Archive for May, 2011

Sushi Shelter 101 – Lunch Edition

May 30

Posted by admin in Japanese, Lunch, Port Coquitlam | 2 Comments

Location: 102 – 1250 Dominion Avenue, Port Coquitlam, BC

Phone: (604) 464-0086 | Hours: Tues-Wed 11AM-3PM, 4:30PM-9PM | Thurs 11AM-3PM, 4:30PM-10PM | Fri-Sat 11AM-3PM, 4:30PM-11PM

Website: www.sushishelter101.com

I have visited this place before for dinner but haven’t reviewed this place for lunch. So, my initial response for lunch was that their lunch sets were quite limited with only 4 selections (Shelter 101 Roll Lunch Set, BBQ Chicken Lunch Set, Beef Teriyaki Lunch Set, and Sashimi Salad Lunch Set). However, that being said, all lunch sets come with appetizers, salad, tempura, and miso soup, which really is a variety for its price.

Shelter 101 Roll Lunch Set

The “Shelter 101 Roll” wasn’t all that spectacular, it was more or less like a House Roll. It was filled with cucumber, shrimp tempura, salmon, tuna, and tobiko.

BBQ Chicken Lunch Set

Another thing I noticed was that their main dish is almost the same size as their appetizers. It’s funny how they named this as “BBQ Chicken” instead of Teriyaki Chicken. It’s literally the same thing. The amount of vegetables and chicken in here is fairly equal and I’m very glad this place don’t load you on the rice. The portions are perfect for an individual. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Dominion Ave, Lougheed Hwy, Sashimi Salad, Sushi, Sushi Shelter 101

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

May 27

Posted by admin in DIY, Home, Soups | 1 Comment

What a week it’s been! I have finally moved my two websites “robinleung.com” and “eatwith.robinleung.com” to a new host. The old host was just too slow in my opinion. Before I go any further, I’d like to thank @anothersamchan for hosting my blog. I’d also like to thank all my readers for your support! I moved up to #95 featured blog on Urbanspoon.com. Let’s keep it going!!

And my biggest apologies to those who have tried to access my blog this week, but couldn’t, as I was moving hosting. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

As I promised in my previous blog post, I would be doing a DIY on how I made this soup on Mother’s Day. You have to understand, soup is not my specialty. This idea came from my girlfriend’s sister, which both are soup lovers. I forgot the occasion, but she discovered how to make Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana (one of the best soups ever), from a simple recipe. So, I’m giving her the credits, or else I’d never would have knew how simple it’d be to make this.

Zuppa Toscana

First of all, the ingredients:

Ingredients

1 package of Italian sausage (hot or mild)
1 cup of cream (heavy or light)
3 large russet potatoes
1 large diced white onion
bacon pieces
10 cups of water
chicken bouillon
kale

Kale

Steps:

Get a medium size pot and fill 1/3 with water and boil. Put Italian sausage in and boil for a couple minutes (it doesn’t have to be throughly cooked). This step will make your zuppa less fat, and it’s optional. You can choose to pan-fry the sausage as well. But, this is a much healthier way. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Soup, Zuppa Toscana

Lucky Gate Restaurant – Dinner Edition

May 22

Posted by admin in Chinese, Coquitlam, Dinner, Shanghainese | No Comments

Location: 1139 Austin Avenue, Coquitlam, BC

Phone: (778) 217-0024 | Hours: Unknown Hours?

Lucky Gate

It was a big party that night, celebrating the anniversary of my girlfriend’s aunt. We visited a Northern style Chinese restaurant that has been in Coquitlam for quite some years. The food here is not particular great, but the reason why this restaurant has been here for quite some time is because there isn’t too much competition in the area, if any at all. Note to self, if I happen to open a restaurant in the future, pick a location that I have no competition to drive me out! I have been wanting to review this restaurant for awhile, but every time I come to this place, I only end up ordering one or two dishes. But today is my lucky day!

Lamb Kabab (羊肉串)

This was my first time having this here. I don’t think I can taste the lamb at all, as the spices covered it all up. It was a little spicy, but not too spicy that it becomes hot. The spices they used were something along the lines of Chinese cumin. I totally recommend this dish.

Sliced Pork with Garlic Dressing (蒜泥白肉)

Usually this dish is quite fatty, as the pork slices are really fat near the skin. But, this was surprisingly lean. I wish there were more garlic dressing, but there was enough to go around.

Xiu Long Bao (小籠包)

The XLB here is not the best. I wouldn’t recommend it, as the skin is very thick (unlike the ones you have at Richmond). For those who live in Richmond, yes, you have been spoiled. The ones here are not as juicy either. But, in restaurants like these, it is very normal to order this dish. Hence, this is why we ordered it.

Spicy Lamb Pot

This is my absolute favourite at this restaurant. I’m not sure if the exact name is “Spicy Lamb Pot”, if not, it’s close. There is no place that makes it like this place. It’s quite expensive, I believe ($25.99) for a pot. This includes lamb, vegetables, and frozen tofu. My mom loves this so much, she would bring her own pot and fill it up and take it home. This dish is perfect for cold weathers, as it warms you right up.

Deep Fried Prawns (炸蝦仁)

This was also my first time ordering this dish. And I just fell in love with it. The prawns were tender and crispy and also had cumin spices as dip. This dish is a must for those who likes deep fried.

Pan Fried Dumpling (煎餃子)

These dumplings are pan fried to perfection! They may not be the best tasting (they weren’t bad), but the pan frying skills was pretty impressive. How can you tell? … It’s golden brown!

Stir Fried Shredded Pork Wrap

My girlfriend had been wanting to try this dish at other restaurants for awhile, so we decided to get this to try.

Stir Fried Shredded Pork Wrap

Basically, it’s a Chinese style floured wrap with shredded pork. Nothing too special here, but I do realize now that my girlfriend likes this “wrap” business, such as tortillas and its kind.

Lamb

I forgot what this dish was called, but it’s lamb stir fried with cilantro and cumin spices. The first time it came, it was really salty tasting. So, we told the waitress. And she brought back a brand new one! I totally wasn’t expecting that because most Chinese restaurants alike, they will not make a new dish for you even though they were at fault. I was surprised this Chinese restaurant had such service.

Green Onion Stir Fried Beef

This dish wasn’t too special, it was a typical Chinese dish. Although the one at Shanghai River is really good, but this one not so much.

Stir Fried Rice Cake with Shredded Pork

If you are a noodle lover, this restaurant is your pick. They make their own noodles here, so it is nice and fresh. The rice cake is no exception. The rice cake is chewy and tender, it’s not one of my favourite type of noodles, but the chewiness of it makes it very distinct between other noodles.

Pork Fried Knife-Cut Noodle (刀削面)

This place has won awards for their “knife-cut noodles”. The noodles are made from a piece of dough and sharpened into noodles with a blade right into hot water. It’s a recommend, if you have not tried this dish. The plain knife-cut noodles also goes very well with the Spicy Lamb Pot soup base. My parents usually order a plain one to make it a meal.

Mashed Red Bean Pancake (豆沙锅饼)

To end off the night, we ordered mashed red bean pancake. The outside was very chewy, which I liked. The inside was filling of red bean. This dish came really hot, right from the pan. I love warm desserts.

So that’s all for now! I didn’t know how much it came to, as I didn’t pay nor did I have a chance to look at the receipt. Thank you for reading. Instead of a question relating to this post, here’s more of a general question. What would you like me to review next? Where would you like me to eat next? Leave me a comment, down below.

Tags: Lamb Pot, Northern Chinese, Tri-City, Xiu Long Bao, XLB, 刀削面, 小籠包, 炸蝦仁, 羊肉串, 蒜泥白肉, 豆沙锅饼

Mother’s Day Dinner

May 15

Posted by admin in Coquitlam, Dinner, DIY, Family, Home, Seafood, Soups, Steaks | No Comments

As you may remember last Sunday was Mother’s Day and so my brother and I both prepared a special meal for our mom. I had a very busy week, so my brother did most of the prep work and I did most of the cooking and cleaning. The result, well…a Happy Mother’s Day!

Flowers

Of course, this was part of the meal!

Live Spotted Prawns

Here’s our appetizers. We got it for $10.99/lbs at our local asian market. It’s usually around Mother’s Day that the prawns go on sale. And it’s usually what people have during this and the next weekend. The week after Mother’s Day, it got even lower…it was only $8.99/lbs. (Talk about timing and marketing.)

Cooked Spotted Prawns

Fresh. Juicy. and BIG are probably the three best words I could use to describe it.

Soup

This soup is a famous one for those who have been to Olive Garden. Yup, it’s Zuppa Toscana. I first learned how to make this soup from my girlfriend’s sister, which was unbelievably easy to make. Soups are always hard for me to make, but with the recipe that I followed from my girlfriend, it was actually not too bad. I’ll have to do a DIY on my next blog post on this.

Slow Roasted Prime Rib

This was the main course! Not sure how heavy this thing was, but anything you get from Costco is not small. I didn’t pick this up myself, my parents did as I was taking a seminar that weekend. So, I had no time to grocery shop. And my brother helped marinade it with our home secret recipe.

Marinade Scrap from Prime Rib

Here’s a picture of the remainings from the Prime Rib marinade. Anybody want to try and guess what he used?

Au Jus

This was the making of au jus, which is french for “its own juice”. Basically, the recipe of au jus main ingredients required the remaining juice of the finished roasted prime rib. For au jus recipe, you can follow this recipe here. My mom loved the au jus, it was perfect on the prime rib!

Prime Rib with Au Jus

The prime rib was a little over done, but it was still good. (Just not a lot of blood, which my brother loves!) My brother loves it blue rare, but the rest of the family prefers it medium-well done. It’s very hard to please with one prime rib!

Well, that was the entire night. We ended up finishing only half of the prime rib. I was planning on dessert, but we were too full. (Actually, I didn’t really plan dessert, which I normally would’ve planned first!) Like I said, busy me!

Like I always do, I like to leave my readers with a question to ponder. How do you like your prime rib done? Leave me a message down below.

Tags: Au Jus, Mother's Day, Prawns, Prime Rib, Zuppa Toscana

Wo Fung Dessert

May 12

Posted by admin in Cafe, Chinese, Richmond, Snack | 4 Comments

Location: 4151 Hazelbridge Way, Richmond, BC V6X

Phone: (604)233-1132 | Hours: Unknown/Mall Hours?

Wo Fung at Aberdeen Centre

This very popular snack place is located on the top level food court of Aberdeen Centre. It’s always packed with people. As much as the name says it is, this is not a dessert place! At least, I don’t recall them having any dessert on the menu. It’s a chinese snack shop, or rather food you will find on the streets in Hong Kong. Their menu items ranges from $2 – $10, which is around the price of snacks.

Popular items here: includes “Deep Fried Chicken Wings” (風沙雞翅), “Deep Fried Tentacles” (炸魷魚鬚), “Che Zai Noodles” (車仔麵), “HK Milk Tea” (香港奶茶).

There’s probably more, if you have tried something that you liked here, let me know down below.

Deep Fried Intestine

Today we’re trying something a little different. Something that not all people would like, intestines! I’m not unsure of what type of intestine this is (I’m guessing it’s pork), but my girlfriend just love things that I never imagined she’d like. I wasn’t a huge fan of it, but I’d still eat it. The good thing is that it’s fried. Anything tastes good when it’s fried!

Sauce for Deep Fried Intestine

This was the sauce that accompanied it. It was sort of like sweet and sour sauce. To be honest, it wasn’t that bad. I think this ain’t easy to make, as the intestines have to be cleaned throughly or else it’ll literally taste like crap. And I’m pretty sure your stomach won’t be too happy either after consuming it. But, Wo Fung did a pretty good job cleaning it, as I felt alright afterwards. And the smell wasn’t too bad. If it wasn’t cleaned well, you would probably spit it out right away.

Deep Fried Chicken Wings

The other dish that I always get here is the deep fried chicken wings. They aren’t your typical KFC or Church’s Chicken. It’s Chinese style chicken wings. It’s got a slight ginger taste to it, but otherwise I would say it tastes better than your typical Caucasian style deep fried chicken.

Anyhow, that’s all for this post. Are there any good eats in Aberdeen food court? Let me know down below!

Tags: Aberdeen Centre, Deep Fried Chicken Wings, food, Good Eats, Richmond, Wo Fung

My Birthday Dinners

May 8

Posted by admin in Breakfast, Burnaby, Cake, Chinese, Coquitlam, Dessert, Dim Sum, Dinner, Lunch, Pasta, Richmond, Shanghainese, Steaks | No Comments

My 24th Birthday Egg Tarts!

Happy 24th Birthday to me! Well, not today. But about a week ago. The best thing about birthdays when you get older and older, it’s not about the presents anymore. It’s about “WHERE AM I GOING TO CELEBRATE?” Moreover, what do I want to eat on my birthday?! I’m not one of those people that think too much on my birthday, I just let it be. I know, not too exciting. But at least it’ll be full of surprises!

You must be wondering why did I get egg tarts on my birthday instead of a cake? Well, thanks to my stomach flu a week ago, my doctor said I can’t have any dairy products for 3 days (and the 4th is my birthday). So, my friends got me egg tarts as a substitute! How thoughtful! =) Thanks to @whoelsecanitbe, @itsMichelleNgai, and @deborah_dph.

The night before my birthday was Milestones Date Night event (I love specials happening around my birthday, it’s great!), so I invited my family, my girlfriend, and her mom for a pre-celebration dinner. And thanks to Date Night at Milestones, it helped me chop the bill down by half! Phew. Actually, they almost over-charged me…but thanks to the beloved Chinese parents, of course, they triple-check the bill so we don’t get ripped off! (One thing I got to learn from the ‘rents.)

Roasted Mushroom & Goat Cheese Risotto Balls

This was on their Date Night special menu. One of four appy’s, this is a lightly fried panko crusted medley of roasted mushroom risotto, creamy Goat cheese & Reggiano cheese. Served on a smoked chilli Arrabiata sauce and drizzled with infused basil oil.

Calamari Steak Strips with Andouille Sausage Ragu

Second up, is their twist on a classic. Thinly-sliced crispy calamari steak served with spicy sausage tomato caper sauce and preserved lemon aioli.

Crispy Honey Phyllo Shrimp

Third up is something that we had before. A crispy coated shrimp lightly fried and served with our honey chipotle glaze for dipping. It was better the first time we had it, but even the presentation this time around wasn’t that great.

Roasted Garlic Caesar

Fourth appy was the all famous roasted garlic caesar salad. “House-made Ciabatta croutons, Reggiano cheese, our signature Caesar dressing. Topped with shaved Asiago cheese and roasted garlic.” One thing that this caesar salad stands out is the garlic, it’s so garlic-y that it hits you before you put it in your mouth. I would vote this as my second favourite caesar salad aside from Boathouse.

Portobello Mushroom Chicken

My girlfriend and I both ordered this dish. It’s a double breast, with sliced Portobello mushrooms sauteed in olive oil with plenty of fresh basil, roasted garlic and reduced Reggiano cream served over capellini. We had this dish before, it was so good the first time that was why we decided to order it again. However, this time was a bit bland and the sauce was not enough. However, we still liked it.

Slow-Roasted AAA Prime Rib Chef's Cut

I believe we ordered 3 of these. “Crusted with our special blend of signature seasonings and served with au jus.” My girlfriend and I both thought the chef’s cut was a bit smaller than the ones we had before. Maybe they were running out, so they had to cut it downsize. But, for this price…it was totally worth it!

New York Striploin with Black Peppercorn sauce

My dad had the new york striploin which was not as good as he thought because the meat was not as tender as the prime rib.

We were all too full for dessert.

Kirin Coquitlam

The morning of my birthday, I along with my family and the girlfriend’s family went to Kirin Coquitlam for Dim Sum. A treat from my girlfriend’s parents. Thank you! Sorry, no pictures.

My birthday dinner was at Shanghai River in Richmond. (One of my favourite Shanghainese restaurants in Vancouver.)

Steamed Pork Bun (XLB)

XLB Sauce

The XLB at Shanghai River is by far one of the best in town. It wins its competitors because its shell is very thin, and it has tons of juices inside.

鮮百合炒黃祺班

My girlfriend and I decided to give this dish a try. It was in the seafood section of the menu. I forgot what the english name for the dish was called, but it was this yellow code from the gulf of mexico stir fried with fungus and other veggies. What struck us was that the fish was from the gulf of mexico. We really had no idea if it was or not, or if it’s just the name. But, the fish was very good. If I was to use one word to describe it, it was very solid!

Szechuan Style Smoked Duck

This dish is also one of the best in Vancouver. The duck is smoked, it’s very tender and juicy, inside and out. Not only is the duck good, the flour bread on the side was also very tender and soft.

高麗豆沙

To end off the night, we had half an order of Reb bean paste puff. It’s called “Go Lie Dou Sa” in Cantonese. At first, the manager didn’t allow us to order half an order. But, when we decided not to have dessert and when I was about to take my bill, he decided to make half an order for me. Talk about not knowing how to do business! This puff is basically made from egg white and then deep fried but inside is red bean paste and outside is sprinkled with sugar. (I have no idea why the sugar it’s pink. Anyone know why?) This wasn’t the best I had, but it was alright.

To end off the birthday evening, of course, I had …

The Box

Nope, not the box!

Chestnut Cream Cake

It’s a Chestnut cream cake from Anna’s Cake House at Lougheed Town Centre. Their cakes are usually not that appealing, but their Chestnut cakes are the best IMO.

There we have it! My birthday meals all-in-one post.

Tags: 2011, Birthday, Chestnut Cake, Coquitlam, Milestone's, Prime Rib, Steak, Tri-City, XLB

Nan Chuu Japanese Izakaya

May 7

Posted by admin in Dinner, Izakaya, Japanese, Richmond | No Comments

Location: 1160-8391 Alexandra Road, Richmond, BC

Phone: (604)276-8391 | Hours: Unknown

Our Table

My girlfriend and I came here a few weeks ago, not knowing what to eat, we decided to try out this Japanese Izakaya on Richmond’s famous “eat street”. We’ve heard of this place from a few friends, so we knew it couldn’t be that bad. We had a small dinner because we weren’t all that hungry from the late lunch and we also didn’t have much cash that day as their card machines were broken. What are the odds? =P

Oh and the monkey looking thing on the table, that was just an extra treat for the evening. (I had no what it was or what it does.)

The Open Kitchen

We walked in around 6:30pm and the restaurant wasn’t that busy on a Saturday evening. I guess the Richmond dinner crowd doesn’t hit till 7-8pm. It’s good to know that there’s a place in Richmond that doesn’t require reservation and you still get a seat. I think I have a thing for taking pictures of open kitchen, I like the idea of having to look at what chefs are actually doing to your food before they serve it.

Tako Wasabi

First up, is Tako Wasabi. “Tako” is the word for octopus in Japanese. And it’s mixed with wasabi stem sauce to be served as a wrap with seaweed. This was our appetizer for tonight.

Tuna Tataki

For those who have been following my blog posts, you probably know by now that my girlfriend absolutely adores tuna tataki, well tuna in general. This place served the ponzu sauce on the side, unlike other Japanese places which they served with the dish.

Tuna Tataki

I think I prefer the sauce to be mixed in with tuna tataki before they serve it. I find it more juicy as the sauce soaks up the tuna. Well, that’s just my preference. Is there a certain way how tuna tataki should be served? (With sauce? Without sauce? With sauce on the side?)

Ganso Gyoza

We usually wouldn’t order this at a Izakaya place, but we just had the craving for gyoza that evening. Ganso is their pork and vegetable gyoza. Nothing too special here, as I know it, my mom makes the best gyoza (the Chinese style, of course!)

Mini Maguro Yukke Don

This was our final dish for the evening, everything was mini tonight, which fitted our stomach just fine. This was an atlantic salmon yukke on rice. We didn’t expect this dish to be served raw, so that was a surprise. And my girlfriend is not a fan of raw eggs, so that big yellow yolk was all mine! Nothing much to be said about this dish, except the rice was really tender.

Frozen Grapes

And last but not least, the complimentary dessert. The frozen grapes seem to be a popular dessert among Japanese places. I should try freezing my grapes on a hot summer day!

Overall, this place seemed like a normal izakaya. They served tapas which we didn’t try. But, there wasn’t a big WOW factor to its food selections. The taste wasn’t bad, but again it didn’t have that WOW factor to it. However, the service here made up for it. The service was really friendly and attentive. We were looked after from the moment we walked in and till we walked out. The ambiance gave me a sense of nature feel with all the wooden furnitures, tables, chairs. What I liked most was the fact they had an open drawer for you to put your wallets, phones, and keys underneath the table but beware you may forget it was there. The value is mostly on par with other Japanese Izakaya restaurants in Vancouver.

Now the question is, what’s your favourite Japanese Izakaya restaurant in Vancouver? Let me know, down below! Until next time…

Tags: Alexandra Road, eat street, Izakaya, Japanese food, Nan Chuu

Boiling Point

May 4

Posted by admin in Hot Pot, Lunch, Richmond | No Comments

Location: 4800 No 3 Road, Richmond, BC

Phone: (604)284-5168 | Hours: Lunch 11:00AM – 3:00PM, Dinner 3:00PM – 11:00PM

Website: http://bpgroupusa.com/index.html

I would not have heard of this place, if my girlfriend had not noticed it when I drove by one day. This place is distinctive in its stinky smell. Half of the crowd will probably have walked away after my first sentence, but really it wasn’t that bad. This place is famous for their “Spicy Fermented Tofu”, it’s just like durian, some people will love it and others will hate it. Well, this is one reason why my girlfriend and I decided to give this place a try. It wasn’t cheap, but for “hot pot” or what they call “hot soups”, it’s not bad for $8.99 with your own hot pot, rice, and drink. Dinner is $1 more but without drink.

The Restaurant

We were there one Saturday afternoon, when we got there the restaurant was nearly empty. I guess no one really ever have hot pots for lunch.

The Sauce Bar

Unlike other hot pot places, they serve you with sauces. Or rather, sauces come at a price. Not this place, they have a self-serve sauce bar with 3 of their famous sauces: “Garlic Soy Paste”, “Garlic Bean Sauce”, and “Spicy Oil”. Read the rest of this entry »