Kao's Family Restaurant - Richmond, BC

Came across this small joint from Urban Spoon. This restaurant is quite hidden and it's through the power of Google Map Street View that helped us find it. If you are familiar with the restaurants on Alexandra Road in Richmond, it is located in the same mall as Deer Garden and Haroo. It is in the lower level. You should see the signs on the lower level to guide you. 

When we got there, there were only one other table. The place isn't very big and can only fit a few tables. The restauant is family owned so the husband helps with the front while the wife is in the kitchen cooking. We wanted to try one of their homemade appetizers, but they were sold out. So we ordered the seasoned seaweed instead. We also ordered the beef brisket noodles and the dumplings.  Because there is only one person in the kitchen, the food took some time to get to the table. 

First came the seaweed. I really wanted to like it and I normally like anything seaweek but this dish was quite bland. It was boiled / steamed seaweek with some oyster sauce seasoning on top. The dish itsel was small too and it was $5 I think. It was definitely on the pricey side considering the quantity that we get. 

I was really craving beef brisket noodles because we recently had a family friend who made her taiwanese beef brisket noodle and it was so good. So we were craving it. Unfortunately, this noodle was not as good as the one our family friend made. The soup itself wasn't too flavourful. It seemed like the broth still needs some time. The noodle was alright, nothing spectcular. 

Lastly, we had the dumplings. We enjoyed the filling of the dumplings and would prefer more meat. The dumpling skin was too thick though. We can definitely feel that it was homemade with the filling as the filling was quite fresh. The greens in the dumplings were still quite crunchy. 

Overall, I am not sure if I would come back again. I feel bad for the couple because we should definitely support local business but the most of the food wasn't worth me coming back again. 

I hope the couple would step up their game and make better food so I can go back and visit again. 

Minami - Vancouver, BC (Dine Out Lunch 2014)

Minami's dine out menu was really good. I enjoyed my brunch at Minami a lot, especially the sushi. We went on a Saturday. We made a reservation thinking that it was going to be packed but to our surprise, it wasn't. We got seated right away and I like that the decor is very clean and simple. 

We had a choice of the regular brunch menu or the Dine out Lunch menu. Because their Dine Out Lunch was so popular, they decided to extend it. Looking at the Dine out Lunch Menu, I decided to try that and Calvin decided to order the Hatcho Miso Pork Belly. The Dine Out Lunch Menu definitely is a great choice for those who want to try their dishes and I do think that it's well worth the price. Here's the $28 Menu:

Miso Soup 

Zen Sampler

aburi bincho

wasabi masatake sauce

chicken tofu salad

baby greens, sous-vide chicken breast, miso marinated tofu, umami soy vinaigrette

ebi fritter

asian slaw, sweet chili mayo, soy-balsamic reduction

sterling silver karubi pork rib

apple-ginger haccho miso sauce, spiced apple-raisin chutney

Sushi

Aburi Salmon Oshi Sushi

pressed BC wild salmon, jalapeño, miku sauce

Aburi Ebi Oshi

pressed shrimp, lime zest, ume sauce

Minami Roll

aburi short rib, spicy prawn, cucumber, wasabi masatake sauce

Aburi Saba Oshi Sushi

pressed house cured mackerel, miso sauce

Dessert

Miso-Salted-Caramel Ice Cream

Started off with the miso soup. Unlike other miso soups, this did not taste like soup made from powder. I believe the miso soup was made from miso paste.

Starting from the left, pork rib, ebi fritter, tofu salad, and aburi bincho. Minami definitely shines in their aburi compares to their cooked food.  

Tofu salad and aburi bonchi. The aburi is tuna with a very complimenting sauce. The salad wasn't that special but it was quite refreshing and they added a crunch into it which was a plus. 

Pork ribs and ebi fritter

The pork rib was quite ordinary. The ebi fritter on the hand is different than what I had before. The batter was quite thin and I believe they used jumbo prawn. The prawn tasted quite fresh.

These sushi were my favourite. Each sushi is very unique and all the flavours of each sushi go very well together. I would go back again just for the aburi sushi. No wonder they are famous for their aburi sushi because they are really good.

These two sushi weren't as spectacular as the ones below though they are still great tasting sushi. The fish was super fresh and they flamed them just right. 

From Left, minami roll, salmon aburi, ebi aburi

My favourite is the one in the middle, which is the salmon aburi. The fact that only part of the sushi was flamed creates a very complex texture and brings out the salmon flavour. The beef roll on the left was also very spectacular. The beef was also flamed partly but it didn't make the beef too meaty. The meat melted in your mouth and blends in with the flavours in the sushi. I really liked the sauce that went with the ebi aburi. The sourness of the sauce complimented the sweetness of the prawn. 

I was really looking forward to the miso-salted-caramel ice cream. I have heard good things about it. All their ice cream are made in-house. The flavours were good but they weren't as smooth as the ice cream at Ernest. The salted caramel I had at Ernest ice cream gets quite sweet as I had more but I think the miso flavour of this ice cream balances the sweetness and I was able to finish the whole thing without drinking water. 

Calvin had the Miso Pork Belly Bennys. You can see how big the pork belly was. His dish had a lot and he was so full from it. The eggs were cooked perfectly. The most interesting thing was the miso mayonnaise. The miso flavour wasn't very prominent but at the same time we found the mayonnaise was not sour enough, missing a bit of acidity. The pork belly was decent though we liked the one from Red Wagon more. 

Also came with potatoes and crispy brussels sprouts. The potatoes were lightly seasoned with salt and I didn't feel that they were very greasy. The brussels sprouts had slight burnt taste to it which gave it a different taste.

Our server was really friendly the whole time so we really enjoyed their as service as well. All the food came at a reasonable time.

Overall, I recommend everyone to try Minami's sushi. Their aburi sushi is very very good. I would not recommend their cooked food though because I believe there are better choices for that.

Miura Waffle Milk Bar - Vancouver, BC

I stumbled on this place after seeing them on a show on Food Network. Their selling point is the waffle sandwiches. Instead of using bread, they use waffles. They are located in a quiet street. My boyfriend and I went on a saturday and then there were not a lot of people on the street. They have seating outside and inside.

We were very intrigued by the idea because you would associate waffle with dessert. Their waffles do taste different than others we had in the past. Their waffles do not taste that sweet. It provides a good texture and goes well with the savoury ingredients. The waffle actually reminds me of a mcgriddle.

We ordered garlic chicken (top) and bulgogi (bottom).  The waffles are such a great match with the meats in the middle. Although the sandwiches look small, they are actually quite filling. The meats were tender and juicy and the sauce was very balanced. I really enjoyed the way they made their waffles. You can't really compare it to the Belgian waffle but it's still light and soft. Although it looked small, we were actually full from it. Bravo to them for coming up with such an innovative idea.


It's nice to be able to enjoy this lovely waffle sandwich on a beautiful sunny day. Looking forward to when they open at the new location.

Hawksworth - Vancouver, B.C.

Maybe because we had high expectation from Hawsworth, we didn't think it was as good as people raved. Hawsworth is considered one of the best restaurants in Vancouver so we had to give it a try. We came here on a Saturaday for lunch. They are actually pretty packed and I doubt you would be able to get a table without reservation.  

We got seated pretty much right away. The ambient is very nice and it's quite spacious.

We started out with prosciutto di parma  ($18) for appetizer. Normally, I am not a fan of prosciutto ham because I always find that they are too salty. It might be the type of ham I am eating or what I am eating it with. I was attracted to this appetizer because of the combination of pear and walnut. I was definitely surprised. Everything went so well together. The pear balanced out the saltiness of the ham. Everything was so well balanced and it tasted really fresh and just kept you wanting more. The walnuts added a nice crunch to the dish. The olive oil marshmallow was very interesting. I couldn't really taste the olive oil taste though. Overall, I really enjoyed this dish.

Boyfriend ordered the steak and burger so they brought us mayonnaise and ketchup. These were made in-house as the ketchup tasted different than other ketchup. It's not as sour as the ketchup I normall taste. 

Being Chinese, I had to order tea and this time, I ordered the Earl Grey tea.

I ordered the pacific sablefish brandade ($19) with poached eggs, tomato, chorizo, watercress, and grilled bread. 

I cut into the egg and it was poached quite nicely. I didn't know that sablefish was in the mash. When I first tasted the mash, it was so good. The fish and the mash went to well together and added this earthiness taste to the mash. I just couldn't stop eating the mash. However, when I got to the bottom of the mash, it started tasting quite salty and then it got to a point where it was quite inedible. I had to drink a sip of water everytime I took a bite. 

The sauce at the bottom was very good though. The sausage and tomato went really well together. The sauce was seasoned well and wasn't too salty. I really enjoyed the chick peas in the sauce.

Boyfriend ordered the famous Hawksworth burger with fries. The burger looked sooo AMAZING!!! It's definitely too high to eat in one bite. Boyfriend had difficulty putting the whole burger in his mouth. 

To date, boyfriend has yet had a burger where the patty is the way he wanted. He always ask for medium rare, but it's usually more cooked than that. This time, it was medium rare. Take a look at the patty. He did say the patty was a bit dry though. I think before coming to Hawksworth, we've heard a lot of people raved about it. So we were actually not too impressed with the food. The food was good but it wasn't as good as everyone raved about it.

We were really impressed with the dessert though. I ordered the chevre cheesecake with green apple and walnut. The combination sound very interesting so I wanted to try. First of all, the presentation was amazing. I didn't expect cheesecake would look like that. The cheesecake was super light, the cheese was not too strong which I enjoyed. The green apple slice was super thin. I was really amazed at how they can cut it like that. The apple slice was not just green apple thinly sliced but it was a green apple jelly. The sorbet was really good as well. The walnut and the caramel went quite well with the whole dish. I really really enjoyed this dessert and this was definitely an art piece.

Overall, Hawksworth was very creative in the food they present and the presentation is pretty good but we were super amazed at the food we were eating. Maybe the dinner menu will be better. 

Red wagon - Vancouver, B.C.

My mouth is watering while typing this post. Red wagon has become really famous after Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives visited. They are famous for their pulled pork. We went there on Friday morning thinking that there wouldn't be a lineup but we were wrong. We waited probably for 20 mins before we were seated. We were watching people from the outside looking at their yummy food. 

They have all day breakfast as well as other breakfast options. It was just so hard to choose. Since it was lunch time, we could also choose from their lunch menus which include burgers. I decided to get the Trucker because I didn't want to have so much but also wanted to try their buttermilk pancakes. Boyfriend ordered Super Trucker because it came with their famous pulled pork pancake and pork belly. 

I have to say that their food didn't arrive fast. We sat for quite some time before our dishes came but we were so excited when they did.

This is the Trucker with sausage. I have to say I really liked their buttermilk pancakes. They were really fluffy, not dense at all. They were totally different than the ones we made at home. I also really enjoyed their roasted potatoes. They weren't salty at all and we could tell that they were pan fried instead of fried. The seasoning for those were really good with the green onion added. Of course, I didn't expect that much food and had to pack some home.  

We were super excited when boyfriend's dish came. The crispy pork belly looked amazing and it did taste amazing. Who would've thought something salty like pulled pork would go so well with buttermilk pancakes. It was like the perfect combo. I kinda regret not getting that because the pulled pork and pancakes just blended and melted in your mouth. The pork belly had a good distribution of fat and meat and although there was some dryness to it, it made the pork belly more rustic. It was quite delicious.

I would definitely go back again to have the pulled pork, buttermilk pancakes and roasted potatoes. We were so satisfied when we left and it was definitely worth the recognition on Triple Ds. 

Pho Ten - Richmond, BC

A friend suggest us to try Pho Ten, saying that that it's his favorite vietnemese restaurant in Richmond. We came here 15-20 mins before 12 and it wast fairly empty. The decor is not your usual vietnemese restaurant; it's very modern and if I wouldn't have guessed it's a vietemese restaurant if it wasn't for the sign.




We got seated right away. Because we love eating pho, we wanted to try out different things on their menu. We ordered a large beef pho to share ($8.5), a spring roll ($2.5), a deep fried shrimp paste on sugar cane ($2.95), and a viet sub ($5).

First came the shrimp paste on sugar cane. This isn't a common appetizer / snack that you find in a Vietnamese restaurant, at least we haven't seen it at the restaurants we've been to. The shrimp paste isn't dry and it is quite flavourful. I can usually chew the sugar cane and it is sweet but this sugar cane doesn't have any ate to it.  I am not sure if I can justify ordering it again given it's $2.95 for one but I do recommend it for those who haven't tried it before because it is quite tasty. 

We just ordered one spring roll to try and was glad that we can order it by pieces. Normally, they come in set quantity. One piece is $2.5 which is not cheap in my opinion. This spring roll taste like the ones we had that were made from one of our Vietnamese friends. The stuffings inside were more veggies than meat which may be the authentic way Vietnamese spring rolls were. The spring roll was fried just right. I hate it when the spring rolls are burnt. 

The chicken viet sub came. The bun was very crunchy and fluffy which I liked very much. However, i did not enjoy the chicken as much. The chicken had a very meaty taste to it that made it really not enjoyable to a point where I just wanted to take the chicken out and eat it without it. Maybe the other buns would taste better but I would definitely not be going there for viet subs. 

We ordered a large pho to share. The soup has very simple flavours and I find that it lacks the beef taste given it is a beef stock. The beef soup is on the sweet side and I can taste the MSG. That's probably one of the reason why it tastes so good. The beef tasted like it was frozen then thawed because it had that beefy taste. It might just be the batch that we were eating, can't say that it happens every time.




















Overall, it's an ok authentic Vietnamese restaurant. Food was all decent but I wouldn't go all the way there from Richmond City Centre to No. 5 Road to eat their pho.

Los Angeles - The Grove, Farmer's market

The Grove is one the famous malls in Los Angeles. It's located in a busy area. It took us a while to find parking around the area. The mall definitely compliments Los Angeles very well because it's outdoors and the sunny weather just makes the mall so relaxing and more comfortable to walk in. The mall is quite big and there are definitely a lot of brand names there such as Banana Republic, Abercrombie, J Crew, etc. 

The Abercrombie store is a must go! That Abercrombie is huge and they also sell their underwear line that a lot of Abercrombies don't carry, at least all the ones I've been to. 

We didn't even have to think about where we eat when we saw The Cheesecake Factory. Because we didn't go during lunch time or dinner time, we didn't have to wait for seats though it was still pretty packed. Since we were looking for a place to sit down and to replenish our energy, we only order a few things. We also used their wifi. Of course, The Cheesecake Factory never disappoints. 

We ordered Chicken pasta, crab cakes, Vietnamese style bun. 

As we walked around The Grove, we saw the filming of Entertainment with Mario Lopez!



We then walked over to the farmers market. The market is super clean and there are a lot of very interesting stores.

This is a store that just sells hot sauce, all types of hot sauce.