Chicco-Parfait time!

What's the best dessert place to end our dinner at Gyoza King? Yes, of course it's Chicco (which is one of their branches)! And it's right next to Gyoza King!

Gyoza King

The weather in Vancouver is getting better and better everyday even though it's still very windy sometimes. EU has finally finished all her final exams, so we decided to have a little shopping spree to celebrate her free post-exam period and, to celebrate the arrival of spring ;)

Originally, we planned to have Viet Sub (mainly because both of us MISS their subs so much); however, they had coincidentally run out of french bread. Of course, we were very disappointed. Then, EU suggested Kingyo, which is on Denman Street. Even though I was not feeling Japanese that day, Kingyo seemed a good idea since I've already heard its name for a couple times. As we were taking #5 bus, EU said she actually meant Gyoza King instead of Kingyo! Luckily I found out the right after we got on the bus......so there we went, the "legendary" Gyoza King.

Hue Cafe

After having a Viet sub in Viet Sub at downtown, EU and I have been looking for the next Vietnamese restaurant to give their subs a try. There is a tiny Vietnamese cafe on No.3 Rd (near Jumbo Sushi) that has caught my sight for a couple time, but since I'm not a fan of Vietnamese food, I didn't really bother to try their food.

EU is having her final exams lately, so we decided to find a grab-and-go restaurant. The first thing that came to EU's mind was Hue Cafe.

Asa Sushi

It's another nice sunny sunday. One of the best places to spend a sunny day is Kerrisdale, so EU and I decided to have our lunch there. And since I'm channeling some Japanese these days (again), we decided to have sushi for lunch! Sushi and Kerrisdale? The first restaurant that came to mind was...

Kolachy Co-Stuffed full of GOODNESS

EU has been praising how great Kolachy is after trying it two weeks ago. "OMG, their bread is simply awesomeeee! It's super soft! I'm not joking, you should definitely give it a try!"
Originally, we planned to go last Sunday; however, we phoned them and they said it's closed on sundays! Disappointed enough since I was pretty desperate to try their buns (but I try not to keep my hope too high after hearing EU's glorifying their bun), we ended up having Maple Castella,which is a wonderful choice, of course.

So finally, despite today's rainy day, we decided to go Kolachy Co and gave those lil' buns a bite!

Stuffed Tomatoes with Tuna-Ready to scoop and stuff!

Summer is coming! The weather is getting higher these days (despite last night's rain). Summer is the best season to have fun with friends, spend some time in the beach or evenb throw a house-party!

When you are thinking about summer, what food comes to mind immediately? Ice-cream. Shaved ice. Sweets. Chocolate. Aha, it's hard to resist those rich and good-looking gelato right? But at the same time, your superego reminds you of the itsy-bitsy bikinis and, those hot and sexy tops and bottoms you bought. *Scream* Be calm! Here's a recipe for a fast, healthy and delicious snack, which you can make for house-parties/picnics.

(Image from Simple Pleasures)

Stuffed Tomatoes with Tuna

• Mix & match! You can change tomatoes into other ingredients, such as bell peppers. Of course, you can change the fillings as well. Just use whatever you like to eat and remember to have fun :)
• Practice creativity
• Snack (house-parties, picnics, teas), appetizer, brunch/lunch, dinner
• You can change this recipe into a main-dish! (I will talk more about it at the end)
• Nutritious

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes 8 no. (medium size)
• Tuna fish 1 can
• Egg 1 no.
• Pasta 50g
• Mayonnaise 3 Tbsp.
• Salt and pepper

1. Boil pasta until cooked. Then boil egg and set aside.
2. Cut tops off tomatoes. Scoop out the pulps (You can use a paring knife or a grapefruit knife).
3. Turn tomatoes upside down to drain. Use a paper towel to dry them gently.
4. Sprinkle the inside of tomatoes with salt and peper
5. Open the can of tuna fish and drain off all the water.
6. Transfer tuna fish to a large mixing bowl. Add in mayonnaise, pepper and salt.
7. Remove egg yolk from white. Dice egg white finely and add into the mixture.
8. Combine the pasta with the mixed fillings.
9. Fill tomatoes cases with the filling.
10. Garnish with chopped parsley. Chill and serve cold on lettuce leaves.

Sounds simple isn't it? Just prepare all the ingredients and mix them together for the filling. Then you can enjoy stuffing some red, delicious tomatoes!

Other variations:

By giving this appetizer/snack a twist, you can change the fillings into breadcrumbs and Gorgonzola cheese. Then roast the stuffed tomatoes until the the bottoms have turned brown. It may only take 3-5mins.

Then you will have a yummy main-dish! :D Now, get ready to scoop some pulps and stuff tomatoes! Enjoy!

Starbucks-Save the Forests!

I was on Twitter few days ago and I saw a message from Starbucks. Yes, I know some of you are not coffee-drinkers, but for those who likes to have coffee sometime/everyday, remember to grab a mug for tomorrow's free Starbucks coffee!

It is a good and convenient way to help our environment :)

Apart from tomorrow's free coffee, Starbucks has been having another promotion since March. They offer different kinds of BOLD coffee every week. I have heard of the one they had last week-Caffè Verona®. Since someone told me that it's pretty famous among their other types of coffees, I decided to give it a try last week. (Actually, I have also tried the other ones, but I don't really like them, especially the (STARBUCKS)RED East Africa Blend. I'd rather pick their daily coffee-Pike Place Roast.)

And yes, it's my favourite :) I really like the taste of it. It was rich and not-so bitter.


For more information, please visit their website.

Hapa Izakaya @Yaletown-Hapa Izakaya?

I should say Hapa Izakaya is the first izakaya I have heard of when I first came to Vancouver. Maybe for that reason, I have always wanted to try either one of the three Hapa Izakayas (Kitsilano, Robson and Yaletown), especially the one in Robson. However, with the wide selection of izakaya in Vancouver, I've never got the chance to give them a try :P

After having a super-filling lunch with EU at Maple Castella, EU and I decided to have a lighter meal to end our day. Want a fast and satisfying meal? Izakaya is a good choice. My izakaya wishlist? Hapa Izakaya. Okaaayy, so off we went!

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...

Salmon n' Bannock-Hmm...interesting

EU and I were surfing on Urbanspoon few days ago, and we found this interesting First Nation restaurant. I have heard of Bannock (pronounced as Ban-nik) before but have never really got the chance to try it. So...First Nation cuisine here we go!

Dulcinea Chocolate Cafe-Delicioso!

After having lunch at Barefoot Kitchen, we decided to go for some dessert. Yes, there are many dessert places nearby, such as Beard Papa's, Marble Slab Creamery, Cupcakes, Qoola, and even Barefoot Kitchen itself! However, we decided to go for some gooey-ooey chocolate! :)

Barefoot Kitchen-Land of the Lost

I can't say this is really a food post because...I had spent most of my lunch time enjoying the discussion on some interesting topics! I didn't really spend much time tasting the food (except the first dish). Anyway, I am still gonna post the photos up! ;)

It was nice meeting Kim (of I'm only here for the food! ) for lunch today. For some reason, EU chose to have lunch at Barefoot Kitchen. And since this was our first time to be there, we did have a hard time finding it in the beginning.

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 :)

Rock Cakes-ROCK! Cakes

Last recipe I've posted (Chinese Cold Noodles) is a good dish which you can throw all your left-overs into chewy cold noodles. This time, although you can't throw ham and broccoli (uhh..you can if you want to) into the mixture, you can add other sweet left-overs instead.

(Image from foodphotoblog)

Raisins & Chocolate Chips Rock Cakes

• Fun! Just make all ingredients together then you're done!
• Any sweets at home? Use them so you don't have to buy extra ingredients for this recipe.
• Practice creativity
• Snack (tea, party), lunch
• A fun way for children to learn how to cook

Ingredients: (make about 6 mini cakes)

• Plain flour 100g
• Baking powder 1 tsp.
• Salt a pinch
• Castor sugar 50g
• Margarine 50g
• Egg 1/2
• Raisins 15g
• Chocolate chips 15g
• Milk 1/2 tbsp.

*You can change the ingredients for the Rock Cakes. I've chosen raisins and chocolate chips for this recipe, but you can add marshmellow for Rocky Road Cakes, apples for Apple & Cinnamon Cakes, berries for Mix Berries Cakes, etc etc.

1. Preheat oven to 190C.
2. Grease baking sheet. You can use PAM spray or just use parchment paper.
3. Sieve flour with salt and baking powder.
4. Beat egg.
5. Rub fat into flour with finger tips until mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar, raisins and chocolate chips.
6. Make a well in the flour, pour in beaten egg and mix well.
7. Add milk if necessary to mix to a stiff dough.
8. Divide into equal portions and shape with a fork and spoon.
9. Bake until well risen and golden brown. This takes about 15mins. Then cool on a cooling rack.

Easy enough? Just by using this simple and easy recipe, you can create different types of Rock Cakes you want. Now, indulge yourself with this chewy ROCK Cakes! ENJOY!

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...

Northern Delicacy-I LOVE Shanghainese delicacy!

EU was channeling a Chinese vibe last night. Knowing that I am a fan of Shanghainese cuisine, she decided to go to Northern Delicacy at Aberdeen Centre.

I've tried Northern Delicacy before and have introduced to EU for a few times. Since my comment is positive, she was excited to give it a try.

Rainbow Cafe-Waffles?

After buying a drink from Yellow Dots Cafe, we notice there was a long queue next door. They were waiting for the egg waffles from Rainbow Cafe.

I am a huge fan of egg waffles and have heard people saying Rainbow Cafe makes the best egg waffles in Richmond. For that reason, its egg waffles are more expensive than the others ($3.75/each if I'm right). Curious enough, I gave it a try last Christmas. So, any surprise? NO, not at all. The egg waffle was too crispy for my liking, and it was not chewy enough. The waffle was too thin for an egg waffle! I felt ripped off afterwards.

This time, EU wanted to try their waffles. So we chose Order #2, which is two waffles with fillings between them. However, we asked the lady not to put anything on the waffles because we wanted to try the flavour and texture of the waffles. Most importantly, we like plain waffles without the overly-sweetened sauce ;)

Yellow Dots Cafe-The best Ginger Tea in Richmond?

Should I use the phrase "City of the Dead" to describe today?

EU and I did drive to Pacific Centre; HOWEVER, it was closed on Easter sunday! So we decided to drive back to Richmond and planned to have a walk in Richmond Centre.
Ok, after we arrived Richmond Centre, we found out it's closed on Easter sunday as well! Sad enough, I suggested to make a visit to Parker Place because it's an Asian mall, so maybe it would open today.

Yes, I was right ;) It was about 3 o'clock and EU and I were a bit thirsty, so we decided to buy a drink in the foodcourt. To be honest, I am never a fan of Parker Place's food court because it is too crowded for me. Also, I don't like the atmosphere of the food court. Thus, it was a surprise to EU that I suggested going to Parker Place's food court for a drink. Eu wanted to drink some hot tea instead of the Taiwanese bubble teas, so the only choice for us is...Yellow Dots Cafe.

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 :))

Miku Restaurant-Pink!

Before starting this post, I should give some credits to EU for finding different restaurants and good deals these days. Honestly, I would not have started a blog until she suggested me to start one because I have so many food photos.

I always spend time on Urbanspoon and Twitter, but still I've missed some of the good restaurants in Vancouver.

Miku Restaurant is no exception. EU saw Miku's tweet two days ago about their Hanami Box. So, she asked me to go check it out and made a reservation.

After spending a lazy afternoon in Finch's Tea & Coffee House, we went to Pacific Centre, did some shopping and spent some time there before going to Miku.

Finch's Tea & Coffee House-Lick that freshness!

Everything was nicely planned today. EU planned to have lunch at Gorilla Food and to end our day at Miku Restaurant. Luckily the weather was better today, we decided to take Skytrain to Waterfront then walked to our destination. Unfortunately, Gorilla Food didn't open today for some reason. Then EU came up with another idea-Finch's Tea & Coffee House.

Knowing that I am a fan of vintage, she brought me to this interesting looking coffee house. She said she's always wanted to give their baguettes a try, but since it closes at 5pm every day, she couldn't try it except on weekends. So we decided to give this little tea & coffee house a try.

Chau Kitchen & Bar

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!