604 Just Eat: Desserts @ Fratelli Bakery

June 14th, 2016

Fratelli Bakery@ Grandview 

Food:  4/5   Service:  3.5/5   Atmosphere: 3.5/5   Price:  Avg. $6.5 person

Fratelli, a famous Italian Bakery on Commercial Drive.  We came here to buy some sweets to go before heading to our friend's home for barbecue.  I was melted when I walked inside the shop, because the sweet scent of puff pastry cake and tarts smell so good!
 And my eyes cannot leave the display shelves, with great selections of cakes and pastries.  It was very difficult to make decision there.  Indeed, they were so fresh and delicious!  The sweetness was quite mild.  Price range was fair and great attentive service.  MUST EAT!

604 Just Eat: Vietnamese Cuisine @ Anh and Chi

June 26th, 2016

Anh and Chi @ East Vancouver

Food:  3.5/5   Service:  3.5/5   Atmosphere:  3.5/5   Price:  Avg. $23 person

Anh and Chi was previously Pho Hoang on Main Street, revamped head to toe after the second generation took over.  Not only the menu, they have transformed the restaurant into a modern and vibrant Vietnamese Cuisine successfully.  Food was pretty good and well presented, we could see all the delicate decor and details they have input into the restaurant from the table setting, motorbike in the center of the restaurant to the fancy rose gold bathrooms.  
Price wise it was above the average, but you do get what you pay for when the owners bring the restaurant into a higher level.  

604 Just Eat: Desserts @ Laduree

June 14th, 2016

Laduree @ Downtown 

Food:  4/5   Service:  3.5/5   Atmosphere:  4/5   Price:  Avg. $25 person

Laduree - the ultimate luxurious brand of classic Parisian macarons.  
I have been to Laduree in Hong Kong and NYC but I was quite excited to hear Laduree was opening in Vancouver, one more macaron spot to go when I have intense craving for macarons.  Pictures of the lineup extended out of the store were all over my IG since the opening.  I was thinking to go visit when the line was less crazy then hubby was home after work with a box of macarons, all 16 flavors on the shelves the day.  HAPPY!!!  When lots of people say macarons are too sweet for them, I ate 6 pieces right after dinner, equal over 1000 calories.  LOL.

The meringue shell was soft and fluffy, mildly moist and half melted in my mouth.  The fillings were fresh and tasty, especially the fruity ones.  The creamy filling was good too, such as salted caramel and pistachio.  Great varieties of flavors, my favorites were lemon, raspberry and rose.  Delicious!

One thing I dislike is we have to pay for the packaging box of the macarons!

1141 Robson Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 1B5

604 Just Eat: Thai Cuisine @ Simply Thai

June 11th, 2016

Simply Thai @ Yaletown

Food:  2.5/5   Service:  3.5/5   Atmosphere:  3.5/5   Price:  Avg. $42 person

Simply Thai is a good place for friends gathering but the taste was not as original as what I had in Thailand.  Taste wise it was average because I was looking for the true THAI food experience.  Suggest to add more flavors from the fresh herbs, spices and tamarind.  Their staffs were nice and attentive.  Price wise it was a bit pricey compared to the quality of the food.

604 Just Eat: Canadian Cuisine @ The Wooden Spoon

June 5th, 2016

The Wooden Spoon @ White Rock

Food:  3.5/5   Service:  3.5/5   Atmosphere:  4/5   Price:  Avg. $30 person

Great weekend brunch spot in White Rock.  Heard a lot of rave reviews about this popular brunch spot but did not get down trying it before. We were there for the first time on Sunday so the restaurant was extremely busy, be prepared to wait for a while or try to go earlier.  I like the decor, modern and trendy.  The Atmosphere was good too, lively and friendly.  Portions were generous at reasonable price range.  Good food quality and dishes were delicious. 

WAKE UP!  Jumbo French pressed coffee, lovely!  For those who simply cannot survive without a cup of coffee in the morning, included myself. LOL.  Compared with the French pressed from Twisted Fork, I like the coffee here.

604 Just Eat: Italian/French Cuisine @ Siena

June 4th, 2016

Siena @ Fairview

Food:  4/5   Service:  4/5   Atmosphere:  4/5   Price:  Avg. $65 person

FANTASTIC SPOT!  Excellent food and ambiance, perfect experience at Siena on Granville Street.  Strongly recommended to come for a causal dinner at this cozy restaurant. AND, make plan to go on MONDAY night with friends or colleagues for the half price bottled wine deal!
 Everyone was very friendly there.  Our server was very attentive, professional and friendly.  She told us about the Happy Hour from 8-10pm with food and drink specials.  Cannot wait to go back again!  The lighting and decor make the environment so comfortable, cozy but not crowded.  Price is very reasonable and food is incredibly delicious.

604 Just Eat: Japanese Cuisine @ Ichiro Japanese Restaurant

May 22nd, 2016

Ichiro Japanese Restaurant @ Steveston

Food:  4/5   Service:  3.5/5   Atmosphere:  3.5/5   Price:  Avg. $ 30 person

There are quite a lot of sushi joints popping up in Richmond area but Ichiro is definitely one of my favorites.  Ichiro is an authentic Japanese restaurant in the Steveston Village area, they serve authentic Japanese food here with a comprehensive menu, which means no crazy huge sushi rolls with loads of filled ingredients and mayo or spicy sauce.  If you are a big fan of modern/fusion sushi rolls, do not go Ichiro.  It is a friendly family operated restaurant with warm and great service.  We came here for lunch, the lunch set price is slightly on the high side but you get what you pay for. 

604 Just Eat: Pacific Northwest Cuisine & Seafood @ WildTale Coastal Grill

May 14th, 2016

WildTale Coastal Grill @ Yaletown

Food:  3.5/5   Service:  3.5/5   Atmosphere:  4/5   Price:  Avg. $ 25 person

After some crazy hours of shopping in DT, YAHHHH HAPPY HOUR!!!  Everyone loves a good happy hour (I believe) LOL.  Yaletown is an amazing neighborhood that you can find wide selections of restaurants and bistros.  We randomly picked WildTale and we never been here before.  
Simple HH menu at a very reasonable prices.  All bites come in small size at $6 and $2/pc shucked oyster (min. 1 dozen).  HH runs from 3-6PM & 9 to close daily.

604 Just Eat: Bakery/Desserts @ The Sweet Spot Bakery

May 13th, 2016

The Sweet Spot Barkery @ Steveston

Food:  4/5   Service:  4/5   Atmosphere:  3.5/5   Price:  Avg. $15 for 2 people

This is one of my TOP 10 bakeries in Richmond and you cannot miss it!
Sweet Tooth at "The Sweet Spot".
Love their lemon tart and the french baking are to die for.  Other than the beautiful presentation and tasty of the baked goods, the shop smells so good!  The pleasant smell of the baked goods being made there.  You can see the ovens and bakers next to the counter.  If you have lunch or dinner plans in the Steveston neighborhood, highly recommended to drop by to buy few pieces of baked goods to go!
MUST EAT:  Lemon Tart, Eclairs

Lemon Tart - Right hand side
My ALL TIME FAVORITE EVER.  The lemon tart filling was perfect in texture, classic lemon curd filling, rich, creamy and just about right sweet and sour flavors.  A little swirl meringue on top as decoration, love it!

Chocolate Caramel Cake - Left hand side
(I cannot recall the name lol)
I am not a very big fan of chocolate desserts but this one was pretty amazing.  The flavors of chocolate mousse and caramel were rich and not too sweet.  Outstanding!  

BTW, they also have very delicious eclairs, salted caramel is my choice.  Try to come earlier, usually run low on products in the late afternoon.

110-12000 First Avenue, Richmond BC

604 Just Eat: Seafood @ Catch Kitchen + Bar

May 13th, 2016

Catch Kitchen + Bar @ Steveston

Food:  3.5/5   Service:  4/5   Atmosphere:  4/5   Price:  Avg. $ 20 person

Great Friday lunch @ Catch Kitchen + Bar with my good friend and her family!  
Catch has recently opened at the old spot of Charthouse restaurant.  Glad we came here!  It was totally different from the old restaurant there.  It is different style from Blue Canoe downstairs.  The service was very good and attentive.  For the food quality, wayyyy better than Charthouse before.  The menu was small and pretty standard, the regular items that you can definitely pick something from there BUT no unique dishes.  I think that's what they need to stand out from other restaurants at the waterfront location.

The decor is bright and modern, very spacious!   I would consider this is a kids friendly restaurant, big and open space, no problem to go with strollers.

604 Just Eat: Desserts @ Sugar n Ice

May 7th, 2016

Sugar n Ice Cakes @ Steveston

Food:  4/5   Service:  3.5/5   Atmosphere:  4/5   Price:  Avg. $13 person

Since we moved back to the Steveston neighborhood, Steveston village becomes our favorite spot to chillax in weekend.  I saw a new bakery shop called Sugar n Ice when we were trying to find a parking spot in the Saturday afternoon.  I could not stop my feet walking there to check out this new bakery shop!  The baked sweets were beautiful and delicate.  Other than the pastries and coffees on the menu, they also offer make to order service like wedding and any other occasions. 

604 Just Eat: Seafood @ Steveston Seafood House

May 6th, 2016

Steveston Seafood House @ Steveston

Food:  3/5   Service:  3/5   Atmosphere:  3/5   Price:  Avg. $45 person

We liked to have dinner in somewhere around us, so we picked Steveston village.  Actually there are not much choices in Richmond anyways.  On the internet, there are both positive and negative reviews at Steveston Seafood House; so we decided to give it a try.  Overall the dishes were okay, nothing special though nothing bad.  Service was good and attentive.  Prices are on the high side when the dishes were quite ordinary.

604 Just Eat: Afternoon Tea @ Soffee Cafe

April 30th, 2016

Soffee Cafe @ Fairview

Food:  3.5/5   Service:  3.5/5   Atmosphere:  4/5   Price:  Avg. $30 person

Soffee Cafe is in a hidden location on 8th Ave.  I found this little gem when I was on my way to my accountant's office.  The door, curtains and decor attracted my attentions then I cannot stop myself going in to check out this place.  I went in to get a lattee to go and check out the afternoon tea sets, my favorite!!!  I told my friend about Soffee immediately then we set a day to go together.  I emailed to make reservation and the tea sets we wanted, quick and easy.  Afternoon tea order confirmation is required so be sure to make reservation.

Beautiful lace curtains, my love!  

604 Just Eat: Japanese Cuisine @ Jinya Ramen Bar

April 29th, 2016

Jinya Ramen Bar @ Kerrisdale

Food:  3.5/5   Service:  3.5/5   Atmosphere:  4/5   Price:  Avg. $30 person

Jinya Ramen @ the heart of Kerrisdale is their second location in Vancouver.  We have been waiting to try this location since they opened, we saw the long queue each time we drove by which driving me big interest to come a bowl of ramen.  The line up was shorter tonight and the waiting time was around 20 minutes which was not bad.  Unlike other ramen joints, Jinya has more tapas and dishes options.  Ramen wise, I really like the texture of the noodles especially the thick ones, chewy and al dente!  For the Tonkotsu broth, the broth is less rich and flavors compared with other joints.  It was a good news for people who likes less heavy and thick broth.

604 Just Eat: Japanese Cuisine @ Kinome

April 23rd, 2016

Kinome @ Kitsilano

Food:  4/5   Service:  4/5   Atmosphere:  4/5   Price:  Avg. $70 person

Kinome is a very authentic Japanese restaurant in Kitsilano area.  We went to Kinome with our good friends who also love to eat a lot!  When I looked at the food pictures again, it was like we ordered pretty much everything from the menu!  All the izakaya dishes were perfect to go with sake.  Dishes were absolutely delicious and the taste was exactly the same what I had in Japan!  They are very fresh and high quality seafood imported from Japan and fresh ingredients sourced locally.  
Good food and wine with GREAT friends made us a wonderful expereince at Kinome.

604 Just Eat: Canadian/Pacific Northwest Cuisine @ AnnaLena

April 16th, 2016

AnnaLena @ Kitsilano

Food:  4.5/5   Service:  4/5   Atmosphere:  4/5   Price:  Avg. $80 person

Great time @ AnnaLena! We came to AnnaLena for our 2nd wedding anniversary dinner.  We have heard all the buzz about this place and the pictures allover on IG and other social media.  

Food were amazing!  Beautifully plated dishes that taste absolutely outstanding and impressively delicious.  Very innovative and interesting Canadian cuisine with lots of Asian elements into the dishes and wonderfully creative flavors and textures.
** Be sure to make reservations at least a week in advance**

604 Just Eat: Vietnamese Cuisine @ Pho 37

April 10th, 2016

Pho 37 @ Richmond

Food:  4/5   Service:  3.5/5   Atmosphere:  3./5   Price:  Avg. $11/person

Pho 37 is a small pho joint located at Ironwood mall.  We came here for lunch on Sunday and it was packed with people already.  We wait for 15 minutes so it was not bad.
The broth here is MSG free, I was really looking forward to taste the real richness of the beef soup!  We came here mainly for their signature Pho tuan that we have heard lots of raving reviews.  And I agree that Pho Tuan is a MUST EAT at Pho 37!

604 Just Eat: Japanese Cuisine @ Black Rice Izakaya

April 9th , 2016

Black Rice Izakaya @ Yaletown

Food:  3/5   Service:  3.5/5   Atmosphere:  3.5/5   Price:  Avg. $45/person

We have hit to so many izakaya places already so we wanted to look for a new place to try on Saturday night.  We found Black Rice on Zomato and we hesitated a while since there were both good and bad reviews at it.  Black Rice is a Japanese Izakaya restaurant located in Yaletown area.  I was a lil disappointed at the food menu as I expected more izakaya dishes and Black Rice is not a traditional Izakaya.  I think it is operated by Korean, not Japanese.  I like the sake menu, they have a good selection of sake.  Food quality was so so, nothing is impressive.  Price range is on the high side especially the nigiri sushi.  In this price range, I definitely can have some real good authentic sushi at other Japanese restaurants.  The place is great, nice environment and relaxing atmosphere which unlike the typical izakayas.      

604 Just Eat: Cantonese Cafe @ Smart and Save Cafe

April 2nd , 2016

Smart and Save Cafe @ Richmond

Food:  3/5   Service:  3/5   Atmosphere:  2.5/5   Price:  Avg. $7.5/person

I heard some raving comments of Smart and Save Café, specialized in Hong Kong style local street food or snacks.  We decided to check it out on Saturday for late lunch.

We wanted to order the Chinese sticky rice and deep fried prawn paste toast but they were sold out already!  I was mad craving for the HK style fish paste siu mai but again it was sold out too.  OMG it was only 1pm when we got there and I heard these dishes were so good too….  Now I got the idea why granny always said “early birds catch the worm”.  Oh well, I was lil disappointed but there were other food we could try.  We ordered the waffle and the mixed sauce plain rice roll with the HK style milk tea. 

Hong Kong style milk tea @ $2.50

 Pretty good, smooth and tasty but not strong tea flavor enough.

604 Just Eat: Korean Cuisine @ Hanok

March 31st , 2016

Hanok Korean Restaurant @ Richmond

Food:  3/5   Service:  2/5   Atmosphere:  3/5   Price:  Avg. $30/person

Hanok is a Korean Cuisine restaurant located on the "food street", Alexandra Road.  The restaurant is pretty spacious and comfortable seat.  It is a good place to go in a big group and I consider it is one of the "kids friendly" Korean restaurants to go in Richmond.  This was our first time visit to Hanok, we came here in a group of 8.  Food quality was good and standard, portions were generous.  What I like the most was I did not walk out the restaurant with the BBQ smell on my clothes, good air circulation!  The staff were nice and polite but there were not enough servers.  I can see that they tried their best already but it was definitely not a good sign for slow responses and dishes came slow too.  There were two dishes that we ordered actually did not come when we finished all food.  I hope that it was just an exceptional case for us.