Earnest Ice Cream

Before parting ways with C'est la vie a Maggi, she urged me to try Earnest Ice Cream and to get it over with. As for her, she finds the shop overhyped and was firm on not ordering from here again. And from what I have heard, sometimes there are lineups up to an hour long! Although fortunately, we waited only a mere five minutes. 

Earnest Ice Cream focuses on local and sustainable flavours which is similar to Rain or Shine, a newer ice cream shop that popped up in Kitsilano. In addition, vegan flavours are available as well. And for those who really love the flavours here, Earnest has a fridge full of pints at the back of the shop.

As for the prices, they are slightly higher when compared to Rain or Shines'. Single $5.00, double $7.00, pint $11.00. However, waffle cones do not cost extra. As for the flavours of ice cream, vegan lemon, salted caramel, whiskey hazelnut, spruce bud, cardamon, london fog, rhubarb oat crumble, cafe au lait and 33 acres of malt was available.

Good Choice Restaurant 好彩小廚

I often get asked why my dinners for two are huge and can feed four, and my responses are the obvious; I love food and can eat a lot (hence, piggy in my blog name). So, a bit past a week ago, I started ordering less and only the "regular" amount of food that two people typically order at a restaurant. Why? Because I am a fitness junkie, summer is near and my last two abs need to pop out! Although this seems to backfire because by ordering less at a restaurant, I find myself still hungry when I get home and munching on snacks. Not good.

Anyways, about the restaurant, Good Choice was not my first choice. Going along Fraser Street, it seems like I have tried most of the restaurants I already want to and have been wanting to revisit Golden House Seafood! But, when in a relationship, you gotta think about the other person. So, he gets his 5% of restaurants to choose and it was time for him to collect. BFs choice is Good Choice because, well, simply neither of us have tried the restaurant and we were in the area.

The restaurant has around ten tables and properly maximizes the seating arrangements (no tight spaces). As for the service, there were only two waitresses at the front so when the restaurant got busy it was hard to get their attention because both focused on the larger tables, which is of course understandable.

Yu Xiang Yuan Restaurant 豫湘園 (2nd visit)

FIRST POST ON YU XIANG YUAN RESTAURANT 豫湘園 [HERE]

Yu Xiang Yuan is one of the few restaurants that I rave about after only one visit. On my first visit, every dish was above average and really good. Also, the owners and staff were friendly as well! My must orders from memory are the mouth watering chicken, xiao long bao and fried pork with green pepper.

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!).

Koon Bo Restaurant 冠寶美食之家

The fourth attempt to visit Koon Bo was finally successful! On the first attempt, the cook left at 8:30pm, on the second, the restaurant was closed (Monday), and on the third, I think the restaurant was too busy. Koon Bo is nothing special to be honest and I do not think I enjoyed their food before. My family and family friends do not like the restaurant, and I am not sure if I know of anyone that does. The only reason for my desire to revisit is to try the peking duck.

Coming on a Sunday evening, the restaurant was packed. The only available table was near the entrance, where there was a constant cold draft whenever the door opened. Surprisingly right next to us (more like behind me, back to back and if we both turned around at the same time, we could smell each other's breath) there was a table of six people seated at a table suitable for only four. I found that odd considering there was a proper table size available for them. After ordering, the owner came out to let us know that we should change tables since we ordered too much food, moved the table of six to the proper sized table, and us to theirs. 

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.

Golden House Seafood Restaurant 福陞海鮮酒家

Looking for a restaurant on Fraser Street, Golden House Seafood it was. When entering, I noticed a photocopy of an article from the Asian Pacific Post that stated the chef's experience as a cook in Hong Kong, at the Hyatt Hotel. Golden House Seafood is a small family owned mom and pop operation, with the husband at the back of the house and wife at the front. 

The restaurant is very small and only has eight tables. Furthermore, the seating arrangements are very comfortable, spacious and another table could have been squeezed in, but they chose not to. I really appreciate restaurants that do not cram in extra tables. 

Walking in, we were greeted by the owner's wife within less than one minute and she even apologized for our "wait" because when we walked in, another man was leaving and she only heard the door open once. Wow eh? At a Chinese restaurant? Friendly owners are hard to come by sometimes. Since we arrived for a late evening dinner around 9:00pm, roasted peanuts were provided.