chocomoo

I agree with gingerpeachy. Thierry's macarons met my high standards when I tried them a couple months ago - flavours included lime (there was lime zest in the buttercream), passionfruit, strawberry rhubarb, apricot pistachio, coffee and milk chocolate. The vegetable quiche was surprisingly excellent - the consistency of the egg was flan-like (not overcooked as it often is), and the crust was buttery & crumbly but not heavy, with a layer of toasty cheese on the bottom. As for croissants, lots of people feel that Thomas Haas has the best almond croissants - they are double-baked, flaky & so rich. Bonus: you can call & order them ahead of time so you don't have to wait for them to bring out the next batch (they often run out).

Update: Their last day will be August 26 - phew! One more month left. I just tried the blueberry brioche today - not very brioche-like, but delicious nonetheless, filled with blueberries & cream cheese custard.

Kei's Bakery is closing at the end of July They're moving back to Japan, and are planning to open franchises with Kaori's pastry teacher in Fukuoka, somewhere in the south of France (Hiroshi likes Arles), and somewhere in Italy. They hope to open a combined boulangerie/patisserie in Japan. I'm hoping to visit Kei's again before they close so I can nab some of those Mt. Tea and Mt. Matcha buns. The seasonal strawberry & cream buns are pretty yummy too! They will be selling their business to their friends, who will most likely be converting the space into a cafe.

Thanks for all your suggestions!!

Hi, 4 of us will be going to Paris at the end of May. We're looking for suggestions for restaurants where we can share tables with strangers. My sister & her bf went to Chartier a couple years ago and shared a great conversation with a Jamaican guy & a Parisian guy. Anyone know if Daniel Rose's Spring (1st arrondisement) has re-opened yet? Thanks!

So sad!! First Rare, now Parkside Does anyone know exactly when their last day is?

Yay! I'm so glad - I was worried about them! I've been totally craving the Mt. Matcha & the green tea rusks!

I tried the muscat Kit Kat & the McFlurry caramel macchiato Kit Kats. I thought the muscat flavour tasted pretty fake, but both my friend and my sister liked it. The McFlurry Kit Kat just tasted of caramel. So far, I think my favourite limited-edition flavour of Kit Kat is kinako (bought last May). That isn't saying much though, because I didn't love it & probably wouldn't buy it again. Still waiting for yuzu Kit Kat here! For some reason, the regional flavours of Puccho are available in Canada now. Among the flavours are Hokkaido milk, Okinawa pineapple, some kind of melon, tangerine, strawberry, and grapes.

If you do go to Arashiyama, there's a branch of a shop that sells little figurines that are made from silkworm cocoons They're actually quite cute - I bought a figure of couple of koi for my uncle (who has a pond in his backyard) but now I regret not buying one for myself!! There's also a branch of a store that sells figurines made from Japanese cloth (I don't remember the name of the kind of cloth) - my friend & I bought a whole bunch of cute veggies (bamboo shoot, a bunch of asparagus, eggplant, lettuce, radish, and something else I'm forgetting) and a basket to put them in.

Oh Suzy, I am so sorry to hear about your loss Looking forward to your photos though! I was at Tsukiji around this time last year (on my birthday, no less!) and I had the best birthday breakfast ever! I wish I were back in Japan! I wish I'd spent more time wandering around Kiyomizu-dera & in Arashiyama - so much to see & buy!

Oh no! I hope they're ok... Maybe they went back to Japan for an extended visit?

Pork floss sandwiches!! I should make some for work next week, since I won't be buying deli meat for a while You can also put the pork floss in noodles, as in noodle soups or "lo mein".

Sorry, I can't type Chinese on this computer, plus I can read more Chinese than I can write! Along the lines of "daan ngaa", there's "ngun" (tough & chewy), or "you jiew tou" (has a nice chew). I think "soong" can be used to describe two different kinds of textures: one of which Dejah has mentioned, flakey; the other, to describe a tender cut of meat, as in, "Wow, this pork chop is so 'soong' ". The second one, for me, is harder to describe in English. And to expand on "ngaang" (hard), there's "ngaang gwuk gwuk", which is even harder ("gwuk gwuk" being the sound that the hard food would make if hit against something). Oh, one more! "Meen", to describe a cottony-softness ("meen" is actually the word for cotton). Usage: "This congee is really 'meen' ". Come to think of it, what is "meen" used to describe, other than congee?

We should totally compile a list of textural descriptions! Maybe "song" or "cheui" would be a better describing word for fresh shrimp? Speaking of "daan nga", man, I miss the good fish balls in HK...

Thanks barolo!

Those sound so good! I wonder if the tomato one is any different from the regular tomato Pretz? I'm still keeping a lookout for the pea Pretz here. I'm so glad Glico brought it back - it's one of my favourite Pretz flavours, along with corn.

Is Chocoatl still open? I'd like to go back with my friend at the end of August...

Let's see.... Parkside! It's one of my fave restaurants even though I don't get to go very often. If you're going to Granville Island (which I'm pretty sure you are), you have to visit Go Fish. They have really great stuff other than fish & chips too, like the amazing king scallop burger I had once (it was a daily special). Sun Sui Wah always gets mentioned when it comes to dim sum, but I honestly honestly think that there are better options out there - namely in Richmond. Here are some threads that can help guide you: Chinese in Vancouver and Best Dim Sum in Vancouver.

Li Do's just another Hong Kong style café. Some people (those who were lining up) swear by their pineapple buns & egg custard tarts. One of those pineapple buns usually comes with a big pat of butter in the middle of the sliced bun (hence the Cantonese slang for it, "baw law yau" (pineapple butter). Those "instant noodles" on the menu really are instant noodles - they're a staple on breakfast menus in HK style cafés for some reason... Along with egg & spam sandwiches (always on white bread with the crust cut off!) and milk tea. What time did you try the dim sum places? Some are open at 9 a.m., like Jade on Alexandra, and Empire on the corner of No. 3 & Westminster Highway (where London Drugs is).

Oops, sorry Rona, I totally didn't see your reply until today! I'm going to Japan again in May! So excited! AND we're going to Osaka & Kyoto this time. My friend & I got the entire Re-Ment delivery set - it's really cute, but I'm too lazy to link to it right now. Each set comes with a take-out menu, and the "DoReMi" pizza set even comes with a little insulated bag with velcro on it

^ My uncle & auntie went on Saturday and reported that the prices have gone way up ($5.50 for a steamer of ha gow?? $14 for an oily plate of "gon chau ngau haw" (dry stir-fried beef rice-noodles)??) They didn't notice any marked difference in quality either...

Choices sometimes has sales on Liberty Mediterranean (in addition to the other kinds). My favourite is still the lemon - not too tart, but with just enough sourness in it. It even has bits of lemon peel

When I eat with my hands (ribs, crab, corn on the cob, etc.), I have to wash my hands after I'm finished eating the messy food. It's not enough to wipe my hands on a napkin (or several). And it doesn't matter whether it's at home or in a restaurant - I just can't eat the rest of my non-hands-on food with dirty hands. I think it's because I don't like eating with dirty utensils (that I've dirtied myself, otherwise that would just be common sense). I just don't like feeling stuff on the handle of my fork, spoon, or chopsticks. I also have to spread my jam/butter/Miracle Whip to every corner of the bread. Why would you want a bite of plain bread? Also, related to that, when I cover containers with leftovers with saran wrap, I must stretch it tightly so that there are no wrinkles in the wrap.

Abderdeen's ok, but it's not a tourist destination or anything. Things that may interest you about Aberdeen: - the food court's not bad - there's a place that's famous for their "wind sand" (that's a literal translation from Chinese - there's ginger & other Chinese spices in it) chicken wings. Lightly battered, deep-fried, piping hot. I can never remember the name of the place - canucklehead? It's to the left of the escalator anyway, past Beard Papa. Great snack! Their milk tea & other drinks are almost the cheapest in Richmond. And good too, not watered down. - at Daiso, you can find almost anything you can think of & even stuff you didn't know existed. From muddlers to charcoal to umbrellas - really random stuff. - there's a Japanese pottery place on the lower level (near the parking lot entrance, I think?) that has some really great items. You could pick some stuff up for your Kitchen. - if you wanna get some dried Asian snacks, go to Kwong Leung Hing on the top floor (NOT Taiwanese Dried Food, which is on the middle floor - it's pricier & the product is inferior). - I hate parking at Aberdeen. Warning: people in Richmond are bad drivers. Granville Island: - everything's within walking distance - it's quite small. Go Fish is technically not on the island. As you're driving in/walking towards Granville Island, it'll be on the left hand side before the bridge. Follow the winding seawall - you won't be able to see Go Fish from the bridge, I think. I'm sure you've found it already, but here's Japadog's website. I like the flavours of the oroshi, but the grated daikon makes the bun kinda soggy and is a little overwhelming cuz there's so much of it.

It's totally worth it to spend 1/2 a day in Richmond. If you decide to rent a car for only a day, that'll be the day to do it. There's very little in terms of sightseeing to do in Richmond, so you can just make the trip for a meal or two. Nothing (other than dim sum restaurants) is open earlier than 11 a.m. anyway. For dim sum, a place that isn't mentioned too often here is Empire Seafood restaurant. If you like egg tarts, this is THE place for them. They come straight out of the oven - the molten custard, scented with coconut milk, is soft & jiggly; the crust, flaky. All their other dim sum & dishes (fried rice, etc.) are great, with the exception of the rice rolls ("cheung fun"), which are just ok (not smooth enough). Plus, if you arrive (order?) before 11 o'clock, there's a 20% discount. I think they open at 9 a.m.? I was there with my family last Saturday, and I think they advertised king crab at $8.99 a pound. I don't know how they serve it though. If you have a little extra time in Richmond and if you love roast pork, there's a Chinese BBQ place in the Superstore complex that has the best roast pork. Crunchy skin & half-fat/half-lean pork = *drool* As for izakayas, I agree with canucklehead - Kingyo is the best. Plus, you won't have to wait ONE HOUR for a table, as is the case at Guu with Garlic. For markets similar to the Pike Place Market, try Granville Island. There's great fish & chips to be had at Go Fish. I think you'll have to save Vancouver Island for your next visit, as that would be a day trip.