Big Fried Chicken from Hot Star

It's finally open in Downtown Vancouver! Last September, we had Taiwanese fried chicken from Big G, and today we had lunch at Hot Star.

Hubby got the Original Large Fried Chicken (salt & pepper), which was the best! The outside is crispy, and the inside was juicy. I kinda regret not getting this.

Original Large Fried Chicken (salt & pepper)

Inside the Original Large Fried Chicken (salt & pepper)

I had Crispy Large Fried Chicken (spicy medium). The chicken inside is delicious; however, the spicy flavour kinda ruined it for me. I should have picked original (no spice); apparently, it's an option.

Crispy Large Fried Chicken (medium spicy)

Juicy inside! How is this possible?

After a giant chicken, I'm still hungry, so I decided to buy Chicken Popcorn (original salt & pepper) with drink and fries. I love the Green Apple Yogurt drink!

Chicken Popcorn (original salt & pepper) with fries and Green Apple Yogurt

I love Hot Star. I wish there's a source of fried chicken close to home (like walking distance close).

Freybe Brat Haus inside the Vancouver Christmas Market

Bratwurst! Sausage! How can you go wrong? Answer: you can't. Personally, I love the sauerkrat!

Das Brat: THE Brat is seasoned with marjoram and caraway and served on an artisan bun with warm sauerkrat.

Das Gulasch Haus inside the Vancouver Christmas Market

We really weren't planning on ordering here, but it's chilly, and the person selling was really trying hard, so we end up enjoying a tender beef in a bread bowl gulasch.

Tender beef stew inside a bowl of bread

Das Gulasch House

On their menu, they have a short description, which I will quote below.

Gulasch is a delicious warming stew found primarily in Austria and Hungary, where it had its origin as shepherds dish in the 9th century. In the 19th century Vienna, the center of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a special type of Gulasch developed with more meat and fine Hungarian paprika."

Das Karoffel Haus inside the Vancouver Christmas Market

Kartoffelpuffer is basically German potato pancakes. Based on the description, it's like hashbrown or potato patties (depending on how you call it) but in a circular shape.

Kartoffelpuffer served with apple sauce and sour cream.

Kartoffelpuffer

I'll transcribe below what's in the signboard included in the second picture.

"A quintessential German treat beloved across every region of Germany, Kartoffelpuffer are not only a favorite dish to serve at home but are also a popular street food found at local events like the Christmas market.

Kartoffelpuffer are made from potatoes that are grated raw and grated finely. The shredded potatoes, finely grated onion and salt are then fried to light golden. The end result is a crispy exterior and soft interior.

Kartoffelpuffer can be served sweet or savory. Most commonly, they're served with applesauce, sugar, and sour cream. Sometimes they are served with salmon and/or brie as a part of a meal.

In a word, they're simply DELICIOUS!"

Mr. Pretzels inside the Vancouver Christmas Market

This is the best pretzels I have tried EVER! Where can I get these all year round?

Salted Pretzels

They have a Fun Fact poster that you can read while waiting in line. It says, "The first pretzels were baked as a soft squshy bread, like the soft pretzels of today. Pretzels may have been originall called bracellae, the Latin term for little arms, which later turned into the German bretzel. Pretzels were used in some cultures' wedding ceremonies, which may be where the term tying the knot originates from. Despite the ancient origins of the pretzel, the Mr. Pretzels you are about to consume was probably baked less than 15 minutes ago."

Staying Dry in Starbucks

Today, hubby and I decided to go to the Vancouver Christmas Market. Unfortunately, it started raining. We decided to hang out at the Starbucks across the street to wait for the rain to pass.

Bagel and Salted Caramel Mocha

Lunch at Peaceful Restaurant

We first heard of Peaceful Restaurant at Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It's one of the places Guy Fieri visited in Vancouver, so we tried it once, and we keep coming back.

For today's lunch, hubby and I ate with my mom. Peaceful is known for their hand-pulled noodles, so we ordered all noodle dishes. For us, we ordered our usual (when it's available) food.

We ordered the same dishes from Lin's Chinese Restaurant and Fortune Garden Restaurant. We got Xiao Long Bao (at Fortune, we got the dumpling they have available), Dan-Dan Noodles, and Shanghai Stir-fried Noodles.

Xiao-Long Bao Steamed Buns
Filled with minced pork, ginger and a savoury a sauce

Shanghai Stir-fried Noodles
Shredded pork, cabbage & light soy sauce

Dan-Dan Noodles
Spicy, tangy peanut sauce, minced pork & spinach

We also ordered something we love only from Peaceful Restaurant: Beef Rolls!

Peaceful Beef Rolls
Five-spiced beef rolled in a crispy green onion flat-bread & sweet hoisin sauce

I'm so glad we now how "default" order at Chinese Restaurants. We have the same "default" set of dishes from Japanese restaurants, depending on what they offer.