dessert Archives - Page 17 of 18

Richmond Night Market 2014

September 13, 2014

(Updated Sept 2014) The Richmond Night Market is back for another Summer! I love coming here for the cheap things you can buy, even though a lot of the products are very cheaply made and questionable… and of course, the food! I went with a few friends and it was actually their first time at this night market (the new one by the casino), seeing that they are both here on a working visa from Australia. They were excited and curious to try the different food that the stalls offered. It was my first time trying the S. Korean ice cane dessert, which is basically an ice cream that comes in a “J” shaped cone and made out of cornpuff. It was truly interesting… keep on reading below to see what it looked like and how it tasted!
It was very busy and crowded the night that we went, probably because it was an ideal summer’s night.
Takoyaki and squid! The takoyaki ($6) was very chewy,delicous and doughy. The squid was very good as well. Felt kind of bad for the guy grilling the squid because he didn’t wear a mask, and kept having to hold his breath while he was cooking it. The squid itself ($6.50 for a small) was very good. There was a nice satay sauce, with a hint of sweetness and smokiness.
The famous hurricane potato ($6). Basically a lightly deep friend potato on a stick, seasoned with your choice of flavouring salt. We chose the cheddar, and it was really good. There was also a long line up for this booth, but we didn’t wait that long. There were 60 numbers ahead of us in line, but the wait was only around 10 minutes. Pretty efficient! However, I’m not sure that it’s worth $6 for a potato though, it just looks cool.
The Korean snow cane stand! They were pretty busy as well, and ended up selling out of the duo cane cone right after we ordered. It was $3.75 for the single J shaped cone, which I got below…
The cone is made out of a corn puff pastry and into a tube, which they put the soft serve ice cream into. The ice cream was your standard soft serve. As for the cone itself? I enjoyed it. It reminded me of the cereal corn puffs, only harder and less puffy. Imagine eating corn puffs cereal with ice cream, that’s basically how it tasted. The cone also did not go soggy, as I expected it to and remained crunchy until the end. It was also very clean and not messy to eat. Would I get this again? Probably, I love corn puffs!
My friend’s deep fried Snickers bar ($6). She said it tasted amazing, and loved it a lot. I’m not sure if I’ll ever try one of these in my lifetime though, what about you?
Update: Going back a second time in September, we didn’t order as much. I wasn’t too hungry, but knew I would regret not trying anything new here and end up snacking at home later. So we walked around the food stands until something caught our eyes. I am a big fan of mangoes, and I saw someone holding this mango dessert and decided to order one as well ($5.75). It came with a generous portion of fresh mango chunks and vanilla ice cream under a bed of crushed ice, topped with condensed milk. I loved the freshness and sweetness of the mango chunks, and the juices soaked into the ice chunks! The condensed milk was the cherry on top of a great dessert. I have to warn you though; it’s a really, really cold dessert so you might be cold after you finish eating this, because I sure was.
The second item we ordered was the takoyaki balls ($5.50). It came in original, chili, curry, and wasabi flavour- this one was the chili flavour. I didn’t try this, but I was told that it there a mild spice and did not overpower the taste of the takoyaki. The sauces themselves are only drizzled on the top.
Apart from food from our second visit, I also ended up buying a cute pair of fuzzy fleece socks ($4) too! My feet get really, really cold in the fall and winter so I wanted a thicker pair of socks. I am also a HUGE fan of polkadots and Minnie Mouse (I was Minnie Mouse last Halloween) so it’s a win-win situation. I’ll probably wear these as slippers around the house as the weather gets colder. I’m just hoping that these socks won’t be of horrible, cheap quality and actually keep my feet warm!
Andddd to finish this post off, a picture of some random product stands! Korean socks and iphone case stands were the most popular. Hope you enjoyed the post, now go and try the J corn cone ice cream!

-Carmen

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria

August 2, 2014

One of my friends and fellow food blogger raved to me about Famoso, after asking her where I should go for dinner. After going on Urbanspoon and reading the great reviews for this place, I was very excited to try it out.

It took us 15 minutes to find parking in the Commercial Drive area, and we ended up going to a pay parking lot because finding a free spot was impossible.

Anyways, I tried to make a reservation for four at Famoso but unfortunately, they only accept reservations with parties of six and up. Fair enough, they told me that it shouldn’t be a problem to walk in past 7:30 on a Saturday night, so off we went!

We waited around 5 minutes for a table for four. I immediately liked the lively atmosphere, and the hostess was very friendly from the beginning. We were seated in the back, where we were able to see all of the restaurant. A server came promptly, and asked us if it was our first time here as their ordering system is a bit unique from other places.
Basically, they have menus, order sheets, and pencils on each table. To order, you write down what you want on the notepad (if you want), and then walk down to the pizza counter, where they place your order for you. From there, a server will bring the pizza to your table and they take care of your needs from then on. You pay for the pizza at the end of the meal, with your server.

After settling on our pizzas, my friend went down to the counter to place our order. Customers are able to see the pizzas being prepared, but there is a semi-wall between the ordering/prep station and the tables, which is good because it gives both parties some privacy.

Funghi pizza (14.75). This was one of their specialty pizzas and came with parmesan crema, roasted white mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, caramelized onions, and more! Cream and mushroom lovers would absolutely bask over this pizza! It was very creamy, and there were a lot of mushrooms on it.
Italian ham and crushed pineapple ($13.75). I thought this pizza was average, nothing really stood out to me. I wished that the ham would be spread out more, or that there was more quantity of it. The pizzas themselves were very thin, which is what Neopolitan pizza is supposed to be like, so I expected it. Since they are thin, they aren’t super filling.
Since the pizzas weren’t that filling, we decided to order some dessert to share. The affogato was $1 off and I have been wanting affogato for so long! After making a trip to the gelato counter, we decided on getting the mint stracciatella and another flavour below ($4 each after $1 off special).

Ordering dessert follows the same process as the food, servers will bring you your dessert after ordering it at the counter. I fell in love with the mint stracciatella at first bite. Mixed with the espresso, it was super creamy, heavenly, and delicious. The mint chips from the gelato became melted from the espresso, which made it taste even better!
The other affocato that we got was with the coconut gelato. This one was delicious as well, and we savoured every little bite down to the last drop of espresso. The quality of the espresso itself was very rich and dark. So good!

-Carmen

Soho Tea Room

July 26, 2014

Do you ever have posts saved up in your drafts and you forget about them until almost two months later…? Yeah, that happened to me with this post. I’ve heard many great things about this place, but I’m normally not in this neighborhood, so I never got the chance to try it until now (aka 2 months ago when I wrote this draft…oops). Most of the hype that I’ve heard about Soho is due to the fact that you can have alcohol in your bubble tea, and that they serve a delicious honey toast box. I haven’t had a honey toast box for so long :(.
The exterior of Soho was nicer than I expected it to be. I was expecting just the usual store front, but the wood panels and signage was a refreshing sight. If I didn’t know, I would have thought that Soho was a fancy, delicate tea room serving only the highest quality tea from around the world (Say that in a posh English accent, it sounds better, I swear!).

I would never have expected it to be a late night Asian snack joint! Anyways, they do have free parking in the back but the spots are extremely narrow and tight.
Walking in, the restaurant was pretty nice and like the exterior, had a West Coast style as well. Lots of wooden panels, and warm tones. They had a chalkboard wall as well, which listed out the specials. I was a big fan of Soho’s interior and exterior design.

This is their alcoholic menu! I found the “recommendations” part to be pretty interesting, as they suggest what alcohol goes well with which bubble tea. Never have I seen that before! I wasn’t feeling like having alcohol that night, plus we had to drive back so I’ll have to come back for it next time.
I wasn’t that hungry, so just got the standard Taiwanese salt and peppery chicken nuggets ($5-6? I forgot). I was a bit surprised that it came on a long plate like this, because I was used to the bowls or square plates that restaurants normally put it in.

It reminded me a lot of a Western appetizer that I would get at Earls or Cactus Club, doesn’t it? Anyways, despite the presentation, the nuggets tasted pretty good. Well seasoned with the traditional five spice powder. I liked that most of the pieces were pretty lean too.

Taro slush bubble tea ($4). I ordered it with pearls, but unfortunately, they were sold out that night which sucked, because you can tell a lot about a bubble tea joint with the quality and taste of their pearls. Oh well, more reason to come here again!

The taro slush was very sweet and slushy. I was also wanting to try the honey toast box, but no one wanted to share it with me and I didn’t feel like having such a sweet food item after drinking this taro slush. Next time maybe?
My friend got the noodle and Taiwanese nugget combo. I didn’t get a chance to try it but he didn’t complain about it. My cousin got the beef brisket noodles. Their thick noodles were really delicious and had a thick and chewy texture to it, similar to my favourite Taiwanese restaurant, Wang’s, down the block. The soup base was also really good and flavourful, and had a strong beef taste to it.

All in all, I enjoyed my brief visit to Soho Tea Room. We wanted to stay longer, but there was a long line up forming and we felt bad for holding the table. Plus, we were passively getting rushed out by the servers LOL.

With their interior design and plating of certain dishes, Soho really tries to balance both Taiwanese and Western cultures together, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on which way you look at it.

Pros:

Good bubble tea
Delicious soup stock for noodles and delicious noodles
Spent a lot of effort into the design of the place (inside and out)
Service was fast and attentive
Comfortable seating

Cons:

Parking lot was really narrow and squishy
Bubble tea was a bit pricier than what I was used to
Sold out of pearls the night we went 🙁
According to my cousin, there are really long wait times on Fri & Sat nights
If the restaurant is busy, expect to wait 20-30 minutes for your blended drink (disclaimer on the menu)

-Carmen

Timothy’s Frozen Yogurt

July 24, 2014

After visiting Steveston back in May and trying Sockeye City Grill, I came back here with a few friends for the evening. We ended up eating at Sockeye City Grill again, since I had a decent experience back in May. Afterwards, we took a beautiful evening stroll as the sun began to set around us.

We decided to stop at Timothy’s Frozen Yogurt, as we were craving some dessert and I didn’t get to come here during my last visit. Thankfully, it wasn’t too busy since we came on a weekday evening, but it was tasty nonetheless.

Timothy’s Frozen Yogurt is really popular and a prime tourist spot in Steveston, you will often see visitors strolling the pier with a delicious, fresh waffle cone in hand. Of course, we had to give it a try as well 🙂
Timothy’s Frozen Yogurt only accepts cash. One thing that I found strange was that they do not offer any ice cream samples to customers. I guess it helps speed up the transaction and also saves on cost.

However, it might be frustrating for customers if they can’t decide on what they want. Especially if they are tourists, what if they’ve never tried or heard of certain flavours where they’re from?
I was torn between having ice cream or frozen yogurt. I decided on getting the mixed berry frozen yogurt! I got the kids size in a waffle cone($2.75, plus extra $.50 for a waffle cone) The yogurt itself was pretty good, it was flavourful and had a nice texture to it. It reminded me a lot of Yogen Fruz, which I love! The star of the show would have to be the waffle cone though.

When I was handed the waffle cone, it was still warm from their machine. The waffle cone was so crispy, warm, and fresh. The price for the cone wasn’t bad either, I was expecting it to cost more since it’s a tourist area and the waffle cones are freshly made! I actually ended up going back for a regular size because the froyo and waffle cone was that delicious…..hehe…

(Also, I just realized as I was typing this that the picture included my nails! I did a review on the Etude House Nail Polish trio, which you can read as well)

A picture of Rooibos’ gelato, I forgot which flavour they had but they enjoyed it!

Another picture of Parmie’s gelato, I forgot what flavour she had as well! Sorry 🙁

Here is a bonus picture of the sunset that evening, which I captured at the end of the dock (Click for bigger and better resolution!). Timothy’s Frozen Yogurt is a great place to buy a delicious fresh waffle cone before exploring the pier.

-Carmen

El Furniture Warehouse (Whistler)

July 23, 2014

My apologies for not posting as regularly! I have been preoccupied with a few personal things, and I was in Whistler for two days last week. My friends and I spent a bit over a day soaking up the sunshine in the village, lounging by the pool, and basically just relaxing the past day in the 37 degree weather. It was a much needed mini break from the usual swing of things. During the past day and a bit that we were there, we ate out every meal, so keep posted on some Whistler dining adventures!

—

We decided to come to the Warehouse for brunch the second day we were here. After doing some quick research on Google, I’m not sure if they are sister restaurants or not. The logo isn’t the same as the one in Vancouver, and they do not list each others addresses on their websites.

But nonetheless, El Furniture Warehouse in Whistler has the same idea – all food items are $4.95. I’ve never successfully ate at any Warehouse location before (Went to the one on Granville in Vancouver two years ago, sat down for 20 minutes and no one came so we left) so I was quite excited to try this place out!
Walking down the village stroll the evening before, the Warehouse was packed and full of noise at night. Coming back the next day, it was a bit strange to see the patio completely empty and quiet!

We were one of the only tables seated around 11:30 am, and decided to sit inside since it was ridiculously hot outside, and there wasn’t much shade for the tables (don’t let the umbrellas fool you). Unfortunately, there was no a/c inside the restaurant but we sat at the booth right before the patio, so we got plenty of fresh air where we sat.
Opening the menu, I was in shock at how everything was actually only $5. I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or not, this place was definitely the cheapest restaurant I’ve been to. If I have never heard of the Warehouse, I would never have expected that everything on the menu was $5.
Nachos | The “Works” burger & fries | Roasted turkey sandwich & fries | Chiang mai bowl w added chicken for $2.25

There was five of us and we each got an entree, and shared nachos and mini donuts. Starting off with the nachos, they were a bit disappointing because we got the bottom of the bag, so all we got under those seemingly large pieces of chips were crumbs. The chips themselves were crunchy, cheesy, and came with the sauce on the side.

Moving on to the the Works burger, I didn’t try this but the boyfriend enjoyed it. It was very juicy, and came with bacon, cheddar, and onions- for $5, it was seriously a good deal and he was stuffed. For myself, I ordered the roasted turkey sandwich. I absolutely loved the cranberry sourdough. Without the cranberry sourdough bread, it would have been very plain. The second side of my sandwich only came with a really tiny piece of turkey breast, the rest was just lettuce and cheese. I think when the chefs cut the sandwich, all the turkey breast moved to one side of the sandwich. I wasn’t upset though, because the first side of my sandwich came with a lot of grilled turkey breast 🙂

Cheese ordered a noodle bowl with a side of chicken for $2.25. The noodles were very chewy and this was the perfect dish for a hot afternoon like today. It also came with half an avocado and fresh veggies. Again, a very good deal!
Macaroni ordered the deep fried apple pie with ice cream for dessert. I was too stuffed by the end of my turkey sandwich (I didn’t even finish my fries!) that I had to unfortunately pass down the opportunity for what looked like amazing dessert. Alas, Macaroni ended up sharing it and everyone that tried it loved the pie.

We also ordered mini donuts to share. They were a bit too oily for my liking and I didn’t find them soft and chewy, they were abnormally crunchy. It was also covered with an extremely generous amount of sugar and came with chocolate dipping sauce. I probably wouldn’t order this again because of how oily and strangely crunchy they were.

We were so stuffed by the end of this meal that we didn’t up going for Cows ice cream afterwards, which is usually a Whistler tradition for me! People say that the Warehouse is a hit and miss, and you gotta know what to order. I probably wouldn’t order the nachos or mini donuts again, but everything else was delicious and worth $5. Our sever was nice and attentive as well, she kept our water pitcher full at all times and was quick to come to our aid. I would definitely come here again when I’m back in Whistler, and will probably be trying the Vancouver locations in the future as well 🙂

-Carmen