2011-12-30 Dinner @ Bellis Fair

Momo and her boyfriend, TallGuy, bought MomJ a set of four tires from the States, the only thing was, we had to pick up the tires ourselves.  So after work, Buddha Boy and I went for a quick trip down south and had a simple dinner at the food court in Bellis Fair.

KOJO OF JAPAN

360-671-8674

Knowing Buddha Boy, he went around studying all the menus from all the stalls then settled with the same old same old...

The Teriyaki Chicken on Rice was something that won't go too wrong...a safer choice for the big boy.  Overcooked chicken with over-sweetened teriyaki sauce...yup, explained the food court quality.

THE LOTUS GRILL

360-671-5540

I was on a butter chicken kick lately but have not yet been able to have any!!!  I was so desperate to the point that I went with this newly opened stall that offered butter chicken...

Sorry, I couldn't recall the price for my three-item combo.  I opted for Butter Chicken (of course), Mixed Vegetables and Tandoori Chicken.  The chicken in the butter chicken was tough and dry.  The sauce tasted like store-bought jars.  The zucchini and eggplant mix surprised me.  The vegetables had a nice crunch, not that raw-textured taste.  The tandoori chicken was a fail...simply one word, dry.

I don't know much about Naan so I could only tell you that this naan was quite light with a nice outer crispness.  Buddha Boy said this was one of the better ones he has had...so I would trust his words.

Buddha Dog was very excited to see us...that's until I put him inside the tower of tires...wahahaha!  Yes...I was mean...

The poor baby was traumatized for the rest of the night and refused to answer to me...he was pissed!!!  Hahahaha!

2011-12-27 Dinner @ Pearl on Victoria 明珠茶餐廳

5207 Victoria Drive, Vancouver, BC

04-565-8121

After we picked up CW from her appointment, (and after a visit to Al Basha while waiting for her), CW, Buddha Boy and I visited this new HK-style cafe on Victoria Drive, located right next to Kalvin's Szechuen Restaurant 松林居.

Simple decor with spacious seating...ideal for big people like us (exclude CW).  Prompt service...almost too attentive...LOL!

The Deep Fried Cutlet Fish & Fries 吉列魚薯條 was the first thing CW spotted and wanted...she simply wanted fries.  Why couldn't you (CW) just order fries alone?  The fish was fried in, not bad, but old oil.  The fish was not burnt, but had this burnt taste and smell.  The fries, on the other had, had no burnt taste nor smell.  The fries were just store-bought frozen fries...probably Costco.

Buddha Boy's first order was the Deep Fried Tiger Prawns in Salted Egg Yolk Sauce 富貴黃金蝦球.  Now, I really doubt these were "tiger prawns"?  Maybe "tiger shrimps"?  Or cutting each prawn in two?  Small plate, small quantity, small shrimps.  The egg yolk sauce was salted, but it didn't taste like the salty duck egg yolk...so maybe it was as stated..."salted egg yolk sauce"...

I don't know about you, but we're used to the daikon cakes made with rice flour.  Maybe I am a  frog in the well, but I never had daikon cakes made with glutinous rice flour...and honestly, the Stir-Fried Radish Cake in XO Sauce XO醬蘿卜糕 was a huge turn off.  Imagine a daikon mochi cake with no daikon taste...and what XO sauce?  I only taste garlic and onions...

CW went with something safer...Spaghetti w/Cheese, Bacon & Seafood in Cream Sauce 芝士腌肉海鮮燴意粉.  I thought this was the best dish.  Al dente noodles tossed in over-salted cream sauce with bacon, frozen mixed vegetables and limited cheap quality seafood...yup, it was the best dish of the night.   CW didn't like it because of the bacon...oh come on girl...you cannot compare all the bacon with Fraser Park!!!

Buddha Boy thought the best dish was the Sweet & Sour Boneless Pork 菠蘿咕嚕肉.  The meat was moist and well-marinated.  I found the batter was a bit too thick but Buddha Boy differs.  The sweet & sour sauce lacked hawthorn 山楂.

Other than the crispy noodles (which was the only thing that my husband did not complain about), Buddha Boy pretty much complained about everything on this plate of Pan Fried Noodles with Shredded Pork 肉絲炒面.  Too much corn starch used on the pork, the kai-lan 芥蘭 was not fresh, and most importantly, the whole package was bland...very bland.  Buddha Boy had to use a lot of soy sauce and hot sauce.

The server suggested to try their popular dish...Thai Style Chicken Fried Rice 泰式燒雞炒飯...well, another mistake.  First of all, where were all the chicken?  I could only recall picking out five or six diced chunks of chicken.  Next, the rice was tasteless and bland.  And finally, this had absolutely no wok-hei 鑊氣 (or 火候 in Mandarin).  What a joke.

With all the competitions locally along that stretch, hard to say how long this place will last...especially with its limited menu.  Well, not a return for us.

2011-12-27 Quick Visit @ Al Basha

3143 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC

604-568-8841

We helped out CW by dropping her off at an appointment.  Suddenly, a plan of heading to The Patty Shop popped in my head.  Unfortunately, the Jamaican patty shop was closed.  Buddha Girl was hungry...and when my wife's hungry, she's cranky.  Luckily, I remember that Al Basha was near by.

Since we still had to go for dinner later with CW, Buddha Girl and I settled to share a Chicken Plate.

Buddha Girl just loved this...was it because she was hungry?  Buddha Girl thought the rice was different from other donair shops that I have taken her to.  The chicken was well seasoned, but it was a bit dry.  The hummus had a light drizzle of olive oil on top, which added a nice lift to the taste.  The hummus was creamy and garlicky yet refreshing (perhaps from the lemon juice?), even my wife, who's never a fan of hummus, enjoyed it.  The salad was simple, with a simple vinaigrette.

Generous amount of meat with reasonable price points.  Other than Abdul's BBQ at Crystal Mall, Al Basha has made Buddha Girl's list for donair plates.  This was a good snack for us, now we must head back to pick up CW.  So, where are we going for dinner?

2011-12-26 Boxing Day Hot Pot @ Chez Buddha

It's the holiday season!!!  That means another seasonal hot pot gathering at Chez Buddha!!!  Originally, we estimated for eighteen, but we ended up with only fifteen people...five pots.

Yup, two tables...one for the oldies (40+) and one for youngsters...not sure why Mr. & Mrs. Little Lee were at the oldies table though...hahahaha!

With a simple pork broth, we offered three soup bases: Century Egg & Cilantro Clear Soup Base 皮蛋芫茜清湯底, Tomato & Onion Rich Soup Base 番茄洋蔥濃湯底 and a simple Sacha Soup Base 沙茶湯底.

We weren't sure if we had enough shacha sauce 沙茶醬 at home...(and we do host hot pot gatherings at home quite often)...so Buddha Boy and I picked up a 3kg can from Guo Hua 國華 on No.3 Road...yup, we're crazy!!!

Our DIY Sauce Station...hmm...I think we could have expanded to incorporate more selections...don't you think?  Hahahaha!  You see, hot pot food selections are always pretty straight forward, so I usually don't bother naming each and every item, however, since it's our biggest gathering for the year, Buddha Boy has asked me to specify each item, so here we go...

Top, left to right...Beef 牛肉 and lamb 羊肉.
Bottom, left to right...Pork Shoulder 梅花豬肉 and Pork Belly 五花豬肉 (培根豬).

Top...Pork Cheeks 松阪豬肉 (豬頸肉)...cut differently.
Bottom, left to right...SPAM 午餐肉 (60% Less Sodium) and Chicken 雞肉.

Top, left to right...Pork Blood 豬血 and Pork Intestine 豬大腸.
Bottom, left to right...Beef Tripe 牛百葉 and Chicken Hearts 雞心.

Top, left to right...Boneless Chicken Feet 去骨雞爪 and Shrimp 蝦.
Bottom, left to right...Squid 魷魚 and Basa Filet 巴沙鱼柳 (bottom right)...yea...I know...the cheap side of Buddha Girl went and got fake sole 假龍利魚...what a mistake.

Top, left to right...Century Egg 皮蛋 and Taiwanese-Style Donuts 台式油條.
Bottom, left to right...Tofu 豆腐 and Frozen Tofu 凍豆腐.

Top, left to right...Tomatoes 番茄 and Kelp 海帶.
Bottom, left to right...Enoki 金針菇 and Button Mushrooms 蘑菇.

Top, left to right...Black Fungus 黑木耳 and Shirataki 芋絲.
Bottom, left to right...Korean Rice Cake 韓式年糕 and Napa Cabbage 大白菜.

Top, left to right...Endive 娃娃菜 and Spinach 波菜.
Bottom, left to right...Watercress 西洋菜 and Garland Chrysanthemum 茼蒿菜, also known as Crown Daisy, or more commonly, Tung-Ho.

Pretty straight forward...Sweet Corn 玉米, Sweet Potato 番薯, Daikon 蘿蔔, Carrots 葫蘿蔔, Candle Corn 玉米筍 (also known as Baby Corn).

Top, left to right...Taiwanese Pork Meat Balls 貢丸, Cuttlefish Balls 花枝丸, Mochi Fish 麻糬魚, Fuzhou Fish Balls 福州魚丸.  

Bottom, left to right...Taro Fish Balls 芋頭魚丸, Fish Tofu 魚豆腐, Fish Balls 魚丸.

Mini Tofu Puffs 珍珠朴, Crab Sticks 蟹肉棒, Quail Eggs 鵪鶉蛋.

Yup, three jars of Oysters 生蠔...took MomJ quite some time to clean these thoroughly...thanks mom!

CW and her brother, WW, suggested to give this Stinky Tofu 臭豆腐 a try.  The package said "Spicy Tofu 深坑臭臭鍋"...but like many groceries found in Asian markets, the English did not match the Chines.  The Chinese simply translated to be "Shenkeng's Stinky Pot" (Shenkeng, a county in Taipei) while the English says nothing about "stinky tofu".  Anyways, the package came with a soup mix but I didn't bother using it, instead, I cut up the tofu in triangles and served it as another hot pot item.  The tofu was dense and very spongey, not airy.  Not bad for hot pot...but will need to be dried before deep-fried.

Since the Little Lee's were over, my husband attempted to make Pok Pok Wings at home...while the first two batches failed (but still yummy), the third batch tasted very close, but still looked off...try again Buddha Boy!

Our desserts for the night were Taho (from Garden City Kebob Grill) and Fuyu Persimmon 富有柿...yup, I love Persimmon...Buddha Dog too!!!

Mrs. Big Lee and Mrs. Little Lee showered us with some homemade baked goods.  Thank you for thinking of us!

With so much stuff leftover, Buddha Boy and I had hot pot again the next day.  While I just used the simple pork broth, Buddha Boy made himself a sukiyaki pot...but it didn't look anything like a proper sukiyaki pot...hahahahaha!