chocomoo

I really like Anna's egg tarts - the crust is different from Michelle's - more shortbread-y. Lots of filling too There are several locations, one of which is/was on W. 41st kinda across the street from the Red Onion (same side as McDonald's, same side of the train tracks). It might be closed now though - I guess they couldn't compete with Michelle's. There's also a location on Cambie (near 41st, maybe 43rd?).

ANOTHER great place for congee that I discovered recently (again in Vancouver!) is Kwong Chow, on Main & E. 16 (kinda across from Bo Kong, but closer to 16th). The congee was so flavourful, it almost tasted like the congee we make at home every few months or so in our big 1970s crock pot (it's all chestnut, tan & orange). The congee was really "meen" (cottony soft? I'm just translating it literally). The stir-fried string beans with minced pork was the best I've had anywhere, with lots of "wok air" - not too greasy, & we got it non-spicy because my grandma can't eat spicy things. Normally when we get this dish non-spicy, there's always a little bit chili peppers left in it - it's never completely non-spicy. But Kwang Chow actually got it right (is that so hard to do?) - bonus points! The egg tofu with Buddhist vegetables ("law hon jai yok jee dofu") was soooo yummy - nice amount of sauce, & the pan-fried egg tofu (it comes in a tube & is cut into rounds) was so good!! Another highlight was the deep-fried salt & pepper tofu, which wasn't too greasy or spicy. It was so light too, & they used soft tofu instead of firm tofu (I've never had deep-fried tofu that was made with soft tofu - the flavour was nicer & the soybean flavour seemed to come through better - I guess it depends on whether it's good quality tofu though). We're going back for Chinese New Year!!

I've said it before, but for really good congee (you can decide whether you think it's the best), check out Silver Palace on Fraser & E. 49th. My family goes almost every Sunday - yesterday we had the sliced beef congee, & the beef was tender as always.

Anyway - has your friend been to Double Double on Kingsway? I will try the congee at Tsim Tsai Gai to test this out. I simply don't want it to be the case that the best examples of all Chinese food items are all in Richmond. ← Oh man, I tried Double Double for the first time on Saturday (I skipped my workout to go!! ). We got lots of food. First, we got 2 kinds of congee ("kup dai" & "tang jai", as in pork internal organs (minus intestines, I think? *shudder*) and seafood). The liver in the "kup dai" congee was really fresh, & not overcooked AT ALL (the liver in congee I've had in the past has been grey & hard). There were also some small pieces of pork in the congee, kidney, & some other kind of organ (of which I had a good piece & a bad piece). The "tang jai" congee was also quite good. I think this congee differs from the higher-priced seafood congee (which sometimes contain scallops & prawns) in that it typically uses less expensive ingredients like cod & squid. There were also some roasted peanuts sprinkled on top. The congee itself was quite good - a little too thick for me though, although the flavour was quite nice - the "tang jai" seafood had a nice seafood taste without being too fishy. Of course we got the obligatory Chinese donuts - both the long "you ja gwai" & the "ngau lei so" (beef tongue, so called because of the shape, I guess?). Normally I don't like "ngau lei so" because of the heavy baking soda flavour. The dough that it's comprised of is generally denser than the regular long Chinese donut, & the outside is also sweet. The ngo lei so at Double Double was so good! It's the only place I've ever had ngau lei so that I actually liked - no baking soda taste! My grandma says that the ones in Hong Kong usually also have a bit of "nam yue" (red fermented tofu) flavour added in as well, but these ones didn't. We also had fried wontons ("gum lo wonton") which came with the usual sweet & sour sauce (we could've used a bigger plate of it though), which were nice, light & crisp. The wonton had 3 crisp shrimp inside - probably the best fried wonton I've ever had. Different from the ones at Jade (on Alexandra), where the focus is on the sweet & sour sauce (with scallops, fish, & prawns). I think that the traditional fried wontons have very little filling though - just a tiny little ball of pork filling, & a giant piece of "skin" - although apparently the sauce has stuff in it, like bbq pork & other stuff. Also got the "foong sa" (wind sand?? I think the "sa" in the name comes from "sa geung", as in that ginger spice mix) deep-fried chicken wings. WOW, were the wings plump! Quality wings, with less ginger flavour than I expected - I think I like the ones at Aberdeen Centre better - the original foong sa wings! Double Double's wings are cheaper than the Aberdeen ones though, & are better quality. We also got Chinese radish pan-fried cake ("law bak go") which was not that great (but at least not too greasy) & stir-fried soya sauce egg noodles (not bad, again not too greasy).

I was going to suggest that same place at Parker Place, but I thought it closed down... I'm not sure though - if it's still there, you can enter through the Hazelbridge (? I alllllways mix up Hazelbridge & Alderbridge) entrance. It's right near the entrance, on the right hand side. There's another place at the Yaohan food court, near the bubble tea place. Not sure if they sell herbal soups though - I know for sure that they sell "gwai ling go" (turtle something jelly? I have no idea what it's made from - a search on Google shows that it's made from turtle shells & herbs), which you can get hot or cold. It reminds me of grass jelly, which I don't like.

Oh no! I have 168 posts AND I joined eGullet one day before you, Neil, can a deal be struck? Pretty please? I'll bring you some yummy Japanese snacks!

Not sure if I posted about this already, but I got 2 new (?) flavours of Karl: chijimi (sp?) (Korean pancake) & what looked like beef yakitori. Both pretty good - the dipping sauce flavour really comes through in the chijimi flavour, & I was really surprised that beef yakitori Karl really tasted like it had been chargrilled! There were even some black specks on it - I couldn't figure out what the black specks were though.

As of tonight, I have reservations at the following: - Chambar - Gotham - Parkside - Raincity Grill (what do you think about this? Maybe you can PM me as I don't really want to start a new thread on this - while it's a good opportunity to try Raincity, none of the items on the menu really appeal to me) And soon, Hamilton Street Grill!

Welcome to eGullet. If memory serves correct, Alistaire (hopkin) at The Elysian Room at least sells this type of system. Not sure about Japanese charcoal-roasted coffee though, nor as to if he uses the syphon system to prepare the coffee. I don't think he does, but he might know who does. A. ← I'm not Alistaire, but if you're looking to brew your own coffee, I think I've seen UCC ground coffee sold at Izumi-Ya on Alderbridge and No. 3 Road in Richmond. It's tucked in beside Holt's furniture. I have no idea how much they sell it for though. You might also want to check that other Japanese convenience store (I forget the name) on Robson.

I'm pretty sure Hon's will have openings too - I mean, who eats mango & coconut pudding at Hon's anyway?? I remember Kam Do on Alexandra Road used to have dessert included in their $9 (or whatever price it was) set lunches - it was some hard Jello-like dessert, diluted with so much water that you could barely taste the lime flavour (yet it still retained it's radioactive colour....weird).

I went for early dim sum (10 a.m.) at Jade Seafood with my family last Saturday. Special items this time (they have a menu that changes every month, I think) included deep-fried minced garlic "ha gow" (shrimp dumplings); deep-fried something else (like spring rolls, but with the same "skin" as the dumplings) filled with shrimp, century egg, & pickled ginger (Japanese "gari"); clay pot rice with diced octopus & minced marinated fatty pork; and steamed sesame-filled buns. The shrimp dumplings are always pretty good, with crisp shrimp, small bits of pork fat, & crunchy bits of bamboo shoot. The "skin" was just ok though, I've had better, namely at the old President (it changed hands a while ago), and I like more sesame oil in the filling. The deep-fried "spring roll" was really good. I loved the contrasting textures: the crunchiness of the deep-fried skin, crispness of the shrimp, to the creaminess of the century egg made for a wonderful dim sum item. I didn't get any ginger in my half of the roll, which was great, because I don't like ginger. The clay pot rice was quite good - the octopus was so soft, & the pork fat had melted into the rice AND, the rice was the way it's supposed to be - browned & crispy at the edges Not a lot of places have steamed sesame buns on their menu (at most less than 5 places). I used to like Kirin Mandarin's better, but since the chefs have left Kirin Mandarin (unconfirmed, but the food's not as good), I haven't had a favourite place for steamed sesame buns. Kirin Mandarin's has a little piece of duck egg yolk in the centre, which is a nice touch. Jade's buns are liquidy in the middle, which I'm not used to, but it's different in a good way. I've had dim sum at Gingeri before too, but I also don't remember what we ate. I also went to a wedding banquet there. I don't remember what I ate then either. It's been a while.

I love this new (?) honey mustard flavour! I started seeing this on shelves here in Canada a few months ago - it's one of my favourite flavours. Strangely, I don't really like mustard but I love mustard-flavoured snacks (Pretz, pretzels, & Kettle Chips). I miss the green pea & shrimp Pretz flavours though Even the texture of the biscuit was different - crispier & lighter.

Ohhh, ok, thanks! Sounds promising!

I also got this because the box was so pretty - I can't figure out what's in it though, as my Japanese-reading friend has moved to Shanghai.

I really like La Regalade - it's quiet early in the evening, but as more people trickle in, it can get pretty loud! La Regalade is really good if you want more of a comfy-bistro-home-style-with-lots-of-sauces type of meal. I love their prime rib!! I just went for my birthday dinner a few weeks ago - you can read about that here.

*bump* We forgot about this thread! I've been noticing WAY more chocolate candy in the candy aisles here lately. Apparently there's a huge interest in the healthy qualities of it at the moment in Japan. Anyway, I bought a whole bunch of chocolate & chocolate-related things last weekend. Meiji has a 72% cacao chocolate flavoured with blackcurrant - sooo good, if you like dark chocolate. They also had 72% cacao plain chocolate. I also got some green tea truffles - I haven't tried them yet, I'm trying to savour my chocolates They kinda look like green tea Meltykiss but they're little balls instead of squares. I also saw what I think is a new Fujiya Look chocolate flavour: grape a la mode, with chardonnay, chardonnay, kyoho, & muscat grape flavours to choose from. I haven't been that impressed with Fujiya's cream-filled chocolates in the past though - the earl grey chocolates that I bought in May were ok - too light & not enough tea flavour for me. I also got aloe vera candy at the candy store, but I haven't opened it yet either.

Has anybody tried the wine & noir Kit Kat yet? Any good?

I went by LilyKate tonight with the intention of trying out the fondue with my friends (dark chocolate with pound cake squares, homemade marshmallows & fresh fruit! ) but the lights were out & there was not a soul to be seen. There was a sign on the door listing a few days that they are closing, & Dec. 18th didn't seem to be one of those days. I don't remember which days they're closed, but they're taking a holiday break from Dec. 24th to Jan. 5th. With Christmas coming up so soon, I guess we'll have to wait until the New Year to try out the fondue!

As I said in my PM to Kurtis, I honestly didn't mean to rag on the service. I do understand that it was an off night. And ok, maybe I was exaggerating when I said when had to flag our server down for EVERYTHING. Sometimes I exaggerate. The service wasn't HORRIBLE, so I didn't feel a need to complain. I did mention a lot that I was sick and couldn't taste things properly. I never said the food tasted bad at all. The sunchoke confit wasn't bad, I just don't like sunchoke. And my cold wasn't so bad that I couldn't taste anything. To make everyone happy, I would've edited my review, but eGullet won't let me anymore, so here it is. Please disregard my review of Aurora.

^ Actually, the best Taiwanese fried chicken (you're talking about "yeem so gai", right?) I've ever had is at Cute Pearl House, on W. 42nd & W. Boulevard in Vancouver. They've even got a bit of crispy skin on it My friend & I would often stop in for a snack on our way home from UBC. I agree with you on the other items though, they're ok. I think that other place in the Vogue mall is better - I have no idea what the English name is, but the Chinese name translates to "Traditional".

I haven't posted in this thread in a while! Let's see... La Régalade Birthday dinner with my family. Starters We shared the mussels in a white wine & onion broth. As always, it was delicious - the broth has so much wine in it, it's so tasty we always have to get more bread to sop up the excess. This time the mussels were really plump & juicy, & there were less of the orange kind (which I find tend to be fishier). We also got the scallop ceviche tart (it's kind of an Alsatian tart, with thinly sliced scallop layered on top of a soft bed of caramelized onions) & the halibut mousse which came in a mushroom & something sauce. Mains Beef short ribs in a green peppercorn sauce (this is my mom's favourite dish - the sauce is really rich, & the meat is so soft it literally falls off the bone), grilled prime rib with with shallots, cloves of garlic, & potatoes (crispy on the outside, perfectly red & juicy in the middle), ruby trout with lemon butter (this was only the 2nd time I'd seen this dish, but you HAVE to order this if you see it on the specials board - the trout is DEBONED (a huge plus in my books), cooked perfectly, & the flavours are so clean & light, just, wow... one of the best fish dishes I've ever had), roasted 1/2 duck with roasted fruits (this was the only downer of the evening - I could smell the rancid oil as soon as our server set the pan down, but it wasn't extremely rancid - nobody else seemed bothered by it. The duck was a bit dry & not as tasty as it usually is. Umm, the roast fruits were good though!) & coq au vin (apparently pretty good, this was the only dish I didn't try as I was too stuffed. Desserts Apparently not stuffed enough for dessert! We got a pear & almond tart (nice & light) & a milk chocolate tart (soooo good, the chocolate was very rich & creamy, & the tart crust was SHORTBREAD ). Aurora Birthday dinner with friends Unfortunately, I was kinda sick with a cold that day, so I wasn't really in the mood to eat. And I already hadn't eaten for 30 hours prior to that. Anyways, that didn't stop me from ordering an appetizer, main & dessert! To start with, I got the smoked salmon crème fraiche cheesecake. It was pretty yummy & came with some apple & fennel salad on top. I think I would've liked the cheesecake to have a bit more texture though, instead of the smoked salmon sort of all blended together. One friend got the bison carpaccio, which was really good (man I'm such a carnivore! It was so meltingly soft. Was it supposed to come with a truffle aioli? I couldn't taste it, probably because of my cold ). As promised in the best value steak thread , I got the grilled flat iron steak. I was torn between that and the rootbeer braised bison shortribs (game meat always catches my eye these days) but I wanted to go for the steak. I was disappointed that it came with a sunchoke confit instead of the crab pomme dauphin as promised on their site, but as I thought I hadn't tried sunchoke before, that was ok. As soon as I bit into my first piece of the sunchoke, I thought it tasted familiar. While my friends chatted with me & I pretended to listen, I tried to figure out where I had tasted sunchoke before, & then it hit me - my auntie grows it in her garden! She often puts it in Chinese soups that she makes my grandma (I live with my grandma). Lately I've been wondering what sunchoke tasted like as it seems to have gained popularity these days, & I've finally realized that the Chinese name is "fook sun". Unfortunately, I don't really like the taste of it, so I was even more disappointed it replaced the crab pomme dauphin. Oh well! I liked how the steak came in an earl grey demi-glace. I tried hard to taste the earl grey, & I think I did a little bit in the beginning, but because of my stuffy nose I couldn't really taste it in the end. The presentation of the shortribs was really interesting - my friends were a bit puzzled because it looked like a deep-fried cake, but once they dug into it they were pleasantly surprised. I didn't ask to taste it but they enjoyed it. 2 of my friends got the pine mushroom risotto - not bad, but I prefer the mushroom risotto at Bin 942 (cheesier). I scored a little bite of my friends - my other friend thought the cheese overpowered the flavour of the dish (wha? I thought it could've been cheesier) & couldn't even taste the mushrooms. I could, I thought it was pretty good & quite light. My friends finished theirs in like, 5 minutes For dessert, we wanted to share the crème fraiche cheesecake & the dark chocolate and rum pâté, but they had run out of the pâté So we got the vanilla bean pannacotta, & we weren't disappointed. There was some kind of green sauce drizzled on it (I couldn't figure out what it was). I really liked the walnut crust on the cheesecake - I don't remember there being frozen grapes though, & the sorrel sauce tasted like cranberries to me, although I've never had sorrel before. All in all, the food was good, but not spectacular. Again, I was sick that day, so that's not really fair to Chef Jeff. The other 3/4 of the downer was the service - there was a large party there (Christmas get-together?) so I guess much of the focus was on them. We felt a bit ignored - I think our server filled our waters once? We had to flag her down for everything... I also found it a bit strange that she didn't ask me how I wanted my steak done - is that normal? Koji on Hornby & Burrard Birthday lunch with my friend We tried to go to the Art Gallery as the food's pretty decent, but there was no room to sit & we both don't like sitting out in the sun. So, we ended up at Koji, which has been there forever (I think the last time I was there was more than 10 years ago). We both got the lunch special, which was ok - I should've gotten sushi or sashimi. It was a pretty good deal though - for $8.99 we got 3 siu mai's (which is really weird to eat in a Japanese restaurant), teriyaki chicken on rice (I had a little bite of a piece - not really that good - little teriyaki flavour & the skin was kinda fatty, gross), some salad, a bowl of soba, & 2 pieces of cooked salmon maki (I think this was the best thing in the set).

Richmond Sushi is on Capstan Way - when you're on No. 3 Road (assuming you're coming in from Vancouver), turn left when you see Canadian Tire (it's the first traffic light you come to on No. 3 Road). Past Canadian Tire you'll see Gar Lok - that's the Richmond Sushi mall. There's a Meloty tea house there (Western-style tea house operated by Taiwanese people), a supermarket (Supermarket 2000, or something, is the name - I like Yaohan better, which, by the way, you can get to from behind Canadian Tire - it's the first street on the right when you're on Capstan) which is almost next to Richmond Sushi, a bubble tea place, a Taiwanese casual restaurant (I don't like the tea they serve though - it's barley tea), that dim sum place (Gar Lok), & at least a couple other restaurants. Plus a karaoke, hair salon, & other things thrown in. Richmond Sushi is an all-you-can-eat place though - back when it opened a few years ago, it was really popular. I've heard that the quality has declined (yes I know, the quality was probably not that good to start off with in the first place... ) If you want unique dim sum, try Jade Seafood Restaurant on Alexandra Rd (just go through the car wash parking lot from Garden City) - it'll be on your right. They usually have some unusual dim sum items that make me go "Wow, I've never seen this before!" Dim sum items usually run from $3.75 - $5. If you go early (before 11 a.m. I think), dim sum is 10% off or something - a lot of dim sum places have deals like this. Some have different policies - in some places you have to get your bill before 11 (or 11:30), other places you just have to finish ordering before the cut-off time. Edited to add: Oops, dammit! Thanks for correcting me, cayenne! Never trust me with directions I don't know left from right

Didn't that upstairs restaurant close a while ago after that fire? I went there for dim sum a couple of times, and it was not bad. It was kinda weird - if I remember correctly there were a few "fusion" dim sum items (like stuff with strawberry as a garnish) & an attempt at plating dim sum items Western style. There was stuff like "pyramid fried rice" that was just fried rice (maybe with conpoy? I don't remember) in the shape of a pyramid There was a whole thing about it being a money-laundering business, remember? I could say more about it, but I'd rather not get in trouble with you-know-who

We actually have a family friend who works there making rice noodle rolls ("cheung fun"). I've been there a few times, and while it's good, it's not mind-blowingly good. Their rice noodle rolls are quite good though There's a newish place called "Gar Lok" that opened a few months ago at the Richmond Sushi mall on... Akroyd Road, I think? Where Fortune City (? Fortune Garden?) used to be. It's the same dim sum place that was previously at Granville & 41st in Vancouver. The dim sum is really cheap ($2.75, I think?) & pretty good quality for cheap dim sum. When you compare it to regular (more expensive) dim sum though, it's just standard fare. The deep-fried squid is pretty good though - not rubbery, & lightly battered. Get 2 plates though, the portion is pretty small. Also, I'm not sure if they have it anymore, but they used to have these mini custard-filled pineapple buns that were SO GOOD - they were usually fresh out of the oven with crispy tops.

The 7-11 stores in Taipei sold tea eggs - I never tried them, but the spicey smell (as in five-spice, not hot pepper spice) greeted me every time I walked into a 7-11.