2012-07-31 Lunch @ Northern Chinese Countryside Restaurant 山西面館

4200 No.3 Road, Richmond, BC

604-304-3293

Northern Chinese Countryside Restaurant 山西面館, the newest addition to the plaza at 4200 No.3 Road in Richmond, took over the old spot where Misoya Ramen & Bento 味噌屋 once situated.

The restaurant only has approximately thirty seats, and with three servers (I think all three are owners), plus being the only diner at three in the afternoon, I was shocked to see three tables were left uncleaned...but then again, the restaurant is owned by Chinese-from-China.

The Pig Skin Aspic 水晶肉皮凍 may be one of my ATF, but definitely not here.  Call me a hillbilly but I'm used to something that looks like this, this or this.  What was presented was not very appetizing.  Now, the taste.  The lighter-colored part of the jelly had absolutely no flavor and had nothing but gelatin.  The dark-colored part had a light hint of dark soy with very minimal strands of pork skin (next to none).  This dish is not recommended.

While many calls this knife-cut noodles 刀切麵, the proper term for this type of kung-fu noodles 功夫麵 should be knife-peeled noodles 刀削麵.  Simply put, "切" means cut, "削" means peel, and they are very different in the world of Chinese noodles. 

When my order of ShanXi Fried Hand Cutting Noodle 山西刀削炒麵 (I know, it's mis-leading) showed up, I was, again, shocked.  Known as 彎刀麵 or 鉤刀麵 (hooked-knife noodles) this "knife-peeled" technique is not commonly seen anywhere.  Under the common "knife-peeled" technique, known as flat-knife noodles 平刀麵, the noodles are, like the name says, flat, and often not recommended to be served in soups (even though majority of the local restaurants still do).  However, the "hooked-knife" technique peels the noodles into long diamond-shaped strands.  The hooked-knife noodles is more Q and could maintain its firm texture in soups much longer.

 

After finishing a large plate of jelly pork (yes, I was very hungry), I could only devour one small bowl of noodles.  I ended up packing the noodles and ordered a ShanXi Twice Cooked Pork Slices 山西回鍋肉 to-go.  With only pork belly slices, cabbage, chili peppers and black bean paste, I thought the dish was a bit boring.  Don't get me wrong, the dish had good wok-hei 鑊氣 (or "huo-hou 火侯" in Mandarin) but it was too one-dimensional and lacked the necessary spiciness.

The owners were extremely friendly, but was very inattentive.  I was greeted, seated and offered a menu...but no tea.  I ordered and waited...again, no tea.  I asked for tea and waited...a cup of tea came a couple of minutes later.  When my appetizer came, I had no chopsticks.  I asked for chopsticks and waited...chopsticks showed up a couple of minutes later.  When noodles came, I had no bowl.  I asked for a bowl and waited...a bowl showed up a couple of minutes later.  So...the question is now...will I visit again?  Yes, only for the noodles.

2012-07-29 Bacon Sundae @ Burger King

1315 - 4th Street, Marysville, WA

360-651-5475

Someone mentioned bacon and my ears perked up...yup, just like when Buddha Dog hears the crinkle of a bag or the clang of dishes...B-A-C-O-N is my kryptonite.

I know, I know, BK's quality has really sucked over the last decade.  The fish burgers shrunk, the chicken patties has more filler than meat, and the beef burger patties aren't the same anymore.  But, that being said, I just had to visit a Burger King to try the Bacon Sundae.

For a non-dessert person, I truly enjoyed this.  Surprisingly, the sundae used crumbled bacon instead of those ugly bacon bits...yes, it's real crumbled bacon.  Along with caramel and chocolate, the "finishing touch" was a full strip of bacon.  The saltiness of bacon blended really well with the sweetness of syrup and ice cream.  The bacon was crisp, so it really contributed to the contrast in texture.  If I had some on-hand, I would probably sprinkle some bacon salt on top, other than that, this BK sundae was pretty good and I would definitely have this again.

2012-07-27 Dinner @ Phekda Chinese Restaurant 福怡軒海鮮餐館

2568 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

604-438-1020

A week after our return from Taiwan and we're still jet-lagged!!!  Are we getting old?  Nah...remember, I am forever 28!!!  Hahahaha!  Anyhow, Buddha Boy and I took a nap after work and woke up just in time for some late-night eats ("da-lang" 打冷 in Cantonese or "xiao-ye" 消夜 in Mandarin).  Now...our only question was...where?

We decided to check out the newbie who took over the old spot of Au Wing Kee 歐榮記 on Kingsway in Vancouver.  The interior didn't change much...same tables, same chairs, same layout.  The walls were re-painted and the restaurant is now a lot cleaner and brighter than its predecessor.

The Sauteed Tong Choy with Slice Pepper & Bean Curd Sauce 椒絲腐乳通菜 was not too pleasing.  The vegetable was quite tough to chew and the bean curd taste was very limited.

The Shredded Boneless Chicken with Jelly Fish 海蜇手撕雞 was quite salty and the quality of the jellyfish was not the greatest.

Buddha Boy and I enjoyed the Honey & Garlic Spareribs 蒜香蜜汁骨.  The spareribs were deep-fried nicely with a good ratio of meat to bone.

This was a sad dish.  The Deep Fried Silver Fish with Hot Pepper & Salt 椒鹽白飯魚 had a thick batter that tasted okay when fresh, but as they cooled down...let's not even go there...

The Deep Fried Crispy Pork Bung 脆皮炸大腸 was an okay dish.  Some pieces were good while others were too fatty.

A complimentary Plain Congee 白粥 was included with our orders.  The porridge was quite diluted and "runny"...if you know what I mean.

While the food was not overly bad, this restaurant is most likely not a return for us.  Price wise...well, in this neighborhood, we'd suggest to hit up Venice Garden Seafood Restaurant 海皇美食 or Congee Noodle King 粥麵軒, at least they offer better quality for approximately the same prices.

2012-07-23 Lunch @ Malay Curry House 馬拉星

3608 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

604-438-4288

I was craving for laksa and the first place came to mind was Malay Curry House 馬拉星 on Kingsway in Vancouver near Boundary Road.  Let's see...when was the last time Buddha Boy and I visited this place???  According the the blog, it was almost a year ago!!!

Now, I'm not sure if they changed ownership or not, but things have changed.  For instance, the complimentary drink of the day now cost a buck.  The Laksa Noodle Soup 星加坡叻沙湯麵 didn't taste as creamy and rich as the previous visits (see post 2011-09-01 Dinner @ Malay Curry House 馬拉星, 2011-09-03 Dinner #2 @ Malay Curry House 馬拉星 and 2011-09-16 Dinner @ Malay Curry House 馬拉星).  I asked for half & half (half vermicelli, half noodles) and both were overcooked.

The Super Spicy Hainanese Chicken 地獄海南雞 was also different than the previous visits.  Not only the sauce was a lot weaker and had no fragrance, the chicken itself was tasteless.  Perhaps I would give this place another try in the future and hopefully my disappointment was only a one-time thing.

2012-07-19 Breakfast @ New Town Bakery & Restaurant 新城餅家餐室

148 East Pender Street, Vancouver, BC

604-681-1828

Jet-lag...the only reason why we woke up at 4am!!!  Since Buddha Boy decided to go to work early, I suggested that we go for breakfast at New Town Bakery & Restaurant 新城餅家餐室 in Chinatown.

Formerly at 158 East Pender Street, the bakery/restaurant is now a few doors down at 148 East Pender Street.  The new location offers a larger area at the front for take-outs and a smaller, but more spacious, sitting area for dine-in customers.  The new bakery/restaurant is much cleaner and brighter than its old location.

Buddha Boy, the big boy, ordered two items for himself.  First was the Beef Rice Roll 牛肉腸粉, his ATF here.

Next was the Chicken Deluxe Steamed Bun 大包 (aka. Bola-Bola), another ATF of Buddha Boy.  This meaty bun was filled with chicken, pork, ham and egg yolk.

For me, I went with a bowl of Century Egg & Lean Pork Congee 皮蛋瘦肉粥.  I've been craving for some Cantonese-style congee, but the ones found in Taiwan weren't exactly what I was looking for.  The so-called "Canton congee 廣東粥" in Taiwan was more like "Chaozhou-style rice in broth 潮式泡飯".  Don't get me wrong, the soupy rice was good, it's just not what I wanted.

I also ordered a Ham & Egg Sandwich 火腿蛋治 to share with Buddha Boy.  Overall, nothing was extraordinary, this meal was meant to satisfy our cravings for HK-style cafe food...hahahahaha!

2012-07-18 Day 20 @ Taiwan

LittleSam took off work early to spend more time with us on our final day in Taiwan.  What to eat?  Where to go?  With Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐 and Dian Shui Lou 點水樓 (blog) in mind, we chose Dian Shui Lou 點水樓 (blog) because it's a more well-rounded restaurant.  DTF is simply too touristy and the menu is too limited.

Since HoCloud wouldn't be off work till 7pm, I made an early reservation at 5:30pm thinking Octopus could still join us for dinner.  However, MomM insisted that Octopus should stay home "just in case" HoCloud gets off work early...poor Octopus...you missed all the yummy food!!!

With six people, we were seated at a large table for ten.  We started off with seven appetizers: Marinated Betel Nut Flowers 涼拌檳榔花 (top left), Deep Fried Fresh Anchovies 五香鳳尾魚 (top right), Marinated Duck Egg 黃金糖心蛋 (middle left), Marinated Duck 上海醬鴨 (middle right), Marinated Pork Hock in Chinese Wine 醉元寶 (bottom left), and a combo plate of Jelly Pork 鎮江肴肉 and Marinated Chicken in Chinese Wine 紹興醉雞 (bottom right).

What???  Fifty XLBs amongst six diners???  That's on top of all other food???  Yup, that was us!!!  Other than the Mini Steamed Dumplings 大拇指小籠湯包, we ordered a steamer of each XLB flavor.  (Apparently, from what the server told us, each "mini bun" was not even half the size of a regular pork-filled XLB.)

The Steamed Dumplings with Pork & Black Truffle 松露小籠包 had a porky filling and was well-balanced with the black truffle.  This was Buddha Boy's favorite.

MomM and UnclePing's favorite was the Steamed Dumplings with Luffa & Shrimp 翡翠小籠包.  The luffa used here is Angled Luffa (or Ridged Luffa), commonly known as 澎湖絲瓜 in Taiwan (Cantonese calls it 勝瓜).  This fruit has a distinguish refreshing sweetness which worked well with, in this case, shrimp.

My favorite (which was also the favorite of BigPole and LittleSam) was the Steamed Dumplings with Pork & Basil 九層塔小籠包.  Now, the basil was not only inside the bun, but it was also wrapping around the bun.  Yes, the dough also had basil fragrance.

The Steamed Dumplings with Pork, Crab Roe & Meat 蟹皇小籠包 was the weakest out of the bunch, but it was still, nonetheless, delicious.  Each bun had ample amount of crab meat but the tamale was a bit weak.

Thin wraps, porky fillings with satisfying amount of  "soup", these regular, and their signature, Steamed Dumplings with Pork 小籠包 (aka. XLB), were comparable to the famous Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐, if not, better.

Knowing us (and we were quite influential to BigPole, LittleSam, Octopus, MomM and UnclePing...hahahaha), just seven appetizers and fifty XLBs wouldn't satisfy us.  Next came our orders of Baked Radish Pastry 蘿蔔絲酥餅 (top), Honey Ham 蜜汁火腿 (middle) and Shepard's Purse Pastry 薺菜鍋餅 (bottom).

Yup, more food!!!  My ATF Fresh & Salty Pork w/Bean Curd & Bamboo Shoot in Casserole 沙鍋醃篤鮮 (top left), Baked Mini Chinese Crispy Scallion Pastry 芝麻小燒餅 (top right), Deep Fried Duck in Taro 鴨脯芋棗 (middle left), Mango Milk Jelly 芒果奶酪 (middle right), Aloe Vera in Sweetened Lemon Juice 檸檬蘆薈 (bottom left) and Sweetened Lotus Root w/Osmanthus 桂花糖藕 (bottom right).

We got home from dinner at about 8pm and Octopus was still at home!!!  Stupid HoCloud...hahahaha!  Anyways, the two lovebirds went for a quick dinner date while Buddha Boy and I looked after some last-minute packing.

We got to the airport at approximately 10pm for our 11:55pm flight.  Since we already checked in online, we didn't have to wait in the general line to drop off our luggage.  After snapping some group photos and crossing custom to shop at duty-free, we made our way to the gate approximately five minutes before scheduled boarding.  We were served dinner within the first hour of the flight...huh?  Dinner?  At midnight?  Now we're REALLY packed and sleepy...