Boiling Point (Burnaby) - Yummy Dipping Sauces

The Boiling Point in Burnaby is one of twelve locations all over Seattle, Southern California, and Canada region. They specialize in individual Taiwanese hot pots, stinky tofu, and drinks.

Their main menu consists of 10 different hot pots, all with a different main protein has the star. For example, they have lamb, beef, curry fishball, Japanese miso, tomato veggie...etc. You usually order them as a 'set menu' which gets you a bowl of rice and a drink as well for $10.99.

What I really enjoy about Boiling Point are their dipping sauces. I don't know exactly what they are but they taste AMAZING with meat and rice.

Both the Black Tea and Green Tea were super aromatic and more concentrated than expected. It was quite good but I actually would have preferred something lighter to wash down the rich flavours of hot pot.

 I don't know what it is about me but I keep on making the same mistakes. Last time I got the Lamb ($10.99), didn't enjoy it, vowed to not get this next time, and guess what I ordered this time? Gah! Anyways, I just didn't like this hot pot mainly because the copious amounts of sour mustard turned my broth all sour.

The Beef Hot Pot ($10.99) contained nappa cabbage, vermicelli, beef, enoki mushroom, tomato, tofu, tempura, corn, meatball, kamaboko, imitation crab, and tofu skin. Having the broth simmered on low heat with all those ingredients made it incredibly rich and complex.

All in all, Boiling Point is pretty average and an okay place to go if you are craving something hot on a chilly cold day. However, my favourite place for individual hot pots is still Gokudo Shabu Shabu in Richmond.

Service Rating: 2.5/5
Food Rating: 2.5/5
Price: $$

Overall Rating: 2.5/5

Happy Eating!

  

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Top 8 Places To Eat in Richmond

For a lot of Vancouverites who rarely venture into Richmond, finding a place to eat can be overwhelming, especially if you know there are over 800 restaurants to choose from!

To make it a little easier on you, I've compiled a list of my Top 8 (for luck! Asians will know what I'm talkin' about) favorite places to eat in Richmond.

8) Deer Garden - Incredibly Flavourful Fish Broth


Richmond is home to two Deer Garden locations, one on Alexandra road, one on Cambie road. Their house made fish broth is to die for and is the perfect remedy for a chilly night, starving tummy, or quick bite with friends. Not recommended for chatting and catching up with old friends because Deer Garden is more of a 'eat and go' type of place.

7) Flying Beaver Bar & Grill - Perfect Spot to Chill, Watch the Game, and Eat a Burger


Located near the YVR airport, this seemingly casual neighborhood pub serves up amazing and meaty burgers. Try their Bison Burger w/ Guinness Cheese or the Kahuna Burger with Fresh Pinapple.

6) Bubble Queen - All Hail The Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake!

Bubble Queen is one of the most popular bubble tea houses in Richmond solely because of their incredibly fresh fruit slushes. Their most famous one? Fresh Mango Slush with Mango Cubes. MUST GET ITEM.

5) Chen's Shanghai House - Awesome Xiao Long Baos and Salty Soy Milk 


Some people might disagree with me on this one but my favourite 'bang-for-your-buck' Shanghainese restaurant is Chen's Shanghai House located on Park Road (across from Richmond Center). It has a sketchy looking exterior but they offer the best xiao long baos aka Shanghai soup buns I've ever had. Tip: its best to come with at least one Asian person because the waitress' English skills are limited.

4) Gokudo Shabu Shabu - This Shabu Shabu is Not Too Shabby


For hot pot, I've recently gravitated towards Gokudo Shabu Shabu located inside Continental Plaza on Cambie road because it is not All-You-Can-Eat and I enjoy their healthy combo sets. Seating is quite limited so its best to make reservations.

3) Sushi Hachi - Saba Battera is Amazing!


Sushi Hachi is a hidden gem in Richmond for authentic Japanese sushi. It is operated by a couple and they only open for three hours a day (Tues-Sat). Its a little on the pricey side but the quality of seafood you get is well worth it. Their Saba Battera and Amaebi nigiri are highly recommended.

2) Gyo-o - Fresh Seafood, Authentic Ramen, Mouth-watering Dons


I've written about Gyo-o at least three to four times now and it is one of my go-to Japanese restaurants whenever anyone asks me where to eat. I absolutely adore their Seafood Tonkotsu Ramen and Seafood Yukke Don (pictured above) and all of their items are extremely affordable. Great food, cute decor, welcoming ambiance, I just can't say enough good things about Gyo-o.

1) L'Opera Patisserie - J'adore Paris

I recently discovered L'Opera Patisserie located on Minoru Road and Westminister, and honestly, it has changed my life. I now no longer have to transit all the way to downtown just to get my hands on some macarons because these at L'Opera are even better. They offer high tea, pastries, desserts, and tea, so it is a great little spot for catching up with friends. I absolutely love love love this quaint little patisserie and I never want it to leave my life.

So there you go! These are my Top 8 recommendations for restaurants in Richmond. If you think another restaurant in Richmond was tragically snubbed by me, please let me know in the comments below. :D

Follow me on Instagram (eatingwithkirby) for daily foodporn and all things Kirby.

Happy Eating!

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Cattle Hot Pot Restaurant- Art of Sharing

When my guest blogger Peter visited me from the Netherlands, I promised to take him around to try the coolest and weirdest food offered in Vancouver/ Richmond. He has never really had Hong Kong Style hot pot before so I brought him to Cattle Hot Pot Restaurant on Alexandra Road.

In the Netherlands, he barely eats seafood or anything really that is not the basic cow, pork, and chicken meat. No innards, no organs, no weird stuff. Heh heh heh. We were in an Asian restaurant in Richmond, so come on, you already know I gave him an experience he will never forget.

The soup base is an extra charge on top of the AYCE (all-you-can-eat) hot pot. We opted for the half/half (yin-yeung) which means you get two bases in one pot. For one we chose the Tomato and Mixed Mushrooms while the other one was a simple Clear Broth.

We got a side of Minced Garlic ($0.60), Chili Pepper (free), and Satay Sauce ($0.60). These condiments definitely enhance the flavour of meat so I highly recommend getting some to share.

This is something I rarely see offered in Vancouver and during the odd times that I do find it, it is seldomly done right. Its called Chiu Chow Fried Fish Skin and it literally is just fish skin, fried. They did a pretty good job here and I dare say the best one I've had so far in Vancouver.

Random assorted items like king oyster mushrooms, cuttlefish ball, stuffed squid ball, fish ball with salted egg yolk, mushroom fish tofu, udon, and wontons.

I really enjoy playing with my food so this Cuttlefish Paste with Masago was right up my alley. You mix the paste around and just drop them in sections into the pot. The cuttlefish paste wasn't spectacular but it was fun to play with.

You gotta get Steamed Fish Meat Dim Sum. Its the bomb. These chewy bouncy morsels of fish paste go perfectly with a cold refreshing drink.

Here is the story about the Pig Blood (red cubes). I wanted Peter to try the pig blood without knowing exactly what it was or else I knew he would get freaked out. I told him to taste it and guess what it was and indeed he did! When he found out it was pig blood instead of red coloured tofu (his guess), he was in complete shock but he didn't find the taste bad at all. :D

I think I would choose to go to Cattle Hot Pot over other hot pot places in Richmond just because they offer these Deep Fried Plain Buns. Though they are just plain buns, when dipped in condensed milk, these deep fried buns become magical. Try it or you'll regret it. And DON'T forget to dip it in condensed milk!

Overall, we had a great time at Cattle Hot Pot catching up on old times and enjoying copious amounts of food. It was definitely a great choice on a chilly and rainy night.

Based on these reasons:

• must get items include: deep fried plain buns, deep fried fish skin, fish siu mai (dim sum), cuttlefish
• come hungry because it is an all-you-can-eat
• parking is a pain the butt (make sure you don't park in the plaza across the street or you'll get ticketed)

Service Rating: 3/5

Food Rating: 4/5

Price: $$-$$$

Overall Rating: 4/5

Happy Eating!

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Hanok Korean Restaurant- Come for their Lunch Specials!

With so many choices for Korean food in Vancouver, it is hard to choose which restaurant to go to. If you happen to be in Richmond and for some reason craving Korean food, I would highly suggest Hanok Korean Restaurant.

They are located in the middle of the Richmond food district (aka Alexandra Road) and are offering some pretty great deals for lunch.

They took over Mongolian Grill and renovated the entire interior.

I've been here for lunch and dinner and I would defintiely recommend coming here for lunch over dinner because their lunch specials are really affordable. For $8.99, you can choose from ten entrees and a side of either japchae, dukkboki, kimbap, or korean pancake.

They have a lot of classic authentic Korean dishes like bibimbap, sundubujiggae (soft tofu soup), bulgolgi soup, pork bone soup...etc.

They provide classic banchans (complimentary side dishes) like seaweed, kimchi, and sweet potatoes but the difference between them and other restaurants is that they do not skimp on the serving. As well, when our potatoes were looking empty, the waitress went to get us more without us even having to ask!

I got the Bulgolgi in an Earthenware Pot w/ Dukkboki ($8.99) as my side. At first when I read this I thought it said in an 'earthworm bowl'. Scared the bejeezes out of me. :P

Anyways, the broth is a actually more sweet than savoury which is the authentic way of preparing bulgolgi soup. It tastes vastly similar to the ones I had in Korea so I deem this to be authentic in my non-expert opinion. It had TONS of beef and a good amount of glass noodles and veggies. It also comes with a bowl of rice.

Dukkboki is essentially stir fried rice cakes in a spicy red pepper Korean sauce (gochujang). The portion was generous considering it is 'free' and a normal entree portion of dukkboki here is over $10. It's also quite spicy anyways so having it in small amounts is good enough for me.

The Soft Tofu Soup (Choice of Beef/Seafood/Kimchi) ($8.99) was very delicious as well and is similar to the tofu soup from "House of Tofu Soup" down the road.

It may look like a small portion but it actually fills you up quite well if you eat it with a bowl of rice.

Also, you can't forget about the sides. The quality of the Japchae completely surprised me as there was an abundance of onions, beef, black fungi, red peppers, green peppers, and glass noodles! A lot of restaurants do a mediocre job of this dish but you could tell they put a lot of effort into making these sides here. Two thumbs up!

Based on these reasons:

• authentic Korean food
• lunch specials are super affordable and leaves you satiated
• allocated parking lot in front
• consistent quality every time I've visited

Service Rating: 4/5
Food Rating: 4/5
Price: $

Overall Rating: 4/5

Happy Eating!


courtesy of http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3pg7w4/

 

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Top 5 Winter Comfort Foods in Richmond

As the days get colder and our nose hair begins to freeze, it's always nice to rely on some hot savoury food to get us through the winter times. That's why I have compiled a list of my Top 5 favourite winter comfort foods in Richmond. Sorry Vancouverites, if you want me to do a list for Vancouver, just give me a shout!

1. Toyotomi

Why save the best for last? I'm just going to tell you my favourite comfort food in the beginning to spare you the suspense. My post on Toyotomi has been the most popular post on my blog for a year now, and for good reason. Hot pot and cold weather have always come hand in hand, but Toyotomi kicks it up a notch by throwing All-You-Can-Eat sashimi into the mix.

2. Tandoori Kona

For some reason, the combination of butter chicken and naan bread just makes me melt. And during the winter time, nothing is better than eating saucy Indian food in my holiday jammies while watching the Shaw fire log on TV. :D (Click here for full post on Tandoori Kona)

3. Gyo-o

I would recommend Gyo-o's ramen (any ramen) to anyone wanting to warm themselves with a big bowl of savoury noodles and soup. Trust me, their ramen is terrific and unbelievably delicious. I don't need to say more. Just read my multiple posts on it and you'll see why: post 1, post 2, post 3

4. Deer Garden

Deer Garden is my go-to place for comfort food whenever I'm feeling down and want to fill my tummy with delicious fish broth. You are bound to get full off of their noodles without making a dent in your wallet (that's important during Xmas season!). Read the full post here.

5. Gokudo Shabu Shabu

I recently discovered (fine, I didn't discover this place, my friend Cupcake told me about it) this place and I've gone back three times within the past month. At Gokudo Shabu Shabu, you get your own personalized hot pot and a bunch of sliced raw meat, veggies, and sides. The result is a delicious, relatively healthy dinner that will keep you nice and toasty even when it's snowing outside. Read the full post here.

Hope you enjoyed this post and as always, Happy Eating!

courtesy of http://thepicklebuzz.com/tag/9gag/

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