Monday, April 30, 2012

Lunch @ Ebisu Japanese Restaurant

whenever i want sushi for lunch, i think of ebisu. but haven't been here for over a year as i've been eating alone all this time and would only buy takeouts (don't need to pay tips). realized they renovated and even moved the entrance. my favourite thing at this place is building my own combo

all lunch combos comes with free miso soup
dynamite roll
average
chikuwa cheese
freshly fried and cheese won't be too strong
however sauce is a bit too salty
chicken terriyaki don
average
osaka combo
tempuras are well made

Ebisu Japanese Restaurant 
100-8111 Ackroyd Rd 
Richmond BC V6X 3J9 
(604) 270-4846

-went at 12ish and no one was eating there at all;when we left, only around 6 tables filled
-environment is pretty good and has a lot of tvs around
-can't compare to downtown location
-average food but still like coming here

 Style: japanese (日式), sushi (壽司) 
Visited on: Apr 22, 2012

  Ebisu Japanese Restaurant (Richmond) on Urbanspoon

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Choi House Special Chicken

didn't know what to eat for lunch so wandered into empire centre food court


attracted my stomach
same kind of chicken ususally used for cooking at home 
 
House spice spicy chicken small pieces on rice (large) 鹽焗手撕雞飯
comes with chicken broth soup with corn, most likely brewed from the left over bones
hand ripped into small pieces
not too salty, just right
sauce lightens up the rice
meat is tender and enjoy biting into smaller pieces
its unlike the baked salty chicken found in typical chinese restaurants
more home-made style


Choi House Special Chicken 
1175 - 4540 No. 3 Road (Inside Empire Centre) 
Richmond BC V6X 4E8 
(604) 782-7899


-may seem like a simple dish that is not worth its price but can feel that effort was put into them as they're boneless and that the store is ran by an old couple


Style: chinese (中式), food court 
Visited on: Apr 21, 2012

  Choi House Special Chicken on Urbanspoon

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Lunch @ Dragon View Chinese Cuisine 龍景軒



bottom: shrimp dumpling with lemon juice and lilies
light hints of lemon
unique taste


taro cake
mostly taro and not flour
not as good as the one at Top Chiu Chow Cuisine

durian mochi
not much durain taste, mostly green bean paste


Dragon View Chinese Cuisine 龍景軒 
1298 - 3779 Sexsmith Road 
Richmond BC V6X 3Z9 
(604) 241-8828


-cozy and great atmosphere
-somewhat different variety of dim sum
-food overall are pretty good, better than expected


Style: chinese (中式), dim sum (點心) 
Visited on: Apr 19, 2012

Dragon View Chinese Cuisine 龍景軒 on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Dinner @ The Jade Seafood Restaurant 玉庭軒魚翅海鮮酒家

one of the regular places i go for decent chinese dinner as they have good service and easy parking

steamed scallop 
lobster with egg noodles
each at 3 lbs
salt roasted chicken 鹽焗雞
award winning dish
saltiness is perfect
sugar pea shoot in soup 上湯浸豆苗
leaves are crisp and fresh


sweet and sour pork 咕嚕肉
not too much sauce so won't be too heavy
lycee juice added
not all crispy but is freshly made
almond milk dessert
birthday buns


The Jade Seafood Restaurant 玉庭軒魚翅海鮮酒家 
8511 Alexandra Rd 
Richmond, BC 
(604) 249-0082 


Style: chinese (中式), seafood (海鮮) 
Visited on: Apr 15, 2012

 The Jade Seafood Restaurant 玉庭軒魚翅海鮮酒家 on Urbanspoon

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Dinner @ Applebee's

after some border shopping, headed to Applebee's for dinner. first time going and overall statisfied. excellent service and good deals. $20 for 1 appetizer and 2 entrees

boneless wings with honey bbq sauce
was like eating chicken nuggets
blackened chicken penne
chicken was dull but the sauce saved it
bread stick was bad
riblet basket
fries were not crispy and a bit salty
meat tender
a bit too many bones, prefer ribs more
ultimate trio - steak quesadilla towers, spinach & artichoke dip, cheeseburger sliders
quesadillas were the best
dip could be lighter


Applebee's 
1069 E Sunset Dr 
 Bellingham, WA 98226

Applebee's on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Lunch @ Red Star Seafood 鴻星海鮮酒家

for past year and a half, i refused to come here after experiencing poor service. since sunday afternoon is hard to find spaces everywhere (couldn't book richmond kirin), decided to give this place another chance

BBQ Duck with rice vermicelli 燒鴨瀨
ordered regular instead of special from previous experience
they give you parts with little meat for specials
definitely its signature dish
tender, juicy, and well marinated meat
not too salty and matches well with plum sauce
BBQ Pork (Cha Siu) with rice 叉燒飯
$4.99 lunch special
juicy and well made
sauce simmers well into meat
Chiu Chow Steam Dumpling 潮州粉果
dumpling skin is thin however falls apart when removing
not too many nuts and not too salty
Fried Spring Roll with Seaweed
crispy exterior
shrimps not too salty and matches well with the crispiness
desserts
Sweet crepe - not too much peanut butter used, overall not as sweet as expected
Fried egg dough (dan saan) 蛋散 - also not that sweet, well fried and comes loose once bitten into


Red Star Seafood 鴻星海鮮酒家
2200-8181 Cambie Road
Richmond BC V6X 3X9
(604) 270-3003


-service was still not that good, one of the managers seemed like he was sleeping on the spot, you really need to visit often and be close to the staff in order to get good service in these chinese restaurants
-we had 3 cars and couldn't find parking at all even when the restaurant was only 40% full for sunday lunch hours
-food overall is great but bad service and hard parking really turns customers away
-would only come again for BBQ duck


Style: dim sum (點心)
Visited on: Apr 15, 2012

Red Star Seafood 鴻星海鮮酒家 on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Luis Cake Shop 君濠餅廊

Michelle Cake Shop sold their richmond store to their relatives and recently reopened as Luis Cake Shop. they're currently still in their trial stage and are offering 20% off. however there's only buns and no cold cakes. most buns are $1, which is relatively cheaper than before but also seem to be smaller size as well. only 10 or so varieties right now




$4.48 for these 6 with discount

Luis Cake Shop 君濠餅廊 
140-6211 Buswell St 
Richmond BC

-chocolate bun, few small soft chocolate pastes inside, not too sweet, bun is soft and chewy
-chicken tail bun, filling not too sweet, bun is also quite soft

Michelle previously had their cake made and delivered from their main store. wonder if Luis's cakes will be store made


Style: bakery (麵包) 
Visited on: Apr 12, 2012

Monday, April 16, 2012

KitKat - オトナの甘さ Adult's sweetness

one of the KitKat series is the オトナの甘さ, Adult's sweetness. as its name suggest, since it's for adults, the chocolate is not as sweet, but not necessarily bitter. the most recent i tried was the white one. i'd say it's pretty similar to hershey's cookies and cream with KitKat's signature crispy bar in the middle.




a light tasting good snack
dark chocolate from last year

Friday, April 13, 2012

Lunch @ Vivacity Restaurant 名都

haven't been here for a while as its hard to find parking. decided to come after seeing the ad of $2.99 deals and 20% off dim sums

$2.99 deals
pig feet with rice noodles
pan-fried taro cake - could be crispier
all the different $2.99 dim sums
salty chicken - well marinated, brown rice was even better
eggplant with shrimp paste
not oily, well made
good deal as most are usually $7-8

Vivacity Restaurant 名都
110-8351 Alexandra Road
 Richmond, BC V6X 1C3
(604) 279-1513


-limit of $2.99 special limited to number of people you have, one order per person at each table
-although says first come first serve for the deals, went at 1pm and still had them
-we had 7 people, only charged for 1 person tea
-20% off almost all dim sum, except the dishes that are usually $7+, the pan-fried food
-service was prompt, one of the managers were really nice and cool, came to change our plates and kept saying no rush, ladies first
-they were poor at entering orders, either missed one out or entered wrong
-one of the hardest places to find parking
-good food, good deal, only bad thing is parking

Style: dim sum (點心) 
Visited on: Apr 12, 2012

  Vivacity Restaurant 名都 on Urbanspoon