free sample tasting!

I was twittering yesterday and saw a tweet from Miura Waffle Milk Bar, saying: "Free Samples Tomorrow (Sat) between 6-8pm! We will be sampling: HEC, Hoisin, Bulgogi, Wasabi Salmon & 2 new Sweet Waffle Sandos!"

"Free waffle samples". Of course, I knew I have to go and try some waffles that I didn't have the chance to try last time.

Arbutus Coffee-Cafe + House?

There's one small cafe caught my sight every time when I was going to W 4th Ave/Kitsilano. Its old, cottage-like outlook always seems fascinating to me. Then I told myself, I must come someday, not necessarily for their food and coffee...but definitely for their setting ;P

I woke up early one day (as usual) and felt like going for breakfast. Since I also planned to spend my day at Kitsilano that day, I decided to find a relaxing cafe there and grab a quick breakfast. Wait...Kitsilano? Isn't there a coffee shop I've always wanted to try?

So, here I came, the long-waiting Arbutus Coffee.

New Town Bakery & Restaurant-Red Bean Bun Battle Cont'd #6

Finally. I've finally finished taking all the photos I need for this post. The first time when I decided to take some final shots of their steamed buns, I couldn't wait after I got the buns and started to put them into my mouth. The second time, I successfully took the photos, but deleted them by accident. Now, these photos are here. I can finally review on one of the best and one of my favourite bakeries in town :)

To read my previous reviews on other Red Bean Buns I've tried, click here (it also has all the links to other reviews).

Red Bean Bun Battle Cont'd #5

It's gettin' there, it's gettin' there. I think this Red Bean Bun Battle is going to an end soon. I want to try as many bakeries as possible before I (officially) start my summer vacation: a trip to Hong Kong.

These are the previous reviews of all the Red Bean Bun I have tried:
Maxim's at Richmond Centre-Red Bean Bun Battle #1
Red Bean Bun Battle #2 (La Patisserie, Michele Cake Shop, Wheat Garden Bakery, Langley Farm Market Bakery)
Red Bean Bun Battle #3 (Castle Cake Shop, Kam Do Restaurant & Bakery, Pine House Bakery at Parket Place, Regent Bakery)
Red Bean Bun Battle #4 (De Fresh Bakery at Empire Supermarket, Saint Germain Bakery at Aberdeen Centre)

So, here we go again! :) The first stop is the well-known Yaohan Centre.

Cafe In at Kerrisdale

Sometimes I will like to spend the entire day sitting in a cafe and relax. Or I will finish running errands in the morning, then spend the rest of the day in a cafe. I've tried once last week at Michi Waffle & Espresso Bar (To see my previous visit, please click here), and this time, I decided to go to Kerrisdale, where has always been one of favourite places.

Instead of just walking along W 41st Ave, I went further this time. Until I saw Pastry Club Dessert Cafe and a hidden cafe, I stopped.

Red Bean Bun Battle Cont'd #4

The Red Bean Bun Battle is back! Actually I tried all these buns on the same day, but I just tried to post them separately :P To read my first three posts, pleases click here, here, and here.

In order to find the bakeries in Richmond, I, of course, rely on Urbanspoon. However, sometimes I discovered some unfamiliar bakeries that I have not heard of or seen before; De Fresh Bakery is one of the examples.

2010 Richmond Summer Night Market #2

Cont'd...

(To read my first post, please click here)

2010 Richmond Summer Night Market #1

Finally! Here comes my post of the Richmond Summer Night Market! Though it's already mid-July, I hope it's not too late for me to post all the stuff I've tried.

Bonchaz Bakery Cafe-Small buns? Yum.

I am no strange to Bonchaz and have always wanted to give it a try. Since I woke up a bit earlier this morning and felt like trying something new, I decided to take the skytrain to Waterfront and gave their little buns a try.

Red Bean Bun Battle Cont'd #3

After visiting the bakeries around Richmond Centre and Lansdowne (posts here and here), I moved forward to Alexandra Road, of course.

The first bakery I saw is Castle Cake Shop. My impression to it was from my sister's piano teacher, who once recommended my sister to try their buns. It was still early in the morning when I still arrived, so the shelves were reasonably empty. Just when I planned to leave, the owner said all the buns were ready in the kitchen; they just didn't have enough time to pack them individually. Yum, sounds fresh to me. So there I got my red bean bun (again)! ;)

Red Bean Bun Battle Cont'd #2

Right after I finished the buns from Maxim's, I went to the small mall next to the Brighouse Station (where Shanghai House Restaurant and New Town Bakery are), and got another red bean bun from La Patisserie.

Maxim's at Richmond Centre-Red Bean Bun Battle #1

I know this may sound silly because this "challenge" is all about red bean, a.k.a. the insignificant food you see after having dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Yes I used hate red bean, but it has literally become one of favourite foods! Meanwhile, I have always wanted to try all (or most) bakeries in Richmond.

For that reason, I decide to merge these two things together, and turn it into a Red Bean Bun Challenge.

Miura Waffle Milk Bar-Interesting experience!

I don't like sweets, except for the Chinese desserts (think Red Bean Soup and Green Bean Soup, or even Mixed Bean Soup!). But the word "dessert" is always linked to EU since she is a fan of chocolate.

She introduced me to Michi Waffle & Espresso Bar on Denman Street two weeks ago, and it was surprsingly better than I thought; yet, I still prefer the bubble waffles rather than the Belgian ones. Anyway, I discovered there was a new(?) waffle store in downtown. "Waffle Milk Bar" reminded me of Orea which you can dip the cookies into the milk. So off we went to explore this interesting restaurant.

East Is East-"Do you want a cup of chai?"

Few weeks ago when I was planning for dinner, EU suggested to have something else apart from Japanese cuisine. Hmm, something special maybe? So I went to Urbanspoon, randomly clicked "Middle Eastern", and then "East is East" caught my sight right away.

Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates & Patisserie-North Vancouver

After lunching with EU, we decided to go to somewhere else to spend this sunny weekend. But where to go? "North...Vancouver?" EU agreed. So, that's where our North Van exploration started.

This was my second time going to North Vancouver. We went to Lonsdale Quay Market and grabbed some gelato, then EU suggested to visit Thomas Haas. I've definitely heard of Thomas Haas-especially its Almond Croissant-but have never tried it before or even visit its store at Kitsilano. Hmm, sounds interesting to me, so why not?

Kaide Sushi Bar

My aunt just arrived Vancouver on Thursday night (ahem, it should be FRIDAY MORNING to be precise), and she wanted to treat my sister and me to an easy dinner. To be honest, I didn't really bother to think where to go because to me, I will definitely go for Japanese restaurants; however, I was not sure whether my aunt likes Jap food or not. Also as far as I know, my aunt avoids quite a lot of food due to "health issues".

That being said, I left the planning to my sister. So at last, we ended up at Kaide Sushi Bar which was on both our wishlists.

New Asia Deli Restaurant-By far the best Viet sub in Richmond

No, I am not craving for Viet sub recently; I'm just always curious to find the best Viet sub in Richmond. I actually planned to go to New Asia Deli on Monday, but it did not open for some reason, so I ended up in Pho Tai Hoa. Since I did not feel like dining in today, I decided to grab a fast dinner at New Asia Deli.

Pho Tai Hoa

Last time I had Vietnamese sub in Richmond was at Hue Cafe, which to me, was quite a disappointing experience. But don't get me wrong, I'm still open to try different Vietnamese restaurants in Richmond ;)

Someone recently decides to try all Viet subs in Richmond; well, since she has more time to try new restaurants now, I can't say that's impossible. Before I returned to my busy school life, I decided to end my weekend with an easy and simple dinner.

Takifugu Japanese Dining-Japanese Tapas?

It's almost the end of May; I've been living a hectic life over the past few weeks. Busy weeks, busy weeks and luckily, they are finally coming to an end. Since I still got work to do tonight, I decided to stay in Richmond for an easy saturday dinner.

Scroll down the wishlist on Urbanspoon, and ah, Takifugu looked pretty good to me.

Michi Waffle & Espresso Bar-A good ending to my long weekend :)

Actually right after we finished parking, EU recalled there's a waffle place on Robson Street that she has always wanted to try. Since we didn't order much in Banana Leaf, we decided to visit that waffle place.

Banana Leaf

After having lunch at Kerrisdale, EU and I headed to Metrotown to pick up some groceries and a cold fro-yo from Qoola. Then we decided to go to Kaide Sushi Bar in Yaletown for dinner.

We did not know that it was closed for today until we arrived. Since we're already in Downtown, EU suggested let's go to Banana Leaf on Denman Street instead. Hmmm...Malaysian cuisine sounds interesting to me and, I've read posts about it before, so yeah, why not.

Mandala Iki Asian Bistro-Jap meets Chinese

Yesterday when I was strolling around Kitsilano, I noticed there were several restaurants that I would like to have a try. Originally, we planned to have dinner at Yuji's Japanese Tapas; however, they didn't open today (we did not know that untiil we had parked the car, LOL!). Disappointed enough, EU remembered that was another restaurant that had caught our sight. And so we walked along the 4th Ave, until we saw...