Miku Restaurant – Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi

2011 Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Yearblog

Happy New Year! Welcome to my Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2011! This is a recap and yearbook/yearblog of the BEST Follow Me Foodie (FMF) Food and FMF Foodie Moments in 2011.

I wrote a Follow Me Foodie Favourites & Best of 2010, so I decided to do another one this year. I don’t even know where to start. It’s been a crazy year, and I’m so grateful for everything that has happened with this blog. I’ve loved every minute of it (even the parts where it hurt to laugh because I was so full) and I’m so happy to have shared these delicious moments with you. Thank you for following me foodie and cheers to another year of gastronomic indulgence!

NOTE: IT’S NOT NECESSARILY “THE BEST“, BECAUSE FOOD IS PERSONAL AND I CAN ONLY DISCOVER SO MUCH IN A YEAR. THESE ARE JUST SOME WORTH MENTIONING IN MY BOOKS… OR BLOG? BLOG. IT’S MORE OF A 2011 RECAP/SUMMARY. ALL EXPERIENCES ARE FROM 2011 ONLY.

Top 20 BEST ASIAN/FUSION Restaurant Dishes & Food in Vancouver:

Suika – Beef Short Rib

Being in Vancouver, we’re spoiled by great Asian/Asian Fusion cuisine, so I decided to make it a separate category. Vancouver dominates and excels when it comes to Asian/Asian fusion cuisine.

Listed in no particular order. Based on the menu item, not the restaurant.

1. Suika – Beef Short Rib

2. Aki Japanese Restaurant – Black Cod (Sable Fish)

3. Pho Tam – House Special Pho

4. Wing Kee – Fresh Steamed Scallops with Vermicelli and Garlic

5. Dan Japanese – Tuna Chili Sashimi

6. Wang’s Beef Noodle House – Beef Brisket Noodle

7. Kirin Seafood Restaurant – Black Cod Braised with Squash and Roasted Pork Belly

8. Jade Seafood Restaurant – Steamed Mushroom Dumpling

9. Rainflower Restaurant – Pan Fried Tiger Prawns with Basil

10. Tokyo Joe’s Sushi Factory – Volcano Roll

11. Empire Chinese Cuisine – Alaskan King Crab Dinner – 4 ways

12. Red Star Seafood – Dungeness Crab with Wild Rice

13. Motomachi Shokudo – Bamboo-Charcoal Dark Miso Ramen

14. Tokachi Japanese – Tuna Gomaae

15. Empire Chinese Cuisine – Deep Fried Alaskan King Crab Knuckles

16. Ichiro Japanese – Dragon Roll

17. Delicious Cuisine – Deep Fried Shrimp with Salted Egg Yolk

18. Hapa Izakaya (Kistilano) – Salmon Shooter

19. Suhang Restaurant – Steamed Soup Buns with Pork Filling (XLB)

20. Jade Seafood Restaurant – Jade Smoked Grandpa Chicken

Honorary Mentions from 2010 list: Miku Restaurant – Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi, Top Gun J & C Restaurant – Baked BBQ Pork Bun, Hakkaido Ramen Santouka – Toroniku Shio Ramen

See “Follow Me Foodie Best of 2010 Asian/Fusion Dishes” here.

See the full “Follow Me Foodie Best of 2011″ here.

Restaurant: Capstone Tea & Fondue
Cuisine: Tea/Coffee/Drinks/Fondue/Desserts/Ice Cream
Last visited: August 14, 2011
Location: Richmond, BC (Richmond Central)
Address: 160 – 9020 Capstan Way
Price Range: $10 or less for drinks, $10-20 for fondue

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 2.5
Service: 3 (friendly, but so slow)
Ambiance: 3.5
Overall: 2.5
Additional comments:

• 2 locations
• Locally operated/owned
• Tea/dessert house
• Modern Taiwanese tea house
• No bubble tea
• Fresh fruit drinks/smoothies
• Popular for chocolate fondue
• Chocolate fondue all you can east
• Limited House made desserts
• $19.95 fondue high tea
• Sophisticated atmosphere
• Limited seating
• Reservations recommended
• Accepts Interac/Visa/MC
• Free parking
• Open late

**Recommendations: Ice cream truffle fondue

The original Capstone Tea & Fondue started in 2005 and it’s located in downtown Vancouver, BC. This new location is their second location that opened almost right next to Manzo Japanese Restaurant in Richmond, BC. It’s kind of predictable that the next location would be in Richmond, considering it’s the home of bubble tea and all types of Asian cuisine. So with 100 bubble tea places to choose from, what does Capstone have that the others don’t? Or what do the others have that Capstone doesn’t?

Well that’s the thing! Capstone Tea & Fondue isn’t a bubble tea house at all. They have no bubble tea. They specialize in teas, herbal teas, coffees and a limited selection of fresh fruit drinks in a modern atmosphere.

For me it was almost like the Chinese version of Starbucks. As much as it tries to cater more towards a “Western” audience, there was Asian flare in the style, menu and execution of their overall image, drinks and food. However the service was opposite of most stereotypical Chinese places, it was friendly! On the other hand it did move at a snail’s speed which is very unusual.

The Richmond location is the same as the Vancouver one, except it’s more mature and romantic with candles and a spa like feel. As much as it tries to set itself apart from the typical bubble tea house, to me it just seems like a fancy bubble tea house with less selection and no bubbles.

I actually made two visits to Capstone Tea & Fondue in Richmond because I was pretty disappointed with my first visit. I thought I’d give it the benefit of the doubt because from what I remember my experiences at their Vancouver location have been better. Anyways round two didn’t go so well either, but I don’t think I’m the market for it.

They’re actually most known for their chocolate fondue. I’m not much of a “fondue” person just because I find it’s something I can prepare at home, with ingredients from the right supplier. For me it’s almost like meat and cheese, or hot pot (Chinese fondue), I don’t see much value in those options when dining out.

However the experience is nice and it is the only fondue place in Richmond, BC. It is better quality than your “grocery store fondue party”, but I still found it quite standard and  the menu a bit pricey for what was being served. Although different styles, I missed my traditional bubble tea houses. Sure they wouldn’t have fondue, but I’d give that up for a much larger variety of drinks, Taiwanese chicken nuggets and thick toast with condensed milk!

On the table:

Japanese Matcha Latte – 1.5/6 (Round 1)

• $5.25
• This wasn’t even a big glass and I found it expensive.
• It cost more than a Starbucks Matcha Latte and I liked the Starbucks version better. Starbucks isn’t my favourite, but just for point of reference I’ll use it as an example.
• This one was very milky and almost flavourless and unsweetened.
• It was almost like Jasmine tea and it was bland so we ended up sending it back. I rarely send things back too.

Japanese Matcha Latte – 2/6 (Round 2)

• $5.25
• The new one wasn’t much better, but it was presented nicer.
• They added more syrup and matcha, but it was still bland.
• They say it’s a “full-bodied tea steeped with milk and topped with frothy rich foam”, but I just got lots of frothy milk with matcha powder.

• The sweetener I’m quite sure is a house made Jasmine tea syrup, and I could taste the Jasmine, but wanted to taste the matcha.
• It wasn’t bitter and it looked like a lot of matcha powder, but it didn’t taste very matcha-y.
• For the price it just didn’t seem 100% matcha or a very high quality of matcha powder.

Complimentary Black Sesame & Matcha Tea Cookies – 3.5/6

• These came complimentary with the lattes and they were good and made in house.
• They were similar to shortbread cookies and it was crunchy and nutty and aromatic with matcha powder, freshly ground black sesame seeds and I think some tea leaves.
• They were a bit floral in flavour, but not bitter or overwhelming and they weren’t too sweet or buttery, but perfect tea time cookies.
• Other places that make cookies of this style that I enjoy are from Chef Kev Cookies & Chocolate and Tealips Bubble Tea & Coffee.

Matcha Frappe - 1/6 (Round 1)

• Choice of dairy: soy milk, whole milk, skim milk $5.45
• Like a smoothie, our tea frappe is blended with real fruits and sweetened with our home made Jasmine tea syrup.
• This was from my first visit, and unfortunately this got sent back as well. Again, I rarely send things back.
• It was very icy and crunchy with clumps of ice and actually bitter from the amount of matcha.
• I did like that they used real milk as opposed to powder like most bubble tea houses though.
• They brought me a new one, but it was almost the same so I ended up just paying for it and leaving without having either.

Matcha Frappe - 2/6 (Round 2)

• Choice of dairy: soy milk, whole milk, skim milk $5.45
• Like a smoothie, our tea frappe is blended with real fruits and sweetened with our home made Jasmine tea syrup.
• I re-ordered it on my second visit just to re-test it, but it was almost the same.
• Again, I did like that they used real milk as opposed to powder like most bubble tea houses.
• The drinks are very icy and crunchy rather than creamy though and I could bite into lots of crushed ice, it’s not like a smoothie.
• It’s not the dessert kind of matcha frappe with green tea ice cream, but this was just ice, with matcha powder and a splash of milk. I really couldn’t taste anything else going on.
• The texture and flavour was a bit powdery too from the matcha powder and again it’s barely sweet, but sweeter than the matcha latte.
• I like more milk as opposed to almost all ice and I prefer the Matcha Frappe from places like Pearl Castle, Zephyr in the Sky, or the Matcha Blended Ice from Waves Coffee or Blendz. One of the best is the Japanese Green Tea Ice Cream bubble tea from Dragon Ball Tea House.

Pina Colada Frappe – 2.5/6

• Choice of dairy: soy milk, whole milk, skim milk $5.45
• Like a smoothie, our tea frappe is blended with real fruits and sweetened with our home made Jasmine tea syrup.
• Even though it was made with fresh fruit and real milk, the execution wasn’t great and I don’t know if the fruit just wasn’t ripe enough or what.
• This didn’t taste like a traditional pina colada you would get at most restaurants and I didn’t find it as good.
• It wasn’t that sweet, more milk based, quite pulpy and my throat started to get scratchy even after a couple sips.
• I couldn’t get much coconut and I think it could have been enhanced with a little pineapple and coconut syrup, but I’m not sure.
• This was my friend’s drink and her throat was very scratchy after it. It’s that scratchiness the acid in fresh pineapple can give you sometimes.

Mango Pineapple Frappe – 3/6

• Choice of dairy: soy milk, whole milk, skim milk $5.45 (Available with or without milk)
• Like a smoothie, our tea frappe is blended with real fruits and sweetened with our home made Jasmine tea syrup.
• Again, although it was made with fresh fruit and real milk, I’ve had better fresh fruit blended drinks than this at bubble tea houses.
• It was a very pale yellow and there wasn’t as much mango, but the mango didn’t seem very ripe.
• The pineapple wasn’t that ripe either, so the unripe fruits just didn’t give it a natural sweetness.
• The Jasmine tea syrup gave it a slight floral sweetness, but it was all very mild, and a bit tart.
• It was more milky and icy than it was bursting with fruit flavour, although it was pulpy.
• The Mango Mooshake at Phnom Penh is my favourite mango slushy thus far. Dragon Ball Tea House also does an excellent job with fresh fruit drinks.

All You Can Eat Chocolate Fondue – 3/6

• $9.95/person with a drink or $14.95/person without a drink.
• Made with 56% semi-sweet Belgian dark chocolate. A chocolaty sweet sensation that melts in your mouth…
• Served with assorted seasonal fruits and daily featured pastry items, and comes with a personal size fondue pot.
• Fondue toppings: honey graham crackers, roasted peanuts, sprinkles, coconut flakes, caramel crumbs, almond rocher (2 for $2.95)
• Putting “all you can eat” on the menu almost ruined any level of class they were aiming for, but it works and people like it.
• This wasn’t actually my order, but I’ve had it before.
• It’s a standard chocolate fondue, but 56% chocolate doesn’t appeal to me. I’m more of a 75-80% (or even higher) dark chocolate fan.
• The fruits are fresh and standard and the presentation is nice, but there’s really nothing fancy about this.
• The tea cakes are made in house and they’re more or less pound cakes, but they’re good.
• The other pastry was the house made green tea and black sesame tea cookies I mentioned above.

**Ice Cream Truffles – 4/6

• The ice cream truffles are my favourite, but that’s also just because I love ice cream.
• They’re just mini balls of store bought ice cream and you get to dip them in chocolate, like at Purdy’s… or at home.
• They have raspberry, strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, mango, and green tea, but they vary on occasion and location.
• With the all you can eat fondue it was $1 for 3 truffles, or $3.95 for 6… I’ll take 2 orders of $1 for 3 in that case.

Restaurant: Tri-Pot (鼎王滷味)
Cuisine: Taiwanese/Chinese/Snacks/Noodles
Last visited: July 16, 2011
Location: Richmond, BC (Richmond Central)
Address: 100-7911 Alderbridge Way
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: n/a
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Very authentic Taiwanese fast food
• Some imported Taiwanese ingredients
• Specializes in offal
• Stewed in house offal
• Great for snack
• Low carb
• Made upon order
• Very quick/very casual
• Popular to Taiwanese locals
• Budget friendly/cheap eats
• Cash only
• Open late
• Free wifi
• Free parking lot
• Sun–Thur  4pm–12am
• Fri & Sat  4pm–1am
• Closed on Tuesdays

**Recommendations: n/a

Okay, so this set up is a little confusing. Unless someone told you about it or you were going to check out Zephyr Tea House Cafe, it is very unlikely that you will even notice Tri-Pot. This is the only signage it has, and you probably wouldn’t notice it unless you were lost in the parking lot.

Tri-Pot is the “restaurant” between its sister restaurants Zephyr Tea House Cafe and Delicious Cuisine. It’s not really a restaurant though and more of a component that operates in the same vicinity as Zephyr Tea House, which I blogged about here. All three restaurants are side by side, but each one is quite different, although all are still traditional Taiwanese.

The entrance to Tri-Pot is actually through the main entrance of Zephyr Tea House Cafe. I came to Zephyr back when it was called “Zephyr in the Sky” and Tri-Pot never existed then. It wasn’t until I was on one of my media tours with Tourism Richmond that I was reintroduced to Zephry Tea House and introduced to Tri-Pot.

Oddly enough, Tri-Pot is the first thing you’ll see when you walk into Zephyr Tea House. It’s a to-go only restaurant though so you really have to take it to-go. However, without leaving the same space you can literally walk 5 steps to the left, and you’ll be in Zephyr Tea House. I’m not sure if they’ll let you enjoy your Tri-Pot to-go items over at Zephyr, but they might if you order a drink or something.

So if you’ve never seen this before, don’t me intimidated. The menu is in Chinese and English and it’s really a one step process. You simply pick your items and watch as they prepare it. It’s almost like a food court stall and they’re very popular set ups in Taiwan. I’ve seen them on the streets of Hong Kong and in either case it is considered casual fast food or street food. The only difference, is that it’s somewhat healthier. I wouldn’t go as far to say it’s healthy though, but it can be depending on what you order. On the other hand it is low carb, although you can order it with noodles if you wish. If you’re from an offal eating culture, the image above may look like last night’s dinner, but if you’re from a more North American background, this photo may freak you out. Personally I’m in between. It doesn’t freak me out, but it doesn’t wet my appetite either. Don’t worry about not knowing what your food may look like, because they lay it all out for you.

Yes, I will admit it. I am not keen on organs, intestines, innards, gizzards, and offal in general. Will I try them or eat them? Sure, and I have, but will I jump at the chance or fight over them? No, I won’t. I also prefer European styles of offal compared to Asian styles of it. Pate and foie gras? I’ll fight you for that. It’s just more catered to my tastes and it looks more appetizing. Whereas the Asian kind is often “what you see is what you get”. Personally the only time I’ve enjoyed a full out offal meal was at Incanto – see here, which completely changed the way I looked and felt about offal. After experiencing that I now see offal as offal, and not as awful.

Tri-Pot is ideal for offal lovers. You basically pick your ingredients from their English and Chinese menu and then watch them cook it on the spot. So isn’t that just Tappenyaki or Mongolie Grill? Well, yes, but the ingredients are much different and there’s no frying or grilling here (although some packaged items are previously deep fried). I would consider it more like hot pot to go, except there’s no soup, and it’s just the ingredients.

Half the items are pre-boiled and stewed first in their own house stock, and the other half is raw or pre-cooked and packaged. Although boiling doesn’t get the flavour out of food, it’s the traditional way this type of food is prepared and it’s also meant to be somewhat healthy, so it is the appropriate method of cooking. You also get to chose your own sauces and spices so the customization and ultimate flavour is all up to you.

I shouldn’t say this is only for offal lovers though, because it’s not. Intestines, ears, shanks, hearts, wings, feet, necks, gizzards, pig skin, and tendons are the highlights and what many traditional Taiwanese people would go for, but they also offer less exotic items such as classic stir fry vegetables, assorted mushrooms, fish balls, pork balls, a variety of tofu, dumplings and noodles. So, in actuality, it’s really easy to go vegetarian or just seafood here.

A random fact from their site, but pig intestine is the most popular item here, followed by traditional Taiwanese style Blood Rice Cake imported from Taiwan, and then the Enoki mushrooms. To see their full list of ingredients see here.

Tri-Pot is quick, simple, easy and affordable at about $2-3 for each item. It is Vancouver’s first Taiwanese style low-carb snack, but can easily be enjoyed as a full meal. Personally I’m more likely to eat at Delicious Cuisine and then at Zephyr Tea House before I would at Tri-Pot, but they’re very different and Tri-Pot is the only thing of its kind to date.

On the table:

This is the finished product. They charge per ingredient and not by weight, although I wish it was by weight.

Tossed Ramen Noodle with Chicken Gizzards (Custom order) – n/a

• Taiwanese pickles and green onion will be added to each order. Optional hot sauce and cilantro are also available.
• I tried it, but I don’t remember too much about it because I was saving room for other things we had on the table at Delicious Cuisine next door. Delicious Cuisine is their nicer sit down restaurant – see here.
• Whatever you get at Tri-Pot will really depend on what you order anyways.

Spiced Dried Tofu, Fried Fish Cakes & Daikon  (Custom order) – n/a

• Taiwanese pickles and green onion will be added to each order. Optional hot sauce and cilantro are also available.
• The rectangular slices are the spiced dried tofu, the oblong slice in the front is the fried fish cake, and the other clear jelly looking pieces are the daikon.

Restaurant: Zephyr Tea House Cafe (飄香)
Cuisine: Taiwanese/Chinese/Bubble Tea/Snacks/Tea
Last visited: July 16, 2011
Location: Richmond, BC (Richmond Central)
Address: 7911 Alderbridge Way
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5 (based on items I tried)
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3.5 (if you enjoy mainstream pop)
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Taiwanese cafe food
• Clean, bright, lively atmosphere
• Extensive hot food & drink menu
• Great for snacks
• Decent set meals
• Mini hot pots
• Limited fresh fruit drinks
• Limited fresh milk drinks
• Budget friendly/cheap eats
• Late night specials ($5-6) from 9pm
• Very casual/relaxed
• Suitable for old/young
• Family friendly
• Accepts MC/Visa
• Open late
• Free wifi
• Free parking lot
• Lunch/Dinner/Midnight snacks
• Sun–Thur lunch –12am (?)
• Fri & Sat  lunch –1am (?)
• Parent restaurant to Delicious Cuisine
• Parent restaurant to Tri-Pot

**Recommendations: Honey Chrysanthemum Green Tea, Condensed Butter Milk Toast, Taiwanese Style Popcorn Chicken, Taiwanese Meat Sauce on Rice

I haven’t been to this place since it was called Zephyr in the Sky, and actually just realized now that they renamed it to “Zephyr Tea House”. It’s been around for ages and it’s one of those bubble tea places that are suitable for the old and the young. It’s not too “Asian night club” and has just the right amount of “hip” factor to make you want to stay for a while longer, or even bring your family. In a way it really reminds me of Pearl Castle.

It has a projection screen which plays some current American pop with a mix of some “I want nobody nobody but you, YOU I want nobody nobody but you, YOU“… and for those of you that didn’t get that, it’s the lyrics from Nobody by Wonder Girls (a Korean pop girl band that recently got ‘discovered’ by mainstream media, aka the Americans). Anyways it’s a mix of that (played at a normal volume), so the atmosphere is lively, clean and comfortable, and so was I.

This is kind of random, but I used the washroom and there was a Taiwanese girl crying outside one of the stalls… twice over two days. I felt like I was in a live Asian drama… I’m quite certain the girl was a different girl, because any girl crying over a guy for that long… should be in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Getting back to Zephyr Tea House Cafe, it’s actually a 2 in1, or even a 3 in 1 operation. When you walk in the door the first thing you’ll notice is this – Tri-Pot. No, you’re still at Zephyr Tea House, but Tri Pot is their take-out only “restaurant” that operates in the same vicinity. I’ll tell you more about Tri-Pot in my post for it tomorrow.

The third part to Zephyr is located next door. Their counterpart Delicious Cuisine is a Taiwanese restaurant specializing in authentic Taiwanese food, and it’s the nicest of their restaurants, although it’s not fine dining. They’ve almost created a “Glowbal Group” of restaurants, but since it all operates within the same building and complex, it makes it more like the “Chambar” of Taiwanese restaurants. This is getting all quite confusing, but I’m sure most of you foodies get it.

The menu at Zephyr Tea House Cafe is very affordable, although the drinks are slightly pricier. The food isn’t bad either and they have a lot of variety from snacks to set meals, soup noodle bowls, and mini hot pots. From what I ordered, the quality is okay and it’s better than typical bubble tea food too. For the price, there’s really little to complain about and the bonus is that they accept plastic! It’s not cash only, and that’s a big deal for a bubble tea place.

The drinks are house brewed with black and green teas, but they have a very limited amount of fresh milk and fresh fruit flavours. It’s such a double standard. At Western places you expect fresh fruit and milk, but at Asian places the powdered stuff is expected and normal. There are bubble tea places that do use fresh milk and fruits though, and I do prefer the places that offer both versions (yes some drinks just work better and at times even taste better with the artificial powders). I’d probably come back here for the food before I would the drinks, but the point is, I’d come back.

On the table:

**Honey Chrysanthemum Green Tea – 4/6

• $4.25
• As simple as my choice was, I really enjoyed it. It was my favourite of what I ordered.
• It’s refreshing, light and made with real Chrysanthemum flowers (strained out of course).
• It had a nice honey flavour and it was Asian sweet, which is never too sweet. It was very floral and simply enjoyable.
• They were easy on the ice and the green tea is brewed in house, but mild, and it was stronger with chrysanthemum flavour.

Matcha Ice Cream Frappe – 3.5/6

• $4.99
• This is the house favourite and most popular milkshake or “frappe”.
• So this was quite a fancy matcha ice cream frappe and they even topped it with red bean and whipped cream which made it more dessert like.
• Of course I’m not a fan of red bean, but the kind they used here is actually good for red bean standards. It was real red beans and not the mushy paste.
• There wasn’t that much matcha ice cream in it and it wasn’t that sweet either. The red bean was sweeter than the drink part.

• I was expecting more of a milkshake quality, but it wasn’t creamy and instead very icy like a slushy with lots of blended ice crystals.
• There’s no bitter matcha flavour (which I actually kind of like) and since there’s not much ice cream it’s even less sweet, but it still tasted good.
• The matcha flavour wasn’t very strong and I prefer the Japanese Green Tea Ice Cream bubble tea at Dragon Ball Tea House much more. That one has a lot of ice cream, which is the point when you order any “ice cream” based drink.
• The Japanese Green Tea Frappe at Pearl Castle is also milkier and creamier and I like it better – see here.

Frozen Point - 3/6

• $4
• This is a house specialty and it’s passion fruit green tea with mint syrup.
• It’s very refreshing, cooling and quite tart with a strong passion fruit base.
• The mint was subtle and in the after taste, but it’s not minty like toothpaste either. It has a slight artificial taste, but it’s not that obvious.
• There was also a bit of real lemon juice in this so it was quite tangy, but fresh tasting.
• It was light and mild and although I don’t care for mint syrups as much as I would for real mint, you expect it at bubble tea places.
• It wouldn’t hurt to order this half sweet, it’s not overly sweet, but since there’s mint syrup as well, half sweet is fine.

Passion Green Tea – n/a

• $3.75 With coconut jelly (+$.50)
• I didn’t try this one, but I heard no complaints and I’m guessing it would be similar to my Frozen Point drink which also had passion fruit.
• It didn’t look like a whole lot of coconut jelly though, especially since the cup is so narrow at the bottom.

Tangerine Black Tea – 2/6

• $3.75 (Hot drink +$1)
• I don’t get it. Hong Kong Cafes charge you an extra $1 to make a drink cold because of the ice and then bubble tea places charge you an extra $1 to make the drink hot. Ugh.
• Surprisingly a really good version of this is at the bubble tea stall located at the International Village (Tinseltown) food court.
• I found this quite sweet initially and then the tea flavour came after.
• Even though the tea is brewed in house from real tea leaves, I found the flavour tasted almost instant.
• It was more on the lemon side than tangerine side, and it was more sweet than citrusy but infused with some fruit bitters.
• There was a bitterness to it in the aftertaste which kind of stripped away your saliva.

**Condensed Butter Milk Toast – 4.5/6

• $2.75
• If you’ve never tried any sort of condensed butter milk toast from a bubble tea place, then this will likely be a 6/6 the first time. It was still very good here though!
• It’s best when eaten hot, but it’s not hard to scarf down this Taiwanese comfort food.
• This is not just your ordinary morning toast, this is toast like you’ve never had it… unless you’re Asian, then you probably grew up with it.
• This is almost like a dessert toast and it’s the perfect balance of a little sweet and a little savoury, but it’s more sweet.
• The condensed milk is usually drizzled on top and spilling off the edges of the toast, but this one was prepared differently.

• It’s a one inch thick soft and very fluffy white bread with a crispy, crumbly, sweet and sugary baked topping made with melted butter, sugar and condensed milk. Mmmm fat.
• It’s almost like a sweet pastry crust and tastes like the topping on my favourite Baked BBQ Pork Buns. This topping is also called the Mexican bun topping or the Pineapple bun topping. It’s similar to that topping, but it’s slightly different and a bit saltier.
• It’s sweet at first with a salty buttery finish, and the ratio of topping to bread was fair.
• It’s not greasy, but it’s still indulgent, and the condensed milk was barely noticeable. For this reason I didn’t find it as sweet as other condensed milk thick toasts, but it still tasted very good.

**Taiwanese Meat Sauce on Rice – 3.5/6

• $3.75
• No matter how you look at this, you can’t complain too much about it for $3.75 DEAL.
• It’s not a huge bowl, but it’s big enough for one person for lunch and it’s pretty good!
• I love Taiwanese Meat Sauce on Rice and it’s almost always cheap no matter where you have it.
• I wish it was saucier to finish off the rice with, but it was good.
• The sauce is very savoury, but not too salty and it’s soy sauce based and perhaps made with fermented soy bean paste, sesame oil, and a bit of sugar. It’s more savoury than sweet and there’s also some garlic, ginger and onions.
• The pork was cut into little cubes and it was braised or stewed pork belly meat.
• The tiny white cubes of minced fat was so tender and creamy and not chewy at all, and then there was the leaner parts which were a bit drier.
• It is a bit fatty for me with a 1:1 meat to fat ratio, and I prefer a 3:1 meat to fat ratio, but at least the fat was not gelatinous in texture here.
• There’s a side of pickled spicy radish to cut the richness of the minced pork sauce too.
• Sometimes people will used minced pork to make this dish, so to have it made with pork belly is quite the bonus if you like that kind of stuff.
• The rice was very moist, but not wet, but almost like Japanese rice.

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken with Noodle in Soup – 3.5/6

• Choice of thick, thin noodle, vermicelli or rice noodle $6.95
• I got the thick noodles which are always most recommended for Taiwanese noodle soup bowls.
• For $6.95 the portion is generous, and although the soup noodles aren’t great, the price somehow makes it okay.

Noodle Soup Bowl – 2/6

• The soup here is disappointing and it was almost bland, oily and watered down.
• I couldn’t even tell if it was a pork or beef based it was so mild. It lacked depth and flavour and it just seemed like soy sauce.
• The noodles were nice and chewy though and that was the redeeming factor.
• I’ve tried their House Special Beef Noodle Soup next door at their other restaurant Delicious Cuisine, and that was actually pretty good!
• For a bowl of authentic Taiwanese beef noodle soup, I would suggest Wang’s Beef Noodle House.

Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken – 4/6

• This is also available a la carte as an appetizer for $5.25 and I think the portion is even bigger.
• This is not your ordinary American “popcorn chicken”, this is delicious Taiwanese street food at its best.
• It was made authentically with the fried basil leaves which I loved.
• The boneless skinless chicken was crispy and crunchy and the meat was moist, juicy and tender.
• It’s light battered and fried with a bit of garlic, a good amount of salt and a hint of 5 spice powder.
• It was a bit powdery in texture, as it tends to be, but overall it’s solid.
• It wasn’t as delicious as the Popcorn Chicken at Pearl Castle though, which are amazing – see here.

Side Vegetables – The set meal comes with a side of vegetables which include crunchy pickled cucumbers and savoury chilled bean sprouts. They’re just simple Taiwanese appetizers or side dishes. If you go next to to their sister restaurant Delicious Cuisine, they offer many more authentic Taiwanese appetizers/side dishes – see them here.

Restaurant: Tealips Bubble Tea & Coffee
Cuisine: Coffee/Tea/Bubble Tea/Desserts
Last visited: June 24, 2011
Location: Burnaby, BC (Burnaby South)
Address: 7139 Arcola Way
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3 (based on desserts)
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Overall: 3

Additional comments:

• Modern Chinese style tea bar
• Specializes in loose leaf tea based drinks
• Health and wellness drinks
• Quaint/clean/comfortable
• Home made cookies
• Home made waffles upon order
• Selection of fresh dessert waffles
• Small selection of baked cookies
• Low fat options
• Hot/cold drinks
• Tea/coffee/smoothies/lattes
• Family friendly
• Mon-Sat 11am-11:30pm
• Sun 2pm-11:30pm

**Recommendations: Earl Gray Tea Cookie, Crinkle Chocolate Cookie, and if you like shaved ice they make them really well here.

With a lack of desserts in Burnaby, but dozens of bubble tea houses all along Kingsway, you can now add to the list, another bubble tea place. Don’t roll your eyes just yet though, this one is a bit different. It’s more modern in style and the offerings aren’t your typical bubble teas and coffees. It’s a bit more fancy and they have a small selection of homemade dessert waffles and cookies.

It’s clean, comfortable and open late and you probably wouldn’t know about it unless you lived in the neighborhood. It’s not really a hidden gem, but it’s in a strip mall of a rather residential area and it’s a bit unexpected.

Yes, it is a bubble tea house and they do offer bubble tea, but it’s quality bubble tea and a bit more classy with even a tea bar. The teas are all brewed in house and they don’t have every flavour under the roof like Bubble World does, but they offer fresh fruit flavours, real loose leaf tea flavours, and more sophisticated drinks.

The flavours are limited, but the drink list is still extensive due to the variety of styles in which they’re offered in. With lattes, frappes, smoothies, iced, hot and cold drinks, it’s almost like the Taiwanese version of Starbucks. They even have the soy milk, yogurt, low fat, and ice cream options. It’s definitely more tea and coffee based and although it specializes in drinks, I actually didn’t even try one. I plan on coming back for them though.

This is their “gifts to go” section or “bakery”. It’s not really a bakery or dessert house, but they do offer a selection of packaged home made cookies and Tealips loose leaf tea to go. It’s very charming and it reminded of a Taiwanese bake sale. A lot of their desserts and cookies are Euro-Asian inspired creations, so I was curious to know who was running the show. It also caught me off guard when I saw them making fresh waffles, because that tends to be a Korean thing.

Anyways this was actually my main reason for coming here. I had just come from a disappointing bubble tea experience and I was determined to have the night end on a positive note.

My friend had told me about Tealips “shaved ice” when it first opened, and she was waiting for me to try it. She knew how obsessed I was with the shaved ice milk from Frappe Bliss in Aberdeen Centre in Richmond, and she thought this was offering the same thing. I got the hunch that it was going to be the traditional Taiwanese shaved ice, and it was, but at least it was made a bit gourmet. We were both a little bummed since we had out hearts set on shaved ice milk, but we ended up buying a lot of cookies to make ourselves feel better. Honestly they make pretty good and unique cookies here and sell them at bake sale prices.

Although I wasn’t blown away by anything, Tealips offers up something a bit different than a typical bubble tea place. It kind of reminds me of Michi Waffle & Espresso Bar in downtown Vancouver. Overall Tealips is good for the area and I’d still come back to try their drinks and more of their cookies too!

On the table:

Brussels Waffle – 2/6

• A batter based Belgian waffle, fluffy inside, crispy outside, available eat in only. Served with syrup and house special whipped cream. Single $2.85 Double $5.25
• These were not bad and made fresh upon order, but I’m just not a fan of the flavour of their batter.
• It’s a little bit floury and almost bread like, so I wasn’t feeling it.
• It was more like a breakfast waffle than a dessert waffle and it was eggy and reminded me a bit of Eggo Waffles.

• It was crispy on the outside and soft, fluffy and moist on the inside, but they were a bit bland and you could kind of taste the baking powder.
• They were topped with icing sugar and served with a side of syrup and store bought whipped cream.
• Besides Brussels, the best waffles I’ve actually had are from Korea at Didi’s Gaufres – see here. In Vancouver, I actually really enjoy the waffles at Reflections at the Hilton Hotel in Burnaby.

**Liège Waffle – 2.5/6

• Brioche bread dough base with chunks of pearl sugar Single $2.95 Double $5.75
• This was better than the Brussels waffle, but also more like a dessert.
• I’m super picky with these waffles because I had the pleasure of experiencing many of them in Brussels and The Netherlands.
• If you’ve never had an authentic one then this will be good, but if you’ve had a real one than this does not do it justice. It kind of comes off as a Liège Waffle knock off.
• In Vancouver, the closest authentic Liège Waffle I’ve had so far is from Patisserie Lebeau, which were even better than the excellent ones I had at Didi Gaufres in Korea – see The Basic waffle at Didi’s.

• It’s fresh and made upon order and it’s more like a pastry compared to the Belgian waffle.
• There was barely any “pearl sugar” (clumps of crystallized sugar that don’t melt) in the waffle and that’s the best part.
• The crystal sugar clumps used were also not the right kind and the quality wasn’t as great because they didn’t retain their “clump” like quality and crispy crunch.
• It’s sweet, but not overly sweet and they were decently moist, but they didn’t really have that crispy exterior they should have.
• I could still kind of taste the baking powder flavour, but if you’re not comparing them to the real deal, they are pretty good.
• It’s denser, richer, and chewier than the Belgian waffle and closer to the ones offered at Cafe Medina, but I like Medina’s better, and still Patisserie Lebeau‘s the best so far.

Matcha Shaved Ice – 3/6

• 100% pure Japanese green tea – Matcha shaved ice, fresh fruit, red bean, ice cream, mochi, condensed milk and nuts $7.50
• I don’t really care for shaved ice, so this was a 3/6 for me, but for those who like it, it’s a 4/6.
• For shaved ice, this is actually a very good version of it, and the ice cream is a bonus! However I prefer shaved ice milk from Frappe Bliss any day, although the toppings offered here are better.
• This was a gourmet shaved ice compared to what most Taiwanese bubble tea places will serve.
• It’s basically a fresh fruit sundae served over matcha flavoured crushed ice.
• It was quite pricey, but it was made with care and detail so I guess it’s somewhat justified.
• It comes in a large mug and it’s loaded with toppings and they’re good quality too.
• It had fresh strawberries, blueberries, canned pineapples, and a bit of walnuts and almonds over top.

• There was a ton of red bean and the mochi was their handmade matcha mochi, but they’re not as soft as real mochi should be.
• The matcha mochi was chewy and it was filled with green bean paste and it taste like those store bought ones, but they are made in house.

• The shaved ice actually had green tea powder blended right into it. Almost no bubble tea house that I know of will flavour the ice like this intensely, so I really appreciated it.
• It had a strong matcha flavour and it was even a bit bitter, but it wasn’t really sweet at all.
• The sweet part came from the ingredients and especially the red bean.
• I actually ordered the matcha because I love matcha… but you know how I feel about red bean…

… I politely pushed my red beans to the side and there were a ton of them! They actually weren’t too bad though and I prefer them this way as opposed to red bean soup, paste or syrup.

Cocoa Shaved Ice – 3.5/6

• 100% pure cocoa, no sugar added. Cocoa shaved ice, fresh fruit, condensed milk, ice cream, mochi and nuts $7.50
• It’s a jumbo sized mug, but it’s still pricey. It’s not a dessert I’d particularly crave, hence the 3.5/6, but it’s done well!
• As I said above, for shaved ice, they do a great job with it. However I prefer shaved ice milk from Frappe Bliss any day, although the toppings are higher quality at Tealips.
• This was a fresh fruit sundae served over cocoa flavoured crushed ice.
• It was topped with fresh blueberries, frozen raspberries, frozen blackberries, almonds and walnuts and a sprinkle of cocoa powder.
• I enjoyed the cocoa shaved ice better than the matcha and it really wasn’t that sweet at all.

• The cocoa was really infused into the ice and it tasted like an icy blend of cocoa milkshake especially after the ice cream melted into it.
• This one used house made matcha mochi as well, but I’m just not a fan of the ones they make here. They’re chewy and a bit dense and powdery and filled with green bean paste. It tastes like the store bought ones to me and they just get frozen in the ice.
• It’s actually pretty good if you’re expecting shaved ice and not ice milk. They didn’t lie on the menu, but I should have paid closer attention to what I was ordering.

**Earl Grey Tea Cookie – 4.5/6

• $2.75/pack (6)
• I love Earl Grey flavoured desserts in general, so these caught my eye first.
• These are small and very light cookies and they are the ideal tea time cookie.
• It’s a basic shortbread like cookie with Earl Grey tea leaves, and I enjoyed them!
• They’re very aromatic and floral cookies and they really aren’t that sweet.
• It’s good quality Earl Grey tea leaves and the Earl Grey isn’t overpowering at all, but noticeable.
• They’re similar to shortbread cookies, but not as buttery and they’re crunchy, and the crumb doesn’t melt away as easily as shortbread.
• The tea leaves are roughly crushed throughout and there’s no bitter aftertaste. They’re fine too and not woody so you’re not gnawing on them.
• I do wish the Earl Grey flavour was more infused throughout and perhaps accented with a hint of orange zest.

Homemade Tealips Cookie – 3.5/6

• Handful ingredients of unsweetened coconut & choco chips with walnuts & oats. Low in sodium and calories. $2.95/pack (4)
• I think they meant healthy ingredients, not “handful”… it’s one of their nutritious snacks.
• It’s not greasy or oily and not even that sweet, but I liked them, although they’re not memorable.
• It’s a crispy and nutty cookie with pieces of walnuts and a good amount of soft chocolate chips throughout.
• It almost remind me of a crunchy Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookie meets a Dad’s Oatmeal Cookie, but made with better chocolate.
• The coconut was finely grounded and I couldn’t really taste it and the oatmeal was ground too so that came unnoticed, but you knew both were in there due to the texture.
• I could have used more coconut and even some shredded coconut, and the only sweet thing is really the chocolate chips.

Matcha Walnut Cookie – 4/6

• $2.75/pack (4)
• I love matcha flavoured anything, and with walnuts it’s even better.
• If you have them fresh they’re almost like crispy Danish butter cookies, but if you have them a couple days after they’re soft and tender. I enjoyed them both ways.
• I found the matcha really subtle and I could taste it more in the aftertaste of the cookie.
• It’s not oily or buttery or very sweet and I wished the walnuts were all throughout rather than just on top as a garnish.

**Crinkle Chocolate Cookie - 4/6

• $2.75/pack (3)
• These reminded me of the Hazelnut Chocolate Sparkle Cookies from Everything Cafe, but they tasted very different.
• If you have them fresh they’re soft and if you have them a couple days after they’re crunchy. They’re much better fresh.

• It’s a soft cookie made with bittersweet cocoa powder so they really aren’t that sweet.
• It was fluffy and almost like a cakey cookie and there was some real chocolate chips throughout. They were chopped up pieces of chocolate, but they were really tiny and blended in with the texture of the crumb.
• The flavour was like those Costco chocolate chip muffins, and they were very good!

Restaurant: Tony’s Beef Noodle
Cuisine: Taiwanese/Chinese/Noodle Shop
Last visited: June 22, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (South Cambie Street)
Address: 5754 Cambie Street
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3.5 (based on few items)
Service: 3
Ambiance: 1.5
Overall: 3.5
Additional comments:

• Authentic Taiwanese soup noodle bowls
• Hole in the wall
• Taiwanese owned/operated
• Popular to locals in area
• Popular for beef noodle bowl
• Limited menu for Chinese restaurant
• Some Taiwanese snacks/dim sum
• Quick/casual
• Fresh handmade noodles
• Budget friendly/Cheap eats
• Cash only
• Lunch/Dinner
• Mon-Sat 11am-9pm
• Closed Sunday

**Recommendations: Beef Noodle Soup, Chinese Beef Pancake

I know, from the outside it doesn’t look like anything special. The barred up window reminded me of the convenience stores in the downtown East Side, but they are hiding something quite special and it’s not illegal.

Tony’s Beef Noodle House is one of the popular Taiwanese beef noodle houses in Vancouver, BC and for good reason too. It’s a hole in the wall that’s been around for ages and it’s very popular to Chinese locals living in the neighbourhood. It’s very casual with limited seating and the menu is small, but it has the basics and essentially you come here for really only one thing, the beef noodle bowl.

It wasn’t a planned trip to come to Tony’s Beef Noodle, although it has been on my radar ever since my very satisfying experience at Wang’s Beef Noodle House. It was more or less when I started appreciating Taiwanese beef noodles and I was exploring more of the Taiwanese food scene at the same time. Places included Delicious Cuisine and Kalvin’s Szechuan Restaurant, but then I kind of slacked and got distracted by other “must try” restaurants.

The Taiwanese Beef Noodle bowl isn’t as popular as Japanese ramen or even Vietnamese pho, but I still appreciate it. For me Taiwanese beef noodles are more about the beef than the soup, where I find it’s vise versa with the other two. Both are essentially important, but that’s just my personal thoughts in general.

The topic of beef noodles can be much explored and debated and everyone seems to have their favourite Taiwanese beef noodle place. By default mine was Wang’s Beef Noodle House, because it was more or less the only restaurant I tried that actually specialized in it. However since Wang’s is one of the most popular places for it, my standard was already set quite high coming into Tony’s Beef Noodle. Nonetheless Tony’s did live up to expectations and I liked the beef  better here, but the broth better at Wang’s.

If you’re going to try Taiwanese beef noodles it really only does it justice to try them at places that specialize in it. Mind you, some of the beef noodle bowls at bubble tea places are actually quite good, like the one at Beefy Beef Noodle.

On the table:

**Beef Noodle Soup – 4/6

• Beef + Noodle in Soup Small $5.95 Large $7.25
• I ordered a small which came with about 5 pieces of beef. The beef is the best part to this.
• It’s served with your choice of thin or thick noodles, bit the thick noodles are recommended.

• The noodles are home made, soft and decently chewy.
• The broth was moderately spicy with some chili flakes and it was also quite sharp and tangy from the pickled Chinese mustard cabbage cooked into it.
• It wasn’t necessarily strong with beef flavour and it wasn’t greasy either, which could mean it’s not as “traditional”, but I prefer it less greasy anyways.
• The soup often has cloves and 5 spice powder or even star anise brewed into it, but I couldn’t taste any of that in this broth.
• It was still good, but the broth flavour lacked depth and it wasn’t as thick or rich compared to other authentic ones I’ve had before.

• The beef was the highlight and it was incredibly tender and melted in your mouth.
• They were relatively lean, but not dry and the clear tendon parts came unnoticed and just melted away without any gelatinous chew. I’m sensitive to gelatinous texture and don’t prefer it. This one was perfect.
• As I wrote in my intro, the beef was more tender and better than Wang’s Beef Noodle House, and maybe because they were in smaller pieces. The broth however I found was better at Wang’s.
• I also wish the noodle bowl was topped off with more green onions and a bit of cilantro. This one just had the pickled mustard greens and some green onions as garnish.

**Beef in Chinese Pancake – 4/6

• $4.95
• I have the tendency to always order this at Taiwanese restaurants.
• It’s a home made crispy pan fried green onion pancake stuffed with tender beef slices, raw green onions, and Hoisin sauce. It’s almost like a Peking duck wrap.
• These ones were pretty good, but I could have used more beef and onions in them and the pancake was a little oily.
• They were pancake heavy, but I didn’t mind as much as I usually would because their onion pancakes are pretty good here.
• The pancake was really soft, tender and very chewy rather than flaky and it was almost like eating a mochi. I feel like they used some rice flour in it and it was really moist and very good. I wouldn’t be surprised if some people didn’t like this pancake though since it’s usually thinner and flakier.
• The beef slices were very tender, but I couldn’t taste any 5 spice seasoning on them. They were sliced a bit thicker, but they weren’t chewy or noticeably fatty. I hate when there’s chewy tendons, and although I could see a little of it, I couldn’t feel its texture.
• So far I think I like Wang’s Beef Noodle Sliced Beef in Chinese Pancake or the Five Spice Wrapped in Chinese Pancake from Beefy Beef Noodle best.

Three Spice Sauce Chicken – 3/6

• Three Spice Sauce + Chicken with rice $6.50
• The Three Spice Chicken is one of the most traditional and popular Taiwanese dishes to order.
• It usually comes sizzling in a clay pot, but given the dining establishment, I didn’t expect it.
• It was the perfect lunch set and I liked that it had a variety of side dishes.

• The reddish sauce isn’t like sweet and sour sauce, so don’t expect that flavour.
• Three Spice Chicken is made with sesame oil, cooking wine and soy sauce, but it wasn’t nearly as flavourful and aromatic as other ones I’ve had before.
• It’s supposed to be made with basil too and this one wasn’t, although it was served with one leaf as the garnish.
• The chicken was bone in and previously pan fried with a crispy dry-ish exterior and the meat was tender, but not really moist.
• The sauce isn’t really sweet or tangy, but just on the savoury side and it was lacking in the garlic as well.
• The sides are very home style and typical and the way it was plated was quite traditional and very home cooked.
• The side dishes included a hard boiled soy sauce tea leaf egg served over steamed rice, scrambled eggs and tomato, and cabbage and carrots.
• For a great Three Spice Chicken I would suggest Delicious Cuisine – see Chicken with 3 Spice or the one at Kalvin’s Szechuan Restaurant – see Chicken with Three Spice.

• The scrambled eggs are cooked in ketchup and stewed tomatoes. That’s pretty much comfort food for Asian kids. It brings back some childhood memories.
• The eggs are overcooked, but it doesn’t matter, they’re actually really good and I like them.
• For $6.50 it’s not a bad deal, but if you think Asian food court you could probably get it for even cheaper and double the portion. I think $6.50 for this is fine though.

“We are noodle folk. Broth runs through our veins.”
—Mr. Ping

Enter to win 2 tickets to the advanced screening of Kung Fu Panda 2!

Ticket details (valid one night only):

Date: Tuesday May 24
Time: 7pm
Theater: SilveryCity Metropolis (Metrotown Mall)

How to enter:

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2. Comment on this post with your favourite noodle dish in Vancouver.

Contest ends Sunday May 22 at midnight. Thank you and good luck!

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The Noodle Series – 20 Asian Noodle Dishes

In celebration of Kung Fu Panda 2 I’m featuring Mr. Ping’s favourite food! NOODLES! Here are some delicious noodles that come to mind for me. They’re not all necessarily my favourite or the “best”, but it showcases a variety. This is only within the Asian noodle category too. There are so many more choices and these 20 noodle dishes just touch the surface! Now how big of a noodle fan are YOU?!

The Vietnamese Noodle

Pho Tam – House Special Beef – Combination of Beef and Rice Noodle in Soup

The Beijing Noodle

Beijing Cuisine – Tossed Mung Clear Noodles in Sauce, Sesame Paste & Shredded Meat

The Chinese Noodles

Michigan Noodle Shop – Traditional Wonton Noodle Soup

Michigan Noodle Shop – Lo-Mein with Shredded Pork in spicy Brown Sauce

Rainflower – Hometown Style Pan Fried Silver Needle Noodle

Rainflower – Scrambled Egg & Scallop Fried Rice Noodle

The Thai Noodle

Khunnai Chang Madame Elephant Thai Cuisine – Pad Thai

The Japanese Noodles

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka -  Toroniku Shio Ramen

Miku Restaurant – Soba Pepperoncino

Aki Japanese Restaurant – Nabeyaki Udon

The Taiwanese Noodle

Wang’s Beef Noodle House – Beef Brisket Noodle

The Shanghainese Noodles

Northern Delicacy – “Dan Dan” or “Tan Tan” Noodles in Black Sesame Soup

Northern Delicacy – Shredded Chicken with Glass Noodle

The Malaysian Noodle

Seri Malaysia – Mee Goreng Mamak

The Singaporean (Malaysian) Noodle

Bo Laksa King – Laksa

The Korean Noodles

Jang Mo Jib – Jab Che or Jap Chee  (Potato Noodles)

In Korea (but available in Vancouver) – Stir Fried Korean Rice Cake Noodles with Gochujang Sauce (Ddeokbokki)

Celadon Fine Korean (whistler, BC) – Chilled Pink Angel Hair Noodles

The Szechuan Noodle

Sichuan Da Ping Guo Restaurant – Sichuan Glass Noodle with Soy Nuts

The Persian Noodle (Dessert)

The Apron – Faloodeh

Restaurant: Beefy Beef Noodle
Cuisine: Chinese/Taiwanese/Noodle Shop/Bubble Tea/Dessert
Last visited: April 16, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Riley Park/Little Mountain)
Address: 4063 Main Street
Price Range: $10 or less, $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 3 (based on a couple visits)
Service: 3
Ambiance: 2.5
Overall: 3
Additional comments:

• 2 locations (Burnaby/Vancouver)
• Taiwanese owned/operated
• Taiwanese cuisine
• Popular for noodle bowls
• Popular for bubble tea
• Customizes drinks
• Good for snacks/drinks
• Very popular/waits on weekends
• Cheap eats/budget friendly
• Very casual
• Family friendly
• Younger demographic
• Limited parking
• Cash only
• Open late
• Sun-Thurs. 11am-12am
• Fri-Sat. 11am-2am

**Recommendations: Five Spice Beef/Pork Wrapped in Chinese Pancake and House Special Beef Noodle Soup. The Salty Pepper Chicken is popular, but there’s better.

I have to chuckle at the name. The sign is a summary of what to order, or at least what they specialize in. “Beefy Beef Noodle, Salty Peppery Chicken & Bubble Tea”. Beef Beef Noodle is a popular Taiwanese bubble tea joint known for their home made soup noodle bowls and a selection of Taiwanese cuisine. My knowledge of Taiwanese cuisine is quite limited, but after my experience at Delicious Cuisine, bubble tea places just don’t do it justice. Of course it’s completely different styles of Taiwanese food, but I had to write it.

I’ve been here on a couple occasions within the last year, so I’m not a regular. The last time I came for a visit was exactly a year ago and I recalled a relatively positive experience. Therefore when Saturday night came around and my friends and I were looking for a low key place nearby to go after dinner at Narrow Artist Lounge, we ended up at Beefy Beef Noodle.

It was after a failed attempt for JJ Bean (closes at 11pm), failed attempt at East is East (closes at 10pm), and another failed attempt for Blendz (girls didn’t want to make the one block walk in the cold) that we ended up here. But hey! We pulled around the corner and what did we have? A rockstar parking spot right in front of the restaurant that closes at 2am! (If the photo is confusing, it’s only daylight because I took it on a separate occasion).

Anyways, I’m going to question this place for consistency. I’d expect it to be pretty consistent considering they specialize in a few items, although they offer a lot. It’s basically beef noodle bowls, deep fried appetizers, casual snacks and a wide selection of bubble teas. However comparing my couple visits, my experience this time around was slightly underwhelming but not disappointing.

The food was okay with the beef noodle bowls being authentic and quite good. It works for casual eats or late night munchies, but all the bubble teas were a bit watered down and the pearls were a tad overcooked although they’re well priced. There are better versions of things they offer, but for the price and type of place, it’s not bad, and I don’t think there’s any other choice for this type of cuisine within the area.

On the table:

Photo from last year – April 2010

Photo from this year April 2011

Crispy Salty Peppery Chicken – 3.5/6

• $5.95
• I liked it better last year than this year. If you’ve never tried Taiwanese chicken nuggets, you’re missing out. It’s Popcorn Chicken 2.0.
• They’re usually a 4/6 here, but in this case they were 3.5/6 because they gave us a lot of tiny heavily battered chicken scraps, and there weren’t many big pieces. The portion also looked a bit smaller and the oil a bit old.
• They chicken nuggets were fillets of dark meat chicken and they were decently crispy, but not as good as the ones from Pearl Castle – see here.
• The ones here were well flavoured, a tad dry this time, but well seasoned with 5 spice powder and a noticeable amount of aromatic white pepper. It was more white pepper than most places.
• Although they were crispy they had a very powdery texture to them, which they normally will have, but it was more than usual again.
• What I did love about them is that they actually fried these with basil leaves which is the authentic way of serving this popular Taiwanese street food.
• It adds so much more flavour and aroma and not many places do it, except they did skimp on them this time. There were so few basil leaves and there used to be more as you can tell from the photos.
• Another traditional Taiwanese restaurant Kalvin’s Szechuan Restaurant also uses basil leaves – see their Crispy Salty Peppery Chicken.

Shanghai Style Steamed Dumpling Pork- 2/6

• 8 pieces $5.50
• I didn’t try these, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if they weren’t made in house.
• From my friends that did try them the consensus was not good, but edible.
• I know it’s not a Shangainese place so it’s assumed it won’t be their specialty or even comparable to the real XLB’s (Xiao Long Bao), but apparently the skins were mushy and almost seemed frozen.
• The soup also leaked out on a couple of them and there wasn’t much soup in them to start.

**Five Spice Beef/Pork Wrapped in Chinese Pancake – 4.5/6

• $5.95
• I really enjoyed this.
• I normally do enjoy this at Taiwanese or Shanghainese restaurants, but this one was a solid Taiwanese version. It was better than my recent one at Kalvin’s Szechuan Restaurant which is an actual Taiwanese restaurant, not cafe.
• The green onion pancake was very crispy and almost crunchy it was so well fried. It was thin and flaky and decently stuffed with a great balance of ingredients.
• The slices of beef shank were tender with a hint of 5 spice and not too gelatinous with the tendons. I’m not a fan of gelatinous textures and this one was okay.
• The green onion and Hoisin sauce offered a nice sweet contrast to the savoury pancake and meat, and overall it’s very well done and also filling if you’re not sharing.

Just for comparisons sake, here is a photo from April 2010. It’s a little less beef now, but the pancake seems thinner too so it balances out. They were both still good, so I don’t mind the change if there was one.

**Beef Brisket Noodle in Spicy Soup – 4.5/6

• $7.25
• This is one of their claims to fame. It’s quite a large bowl with lots of ingredients and they’re served piping hot.
• It’s quite authentic with a dark broth, pickled vegetables and hand made noodles (I think).
• The spicy soup was quite spicy and had my nose sniffling after the first five bites.
• There’s a layer of chili oil floating over the top, although it wasn’t overly greasy either. Authentic Taiwanese beef noodle bowls are quite greasy though.

Excuse the photo, this is from last year…

• The noodles were a bit soft for my liking, but usually they are quite al dente with a bite.
• It comes standard with one type of noodle, otherwise I do prefer the thicker noodles.
• The broth is good, although not as complex as the one from Wang’s Beef Noodle. There was beef flavour and it was also quite tangy with the pickles as well as being spicy.
• I really appreciated the bok choy vegetables which was almost a bonus.

• The beef slices weren’t brisket, they were beef shank slices. There was a decent amount of them and they were quite tender but still a bit chewy.
• It’s not really gelatinous, but the clear jelly parts weren’t quite broken down yet.

Condensed Milk Toast – 3.5/6

• $3.75
• Is it just me, or has bread gotten a lot more expensive? Or maybe it’s always been this price, and I just haven’t ordered this in a while.
• Condensed Milk Toast is a 5/6 – it’s a must try item and childhood snack for many Chinese kids, but the one here was a 3.5/6.
• It’s quite dessert like and it’s one of the most popular items at bubble tea places.
• It was good and the bread was thick sliced, soft and somewhat fluffy, but there’s fluffier and the exterior wasn’t as crispy as I like.
• It’s a naturally sweeter Taiwanese egg bread that is toasted, well buttered, and drizzled with condensed milk.
• It’s personal preference but I like it when it’s coated evenly with a layer of condensed milk.

Japanese Green Tea Smoothy - 3.5/6

• $4.95 + $.50 for half coconut jelly + pearls
• This one definitely used to be better, although the drink itself is always quite good.
• It was a bit watered down, you can tell by the colour, but the texture was nice.
• They put a bit of Japanese green tea ice cream in the mix so it’s a little bit like a milkshake.
• I just wish they enhanced the green tea flavour because it was too milky.
• The pearls were also a bit soft and overcooked.

Taro Smoothy – 3.5/6

• $4.50
• I love taro smoothies or slushes and this one was pretty good although again a bit on the milky side.
• It wasn’t too sweet and quite nicely blended.

Honey Green Tea/Black Tea – n/a

• $3.95 + $.50 for half grass jelly + half coconut jelly
• I didn’t try this one, but I didn’t hear any complaints.

Vanilla Milk Tea Slush – 4/6

• $3.95
• This was mine and I enjoyed it. They also let me customize it to a slush which was much appreciated.
• Again it was a bit on the milky side, but the flavour was there.

Almond Milk Tea – 3/6

• $3.95 + $.50 for pearls
• This one was noticeably a bit too powdered with too much ice so it became bland and watery as well.
• The pearls were also a bit soft again.

Restaurant: Kalvin’s Szechuan Restaurant
Cuisine: Taiwanese/Chinese/Szechuan
Last visited: April 10, 2011
Location: Vancouver, BC (Kensington)
Address: 5225 Victoria Drive
Price Range: $10-20

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4 (based on what I tried)
Service: 3
Ambiance: 2
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Taiwanese Family run
• Authentic Taiwanese
• Authentic Szechuan
• Some Shanghainese items
• Extensive menu
• Popular to Chinese locals
• Big portions
• Very affordable
• Better with groups
• Limited seating
• Reservations recommended
• Chinese & English menu
• Chinese written specials
• Frozen products to go
• Cheap eats/budget friendly
• Cash only
• Mon-Fri $6.50 lunch specials
• Mon-Sun 11-2:30pm, 5:30-9:30pm
• Closed Wednesdays

**Recommendations: Crispy Salty Peppery Chicken, Prawn & Peanut with Chili Pepper, and Chicken with Three Spice. Apparently the Smoked Duck is a signature item and the Fondue Spicy Pork with Organ Stew is the must try here, but I’m not too keen on offal.

My Taiwanese friend from Japan came back home for a visit and she was craving authentic Taiwanese food. After my recent delicious experience at Delicious Cuisine, so was I! Taiwanese food in Metro Vancouver is limited to endless bubble tea cafes, so there’s really not much selection for an actual Taiwanese restaurant. We decided on Kalvin’s Szechuen Restaurant and despite “Szechuan” being in the title, it is also known for traditional home cooked Taiwanese food. It’s funny because I’m supposed to make another trip out here in a couple weeks with a larger group.

Let’s forget about “authenticity” for a moment because Chinese cuisine is shared throughout China let alone Asia in general. Quite often Szechuan, Shanghainese, and Taiwanese food will cross paths and borrow ingredients and cooking methods from each other. Quite often they will offer some similar menu items, but the execution of each will be quite different depending on the chef’s style and area. Kalvin’s Szechuen Restaurant is actually a mixture of all three cuisines, but a predominant focus on Taiwanese and Szechuan. They do offer Shanghainese items, but from what I tried and could gather, it’s not the specialty here.

It’s a small and very casual restaurant and had steady traffic through the entire dinner service. It’s Taiwanese owned and operated, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the chef had some Szechuan culinary experience. It’s an obvious local favourite and it’s popular for a restaurant that flies under the radar, especially with the dodgy looking outside. They also have a frozen foods section in the back with dumplings, pancakes and Shanghainese specialties to go.

The daily specials are written only in Chinese, which totally sucks, but the menu has English so it wasn’t too bad. On the other hand it made it seem more authentic which I liked. I must say though English translations for Chinese menus really frustrate me. It makes it difficult to explore a menu when there’s a lack of description and it causes people unfamiliar with the cuisine to keep ordering the things they already know and like.

I mean with over 20 items for beef and names which are also descriptions like “Shredded Beef with Onion”, “Shredded Beef with Green Pepper”, “Shredded Beef with Bamboo Shoots”… how am I supposed to order without winging it?!!? Please. Help. The best I could do was observe the tables and see what everyone else was ordering. Luckily I had my Taiwanese friend with me… but too bad she’s not a foodie and always orders “Pork Chop on Rice”… argh… useless I tell you… j/k!

Nonetheless Kalvin’s Szechuan Restaurant was a great find and I would come back. The food was solid, the portions are very generous and the menu is more than affordable for lunch and dinner. It’s a quick and casual go to if you live in the area with plenty of traditional Taiwanese and Szechuan options. However if you’re looking for traditional Taiwanese that’s a bit more formal I would highly recommend Delicious Cuisine.

On the table:

**Crispy Salty Peppery Chicken - 5/6

• $6
• This was very good, but it’s not an item you have to get here, unless you haven’t tried it before. I just like the dish so I like to compare.
• It’s a good appetizer, but it’s common at a lot of bubble tea places too.
• My favourite is the one from Pearl Castle because it’s crunchier and crispier see here, although this one has a better flavour and it’s a bit more authentic.
• It’s Taiwanese street food and it’s not your average salt and pepper chicken or chicken nuggets.
• It’s very crispy boneless pieces of moist and tender juicy dark meat chicken marinated in garlic, wine and soy sauce and battered in potato flour and deep fried.
• It’s very well seasoned with salt, white pepper and Chinese 5 spice powder.
• It’s also tossed with some garlic and crispy fried basil leaves, which makes it more traditional. There should be more, but this is already one of the few places that serve it this way. Beefy Beef Noodle does it as well, but they’re not as good as here.
• It’s a very aromatic chicken with a wonderfully savoury flavour that is incredibly addicting like popcorn chicken.

5 Spice Beef in Chinese Pancake – 3/6

• $5
• I really like this and it’s another Taiwanese street food staple that’s also found at many Shanghainese restaurants.
• It’s served hot and made upon order and I usually love this item, but this one wasn’t well executed.
• It was a crispy and flaky home made green onion pancake or crepe, but it was much too thick and doughy with very little beef in the roll.
• There was one sweet scallion, a bit of sweet Hoisin sauce, and one slice of beef  that was a bit dry and much too thin that I could barely taste it.

Deep Fried Pork Chop with Rice – 3.5/6

• $5.50
• It’s one of the most popular lunch time items in Taiwan.
• This is classic Taiwanese peasant food, or comfort food.
• It was a really big portion and enough for two people.
• It’s a generous bed of rice topped with a typical Taiwanese pork broth/sauce made of light soy sauce and white wine.
• It’s a large fillet of crispy bone in pork chop, but it was really thin and a too battered for me. It’s executed the same way as the salt and peppery chicken.
• It was well flavoured and marinated in soy sauce, white wine and garlic before being crusted with a potato starch batter seasoned with 5 spice powder, salt and white pepper.
• The pork was moist, but the quality wasn’t great and the skin was a bit gelatinous and just too heavily battered that it kept separating from the meat.
• The sauce over the rice was a bit bland and thin and I like it more thick, savoury and sweet.
• This was good, but there is better versions of this dish.

**Chicken with Three Spice – 5.5/6

• Small $10 Large $20
• It’s actually supposed to be called “Three Cup Chicken” and it’s delicious!
• This is one of the most popular Taiwanese items and it’s supposed to represent the quality of the overall restaurant. It’s the prawn dumpling or har gow of dim sum.
• It was another large portion and it’s served in a clay pot. I had it at Delicious Cuisine, but can’t say which was “better”.
• I wish it was actually cooked in the clay pot though because it should be sizzling.
• It’s “Three Cup Chicken” because it’s made with 1 cup soy sauce, 1 cup white wine and 1 cup sesame oil.
• It’s stew like with aromatic bone in pieces of tender chicken generously coated with a thick and rich syrupy sweet and savoury honey like garlic soy sauce gravy.
• The chicken had a bit of a pan fried crust on them and it seemed slightly shallow fried and a bit oily as expected, but they were excellent.
• It’s like a sweet Taiwanese BBQ sauce with fresh basil, nutty sesame oil aroma and creamy caramelized cloves of whole garlic and a faint gingery background.
• It’s sweetened with sugar and it’s lick your fingers good… although eaten with chopsticks.

**Prawn & Peanut with Chili Pepper – 5/6

• $16
• Ohhhh! So this is what “kung pao chicken” is, well this was kung pao prawn, but same flavour. Based on the description I didn’t know.
• The waitress insisted on having it prepared mild instead of my requested medium, and thank god! Holy crap! Mild was so spicy already!
• This is a very typical Szechuan dish and it was pretty authentic except for the Sichuan peppercorns which were very minimal. It was spicy enough though!
• It was a huge portion with plenty of saucy prawns, lots of roasted chillies and tons of crunchy peanuts.
• The prawns were crunchy and coated with a spicy version of a similar sauce used in the “Chicken with Three Spices”.
• The initial flavour is sweet garlicky soy sauce and sesame oil and then gradually the heat picks up and then it hits you right away. The spice lingers for a long time afterward.
• It’s quite salty and it’s fragrant spicy, not hot, with the dry chillies and peanuts being flash fried in the oil to prepare the base of the sauce.
• The spiciness is powerful, bit still flavourful and addicting, but it’s really spicy! It had my nose running after the first three bites and I can handle my spice.
• The crunch of the nutty peanuts helped tone down the spice, but barely and I would have liked some more scallions. It took a long time to be able to taste the other dishes afterward, but it was really good!

Stir Fried Seasonal Vegetable – 3/6

• $8.50 or $9.50 depending on vegetable. This “tung choy” was $8.50.
• Tung Choy or Tong Choi or Water Spinach, is a popular vegetable in Asian cultures. It’s often in the “Morning Glory” dish at Malaysian restaurants.
• It’s a mustard green and it has a hollow stem and nice crunch.
• This one was simply sauteed with some minced garlic and it was a bit bland, but simple. It’s how it would be prepared in the home.
• I prefer the Malaysian version best, or Cantonese version which uses fermented bean curd and it adds so much more flavour.

Red Bean Pastry Pancake – n/a

• $4.50
• I hate red bean, so I can’t even rate it. The people that like it thought this one was decent.
• This is a Shanghainese dessert and it’s made fresh and piping hot and I still tried it.
• It was flaky, crispy, a bit oily and not that sweet at all with a thin layer of creamy red bean paste sandwiched in between the crepe.
• The pastry is fresh and made in house and it was nice and thin, but I just don’t like it.
• If you like this dessert there’s a better one at Northern Delicacy – see Sweet Red Bean Paste Pancakes.

Apparently the first 5 drinks are typical of any traditional Taiwanese restaurant. The “Root Beer” isn’t the American Root Beer either. It’s Taiwanese Root Beer made with Sarsaparilla root so it’s supposed to be more aromatic with a hint licorice flavour.

Restaurant: Delicious Cuisine (一品怪廚)
Cuisine: Taiwanese/Chinese/Dim Sum
Last visited: March 30, 2011
Location: Richmond, BC (Richmond Central)
Address: Unit 100 – 7911 Alderbridge Way
Price Range: $10-20, 20-30

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5 (out of what I tried)
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 4
Overall: 4
Additional comments:

• Authentic Taiwanese cuisine
• Taiwanese family owned/operated
• Sister restaurant to Zephyr Tea House
• Sister restaurant to Tri-Pot
• Taiwanese owned/operated
• English/Chinese menus
• Very popular to Chinese locals
• Hidden gem for Taiwanese
• Award winning menu items
• Reasonably priced
• Good for groups
• Casual, but nice clean interior
• Dim sum/lunch/dinner
• Mon-Sun: 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-9:30pm
• Closed Tuesdays

**Recommendations: Sweet Crystal Egg, Lemon Beef, Chicken with 3 Spice, Deep Fried Shrimp with Salted Egg Yolk, Stir-Fried Crab with Egg and Shrimp, Taiwanese Steamed Sandwich (Koah Pau), Stir-Fried Beef with Kimchi (haven’t tried, but it’s popular)… worth a try is the Taiwanese Wuyutsu and Bamboo Shoot Salad with Mayonnaise 

Delicious Cuisine. The word “delicious” in any restaurant name just draws back cringe worthy memories of my dining experience at Delicious Inn in Hong Kong. Yes, that’s the restaurant where I decided to eat bugs at (video included – see here if you dare). Anyways, that’s definitely not what this restaurant is about, and thank goodness because it’s not something I really care to relive. *Shudder*

Taiwan is famous for their food and it is quickly becoming a foodie destination. I predict that Taiwanese food will be an up and coming trend in Vancouver although it may take a while for it to really make a name for itself. On this occasion I was on a Tourism Richmond tour of Richmond’s hidden gems and this was a stop I was looking forward to most.

Besides the food at bubble tea cafes and some home cooked Taiwanese dinners on a few occasions, I can’t say I’m too familiar with how or what to order when I’m dining Taiwanese.  Taiwanese is not the same as Cantonese and the styles are very different even if the dishes may share the same names. It often also incorporates some Szechuan and Shanghainese  influences, but when I’m recommended to come here by Taiwanese people and Taiwanese customers are the primary diners, I feel like I found a winner!

It’s a restaurant that totally flies under the radar. It’s actually the sister restaurant to bubble tea cafe Zephyr Tea House and their on the go snack shop Tri-Pot, which are both literally next door. The food is different at all three establishments with a few cross overs, but it is all Taiwanese. Delicious Inn offers the fancier atmosphere and is more appropriate for an authentic Taiwanese dinner or even special occasion.

It is very popular to Taiwanese locals and the food is authentic for Metro Vancouver standards. Pearl Castle received Diner’s Choice Award for Best Taiwanese at the Chinese Restaurant Awards, which I think is bunk. Don’t get me wrong, the food and drinks are good there, but it’s barely a fair representation of what Taiwanese food really is. It is a cuisine that’s famous for their street food, but there is much more to its culture and food scene than what cafes will offer. Nonetheless after this experience, I feel like I barely knew what it was…

You can feel my excitement when I walked in and saw this table of glorious Taiwanese appetizers. I recognized almost nothing which got me even more excited and wide-eyed. This is definitely my style of dining. Let the person of that culture do the ordering while I do the trying and learning.

I’m actually incredibly happy with this dining experience because I would have never considering ordering half the dishes I tried. I don’t have much to compare to, but I’m definitely curious enough to make plans to come back myself and it’s increased my interest in Taiwanese food even more.

Note: The restaurant is a member of Tourism Richmond and there are more options available in Richmond and Metro Vancouver. If you have more suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment. Due to the nature of the event the dishes may not be a proper representation of a regular day, although they are all still available to all customers.

On the table:

**Sweet Crystal Egg – 6/6

• $5 (Picture not representable of portion size, normally served with 3 eggs cut in half)
• This is one of their award winning dishes from the Chinese Restaurant Awards.
• These were amazing! It’s the Taiwanese version of the Chinese Soy Sauce Tea Leaf Egg.
• It’s a cross between the Soy Sauce Tea Leaf Egg and the Japanese eggs they serve with ramen. They’re a must try!
• It’s served cold and it’s sweet and savoury with a honey like flavour.
• It’s boiled in a soy sauce broth sweetened with sugar, spiced with Star Anise, and infused with tea. It  just absorbs into the white part so it’s nice and savoury with an aromatic sweet licorice hinder.
• The yolk is an ultra creamy gel that just coats your teeth. It’s not runny, and it’s not preserved, but it’s really the texture of chilled gel. It’s awesome!
• It’s a very time consuming process to make these and it requires boiling, cold shocking, refrigerating and all types of cooking surgery.
• It’s a wonderfully rich appetizer and it’s hard not to eat them all.

**Lemon Beef - 5/6

• $8 (Picture not representable of portion size)
• This was another cold appetizer and it’s one of their signature items.
• It was a really garlicky lemon pepper beef that was quite tangy, well marinated and very tender.
• It was very aromatic and just perfectly seasoned with a nice zing of fresh lemon and a nice heat, but it’s not spicy.

Salted Pork – 3.5/6

• Around $6-7 (Picture not representable of portion size)
• This is a room temperature appetizer and I’ve never had it before.
• This reminded me of Chinese roasted suckling pork, but the meat seemed like pork jowl (cheek).
• The meat is cured and savoury and has a nice resistance and spring in the chew.
• There’s 5 spice powder in the seasoning and it’s not a juicy pork, but it has a dry texture that I assume is intentional.

**Taiwanese Wuyutsu (Flathead mullet) – 4/6

• $8 This is a special order available upon request. (Picture not representable of portion size)
• Let’s bring out the AC Slater! What the heck is a “Flathead Mullet”?
• I think it’s worth a try because I’ve never seen it offered anywhere else and it’s very traditional.
• It’s a thin slice of Flathead mullet (cured roe), green onion, and Chinese radish (daikon).
• It’s a nice salty one biter served room temperature.
• It’s a very strong fishy and salty flavour with a slight spicy crunch of raw onion and crisp radish to cut through the cured richness.
• It kind of has a slightly bitter aftertaste when eaten together and the Flathead mullet gets a bit stuck in your teeth with its moist jerky like texture.
• The Flathead mullet is quite indulgent and it’s supposed to be very greasy, although you can’t really tell because it doesn’t taste oily.

**Bamboo Shoot Salad with Mayonnaise- 3.5/6

• $7.50 ($4.75 at sister restaurant Zephyr Tea House next door, but perhaps portion size varies)
• This is another very typical cold Taiwanese appetizer.
• I really liked it and it’s a good simple starter. It’s not a must try, but I think it’s worth a try because it’s a rare find on a menu.
• It’s fresh bamboo and it’s crunchy and naturally sweet and refreshing.
• It consists of a lot of water and it’s similar to sugar cane, but not as sweet and it’s quite juicy.
• It has a non-offensive flavour and it’s quite neutral and almost like a sweeter juicier turnip.
• The mayo gives it a creamy richness and slight sweetness.

Taiwanese Style Sausage – 3/6

• $4.5o ($5.25 at sister restaurant Zephyr Tea House next door, but perhaps portion size varies)
• It’s only a 3/6 because this is an item I just don’t really care for.
• It’s better than the one at Pearl Castle – see here, although I’m not a Taiwanese sausage connoisseur.
• They’re cured, quite soft and tender and it tastes like a sweet Maple and garlicky “gourmet” SPAM.
• I like them better than the Cantonese style sausages, but if I’m going to eat it, I prefer it pan fried and crispy.
• They serve it authentically with thin slices of crunchy garlic to cut through the grease. They don’t taste greasy though, but they’re also not healthy.

Five Spice Squid – 3/6

• Around $7 (Picture not representable of portion size)
• A room temperature appetizer.
• The squid pieces were quite large and it was quite good, but it’s not my favourite dish to order.
• The squid was tender and generously sauced with a home made sweet Thai chili like sauce made with garlic, green onion, ginger, and chili paste.
• The sauce was sweet at first and then the heat follows, but it’s a flavourful and aromatic spicy, not a hot spicy.

Kung Fu Tea

• This is a house special tea available upon request.
• I found it very strong and I think it’s an oolong tea. The leaves were really intense and the flavour quite bitter.
• It’s a good palate cleanser after all the various flavours experienced from the appetizers.

**Chicken with 3 Spice – 5/6

• $10 Large: $19 (The picture looks weird and I forgot to take it in the clay pot it’s served in)
• This is the staple Taiwanese dish and apparently the item to order to “judge” how good a Taiwanese restaurant really is.
• It should be called “3 cup” chicken not “3 spice” because it’s made with 1 cup soy sauce, 1 cup wine, and 1 cup sesame oil.
• It’s bone in dark meat chicken and it’s made with sweet and savoury soy bean paste and it’s almost coated in a syrupy rich sauce.
• It’s incredibly aromatic with minced ginger, garlic and fresh basil leaves in a sweet honey-like, ginger and garlic sauce.
• The chicken is tender and it’s not spicy, but there is a warm heat.
• The scent of basil and sesame create an incredible aroma to this well marinated and flavoured chicken dish.

**Deep Fried Shrimp with Salted Egg Yolk – 6/6

• $18 (Picture not representable of portion size)
• This is one of my favourite dishes in general and I love the Cantonese version of it as well – see Sauteed Pumpkin and Prawn with Salted Egg.
• The prawns were nicely seasoned, juicy, tender, and crunchy with a salty garlicky crust and the shells were so crispy they were edible.
• The topping is salty and it’s made with salty egg yolk, minced garlic, and perhaps a hint of curry. It was very Malaysian in flavour and incredibly aromatic and delicious.
• The topping and prawns have a powdery texture from the salted egg yolk and I think there’s also some dried shrimp pan fried into it and it’s very fishy in flavour.
• There’s lots of crispy garlic involved and there’s a slight heat that follows, but it’s not too spicy.
• For me, this is on par with Phnom Penh Chicken Wings, although completely different and intended for Asian tastes and seafood lovers.

**Stir Fried Crab with Egg and Shrimp – 6/6

• $5.25/person. This is a special order available upon request. (Picture not representable of portion size)
• It’s not on the menu, but available upon request. It’s for special occasions considering the expensive ingredients.
• This is called “Do Rei Mi” and it includes three elements with a 3:2:1 ratio of shrimp, egg yolk and crab meat.
• There’s 2 ways to eat it. The first is how it’s served (original flavour), and the second is with the side of white vinegar it’s served with.
• It’s almost like a hot seafood crab salad and it’s feathery and light in texture with a slight crispiness from being stir fried.
• The prawn was juicy and tender with a nice crunch and it was topped on a seafood medley of ingredients.
• It was a stir fried crumbly moist mixture of flaky crab meat, eggs, dried scallops, sweet onion, shallots and carrots.
• The added white vinegar just lightens up the whole thing and neutralizes all the flavours. It just took the edge off which was mild to begin with. It was the oddest change, but it worked and I liked it!

Kiwi Green Tea Palate Cleanser - $4.25 This was a sample and it’s available to go or as a bubble tea next door at their sister restaurant Zephyr Tea House. It was a delicious, light, refreshing and icy slushy of fresh pureed kiwis and a hint of real green tea.

**Taiwanese Steamed Sandwich (Koah-Pau) – 6/6

• $4.25
• I’d say this is another must try and it’s pretty authentic. Taiwanese is popular for their street food and cheap food, and this is a great example of why.
• It’s pretty filling and could easily be a lunch for one person with a relatively normal to small appetite.
• It almost puts all other modern Asian pork belly “sliders” to shame… although also not really fair to compare. Regardless, I prefer this one.
• It’s a melt in your mouth delicious hot sandwich… I hear a food truck calling its name already.
• It’s creamy, tender, juicy pork belly that’s topped with peanut powder, pickled Chinese cabbage and fresh cilantro.
• The bun is not made in house, but it’s a super soft, fluffy, light and moist mantou bun.
• The peanut powder is mixed with sugar and that’s the ingredient that makes it’s very authentic.
• The pork ends up tasting like a nutty caramelized pork and the crunch of the pickled cabbage helps cut the grease from the savoury pork belly.
• The touch of sweetness from the peanut powder is that little something that makes it so unique.
• It was absolutely delicious and a Cantonese person would have added Hoisin sauce to it and some green onions so it was like a Peking duck sandwich.
• If you’re vegetarian, 4 Stones Vegetarian offers vegetarian versions called Taiwanese Cut Buns.

Rice Dumpling (Zong Zi) – 3.5/6

• $4.95
• There’s a million versions of these all over China and I’m not too familiar with the Taiwanese version.
• It’s sticky rice steamed in a bamboo leaf and the inside is stuffed with savoury shredded pork, big pieces of sweet Shiitake mushrooms and a salted egg yolk.
• It’s very moist, sticky and saucy and also very filling, but the flavour was good and it was decently stuffed.
• It’s drizzled with a sweet and spicy sauce which tasted more sweet and this was definitely a Taiwanese thing.

House Special Beef Noodle Soup – 3.5/6

• $6.95
• This was quite good, but I wouldn’t come here and order it. For this sort of thing I would rather go to a Taiwanese noodle shop that specializes in this popular Taiwanese dish – see Wang’s Beef Noodle House.
• It’s a spicy beef soup with a little sweet star anise licorice flavour and a bit of chili oil.
• Relative to places that specialize in this, the broth fell flat although it wasn’t bland, just not as rich or dynamic as it should be.
• It’s topped with pickled cabbage so the soup has a tangy flavour to it as well.
• The heat catches up and when it’s in combination with the sharp tang it almost pinches your throat. It’s not hot though but it gradually gets spicier.
• The noodles were too soft for me and I don’t think they’re home made here. I prefer the thicker noodles with it too.

• The meat was quite tender and not very gelatinous and the tendons were broken down and soft.
• They were actually relatively lean pieces and I prefer this kind of cut.
• There was a decent amount of brisket and they were flavourful, well marinated and had absorbed the pickled flavours and spice coming from the soup.

Sour Plum Slush/Frappe Palate Cleanser - This was another sample and it’s available to go or as a bubble tea next door at their sister restaurant Zephyr Tea House. It was refreshing, but quite sour, a bit sweet and unusually smoky with a faint licorice flavour. It was similar to the cold drinks served along side Chinese hot pot. It cools the body after rich and hearty food.