Earnest Ice Cream, Vancouver: "Seriously good"-- So seriously true =D

Some say it's fate, I'd just say it's a calling. Was procrastinating on facebook when I saw the page for Earnest Ice Cream, and they had just opened their store yesterday! Excited, I ventured onwards =D

Restaurant: Earnest Ice Cream (visit their website here)

Location: 3992 Fraser Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Ice Cream
Price range: $5-11 plus tax




Date of visit: August 23, 2013
Atmosphere: 5/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 2/5
Food quality: 5/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

They were pretty full when I arrived around 8, so I was extra excited! A small lineup when we found the back of the line, but gave us a chance to see their pints of ice cream :D So apparently if you brought the glass jars back, they give you a "refund" for the jar, pretty nifty!

Their selection wasn't super fanciful, but adequate.

I ordered a single lavender cone ($5). Surprised it wasn't purple, but it makes sense if they use natural ingredients with no additives (like coloring). The lavender flavor was subtle but enough to make the ice cream amazing. It was super creamy and rich as well, best I've had so far!! Not the mention the cone was very light and crispy!

Adorables couldn't wait to try his double cone ($7). He ordered the Whiskey Hazelnut and Salted Chocolate. I found the whiskey hazelnut to be better, tasted the sweet, then the whiskey, then aftertaste of hazelnut. It was heavenly. The salted chocolate had overwhelming salt flavor first then finished off with a rich chocolatey aftertaste in the mouth. Very interesting feeling to have when enjoying simple (or not so much in this case) ice cream.

Super happy with my experience, hoping they'll open a store somewhere near my area soon <3

Oriental Dumpling King 大東方餃子王, Richmond: Hit-or-miss

So I was hoping to come here for the old restaurant, but guess it changed! Anyways, ventured onwards regardless to try this new place!

Restaurant: Oriental Dumpling King 大東方餃子王

Location: 4200 No. 3 Road, Richmond
Cuisine: Chinese
Price range: $15-25




Date of visit: August 14, 2013
Atmosphere: 3/5
Staff/service: 3/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 3/5
Buck worthy? 3/5

Maybe we got there early, but I felt that it was quite unorganized. The interior was quite nice though (they kept most of the interior the same as the old restaurant)!

We were there pretty early, so no one was inside yet, but I was a bit confused as to why our waitress...also worked in the kitchen =/

Anyways, onto the food. I didn't see it on the menu, but they made it for me anyways, this was the Stir Fried Egg Whites with Seafood ($12.80). I understand why it's not on the menu-- it was the worst I've had in my life. The egg whites were overcooked, rubbery, and oily. Not even the egg yolk helped. My disappointment was indescribable.

Next was the Beijing Pork with Thin Pancakes ($12.80). This was quite flavorful, sadly, the sauce overpowered the pork.I wish it were less salty though. Otherwise, flavoring was well done.

The pancakes were nothing spectacular, but they were soft but chewy and did their purpose.

I must say this was one of the better dishes we chose, the Fried Noodles with Pork ($7.95). It was very similar to Shanghai Fried Noodles, both in sauce and noodles. The noodles were very chewy and the flavoring was well-balanced. It didn't end up too salty, which I was happy about.

Before tasting the Tan Tan Noodles ($6.95), I was mesmerized by the bowl. It's quite beautiful which enhanced the dish completely.

This was the mix noodle type (no soup). Noodles were very chewy and the sauce was delicious. A bit spicy for me, but oh so good I couldn't stop (even though my mouth was on fire). Good job!

And being here, of course we had to try their dumplings! Ordered Celery Pork Dumplings ($6.95) which were mediocre. It was rather bland and the dumpling skin wasn't the texture I was hoping for. They were a bit soggy. Since this wasn't fantastic, I wonder why they would call themselves "dumpling king" =S

Finally, dessert! Snow cotton bean paste ($10.95) is somewhat a fav of mines that I order whenever I see it on a menu =P Its basically meringued egg whites with a red bean filling deep fried. This was pretty well done, I wish it were a *bit* sweeter, and the egg a bit more smooth, but it was decent. The egg whites were a bit rubbery which affected my overall satisfaction of this dessert. Red bean paste filling was great though, not too sweet, parents liked that a lot.

Here's the damage done, not too sure I want to return because of a few reasons (hygeine, food quality consistency, professionalism of the staff, etc). Did I mention they just kept handing us dishes over the wall beside where I sat? When they could have easily walked two more steps to hand it to us without having a wall between us? I may just be picky, but service was either good or bad depending on the server... train your employees first!

O5 Rare Tea Bar, Vancouver: Worthy experience

After our dinner, we met up with two other friends at O5 Rare Tea Bar, which was just down the street. I was super excited because this is a totally new experience for me! =D

Restaurant: O5 Rare Tea Bar (visit their website here)

Location: 2208 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
Cuisine: Tea
Price range: <$10 (not too sure, he gave us a lot of freebies) 




Date of visit: August 12, 2013
Atmosphere: 5/5
Staff/service: 5/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 3/5

The owner (?), Pedro, was super enthusiastic about teas and explained to us all the processes happening to produce the tea that we buy. He also explained to us what O5 stood for-- maybe if you drop by you could find out too ;) Ordered a Matcha shot ($6.00) and watched Pedro prepare it, hoped for an actual tea ceremony, but I guess I was expecting too much from a tea bar hehe

Here is how the interior looks like, so quite literally a bar or more like a kitchen =)

Normally they charge for these tea mochis, but today it was on the house, being we were newbies =D So nice of them!

My matcha! It was pretty good, don't have an extensive knowledge base or experience with matcha, but no gross aftertaste and dry mouth feel after made me feel it was good. No clumps either, so I believe that's another indication it was well-made. Love the adorable thick wood coaster.

Adorables ordered Alishan #1 (don't remember exactly). It smelled very fragrant-- I later discovered I also had some at home hehe. Not sure if that's the name of tea? 

Anyhow, cute teapot.

Also on the house, a juice...which was very floral and delicious.

Interesting story behind these tea patties, but mainly for convenience while transporting =) Not a bad experience, but whether I'll return is still in question =P Tea suddenly feels too hyped up. I mean, hello, been drinking it all my life, it's like it was just discovered (Sorry I don't mean to sound snobby, just don't understand why it's SUDDENLY cool).

Naam, Vancouver: Vegetarian 24/7!! =D

First time ever hearing of this restaurant, and I've passed by it myriads of times! Can't believe it =O Either way, NC recommended it and hence, dinner was served!

Restaurant: Naam (visit their website here)

Location: 2724 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
Cuisine: Vegetarian, International, Mexican, Organic
Price range: $10-20 per person




Date of visit: August 12, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 3.75/5
Buck worthy? 3.75/5

I found the interior a bit dark, which isn't what I prefer (they dimmed it down further later in the evening). The servers were all very friendly and helpful, especially when Adorables asked a waitress where their water comes from (who would've thought they actually use a special purification system?!). Anyhow, onto the food =) NC ordered what I believe is a Santa Fe Enchilada ($12.25). Besides the main baked entree, there was a giant salad, and contained loads of goodies (not your typical iceberg lettuce). There was romaine, sprouts, beats, carrots, tomato, seeds, etc. I tried the tofu and it was pretty amazing!

Adorables ordered a Tempeh Reuben Platter ($14.50). It was really big! I tried part of the burger and found it a bit bland and dry. It tasted so... HEALTHY (not that it's a bad thing to be healthy of course). With the different dipping sauces, I found I liked the poppyseed one best. The sesame fries were oddly like potato wedges sprinkled with sesame seeds but good. Crispy on the outside with soft and mushy potato on the inside. Again, super colorful salad.

Finally myself! I didn't have a huge appetite, so I ordered a safe Naam Quesdilla ($8.95), and it was delicious. The cheese just was the perfect chewy and the jalepeno balanced out the oiliness well. The salsa was a bit spicy for me, and nothing special.

The three of us shared a slice of Noh Pie ($6.75) which was supposed to have "no sweet, no eggs, no dairy, no wheat banana-date-nut cream pie". Our waiter offered us whipping cream though. I found it to be too sweet on its own, the whipping cream actually made it less sweet and made it much easier to down and more enjoyable. A bit expensive in my opinion.

Either way, if you're craving some vegetarian, this isn't a bad choice for a restaurant open 24/7 and isn't fast food =P A healthy alternative for sure!

Baan Wasana Thai, Kerrisdale: Pretty awesome curry =)

Decided to hit up the beach today, but as we were enjoying the sunset. . . didn't realize time flew by and many restaurants were closed around Kitsilano. I've been here before, and it was a memorable experience, plus it was still open! =D In we goooo~

Restaurant: Baan Wasana Thai (visit their website here)
Location: 2143 W 41st Avenue, Vancouver
Cuisine: Thai, Vegetarian
Price range: $10-15






Date of visit: August 6, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4.5/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4.75/5
Buck worthy? 4.5/5

I enjoyed the Pad Thai with Shrimp ($10.95) last time, so I ordered it again this time. I felt the noodles were a bit too watery this time. Taste was still great and texture likewise. The shrimp were fresh and the balance of flavors worked nicely.

Adorables ordered a Green Curry ($10.25) chicken option. It wasn't the thick kind and was quite delicious with the Coconut Rice ($2.50) that he also ordered (since the curry didn't come with rice). Rice was rather broken though, not exactly sure if it's a Thai style of cooking rice or them overcooking it. Either way, curry was aromatic and milky.

Enjoyed my meal, although a bit rushed to finish because they were closing =P

Sushi California, Coquitlam: Brings back fond memories...

Last dinner before RL goes away on vacation! Haven't been here in a long time, and many things have changed--- for the better =)

Restaurant: Sushi California

Location: 501 North Road, Burnaby
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Price range: $10+




Date of visit: August 5, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 5/5
Food variety: 5/5
Food quality: 4.5/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

Noticed a few items I've never tried before, so I was adventurous (as always). RL was here just last night, so he ordered something he enjoyed, which was the Tuna Gomae ($4.50). It was very average, nothing super special about it besides the tuna sashimi in it, which was fresh. Interesting combo.

He also ordered a Smoked Salmon Garlic Roll ($4.50), which I considered ordering too =D So happy I got to try. Garlic was deep fried and placed on top of the roll, crunchy and very garlic-y. I didn't taste much of the shrimp, but the avocado was delicious.

Of course, I ordered Takoyaki ($3.95), which was quite fresh and very crispy. I loved it, wished there was a bit more tako in it and bonito shavings on it.

Also got nigiri, Salmon ($1.20) and Chopped Scallop ($1.35). Both were fairly fresh, but I found the chopped scallop too chopped up. Portion size was large, typical for a restaurant like this.

I also ordered a Yellow Town Roll ($3.95) because of its name. I think this roll is really good for the summer because it was so refreshing. The topping was a mixture of onions, smoked salmon, mayo, and something else that was crunchy (coudn't figure it out). Either way, it was cold and complimented the whole roll well. Lots of avocado in the actual roll.

Satisfied with my experience, I will be back soon to try out more of their stuff! =)

Ebi-Ten, Vancouver: Not bad for a quick bite!

Another fireworks night! Can't wait =) Seen a lot of my friends come here and enjoy their food, so here I am finally to try!

Restaurant: Ebi-Ten

Location: 388 Robson Street, Vancouver
Cuisine: Japanese, Fast Food
Price range: $5-15










Date of visit: August 3, 2013
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 4/5
Food quality: 4/5
Buck worthy? 5/5

So I ordered 12 Takoyaki, which was around $8, not a bad deal. Forgot to add on the bonito, didn't know I had to DIY =O These were very fresh, but too much batter and mayo. Got sickening after a few of them, but shared them with fireworks peeps.

EC ordered their Mega Bowl, I believe it was around $11? There was tempura, mapo tofu, and chicken teriyaki. I was quite surprised when he told me to add tempura flakes onto the rice, but boy, it was SO GOOD. Added extra texture to the rice. Thumbs up.

Happy and full, we set off for fireworks! Thailand~