Lunch from KFC delivered by DoorDash

Happy Thursday!

It's unusual for us to order food during weekdays, but today is an exception. Hubby's employer gave him a $30 DoorDash gift card because he's part of the team that completed an important feature in their app. Today for lunch they had a townhall of a sort where the CEO said thank-you and congratulations to everyone involved.

2x KFC Famous Chicken Sandwich Ultimate Box Meal

As for me, it's yay for free food. We decided that since we're forced to use a delivery app (DoorDash), we should only order from big chains that can most likely afford the exorbitant fees.

I love KFC from the Philippines and Malaysia, even China, but I've always said that the KFC here is subpar. I would have no idea if they changed their recipe in the last 12 months, but my last two KFC orders were unexpectedly delicious.

We both ordered KFC Famous Chicken Chicken Sandwich Ultimate Box Meal. I got the spicy version of the chicken sandwich while hubby got the regular one. I loved it! The buns are soft, the sauce was spicy, the chicken has a bit of crunch on the outside and juicy on the inside, and there are pickles to cut through the fat.

KFC Famous Chicken sandwich fillet drizzled with buttery garlic oil, three sweet pickles and double mayo.

I think there are more than three sweet pickle slices in my sandwich.

I chose poutine as a side while hubby had French fries. I also got the seasoned corn while he got macaroni salad. We both ordered Brisk Iced Tea, but got 7-Up instead, which is disappointing since we don't drink carbonated beverage.

Update: I got DoorDash Credits.

I ordered Brisk Iced Tea and received 7-Up. I sent a message to DoorDash informing them of the mistake. I wasn't expecting a lot of credits, at most, like $5.00 or something. However, I got $38.01 DoorDash credit in my account. I sent a chat to their customer support to make sure it's not a computation mistake. Below is the transcript.

Tarun r (4/15/2021, 3:20:23 PM): Hi! My name is Tarun. Give me a few seconds to pull up your account info
Me (4/15/2021, 3:20:28 PM): Thank you.
Tarun r (4/15/2021, 3:20:37 PM): Hi, thank you for contacting us! Glad that you chatted. I'll be more than happy to assist with your concern today, and apologies for any inconvenience!
Me (4/15/2021, 3:20:51 PM): I just got an email from DoorDash issuing a credit for $38.01
Me (4/15/2021, 3:21:18 PM): I don't mind getting the credit, but it seems too big
Me (4/15/2021, 3:21:39 PM): Our only "complain" was we got 7-Up instead of Iced Tea and we don't drink carbonated beverage
Me (4/15/2021, 3:21:50 PM): But I didn't expect to get such a big credit
Me (4/15/2021, 3:22:05 PM): Could you please check that the amount is correct?
Tarun r (4/15/2021, 3:22:44 PM): Yes, I can see here we have issued credits to your account in the amount of $38.01 for the inconvenience. These credits are available immediately and will automatically be applied towards your next order.
Me (4/15/2021, 3:23:04 PM): Yes, I see that and thank you. However, why is the amount so big?
Tarun r (4/15/2021, 3:24:30 PM): Our system decide that.
Tarun r (4/15/2021, 3:24:45 PM): If there's anything else I can help you with, please let me know.
Me (4/15/2021, 3:25:09 PM): No. I just want to make sure you, the Dasher, and the Merchant didn't get screwed over by a computation mistake
Tarun r (4/15/2021, 3:25:53 PM): Don't worry, Doordash will take care of it.
Me (4/15/2021, 3:26:43 PM): Okay. Sounds good. Thanks, Tarun!

KFC Poutine

For future me, this is what the KFC Famous Chicken Sandwich Ultimate Box Meal contains:

• 1x Famous Chicken Sandwich Fillet drizzled with buttery garlic oil, three sweet pickles, and double mayo. (Regular or Spicy)
• 1x Original Recipe Chicken Tender
• 1x Individual Chicken Popcorn
• 1x Individual Fries (you can upgrade to Mega Individual Siz Fries or Poutine)
• 1x Individual Side (Choices are coleslaw, macaroni salad, potato salad, and seasoned corn)
• 1x Regular Drink
• 1x Chocolate Chip Cookie
• 1x dip (Choices are buttermilk ranch dip, sweet n smokey BBQ dip, Carolina honey mustard dip, and southern plum dip)

Overall, it's a happy and extremely filling Thursday lunch. We're going for a walk after working hours to burn calories. Can't wait!

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 Suika

Finally! I haven't had my favourite Japanese curry from Suika since December of last year. I can't believe I survived the first quarter of 2021 without having a taste of that delicious dish.

We went to Suika today to order our usual dishes to-go since dine-in services are closed.

Signature Beef Curry with Tonkatsu

I can't believe how much I missed this dish. It's as good as I remember. I also ordered extra curry sauce on the side.

Double Tonkatsu Set (2 pieces of fried pork loin cutlet served with ground roasted sesame tonkatsu sauce, white rice, cabbage salad, and miso soup)

The Double Tonkatsu has become hubby's standard order, and he enjoyed that the tonkatsu sauce came mixed already. Yum!

Crispy Chicken Karaage (Deep fried chicken thigh served with Japanese salt and pepper)

Our usual side is their chicken. We didn't order desserts today and decided to grab a cake from Meinhardt during our weekly grocery run.

If you can, please support your local restaurants and small businesses. Stay safe, be kind, and be calm.

My IKEA Food Subscription Experience: Swedish Meatballs Bundle

IKEA is doing a trial run of their food subscription service here in Vancouver. Our zip code qualifies, so I thought, why not try and see how things work out.

How to join?

Ordering is easy. You just go to the IKEA Food Subscription page and check if your postal code is included in its service area. They have two boxes, a "Swedish Meatballs Meal Bundle" for $50.49 (including tax) and a "Swedish Treats Bundle" for $33.46 (including tax). I got both.

The Experience

Payment Issues

I know it's a trial, and I expect that there will be challenges along the way. IKEA sent me an email confirming my order, and I am excited. After 12 hours, they sent me another email confirming my order with a different order number. It seems like they processed my subscription twice and charged my credit card twice for $83.95.

I am unhappy. I called them as soon as I saw the second charge. I want to know if I made a mistake when placing the order or what's going on. The folks handling customer support have zero access to the food subscription orders since it's in the trial, so I was on the phone with them for an hour (mostly on hold) as they try to find information.

By the end of it, they couldn't find any information, but they opened up a ticket on my behalf to communicate with IKEA Richmond to cancel what looks like a second-order and refund the second charge.

It's all good since I have been refunded.

Delivery Email Issues

Again, I understand that it's on trial, but I received A LOT of emails from the delivery company they used locally.

• Four emails (with different tracking numbers and order numbers) that my order is "on its way."
• Six emails (again, with four different tracking numbers and order numbers) that my order "has been assigned to a driver."
• Two emails (thank God it's the same order number and tracking number) that my order is "on its way."

E24 Metro Supply Chain Group needs to improve their tech systems to provide better service and not look spam.

I also got an SMS that my order is next to be delivered, which would have been great, but it arrived 10 minutes after receiving my delivery. The driver was kind enough to call my number.

Delivery Issues

I got my package today! I am so excited! I ordered both the Swedish Meatballs Bundle and Swedish Treats Bundle. However, I only received the Swedish Meatballs Bundle. I am uncertain if they shipped both or only one. As expected, calling them means getting clueless customer support. I tried calling the IKEA Richmond number as well, but it just kept ringing.

Box of Swedish Meatballs Meal

I sent them an email, and hopefully, I hear back whether I should have received both bundles together or if the Swedish Treats Bundle is coming from a separate package.

March 30, 2021 Update: IKEA responded to my email that the Swedish Treats Bundle is arriving on a separate package. It would have helped if that was clarified in the communications. 

Swedish Meatballs Bundle

My Swedish Meatballs Bundle arrived, and I am excited to open the box and paper bag. Inside the paper bag are four pouches of sauce mix (gravy) and a lingonberry jam bottle. Meanwhile, the box contains 2 bags of frozen meatballs and 2 bags of mashed potatoes.

My Swedish Meatballs Meal Bundle

Excited to try it!

KӦTTBULLAR Meatballs

ALLEMANSRÄTTEN Mashed potatoes

SYLT LINGON Lingonberry jam and ALLEMANSRÄTTEN Sauce mix

IMPORTANT: The gravy needs full fat cream.

IKEA Dinner at Home!

We are going to have meatballs and mashed potatoes for dinner tonight, and I can't wait! Hopefully, I remember to update this blog post afterwards.

We've had meatballs and mashed potatoes for dinner.

TIPS:

1. I cooked 300 grams of the ALLEMANSRÄTTEN Mashed potatoes and used 3 tbsp of water.
2. Eat the meatballs right away. Freshly cooked meatballs are surprisingly delicious.
3. The gravy (sauce mix) is still lumpy. It's probably because we can only buy half and half milk. I also added an additional tbsp of water to what the instructions recommend. 

Our dinner from IKEA is enjoyed at home.

It was delicious!

Is it worth it?

I think it's worth - $50.49 for 2 kgs of meatballs and 1.2 kgs of mashed potatoes. If I have a bigger fridge, I actually don't mind having it there for days when I feel like eating meatballs and mashed potatoes.

I am still unsure if I will subscribe IF they decide to make it permanent. We'll see. For now, I'll enjoy IKEA meatballs in the comfort of my home.

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!

Dinner from Save-on-Foods

Not ordering from restaurants has been challenging because I want food cooked by someone else. LOL. Thankfully most groceries offer hot meals that you can microwave. Below are some dishes we got from Save-on-Foods.

Red Dragon Roll from Bento Express

Red Dragon Roll

Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Macaroni and Cheese

I thought the Mac and Cheese were better than the Chicken Alfredo Pasta.

Celebrating Pi Day with Pies from the grocery

Pi Day this year is a little different for hubby and me. We decided to not order from restaurants for 40 days starting Ash Wednesday as part of our fasting. The only loophole will be eating with people outside our household, which essentially means with the family in Richmond.

That said, we couldn't order pies. Thankfully, there are frozen pies in our local grocery, so we decided to buy three different savoury pies.

Aussie Pie Guy

We got two different flavours of pies from the Aussie Pie Guy brand.

Aussie in its packaging

Aussie baked in an air fryer because I don't have an oven.

Salmon Pie

Salmon Pie from Aussie

Chef Fenrick

Frozen Chicken Pot Pie from Chef Fenrick

Baked Chicken Pot Pie from Chef Fenrick

Of all the three pies, I enjoyed the Chicken Pot Pie the most. I kinda wished I grabbed more Chef Fenrick pies. There's always Pi Day next year!