Cindy's Palace 頭啖湯美食專家 (2nd visit)

FIRST POST ON CINDY'S PALACE [HERE]

BF has been wanting to revisit Cindy's Palace for a while, especially for their special fried rice and herbal soup. Actually on the night we visited Shining Garden, we were going to visit Cindy's but after reading my blog post, the food seemed only average. So, after grabbing a case of dragon fruit (which I love) from T&T a couple of days later, we made our way to Cindy's. My first thoughts were, is the restaurant even open? Why is it empty? Just like our last visit, odd. I assume Cindy's Palace is a lot busier during dim sum like many restaurants. 

Wilbur & Sabastian's Smokehouse & Bistro

All our smoked meats are marinated and lightly seasoned with our own spice-rub before being slowly smoked in Maple and Alder. 

When someone mentions Coquitlam, I think of Coquitlam Town Centre and never Port Coquitlam or Port Moody. I mean, when I go to Port Moody I just think of it as Coquitlam and as for Port Coquitlam, all I know is that you pass a small bridge which is a few minutes away from Coquitlam Centre. So, having to make an errand, I went all the way out to Port Coquitlam and realized hey, this is pretty far! Fortunately, Wilbur & Sabastian's Smokehouse is also located in Port Coquitlam which is a restaurant that I have been wanting to visit for about half a year. 

After visiting Memphis Blues, I made it a goal to try every barbecue joint in B.C which is fairly easy, since there are not too many. The restaurant is very clean and the seating arrangements are comfortable as well as comfortable (no cramped tables here)! However, there are not many tables which my be an issue during peak hours, for those who hate line ups. 

Walking in, we were greeted by a friendly waiter and he gave us the option of sitting anywhere.

Shining Garden 麥田餐廳 (2nd visit)

FIRST POST ON SHINING GARDEN [HERE]

THIRD REVISIT POST ON SHINING GARDEN [HERE]

FOURTH REVISIT POST ON SHINING GARDEN [HERE]

Occasionally Most of the time when I revisit a restaurant out of convenience, I tend to forget some of the… well, crappy dishes that I have ordered before. The worst part is, as I am eating, I read my post and think "damn, it really tastes the same and I should not have ordered it!". So, when looking for a Chinese restaurant to revisit, BF and I pulled over and did the smart thing, to look over some of my blog posts. As it turns out, most of the restaurants are only average (excluding my regulars). However, surprisingly Shining Garden has a rating of 4/5?! For those who hate on my negative posts read my blog, it is really rare for me to rate a restaurant as 4/5. Moreover, to quote my previous visit to Shining Garden, the cream and butter sauce as well as the supreme broth, tastes "properly made". I honestly could not wait to drive down here (even though we were actually already in the area!).

On a weekend, Shining Garden was packed which was the complete opposite of our first visit! We arrived at 8:30pm and waited twenty minutes to half an hour for a seat. As we stood waiting, one of the waitresses came up to us and said hello in Chinese, but in the way like "hey I know you!!". We did not recognize her and thought it was a bit funny.

Shining Garden can pretty much accommodate any type of group. There are booth seating arrangements for tables of less than four, a few tables in the centre for groups of more than five, and private rooms for more than seven. I definitely recommend making reservations and getting a room for larger parties!

Szechuan Chongqing 重慶大飯店 : Commercial Drive location

Yeah… not going to bother taking another photo of the restaurant's exterior LOL, this photo is good enough. Around 9:00pm on a Sunday, where is there to go for Chinese food? Other than the usual late night restaurants on Kingsway, Fraser or Main Street, apparently Szechuan Chongqing is open until 10:30pm (not really late night but it was useful in my situation)!

I have been trying to come here for a while now and well, I just do not bother. Possibly because my family has never been here, or family friends… or hey, even my own friends! Meaning, there must be a reason right? Plus, when I tried visiting the location in Burnaby, their seafood was $5.00/lb higher than Kirin! As for the interior, the restaurant looks quite nice. The interior follows a neutral color scheme, has a high ceiling, chandeliers, and is fairy big as well as spacious.

Top Cantonese Cuisine Restaurant 食為先酒家 : Alaskan King Crab

DIM SUM POST AT TOP CANTONESE [HERE]

ALASKAN KING CRAB POST AT EMPIRE CHINESE [HERE]

ALASKAN KING CRAB POST AT GOLDEN SWAN [HERE]

After seeing every table order Alaskan king crab at Western Lake, I wanted one as well and took BF out for dinner a couple of days later. Of course since it was only the two of us, thrifty me, called a few restaurants asking for the price. Most of the prices ranged from $28.80/lb to $36.00/lb. I thought AKC season already started?! Last year the prices were a lot cheaper and surprisingly the most expensive restaurants for king crab are currently Fortune House in Metrotown and Grand Place at Henderson Plaza in Coquitlam. Also surprisingly two not very good restaurants LOL… Anyway, Top Cantonese is only charging $20.99/lb and despite the frustrating table experience during dim sum a few months ago, we still made the visit.

9LB ALASKAN KING CRAB ($20.99/LB). 

Since my last post on AKC at Empire Chinese, something about myself has changed… I was no longer embarrassed to ask if I can snap a photo of the crab this time! Of course when it came down to taking the actual photo… I quickly took it while feeling awkward and embarrassed to mention that my photo looked blurry. Plus, it did not help when the waiter said the king crab was too heavy... Anyways, we made a reservation around 5:00pm on a weekend for 6:00pm, and when we walked in, the restaurant was already turning away tables! Top Cantonese was literally empty when we walked in and within five minutes, the restaurant was packed and every table was ordering AKC. The restaurant's interior is not too cramped and has comfortable seating arrangements as well as more than enough staff on the floor. Of course since literally every table ordered AKC, not one staff member was grumpy at all considering how much tips they would get at the end of the night!

GINSENG CHICKEN SOUP, EGG TOFU WITH DRIED SCALLOP SAUCE AND ENOKI MUSHROOM, MANGO PUDDING, ALASKAN KING CRAB, BAKED ALASKAN KING CRAB FRIED RICE WITH PORTUGUESE CURRY SAUCE, SPICY DEEP FRIED ALASKAN KING CRAB KNUCKLES, GREEN BEAN SOUP AND STEAMED ALASKAN KING CRAB LEGS WITH MINCED GARLIC AND GREEN ONION.

Bubble Town

Bubble Town eh? Out of my at least fifty times coming to this plaza to grab a sub at Ba Le, Bubble Town has never crossed my mind. Why the sudden interest? Well, it was that awkward 5:00pm first meal of the day and not wanting to spoil my appetite kinda thing. I mean, of course I really wanted to go to Sal Y Limon… but if I did, I would probably order at least a couple of tacos and a burrito, which would have spoiled my appetite for dinner. When we walked in, there were a few mothers' with their newborns and the bubble tea joint seemed like a neighbourhood hang out. The second thing I noticed was the owner cutting up some fresh mangos on a sheet of newspaper, and my immediate thoughts were "fresh mango juice!".

Hanamori Sushi

Having spent some time looking for a new Japanese restaurant, my choice was Hanamori Sushi. The restaurant is located in Burquitlam on North Road, near Sushi &, Insadong, Chom Chom Fusion and Pho 99. Hanamori is Korean owned and the restaurant is quite small, with only three tables available as well as four seats at the sushi bar. As for the interior, the restaurant is clean and the atmosphere is friendly as well as inviting.

Western Lake Chinese Seafood 西湖海鮮酒家

Western Lake is an occasional dim sum restaurant of mine but I have never been here for dinner! On a weekend evening, we made last minute reservations just in case the restaurant was busy and when we walked in, there was a family of six waiting for a seat by the entrance. The staff was very busy and no one paid attention to the door, however, when our reservation time came up, one of the waiters came to look for us. This was nice considering that we were not forgotten. The restaurant's interior is clean as well as simple and not too cramped.

GINSENG CHICKEN SOUP, SCALLOPS WITH SNOW PEAS, LOBSTER IN CREAM AND BUTTER SAUCE, STEAMED TILAPIA, GREEN BEAN SOUP WITH TAPIOCA, AND BRAISED SQUAB.

Indian Star Restaurant & Sweets

LOL wow. This is my second time going to the wrong restaurant. According to some reviews, the restaurant's "medium spicy" is quite spicy and overly. However, after visiting the restaurant, I wondered why nothing had a hint of spiciness. After going on Urbanspoon to confirm what some reviewers had said, it turns out I went to Indian Star? Whoops, I meant to visit Royal Tandoori! Despite taking a photo of the restaurant's exterior and uploading it, it was not until I noticed on Urbanspoon that I visited Indian Star! Quite sad actually, considering that both restaurants are located on the same street and I constantly kept saying "hmmm Royal Tandoori, where's that?". Obviously I assumed the first Indian restaurant that I saw was the right one LOL… the careless things that happen when one is too hungry. Indian Star has comfortable seating arrangements and the restaurant is pretty well ventilated! I am not sure if it was because the restaurant was empty or not, but I am leaning towards it really is well ventilated. 

BASMATI RICE, PRAWN VINDALOO, EGGPLANT BHARTA, LAMB CURRY, NAAN BREAD AND BUTTER CHICKEN.

Shun Xin Hot Pot

Looking for something different to try, I thought of Shun Xin Hot Pot. And a few minutes after deciding to visit, a friend of mine also suggested the restaurant! Was this meant to be? I have mentioned before that I do not mind driving to Richmond with one exception, I will not have to park at the plaza where Chen's Shanghai Kitchen is. Well, turns out that plaza is called Park Lane which is also where Shun Xin is! Fortunately we did not need to circle around or wait half an hour for a spot (like previous visits) and as we arrived, someone was leaving.

The restaurant offers AYCE hot pot and their specialty dry style hot pot, which is a spicy crab and/or prawns stir-fried with selected ingredients by the customer. There are plenty of ingredients to add along with the seafood for an additional $4.00-$6.00/item. Also, I recommend reservations because on a weeknight, everyone had reservations and we waited forty five minutes. Although the wait was not that bad since I love spicy food, it was hard to refrain from walking a few doors down to Chen's Shanghai! The restaurant's interior is pretty well ventilated and has plenty of booth seating arrangements as well as a couple of tables for larger parties at the back. Gloves, napkins, chop sticks and a bowl for the broken shells are provided.

Black + Blue

Black + Blue = Steakhouse, Glowbal restaurant and meat locker. Yup, that pretty much sums it up. I recently found out that all Glowbal restaurants currently have a promotion, order two appetizers as well as two entrees, and the second entree is free! Of course the fine print is, it has to be between 4:00pm-6:30pm which is more than reasonable. Most places that offer happy hours or promotions is to keep the restaurant afloat during the day and the staff busy. A typical business strategy when the restaurant needs extra income and does not lose money during the daytime. On a rainy weekday, I made reservations for 5:00pm and requested a seat on the second floor. I also requested that if the seating arrangement cannot be accommodated, I would be more than happy to change the date and/or time if needed.

Well, turns out that was useless. After being seated on the first floor in the corner with a view of the front desk, the host mentions that the second floor opens after 6:00pm. Yeah… why did I not receive a phone call? Plus, considering that the restaurant was not busy when we walked in, it would have been nice if we were seated at a different spot (although we did not get the worst seat since there is a window...). To be honest, if I was celebrating a special occasion, I would not be happy with the seat. Also, since it was pouring rain, it would have been nice if the host offered to grab our coats.

K. K. Dollar Hot Pot 開開豆撈坊

Having tried most of the known all you can eat hot pot restaurants in Richmond such as Cattle Hot Pot, Chubby Lamb, Claypot, Little Sheep Mongolian and Tak Heng Hot Pot, the next one on the list is K.K Dollar Hot Pot. The restaurant is located in the same plaza along with Oriental Dumpling King and is across the street from Tak Heng. When we arrived, we walked through the open door which lead to a… kind of odd stairwell and a shopping cart (my Instagram video here!) However after entering the restaurant, the atmosphere was a lot better. 

The interior is clean, spacious and well ventilated. K.K Dollar offers a deluxe as well as a regular AYCE menu and for an extra $3.00/person, one can order tong ho, mashed prawn paste and abalone mushroom. If it was not for the tong ho, we would have passed on the deluxe menu.

After ordering, our friendly waitress told us to help ourselves at the sauce section. Wow, sauce section this was. This is no ordinary sauce station like Little Sheep Mongolian's. This is the works. The station includes minced garlic, jalapeño, red chilli, cilantro and green onion. In addition, there are more than ten sauces!

Sesame oil, spicy oil, chilli preserved bean curd, special satay, fish, peanut, beef, sha ha, K.K special, and hot & spicy. I stuck with satay since I rarely use sauce and if I have to, I love my satay. Asides from the unlimited garnishes and sauces, the restaurant also offers a few snacks such as bean curd, marinaded bean curd, roasted peanuts and edamame. The marinaded bean curd is quite tasty and has a flavourful star anise taste, while also tasting slightly sweet and juicy.

DELUXE $24.95 || ADULT $21.95 || CHILD (4-10) $14.95 

BROTHS $3.75 - $7.50 || POP $1.95

Deer Garden Restaurant

Whaaaat! There is a Deer Garden in Coquitlam? No, there is not. Some photos must have been added to the restaurant by accident because this is not the Deer Garden Signatures! You know that feeling after sitting at a restaurant and literally not knowing what to order? Once in a blue moon when it happens to me, it is either because I am overwhelmed from so many choices or, there is simply nothing that I am interested in. Yeah, I was pretty upset after taking a look at the menu. Not only that but as a late lunch… I could not have Chinese food the way I like it, with plenty of dishes and seafood. So, we settled on grabbing a snack and to go for dinner a couple of hours later.

The restaurant has plenty of booth seating arrangements as well as larger tables for parties of more than eight. Deer Garden is also a Hong Kong style cafe restaurant but unfortunately since we arrived around 4:00pm, the dinner menu was only available. Also, the restaurant offers crab meat and fish maw soup for $21.00! Is it fresh dungeness crab meat rather than the typical packaged?! Wow, even the higher end Chinese restaurants do not charge that much. I wonder how the dinner is here.

RICE, CARROT AND PORK BONE WITH HERBS SOUP, HAI-NAM STYLE CHICKEN, GREEN BEAN SOUP, SEAFOOD, PORK AND CHICKEN WITH TOFU HOT POT.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory : Harrison Hot Springs

After finishing breakfast at Chuck & Kitty's, I was craving for something sweet and head to Rocky Mountain. The man working at the front was friendly as well as welcoming, and offered us a sample of their maple fudge. I grew up frequently visiting Rocky Mountain, especially for their caramel popcorn! However, isn't it weird that I never tried their caramel apples?! It must be a Chinese thing… my parents never wanted me to try one when I was younger, and now that I am older, I do not care for them. I like my fruit simple, with no yogurt, melted chocolate or caramel.

Bridges Restaurant

The fears of Groupon, SocialShopper and in this case, Travelzoo. Will the portions be smaller or have less quality? Theoretically, like specials, deals are offered to lure in new clientele. Meaning, the food should be good, if not better. What about those who claim there may be bad service due to the use of a discount voucher? Well, we will see. In general, I am not a fan of vouchers because from my past experiences, usually the restaurants are not so great… hence the need to lure in new clientele. However, I have been wanting to try Bridge's upper dining room for a while, so why not? 

Walking in, we were greeted by one of the staff who works at the gelato bar and she directed us to the stairs. After walking up, the hostess was friendly as well as welcoming, and offered to grab our coats. By the way, Bridges states to be a casual restaurant, so, so far the restaurant has pretty much some basic fine dining characteristics (which were lacking last week at West Restaurant!). 

The restaurant's interior is surprisingly not too shabby and I sort of expected a rustic place… but the restaurant has an odd Titanic atmosphere, especially towards the hallway to the washroom. Also, I appreciate that the seating arrangements are quite spacious; however, during the summer there are probably a few extra tables squeezed in.

Oasis Coffee & Bistro

After checking out of the Harrison Resort, it was around 11:30am and we wanted some breakfast at Muddy Waters. However, unfortunately the restaurant stops serving breakfast at 11:00am and we had to drive out to Agassiz. Having explored the small town before, we remembered that Oasis offers all day breakfast so we dropped by. The restaurant has a high ceiling, is well ventilated as well as squeaky clean, and the chalkboard menu is at the front. The staff is also very friendly and welcoming.

LONG HAUL, OASIS EGG BENNY AND TOMATO ROASTED GARLIC.

Vallarta's Mexican Restaurant

Having gone through a Japanese food phase followed by Chinese (remember those daily lobster or crab, then peking duck dinners?!), Shanghainese then Korean, throw in some occasional steakhouses, fine dining and noodle shops, that pretty much sums up my last view blog posts. So looking for a new cuisine to try, I started craving for some Mexican food after trying Sal Y Limon (which I totally recommend!) and found myself at Vallarta's Mexican Restaurant.

Vallarta's Mexican Restaurant is a small casual family run business. The interior is squeaky clean and there are less than ten tables. On our visit, many people grabbed take out instead of dining in too. As for the atmosphere, there are plenty of El Salvador decor and the restaurant has a home style vibe. The restaurant is also well ventilated and has a high ceiling.

Jacks Restaurant & Steakhouse

Jackson's Steak and Grill, or Jacks Restaurant & Steakhouse? Looking for a restaurant close to the Harrison Resort, I relied on Urbanspoon's "nearby" app and read a review on Jackson's Steak and Grill (mainly about their prime rib and tenderloin!). However, walking in to Jacks Restaurant & Steakhouse, we could not find prime rib or tenderloin on the menu! Turns out we were at the wrong steakhouse LOL. In our defence, how is Chilliwak considered a "nearby" eat from Harrison?! Jackson's Steak and Grill has plenty of booth seating arrangements and coming an hour before closing, the only one waitress at the front of the house was friendly as well as attentive. 

JACK'S SHRIMP CAPS, SIRLOIN WITH SCALLOPS, TABLE BREAD, TOMATO VEGETABLE SOUP, NEW YORK STEAK WITH PRAWNS AND BAKED ESCARGOT.