2010-12-31 Dinner @ New Age 京園小館

ADDRESS :  5411 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC

PHONE     :  604-438-1215

Back in my younger days, it seemed like I always had something to do every day and every night.  But as marriage came along and I grew older...now, to me, NYE is just another day and another night.  To make it simple...we had no plans!  Hahaha!  Anyhow, we thought we would drop off UncleE's special calendar request (he wanted those jumbo grid ones from Michael's) before the new year rolls around.  So when we called, AuntA asked us to join her and UncleE, along with my dad, for a NYE dinner.  Hey why not?  We welcome all food!!!

This restaurant was originally located on Rumble near Royal Oak.  Few years ago, it moved to it's current location inside the Best Western on Kingsway.  Our first visit to this new location, which was before our blogging days, was horrendous.  MomJ, Buddha Boy and I all had "easy plumbing" when we got home...LOL!!!  Anyhow, this visit was so much better...way better.

 

 This is AuntA and UncleE's canteen.  All the staff knows them by name.  The owners kept on coming by the table to see how everything was.  AuntA & UncleE even have their own designated table...yup...same table every time...doesn't matter if they showed up as two or six...same table!  OMG!!!  Very "inch" huh?  LOL!!!

AuntA ordered her favorite Bitter Melon with Spareribs in Soup (苦瓜排骨湯).  Buddha Boy and I were good kids...we both had some...bitter...bitter...bitter melons...ewww...

UncleE and Dad ordered their favorite Clams and Ginger in Soup (蛤仔湯).  Quite interesting...they also added basil in the soup...not very classical but it did taste good.

AuntA pre-ordered a Braised Pork Shank (元蹄).  We had this last time but we got sick from it...so this time...I did not want to touch it.  Buddha Boy thought it was ok.  He thought it's quite flavorful but a bit bland (not salty enough) and the meat was not tender enough.  Overall...just so-so.

I really enjoyed the Dry Squids & Shredded Pork with Chili Pepper (客家小炒), or commonly known as Hakka Stir-Fry.  I couldn't stop scooping more and more into my bowl!!!  I had two bowls of rice and I ate it mostly with this!!!

The Eggplant with Shredded Pork and Basil Leaf (客家茄子) was a miss.  I did not like it.  The sauce was over-salted, not much basil flavor (as it claimed to be), and the eggplant was a bit under-cooked.  No good.

Originally, AuntA ordered the Fried Beef with Chili Pepper (紅椒牛肉)...but they messed up the order and served us Shredded Pork with Chili Pepper (紅椒肉絲)...hehehe...I guess I'm the lucky one (since I don't eat beef).  The chunks of shredded pork were quite big (comparing to the one at Dinesty).  While this was tasty, we still prefer the one at Dinesty because it's more spicy, more garlicky, and more fragrant.

Our only veggie for the night...Stir-Fried Chinese Squash (清炒絲瓜)...also known as luffa...in Cantonese, it's known as 勝瓜.  This was very refreshing.

AuntA ordered the Crispy Salt and Peppery Chicken (鹽酥雞) for Buddha Boy.  I wanted Buddha Boy to order it in Mandarin on his own but AuntA was too nice and ordered it for him...hahahaha!  Yup...he's spoiled!!!  Anyhow, the chicken wasn't very classical tasting because it was not sprinkled with five-spices...Buddha Boy thought it was quite bland.  The overall experience this time was quite satisfying.  We do plan to visit again...we want to try their Three-Cup Chicken...one of Buddha Boy ATF!!!

2010-12-29 Lunch @ Paul's Kitchen

ADDRESS :  #135 - 4651 No.3 Road, Richmond, BC

PHONE      :  604-303-1163

Elaine from O My Sweet Tooth has ordered a smoked duck through me...but due to our schedule conflicts, we didn't see each other until a week later.  Prior to our meet, we have text each other back and forth just trying to figure where to eat...hahaha...so "women" huh?  Thank goodness that texts were free!  LOL!!!  Anyhow, we met up at Paul's Kitchen, located below Superstore in Richmond on No.3 Road.  The place's quite small with only three booths of 4's and five tables of 2's.  Be careful of what you wear to this place...yups...it's one of those places where your clothes will catch the smells...LOL!!!

 

Elaine ordered the Curry Beef Brisket (咖哩牛腩飯)...it came with white rice on the side...from what I saw...it had lots of onions and green peppers...hahahaha...not sure about you Elaine but I don't like either of them...LOL!!!  Later on, according to Elaine...this was just so-so.

I went with the Egg Plant with Pork (魚香茄子飯).  Unlike Elaine's, it came right on top of the white rice.  This was not bad, but not too great neither...actually, it's quite salty.  Btw, it's the first time that I had such dish with preserved veggie (榨菜) in it...weird...LOL!!!

Both of our meals were $6.25 each (before tax)...and each came with a drink...quite a deal.

Please click on the menu above for larger view.

 

ADDRESS :  Tapioca Express, #1438 - 8388 Capstan Way, Richmond, BC

PHONE      :  604-278-4998

 

We were "gently" and "kindly" booted from our seats at Paul's Kitchen because they started to get busy.  So, Elaine suggested that we hit Tapioca Express to sit and chat and relax...good idea girl!!!

Since both of us just finished lunch, we only ordered a drink each.  I had the Hot Almond Milk Tea while Elaine had the...um....um...shoot...I don't remember!!!  Help Elaine!!!  What exactly did you order???

2010-12-28 Lunch @ Fraser Park

ADDRESS :  4663 Byrne Road, Burnaby, BC

PHONE      :  604-433-7605

What are we doing back at Anton's?  Well, I really enjoyed Fraser Park when I used to work nearby.  Since I've had a few days off, I really wanted to come back here and re-familiarize myself with the menu.  Buddha Girl also read online that Anton had made some pig head herb pate and some trotters, she had to try some.

Buddha Girl inquired about the Herb Pate.  Anton's daughter ended up providing us with a sample.  This was really good.

I ordered the Regular HamBurger with fries, I added mushrooms and bacon.  For $7.50 (with bacon and mushrooms), this was a good price.  I really enjoyed this.  The basic burger's $5.50. 

Here's a cross section of the burger.  After a few emails, we found out that the burger was pork, based on ham bits and bacon ends.  This works for Buddha Girl because she doesn't eat beef.

Buddha Girl had a hard choice between the daily specials, either bratwurst with perogies or Chicken a la King.  She chose the latter.  Everything was good here, nice side of veggies, nice creamy chicken and good rice.  I found the chicken was a bit under seasoned, but I did find that the sauce makes up for it.  Buddha Girl disagrees with me on this, she loved it.   I want Buddha Girl to try the coq au vin next time since I like that one better.

Here's the house spicy sauce, it's not like Cantonese XO, this one was different.  Garlicky and gingery.  It's good.

 I also ordered the Breakfast on the Run.  With sausages, bacon and egg, for $4.50, this was cheap.  I ate this at home later in the afternoon.  I got this without the lettuce and tomato, I thought it would just make the bread too soggy. 

Here's the herb pate when we ate it at home.  The texture wasn't the same as our sample, then we realized that it tasted a lot better after a bit of warming in the microwave, much better.  We'll buy this again for home.

Buddha Girl slow-heated the Pork Trotters on the stove.  She loved this and couldn't stop eating it.  According to her, the meat just falls off the bones while it's still chewy (still got its crunch and texture).  Yup, I know we've been eating here a lot recently, and we plan on coming more often.  We're working through the menu and we've been pretty happy with everything we've had thus far.

2010-12-27 Dinner @ Bellis Fair

ADDRESS :  Sbarro, Bellingham, WA (Bellis Fair)

PHONE     :  360-527-0872

Buddhas' Trip to the USA: Dinner

With Buddha Dog in the car, we really didn't want to "dine" at a restaurant for long, so on our way driving home, we stopped by Bellis and grabbed something quick at the food court.

LOL!!!  Not sure why I grabbed pizza...but I was hungry, I settled with whatever came to me first...and Sbarro was the first stall that I walked by.

I ordered two slices (bad idea)...a Ham & Pineapple and a Mushroom & Cheese...no good.  Thick dough...not too much ingredients...however, it was quite nice that there were chunks of ham on the H&P pizza.

I also picked up two pizza dips, these looked quite interesting...taste?  Well, the chipotle one was nice...the garlic one was very garlicky and creamy...buttery...hahahaha!

 

ADDRESS :  Ivar's Seafood Bar, Bellingham, WA (Bellis Fair)

PHONE     :  360-734-9169

Buddhas' Trip to the USA: Dinner

Buddha Boy, again, after walking around and "studying" all the menus, settled with Ivar's...I know...so unlike him...but don't forget...these seafood were deep-fried...LOL!!!

Fish & Chips...though these were quite nice (since they were fresh), but I don't like breaded fish...I like battered ones...especially with Buddha Boy's beer battered fish...mmm...yum!!!

Deep-Fried Clam and Popcorn Shrimp...I think that's what they call these.  Both were not bad, just food-court quality.

I wanted the Shrimp Cocktail...I know...don't ask me why I wanted this at a food-court...it looked quite good from the menu picture...but the truth?  It sucked!  The sauce was way too salty...and the shrimp had a funky taste to it...LOL!!!

 

ADDRESS :  Orange Julius, Bellingham, WA (Bellis Fair)

PHONE     :  360-671-6514

Buddhas' Trip to the USA: Dinner

Knowing Buddha Boy, above food was not enough for him...no real "meat"...so he scouted around for something "meaty"...hehehehe!

So he went over to Orange Julius and ordered a Pepperoni Cheese Dog...nothing special...just cheese, pepperoni, and some pizza sauce on a beef wiener in a bun...hahaha...at least it's something "meaty"...LOL!!!

 He also picked up a drink for me...I just wanted a simple signature Orange Julius...haha...they should not mess this one up!

2010-12-27 Lunch @ I Luv Teriyaki

ADDRESS :  458 SW Mt Si Blvd, North Bend, WA

PHONE     :  425-888-5544

Buddhas' Trip to the USA: Lunch

Yup, we made another trip to the US, and like last time, we went to Anton's for breakfast.  We had exactly the same as last time, except I didn't have the extra sausage roll.  Unlike the last trip, we didn't know what we wanted to eat in the States.  We wanted Bobby's Hawaiian again, but they're closed on Mondays.  So, being in North Bend, we drove across the street to the strip mall and chose what looked good.  We had the choice of Chinese, Pizza, Blimpie, Thai or Japanese.  We ended up with Japanese.

Yeah, I know, we ended going to a restaurant called I "heart" Teriyaki.

The place was pretty empty, it was almost 4pm, but as we left, they had 4 tables.  This place doesn't serve sushi or sashimi, it's strictly teriyaki chicken or beef, ramen, and...Chinese food.  We were quite hungry, and ended up ordering 3 dishes.

Buddha Girl ordered the Chicken Ramen, it's grilled chicken on ramen.  The broth was on the salty side, but the noodles were acceptable.  For what it is, we enjoyed it.

My first dish, the Honey Sesame Chicken.  Yup, it's pretty much what you get at a Chinese fast food, but this one was fresh and crispy, I actually liked it. 

I also ordered a Benton Box B, this one had teriyaki beef, teriyaki chicken and deep-fried gyoza.  The chicken was the same as the ramen, grilled, but in this case, there was teriyaki sauce on top.  The beef was a bit on the overcooked/dry side and was a bit tough.

The Deep-Fried Gyoza was pretty crisp.  We both liked it.  I don't know if it was because we were both extremely hungry, but we enjoyed this meal.   We both agreed that next time, we'd actually come back to eat here.  It's better than food court food, but also a bit more expensive as well.  But in a small town, I'd eat this again.