Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

Lunar New Year is such a great excuse to eat delicious food. Last year, we had food delivered from Grand Chinese Restaurant in Yaletown. The year before last we enjoyed dinner from Lin Chinese Cuisine . If you checked out those two posts, I am quite consistent with our dishes. I ordered the same thing for lunch today from Happy Noodle House. Lunch from Happy Noodle House 8-pieces Xiao Long Bao I liked the Xiao Long Bao. It's close to the one from Lin Chinese Cuisine and to think this has been delivered. I am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Beef Rolls Our favourite Beef Roll has been from Peaceful Restaurant and this comes second. The primary difference is the actual roll is thinner and flakier from Peaceful. Pan-Fried Pork Buns I still prefer the Pan-Fried Pork Buns from Lin Chinese Cuisine. This one doesn't have enough filling inside. Tan-Tan Noodles (with Hand-Pulled Noodles) It's so spicy! I liked it. The best Tan-Tan noodle dish I've had in Vancouver...

After our delicious lunch at Kintaro Ramen, we walked the stretch of Denman Street looking for desserts and ended up at D’oro Gelato e Caffè – Denman Street. Cake and Brownie from D’oro Gelato e Caffè – Denman Street Ricotta Pistachio Cake slice from D’oro Gelato e Caffè – Denman Street Gluten-Free Brownie from D’oro Gelato e Caffè – Denman Street The brownie tastes like Ferrero chocolate. I love it!

Happy Saturday! We had errands to run in Downtown Vancouver today and decided to have ramen for lunch. We went through the list of the best ramen in Vancouver  and had lunch at Kintaro Ramen. I enjoyed the Miso ramen more than I thought I would. This has become my favourite ramen shop for Miso Ramen. Next time, I'll try making it spicy. Barbeque Pork Miso Ramen Kintaro's best. Ramen noodles in soup are flavoured with soybean pastes from four different Japanese regions and twelve spices with beans. Barbeque Pork Miso Ramen has bean sprout, bamboo shoot, green onion, and I chose half & half of fat and lean bbq pork. Shio Ramen Ramen in a simple and mild soup made from pork-bone stock and natural sea salt. The BBQ Pork Shio Ramen has bean sprout, bamboo shoots, green onions, boiled egg, and half & half BBQ pork. Gyoza Can't wait to try more delicious ramen!

Happy Sunday! We're back in Downtown Vancouver today for errands, and I was planning to grab lunch from one of the food trucks participating at Dine Out Vancouver food truck event in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Still, I found it too cold to be enjoying food outside.  We ended up walking along Robson Street, and I spotted Jinya Ramen Bar. It's our first time here, but we have ordered for delivery in the past . Hubby pointed out the Premium Tonkotsu Red and thinks I'll enjoy it. I love spicy food. According to the server, Level 9 and 10 are unavailable because they're out of stock of the habanero peppers. I wanted Level 7, but she said Level 4 is already spicy, so I settled for Level 6. Premium Tonkotsu Red Pork broth, pork chashu, kikurage, green onion, seasoned egg, nori dried seaweed, red hot chilli, oil and spicy bean sprouts, and thick noodles. First, the broth was rich and flavourful, and for level 6, you can feel the burn on your throat, but only during the...

Happy Saturday! After more than a week, we left the house today. Before going grocery shopping at Real Canadian Superstore, I told my brother (who we met in Downtown Vancouver after running errands) that I wanted ramen. He remembered trying Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba. We were there five minutes before they opened and decided to just wait out in the frigid. It's a cold but beautiful sunny day. Hubby debated whether to order the most famous Tokyo Mazesoba or the Chef's Special Zenbu Mazesoba. He ended up with the Zenbu Mazesoba, and after taking a bite, I seriously regret not ordering a Mazesoba. Mazesoba is ramen without soup like Chinese chow-mein or saucy Filipino pancit.  Zenbu Mazesoba Slow-Braised Pork Chashu, Spicy Minced Pork, Soft Boiled Egg, Seaweed, Bamboo Shoot, Seaweed Flakes, Chives, Green Onion, Minced Garlic, Grinded Saba Fish, Sesame, Raw Egg Yolk, and Multi-Grain Noodle Made in House I ordered ramen because it's what I am craving, and I went for the name-sake ram...

I skipped the first two weeks of the year and didn't order HelloFresh. I was planning to order a HelloFresh box last week, but we had to do our twice-a-year Costco run, which means my small fridge can't fit all the frozen items from Costco and a HelloFresh box. My five HelloFresh meals. I look forward to relatively healthy eating from my HelloFresh box this week. Do you want to try HelloFresh? Sign up now ! Carb Smart Chipotle Beef Chili  with Poblano Peppers and Cheddar Cheese We also ordered this dish  last year , primarily because it's only 580 calories which I split into two, so each meal is only 290 calories! I added all the chipotle spice, and there's heat on the chilli - I love it! Carb Smart Chipotle Beef Chilli with Poblano Peppers and Cheddar Cheese HelloFresh Description: This nourishing low-carb chilli replaces beans with lots of wholesome veggies! We added extra deliciousness with spicy chipotle and melty cheddar cheese! Carb Smart is based on a...

Dine Out Vancouver Festival is celebrating its 20th year of Culinary Celebration. Because I enjoy visualizing restaurants in a map, I thought of adding all restaurants that's part of Dine Out Vancouver in a map. This way you can find the closest one to you. You can also view the map here .

After our Costco run, I told my parents that we wanted Filipino groceries and should head to the closest Superstore. However, my mom suggested that we go to Dollar Smart instead. Grocery shopping for Filipino goodies is such a relaxing and happy moment for me. Choosing a piece of my childhood home in my new home country is so satisfying. Anyway, after Dollar Smart, we had lunch at Pho 37. 1. Spring Rolls I love Vietnamese spring roll, and I think it's my favourite one outside of Lumpiang Shanghai  (Filipino spring roll). 37. Tuan's Special Beef Noodle Soup A unique flavourful beef noodle soup with a poached egg (Pho Tuan) I think at this point, I can recommend the MUST-TRY item from Pho 37: Tuan's Special Beef Noodle Soup (It's the 37th item on the menu). It's so delicious. Item 11 (Special Beef Noodle Soup) was already impressive, and I can't believe 37 is even better. 12. Medium Rare Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Tai) I chose number 12 just to continue down their pho ...

Happy Saturday! After 14 days, we're seeing my parents again. Then, hubby and I need to do our twice-a-year Costco grocery run. Before heading to Costco, we had breakfast at Denny's. Classic Benny Poached eggs and stacked shaven ham on a toasted English muffin topped with Hollandaise sauce. Served with seasoned red-skinned potatoes. The Classic Benny is as classic as you're going to get. However, the Prime Rib Benny was better. I can't wait to try the other benny on their menu. Ultimate Omelette Crumbled sausage, bacon, fire-roasted bell peppers & onions, sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes and Cheddar cheese, served with hash browns and multi-grain toast. Hubby ordered the Ultimate Omelette, and it's another classic. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the hash brown. I am glad that we're able to enjoy the food from Denny's after two years.

Happy Sunday! It's the last day of the long weekend, and I am back at work tomorrow (still working from home). We watched The Fiery Priest, which made me crave rice, so we ordered Chef Hung Taiwanese Beef Noodles, our usual favourite Taiwanese dishes. Taiwanese-Style Deep Fried Chicken Cutlet on Rice The chicken was juicy inside, and the batter was crunchy, but it was a bit salty for my liking. Deep-Fried Chicken Nuggets Same with chicken cutlet, it's good and juicy but a bit salty. Green Tea Shaved Ice The Green Tea Shaved Ice arrived in one piece and surprisingly still solid. I guess it did help that the temperature outside is close to 0 degrees Celsius. ...

Our first delivery of the year is from Pizza Garden. 🍕 Do you want a slice? I ordered two Half and Half Pizza which means we could enjoy four different Neapolitan pizzas. I just picked the first four flavours on the list alphabetically in the option. Apparently, I chose four veggie pizzas and one meat pizza. Top: Calabria (Tomato sauce, mozzarella, fior di latte, granada padno, capicolla, fennel sausage, hot soppressata) Bottom: Bianco (Extra virgin olive oil, mozzarella, fior di latte, grana Padano, fresh basil, ricotta cheese, roasted garlic, grape tomatoes (no base sauce)) I enjoyed the Soppressata in the Calabria pizza. However, Bianco was kind of bland. I wish there were more fresh basil. Top: Amante Spinaci (Tomato sauce, mozzarella, fior di latte, grana padano, spinach, kalamata olives, ricotta cheese, and pesto drizzle) Bottom: Aglio Arrostito (Pesto sauce, mozzarella, fior di latte, grana padano, roasted garlic, and grape tomatoes) My favourite is the Amante Spinaci ...