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...

Maple Castella Bakery #3-Finally a savoury bread!

Okay, I admit I have cravings sometimes. I mean I have cravings for other food apart from Japanese food. Last week, when I was checking the Bakery List in Richmond from Urbanspoon, the pictures of Maple Castella came to my sight. Ohhhh, I was craving for its Pumpkin Bread for the whole night!

For my last two visits to Maple Castella, please visit the following links:
Maple Castella #1
Maple Castella #2

After having lunch today at about 2:10pm, EU and I decided to visit Maple Castella. Also given the fact that it's about 2pm, which is the time for the fresh bread loaves to come out from the ovens, we could not give ourselves a reason for not giving them a visit!

We only had a light lunch, so EU suggested to give their Pork Floss Bread a try. Since we've already tried the other two sweet bread loaves, so yea, why not?

Maple Castella Bakery
#1068-8700 McKim Way, Richmond BC

Ratings
1:Yucks! 2:Improvement needed 3:So-So~ 4:Good 5:Very good 6:Heavenly

Food: 6
Price: 5
Service: 6
Ambiance: n/a (It's a bakery)
Overall: 6

• Mon-Sat 9:30am-7pm (Except Thursdays) Sun 9:30am-6pm
  Closed on Thursdays
• Chinese/Taiwanese bakery
• Baked fresh daily
• Popular to Chinese
• Hole-in-the-wall; location is pretty hard to find.
• Except the flavoured bread loaves, other plain white bread loaves avialable as well.
• Other Taiwanese buns available
• Parking available
• If you want to dig in right after you buy the bread, there's a food court upstairs ;)

Pork Floss Bread-5/6

• $8/loaf ($4/half loaf)
• Other flavours: Taro, Pumpkin
• According to EU, their flavoured bread loaves are a bit more expensive than other bakeries.

• The loaf above was the middle section of the bread. Before I tore the bread into pieces, it looked simple to me. I was thinking: where's the pork floss?
• After I gently tore a pieces of bread, I started to see some brown pork floss coming out.
• The pork floss here wasn't the one I have had before. The typical ones are dry, but this is kind of moist and crumbly.
• Judging by the photo above, some of you may think there's not much filling. However, the pork floss is layered between each piece of bread! Yes, I mean layers. You see some pork floss, then a thin layer of super-soft bread, and then pork floss again. I love how they put the ingredients like that :)

• The bread was topped with some cheese which gave the bread an extra savoury taste.
• The bread itself was as fluffy and as soft as usual.

Even though the Pork Floss Bread tasted well in general, EU and I still prefer the sweet ones, especially the Pumpkin Bread! We like the chunkier filling and the stronger taste in the Pumpkin Bread.

Seriously, I always see their bread as "unbeatable" bread; they are really good. Make sure you give them a visit when you visit Richmond. They will never disappoint you ;)
(FYI: If you're aiming for their bread loaves, make sure you arrive there at about 2pm or give them a call to reserve a loaf!)

Guu Garden-A sashimi-base dinner!

EU and I were planning to have a nice, decent meal on Saturday night as a pre-Birthday dinner for me. Of course, it's to celebrate MY birthday, so no doubt I would choose Japanese cuisine ;) I was struggling which Jap restaurant I should go to. Downtown? Yeeaaa, it's Saturday, so I would probably choose a restaurant at downtown. Oh wait...isn't there a restaurant that EU and I had non-stop praising after trying it once? Oooh yeah, so there we went!

*(Ok, so this time it was ME who had forgotten to bring my camera! So all photos were from EU. Thanks loads!)

Maple Castella Bakery #2- The King of Bakery!

I always see there's a special connection between Maple Castella and me, maybe because my last visit was the beginning of my blog. And for some reason, EU was craving their bread recently because she always reminded me of their awesome Pumpkin Bread we had last time.

Originally, I planned to visit Kolachy Co. at downtown (because EU kept on praising how good their bun was). Unfortunately, right before we left home, EU found out that they don't open on Sundays. Disappointed enough, we decided to go to Maple Castella. We decided to call them to order half loaf of Taro Bread. It was 10:50am when we called, and they said all bread loaves would not be ready untill 2pm! AHA! Since EU was too desperate to try their bread again, we decided to have our lunch at 2pm today.

I was not really excited about Maple Castella's bread loaf, mainly because I've forgotten the goodness of their bread. But when I entered the store with that fresh bakery smell......"OH MY GOODNESS" again. We ordered half loaf of Taro Bread but decided to change it into Pumpkin Bread; however, we were told that the Pumpkin Bread would not be ready until 2:30pm. So since we have never tried their Taro Bread, let's give it a try!

Maple Castella Bakery
#1068-8700 McKim Way, Richmond BC

Ratings
1:Yucks! 2:Improvement needed 3:So-So~ 4:Good 5:Very good 6:Heavenly

Food: 6
Price: 5
Services: 6
Ambiance: n/a (it's a bakery)
Overall: 6

• Mon-Sat 9:30am-7pm (Except Thursdays) Sun 9:30am-6pm
  Closed on Thursdays
• Chinese/Taiwanese bakery
• Baked fresh daily
• Popular to Chinese
• Hole-in-the-wall; location is pretty hard to find
• Except the flavoured bread loaves, other plain white bread loaves avialable as well
• Other Taiwanese buns available
• Parking available

Taro Bread-5.5/6

• $8/loaf ($4/half loaf)
• Other flavours: Pork floss, pumpkin
• According to EU, their flavoured bread loaves are a bit more expensive than other bakeries.

• Unlike the Pumpkin Bread we had last time, this Taro Bread did not have much filling.

• The taro was not too sweet, but I didn't pay much attention to the filling (especially I didn't find out whether there were any taro chunks in it!) because I was TOO overwhelmed by the texture of the bread!

• Looking at the photos above, can you see how fluffy the bread is? It was super fluffy and soft!!
• Special texture, unlike the typical Chinese/Asian/Japanese/European/Western bread.
• A bread that doesn't taste like a bread, it's waaayyy fluffier than a bread.
• I think they are only available at about 2pm, so remember to make reservation.

• You can easily tear them apart, like a marshmellow!
• It was so soft that it couldn't even stand when I tore the bread in pieces.

• Despite the less filling, the bread was baked in layers (as shown in the picture above).

After finishing half loaf of Taro Bread, we were too desperate to want more! When I returned, it was already fully packed with people. I told the nice and always-smiling old man that I would like to order half loaf of Pumpkin Bread. Though the other young lady said it was not readied yet, he repeated my order and told the kitchen to have it ready...NOW.

Pumpkin Bread-6/6

• $8/loaf ($4/half loaf)
• With some pumpkin seeds on top.

• Can you see the steam? It was piping hot when they gave me!
• LOADED with pumpkin chunks! I am very sure that their pumpkin is fresh instead of the ready-made/canned ones.

• Have you ever seen the pumpkin filling in a bread has its skin on? No I have not. It may look weird or gross in the beginning, but it was very good (The one we had last time did not have its skin on, so we were shocked when we saw these.)
• The mashed pumpkin was naturally sweet. EU and I (especially EU) love it! It smelt sooo good when they gave us.
• Again, it was super fluffy and soft!

• The crust was soft and crunchy, but not the crunchiness you find in crackers.

After trying both flavours, EU and I prefer the Pumpkin Bread more than the Taro Bread. We love it so much and will surely come back for more! Hmm...I wish they have red bean flavor as well...

Bubble Queen #2

After visiting Bubble Queen on Monday, I have been craving for their Matcha Red Beans Egg Waffle lately! So...I decided to satisfy my craving tonight, with my foodie buddy, EU, again.

Bubble Queen
1200-8888 Odlin Crescent, Richmond BC

Ratings
1:Yucks! 2:Improvement needed 3:So-So~ 4:Good 5:Very good 6:Heavenly

Food: 6 (only based on their egg waffles; but I know everyone has a different taste on egg waffles)
Price: 5.5
Service: 6
Ambiance: 5.5
Overall: 6

• Mon-Thur 2pm-9pm Fri 2pm-midnight Sat 12pm-midnight Sun 12pm-6pm
• Cozy place; suitable for teenagers
• Super friendly and patient owner (Vivian)
• Large variety of drinks available
• Flexible choices
• Egg waffles (aka Bubble waffles), snacks, thick sliced toasts, casual meals and seasonal desserts available
• Many egg waffle flavours available (Is Bubble Queen the only restaurant to offer different flavours of egg waffles?)
• Magazines available (English, Chinese and Japanese)
• Free Wi-fi
• TV on the wall
• Dine in/Take out
• Popular to locals (esp. teenagers)
• Take-out menus are not 100% accurate; the menu they have is more detailed and has more choices!
  (For more detailed menus, please visit a little sweet treat for Eu)
• Limited seatings
• *Remember to check the pictures here and the white/glass board next to their counter! All the new flavours of both drinks and egg waffles are on the board!

We arrived about 5:40pm and we were the only customers at that time. The owner, Vivian, was not there, but there's another young lady busy preparing some batter. About 6pm, more and more people arrived and had almost filled up the whole store!

Blueberry Slush with Aloe Vera Cubes-5.5/6

• $4 ($3 for drink, +$1 for Aloe Vera Cubes)
• Made from frozen blueberries
• I don't think they blend in any ice. It's thick but not icy. I like it.
• I ordered "No Sugar Added", and they really did a good job on that :) It's 100% unsweetened (Well, I know some bubble tea places normally ignore this request).

• Loaded with Aloe Vera CHUNKS!

Matcha Red Beans Egg Waffle-6/6

• $3.50
• One of their new flavours
• Like last time, I asked for a thicker batter for this waffle. And the result...it was served warm, very chewy and very soft! It was very soft and chewy that I could gently tear them apart (see below photo)! I like the texture very much!

• LOADED with red beans!!!
• The red beans were not overly-sweetened.
• BOTH green tea and red bean flavour were there!
• With +$0.50 more than the regular ones, I think this is totally worth it.

(Image from a little sweet treat for Eu)

Oreo Cookie Egg Waffle-4/6

• $3.50
• One of their new flavours
• You can compare this egg waffle with the one I had. Apparently, this is harder than the Matcha one. I think it's a bit too hard and crispy for my liking, but EU likes it a lot.

• Same as the one I had, this was LOADED with oreo cookies!

*EU also ordered a Raspberry Slush with Aloe Vera Cubes, you can visit her blog for more info on that :)

Bubble Queen-Queen of Egg Waffles!

I have always been looking for the best egg waffle in Richmond. But after having the waffles from Rainbow Cafe yesterday, I am even more desperate to find one. EU has suggested Bubble Queen before, but due to it's odd location (to me), I have never got the chance to try their drinks and egg waffles.

Originally, we planned to buy a loaf of pumpkin bread from Maple Castella; however, all pumpkin bread were already sold out when we got there :( So, EU came up with a brilliant idea-go to Bubble Queen and try their egg waffles! Egg waffles? Sure, why not? ;D

Viet Sub Vietnamese Cuisine-My first Vietnamese sub

As I have mentioned in a few previous posts, I am allergic to beef. For this reason, I seldom visit a Vietnamese restaurant (I know I can order chicken, but what's the point of ordering chicken in a Vietnamese restaurant?).

However, EU suggested to give Viet Sub a try last night. Viet Sub? I know what a Viet sub is but I've never had one before. While I was wondering about my "beef concern", EU said they offer chicken as well as Vietnamese ham. So, Viet Sub off we go...

Pink Swirl (aka Sushi World)-Taking risks may not be a good thing sometimes...

EU planned to go to Pacific Centre today because she needed to make a visit to Hollister. So we decided to grab a quick lunch in Richmond before heading off to Vancouver.

One of our eat-and-go places for lunch is Pink Swirl, which has always been one of my favourites.
(FYI: The other eat-and-go place for lunch is Qoola at Aberdeen Centre :))

Qoola @Metrotown-Everything's UNLIMITED!

After having lunch at Sushi Garden, EU and I are back to business-SHOPPING! ;) Passing by Superstore, we decided to grab a box of Aunt Jemima Pancake powder because we have already finished it last time (Yeah 4 in a row! Woohoo!).

As we were walking to XXI (Forever 21, which is a boutique), EU reminded me that there's a new Qoola in Metrotown. I didn't plan to try until she said this new Qoola is "SELF-SERVED". What? Self-served? Curious enough, I decided to visit this new fro-yo store.

Qoola Frozen Yogurt + Fruit (Metrotown)
#2250 4700 Kingsway, Burnaby BC

Ratings
1:Yucks! 2:Improvement needed 3:So-So~ 4:Good 5:Very good 6:Heavenly

Food: 4.5
Price: n/a (depends how heavy your fro-yo is)
Services: 5.5
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 5.5

• Frozen yoghurts, drinks (smoothies) available
• Healthier choice to satisfy your sweet tooth
• Encourages environmental friendly
• Suitable for all ages
• Fat-free yoghurt
• Gluten-free yoghurt
• Self-served
• "Unpredictable" cost; it depends on the weight of your fro-yo ($1.59/100g)

I thought there's going to be really crowded because Qoola is one of the biggest/most popular yoghurt stores in Vancouver; however, there were only 2-3 customers when we arrived.

First, you have to get a yoghurt cup. Then you can get as much yoghurt as you want from the fro-yo machine (No worries! It is easy to use ;)) They offer 6 flavours: country vanilla, chocolate, mango, wild berry, original and raspberry (I am not sure whether they will change their flavours monthly).

After getting enough yoghurt, you can add as many toppings as you want! The dry ingredients (crackers, nuts, mochi, candies, fruit loops, etc.) are on the big semi-circular table. The fruits and sauce are right next to the fro-yo machines.

When you're done, you can go to the cashier and someone will help you to weigh your end product!

To me, I am a person who gets crazy on toppings! So self-served fro-yo may not be a good idea for me.

Wild Berry & Mango Frozen Yoghurt (with 5 toppings)-5/6

• $5.76 ($5.49 before tax)
• Toppings: Blueberries, kiwi, blackberries, pineapple and Captain Crunch
• I know it's hard to tell from the photo, but this end product is really heavy! I thought the total cost would come to $8-10 but it ended up less than $6!
  (FYI: A small fro-yo with 2 toppings in Qoola costs $5)
• Mango flavour yoghurt is sour, which I like it a lot. It also has that mango flavour despite its sourness.
• Wild berry flavour is not as good as I expected. It tastes better alone (without the mango yohurt next to it).
• The fruits are fresh except the blueberries. The blueberries are frozen and are still very hard.

(Images from a little sweet treat for Eu)

Chocolate & Raspberry Frozen Yoghurt (with 4 toppings)-n/a (I only tried a few spoons)

• $4.84 ($4.61 before tax)
• Toppings: Blueberries, strawberries, mochi and kiwi
• Chocolate flavour is mild with a little bit of bitterness.
• Raspberry flavour is strange for my liking; it tastes like bubble gum (and it also looks like bubble gum!)
• EU likes it a lot. She didn't really mix both flavours together so everything tastes fine to her.

EU and I were too overwhelmed by this new idea! We finished our first fro-yo in about 20mins, then I suggested...maybe we should make another one while walking to XXI.

Think I was joking? No I was not. We did go back and made another fro-yo! :D

Original & Mango Frozen Yoghurt (with 4 toppings)-6/6

• $4.10 ($3.90 before tax)
• Toppings: Granola, raspberries, blueberries and kiwi
• Apparently, this is smaller than the first one I had. But still, it was quite heavy.
• Both original and mango flavours are sour, but I really like that sourness. They also go well together.
• As I've mentioned, the blueberries are frozen and they are hard. Sad enough, the raspberries are even harder! They were so icy!
• The granola goes well with the soft fro-yo. But there is some dried fruits in the granola which are too hard for me to chew.

(Images from a little sweet treat for Eu)

Country Vanilla Frozen Yoghurt (with 4 toppings)-n/a (again I only tried a few spoons)

• $3 ($2.86 before tax)
• Toppings: Mochi, strawberry mochi, melon mochi, granola
• Country vanilla flavour is unique. It does taste like vanilla, but it is strange for my liking.
• EU finds it special and she likes the vanilla taste.

This IS the deal. We will definitely come back for more self-designed frozen yoghurts! It's fun and is totally worth it. Next time when you are around Metrotown, make sure you come and check this out!

Secret Garden Tea Company #2

ArelyB, one of my best buddies, came to Canada last year and stayed here for about 3 months. As this was only her second time coming to Canada, everything seemed new to her. EU and I wanted to bring her to some unique restaurant that she had never seen before. And the first thing came to our minds......the Secret Garden Tea Company.

Secret Garden Tea Company #1-T for Two?

Secret Garden Tea Company
#5559 West Blvd, Vancouver BC
(Kerrisdale)

Ratings
1:Yucks! 2:Improvement needed 3:So-So~ 4:Good 5:Very good 6:Heavenly

Food: 5.5
Price: 4.5
Services: 6
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 5.5

• Authentic high-tea place
• Mon-Sat 8am-7pm Sun 9am-6pm
• Traditional high-tea sets (with three-tiered tray) available
• Breakfast and lunch available
• Snacks are also available
• Large variety of teas available
• Super friendly staffs
• Kid-friendly, cozy place
• Suitable for all ages
• Price is a bit higher compare to other cafes or restaurants for a quick snack
• You can purchase their teas if you want
• Popular to locals
• Cute and fancy cups and plates
• Dine in/Take out (48hrs notice is required)
  Occasion to celebrate: tea parties, luncheons, baby showers, family outing, anniversaries, office parties, birthday parties, memorial services, garden parties and picnics. You can call them to help plan a personalized menu.

Premium High Tea Set (for two)-5.5/6

• $25.95 for adults, $16.95 for children (8 years old or below)
• Reservations can be made for: 12pm, 2pm, and 4pm, every day of the week
• Your selected tea + three-tiered tray (including miniature pastries, sweets, sweet scones, Devon cream, raspberry jam, and sandwiches)
• They change the items every month
• They will refill hot water to your teapots
• Since this is my first visit and first time trying a traditional three-tiered tray high-tea set, I find this really special and unique
  
  

Buckingham Palace-5.5/6

• Earl grey and jasmine
• It is one of their bestsellers
• You can add milk if you like but I didn't; I like the bitterness of black teas
• Even though it's more like a decoration to add fanciness to the plates and teapots, I like how they have given each teapot a coat in order to keep it warm

Low Tier-5.5/6

• Egg salad pinwheels, mini sandwiches (with black forest ham, cheese and honey mustard) and mini croissants (with ham and cheese on top)
• I highly recommend their pinwheels! (especially the egg salad ones) They are so soft. I can't say the egg salad is mushy, but it is as soft as the bread.
• Everything is tiny but I suggest not to eat them in one bite! I like eating the mini sandwiches in layers ;)
• They give us the right amount for two people. This low tier may seem a lot but I'm sure you are still able to move on to the next tier, then to the top lier.

Mid Tier-5/6

• Cranberry petite scones (come with jam and devonshire cream) and banana coconut loaves
• I like the banana coconut loaf more. While it may look like it's overly coated with coconut flakes, the banana flavour is still there.
• The scones are crunchy but not hard. You can add jam or cream if you like.

Top Tier-4/6

• Lemon tarts, fudge cakes and lemon cakes (actually I'm not sure about the name of this one)
• Lemon tart is one of their signature items
• I love the lemon tart! The lemon flavour is strong but it's not that sourness you get from the real lemon.
• The fudge cakes are acceptable. It is actually not as sweet as other typical desserts I had before.
• For the last one, I'm not sure whether the filling is lemon or other type of fruit. I have spent some time figuring out..but well, it still tastes good though.

I like Secret Garden Tea Company. Spending a relaxing afternoon there with my family and friends, sipping a cup of freshly made tea and indulge myself in those pretty bite-sized snacks are definitely a nice way to take a rest from a busy and chaotic week.

Guu Garden-OH MY GUUDNESS!

I've always wanted to try Guu Garden because it's a division of Guu, and its interior design looks really fancy to me. After discussing with EU, we decided to take the Skytrain to downtown and give this new Guu a shot!

Guu Garden
M101-888 Nelson Street, Vancouver BC

Ratings
1:Yucks! 2:Improvement needed 3:So-So~ 4:Good 5:Very good 6:Heavenly

Food: 5.5
Price: 4.5
Services: 5.5
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 5.5

• New Guu branch
• Authentic Japanese restaurant
• All chefs and waitresses are Japanese
• Mon-Sun 5:30pm-12am
• Everyone will greet you warmly when you enter the restaurant
• Focus on oden
• Odd location; it is pretty hard to find...
• Get busier at night
• For large group, they recommend customers to pre-order their prefer Oden menu when making reservation.

• You can choose either to try their cocktails or tea

Kanto-daki

• Each ingredient has a different price, from $1.5-7.8
• Soy sauce based oden with light soup
• They have Today's Oden on Today's Special sheet
• See that muddy yellowish paste on the side of the pot? It's wasabi and it goes well with the balls. You should try it ;)

• Mochi Tofu Bag-5.5/6
• $2
• Everything is edible, including the white thing that is used to tie the bag
• Eu and I were totally surpised by this little bag! At first, we didn't expect anything from it by its outlook; we thought it's just an ordinary fluffy tofu ball. However, when I bit open the bag, it was filled with mochi inside!
• The mochi is really chewy and sofy, it's like a half-melted marshmellow (without the sweetness)
• The white thing that is used to tie the bag (uhh I don't know what it is called) is chewy as well
• Highly recommend for mochi lovers! EU, who is one of them, loves this so much!

• Ganmo Tofu Ball-4/6
• $1.5
• Nothing special about this ball; it's like those ordinary tofu balls you have in hot-pot
• It is a bit more chewy though

• Fluffy Fish Cake-3.5/6
• $2
• It is quite fluffy compare to other ordinary fish balls/fish cakes
• If you order this, I suggest you eat it first because it gets really soft after staying in the broth for a while
• Maybe because it already got so soft when I tried it, I didn't really like it's texture. It's too soft for me.

• Ginkyo Nuts-5/6
• $1.5
• They gave me more than I expected. I thought they gave me two orders but when I asked them, they told me this is one order :)
• I am a ginkyo nuts fan! Even though they do not have much taste, Guu Garden is able to cook them in the right texture. Chewy and crunchy enough for me!

Miso Oden-5.5/6 (for fried egg), n/a (for taro jelly)

• $1.5 each
• EU ordered the taro jelly so I didn't try it
• EU said the taro jelly is chewy and she likes it
• The fried egg is better than I expected. It is soft and fluffy. And it does not taste oily.
• The miso sauce is not salty, which is good; instead, it has a hint of sweetness. I like it ;)

Salmon Ruibe-5/6

• $7.8
• Salmon is fresh and it still has that chewiness
• The dressing is not too overwhelming, it matches the salmon and the green onions
• I don't know if it is a special feature or not, the salmon is semi-frost (?). I mean it's still hard/icy in some parts. I take that as something special while EU says it's a mistake.

Grilled Saba Shima Sushi-6/6

• $7.8
• HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!
• I couldn't stop thinking of it after having this dish! The taste is so unforgettable!
• The saba (mackerel) is cooked in the right time. It is served softly with some rice in the middle.
• $7.8 for 6pcs may seem a bit expensive but this is definitely worth it! I'm sure you will love this roll as much as I do!

Chopped Tuna, Green Onion, and Herb Hand Roll-6/6

• Forgot the price
• It is a special on that night
• Neatly presented :)

• They gave us a generous amount of filling! (which is rare nowadays) The hand rolls are stuffed with tuna and have the right amount of rice
• The herb goes very well with the tuna and the green onions. It also gives the hand rolls a very nice smell
• Tuna is soft and fresh
• Nori (seaweed) is not bland and is still crunchy