Cafe Mai Mai - My Favourite Pho Restaurant. NO MSG!

Often many people ask me what my favourite food in the world is. It's a really hard question to answer, but when I answer I think of the one food item I cannot live without. It's also the one food item I think about whenever I come back from a long vacation eating food from another culture. For me, it's noodle soup. It can be ramen, pho, chicken noodle soup, or fish ball seaweed soup. Any type of noodle in any type of broth is my absolute FAVOURITE type of food. <3

My friend Queen B recommended a restaurant called Cafe Mai Mai not too far from my home and she said their pho is spectacular. She also said they use absolutely no MSG and that once you taste the broth, you will understand.

Since my first visit, I've been back maybe 7 times and I bring absolutely everyone I know to my now favourite pho restaurant. This is the #2 Small ($7.95) and it contains rare beef slices (which gets cooked in the hot broth), tendon, tripe, and beef balls. You'll notice the broth is a bit darker in colour than the traditional ones we're used to eating. It's darker because the owners need to use more beef meat and bones in their broth to make up for the lack of MSG. What you'll get is a richer, more flavourful, yet cleaner broth.

Your typical bean sprouts, basil leaf, and green pepper.

I can't explain how delicious the broth is (just like Queen B), you literally have to taste it for yourself to understand what I'm talking about.

Cafe Mai Mai also has a stamp card so if you eat 9 bowls, you get the 10th one free. What I love is that you also have the option of donating you 10th bowl back to them so they can donate the proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society. I absolutely adore that idea and I think more local businesses should also adapt that. What an incredible way to promote giving back.

While I've tried their Vietnamese Coffee multiple times, I'm not a coffee connoisseur so I can't say whether this place has the best coffee or not.

For an amateur coffee drinker like myself, it tastes mighty delicious to me!

I also love eating the pho with their homemade chili sauce so I ended up buying one jar to take home for eight dollars. It's legit chili oil guys. So goooood.

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

Overall Rating: 5/5

Happy Eating!


                 Kirby eating noodles. How fitting!

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The Bellagio Buffet (Las Vegas) - Caviar and King Crab?!

Soo.... I went back to the Bellagio Buffet. Again. It was way too good the first time for me not to come back again. If you missed my first experience, click here. Otherwise read on... because this one is epic. 

So as you know, Bellagio Buffet is known as one of the classic, a bit boring, typical buffets in Vegas. Their decor is nothing special and it might even look pretty old and outdated at first glance. However, their food makes up for it in my opinion.

The day I treated my parents to this buffet, they had a 'special event' going on so the price got jacked up to about $50 CAD. Crazy, I know. My wallet was feeling a world of hurt so I was determined to stuff my face until I explode. Good thing that had Alaskan King Crab or else I would've been really sad. They replenish the stash quite often so you'll always be able to grab some good ones.

Their desserts were alright. Nothing to rave about.

 Strawberry and cheese tarts. Interesting.

 

I quite enjoyed their kale/butternut squash/lentil concoction, gnocchi (back), and pesto mash potatoes (right).

As I was walking around, I saw the coolest station ever. It was a caviar/tartare/poke station! On the very left is a beef tartare on toast which was quite good and didn't get me sick. For caviar, they had red tobiko (the fish eggs they use in sushi), salmon roe (also called Ikura in Japanese), and traditional English caviar (most likely sturgeon).

The caviar gets served on a pancake or waffle disc with some cream cheese. The pancake was merely a tool to get the caviar in your mouth so it was essentially tasteless. All in all it was okay and made me feel slightly better about paying $50/person because I've never gotten the opportunity to try sturgeon caviar before.

 Watermelon and feta salad.

I have never been to Hawaii before so it was my first time trying 'poke'. For those of you who are not familiar with poke, click here.

 It was absolutely delicious! I already love the individual flavours of soy, sesame, chili, garlic, and seaweed so when this was combined, WITH raw fish, it was heaven.

Some other items include Southern crawfish boil, meat and cheese platter, individual cups of mac and cheese, and creamed spinach.

 The Alaskan King Crab.

Mushroom gnoochi, homemade ravioli, prime rib, and shrimp cocktail.

The chocolate raspberry mouse in waffle cup (right) was to-die for. It's a must get item!!

The creme brulee was solid but nothing compared to the one at Wynn.

Even though this buffet is not a fancy one and is pricey considering how old it is, it's always reliable and the flavours blow me away each time. Also, if you really want all-you-can-eat Alaskan King Crab, you can be sure you'll get it here.

Service Rating: 3/5
Food Rating: 4/5
Price: $$$$+

Overall Rating: 4/5

Happy Eating!


    Anyone else have to roll out of the buffet like me?

Click here to check out my other Vegas post:
 - The Buffet at TI (Treasure Island)
- BurGR (by Chef Ramsey)
- The Cheesecake Factory (Caesar's Palace)

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The Buffet at TI (Las Vegas) - Fantastic Selection

Recently my family and I went to Las Vegas to celebrate my parent's 30th anniversary. We stayed at Treasure Island and had a great time watching shows, shopping at outlets, and eating at my favourite place, BUFFETS!!

Since we stayed at the hotel, they gave us two free buffet tickets as well as one 2-for-1 ticket deal for their TI buffet. I'm not sure if it's because we came during low season, but it was a great deal. The buffet for us costed only around $6 each! What a steal!

The Buffet at TI is known for their variety of classic dishes that Americans love. From barbeque to pasta to pizza, they have it all. I had absolutely no expectations going into this buffet so I think that was one of the reasons why I was so impressed. Normally its about $21 for lunch.

Their selection of pizza.

Their salad bar is different than other buffets in that someone behind the counter makes it for you. You either choose one of the combinations they have on display or get the chef to create a custom salad for you.

Coutnry fried steak, stuffing, cornbread, mash potatoes.

My spinach salad with extra avocado was absolutely delicious!! It had balsamic vinaigrette, almonds, bacon bits, red onion, and spinach.

My brother's plate of barbecue pork ribs, chicken breast, pulled pork, beans, and mexican rice.

They even serve Vietnamese pho, wonton soup, and seafood soup. The pho was surprisingly delicious, though nowhere as good as the ones from Vancouver.

In addition to their selection of international dishes, they also actually have a lot of desserts that look really tasty. I don't know about you but I love mini donuts. Especially soft fluffy ones, so I was excited when I saw all these little tiny donuts up for grabs. :)

Red velvet cookies, chocolate dipped macaroons, apple pie, cherry pie...

They even have a little cereal bar!

Fruit tarts, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate cake, lemon meringue.

All in all, the buffet at TI exceeded my expectations. The desserts weren't overly sweet, which is the case 80% of the time for my tastes. Plus they had Asian food, Mexican food, Italian food, and more so you really can't go wrong with any choice.

Service Rating: N/A
Food Rating: 3.5/5
Price: $$

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Happy Eating!


              hmm...so many choices

Click here to check out my other Vegas post:
- BurGR by Chef Ramsay
-The Cheesecake Factory (Caesar's Palace)
- The Buffet at TI

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Top 10 Restaurants to Go to During the Winter Time

When I think of winter, I think of scraping frost from my car in the morning, curling up in my blanket- burrito style (best way to sleep in my opinion), Mariah's 'All I want for Christmas is you" blasting in my car, and eating hot soupy anything to keep my insides warm.

There are so many amazing restaurants in Vancity that serves up delicous hot eats, perfect for combating the nippy air and chilly wind so I thought I'd share a few of my favourites with you. These restaurants are in no particular order. They are all my favourite go-to places during the winter time.

1. Burgoo - Must Get Item: Soup and Sandwich Combo


Burgoo by far makes one of my favourite grilled cheese sandwiches because it's made with an obscene amount of butter and cheese. *Drool*.... and when you pair that with their hot Seafood Potage soup? It's the perfect lunch combo to warm you from inside out.

2. Dinesty - Must Get Item: Soup Pork Dumplings


The last time I blogged about Dinesty was back in 2011 and I wrote about my less than stellar experience. I've returned many times since then, and they've surprised me with improvements each time. Their Xiao Long Baos (soup dumplings) are pretty spot on and if you've never had them before... You are missing out. These little soupy meat purses will change your life. Like legit.

3. Crackle Creme - Must Get Item: Honey Lavender Creme Brulee


Honey. Lavender. Creme. Brulee. Need I say more??

4. Marutama - Must Get Item: THE EGG


Oh god. Their glorious egg still haunts me in my sleep and I'm constantly depressed at the fact that I live so far away from this place. Marutama serves up extremely rich, chicken broth-based ramen with an egg so delicious it'll make you sing to the heavens. Just go and try it.

5. Swiss Bakery - Must Get Item: The Cronut (or Frissant)


It's really hard to explain in words how a cronut tastes but all I can say is... if you like doughnuts, and you like croissants, you will love these cronuts from Swiss Bakery. During my hibernation in the winter, my body craves carbs and this is its calling.

6. CHAU Veggie Express - Must Get Item: Diving For Pearls Pho


What's the first thing that pops into your mind when I say "vegetarian pho"? I can tell you the word 'delicious' was not on my mind. However, after trying their Diving For Pearls Pho, I am now a convert. This particular broth made with lychees and dates is still one of the most flavouful and delicious pho broths I've ever tasted to date. Give this place a try even if you have doubts. Most likely you'll love it.

7. Chez Meme - Must Get Item: French Onion Soup and Bourguignon Baguette


One look at this picture and I'm sure you already know what I'm talking about. In addition to their AMAZING french onion soup, this local mom and pop shop located in Burnaby will surely blow your mind when you taste their baguette sandwiches. Meta Knight and I both love their short rib baguette called "Bourguignon".

8. Gokudo Shabu Shabu - Must Get Item: Hot Pot Combo


Everyone knows hot pot tastes better when it's rainy, snowing, or windy outside. :) During the winter, I like Gokudo because their hot pot combo gives you tons of veggies, tons of meat, a drink, a carbolicious side, and a dessert, all for about $15 bucks. Plus, their individual hot pots mean no-calling-in-sick-the-next-day-when-you're-too-nice-to-ask-your-sneezing-friend-to-hold-off-on-double-dipping-her-chopsticks.

9. House of Tofu Soup - Must Get Item: Seafood Tofu Hot Pot and Fried Dumplings


I'm no vegetarian but these fried dumplings are the bomb. Also, Korean tofu soup is like the modern day chicken noodle soup. A little spicy, hearty, soupy, the perfect medicine to any cold.

10. Forage - Must Get Item: Their Award Winning Seafood Chowder


Soup. Soup. Soup. Soup. Did I mention I like soup? As an avid seafood lover, I can't imagine anything better than this award winning smokey seafood chowder on a cold windy night. As if that's not enough, it's topped with a soft boiled quail egg and pork rinds. Yes. I said pork rinds *wipes drool off keyboard*.

That's it! Hope you enjoyed the post. :) And if you're anything like me in the winter time... you'll relate.



Happy Eating!

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