chocomoo

Somewhere, someone mentioned McVitie's apple cookies, and I was excited but sad at the same time because we basically only have normal McVitie's and chocolate-covered McVitie's (which are still very good, mind you). I did find green tea ones at one of my favourite Japanese candy stores though, and tried those. I wish they came in a bigger pack though! And I thought they would be enrobed in matcha coating, not come as mini matcha-creme sandwiches. And then... I found the apple McVitie's!! They were sandwich cookies (which I wasn't expecting), but they were so good!! There's a bit of chewy apple jelly in the middle too.

Oh man.... *drool* The cocktail bun ice cream could be topped with that butter/sugar thing that they always put on the buns. I've had milk tea ice cream before - to be more precise, it was actually a popsicle that was bubble tea flavour. Milk tea studded with "tapioca pearls" which were actually jelly (gelatin? agar? I couldn't tell) bits. Pretty good!

People who live/have lived in Hong Kong should really chime in on this. My mom tells me that they used to bring dried squid into the theatre, and (my memory's sketchy on this) even roast pork! Apparently, Hong Kong theatres sell sweet popcorn, not the buttery, so-salty-it-cures-your-lips popcorn. I've never gotten into the habit of getting anything from the concession stand. We hardly went out to see movies when we were kids (I think I saw "Rainbow Brite" and "Care Bears in Wonderland") & even then, concession stand food was too expensive. Nowadays I bring bottled water or a box of Vita lemon tea (it's sooo much better than other commercial brands like American bottled Lipton and Nestea) to drink. Usually nothing to eat (too hard to stash away!). Slightly off-topic, but I'm pretty sure one of our older theatres here still uses film reels. During "Cinderella Man", the screen suddenly went blank, with the sound still playing. Ok, maybe a slight glitch, I thought - it'll be back to normal in a few seconds. Nope! The audience sat in rapture as the edges of the film starting bubbling, and the black bubbles slowly munched their way into the centre of the screen until even the sound disintegrated All I can say is, the first half of Cinderella Man was good!

Welcome, samasutra! Sorry, but I don't have any suggestions for you - I'm also not a fan of Pink Pearl. Let's see, my 3 most recent... Thursday lunch - Shanghai River I browsed the menu while waiting for my family to arrive (I arrived early because of my workout plans), and noticed that the English translations really suck. They really should have had someone preview the menu before they printed it on nice paper and had it laminated! "Katshop shrimps" turned out to be prawns stir-fried in a ketchup sauce. I gave up trying to decipher the English after a while and relied on my Grade 2-level Chinese school knowledge instead. Anyways, we got soup dumplings (pork), pan-seared potstickers, shredded daikon puff pastry, "eyebrow-shaped" puff pastry (that's really what they're called - in Chinese they're called "eyebrow hair puff pastry"... ), red-bean filled choux pastry balls, dan-dan noodles, and shredded chicken with something similar to glass noodles, except flat & chewy. My favourites were the "eyebrow-shaped" puff pastry and shredded chicken dish. The filling of the puff pastry contained custard mixed with salted duck egg yolk. The puff pastry is the same that's used for the daikon puff pastry (which I found to be not flavourful enough compared to others I've had at say, Jade Seafood). The shredded chicken dish was topped with a sesame sauce and julienned cucumbers. This all rested on the "fun pei" (some kind of rice flour "skin"??), which was slippery with a nice chew to it. The dan-dan noodles were a bit disappointing - even I wanted it to be spicier and I can't even take spicy Thai food! The choux pastry balls were also disappointing - I liked the pink sugar, but the ones I've had at the other Shanghai place (you know, on No. 3 Road, Shanghai _______ ) were much better, and bigger too, with more filling. Saturday dinner - Ajisai (in Kerrisdale) I expected there to be a lineup since it's such a tiny place, but we only waited about 8 minutes. We got the deluxe roll combo and an order of the salmon sashimi (we chose the wild King salmon). The maki sushi combo is a great deal (sorry, I forget how much it is though). The rolls were: chopped scallop, California, sukiyaki, BC, and house (which contained salmon and tuna sashimi, cooked prawn, fake crab meat, avocado, and finely julienned cucumber and daikon sprouts - all wrapped with a thin thin egg crepe). YUMMY!! My friends didn't seem to have much of an appetite, so I ended up finishing the rolls, which was fine by me! There was some interesting maki sushi that I might try next time - one was mackerel with shiso. I've never had shiso before - what does it taste like? Sunday lunch - Silver Palace Just our regular fare (we go almost every Sunday after church) - century egg & shredded pork congee, "dry" stir-fried soya sauce rice noodles with beef, "raw fried" sticky rice (with Chinese preserved pork, Chinese sausage, and Chinese shitake mushrooms), and stir-fried flat rice noodles with beef & bitter melon (I never eat it - "not bitter" my butt...). The owner (Gary, the guy with the glasses) is really nice, and the tea is high quality. The kind you'd normally be charged $2-$3 at dim sum places for. When we commented on the quality of the tea, the owner remarked "It's what I like to drink!". The place is really tiny, so there's only 1 other server (the owner also serves), who's also really nice. I've recommended this place numerous times before, because I just feel that you get quality food for really good prices (I think all that came out to around $40 including tax). One last thing - my sister asked me to mention that she had her birthday dinner at Feenie's on Saturday night, and had pretty bad service. They waited 45 minutes for their table (after making a reservation - apparently the party before them paid and then sat around for 40 minutes) and 40 minutes for their bread. Apparently their server was really not "on the ball" - maybe their server was new? Update: in general, he had bad attitude. He wasn't outright rude, but when he was cleaning up the appetizers, there was a piece of lettuce on the table. And what did he do? Not only did he not pick it up, he pushed it towards the middle of the table with a fork or something. When he was bringing over some dishes, he accidentally hit my sister's friend on the head - so hard that her head bounced forward . He refilled their water maybe 3 times in a 2 1/2 hour period. When my sister's friend made eye contact with him because she needed something, he looked at her and then pretended not to have seen her. I mean, they were quite busy, but my sister saw him standing around and chatting with other servers at certain points in the evening (while it was still busy). I should note that we've never gotten a server this bad before at Feenie's, or maybe even ever (except in the HK style cafes, but that's another story). I'm planning to take my cousins to Feenie's next month, actually - hopefully we won't get the same server. One nice thing about the evening though - no cake cutting fee!

^ That's exactly the dish I was talking about! The first time I ate it, I remember thinking, "This is WAY better than any ketchup I've ever had!!" I think the Chinese name says something about ketchup (maybe not the English name though).

I'm sure most of you have heard of stone soup. During World War II in China, my grandma had stir-fried stones... They also had banana peels once too - luckily by that time, my grandma had a little bit of money, so she feigned a headache and snuck out for wonton noodles in the middle of the night.

I haven't been to Au Petit Cafe in such a long time! I miss their meatball subs... I also really love their "ketchup" beef brisket that came with rice or bread. So tender, with sauce just begging to be mopped up with the soft, crusty bread. I wonder how long they've been open for? Seems like years - I remember when the son used to study for his exams at the counter. Have they gotten rid of that weird mechanical chirpy sound yet?

Wow, Xocoa bars sell for like $13.99 at Urban Fare! My friends got me a bar as part of my birthday present (green tea sounded so yummy!) but I was really disappointed by it. No discernible green tea flavour... The texture was bad too, but I think it's because it was on the shelf for such a long time That's what it tasted like, anyway - stale, chalky chocolate.

Thanks Hiroyuki! I knew I could count on you!

I tried a new(ish) flavour of Koala's March - honey & milk. So yummy! The honey flavour came through surprisingly well. I'd definitely buy it again - right now I'm trying to savour them slowly though. One other great thing about them is that they're made in Japan. There's a newer flavour on their website, but I can't tell what it is...

Ohhhh, I thought of that mall, but was thrown off because (as far as I know) it doesn't have a food court. Hmm, I haven't heard anything about this. I'll do some investigating.

I thought Aberdeen Centre as well, although the food court is on the 3rd floor, not the 2nd. Richmond Public Market is the only other Chinese mall in Richmond I can think of which has an upper-level food court. What are Malaysian sweet cakes, by the way? Kueh (sp)? Side note: The place that sells "sand ginger" chicken wings in the Aberdeen food court has really good iced lemon tea & HK style milk tea. For $1.50 you get a bubble-tea-sized cup.

I know, eh? I don't mind ginger as much now - I like ginger flavour, actually, but not ginger pieces. And I don't mind cilantro in salsas & the like... I can even eat those cilantro dumplings now! I pick it out when I can though I just don't like it when things are steeped in cilantro flavours... Guess what other Chinese ingredient I didn't used to like? Green onion!! I like it now, I like it now - although I still don't like those big hunks of green onion that come with Peking duck. I think what it really was, was the cinnamon with meat combination. I tried the short ribs with cinnamon flavour, and I didn't like it much. And I'll eat cinnamon candies, just not cinnamon gum (it smells bad when people chew it!). That couscous was sooo good - looking forward to it tonight! The apricots in it were like little jewels!

Yes, I think so - I live in Vancouver, Canada. Some don't even have any Japanese writing on them. The ones made in China often have Chinese simplified characters on them. But why would they think Canadians/North Americans like stale biscuits? I guess I understand the reason for more plastic in the chocolate (keeps longer, and North American generic chocolate contains more plastic, blech!).

I noticed maybe around a year ago that some Japanese companies have started making their products in China (for economical reasons, I guess). My first thought was that there would be a difference in quality, but I trusted that there would not be, as it's the same company and they should have the same recipes, right? Mmm, wrong. While I haven't noticed any difference in the Meiji choco gummies, there is a big difference in the Koala's March biscuits. The ones made in China are often on sale, so we have been buying those for a while. I thought that the quality had diminished, as the biscuit seemed to be a stale, and the chocolate a little plastic-y. Well, we recently bought a box that was actually made in Japan from a 100-yen store, and what a difference! The biscuit is lighter & more airy (there are even small little air pockets in the biscuit), and the chocolate creamier. I ain't buying no China-made Koala's March anymore! I hope my box of honey & milk Koala's March isn't made in China... Has anybody else noticed this?

The very best lor mai fan I've had is at Silver Palace - not dim sum, but hey. It's got dried prawns ("ha gon" as opposed to the tiny dried shrimp, "ha mai"), Chinese sausage (can't remember if there's also liver sausage, "yun cheung", in it as well), and preserved meat ("lap yook")! The rice is just the right texture - not overcooked, and you can see each grain of rice. 2 weeks ago I saw a group of Caucasians there (first time)!

I think it's called Gala seafood restaurant - it used to be called Gar Lok and was located on Granville & 41st in Vancouver (you had to go downstairs). The restaurant in Parker Place is called Floata, I believe. I haven't been for dim sum there in a long time. $5 per person for tea is really expensive!! I've been to a couple of restaurants where everybody gets individual tea vessels (what's it called in English?) and you get to choose the type of tea you want. It gets messy though - I haven't quite mastered the art of pouring the tea out of those things with the lid on but tilted and with your finger pressed firmly on the lid. I haven't been to any dim sum restaurant where they charged $5 for the tea yet!

I was disappointed that we didn't get to meet too, annanstee! My family would've given me the weirdest looks though, if I introduced myself to you! My sister rolls her eyes when I want to take pictures of food Not in that "Oh, that silly chocomoo!" way, but in that "Give me a break, are you crazy?" way. I had to force my dad to try my soup, and he was sure glad he did!

We went to Chambar last night, when there was a nice window of nice(r ) weather (ie. no sideways rain). My dad & uncle both had a couple of Bellevue Krieks - I had a little sip & I think it may be the best beer I've ever had. I loved the cherry flavour! My mom had a Tofino Crash, and I had a West Coast Fizz, which was homemade lemonade topped with sparkling water and blueberry syrup. So good!! Good call on the non-alcoholic cocktails, Quentin! Appetizers Me, my mom, & auntie got the mushroom cappucino soup, my dad & uncle got the scampis, & my sister got the salad. The soup was AMAZING - so much mushroom flavour that it was almost a mushroom puree! Definitely definitely exceeded my expectations. And so cute with the cocoa sprinkling on top! Apparently the scampis were good but were overshadowed by the soup. They also looked a bit on the small side. My sister's salad was ok... I guess I just don't like stilton - I traded my soup with her salad because she couldn't really take the blue cheese flavour. The pears, as teamboom said, were perfectly poached - not falling apart like poached pears I've had before. I would've preferred them to have more of a red wine flavour though. It was a nice light salad, & really, the dressing would've been quite good if I liked stilton - it was nice and light, surprising for a cheesy dressing. I loved the caramelised pecans and little crispies on the top Mains Me, my dad, uncle & auntie all got the braised lamb. My dad raved about the lamb, and my uncle didn't talk much while he ate it (you know what that means!). The lamb was steeped in cinnamon & cilantro flavours. Unfortunately, again, chalk it up to personal preferences, it just so happens that I like neither cinnamon nor cilantro. I thought there was ginger in it as well, but I could be mistaken (no ginger for me either! I'm really not that picky...) The lamb meat itself was really nice though, not stringy nor tough, and held together better than many braised meats do. And the couscous and zalouk were so good! I liked it better than the couscous at La Regalade, which is a bit too rich for me. My mom & sister got the seared albacore tuna. I don't think there was any panko on it though (don't remember if that part was changed on the menu there). The flavours just weren't really right for my sister's and my taste - I've discovered that I don't like seared albacore tuna paired with a creamy sauce. The menu said it came in a citrus cream, but we didn't really taste any citrus in it. Dessert Not bad, but not superb - I liked the textural element of the crunchy pearl sugar. I would've preferred the waffle to be warmer though. One small thing - I noticed that we didn't get bread and was talking about it with my sister, and my dad quietly pointed out that bread was an extra $2 per person! No biggie, I was just surprised. Needless to say, none of the tables around us got bread (we sat just outside the kitchen doors). All in all a great dinner, my parents & auntie & uncle loved it. They liked it better than Gotham, mainly because of the atmosphere and unstuffiness of the room. Looks like we'll be returning soon! Next time I'll stick with the elk loin though (I had the game plate last time, which was really good). Really great service too - I didn't catch our server's name though, but she wrote "Happy New Year!" (we were talking about how we've eating so much lately cuz of Dine Out and Chinese New year) and drew a little smiley face on my couscous doggy bag/box, how cute! I love those little extra things that servers do, like folding my foil package of risotto into a swan (Bin 942).

Aww, we're going to be there at 9 p.m. I always think about how I would introduce myself to another egulleter, "Hi, I'm *voice drops to a whisper* chocomoo". Lee, thanks for the recommendation on the scampi - I loooove mushrooms though, so I'll probably make someone order the scampi & try some of theirs.

I'm going to be at Chambar on the 31st as well, with my family. My parents & auntie & uncle have been dying to try it out. I'm DEFINITELY having the mushroom cappucino soup! Has anybody tried the lime & panko seared albacore tuna? I'm torn between that and the lamb. I tried the white wine & bacon mussels last time I was at Chambar (not on this year's Dineout menu) & I like La Regalade's better, although I liked the bacon flavour in Chambar's sauce.

I had this dish last year at C during Dineout as well, but I find the trout at La Regalade way WAY better. My trout at C was a bit overcooked, & they left 5 or 6 little bones in the fish (I hate having to move food around in my mouth to feel for bones). The skin wasn't crispy enough for me, either... Maybe they were having an off night with the trout? My friend's trout also seemed a bit overcooked that night. The trout at La Regalade, on the other hand... Moist, just cooked to perfection, in a light lemon butter sauce, with the skin sitting atop the fish in a neat little roll.

Yeah, when I had the congee at Double Double I also thought "Hmm, I think there's oatmeal in this". I like how Tsim Tsai Gei gives you lychee red tea (it's the kind of tea that is sometimes used for HK style milk tea). Mmmm, I could go for some "gun lam haw" (beef brisket & tendon thick rice noodles) right now from Tsim Tsai Gei. *looking sadly at my bagel* Oh well, at least I've also got these black sesame rice crackers, Raincoast Crisps, black sesame Pocky, & 4 bars of Dagoba chocolate to tide me over until dinner at Raincity tonight! Anyway, now that you've mentioned minced beef congee, Lee, I want some sliced beef congee from Silver Palace! If you ever decide to try it out, I should warn you that their Singapore-style stir-fried vermicelli is hit-and-miss. I like how they use really thin vermicelli, but sometimes they forget to add salt to the noodles or something, it's really weird - that's the only dish that ever gets unseasoned.

I went to Fiction on Saturday for my "best burger ever" craving & was utterly disappointed that they had just changed the menu on Monday!! However, they now have "sliders" on the menu, a selection of 3 different mini burgers (so cute!) for $15. I was worried that I wouldn't be full enough from the burgers, but they made for a very substantial meal. There are 3 burgers to choose from: the Classic (my previous favourite, short rib with aged cheddar), the Go Fish (crab & tiger prawn cake with leek & caper aioli), & the Gamer (venison & lamb, double-smoked bacon with sweet jalapeno). Oh and they all came on little grilled brioche buns, with leaf lettuce & roasted tomato. The Classic This was actually my least favourite of the three. So different from the last one I had - it was overcooked & kinda mealy. The Go Fish Really really good. Nice & moist, with chunks of crab meat in the cake. There were also mustard seeds in it (or some other kind of small round dark-coloured seed). The Gamer Also really good! This was the first burger I tried out of the three - at first bite, I couldn't taste the game-y flavour much, but when I compared it to the Classic, what a difference!! The bacon was also sliced nice & wide too Also, regarding the sweet jalapeno & my not being able to handle spicy things: Me (with tears welling up in my eyes): WOW, this is hot... My friend: Um, yeah, your face is turning really red... [Little side note: My friend got the short ribs & was pretty disappointed with them - we're used to short ribs that are robustly flavoured, so these very lightly-flavoured short ribs weren't what we were expecting. The meat itself was very tender though.]

What to do, what to do? Everything at Savoury Coast looks so good!! Should I give up my Raincity reservations for Savoury Coast? Anyone?