Showing posts with label Richmond. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Richmond. Show all posts

Saturday, January 8, 2022

Lunch at Pho 37

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 list. Pho 37 is my parent's favourite pho place in Richmond, and my dad has been (apparently) slowly trying others like Pho Japolo and still regards Pho 37 as the best one. I think we now know where the foodie gene came from (Is there such a thing? Foodie gene LOL).

Friday, December 24, 2021

Christmas Eve Dinner from H-Mart at Home

Every year my sister picks a place on what we'll have for Christmas Eve dinner. This year we had Korean cuisine, specifically Korean BBQ, at home. We purchased a grill, marinated meat, and side dishes.

Christmas Eve Dinner

Below is a list of our past "cuisines":
  • 2020 - Chinese Food
  • 2019 - French Food
  • 2018 - Spanish Food
  • 2017 - Japanese Food
  • 2016 and 2015 - "Italian" Food (really it's Pizza and my mom's Spaghetti)
After dinner, we played some games then did Karaoke while waiting for midnight. Finally, at midnight, we had our annual tradition of exchanging gifts. It's so much fun to be with everybody. Merry Christmas, everyone!


Lunch from Japadog Drive-Through

Happy Friday and almost Christmas! 🎄 Today my parents picked us up from our place. We're going to celebrate Christmas at their place. Before heading there, we went grocery shopping at H-Mart in Richmond. Our theme for Christmas dinner is Korean cuisine.

After grocery shopping, we dropped by Lansdowne because my sister had to buy a tripod, and since my mom was already starving, we grabbed lunch from the Japadog.

My mom thought we should eat at the food court inside Lansdowne, but I am still paranoid about COVID, so buying a food truck and bringing it home seems the best idea.

Left: Kurobuta Terimayo and Kurobuta Okonomi
Right: Karaage and Wagyu Beef Terimayo

The Kurobuta Terimayo and Kuronuta Okonomi are for my parents, while hubby and I ordered Karaage and Wagyu Beef Terimayo. Surprisingly, I didn't enjoy the Karaage, and I think that's the first Japadog I didn't order.

We also ordered four different Shaked Fries flavours: Butter & Shoyu, Shichimi & Garlic, Aonori, and Black Pepper. I think the Butter & Shoyu is still the best. However, if you want something spicy, the Shichimi & Garlic is a delicious option.

For future me, here's a list of Japadog based on the menu in the McArthurGlen location with a link to which ones you've tried.
  1. Kurobuta Terimayo
  2. Kurobuta Okonomi
  3. Kurobuta Oroshi
  4. Kurobuta Love Meat
  5. Spicy Cheese Terimayo
  6. Yakisoba
  7. Ebi Tempura
  8. Tonkatsu
  9. Hot Spicy
  10. Yakiniku Rice
  11. Croquiette
  12. Karaage (today)
  13. Wagyu Beef Terimayo (today)
  14. Avocado
  15. Cilantro

Saturday, November 20, 2021

Game Day Snacks from Cineplex

Our family loves sports. One of my early memories of professional sports is when my dad watched a PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) game on our black and white television.

I watched all local basketball games in my early teens - PBA, collegiate, and even amateur. I remember wanting to be a courtside sports reporter (but my English grades weren't excellent). I also had four thick notebooks filled with basketball articles I clipped from the newspaper. I read the sports section every day. I even wrote about exciting games in my notebook. Then, of course, I watched games in person as well.

Now that we moved to Vancouver, Canada, it makes sense that we would learn the sports they watch in North America. Our only brother is our guide. He studied* the rules of American football so we could enjoy NFL games, he watched Major League Soccer on our TV, and I did too.

Anyway, all these backstories are my way of saying that today was a big day. Our Vancouver Whitecaps FC (football club) is in the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Game Day snacks from Cineplex

Hotdogs, Nachos, and Popcorn from Cineplex

We watched their 2017 playoff run on TV when they won against San Jose at home and lost to Seattle as well. Today, we were gathered around the TV to support the team. We also watched their last two home games in BC Place against Minnesota and Seattle.

The team lost today, but the rollercoaster ride of supporting a sports team is satisfying.

* One of the best ways to learn about sports is watching an anime because the good ones break down each play and position. Personally, what got me to love basketball is Slam Dunk.

Brunch at Eggspectation

I'll start this post with a disclaimer that I will be biased. Our youngest sister started working at Eggspectation a couple months ago. It's her first job, and this is after graduating high school in the middle of the pandemic and suffering from anxiety, depression, and just that general feeling of loss and not knowing what to do next. Our family is so grateful to Eggspectation for hiring our youngest sister and giving her some sense of hope, purpose, and joy. Thank you!

Brunch at Eggspectation

Now, let's talk about today. The Vancouver Whitecaps FC will have their first playoff game since 2017, and my younger sister, my husband, and I will go to my parent's place to watch. Of course, we're ordering popcorn and all other random food you eat at the stadium to try and recreate the experience.

Before doing all that this afternoon, we grabbed breakfast at Eggspectation.

First up, we ordered drinks. I had Banana Java while hubby went Nutella Hot Chocolate.

Nutella Hot Chocolate and Banana Java (Espresso, chocolate milk, honey, and banana - the ideal combination to kick-start your day. Wake up!)

For sharing, we ordered a Breakfast Poutine. The only other place I tried some rendition of breakfast poutine is at Denny's, and their poutine was covered in hollandaise sauce instead of gravy.

The poutine arrived hot on our table, and I decided to eat one of the potatoes right away smothered by gravy and cheese curd. I burnt my tongue. I was so hungry, I didn't even think that it'd be hot.

The gravy was surprisingly delicious and worked perfectly with the cheese curd. It even tastes better after having the yolk from the egg cover everything.

Breakfast Poutine
Lyonnaise-style potatoes with chunks of bacon, sausage, ham, and cheese curds, all smothered with homemade breakfast gravy and topped with a sunny side egg.

For our individual meals, I chose Bagel and Lox while hubby ordered Yolk Around The Clock.

Bagel and Lox
A toasted Montreal bagel stuffed with cream cheese, smoked wild sockeye salmon, tomatoes, red onions, and capers. Served with Lyonnaise-style potatoes.

I have tried two Bagel and Lox so far - one from Siegel's (which has the best bagels in Vancouver) and another from Mon Pitou. I can't recommend the Eggspectation's Bagel and Lox. I wish the bagel was more toasted and had more cream cheese.

Thankfully, what hubby ordered was better, and I told him that I could totally make it at home.

Yolk Around The Clock
A sliced bagel grilled with a sunny-side-up egg in each hole topped with bacon and cheddar on one half and Swiss cheese on the other, with perfectly seasoned Lyonnaise-style potatoes.

When we were about to finish our meal, I received a message from my youngest sister that she had just noticed us, and apparently, she was keeping an eye out most of the day. 😂 She was so focused at work that she didn't notice.

She also mentioned to our server that I'm her sister, and they gave us a discount. I tipped higher than I usually would because even though the staff are paid above minimum wage, some of their earnings are from the tip.

Will I come back? Absolutely! Here are the last two posts I have about Eggspectation: Birthday Lunch Delivery and Breakfast.

Friday, October 29, 2021

Dinner from Wendy's

Happy Friday evening! We finally have a family doctor in Canada and tonight was our first appointment. After the doctor visit, we went to Wendy's to grab some quick dinner before heading home.

My mom has coupons (lots of it!) for Wendy's and other fast-food chains, and we could use them.
Spicy Chicken Burger Combo

Unfortunately, the burger wasn't spicy at all. Hubby said there's some heat, but not a lot. Somehow, Wendy's is lagging behind the Spicy Chicken Burger battle, which is unfortunate. However, the french fries were legit. I actually liked it more than I thought I would.

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Dinner delivery from Domino's Pizza

Happy Saturday! Every time the Vancouver Whitecaps has a Saturday game, we would almost always visit my parent's place so that we can enjoy the game with our only brother. It's always fun watching with him and recently (last Thanksgiving and today) my younger sister joined us.

Our youngest sister asked that we have Domino's for dinner because my mom kept ordering from Pizza Hut, and she missed Domino's cheesy bread.

We ordered more than enough food for five persons. I also realized that I haven't tried any Feast Pizza, so I'll order one every chance I get.

Domino's Pizza dinner delivery

14" Hand Tossed Chicken Taco
Menu Description: Whole Cheddar, White Processed Cheddar Cheese, Chicken, Green Pepper, Onions, Tomatoes

I enjoyed the Chicken Taco pizza more than I thought I would. If all the Feast Pizza is as good, then I am looking forward to ordering more flavours.

12" Hand Tossed Customized Pizza
Our customization: Whole Garlic Parmesan Sauce, No Pizza Sauce, Cheese Left Extra Pepperoni

My younger sister wanted to customize a pizza. Instead of pizza sauce, she said we should do one with whole garlic parmesan sauce, the normal amount of cheese, and extra pepperoni on one side of the pizza. The portion without the pepperoni was quite good, but the side with pepperoni was just too heavy and salty.

Chicken Carbonara
Menu Description: Alfredo Sauce, Bacon, Chicken, Mushrooms, Onions

My favourite item from the Domino's Pizza menu is the Chicken Carbonara. However, I hate how much I enjoy it and don't even want to share.

8-Piece Boneless Chicken

8-Piece Domino's Pizza Cheesy Bread

I told our youngest sister that Domino's now has other flavours of cheesy bread, but she didn't want to try the new items.

Marbled Cookie Brownie (12pc)

The dessert is requested by hubby. He has a sweet tooth, and these are good brownies.

It's always fun to hang out with my siblings.

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Thanksgiving Dinner at Home from HelloFresh

Last year, my younger sister prepared a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner for our family. However, they had to make multiple trips to the grocery to make sure all the ingredients she needed were complete.

This year I told them I was going to order from HelloFresh and avoid the stress of grocery runs. However, it means we have more side dishes to prepare and cook.


What's included in the HelloFresh Thanksgiving Box?

  1. Sage Roasted Rolled Turkey
  2. Homemade Cranberry Sauce
  3. Savoury Turkey Gravy
  4. Slow-Roasted Butternut Squash
  5. Garlic and Thyme Infused Mash
  6. Green Beans
  7. Mushroom and Leek Stuffed Squash (optional)
  8. Dinner Rolls
  9. Graham Cracker Crust Pumpkin Pie

That's more dishes than what we had last year, but I have faith in HelloFresh that they'll guide us through cooking everything with their foolproof recipe book.


Thanksgiving Dinner from HelloFresh

How much does it cost?

I paid $260 for 10 people, but there are only 8 of us enjoying the meal. Before you get upset that we're having a Thanksgiving dinner, it's 8 people and 4 households.

  • Household 1: Me and hubby
  • Household 2: My parents, our only brother, and our youngest sister
  • Household 3: My younger sister
  • Household 4: My younger sister's boyfriend

There's so much leftovers that my younger sister, her boyfriend, and we (hubby and I) have food to bring in our respective homes.


The Result

We plan to have dinner at around 5:00 PM, because the Vancouver Whitecaps FC game is at 6:00 PM and we want to watch it.

We started preparing at 1:00 PM with me and my younger sister as "chef" while my mom helps with cleaning up and with other things.


Graham Cracker Crust Pumpkin Pie

BEFORE we even started, I baked the Graham Cracker Crust Pumpkin Pie in the morning (at around 8:00 AM). We arrived quite early at my parent's place to ensure we have sufficient time for baking and cooling.

The downside is we totally forgot to prepare the whip cream for the pumpkin pie. The upside is it's surprisingly delicious. It's our first time trying Pumpkin Pie and it's perfectly sweet.


Sage Roasted Turkey

My sister worked on the turkey. Adding the pepper and oil while I strip the sage. After 3 hours in the oven and 20 minutes of rest, my dad carved the turkey.


Carved Sage Roasted Turkey from Hello Fresh

The turkey came out perfect. I can't believe how tender and not dry it was. It's perfect with the gravy.


Homemade Cranberry Sauce

My sister started working on the cranberry sauce while I struggle to zest and juice the orange. 🤣 This took maybe 30 minutes and we placed it on the fridge as we continue cooking the rest of the items.


Mushroom and Leek Stuffed Squash

This is the add-on vegetarian dish. This dish took so much team effort. My sister cut the mushroom and everything else that needs chopping. My dad helped us slice the squash and my mom did the removal of seeds and core. I cooked the wild rice. Assembling everything is such a challenge. 


Mushroom and Leek Stuffed Squash

I am uncertain if it's worth all the effort. I will be happy with just the wild rice and vegetable mixture. I am unsure adding it on the squash made a difference. My mom loves it though and that made it all worth it.


Slow-Roasted Butternut Squash

As soon as my sister is done cutting the vegetables for the Mushroom and Leek Stuffed Squash and while I sautee the mixture, she started working on the Slow-Roasted Butternut Squash. It's sweet because of the syrup.

It's surprising how the timing works. After the squash for the Mushroom and Leek dish is done in the oven, we replaced it with the Butternut Squash. 


Garlic and Thyme Infused Mash

Then, my sister started working on the mash. Of course, starting with the time consuming peeling of potatoes. At this point, I am still working on the stuffing for the Stuffed Squash.


Garlic and Thyme Infushed Mash

My younger sister continues with the Mash - boiling the potato and preparing the cream butter mixture. Then, she called our only brother to do the mashing. Team (family) effort!


Green Beans

I asked my mom to wash the green beans while my dad did the trimming. As they do that, I toasted the almonds. Then, proceeded to sautee the green beans in butter.


Green Beans with Almond Butter

We're almost at the end and I think we're all feeling exhaustion at this point. Surprisingly, there's no quarelling or bickering that happens. Everyone is in good mood and teasing each other.


Dinner Rolls

As I finish the green beans and since we couldn't start with the gravy because we're waiting for the turkey juices, sister started working on the chive butter for the dinner rolls. I wish it's more toasted, but that's just me.


Dinner Rolls with Chive Butter

Savoury Turkey Gravy

It's my favourite thing about this dish. Actually, the core of the Thanksgiving Dinner is the turkey, mash, and gravy and they are so well-done with this kit. It's so delicious!


Will I order this again?

Yes! However, I will not add the vegetarian add-on because it's too much effort. Although, for next year, we might just order in to avoid the effort. We'll see!


First Plate from our Thanksgiving Dinner

Today, we're just thankful that our family is complete and healthy. We're grateful for the many blessings we've received it.

Lunch from Church's Chicken

Happy Saturday! I hope you're having a wonderful Thanksgiving long weekend.

We're having Thanksgiving dinner today, and before we get started cooking and preparing, we decided to grab lunch from nearby Church's Chicken.

Lunch from Church's Chicken

We arrived at the location at 11:58 AM and left at 12:30 PM. We mainly ordered sandwiches to-go, which may have caused the delay and after we ordered more and more people went in and out of the branch ordering lunch, and there were more at the drive-through.

The Classic Sandwich

I ordered a Classic Sandwich with fries while hubby wants to try the Mexicana Sandwich with fries. I added Jalapeno Bombers on the side because it's cheesy and spicy good.

Mexicana Sandwich

I remember they had a Spicy Chicken Thigh Sandwich, but it wasn't on the menu, so I am unsure if it's still there.

Sunday, October 3, 2021

Mountain Maid Training Center Baguio Ube Jam in Metro Vancouver

Where to buy Ube Jam from Baguio in Metro Vancouver?

I was randomly browsing Facebook last Friday and found Ube Jam from Baguio (you know which one I'm talking about, but here's a photo) available for sale in Metro Vancouver. So I sent the seller a message asking for more information.

It's available for pick-up in Richmond, BC, for $25. I ordered one alongside some Delimondo Corned Beef.

Ube Jam from Baguio in Metro Vancouver

You can contact the seller on this page.

Saturday, September 18, 2021

Lunch at Pho 37

It's a busy Saturday for hubby and me (and my beautiful parents, who helped us with our errands today).

We decided (just a week ago) to send a balikbayan box to my in-laws in the Philippines. It's our first time doing such a thing, and we have no idea what to get and how to do it, but we chugged along.

We started the day in Costco, where we purchased many things we think they're going to enjoy - a personal favourite is the box of 40 (10 pieces of 4 different hot chocolates!). Of course, we also got the usual like Spam, body soap, toothbrush, and toothpaste.

Then, we head to Superstore. I shopped for our food for the week since I am not getting HelloFresh delivery this week. Hubby also got tea and chips (limited edition Pringles and ketchup flavour chips), which we can include in the box.

Before heading to lunch, we stopped by Manila Cargo Express to buy a balikbayan box and ask about the process of sending a package and its costs.

Then, we drove all the way to Ironwood for lunch because my parents love Pho37.

11. Special Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Dac Biet)
Special beef noodle soup with medium-rare beef sliced, beef brisket, meatballs, tendon and tripe.

The soup is much sweeter than what I am used to from other pho places. The combination plate (especially the spring rolls) was good, but I thought the one from Thai Son near Walmart was better. Though, the desserts are delicious! The next time we're back in the Ironwood area, I'll ask my parents to try the nearby Chinese Restaurant.

32. Lemongrass chicken, spring rolls, and minced shrimp on sugarcane with rice

1. Regular Spring Rolls

Deep-fried Banana

After our late lunch, we went back to my parent's place to pack and finalize the balikbayan box. Unfortunately, it was too late to drop it off at the Manila Cargo Express warehouse, so we headed home, and my parents will drop it off on Monday.

When we got home, we had to unpack all our groceries from both the Superstore and Costco. It was an exhausting day, but I am grateful.

Saturday, September 4, 2021

Dinner: First time trying Popeyes

Happy Saturday and Labour Day Long Weekend.

We spent most of the day at my parent's place in Richmond, BC, and their apartment is close to a Popeyes and a Church's Chicken. I want to do a fried chicken battle between the two fried chicken fast-food chains, but to get things started, I ordered from Popeyes tonight. We ordered for delivery with UberEats.

Popeyes Feast

As you can see from the picture above, I ordered a lot. I ordered 8 pieces Bonafide Chicken Family Meal (half mild and half spicy), large cajun gravy, three chicken sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, cajun fries, mashed potatoes and gravy, onion rings, and 8 pieces of New Nugget. Plus, they gave us five biscuits.

Bonafide Chicken Family Meal 

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

8 pieces nuggets

Signature Sides: Cajun Fries, Mashed Potatoes with Cajun Fries, Biscuits, Onion Rings, and Macaroni and Cheese

As I write this blog post, I haven't tried the spicy fried chicken, so I can't comment yet if I like it better than the one from Church's. However, I can tell their biscuits are using salted butter, and the texture is my favourite of all the ones I have tried so far.

The Spicy Chicken Sandwich was delicious. It was spicy, and the chicken was big. Unfortunately, I can't deliver it to our home in Vancouver; otherwise, I will order one chicken sandwich from KFC, Church's, and Popeyes.

My favourite side is Macaroni and Cheese. Unfortunately, the Onion Rings and Cajun Fries didn't arrive crispy, which is unfortunate. However, the Cajun Gravy is the surprise; it was sweeter than I expected.

Overall, a good experience from Popeyes. However, there are many good fried chicken restaurants in Metro Vancouver, so I don't think I'll crave Popeyes anytime soon.


Saturday, August 14, 2021

Lunch at Japadog

Happy Saturday! Hubby and I went shopping today at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Vancouver Airport, then for lunch, we decided to enjoy a meal at Japadog.

We ordered two Japadog.

Ebi Tempura

Shrimp tempura, seasoned rice, and seaweed

It's so unusual to see rice between hotdog buns. The only reason we ordered this is because we're going through their menu and this is the next one on the list.

Love Meat Japadog

Arabiki pork, torched cheese, special meat sauce (beef) 

The Love Meat Japadog is perfect for those who wants a more familiar American hotdog. It's not as "out of this world" like other flavours.

Plain Takoyaki
Japanese octopus dumplings

Butter & Shoyu (Soy Sauce) Shaked Fries

The takoyaki and fries is pretty standard. If you crave for takoyaki or fries, this will hit the spot.

Omatcha Parfait

We ended our delicious meal with Omatcha Parfait. It has green tea ice cream, red beans paste, Japanese mochi, corn flakes, vanilla ice cream, and Japanese matcha jelly. It's perfect after walking around the outlet mall during a hot summer day, just like today.

For future me, here's a list of Japadog based on the menu in the McArthurGlen location with a link to which ones you've tried.
  1. Kurobuta Terimayo
  2. Okonomi
  3. Oroshi
  4. Love Meat (today)
  5. Spicy Cheese Terimayo
  6. Yakisoba
  7. Ebi Tempura (today)
  8. Tonkatsu
  9. Hot Spicy
  10. Yakiniku Rice
  11. Croquiette
  12. Karaage
  13. Wagyu Terimayo
  14. Avocado
  15. Cilantro

Monday, March 22, 2021

Birthday Dinner from Chop Steakhouse

It's my sister's birthday, so we decided to celebrate at my parent's place. My sister has already been vaccinated, and we're so happy since she's a frontline worker.

My brother and youngest sister are almost always home except for walking to a nearby Shoppers. It's my mom who goes to the groceries once a week. Hubby and I are the same. Hopefully, our small bubble stays safe and healthy.

Anyway, for my sister's birthday, she wants food from Chop Steakhouse.

11 oz medium Centre Cut New York with fresh seasonal vegetables (green beans and beets) and Yukon Gold mashed potatoes

Honestly, for steak delivered, it's one of the best steaks we've had. Even better than The Keg. The steak is perfectly seasoned and delicious.

Miso Glazed Salmon with loaded baked potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables

The salmon is good. I still prefer the one from The Keg. We also failed in understanding how the loaded baked potatoes work. The order arrived with little containers that include bacon bits, chopped green onions, and sour cream. I failed to recognize that those are for baked potatoes. I was halfway to eating the baked potato before making it "loaded."

Steak Chop Salad Entree for brother

Flourless Chocolate Torte

I actually don't recommend the dessert we ordered.

I also got to try the Oven Roasted Chicken, and it was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. It's perfectly seasoned too. Yum!

Happy birthday, sister!

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