MINI STICKY RICE WRAPPED IN BANANA LEAVES "Joong/Zongzi"

Toisan Pork and Chinese Sausage Joong (Zongzi)

My kids are carb-addicts.

BC SPOT PRAWN FESTIVAL! Stir-Fried Ginger Scallion and Soy Spot Prawns

It's BC Spot Prawn Season! yay!

The season lasts from May to June and after seeing friends' Spot Prawn pics posted on FB I had a yearning too.  I sent the man down to T&T supermarket where they were on sale for $15.99/lb until May 18.

A photo posted by Cake Brain (@cakebrain) on May 16, 2015 at 6:28pm PDT

The Spot Prawns were lively in their plastic bag.  These guys have pokey antennae and sharp spear-like tails and heads.  You have to buy the Spot Prawns with the intent to eat them within a few hours.  I kept them in the fridge for an hour before I was ready to prep them.  I am squeamish and even with rubber dish gloves to protect me from their sharp pointy bits, I couldn't handle how each prawn would squirm and hop out of my hand.  In the end, I held a prawn with tongs in my left hand and worked the scissors in my other hand. It gave me the willies...but I was not deterred enough to stop because I knew these prawns had to be cooked quickly to maintain their freshness.  After they die, the prawn flesh becomes mushy...bleh...inedible.  When cooked fresh, they have a firm 'n bouncy texture and they're sweet and juicy.  They do not require much fuss in terms of cooking.  

FLO TEA ROOM, MARPOLE

Short Ribs and Prawns.  Served with a Mushroom Sauce on the side.

The veggies were an extra add-on.  The prawns were grilled just perfectly in the shells.  The short ribs were good and seasoned perfectly.  Good portions.   Good value. Rating:  5/6


The AAA Prime Rib was Medium Rare, as requested.

BBQ DUCK 24/7! No. 9 Restaurant, Richmond

This big ol’ bowl of BBQ Duck on Rice is the only reason I go to No. 9 Restaurant, located in Lansdowne Mall, Richmond.

HOSHI SUSHI, KITSILANO

Spicy Tuna Sashimi            Rating:  5/6

BANANA LEAF, W. BROADWAY

Fresh Coconut Juice!

GOOD CHOICE FOR DIM SUM

Spicy Pan Fried Radish Cake. 


Having had a great dining experience the last time we ate at Good Choice, we gave it a go for Dim Sum today.

The pan fried radish cake had just the right amount of heat.  It had fresh chilies, fresh bean sprouts and the cubes of radish cake held well with a light crispy exterior and soft interior.   Rating:  6/6

KYUNG BOK PALACE

The Combo’s always the best deal if you ask me!

DREAM SUSHI

Toro Rose.


3 pieces of toro sashimi wound together to create a rose.   It was so pretty and lovely to eat.  I scarfed it down pretty quickly without offering any to Stomach.  Rating:  6/6

MARULILU CAFE

Iced White Chocolate Matcha Latte.


What a gorgeous drink! It was cool, creamy and refreshing on a hot summer day.  I liked the soft sweet white chocolate flavour combined with the slightly astringent and grassy matcha.  Yum!




Mango Smoothie. 


Icy and frothy with mango flavour.  The kiddies loved this one and it was healthier than a slurpee!


Belgian Waffle…for dinner!   Yee-Hah!  Yes, I’m a mommy that lets my kids eat breakfast for dinner!  This looked beautiful with the huge swirls of whipped cream…both chocolate and plain on the side.  The waffle itself was light and tender; crispy on the outside.  It was an excellent waffle.

Katsu Don.  This was a homey sort of dish for me.  It was a pork cutlet on rice with egg and onions with a light dashi/soy broth.  It was good and filling.

Stomach ordered the Rice Burger.  We didn’t know what we were going to get.  It sounded intriguing.  It turns out it’s two rice balls grilled; with a filling of pork and kimchi.  He liked it. 

It also came with a miso soup and salad on the side.

Bib ordered the ham and eggs breakfast.   This was a good portion and we all shared it with her.

This Ham and Cheese sandwich was way bigger than Bebe thought it would be.  It came on Ciabatta with plenty of veggies (she pulled all of those out of course) and she said it was very yummy.

I thought the Marulilu Cafe was a sweet little spot to grab a bite.  It’s kind of down-home Japanese and kind of breakfast-y.  The quality of the ingredients is very good and they do take care with the preparation of the dishes.  

With the neat Japanese-Canadian menu, I think we’ll be back because there’s something for everyone at this little eatery.  Marulilu Cafe serves breakfast all day, home-cooked Japanese fare, espressos, teas and cafe drinks, some sweets and sandwiches.

LATE NIGHT NOSHING AT THE RICHMOND SUMMER NIGHT MARKET

Spicy Grilled Squid Tentacles

Venice Garden Seafood Restaurant

Fish Head Hot Pot


After a visit to the PNE, we cruised the neighbourhood for dinner.  Venice Garden Seafood is located in a plaza shared with T and T Supermarket and it there was plenty of parking in the lot.

It’s been a while since we’ve eaten in the area and this restaurant seems to be a reincarnation of a previous restaurant that we visited once.  It seems to have gone a tad upscale since we last ate here.  There were white tablecloths during dinner.

THE BEST CURRIED BEEF BRISKET IN VANCOUVER

Curry Beef Brisket.

I’m sticking my neck out here on this one.  I do think this is the best Curried Beef Brisket in Metro.    Rating:  6/6

I Cafe, W. Broadway

Beef Brisket on Rice.  Rating:  5/6

Since starting my Grad Studies, I have learned to multi-task in ways I never imagined.  Carrying my iPhone, my textbook and a highlighter, I proceeded to “foodspot” my meal, as well as complete a whole chapter from my readings list for the day while eating my lunch.

Whizzo.

SANPACHI JAPANESE RESTAURANT, KITSILANO

I needed a drink today.  It’s been an intense start to my Grad Studies and I needed a good stiff…fruity drink.
I saw the Lychee Mojito on the drinks menu at Ramen Sanpachi and declared that it was the drink for me tonight.

HONJIN SUSHI, YALETOWN

Negitoro Roll. 

Still reeling from the Urban Fare Quinoa California roll I had for yesterday's lunch…bleh.  Today I had a working lunch at Honjin Sushi with a couple of my Cohort peers.  Boy was this way better than the Urban Fare Sushi and it was just across the street in the Roundhouse area.

URBAN FARE, YALETOWN

I’ve started my Grad Studies and the venue is nearby.  Here’s me with my deli lunch from Urban Fare.   I thought I should go healthy today.  Healthy body, healthy mind.  Right?  Quinoa in sushi?  I had to give it a go.

KAM GOK YUEN BBQ…AN INSTITUTION

More pork fat love, but this BBQ Pork (cha siu) is WAY better than any I’ve had from other Chinese BBQ joints. 

Hey Chinatown newbie, let me give you some advice…

When you enter a Chinatown institution like Kam Gok Yuen, with its yellowed linoleum floors and hole-in-the-wall booths, you remember a few things, ya hear?

BAAK TONG GOH FROM NEW TOWN BAKERY

Lookit those great bubbles!

BBQ MASTER, RICHMOND: PORK FAT LOVE

I must confess that I am guilty of not cutting off the fat of this bbq pork.  I ate it.

Ate it all, you hear?

Bebe, meanwhile, carefully carved out her fatty pieces and left them on the side of her plate…to be picked off one by one and eaten by her little 4 year old sister, Bib.