Munchie Adventure: House of Tofu Soup, Burnaby

After coming here once when it was closed, this was our second attempt to eat at this restaurant, and I'm glad we did! Located in the North Road (Lougheed Station) area, it's easily accessible by transit, and right near what I like to call K-town of Coquitlam/Burnaby, since there's a big cluster of Korean stuff in the area =)

Restaurant: House of Tofu Soup
Location: 4563 North Road, Burnaby
Cuisine: Korean
Price range: $15-25




Date of visit: July 31, 2012
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 3/5
Food variety: 2.5/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

After we ordered, we got the few side dishes that you normally see at any Korean restaurant. The typical Kimchi, seaweed/kelp, and potatoes (mashed potatoes). They also had a pickled onion dish. Odd thing were the eggs. The lady didn't tell us what to do with the eggs. Probably cuz it was really busy and she was the only one working, poor thing! >< We eventually figured it was for the soup xD

First to come were part of the Soup and Bulgogi Combo ($12.99-- this is discounted, she gave us the discount even though we forgot the coupon! How nice ^^). We ordered two, so Pork is on the left and Beef on the right. Pork is a bit spicy and a bit tough. Beef was good though. Seasoned really well, it was SO GOOD with the rice.

Waitress scooped the rice into two bowls for us from a big stone pot =) Then we were left with the rice stuck to the sides-- which is the main point of stone pot rice! We poured some soup on it to loosen it (I know traditionally it's done with tea), and each got some to try! It was crunchy!

The soup was a bit boiled over when we got it, but that just means it was filled to the max, right? =D It smelled really good, and looked so full of goodness! I couldn't wait to dig in! We chose Mix (mild) and 

Seafood (white) Tofu Soup. You get to choose your spiciness level, and mild wasn't that spicy-- it actually enhanced the flavor too!

We also ordered a Stone Bibimbap ($10.99), cuz that's dad's favorite. I just noticed that they fried then cut up the egg whites and put it on the side, wonder if other places do it like that as well? It was full of ingredients though! =) Healthiest choice on the table I think xD

It also came with a soup, whatever it was I couldn't figure out. I think it was beef? It was yummy though! I added soup to the Bibimbap, cuz it didn't have much taste on its own.

Overall, service was a bit lacking, but I understand. I wish they'd just hire more people though >< I love their food, will be back!

Mini Munchie: Steamrollers, Downtown Vancouver

FIREWORKS!!! So excited to see them!! But a food stop first, so we don't get hungry during the fireworks :) My friend and I were walking along Robson towards English Bay, and spotted this little store (it's bright orange), so we decided to go in. It smelled so good inside! The cashier was also very patient, as it was our first time there, and we were bubbling with questions about their menu items =)

Restaurant: Steamrollers (visit their website here)
Location: 1195 Robson Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Mexican
Price range: $10-15

Date of visit: July 28, 2012
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4.5/5
Food variety: 2.5/5
Food quality: 3.75/5
Buck worthy? 3/5

I got the Deluxe Chicken ($7.95), and it was pretty big. They have pretty quick service, so I got my food really fast^^ The chicken was a bit dry, but there were sauces in the burrito which evened it out =) Couldn't finish it, saved it for later! ;D

My friend went with the Deluxe Beef ($7.95) and got it as a roller bowl (same stuff, just without the tortilla). Actually, they made her the burrito first, then remembered she wanted a bowl and quickly exchanged it for her. She said the beef was very tender and just melted in her mouth. Very flavourful, makes me kinda regret not getting the beef option instead =P

Friendly staff and quick service, so if you're in the area and want a quick bite, here's a good place!

Munchie Adventure: Ruby Chinese Restaurant 紅寶石大酒家, Port Coquitlam

So, finally got a chance to do a dim sum review! Last time was for dinner, so now it's finally lunch! :D Mainly the people who come for lunch are familiar faces, or people from across the street (from court) and taking a lunch break. Dim sum is steamed to order, so it's fresh. No carts being pushed around here =P

Restaurant: Ruby Chinese Restaurant
Location: 2228 McAllister Avenue, Port Coquitlam
Cuisine: Chinese, Canadian Chinese, Dim Sum
Price range: $5-10




Date of visit: July 28, 2012
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 3/5
Food quality: 3/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

I think they just increased their prices to $2.75 for all dim sum (used to be $2.50), which I find reasonable, since most other places around the area are minimum $2.95. They've added a few items to their menu, including congee, which isn't too good in my opinion, but not terrible. I've just had better =P

My aunt really likes to get these Stir Fried Noodles in Soy Sauce ($2.75), childhood memories she says. I like them, they're filling and seasoned right.

Lately my brother has been liking Beef Tripe ($2.75), so we got this. I didn't like it too much. The sauce was too thick.

I know this is dessert, but I order it early anyways. Deep Fried Read Bean Pancake ($2.75) It's so good!! Crispy on the outside, and chewy on the inside with a little bit of red bean paste. It's not oily-feeling either! Oh gosh, it's delish!

I'm an oddball, I really like how the shrimp isn't pureed in their Deep Fried Tofu with Shrimp in Soy Bean Sauce ($2.75). I love the crunchy shrimp which is a bit hard-- just me though. My aunt doesn't like it. Usually I just eat the shrimp and someone else will get the tofu haha

This was a new thing we haven't tried before, Deep Fried Bean Curd Wrap with Shrimp ($2.75). It was pretty good, I thought it was a bit oily though. Very fresh.

Last was Pork and Veggie on Flat Rice Noodles ($4.90)-- it's not on the menu actually, but they're really flexible, so you can change to w/e you like pretty much (be reasonable!).

Usually I order this Shredded Pork with Veggies on Flat Rice Noodles in Soup ($4.90), which is really good, cuz I like flat rice noodles in soup =) Not the best looking place, but friendly and easy going. It's the place to just stop by if you wanna be lazy and grab a snack or smth, they won't judge if you don't order a lot of stuff (I've had some places discriminate against me cuz I ordered two dim sum for two people).

Munchie Adventure: Wah Lun Chinese Restaurant 華麟海鮮酒家, Burnaby

My family really likes to go to dim sum, and this isn't too far away from home, so we come here often. It's pretty good actually, we used to think it was expensive, but since they haven't changed their prices (while other places have increased) and portion sizes stayed the same, we remain loyal customers! =P

Restaurant: Wah Lun Chinese Restaurant (visit their website here)
Location: 4524 Hastings Street, Burnaby
Cuisine: Chinese, Dim Sum
Price range: $5-15




Date of visit: July 19, 2012
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 3.75/5
Food variety: 3.75/5
Food quality: 4/5

Buck worthy? 4.5/5

We ordered the Beef Brisket and Rice Flour Roll Hot Pot ($5.95), and it comes bubbling =) So we know when it's fresh! It's really good, the rice flour rolls are nice and chewy and the beef brisket isn't fat (sometimes it is, but we got lucky this time).

Then there was the Pan Fried Shanghai Rice Cake ($5.50). It was nice and chewy, but oily. I like the taste, and the proportion of veggies to meat to rice cake was good =)

Shrimp with pea tips dumpling ($3.75) was a new item on the menu, so we wanted to try it. I thought the skin was a bit soggy, but it was pretty. Shrimp was good, would've liked more pea tips.

My aunt really likes the Crispy Bean Curd Wrap with Shrimp and pea tips ($3.75). It's oily since it's deep fried, but so good with the sweet sour sauce they give us (we think there's not enough every time).

I've actually never tried their Sticky Rice Wrap in Bamboo Leaf ($3.75) before, so this was a first. I was surprised there were three (instead of the normal 2)!! They were decent. Sticky rice was a bit overcooked, inside was good though, pork was lean.

These buns, Wah Lun Special Baked BBQ Pork Buns ($3.45) are amazing. The bun is soft, the filling is juicy and hot. The outside is a bit sugary and crispy. AMAZING. (only if they're fresh though =P)

These Shark Fin dumplings ($3.45) aren't really made of shark fin, don't worry! Made with imitation shark fin, shrimp, and pork, it's a pretty good deal, since the portion is big, and it's not expensive =) Yummy too! BONUS!

I really like their dim sum, but sometimes it gets so busy that getting a spot (parking and eating) is almost impossible. They also charge for tea, sometimes its waived, but it's really random.

Munchie Adventure: Kawawa Japanese Restaurant, Metrotown (Burnaby)

Since we were in the area, we decided to hit up Metrotown for lunch. I remember when we got there, they weren't open yet, so we sat around for another few minutes until they opened. When we got back, there was actually a line up! Surprised, we got a table and hoped for good food, since there WAS A LINE UP!!

Restaurant: Kawawa Japanese Restaurant
Location: 4700 Kingsway, Burnaby
Cuisine: Japanese
Price range: $15-25, depending what you get (I did AYCE)

Date of visit: July 18, 2012
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Staff/service: 3/5
Food variety: 3/5
Food quality: 3/5
Buck worthy? 2.75/5

Just gonna have a lot of pics, cuz I tried almost everything on their menu, and it would take forever to go into detail for everything =P

I'll make note of a few things though, the Mango Pudding did NOT taste like mango pudding at all... It was weird =S

House Roll was good, decently sized.

Oyster Motoyaki and Scallop Motoyaki was good too, oily, but good =) Scallop was better than oyster though, oysters weren't too clean looking (kinda black).

Chicken Teriyaki was also yummy, crispy skin, and juicy meat!

Gyoza wasn't good. I was a bit disappointed, since it came a bit cold, and were falling apart/ sticking together =(

Annnd the Grilled Salmon Head was good too, my parents really liked it.








Other pics:

Honestly, they weren't that bad, wonder why they're rated so low on Urbanspoon =S I mean, they do charge more than other places, but its not that big of a difference, and the food isn't bad. I liked it.

Munchie Adventure: Dragon View Chinese Cuisine, Richmond

Since my uncle was stopping in Vancouver for a little bit to wait for his flight, we decided to bring him here, close to the airport, and not a shabby looking restaurant either! And we made the right choice, besides the service which was lacking...

Restaurant: Dragon View Chinese Cuisine
Location: 1298- 3779 Sexsmith Road, Richmond
Cuisine: Chinese, Dim Sum
Price range: $10-$15 for lunch

Date of visit: July 17, 2012
Atmosphere: 3.5/5
Staff/service: 2.5/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 4/5

The first dish that got here was the Deep Fried Crispy Tofu w/ Special Sauce ($7.25). It was really fresh, the tofu was smooth and the outside was nicely golden and crispy. The garlic bits on top weren't too salty either. Well done.

Daddy loves fish, so we ordered fish for him, Stir Fried Halibut w/ Chef's Sauce ($7.25). The fish was juicy inside the still crispy-ish on the outside. It wasn't too oily, and a little spicy which made it really appetizing.

Steamed Chives Dumplings ($4.19) was well made too. The skin was chewy and not too moist, the shrimp puree inside had little chunks of shrimp, wish there were more chives though =)

This was a small fried rice dish so we decided to try it, Assorted Seafood on Rice w/ Abalone Sauce ($7.25). There was ample sauce, but the fried rice was made with fresh rice (for me, good fried rice is made with rice that has been refrigerated or cooled once first), so the rice stuck together in little chunks. Even though they say it was seafood, I noticed a lot of "land food" in it (chicken chunks), so I dunno... they kinda lied! =O Tasted really good though!

Then we got the Deep Fried Squid Tentacle ($4.99)-- don't mistake it for the Deep Fried Squid w/ Pepper and Salt (7.95)! Personally, I like the tentacles much more than the squid, just a different texture, and more fun to eat hehe! This was well done, tentacles weren't too long, and the seasoning salt wasn't overdone to the point where it was too salty. Tasted good, was fresh, and the batter wasn't too thick.

Now, their Steamed Siu Mai ($4.19) was quite special compared to other restaurants. They had a shrimp on  top of it, which made it look a lot fancier (there normally is shrimp in siu mai anyways). Pork was grounded pork, not the kind of siu mai I like; I like the ones with chopped pork, so theres still little chunks of pork. Can't complain though, different restaurants have different ways to make it. At least they didn't have lots of fat chunks in it =P

Last was Steamed Country Style Thick Rice Noodle w/ Chicken Feet and Spareribs ($4.99). This dish is oily anywhere you have it, otherwise the noodles will stick together, and this place was no exception. Despite the oil though, it was yummy. Noodles weren't over-steamed, so they were very chewy and good with the sauce. And for the price, it's a pretty good deal =)

This is more of what I would say is a high-end restaurant though, since there are places with dim sum for $2.99 per plate (or cheaper), so this is pretty pricey. Good quality doesn't come for free though-- or it's just really rare to get quality for cheap. Again, it's a nice place to come to once in a while if you want something fancier.