Moncton Cafe - Japanese Western Style Diner in Storybrooke

Steveston, Richmond (aka Storybrooke for all you "Once Upon A Time" fans, is home to a little mom and pop diner called Moncton Cafe.

Meta Knight and I often walk around Steveston Village when it's nice out and one day we were looking for a place to eat an early dinner. Luckily, we saw an "Early Bird Special" for Mussel Hot Pot for $9.95.

 They added a few more menu items since my last visit.

 Love their little decor items. You can't help but feel like you're eating in a Japanese grandmother's home

 Meta Knight went with the Katsu and Hamburg Curry ($11.95) because he was famished and craving tons of protein. I warned him beforehand that Moncton Cafe doesn't serve oversized portions and that it's more quality over quantity.

Although this dish could be considered on the small side to some people, it surprisingly filled him up and he loved it. The katsu (panko crusted pork) was a tad dry but other than that, this dish was solid.

Although I loved my Mussels Hot pot ($10.95), the portion was so small I'd consider this as a snack. As shown in the picture, you only get about 10-12 mussels, albeit them being extremely plump and fresh.

 The broth was also super tasty! Wish I had some bread to soak all the goodness up though.

All in all, Moncton Cafe serves up authentic western influenced Japanese cuisine (confusing eh?) and is definitely all about providing the best quality food for their customers. The prices are on the higher side but at least you know you're supporting a local business and family which is nice. :)

Service Rating: 4/5

Food Rating: 3/5

Price: $$

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!

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Kamamarui Ramen & Don- Those Sushi Bombs

Look out! There's another ramen joint in the Burnaby area! Luckily for me, it's located extremely close to Metrotown so I can visit often after work if I want to.

Kamamarui is located in a very unassuming neighbourhood and I realize I've driven by a million times but never gave it a second look.

 The interior is super cute with a theme of kitties and dogs from the mini statue in the front, to dog tails as coat hangers all along the walls.

Meta Knight and I both ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen + Bomb ($10.50). The Tonkotsu ramen comes with two pieces of nicely charred cha siu, milky pork broth, and bean sprouts. I wish it came with a few more additional ingredients like egg, bamboo shoots, or corn but oh well, c'est la vie.

I like how the portion was controlled (so not very large) and that the broth was made without MSG.

The Tonkotsu ramen is originally $9 but for a buck fifty more, you get two 'sushi bombs'. They're made with teriyaki sauce, nori, glutinous rice, and its absolutely delicious. I didn't think they were so special at first, but I ended up eating a lot of it...whoops.

We also ordered a Soft Egg ($1.50) on the side thinking it was going to be the regular hard boiled eggs with a gelatinous yolk. Oh how wrong we were. It was actually a soft poached egg with a super unappetizing combination of sugar and teriyaki sauce. I definitely won't be getting this again.

Service Rating: 3/5
Food Rating: 3/5
Price: $$

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!

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Organic Matcha Hemp Protein Pancake Recipe

Recently I watched a Blogilates video on protein pancakes and decided it was my time to give it a try!

I used her recipe as a guideline but changed up some of the ingredients to give it a bit more flavour and pazazz.

 Organic Matcha Hemp Protein Pancake (Rich in Protein, Low Carb, Rich in Fiber)

Ingredients
1 scoop of Whey Protein (I used Vanilla North Coast Natural Hemp Protein Powder)
1/2 cup of unprocessed oats
1 whole egg
2 tbsp almond milk
1 tbsp fat free greek yogurt
dash of cinnamon
2 Tbsp of matcha powder (I used Organic Matcha)
1/2 tbsp of baking powder

Hemp Protein is good choice for vegans (not that I'm a vegan) because it not only is high in fiber but it also contains immune enhancing properties and kidney-protective effects.

1) Grind the oats in a Magic Bullet or normal blender until it's smooth like powder. You just made simple oat flour!

It looks like this when it's all grounded.

2) Add the protein powder, egg, cinnamon, almond milk, baking powder, and greek yogurt.

 3) Mix, mix, mix... and it'll look something like this!

Bring your pan to a medium high heat and spray a bit of oil on it. I was able to make four large protein pancakes with this batter.

Once the edges turn a little brown and you see a few bubbles pop on top, that's when you know it's good to flip.

Ta-da!

To top my pancakes with a bit of sweetness, I heated up a tablespoon of Coca Almond Spread from Trader Joes and a handful of fresh raspberries.

 Boy was this yummy. Not only do you get to eat pancakes for brunch, it's completely void of butter, white processed flour, and white sugar! It's a win win situation.

Happy Eating!

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Milestones- Four Bellinis, Four Appetizers, Forty Dollars

Milestones is home to the famous Monday Girls Night Out consisting of four signature bellinis, four appys, for just forty bucks. 

I came with three of my girlfriends for some drinks and much needed girl talk.

 I like my girly drinks so I find Milestones' bellinis to be one of the best ones out there. With its "frozen blend of premium white rum, peach liqueur, sparkling white wine, and Boone's Sangria", it's the perfect frozen cocktail to enjoy without being overly boozy. Plus, their little plastic animals are just the cutest. :D


 The Milestone's California Spring Salad consists of goat cheese strawberries, red onions, spicy glazed pecans, and a honey mustard vinaigrette. Great salad for summertime.

Their Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip never fails me. I also really enjoy their homemade tortilla chips.

Their Mango Chili Shrimp, though smaller in size than all of the other appys, packs quite a punch in flavour. If you are into seafood (and like to eat crispy shrimp tails like me), then this would be a good dish to get!

 Last but not least is the Yam Frites served with chipotle aioli. Your good ol' simple sweet potato fries.

For an affordable girls night out, I'd highly recommend Milestone's for their special on Monday nights. The food won't fill you up but if you have a small appetite (or not looking to leave with a food coma), it's a good option. Or, I saw a few tables order an extra entree or dessert so you can go that route as well. :)

Service Rating: 3/5
Food Rating: 3.5/5
Price: $$

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Happy Eating!

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X-Site Grill and Bistro - Crazy Cheap $5.95 Specials

X-Site Grill and Bistro is located in North Burnaby (there's also another location in East Van) near SFU and is often referred to the restaurant that has the $5.95 daily specials. I'm a lover of all things cheap so I highly suggest you coming on one of the days you want to try these items out.

[$5.95 Daily Special] (with purchase of a drink)

Monday- Steak | Tuesday- Burger | Wednesday- Souvlaki | Thursday- Salmon

I came on a Monday so 3 out of the 4 people in our party ordered the Steak Special ($5.95). It comes with a plain salad, toast, steak, potatoes and sour cream, and rice pilaf. To be honest, the steak was really good. It's by no means a "Keg" steak but for $5.95 I'd come back just for this every week. It was even better than the one I had at Joe's Grill and I had to pay $14 for it.

The beef Tacos ($8.95) are off their Mexican menu and it was considerably smaller than our steak special and at almost double the price.

 My coworker like it and gobbled them up in seconds. They didn't blow his mind though so I think they were just average.

X-Site is a great place for lunch and dinner if you're looking to save a bit of money without sacrificing taste. Apparently they have lunch specials like Fettuccine Alfredo and Chicken Souvlaki for only $4.95 everyday (11am-4pm M-S).

Service Rating: 3/5
Food Rating: 3/5
Price: $

Overall Rating: 3/5

Happy Eating!

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Miura Waffle Milk Bar- Korean Fusion Sandos

Miura Waffle + Milk Bar used to be in Yaletown but it's now in a new location on Main Street!

 

They were on You Gotta Eat Here! (Food Network Show) which is a pretty big accomplishment. I came here with Meta Knight and we were both surprised to see no one else in the restaurant at 5pm.

The interior is clean and spacious. You pay at the counter first so there are no waitresses to serve you. It's a great place for snacks or quick lunches.

They seem to have raised their prices since my last visit. For just a waffle sandwich and yoggy milk, it came to around $14 per person which is pretty pricey for a quick sandwich joint.

I really enjoy the flavoured yoggy milk because it tastes like a fruity yogurt smoothie.

Meta Knight had the Bulgogi ($8.99) which is a waffle sandwich filled with kimchi, bulgogi beef, egg sauce, and bulgogi sauce. The waffle was a little soft for my liking but otherwise a very solid sandwich!

I had the Hoisin ($7.99) which consisted of hoisin pork sausage, cilantro, cucumber, pickled radish, and carrot. Mine didn't have as much meat as Meta Knights but I loved the flavour combination as it's similar to a banh mi.

The meat is cooked right inside the waffle!

Service Rating: N/A

Food Rating: 3/5

Price: $$

Overall Rating: 2.5/5

Happy Eating!

 

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