eatwith.ROBINLEUNG.com

Eating Tri-Cities and beyond.

All Thai’d Up

Feb 17

Posted by Robin in Coquitlam, Dinner, Port Coquitlam, Thai | No Comments

Location: 2636 Kingsway Avenue, Port Coquitlam, BC

Phone: (778) 216-0020 | Hours: Closed Mon/Tues/Holidays, Wed-Thurs/Sun: 5PM – 9PM, Fri-Sat: 5PM – 10PM

Website: http://www.allthaidup.com/

All Thai'd Up on Urbanspoon

All Thai'd Up

My girlfriend and I came visiting this hidden gem just on the border of Coquitlam and PoCo the other night. In fact, she introduced me to this one. Honestly, I wouldn’t have stepped foot into this place if it wasn’t for the coupon she bought on SwarmJam.

All Thai'd Up

This place had won first place in Reader’s Review in the tri-city area last year, yet I didn’t know about it! Now how sad is that. We walked in around 7pm on a Saturday night and the place was only occupied by 2 other tables. It’s a very small restaurant, with only half a dozen of large tables. And they only open for dinner, I wonder how they maintain their business? The owner, I believe is a mixed couple of Thai and Caucasian  and it’s definitely a family-run restaurant.

Our Table

The tables were very spacious and clean. The table mats made it look even more like a family restaurant. There was only one waitress working, but being the only one, I think she took care of us real well. However, she did forgot about our utensils. But, I felt like I was well taken care of that evening.

Tom Yum Gai with Chicken

Tom Yum Gai with Chicken

We ordered a mild Tom Yum Gai with chicken, which has a herbal soup base with freshly squeezed lime juice and lemon juice, lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, cilantro, green onion, fresh Thai chilies, mushrooms and roasted chili paste with a touch of coconut milk. Even though the soup was mild, the spices had enough flavours in it to make it hot. The soup didn’t taste like herbs at all, instead a very strong smell of coconut milk. It was a nice addition to our meal, however with a price point of $9, it seemed a little expensive. The size made up for it.

Beef Phad Thai - $12.95

The Phad Thai was one of the server’s recommendation, which is also a famous item for Thai cuisine. there is a choice of tofu, prawn, tuna, beef, pork or chicken phad thai.  This is a rice noodles fried wth tofu, eggs, green onions, fresh bean sprouts, and spiced with chilies and in-house brew tamarind juice. We also had this mild. The spiciness goes all the way to suicide (which was actually one of the features of this restaurant)! Unlike other places, the tamarind sauce was less sour. I’m not sure if I liked that, although I’m not much of a fan for sour food. The dish came out a little cold, it was warm, but not hot.

Panang Curry Chicken - $16.95

The Panang curry was also one of the server’s recommendation. It’s a red curry with peanut sauce and lots of vegetables include broccoli, pepper, bamboo, fresh tropical herbs and tamarind juice. This was also a mild dish, but all spiced up and full of flavours! I would definitely come back for this curry, it’s a little thick but peanuty and full of flavours. I think this dish would feed 2 people, and the rice was ordered separately. there was enough leftovers for lunch the next day.

Tamarind Candy

 

The Bill

The total came to $41.60 before discount for an appetizer and 2 entrees. For Thai food, this is on the expensive end (IMO). But, for the quality of food this place serves, I could consider coming back. The ambiance was mediocre, I find a lot of random art and posters put up on the walls and there’s personal heater right behind where I sat. It feels like a family restaurant more than anything. The chef/owner was a bit defensive when he came to our table and asked how our food was, and we honestly told him the Phad Thai was a little cold. Gave us a little shrug and went on his way.  This restaurant could easily have a new POS, right now all their bills are hand written, which I find a little old school. But since they are only opened at the evening, their budgets and earnings are smaller.

Know of any Thai places in and around Vancouver? Let me know in the comment section below.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

(蘭芳園)Lan Fong Yuen in Central, Hong Kong

Feb 11

Posted by Robin in Breakfast, Chinese, HK Cafe, Hong Kong | 1 Comment

Breakfast is one of those meals I rarely eat when I was a student and something I can’t miss out when I’m working now. This is probably a combination reason of getting up early and using your brain in the morning. And for everything to function properly, the brain will need food. So what do I eat in the morning, well the usual, cereal with milk; bread and jam; waffles, and maybe oatmeal once in a blue moon. Kind of boring, eh?

The one thing I missed most about Hong Kong was their delicious and inexpensive breakfast, and for the best places you’ve got to visit a restaurant that’s been around for ages.

Address: 2 Gage Street, Central, Hong Kong

Openrice

Lan Fong Yuen

Another factor that you should consider while eating in Hong Kong is if there’s a line up. If there is, there’s definitely something good about the place. This is exactly it here at “Lan Fong Yuen”, in between Central and Mid-Level.

Lan Fong Yuen

My girlfriend and I arrived shortly after 10:00am and it was already packed. The place was small, but managed to squeeze  probably over 50 seats inside. One thing that you would have to get used to is sharing a table with another party, which is called “dap-toi” in Cantonese. It is very common in places like Hong Kong because space is limited. We were lucky to have a small table for just the two of us.

The Kitchen

Don’t believe how small and cramped the place is? I was sitting right next to the kitchen. Hong Kong is like a miniature world, where everything is just all packed up together.

Instant Noodles with Chicken Wings

I wanted to try something just very ordinary, yes, instant noodles for breakfast is pretty ordinary here. This is an instant noodle in their MSG soup with a fried egg and fried chicken wings. The noodles were quite chewy, but could be chewier. The egg in my opinion is a little over done. I like raw eggs, so there’s nothing really much I can do about that. Nothing really special about the wings. Overall, the bowl was pretty ordinary.

Famous Pork Chop Bun

Famous Pork Chop Bun

We got their famous pork chop bun because it was advertised on newspapers and on their specialty menu. It was just a toasted sesame hamburger bun stuffed with a slice of fresh tomato and a fried pork chop.  The bun was smothered with butter or the like to make it juicier. It’s a light breakfast item, if you’re not too hungry in the morning.

HK Hot Milk Tea

It’s small! But, it’s good. One of the most famous hot drinks in Hong Kong is their HK Milk Tea. Unlike the ones we have in Vancouver, most of them are watered down because apparently milk is pretty expensive here. However, this doesn’t mean the tea is that much better either. The milk tea here is very rich in both milk and tea, they somehow found a perfect balance, which it’s something I can’t find here in Vancouver.

We came back on a second occasion to try their brunch menu, which is served after 11:30am.

Green Onion with Chicken Thigh Instant Noodles (葱油雞扒撈丁)

Lan Fong Yuen is also known for their “lo ding”, which is a dry instant noodle dish, mixed well with green onions sauce.  I was feeling all that well in that day, but I still wanted to try it anyway. The chicken was very juicy and mixed well with the green onions. The green onions were very tasty, that is if you’re a fan of it. The dish wasn’t too dry, but I would have liked to see more sauce.

Assorted Meat with Vermicelli and Egg (心多多撈米)

My girlfriend had the chicken wing and HK style luncheon meat mixed with vermicelli. It’s the same idea as mine, but she got vermicelli instead of instant noodles because she wanted something healthier. There is no price difference for switching, which I think it’s a great idea to adapt here in Vancouver. Some restaurants in Vancouver do charge extra if it’s off-menu.

Hot Lemon Water

I had something that was more smoothing to the throat as it just kind of went down hills from there. Nothing really special about this one. However, we did only get one drink even though it came with two, because the “lo ding” was a set meal. But since my girlfriend didn’t want any, we only had one. However, the waitress that took our order was shocked that we didn’t want one. We were only trying to not waste our food, but I guess that wasn’t the norm in Hong Kong.

Overall, there’s a bit of Chinese history in this Hong Kong style cafe restaurant. It’s a bit cramped and not entirely comfortable, but besides the point, the place has great food and an affordable price. The restaurant is always packed, mostly because of its fame and fairly central to Central, Hong Kong.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Olive Garden in Bellingham, Washington

Feb 8

Posted by Robin in Bellingham, Dinner, Italian, Pasta | 2 Comments

Location: 4276 Meridian St, Bellingham, WA 98226

Phone: (360) 733-6286 | Hours: Sun – Thurs: 11:00AM – 10:00PM, 11:00AM – 11:00PM

Website: http://www.olivegarden.com/italian-restaurant/WA/Bellingham/1487/

Olive Garden on Urbanspoon

Olive Garden

Olive Garden

Olive Garden is a chain Italian restaurant in the US, and there’s a few locations now in Canada, with the closest one being located in Langley. Famous for its portions and great service, there’s always a lineup here.

Our table

I called ahead of time to see how long the wait is, but since it’s the weekend, they do not take reservations. We waited for about 15minutes upon arriving, which isn’t bad at all.

Zuppa Toscana

A dinner entree comes with a complimentary soup or unlimited salad.  Some places offer unlimited soup as well, but not here. The zuppa toscana is one of my favourites at Olive Garden. What I like about it is the potatoes, they just melt right into your mouth. It’s an Italian soup filled with spicy sausage, russet potatoes, and cavolo greens in a creamy broth. And it’s really not all that hard to make, see my recipe here!

Green-Fresh Salad

This isn’t your normal green salad, the Italian dressing they put in this is just perfect! Tossed with fresh Parmesan cheese, onions, olives, tomatoes, and bread crumbs. The best thing is it’s unlimited refills.

Grilled Pasta Romana with Chicken

This was on one of their special items featured on their menu. It’s a baked pasta dish filled with chicken, spinach, and tomatoes with a creamy white sauce. The taste was mild but with a kick in it. It’s not heavy at all.

Grilled Shrimp Caprese

I had the Grilled Shrimp Caprese, which was grilled marinated shrimp served over angel hair pasta and melted with mozzarella, fresh basil and tomatoes in a garlic-butter sauce. The shrimps was flavourful. However, the pasta was rather disappointing, it lacked flavour. As a result, a very bland dish. However, our server gladly let me pick another dish, something I didn’t expect from Olive Garden.

Tour of Italy

For my replacement, I had something less of the original. This was a huge portion, almost enough to feed two! If you want to try a bit of everything, this is the dish. It’s homemade lasagna (on the left), lightly breaded chicken parmigiana (on the right), and a creamy fettuccine alfredo in the middle. Again for some reason, the alfredo tasted a little bland. Now I was sure it’s the cook and not me. But, I just kept it anyway. The lasagna was full of flavours. It’s a layer pasta, meat sauce and mozzarella, with ricotta, parmesan and romano cheese. I think I needed to lose some weight after consuming this one. The chicken parmigiana was a little dry, but the sauce made up for it. It’s a Parmesan-breaded chicken breast, fried and topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Overall, Olive Garden is a great place for the family or just for 2. They have large portions and the unlimited salad will stuff your stomach before your entree arrives. Their customer service surpasses the norm, not only did they gave me a replacement dish, but also they gave me a dessert on the house (which I decided to take home because I was way too full).  The dining environment is cozy and warm, but not exactly all that romantic. The price, you will get what you pay for. And most likely, you will have take-aways like me! The bill came to just under $30.

Takeout

 

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Oliver’s Super Sandwiches (Hong Kong)

Feb 3

Posted by Robin in Cafe, Fast Food, Hong Kong, Salads, Sandwich, Snack, Soups | 2 Comments

One of the hardest things to find in Hong Kong is a spot to sit down and relax. On average, I think the number of steps I take in Hong Kong versus Vancouver is probably a 10:1 ratio. That’s how much people rely on walking in Hong Kong. Another thing that I wasn’t very used to was the fact that there are restaurants everywhere! There’s literally one at every corner. Hence, there’s a lot of choices. As a foreigner, I was a little overwhelmed at how much competitions these people have and yet they remain in business.

Oliver's Super Sandwiches

Address: Shop 126, 1/F, New Town Plaza Phase 1, 18 Sha Tin Centre Street, Sha Tin

Website: http://www.olivers-supersandwiches.com

I didn’t know this until I wrote this post, but Oliver’s Sandwiches has been established since I was born (now you can try guessing my age). Originally a snack bar, but has now evolved into a franchises in both Hong  Kong and the Philippines. Like many restaurants in the malls of Hong Kong, there aren’t much food courts or a central location just for food. They are spread out on multiple floors and multiple corners. And usually it’s an open area instead of a closed area. They would have something like fences surrounding the area, but nothing like walls or windows. I’m not sure if I like the idea of eating beside walking traffic.

Panini & Ceasar Salad

Panini + Salad

The meal comes with a ceasar salad, half a panini, and a soup. All for $68HKD, which is approximately $9CAD. It’s not exactly the cheapest meal you would find in Hong Kong but fair prices in shopping malls. The salad had plenty of dressing, and it tasted no different than the ceasar I would have here in Vancouver. The panini, I’m trying to think what was in it, I believe it was a smoked salmon one. The panini was soft and crispy, I was pretty surprised that even western food in Hong Kong had such high standards.

Mushroom Soup + Hot Chocolate

The soup was interestingly served on a cup instead of a bowl. However, it tasted creamy and you could scoop up a lot of mushroom bits. The hot chocolate was an add-on to the meal. An additional $8, which is a little over a dollar. The hot chocolate was a bit sweet to taste, most likely because it’s made from a machine and a chocolate mix.

Overall, the experience was quite interesting. Your food is brought up to your table after you have ordered it up front. It feels like a food court, but not really because you get luxury of waiting for your food brought to you (without paying the tips). The place was packed at 4-5PM in the afternoon when we arrived. I have a feeling that people in Hong Kong do like western food because there’s a place to sit comfortably and chit chat. And just slow down and sip on a cup of tea or coffee or whatever the variety may be. At least for me, I really wanted a place to sit and rest my legs after hours of walking! Price-wise, you don’t really get the value at malls in Hong Kong, it’s pricier but generally you get a more comfortable environment.

It seems like this place has amazing stuffed potatoes, if you’ve tried it, let me know how it is in the comments below!

Tags: , , , ,

Kai Sushi Bar

Jan 30

Posted by Robin in Dinner, Japanese, Vancouver | No Comments

Location: 3093 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC

Phone: (604) 568-8215 | Hours: N/A

Website: http://www.kaijapanese.ca

Kai Sushi Bar on Urbanspoon

Kai Sushi Bar

This post was long overdue, way back in December, which I didn’t finish writing before I left on my trip. My girlfriend and I visited Kai Sushi in Vancouver, hoping that we wouldn’t miss a party after dinner. But everything sort of went downhill that evening.

The Bar

The Restaurant

Our reservations was at 6:30, and the restaurant was only half-filled. There is only street parking at the restaurant, so be sure to spend at least 5 or 10 minutes looking for a parking spot. I had asked the waitress if it was okay to park on the side streets because the signs are really confusing. And she replied a simple “I don’t know”. The impression I had was that she simply didn’t care and wanted to held no responsibility, not the innocent “I don’t know”.

Our table

The dining atmosphere and Kai is really cozy and small. There’s not a lot of space for you to move around, the chairs and tables are really squished together. It’s hard not bumping into another when getting out of your spot.

Crab Motoyaki

First up is the Crab Motoyaki, a fresh dungeness crab with an assortment of vegetables baked in a light creamy sauce. The sauce was very mild, which matched the freshness of the crab. However, in the menu it stated “baked to perfection” and I can see that this is definitely over baked. On a normal occasion, I would definitely send this back. However, I have not mentioned this was the first dish served, which took well over half-an-hour!

Tuna Tataki Salad

The tuna tataki salad is cubed seared albacore tuna on a bed of organic spring greens. In my opinion, the price that was paid for the salad was not cheap. The tuna tataki was mediocre, nothing really special about this salad for a deep price of close to $10.

Pacific Roll and Special Scallop Roll

Pacific Roll

The Pacific roll was one of Kai’s collection of specialty rolls, which came at a premium. It’s  dungeness crab, asparagus and cucumber topped with smoked salmon. For $12, I didn’t think it was that special. The most expensive part was probably the crab, which was from real crab meat. However, when it comes to taste it’s not much difference from your California roll.

Special Scallop Roll

I would have been happier if they left out the word “Special” in the description because it wasn’t at all “special”. The scallops were quite big, and these aren’t chopped scallop they were whole scallops. It tasted fresh. Again, for the price that it sets, I can easily get it cheaper and same quality closer to home.

The Bill

The bill came close to $40, good thing we had a coupon or else I would have been really sad that evening. The food was mediocre, there’s just too many good and cheap Japanese restaurants in Vancouver. The service was also mediocre, we waited for our food for well over half-an-hour, which was very much unexceptable.  The waitress did not come to check on us, nor did they even try to explain why the food was taking so long. We had a few questions about the menu, however the waitress was rather uncertain about the menu items. The atmosphere was mediocre, I felt the restaurant to be quite cold, as we were seated right near the door. I felt very squished and just wasn’t at all comfortable. And most importantly, the price was on the expensive side, as its portions or quality does not reflect its price point.

 

 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Tags: , , ,