Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

I've been to Joe Fortes several times for Happy Hour ( 2013 , 2015 ) though I haven't blogged all my visits. Since I've tried so many items, I figured this time, in addition to various orders, I'd try their sliders. Joe's Mini Cheese Burgers (3 for $7.95) cheddar cheese, pickles, coleslaw UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES MUST YOU ORDER THE MINI BURGERS. McDonalds has burgers that taste better than these sliders. The patty is... mediocre. Dunno why they even bother putting this on the menu. You get a thin slice of cheddar, a slice of pickle, and honestly that's all I can remember when I peeked in the burger. Still, you get 3 sliders for $7.95. Which works out to more than 1 burger patty of meat. Shove the coleslaw into your mini-burgers to make them more acceptable. Go to a real burger place, like Sliders on West Broadway, to get really decent sliders. Go to McDonald's if you insist on mediocre burgers. But leave the sliders at Joe Fortes alone. Everythin...

The latest sample I received from SocialNature is Nature's Aid All Natural Shampoo and Conditioner . It claims to be: For all hair types Organic Vegan All Natural Shampoo + Conditioner Natural lather for an amazing shampoo experience Scalp friendly formula helps alleviate dry or flaking scalp Lightweight moisture for perfectly smooth, silky hair Helps to treat and prevent split ends No synthetic fragrances No artificial colours or dyes Free of parabens, sulfates, and harsh chemicals I have thin hair (and a big bald spot) on my head -- so not a lot of hair to work with. And I also tend to have an oily scalp, leading to oily hair, and if I'm not careful dirt can build up on my scalp. In the past, hair loss experts claimed that this was a contributing factor to my hair loss. Anyway, in the past I typically looked for whatever cheap shampoo in Superstore will handle oily hair. Later on, I just used soap and found that it did the same job just fine. I've tr...

Picked up a packet of Nuvo Gourmet Brie-Osh - Pecans and Caramel from Superstore. I've bought brie before, but my mom never fooled around with doing anything "fancy" with it, possibly because she didn't know how. So I got this in the hopes that she'd get the idea and maybe try it on her own. Pecans on top (as in the picture) NOT included. Bread is sweet and looks basically baked for you. On the inside, it is a cake of brie sitting on a tasty-sweet mixture of pecans and caramel. It's so basic you might as well not buy this and just use whatever you have at home. That was my MISTAKE NUMBER 1. MISTAKE NUMBER 2 was following the baking instructions. After the indicated 30 minutes at 250°F on "Bake" in my toaster oven, the cheese still hadn't melted in the least and was still cool when I cut it in half. I turned my oven on Toast at 250°F and left it in there for an additional 30 minutes. Cheese still only barely melted (see picture of two ha...

My first experience of Xiao Long Bao in Canada. Right next door to Bubble Waffle Cafe in Crystal Mall (for which I had a SocialShopper coupon) and based on my dining buddy's recommendation we got XLB there as well. Eat it fast. Once it got colder, the skin at the bottom stuck to the paper and it tore when we lifted it off. The denser top where the dough pinches is where you lift it off with your chopsticks. It's freshly steamed so generally too hot to just pop the whole thing in your mouth but you can do that if you wait a couple of minutes -- but you're risking the rest of the XLB being cold. I recommend just diving into them right away. Bite a hole, suck out the juice, eat the rest or pour some of the provided vinegar into it. I have nothing to compare it to but they were pretty tasty -- both soup and the bao themselves. At $4.55 for 5, they are very cheap, compared to Bao Place for instance. Lineups are quite long. You get a number, and thankfully they also...

Came here for a SocialShopper coupon: "Authentic Hong Kong" Soup Noodles Set Meal for 2, Including Side Dish and Drinks . The deal is $14.50 with a supposed $27 value. There are definitely savings here since you choose your two noodles either from the mark-it-yourself menu, or any of the pre-set $7.29 bowls. You get two drinks, and one small side dish. Despite the place being called Bubble Waffle Caf é, you do not automatically get a bubble waffle but you can add it on for just $2, their special price for add-ons when you also purchase noodles. Super Hot Dry Noodle with Grilled Sausage and Fish Tofu (normal price $7.29) Not "super" spicy-hot to start, but there's a hot aftertaste in your mouth. Thankfully the drinks are all cold. Noodles look redder (due to sauce) than in the picture at the counter. Sausages were also more grilled (which I prefer). Approximate amount of noodles is what you get in a packet of instant noodles. Even without the coupo...

Finally made it down to a Meat and Bread location (Gastown) , today for a late (2pm) lunch. Still a long lineup even so late into the lunch hours, but there was still seating at the long communal table so turnaround appears to be quick. Monday Special: Peace Country Kashmiri Lamb, Garlic Aioli, Fried Onions, Cabbage Slaw, Cilantro ($9.50) Probably better hotter but I had to sneak it out of the place to take a pic at VCC since no one else was taking pics there. The chewy-crusted bread was OK but chewing it too fast made my jaw ache. Yeah, it's that chewy. Lamb was tender for being pulled lamb, but otherwise a bit on the dry side, but helped by the aioli. Weak on flavours of garlic, fried onions, and cilantro. But lamb was tasty and very flavourful, easily making up for the shortfall. If you think of this as a $10 burger with no side, it comes in on-par with most restaurant or gourmet burgers. Plus counter service means no tip really necessary, so it works out to a mediu...

After a screwup at Provence , we called around for another afternoon tea place, and Adonia Tea House let us squeeze in. It's a tiny place, so it was really quite a squeeze -- small couch plus two chairs, and food and tea onto two small tables and nearby side tables. So the presentation was a bit mixed (and my friend cut up the scones before I could get a picture). Decor and ambiance is nice for afternoon tea despite the cramped room, and they have many interesting and elegant pieces if you look around carefully. Tea for three had basically just the sandwiches same for everyone. Everything else was one-of-a-kind, so if you insist on trying everything, you'll have to nimbly cut and scoop a bit off everything. This is very non-standard for most afternoon teas I've had (except Soffee Cafe so far). Some people might not like it but I am more easy going and appreciate the choice it offers. Bottom tier ham sandwiches and cucumber sandwiches had the contents beautifully ...

Hilariously close to Red Rooster, the other best-fried-chicken-in-Richmond contender , is LA Chicken. Looks more like KFC chicken. Super crispy skin. Eat it right away and it's sooo juicy. Like dripping wet juicy. Winner. Unless chickens have shrunk since the last time I had KFC, the size of the legs and thighs seemed... smallish. I tried only the spicy chicken, and it was OK for spiciness. You get a bit of spicy-heat aftertaste. Otherwise, seemed to be just like "regular" fried chicken. Try to order tubs. 2 pieces for $6.60 works out to over $3 per piece. With bigger orders you can get it under $2 per piece, which puts it on par with KFC. Still, for sheer amount of meat, it beats a burger. Don't go for "snacks" or combos. 2-piece snack is $8, which means your fries are $1.40.

Red Rooster is kind of a dilapidated looking hole-in-the-wall. You know, what many Chinese restaurants look like. They use broasting (a trademarked combination of pressure cooking and frying) to give you "fried" chicken. If you know only KFC, then it will be disappointing for the inferior crispiness of the skin. Also, I found it less juicy than fried-in-four-minutes chicken, from KFC or nearby LA Chicken. Still, there is really no comparison because the styles are too different. When you go, just try to turn off your expectations and try something new. Portion is atrocious. When did chicken parts shrink? Or does KFC have dibs on big fat chickens? 5-piece Combo ($15.49) is for five pieces legs/thighs, macaroni salad (it's the only kind, apparently), and fries. Fries are actually really decent! And dusted with the same curry-ish spice as on the chicken. Spicing is quite nice but a bit mild / tame for my personal taste. Not just straight salty, though, which is n...

Tried to go to Provence Mediterranean Grill for Afternoon Tea. Of course I made a reservation ahead of time on Bookenda. When I got there, it took a long time for anyone to even acknowledge me at the waiting area. Once we were seated, it again took a long time for anyone to check in on us (maybe the dispersing brunch rush had something to do with it?). Finally, we asked to get started with the afternoon tea. That's when we were told 24-hour-ahead reservations were necessary. Since I confirmed my reservation numbers the morning of the day before, I figured we should have been okay. The server told me that afternoon tea had to be scheduled over the phone. Really? Where does it say that on the website? (see below). In fact, the website says "Reservations recommended" -- which suggests walk-ins are possible for afternoon tea, with just the risk of not having seating instead of not having food. Also, I specified I wanted afternoon tea in the notes on the online reserv...

Lured here by my friend with the promise of large portions. Not that much seating but probably more than you think since the entrance is tight before you get to the "back room". Portions are actually just OK for price since most of it is made up of cheap carbs. Special Egg Foo Young ($14) Menu doesn't say, but it contains BBQ pork slices and shrimp. Shrimp were big. BBQ pork was tasteless. Portion weak for $14 but you are probably paying for the shrimp. I was initially told it was a mix of seafood and shellfish. It was NOT. And they did NOT give me the correct info until AFTER the dish arrived. WTH? BBQ Duck with Rice ($9 for big plate) Waste of money. Duck had basically no meat, no tasty fat. You are just getting skin plus the rice it's sitting on. No.69 Hot Chili Minced Pork with Noodle ($7.50) The menu says "Cold Meat" but the meat was hot. Huh? Still, the server insisted what he brought was correct. Not spicy-hot at all. Sauce ...