Bubble World 大頭仔 : New Westminster location

Bubble World is a Canadian franchise restaurant with ten locations in B.C, but only five of the restaurants serve food while the rest sell drinks. As for the Bubble World in New Westminster, the restaurant is located within seconds from Douglas College and I remember making a visit years ago, but the food was not very good. At that time, I concluded this location caters to students and declared the restaurant as probably being the worst out of the whole franchise.

So why the revisit? A friend of mine moved in to her new condo in New West and it was based on convenience. Plus, perhaps the food has improved and she could also find out if the restaurant could be her go-to for late night snacks.

The interior looks modern as well as clean, and nice for any Asian fast food restaurant. Also, there is a good amount of booth seats and comfortable as well as spacious seating arrangements. When we walked in, the staff was friendly and there was Taiwanese pop music playing in the background. If anything, because the restaurant has two sides, it may be hard to get service for those seated on the side without the counter (like us, which we thought was fine).

Estea Beverage Club 生活小品 : Burnaby location

Continuing with my interest in finding a regular bubble tea joint to frequently visit, Estea Beverage Club was next on my list to try. There used to be a couple of other Estea locations in Burquitlam as well as Richmond, and both the restaurants have closed. The only Estea locations that appear to be surviving is the restaurant in Burnaby and an "express" location at the Aberdeen food court.

Walking in from the back, we seemed to have startled the owners and the wife immediately walked up to greet us. She was friendly and passed us off to the rest of the staff, where the rest of them greeted us as well.

Estea is a very large restaurant and is the largest bubble tea joint that I know of. There are plenty of seats and the seating arrangements are not cramped at all.

Pearl House Restaurant 珍珠小館 : Burnaby location

After a disappointing meal at No.1 Beef Noodle House, I was craving for some good Taiwanese snacks and headed to Pearl Castle a couple of days later. From what I remember, I thought Pearl Castle sucked and offered nothing but cheap quality bubble tea food. However, after trying Pearl Castle in Richmond, their Taiwanese popcorn chicken along with the beef noodles were good! So, of course I had to try Pearl Castle in Burnaby.

Walking in, my friend and I were hesitant on grabbing dinner here because we peaked into the kitchen and noticed most of the cooks appear to be young students. However, after taking a look at the menu, we noticed  the dishes are a lot simpler compared to Pearl Castle in Richmond. The menu is very simple and assuming because the cooks are young, there is less room for mistakes. There are a lot of simple items such as fried goodies, stewed dishes, noodles and snacks, like pancakes as well as egg rolls. 

Oh yeah... by the way, I thought this restaurant was Pearl Castle for the whole time until I started writing my post LOL.

No.1 Beef Noodle House 京園牛肉麵

To conclude a disappointing day at Steveston (Sockeye City, then Timothy's), the best choice was to stay home and cook. But, I really wanted some green onion pancake with beef wraps without having to make them myself. So, we headed to No. 1 Beef Noodle House. Plus, like I was really going to start cooking shank after a crappy day...

Many people mention that if the restaurant's name states what the restaurant specializes in such as wonton houses or Taiwanese beef noodles, the specialized item should taste good.

Well, I never really thought about that and honestly, it makes sense! As for No.1 Beef Noodle House, it used to be a frequent restaurant of mine throughout high school but the noodles have never been a Top Five! Thinking about it now, how does a restaurant not feel embarrassed? Personally, it is not a big deal to me because I never come here for the noodles. However, I do end up always ordering them. Perhaps I subconsciously wonder if the restaurant will improve. But hey, makes sense though eh? The restaurant should have great noodles considering their name...

Duotian Fish Soup Noodles Restaurant 多田魚珍米線餐飲

After finishing dinner at Sushiholic, my friend and I were still hungry and decided to try out Duotian Fish Soup Noodles. The restaurant is located at the 1st Avenue plaza along with Fortune City, T&T Supermarket, Thai Son and Venice Garden. As for the food, the restaurant serves "build your own" noodles (like Deer Garden and Cattle Cafe), congee and clay pot rice, along with Hong Kong style cafe food.

When we walked in, the interior surprised us. The restaurant looks clean and is fairly large. In addition, the seating arrangements are not cramped. Not sure why but we were expecting a sort of run down Chinese restaurant. Furthermore, the staff was friendly!

Corner 23 萬巒豬腳

I have always wanted to save Corner 23 for an emergency late night dinner, but since an emergency late lunch was needed, bubble tea food it was. Corner 23 is fairly clean and the seating arrangements are comfortable, not cramped. Actually, the interior is quite nice for a bubble tea joint.

The restaurant has a high ceiling along with cherry blossom paper lanterns and although plum blossoms would have been a better choice because it is Taiwan's national flower, who really pays attention? Asides from me… In addition, I like the pink, green and white orchids displayed.

Huang's Beef Noodles

Huang's Beef Noodles is a small neighbourhood restaurant on Victoria Drive and has less than eight tables available. Walking in, the restaurant was full with two large families and a few single diners. One of the diners was friendly and quickly slurped up his noodles to give us a table!

Deer Garden Signatures 鹿園魚湯米線 : Fraser Street location

POST ON DEER GARDEN SIGNATURES AT CONTINENTAL PLAZA [HERE]

Deer Garden Signatures, one of the reasons why I started enjoying noodles. My first visit to Deer Garden was in Richmond, at the Continental Plaza and I loved them. A clear, healthy and light refreshing broth topped with vegetables and meat, what is there not to like? After finding out that Deer Garden also has a location on Fraser Street which is a lot more convenient for me, I had to make the visit!

Deer Garden was pretty much packed on a weeknight and the restaurant properly maximizes their seating arrangements, which is very important to me. There is nothing more uncomfortable than nudging the stranger beside you, struggling to get to your seat, or possibly knocking someone elses' food off the table! We were seated on the other side of the restaurant and the seating arrangements are a lot more spacious as well as comfortable there (although I do not mind the cafeteria layout pictured above, it is a lot better than Cattle Cafe's!).

Private Home Chinese Cuisine 一點心意

Is it sad having to check Instagram to remember the restaurants that I visited during the week? When I started my post, I forgot the reason for visiting Private Home Chinese. I remember wanting to try something different and was in the mood for Chinese; however, don't I usually eat Chinese? So why am I craving for it? 

After checking IG, I noticed that it has actually been days since I have had Chinese food! Asides from hot pot a few nights ago. So, either my memory needs some improvement or I need to start visiting more memorable restaurants! Private Home Chinese is a family owned restaurant that opened their second location on Kingsway Street, in Burnaby. The restaurant serves Northern China and Szechuan cuisine. Also, seafood is available but requires preordering which is somewhat a disappointment for impulse diners. 

The restaurant is newly renovated and has two sides for different seating arrangements. One side has a few tables for larger parties of more than six, and the other has plenty of booth seating arrangements and tables in the centre. The interior has a black and red scheme and there are red plastic booth seats which are easy to clean, as well as black coloured tables and chairs. Furthermore, the restaurant has a relaxing atmosphere and a couple of TVs tuned to the mandarin channel, which gives the impression that customers will never be rushed. 

On a Saturday evening, the restaurant was fairly empty and we were greeted by a friendly waitress. 

Taiwan Beef Noodle King

So… it seems like I have been craving for noodles in the last couple of months. I am pretty much a poser when it comes to eating noodles and only eat around five to ten strands, literally. However, lately I have been wanting to eat noodles and can finish a whole bowl, probably because it is nice for a change and something different for me. Taiwan Beef Noodle King is a small family owned restaurant with the husband working at the back of the house and the wife overseeing the front. Despite the somewhat small restaurant, the interior is well ventilated and has a high ceiling as well as spacious comfortable seating arrangements.

NOODLE SOUP WITH STEWED BEEF AND BEEF TENDON, BEEF IN CHINESE PANCAKE, PAN FRIED PORK DUMPLINGS, MARINATED EGG, MARINATED DRIED TOFU AND MARINATED BEEF TRIPE, STEAMED JUICY DUMPLING, XIAO LONG BAO, AND STEWED BEEF NOODLE IN SOUP.

Yu Xiang Yuan Restaurant 豫湘園

REVISIT POST ON YU XIANG YUAN 豫湘園 [HERE]

A restaurant I wanted to visit for a while is Yu Xiang Yuan on Fraser Street. On the nights of Taste Good Wonton Seafood and Golden House Seafood, BF did not want to stop here because of the "meh" looking exterior. Although if talking about a restaurants' exterior, Golden House Seafood's is equivalent to here as well as most Chinese late night restaurants, so bad argument on his end. Yu Xiang Yuan is known for serving fresh housemade noodles which is also what I have been craving for! The restaurant has a homey vibe and is somewhat small, with only ten tables and two larger tables for eight to ten people. Luckily on a Saturday evening the restaurant was not very busy, however, I would expect long line ups in the future.

XIAO LONG BAO, FRIED PORK WITH GREEN PEPPER, DRAGGING NOODLES WITH BEEF AND VEGETABLES IN SOUP, CHICKEN WITH SPECIAL HOT SAUCE, BEEF PANCAKE AND STEAMED PORK AND CHINESE BOK CHOY DUMPLINGS.

Ding Hao Noodle House 頂好牛肉麵

Getting to Coquitlam Centre before closing (one of those girl things when you rather pick up something than wait for a store transfer), we were stuck in the area with limited restaurants to dine at. Montana's was an option to revisit because I wanted those tasty ribs that I deserve. However, it was not worth the risk of leaving disappointed again and complaining about not spending the extra time driving to the Langley location. Using Urbanspoon (hey it does get handy eh?) we found Ding Hao Noodle House which is located in the same plaza as Sushi Town, pretty close to Coquitlam Centre. Walking in, we were greeted by a silent waiter with a blank face meaning we could seat ourselves anywhere. The interior looks clean, spacious and the seating arrangements are comfortable. Christmas music was playing in the background and the restaurant has cute gardening decor on the left hand wall which was dust free including the shelf. After ordering, I noticed a clipping from the Vancouver Sun which showed some reassurance the food would be tasty. An interesting find in the article is that the restaurant does not use MSG. I find that misleading because certain ingredients already contain MSG and they probably mean the restaurant does not add extra (I am against those who say MSG is a negative thing so it does not affect me anyways).

HALF AND HALF VERMICELLI IN SPICY SOUP, HANDMADE PORK AND VEGGIE DUMPLING, 3 ASSORTED MARINATED ITEMS, MARINATED BEEF SHANK, MARINATED PORK EAR AND MARINATED DRY TOFU, BEEF FLANK NOODLE IN SPICY SOUP, AND TAIWANESE CRISPY POPCORN CHCKEN.

Cattle Cafe 牛仔餐廳 : Vancouver location

Continuing with my noodle phase... Cattle Cafe! There are two locations in Burnaby, one in Vancouver and one in Richmond? Ever since they started popping out of no where in the last couple of years, my boyfriend has always wanted to try this place. Personally I cannot eat at hong kong style cafes because there is nothing I ever want to order. I would be a lot happier going to McDonalds' (seriously) than hong kong cafes. The only reason I suggested coming here is was because of my noodle phase.

My only complaint is the uncomfortable seating arrangements. I am 5'3, 110lbs and consider myself to have a big booty. Keeping my body frame in mind, the most awkward and uncomfortable thing happened. I had to squeeze through the tiny space between the tables and my ass would be on another persons table. WHY ARE THE SEATING ARRANGEMENTS SO TIGHT?! I hate restaurants who try to get as many tables as they can. Seriously my ass was practically on someones food and I felt so bad.

THE CHICKEN WINGS, CHINESE YAM SOUP, TOFU PUDDING, HONEYDEW SMOOTHIE, CRISPY SHELL SHRIMP, BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE, BEEF SHORT RIBS AND ORIGINAL FISH SOUP

His drink is the HONEYDEW SMOOTHIE ($2.00) and my drink is the BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE ($2.00). Muahaha lesson learned from Deer Garden, I asked for no sugar in my blueberry smoothie :). But instead they added syrup :(. My boyfriend's honeydew tasted really powdery, it was not too sweet and just tasted like too much powder.

The first dish is the CRISPY SHELL SHRIMP IN SPECIAL SEASONING BLEND ($3.99). I thought the salt inside the jar is unhygienic and really gross since it has been reused so many times. There are clumps of salt inside and the jar looks really sticky. I am not sure what their seasoning blend is but it tastes like just salt? The prawns are pretty much hard to eat and stuck on the skewers. They try to copy the dish from Hong Kong but in HK they are fresh and easy to eat. 

The side of HOUSE SPECIAL GINGER DEEP FRIED WINGS ($1.99). The order comes with three pieces, they are not over deep fried and the inside is not dry or moist. I would pass unless I want wings.

The next dish is the GRAIN FED BEEF SHORT RIBS IN JAPANESE STYLE MUSTARD SAUCE WITH RICE ($11.99). For the price, it would have been nice if they added more vegetables since there are only five pieces of diced carrots and cucumber.  The japanese style mustard sauce tastes like a beef gravy and is not very good to me (probably since I am not used to it, keep in mind I usually do not like HK style cafes.. my boyfriend did not like it either and he likes HK style cafes though). For the grain fed beef short ribs, I feel like they used way too much meat tenderizer. Who uses meat tenderizer on short ribs? It must be a HK style cafe thing but I doubt it. The meat tenderizer pretty much ruined the beef ribs. I do not recommend this dish and consider it my lesson to stick to the usuals for HK style cafes.

My FRESH CHINESE YAM FISH SOUP WITH TAIWANESE VERMICELLI ($8.50), SLICED BEEF BRISKET ($INCLUDED), BASA FISH SLICE ($INCLUDED) and FRESH BEAN CURD ($1.25). The broth is a lot thicker and creamier than Deer Gardens'. I also think most people would prefer Cattle Cafes', but I like Deer Gardens' because the broth is lighter and I prefer that.

The SLICED BEEF BRISKET and BASA FISH SLICES. The fish slices are perfectly cooked, as in so good that you doubt if it is even cooked. I love that, but only when I do it myself. I think they did not have the intentions of making the fish like that, to the point where they would have risked it being raw. But oh well, it was cooked for me (I did doubt it a few times though). The sliced beef brisket is not chewy but is a bit tough.

His ORIGINAL FISH SOUP WITH VERMICELLI, JAPANESE BBQ PORK ($INCLUDED), ENOKI MUSHROOM ($INCLUDED), BASA FISH SLICE ($1.25) and HAM ($1.25). My boyfriend finds the broth flavourful and prefers it over Deer Gardens', but the toppings at Deer Garden are a lot better.

The HAM, JAPANESE BBQ PORK and BASA FISH SLICE. Usually japanese BBQ pork is tender and soft, but it is really tough, hard and chewy here. I would stick with the sliced beef brisket.

For desert, HOUSE BRAND SMOOTH TOFU PUDDING ($4.99). The tofu is properly made with a smooth texture, so no complaints.

MY THOUGHTS:

The fish broths are flavourful and creamy but I still prefer Deer Gardens' because of their lighter taste. I also enjoy Deer Gardens' more because they have flat noodles (I think the only reason I liked their noodle soup is because of the flat noodles) and better toppings. Asides from the noodle soups, the prawns and beef short ribs are not that great and kind of wasteful to order. Other then the food, the tight seating arrangements are pretty darn awkward too. For service, the girls are pretty nice and friendly but one dish was forgotten.

Food: 2.5/5
Service: 3/5

Deer Garden Signatures 鹿園魚湯米線: Sexsmith location

POST ON DEER GARDEN SIGNATURES AT FRASER STREET [HERE]

This is my second visit to Deer Garden and I really wanted to give the restaurant a second chance, for personal reasons. You see, I am not a fan of noodles. First, I do not get full off noodles and second, I rather have pretty much anything else (pizza, burger, donair, vegetables, steak, chicken… ice cream).

So on my first visit, I remember having to wait five minutes for a seat and was shocked that I waited for noodles! It is really hard for me to have bubble tea food, noodles, or eat at a Hong Kong style cafe; so yes, I was quite frustrated that I waited for a noodle shop. In addition, I have never even heard of Deer Garden and the restaurant was my friend's choice. So since I did not eat noodles then, I had the curry beef brisket (which was alright.. nothing special and kind of chewy) and a red bean smoothie with ice cream.

Fast forward to a couple of years later, I started randomly craving for noodles! Meaning, I had to visit Deer Garden, properly. We came around 4:00pm on a weekday and the restaurant was fairly empty. Walking in, there was a strong fresh aroma of milk tea, I liked it LOL.

Tapioca Cafe 三年一班

I am the worst person to be with in Richmond for a late night dinner. Why? Because I do not want to eat Chinese or Shanghainese food anymore. Also, I think it is silly to visit Cactus Club if I am in Richmond. Plus, I did not want hot pot either so that limited my options quite a bit. I was however, craving for Taiwanese beef noodles (I am pretty much a poser and can only eat 10 strands)! After circling Richmond for an hour, literally, I made up my mind and decided to try Tapioca Cafe. I only know of Tapioca Cafe because I used to see their "soft opening" and "grand opening" signs when I headed next door to Richmond Sushi. The restaurant's interior has a classroom style layout and looks cute. The only complaint would be the tables. Every table has a bar which prevents people from crossing their legs.

GINSENG CHICKEN SOUP, PEPPERY CRISPY CHICKEN, HOUSE SPECIAL STEWED BEEF NOODLES, DEEP FRIED FISH CAKE, CHINESE HERB WITH LAMB HOTPOT, AND SLICED PORK AND CABBAGE IN SPICY SAUCE.