Anton's Pasta Bar- Well Worth The Wait!

Meta Knight first introduced me to Anton’s Pasta a few years ago and I’ve loved this pasta joint ever since. To get my hands on their delicious and gigantic pastas, I have even endured their long line-ups in all types of weather including blistering winds and pouring rain!

The restaurant is always bustling with customers coming in and out, servers dodging each other while carrying huge platters of pasta, and awesome flames bursting from the kitchen.

Their pasta selection is HUGE so if you are an indecisive individual like myself, I would advise you to scan their online menu (here) before heading there or you’ll likely take an hour trying to decide what you want to get.

Jethro's Fine Grub- That's Some Tasty Grub

I’ve wanted to go to Jethro’s Fine Grub ever since I heard about their gigantic pancakes and watching them on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives”. I went there with Unger and B-boy a while ago but never had the chance to blog about it until now.

There is very limited seating so the wait gets pretty long even with just a few people ahead of you. We were only a group of three and we still had to wait more than 30 minutes for a table.

Look! It’s Guy Fieri’s graffiti on the wall!

We each ordered an entree (which was a big mistake) and here are some of the condiments we were given.

Chen's Shanghai Kitchen- Awesome Xiao Long Baos and Salty Soy Milk

I went to Chen’s Shanghai Kitchen a few days ago with my mom and we kind of went there on a wim because we have always had mixed feelings about this place. They are located on Park Road in the same area as Happy Date.Their xiao long baos are certainly one of the best in Richmond (in my opinion) but their service sucks like no other.

The standard Xiao Long Baos (6 pcs) ($4.50) arrived piping hot and were super plump and juicy looking.

I was afraid the skins were going to tear when I picked them up since they were sticking together, but it was completely fine and almost every single bun was intact with their juices.

Tandoori Kona Restaurant- Slow Service, But Spectacular Indian Cuisine

Having lived in Richmond almost all my life, one would assume I know a lot of good hidden gem restaurants that reside here. But nope, after my trip to Tandoori Kona, I realized I knew nothing about hidden gems in Richmond. How could I have lived here for so long and not know about this fantastic, authentic, and arguably the best Indian restaurant in Richmond?

Trixie, Misu, and I came to Tandoori Kona on a normal weekday night and the place was packed. A guy waiting in line said that he and his buddy waited for 45 minutes already so we almost decided to go somewhere else. Good thing we didn’t.This restaurant is situated on Cambie and No.5 road in a relatively average strip mall.

I always have to order Mango Lassi ($3) when I go to Indian restaurants and this time was no different. :) I could tell their mango lassi was very fresh and the yogurt they used really thicken up the drink to the point where it had the consistency of a milkshake. The only criticism is that all three of us thought it was a tad lukewarm.

We were given Papadums to munch on while waiting for our entrees. It was quite interesting and I liked it despite it constantly getting stuck in my teeth. Maybe don’t munch on this if you are on a first date.

Fairmont YVR Airport- To-Die-For Devonshire Cream and The High Tea Experience

I heard Living Social had a deal ($36 for 2 people) for their afternoon tea at the Fairmont YVR Airport location a while ago. Unfortunately, it sold like hotcakes and by the time I tried to purchase one, it was all sold out. :( Luckily, the Richmond Review had a similar coupon during the same weekend so I quickly printed the coupon out and made a reservation on the week of Valentines day.

The interior is very modern yet comfy and we saw many people enjoying the high tea experience using the coupon. The service was impeccable from start to finish and both Meta Knight and I were very pleased with our server.

I’ve tried the high tea experience at Fairmont Vancouver in downtown and I really liked their selection of teas. Unfortunately, this location had a different tea selection and none of them sparked much interest for me.

While we were waiting for our teas, we noticed the little pots of honey at our table! Yay, I love honey!

Simple and Sweet Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I love baking. I think I’ve said that before in my previous posts, but in my blog, you will find quite a few baking recipes because I loveeee cakes, brownies, sweets, and essentially any desserts. :)

I made these soft chewy chocolate chip cookies with Rae the other day for Valentine’s Day and I just wanted to share with you the results!

We followed the Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe on allrecipes.com because it had over 5,000 reviews and was rated one of the top chocolate chip cookies on the site. These cookies were meant to be very large, but as you will see later, it didn't turn out that well because we needed it to fit into our cookie jar (plus it was over baked... whoops).

Tokyo Joe's Ramen Okawari- Not Your Typical Ramen

Tokyo Joe’s Sushi Factory in Richmond has opened a sister restaurant across the street called Tokyo Joe’s Ramen Okawari. It is in the same area as Price Smart Foods and Dinesty.

The reviews online were so-so but I wanted to check it out because I’ve walked by this restaurant before and I was captivated by their ramen pictures.

We were instantly greeted at the door by their enthusiastic staff and they promptly seated us at a booth.

I thought this page of the menu was quite interesting. Apparently, they use ginseng, Japanese raisin tree, antler, roasted garlic, astragalus membranaceus, angelicae gigantis radix, jujube, and ancanthopanacis cortex in their Okawari Ramen.

Random Thought- $1 Lattes, Official Canucks Donut, and Sweet Valentine Donut

Tim Hortons just released their new line of lattes and is now promoting it through their $1 Flavoured Latte Special. Since I’m a sucker for promotions, I ordered one a few weeks ago to prepare for my long day on campus.

For $1 plus tax, you get a small (which used to be the medium before the size change) latte made with 100% Arabica beans and warm frothy milk. In addition, you can choose which flavour shot you want: Caramel, Vanilla, Hazelnut, or Milk Chocolate. This promotion will last until February 19^th,2012.

I ordered the $1 latte on three different occasions and only one of the three had a happy face on it. :( I was disappointed. Even though the happy face looks a bit ugly after melting into the milk froth, it still makes me smile. :P

The One Cafe- One Of The Better HK Style Cafes

The One cafe is located next to Richmond Center and I heard the owners used to own a very popular stall at Parker Place. Their menu is quite similar to all of the other HK Style Cafes in Richmond but I find the execution of their food is better than others.

Their Satay Beef with Vermicelli is available for breakfast and it comes with a drink. My expectation for this was very low so I was pleasantly surprised by the deep flavour of the satay.

The beef slices were tender and the vegetables were crisp yet soft.

Their Milk Tea was standard.

Random Thought- TCBY (Silvercity Metropolis) Healthier Alternative Than Popcorn

Since Meta Knight and I enjoy going to the movies, we often fall for the uber expensive food at the theatre. Popcorn is usually out of the question because it’s pretty much butter in a bag, so we always go for the healthier alternative: frozen yogurt at TCBY.

This is a medium and we chose two toppings: fresh strawberries and Skor. Frozen yogurt is actually very satisfying so I recommend getting this for people who want healthier options at the theatre.

The Noodle Box (Kitsilano)- It's Like Koya Japan or Flaming Wok, What More Can I Say?

Steph (krispybites), Janice (goodeat), and I came to The Noodle Box right after our chocolate adventure at Thomas Haas because it was nearby and Janice had two gift certificates to redeem here.

The Noodle Box reminded me of Flaming Wok and those other ‘Asian’ restaurants that are catered to the non-Asian demographic. These restaurants are usually the ones I avoid (obviously because I’m Asian and I don’t find their product ‘authentic’), but since Janice was kind enough to let us share her gift certificates, I was not going to turn it down. :)

Here is their take out menu (click on it to enlarge). I find their prices quite steep for a bowl of noodles (some are $16!!) but that’s just me.

So first up was the Singapore Cashew Curry + Prawns ($14) and the portion was actually much bigger than I anticipated. However, I was disappointed to find that high quantity = low quality. It certainly wasn’t horrible, but the noodles were a bit dry and grainy. As well, we chose mild for the spicy level but it was VERY spicy.

Zipang Sushi- Beautifully Crafted Rolls, Average Taste

Zipang Sushi is located on Main street and B-boy took me here one day to try it out because he said their rolls are quite unique and tasty.

We arrived at 10:30am but we found out they don't open till 11. :( We walked around a little bit and discovered the very interesting "Front & Company" store (post).

The setup inside was very modern and had a very chill and relaxing feel to it. Many of the other customers dining here were business men/women on their lunch break.

Thomas Haas (Kitsilano)- Three Amazing Flavours To Try For The Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival

Did you guys know that there is a 2nd Annual Vancouver HotChocolate Festival happening from January 14^th to February 14th? I had no clue until KrispyBites and GoodEat told me about it. Many different chocolate makers are participating in this festival and proceeds from their featured hot chocolate drinks will be donated to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre.

One of the participating venues is Thomas Haas, so the three of us decided to head over there and get our chocolate on.

Just looking at everything they have to offer from homemade chocolates...

...to sinfully delicious baked goods

Miku Restaurant- Like I Died and Went To Sushi Heaven

I fell in love with Miku ever since I dined here a year ago. They have hands down the best aburi sushi I have ever tasted and everything from the service to their execution of food is always flawless. They are on the fine dining end of the spectrum though so unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of dining here more often than once a year. LOL

Yesterday, I took Meta Knight here for lunch (cause lunch is always cheaper than dinner! :D) because I really wanted him to try their famous aburi sushi. Miku’s aburi-style sushi features box shaped sushi that is infused with one of a kind sauces and lightly seared with a torch.

Random Thought- Funky Freeze-Dried Ice Cream Sandwich!

B-boy and I went to Zipang Sushi on Main Street a few weeks ago and we walked past this really cool store called “Front & Company”. We had some time to kill so we went in and they sell the coolest things!! A lot of them are pretty useless in real life but it’s intriguing nonetheless. :D

This is a freeze dried ice cream sandwich. You heard me, freeze dried ice cream. O.O They call it astronaut food and at first I totally thought it was a joke and inside would be something inedible. But after doing some research online, it is apparently real! It was developed by Whirlpool Corporation under contract for NASA. Astronauts actually eat these in space during Apollo missions and they only begun to sell these to the public not long ago.

People who have tried these freeze dried ice-cream sandwiches say the ice cream instantly turns into a creamy consistency the moment it hits your tongue. They say it is super portable so it is ideal for long hikes. If you want to buy these without visiting the store, I saw these being sold (in different flavours of ice cream too!) on Amazon.com. By the way, has anybody tried this product before?

Berry Good- If It Weren't For The Horrible Service...

Berry Good (funny name huh?) is a cake and coffee shop in Richmond that mainly specializes in desserts. I've been here quite a few times and I usually come out with a good experience. The place is small though so definitely refrain from coming with a large group.

I came with Meta Knight at 8pm (which I think is quite early for dessert) and the place was packed! We had to wait around 15 minutes for a table. By the way, the service that day was absolutely horrendous. No one came to acknowledge us for almost 10 minutes so we just stood near the door looking like idiots trying to wave at the waitress. We could tell she purposely ignored us. I also realized that she did not wipe down the table after the group before us left. I was so frustrated I almost wanted to leave... but I didn't cause I wanted cake...

They have a selection of desserts to choose from but you can only choose what's available that day on the display. 

Gin's Kitchen & Cafe- Fails To Impress

Trixie told me about this new sort of “hole-in-the-wall’ restaurant in Richmond that supposedly had really cheap $4.95 lunches. Since we were both feeling particularly cheap that day, we decided to try it out.

Upon first glance, it really did look like a hole-in-the-wall. The name of the restaurant (in English) is not visible and it is squished in between two larger establishments so you probably wouldn’t notice this restaurant at all when walking by.

The interior looked a lot prettier than I imagined and it reminded me of Liu’s Taiwanese Restaurant (post).

Their $4.95 Lunch Special is from 11am-3pm and the meal does not come with a drink. :(