Curiously Carmen

Duotian Fish Soup Noodles – Revisit

When Duotian Fish Soup Noodles Restaurant first opened up five years ago, I wrote a disappointing review and did not go back. The food was lacklustre and I remember them being really stingy with ingredients (paper thin lemon in the lemon tea, barely any custard filling in French toast, etc).

There are so many better restaurants in Vancouver and I forgot about this place… Until a few weeks ago, that is. I was craving Deer Garden DIY type noodles but was wanting to stay close to home. I pondered for a bit, thinking of any restaurants close by that had DIY soup noodles… And remembered Duotian.

I wrestled with the thought of going/not going for a couple hours because I remembered it being bad. But I decided to give it another shot – five years had passed so perhaps they have gotten better?

The fiance was so against this idea of going here because he remembered it was awful there too, that I went myself. LOL! Not that I minded though, I do enjoy going out to eat alone from time to time.

As with all restaurants during the pandemic, tables were spaced out and some were closed. Since it was only half capacity, the restaurant was full during dinner when I went.

DIY soup noodle: To avoid any major disappointment, I came prepared knowing that the food here was probably going to be below average and meh. Why did I even decide to come then? Because I was craving soup noodles and wanted to see the extent of how disappointed I’d be… Just joking… Maybe.

I ordered my usual diy soup noodle. If you haven’t been to a Chinese DIY soup noodle place before, you select a soup base, two toppings, noodle type and a drink. I went with the century egg and parsley soup with sausage and extra beancurd, and clear crystal noodles.

As expected, the bowl of noodles was meh and I’ve had better at Deer Garden. The main complaint was that the soup wasn’t as flavourful and tasted watered down. It was still edible but could have tasted better with some more salt or white pepper.

There were a few things I enjoyed about my noodles though. First, the portion was big and very filling. Secondly, the preserved century egg was really good – better than Deer Garden’s preserved eggs! The yolk was creamy and more flavourful, while the egg white did not have a wooden cupboard taste like Deer Garden. The only thing they do better here.

Thirdly, there was an abundance of fresh and sweet siu choy inside. So not all was bad and I left with my DIY soup noodle craving satisfied.

Duotian would not be a place I would go to unless it’s a 5 minute drive away. There are way better Chinese cafes out there and I’m honestly shocked they have lasted 5+ years. But it’s not entirely awful if you’re in a pinch and wanting to fill yourself up. Just come with low expectations like me.

Duotian Fish Soup Noodles Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Desi Turka Indian Cuisine

Indian food is only something I’ve been having for the past two years or so. Turns out I have been missing out for most of my life because it is so fragrant and delicious! I am wanting to try more Indian restaurants to review so please let me know if you have any favorites.

We originally had plans to get Red Robin’s with Sangria and Lager, but last minute I saw an ad for Indian food and began craving for it. Fortunately, everyone else was down for Indian too so we found a place that did delivery near their place, Desi Turka.

Desi Turka is located on the border of New West and Burnaby. We ordered delivery so we didn’t go into the restaurant, but it seems like they have some dine in specials during the week.

We each picked an entree and shared everything!

Chicken biryani: I absolutely love my chicken biryani, and it is what I usually order. Some places can be hit or miss though so I was hoping Desi Turka would be the former. The portion was huge! The takeout box was jam packed to the brim, as evident in this photo.

The chicken biryani was absolutely delicious and writing about it is making my mouth water. The basmati rice was incredibly fluffy and fragrant with all the spices and herbs they used. The chicken was juicy, tender and very flavourful although there could have been a few more pieces.

I’ve had biryani at other restaurants that was so oily that you couldn’t tell the rice was fluffy. I’m happy to say this was not the case and this dish was perfect.

Goat curry: Lager loves his goat, but Sangria and the fiance are vehemently opposed to goat. I am neutral so I had some of the goat curry. The curry was very flavourful and fragrant, and good to mix with our naan bread and rice.

Goat meat tends to be tougher than beef or pork but I found it to be alright. I personally wouldn’t order a dish to myself but if it was on the table, I’d have some.

Butter chicken: Sangria picked the butter chicken. The butter chicken was more mild in spice and less fragrant than the biryani and curry. It was creamy and had a silky smooth, well rounded flavour to it.

I personally prefer my Indian food to be more spicy and fragrant, but the butter chicken was delicious!

Chicken korma: The fiance picked the chicken korma and it was also delicious. He couldn’t have enough of it! Chicken korma is made with a creamy sauce and is less spicy than curry. The chicken was also very tender and juicy in this dish.

Vegetable samosa: We were pleasantly surprised when we saw that we got two samosas instead of one! This was absolutely delicious and fragrant with all the different herbs and spices used.

Garlic naan: The garlic butter naan bread was so good! It was thick and chewy, perfect for dipping with the goat curry, butter chicken and chicken korma. The garlic complemented the sauces in the other dish well.

Roti bread: The roti bread was forgettable and meh. The garlic naan was a lot better.

We were really happy with Desi Turka. The food was delicious, flavorful and the portions were big. Too bad they don’t deliver to our area or I would get it more regularly.

Desi Turka Indian Cuisine Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

iSushi

iSushi is a new sushi restaurant that opened recently on Rupert and 22nd by Lucky Plus Chinese Restaurant, across from the old Oscar Cafe (RIP Oscar Cafe, you are so missed!).

This restaurant used to Kimura Japanese restaurant, which I visited many years ago, and then was briefly replaced with the brunch spot Ham and Eggman’s for a year.

While looking for a place to eat (and a new place to review), the fiance suggested iSushi so we went to get pickup.

From my brief visit of picking up takeout, the staff was very friendly and nice. In addition, they had relaxing classical music playing. It was really soothing and relaxing, I almost wanted to stand in there a bit just to listen to it, haha.

Salmon roll: The salmon roll was disappointing. The rice was packed very tightly and was very dense and wet. The salmon sashimi itself inside was good, but the rice ruined the roll for me.

Negitoro roll: Same thing was above with the salmon roll.

California roll: California roll is one of the main staples in a Japanese restaurant, and you can’t really go wrong with it right? Well clearly I did because this was also disappointing. The imitation crab meat was chopped up into very small pieces and it had a crumbly, dry texture to it.

Chopped scallop roll: Finally, a roll that I liked! The chopped scallop roll was decent, with plump and fresh scallops.

House roll: The house roll came with imitation crab meat, salmon, tuna, tamago, avocado, and tobiko. Again, it would have been a tasty roll if it wasn’t for the imitation crab meat (which was half the roll) being chopped up into tiny pieces and being crumbly and dry.

Dynamite roll: The dynamite roll was tasty with no complaints. The tempura inside still had a bit of crunch to it.

BC Roll: Over the years, we’ve found that BC roll can be hard to master and varies greatly among restaurants. The salmon skin has to be grilled enough and be fresh so that it is delicious, otherwise you’re just eating soggy salmon skin. Fortunately, the BC roll here was good and the salmon skin was crispy with an enjoyable grilled flavor to it.

Overall, there were some hit or misses here. With a plethora of Japanese restaurants in Vancouver, ISushi would not be high on my list.

However, I realize they have only recently opened and possibly figuring out their groove still so maybe they will improve their techniques. There is definitely room for improvement.

iSushi Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Mr. Chu Tea and Coffee

I found myself in South Surrey again, but this time in the White Rock neighborhood! Latte and I decided to finally have our picnic day here and since Mr Chu was across the street from Emilio Finatti Pizza, it was the perfect time to stop by and grab a bubble tea to enjoy at the beach as well. I heard about this place before and read good reviews about it!

Mr Chu is a popular bubble tea shop located in White Rock. The shop was closed to customers due to the pandemic, with the cashier taking orders and payment at a table that blocked off the door.

We came a bit after they opened, and a line was already forming so I expect they do get quite busy. There aren’t many decent bubble tea shops in this area either.

Mango slush: After verifying that the mango slush was dairy free, I was good to go. The mango slush was delicious and really good quality. It was blended very well and smooth. Meanwhile, the mango tasted real or at least made with frozen mangoes instead of a syrup. I had the mango slush at Gong Cha recently and it did not compare, Mr Chu was better!

In addition, the pearls were sweet and had the perfect, chewy consistency. They tasted very fresh. It was the perfect mango slush and I would happily order it again.

Mango calpis slush: The fiance ordered a similar drink, a mango calpis slush. He found it delicious as well and had no complaints about it.

Roasted oolong milk tea: Latte has been here a few times and went with the roasted oolong milk tea. She had no complaints with her drink and enjoyed it as well.

Mr Chu is a delicious spot to get decent bubble tea in White Rock. There aren’t many good bubble tea shops in South Surrey compared to Vancouver, Burnaby, or Richmond for example. I wouldn’t purposely drive all the way here just for Mr Chu but it’s really good for the location. It would be comparable to other bubble tea shops in Vancouver.

Mr Chu Tea & Coffee Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Ms Frizzle & Magic School Bus DIY Costume (No sewing required)

If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you’ll know that the fiance and I do DIY costumes every year for Halloween. It’s my favourite tradition of ours, and always so fun to look for materials and plan out the costume! Last year, we went as Ms. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus! As with all the costumes, no sewing is required.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t planning on writing a post and did not end up taking photos of the various steps involved. On the plus side, the costumes were fairly easy to make.

Let’s start with the Ms. Frizzle costume!

Supplies needed for Ms Frizzle costume:

  • Black dress – I got mine from Old Navy
  • Felt paper in various colours
  • Scissors
  • Hot glue gun
  • Sharpie
  • Orange wig (optional) – I got mine from Amazon

Instructions:

  1. I chose to go with her outer space outfit. Using the sharpie, draw various planets and shapes with the felt paper such as stars, circles for planets and suns, and triangles for the sun rays. Feel free to mix and match different colours. Make sure the shapes are big enough so that you could see them from far away and in photos.
  2. After drawing the shapes, use scissors to cut them out.
  3. Lay out the black dress on a flat surface. Test out the layout of the planets and stars and where you’d like to put them.
  4. Once you’re happy with the positioning, use the hot glue gun and glue everything down! Glue down the outer area and edges to ensure that none of the felt paper droops down.

Supplies needed for Magic School Bus costume:

  • Giant rectangular cardboard box that you can comfortably fit inside
  • Smaller rectangular cardboard box that is the same length as the giant cardboard box
  • Yellow paper roll from Michael’s (or yellow paint)
  • Duct tape
  • Construction paper: black, red, blue, orange, light blue
  • Sharpie
  • Glue stick
  • Cardboard knife

Instructions (Again, sorry for the lack of photos! I wasn’t planning on writing a post last year and didn’t take any photos in the process)

  1. Combine the two boxes with duct tape. The giant box will be where your body fits into and the smaller box will be the front of the Magic School Bus.
  2. Wrap and cover the two boxes with the yellow paper roll. Alternatively, you could use yellow paint and paint everything but that takes longer as many layers are likely required to make the paint opaque.
  3. Use a sharpie and trace out where you will cut the holes on the top and bottom of the giant box for your body to wear.
  4. Use a cardboard knife and cut out the hole at the top and bottom of the giant box. Save this cardboard for the rear view mirrors.
  5. Cut out various shapes with the construction paper for the front windows, side windows, car lights, eyes, grill, etc and glue to the boxes. Refer to the picture for the shapes.
  6. Use a sharpie to draw grill lines for the grill.
  7. Using the cardboard that was cut out for the body holes, draw rear view mirrors on the cardboard.
  8. Cut out the rear view mirrors on the cardboard.
  9. Use the yellow wrapping paper and wrap the mirrors.
  10. Glue the mirrors on the large box.

There you have it! The Ms. Frizzle costume is a lot easier and faster than the Magic School Bus.

I hope this was helpful in your Halloween costuming. If you do end up using this guide, show me the result via email, hello (at) curiouslycarmen (dot) com.

Here are the links to previous costumes as well:

?Mickey and Minnie
?Firefighters – (Not on the blog, but also did Gyrados and Pikachu costume that year, which has an instructions post)
?Monsters Inc Mike and Sully
?Salmon nigiri and sushi chef
?Soap and loofah
?The Incredibles

Happy costuming!