Mamalee Malaysian Delight

Sometimes being picky can bite you in the arse.

The name Mamalee gives the impression of an authentic, rich and home cooked style Malaysian cuisine restaurant. However, could this be the opposite? When looking for a late lunch on West Broadway in Kitsilano, I passed by a few Japanese restaurants that seemed mediocre at best and catered to students (most offer student discounts). So, being stupid and not going one street over to West 4th, I remember an Instagrammer recommended Mamalee Malaysian Delight to me (the hainanese chicken and roti are supposed to be pretty good!).

The restaurant is not very big and has less than twenty seats available. The interior resembles a small bubble tea joint and the restaurant may get busy during peak hours, since there is a self-serve waitlist by the entrance. Walking in, a waiter was having lunch and immediately got up to seat and provide us with the menu.

Cafe D'Lite Express 椰樹林

Having a late lunch and trying out a few food stalls at Aberdeen Centre, Cafe D'Lite Express was stop number one. Thinking back on it now, I probably should have tried the hainanese chicken too!

SEAFOOD LAKSA ($7.75) + COCA COLA ($1.12.

Mei Jan Hong Beef Jerky LTD

Making impulse purchases and eating when I am not hungry are two things I am good at. So, every time I am at Aberdeen (well, to be honest, whenever I am in Richmond not necessarily the mall), I always make a trip to Mei Jan Hong for some jerky. This little shop is one of the only two places that I know of for freshly made jerky. I have tried the chicken, beef and pork, and honest to truth, the jerky is only average at best (although I have high standards for a lot of things). 

The main point (for me) is that the jerky is housemade and fresh. Also, there is a limited amount of fresh jerky shops in B.C. After a few errands, I continued with my weekly routine to grab some jerky. I started snapping some photos until the owner came out from the back and said, "no photos" in an unfriendly tone of voice (I do not blame her). I was a bit surprised since there was never an issue of taking photos before. Plus, I always buy a few pounds, am a regular and was already paying for my jerky, still no photos allowed? I mean, I totally respect if there was a sign posted saying no photos… but she did not have to be so angry about it. Being the immature person I am, I only wanted four strips of each kind and cancelled the 3lbs she was already weighing. That of course caused her to glare at me more but meh, I only come here for impulse purchases anyways. If I loved the jerky here, then this would be a different story.