Mother's Day Dinner Celebration at Dai Jang Kum

Happy Mother's Day, Mama and to all moms. Our Mama loves Korean cuisine, so we went to Dai Jang Kum for dinner this year.

Hubby and I are calorie-counting and have been consistently and slowly losing weight. Still, we know tonight's dinner will be our ultimate pigout for the next two weeks (until our youngest sister's birthday weekend celebration). However, we still want to lose weight, so hubby made me walk with him to Running Room (2 kilometres) in the morning to pick up his socks and shirt. We also walked back home and had a low-calorie breakfast and lunch.

Before heading to dinner, we walked to the Broadway City Hall Canada Line station and then to The Source in Richmond Center to pick up my new Chromebook (where I'm writing this post). Then, we headed to Dai Jang Kum.

Mother's Day Dinner at Dai Jang Kum

We arrived 10 minutes before 5:00 PM without any reservations because no one picked up the phone when I called last week. The front staff said we could have dinner, but it must be finished by 6:20 PM. So I informed my mom and siblings and told them I would order our usual.

Half of Combo A for 3 in the Grill
Combo A is a combination platter of BBQ meats, including chicken, beef, beef short ribs and pork, and it includes steamed rice, salad, and side dishes (banchan).

Half of Combo A for 3 in the Plate

Our standard order includes Combo A. When my mom and three siblings arrived at the restaurant, the grill was already hard at work. This would allow us to eat sooner and be finished before 6:20 PM.

Japchae and Seafood Pancake are Korean dishes we absolutely always order, and Dai Jang prepares them deliciously. My mom's favourite dish is the japchae. She'll be happy with just the noodle dish.

Japchae
Stir-fried sweet potato noodles with sliced beef and vegetables

Seafood Pancake

Our youngest sister almost ate one serving of the Pan-Fried Dumplings from the appetizers menu, and it tasted better than I remember.

Pan-Fried Dumplings

To try something new, I ordered Kimbap, and it's definitely worth trying.

Kimbap
Rice rolled in laver with seasoned vegetables and beef fillings.

We asked Mama what she wanted for Mother's Day gift. She said that she wished for Leni Robredo to win the Philippine election. Unfortunately, all her kids are already Canadian Citizens and can't vote, so my hubby, me, and my three younger siblings wore pink today to support Leni Robredo and make my mom happy.

For Mother's Day gift, our youngest sister (the thoughtful lady that she is) gave Mama a greeting card which made her tear up. Meanwhile, I ordered flowers for delivery. Then, our younger sister purchased chocolates (which she ate, haha) and a greeting card with sounds. Lastly, our brother spent quality time with Mama watching the Korean shows she likes.

For future me and maybe my mom will be interested to know too (since she's one of the two people who consistently read my blog), here's a list of how we celebrated mother's day in the past years.

• 2022 (this year) - Dine-In at Dai Jang Kum
• 2021 - Lunch Delivery from SURA Korean BBQ (Hazelbridge location)
• 2020 - Lunch Delivery from Sumi Korean Restaurant
• 2019 - Breakfast Delivery from McDonald's and Lunch at Masa Japanese Restaurant
• 2018 - Lunch at Dai Jang Kum
• 2017 - Lunch at Dai Jang Kum
• 2016 - Ice cream cake surprise from Marble Slam Creamery (I didn't have a full-time job yet during Mother's Day and was working as a temporary part-time cashier at BC Place, and all we could afford was an ice cream cake for Mama)
• 2015 and 2014 - I was alone in the Philippines and couldn't celebrate Mother's Day with Mama because she was already in Canada with the rest of the family.
• 2013 - 3-Day 2-Night Trip to Cebu with Mama and my two younger sisters. I didn't even know this would be the last Mother's Day we would celebrate in the Philippines.

Those are the Mother's Day that I have documented since Android phones became a thing.

Happy Mother's Day, Mama! We hope you had fun today spending time with your three daughters, only son, and only son-in-law. We hope your tummy is full, but more importantly, I pray that your heart is filled with love. Thank you for being our constant prayer warrior and always thinking of us. We love you very much. Don't forget that God will always provide. Can't wait to celebrate your birthday next month!

Dinner at MASA Japanese Restaurant

The Whitecaps FC did not win, but did not lose against New York City FC today, but somehow a draw is still an unhappy result. To deal with the draw, we had dinner at Masa Japanese Restaurant.

The menu looks different, but the food is still delicious. I highly recommend any of their Masa Special Sushi. They all have been great so far.

• Knights of The Round Table
• Masa Aburi Cheese Monster Roll
• Crispy Jumbo Dynamite Roll
• Volcano Roll (Salmon)
• Devil's Kiss (no longer in the menu?)
• Double Dragon (below!)

Double Dragon
Unagi roll with double unagi, tobiko, green onion on top

Salmon Teriyaki Platter
 Grilled slice salmon with vegetable and rice

Assorted Katsu Curry
Japanese curry with tonkatsu, ebi fry 2 pieces, croquette 1 pc, and rice

I ordered my usual comfort food of Assorted Katsu Curry.

Dinner at MASA Japanese Restaurant

Happy rainy Saturday in Vancouver!

After Mass today, we decided to have dinner somewhere that serves soup (i.e. pho or ramen or anything with noodles). I had a dentist appointment recently, and they just placed a temporary crown, and I am paranoid that it will crack, so I thought noodles would be soft enough not to cause any damage. Also, I am not allowed to eat anything crunchy (like chips), hard (like nuts and candy), and sticky (like gum). So, except for the chips, I don't eat nuts, candy, or gum regularly. We also changed our diet recently, and we don't buy chips anymore.

Anyway, as we were walking from the Church to our home, we kept pointing at different restaurants and whether they had noodles and if we had eaten there recently. So that went on until we reached MASA Japanese Restaurant.

Volcano Roll (Salmon)
Menu Description: Deep fried spicy salmon roll with spicy salad and sauce

I love the Volcano Roll; it was spicy good! Though, to be fair, I think I enjoyed all the rolls we've tried so far, like Crispy Jumbo Dynamite Roll, Devil's Kiss, Masa Aburi Cheese Monster Roll, and Knights of the Round Table.

Miso Chashu Ramen

Tonkotsu Ramen

Delicious ramen to warm the body and soul on this relatively cold night.

Lunch from MASA Japanese Restaurant

Happy Saturday! ハッピーサタデー

It is a clear, sunny day in Vancouver. Hubby decided to take a jog around the Seawall while I run errands, and once I am done, we met up near Granville Island.

For lunch today, we have decided to order from MASA Japanese Restaurant. It's a small local business near South Granville (along West Broadway at Hemlock Street). It's on the second floor of the building, on top of the Circle K convenience store.

They offer an extensive Japanese food menu ranging from sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, Japanese curry, udon, and even ramen. I've tried different MASA dishes in the past (it's one of our go-to places for Japanese comfort food), and for today we have ordered mostly new things.

Our order from MASA Japanese Restaurant for today

If you know me by now, I almost always order the same dish from restaurants. Why take the chance of ordering a bad dish when I am sure that I'll enjoy the one I want? 😁 However, I am willing to try appetizers and desserts at random.

My usual order from MASA is the Assorted Katsu Curry. The varying texture from the tonkatsu, eby fry, and goroke make it the best curry available. The goroke is soft and sweet, while the tonkatsu is the complete opposite, while the Ebi fry is the perfect middle ground. I enjoy the dish more than I should.

Crispy Jumbo Dynamite Roll (Deep-fried jumbo prawn with a crunchy exterior and special spicy sauce)

I have been going through the "MASA Specials" section of the menu. I have tried the Knights of the Round Table and MASA Aburi Cheese Monster Roll. Today, I ordered the Crispy Jumbo Dynamite Roll. It's spicy compared to the first two we've tried! I love how the top was crunchy, the middle is creamy, and the bottom is soft rice. I can eat more of this!

Chicken Wings (Salt and pepper with sweet chilli sauce)

I am unsure what I expected when I ordered Chicken Wings from a Japanese restaurant, but this was just sad. It was dry and disappointing, to say the least. Please don't order it in the future.

Creamy Prawn (Prawn with cream cheese stuffed into deep-fried dumplings)

The Creamy Prawn is like a heart attack waiting to happen. It was so sinfully delicious. It's dumplings stuffed with prawns and cream cheese (YES, CREAM CHEESE), then it was deep-fried. My mind is still being blown by the dish.

Shio Ramen (Soy Sauce Flavoured Soup Base with Chashu and Egg)

The ramen was hubby's order, so it'll be unfair for me to describe it since I didn't try it.

Hubby looked at the receipt, and it seems like we're only their second take-out customer. I know many people are suffering from job and income loss because of the pandemic, but if you have the means, please support and order from your local restaurants (instead of the big chains that have a higher chance of survival).

Stay safe. Be kind. Be calm. Be patient.

Previous post on MASA Japanese Restaurant:

• May 31, 2020
• February 21, 2020
• January 18, 2020
• January 6, 2020
• October 18, 2019
• July 24, 2019
• June 22, 2019
• May 12, 2019
• April 13, 2019
• January 19, 2019

Lunch from Masa Japanese Restaurant

In the last twelve weeks, I realized that we purchased and supported most of our favourite local restaurants like Suika, Lin Chinese Cuisine, and Sushivan. However, we have not ordered from Masa Japanese Restaurant, which is the closest Japanese cuisine source from our place.

With that, we ordered our favourite and have tried new dishes from Masa today.

Sushi & Roll Masa Special: Knights of the Round Table
Deep-fried sushi rice with 8 kinds of seafood and special sauce

The Knights of the Round Table was good, but I think the Masa Aburi Cheese Monster Roll is much better.

Assorted Katsu Curry
Japanese Curry with Tonkatsu, 2-pc Ebi Fry, and 1-pc Goroke with rice

I'm happy to be having Japanese curry again. The last time I ate curry was more than a month ago when we ordered from Suika.

Chicken Katsu
Deep-Fried Chicken Cutlet with Vegetable and Rice

The surprise of the day is the chicken katsu and how crispy it was when it arrived. The sauce it came with was delicious as well.

Lunch from Sushivan Japanese Restaurant

There's an ongoing campaign on Twitter to make every Wednesday of the week starting April 15, #TakeOutDay in Canada to support restaurants. Instead of using delivery apps that eat up most of a restaurant's margin, give them a call to place your order, and when possible, pick them up.

Right now, there's only a handful of restaurants open in our neighbourhood, so supporting small, local restaurants at this time are crucial to ensure they survive the effects of COVID-19.

For lunch and dinner today, I ordered food from Sushivan Japanese Restaurant. This morning I had difficulty deciding whether to order from Sushivan or from MASA. I checked their online pages and saw the news that someone broke inside Sushivan and stole all their credit card machines. It's sad for them to experience such loss, so I decided to give them a call and place my order for what I planned to be lunch, but way too much so we'll eat it for dinner too.

The thief came last night. He stole all the credit card machines. So you can pay with your credit card number. Please provide your credit card number when making delivery or takeout orders. We do not require a tip or delivery charge, but please let us know if you would like to pay for the tip if you wish. Thank you.
Posted by Sushivan Japanese restaurant on Monday, April 13, 2020

What did we get from Sushivan?

We ordered the following items.

Soy Chicken Karaage (Large)

It was crispy and delicious when it arrived. I still think it's best enjoyed with a cup of rice, but that might just be the Filipino in me talking.

Soy Chicken Karaage (Large)

Chicken Katsu

We had this the last time we were there, and it was as delicious. More rice, please?

Chicken Katsu

Awesome Special Roll

This is the highlight of the meal. I've been going down the list of Sushivan's special rolls, and this is amazing.

Awesome Special Roll

Korean Style Ramen (with Beef)

This is the first time I'm ordering the ramen with beef instead of my usual chicken. I prefer chicken. Regretting it, but hubby and I split the ramen and ate it with the Awesome Special Roll for lunch, so it's all good.

Korean Style Ramen

Tomorrow or Friday, I need to go out for grocery, so I can cook Chicken Afritada. Hopefully, our local supermarket has all the ingredients I need.

Dinner at Masa Japanese Restaurant

It's been a painful ending to Friday. A colleague said, "you're causing the team stress" when he doesn't do an excellent job managing his team. However, as soon as I saw hubby, he had some great news about work, which confirms our belief that God always provides in unexpected ways.

Devil's Kiss
Deep-fried lobster, crab meat, cucumber, avocado, salmon, tuna, ebi, tobiko, special spicy sauce, makame, and lobster tempura

Shrimp Curry (substitute white rice with black rice)
Japanese Curry with Shrimp and Rice

Assorted Katsu Curry
Japanese Curry with Tonkatsu, Ebi Fry 2pcs, Goroke 2pcs, and rice

Good start to the weekend.

Dinner at Masa Restaurant

After doing a Costco grocery run with my parents and them dropping us off in our Vancouver apartment, we decided to treat them to early dinner at the closest Japanese restaurant at our place, Masa.

My dad had a Tonkotsu Ramen since it's cold outside. You should have seen the face of my mom eyeing the bowl of ramen. My mom had the Beef Teriyaki platter. I had my usual Assorted Katsu Curry while hubby had the Beef Curry. For sharing, we had one of their rolls.

Masa Aburi Cheese Monster Roll
Menu Description: Aburi Salmon, avocado, crab meat with cheddar & Mozza, tobiko

Assorted Katsy Curry
Menu Description: Japanese Curry with Tonkatsu, Ebi Fry 2pcs, Goroke 1pc, and rice.

Beef Curry
Menu Description: Japanese Curry with Beef & Rice

We loved the roll I picked. I can't wait to come back and try the other rolls.

Dinner at Express Pho

Today was a long day at work. I wanted to breakdown during lunch because the stress was unacceptable and has been unbearable. I told hubby that we should have a high-calorie stress eating session. You see, I started "dieting." I started calorie counting again, and I even started doing simple workouts at home. The exercise has been great (not for losing weight, but just to feel better about my body as a whole).

Anyway, this meal was satisfying after a week of not eating a meal from restaurants. On our walk to West Broadway, I was debating in my head whether to eat at Masa Restaurant (Katsu curry is always a comfort food) or Lin Chinese Restaurant (the thought of spicy Dan Dan Noodles is making me happy already). Still, then I realized we haven't been to Express Pho in quite a while, and they would have fried chicken, and I want fried chicken.

Here's what we had:

#9 Pho Chin, Bo Vien
Menu Description: Well-done beef, beef ball rice noodle in soup

I'm going to get this next time! Hubby was so happy with his bowl of pho.

#41 Com Bo Kho
Menu Description: Beef Stew with steamed rice

I have a confession to make. I love Vietnamese Beef Stew. From Vina Vietnamese (the food court Vietnamese stalls), I ALWAYS get the beef stew because it's so tender and delicious.

#1 Cha Gio
Vietnamese Spring Roll

F. Canh Ga Chien
Deep-fried chicken wings

The spring rolls and chicken wings just hit a different spot. I'm so happy!

Note: Express Pho only accepts cash or debit.

Dinner at Masa Japanese Restaurant

It's the first Monday of 2020 which means a lot of employees are back to work. It's a crazy, long day filled with meetings and I needed a pick me up in the form of my favourite Japanese curry.

Appetizer Tempura

Assorted Curry (I got too excited and started eating before taking a photo)

Chicken Curry which was surprisingly good

Friday night dinner at Masa

Sushi Pizza: Original

Agedashi Tofu: 3 in 1

Tonkotsu Ramen

Assorted Katsu Curry

Dinner at Masa Japanese Restaurant

It was a long day at work, and only a serving of Japanese curry will make me feel better.

Assorted Japanese Curry

Takoyaki

Lunch with Parents at Masa Japanese Restaurant

It's Costco day which means late lunch with my parents. It's our "payment" for driving us home with our groceries from Costco.

Mother's Day Lunch at MASA Japanese Restaurant

It's Mother's Day! We made a surprise breakfast for Mama, then we attended Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral. Afterwards, we had lunch at MASA Japanese Restaurant.

Assorted Tempura

Kara Miso Ramen
Spicy miso flavoured soup base with chashu and egg.

Miso Ramen
Miso flavoured soup base with chashu and egg.

We love you, Ma!

Dinner at Masa Japanese Restaurant

After a fun Sunday of playing Pokemon Go, then attending Mass, we decided to have a delicious meal at Masa Japanese Restaurant.

Assorted Katsu Curry

Ramen

Chicken Karaage