Sushi Aria: First restaurant meal of 2016!

Happy New Year! Wishing you all a year filled with happiness, good health, and good food!

My first restaurant meal this year was at Sushi Aria, which opened a few months ago. This location was a travel agency, then a modern dessert place, and finally a sushi place now. Situated between Copa Cafe and Corner 23, and across from Landmark Hot Pot, I think it's perfect to have a sushi restaurant in this area. We came here on a Saturday evening without reservations, and we were seated quickly!

Sushi Aria

Menu

Agedashi tofu $4.75

The agedashi tofu was lightly fried and gave off a nice crispy outer layer even when dipped into the sauce.

Salmon teriyaki with rice $8.95

The salmon teriyaki was nicely cooked and still maintained a smooth texture. This plate had lots of bean sprouts (yay for veggies!), however, I think it had too much pepper. The pepper made this dish a little overly spicy.

Chopped scallop roll $3.95

The chopped scallop roll was satisfying as it was filled with lots of scallop! I also liked how there isn't too much rice on the roll.

Alaska combo $8.95

The Alaska combo came with 2 salmon nigiri, 1 tuna nigiri, 1 ebi nigiri, and a full order of Alaska roll. Alaska roll is usually my go-to sushi roll because I love California roll and I love salmon sashimi. So, Alaska roll is just the perfect combination for me. However, where's the imitation crab meat in this Alaska roll?! Even though it was filled with chunks of avocado, which made this roll creamy, it just didn't taste right without the imitation crab meat. As you can see, there's something on top of the Alaska rolls (and no, I'm not referring to the salmon), but the mushy, creamy-like orangey which I have yet to figure out what it is. My friend says it's crushed tempura.

Nabeyaki udon $6.95

I thought the Nabeyaki udon was one of the best nabeyaki udons I've had. The udon noodles were done just the way I liked them - a little bit chewy and the soup was rich. However, it was lacking a bit in terms of toppings as it basically only had chicken, mushrooms, and little veggies. I must comment on the way they thinly sliced the carrots because it complemented the noodles well. However, nabeyaki udon is not complete without fish cakes!

One thing I really liked about this restaurant is that it is very spacious! Most of their tables are booth seats and hence, a very private space. Finally, I must mention that the waitresses were constantly filling our cups with tea. We stayed there for quite some time and I was really surprised that I had never for once needed to ask them for to refill our tea. Thank you for keeping us hydrated and warm with the green tea! 

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Rain or Shine Ice-Cream: Is Ice-cream even weather dependent?

I first noticed Rain or Shine Ice-Cream on 4th street where they had a huge line up on a rainy day, all jokes aside. Then I noticed they had recently opened a second location in Cambie Village on Cambie and 18th.

Ice-cream has recently gain popularity in Vancouver with gelato slightly trailing behind. But really, who can resist ice-cream? Even I have to admit I'm suddenly more attracted to ice-cream too. In fact, I don't think ice-cream is even weather dependent. 

Rain or Shine Ice-cream has really unique flavours including "the keepers" (London fog, honey lavender, salted caramel, etc.) and "the seasonals" (rosemary olive oil with candied pine nuts, powell street dive bomb porter, rhubarb ginger streusel, etc.) You'll probably have a hard time choosing which flavour to get, but thank goodness, you can ask them for a sample before ordering. One scoop is $4.50 and add 50 cents and you get another scoop of another flavour. We decided to get the Flight (4 flavours) for $9. 

The Flight (4 flavours) $9

From left to right: Rhubarb ginger streusel, Salted Caramel, Blueberry Balsamic, Rosemary Olive oil with candied pine nuts.

Rhubarb ginger streusel: if you like ginger, go for it. It was not very flavourful, but you can definitely  taste the ginger and there were also bits of ginger in there

Salted Caramel: It's what its name says. It was both sweet and salty at the same time, which definitely played with my tastebuds. It was a tad too sweet for my liking. We did notice that out of the 4, this one probably had the highest melting rate. Is it because there's salt in it so that lowers the melting point? 

Blueberry balsamic: Very unique and my second favourite out of the 4. You can definitely taste both the blueberry flavour and balsamic vinegar. They go together quite well and the blueberry flavour did not taste powdery or fake, but like actual blueberries. 

Rosemary olive oil with candied pine nuts: My favourite out of the 4. The rosemary flavour was very unique and the pine nuts in the ice-cream made it super tasty. I've never tasted ice-cream quite like this one! 

Their ice-cream is made fresh with natural and whole ingredients right in house. Doesn't that sound healthy? With natural and whole ingredients and unique flavours, it is no question that this place will have customers coming back rain or shine! 

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Shishinori: Hungry for More

Recently, I've noticed that Shishinori has been hitting Urbanspoon's homepage top ten "Talk of the Town" list. After browsing through a couple of food pictures, I was sold. Shishinori is a small and cute restaurant located on Cambie near Save-On-Foods. This restaurant reminded me of Marulilu Cafe, a nearby cafe that's also fairly cute. Even both are Japanese, their menus are completely different. 

It was the pictures of all the different and refreshing salads that attracted me to this place. As I'm trying to include lots more vegetables into my diet, I find it quite difficult to do that in typical restaurants. So, I decided to come here for dinner on a Sunday night. I got their wild salmon paradise bowl and I loved it, especially the appetizing dressing. This bowl contained brown rice, edamame beans, alfalfa sprouts, carrots, grape tomatoes, spinach, red radish, half an egg, and pieces of salmon sashimi. 

wild salmon paradise bowl $10.50

wild salmon paradise bowl

I loved how they have brown rice instead of white rice in this dish! Even though I enjoyed this dish, I was definitely not full. I wish there was more rice in it to go with the dressing as there was like just a small scoop of rice. (or perhaps I'm just a big eater) Oh, and there could also be a bit more salmon too.

wild salmon paradise bowl

The second dish we got was the ahi tuna carpaccio bowl. With any order, you can simply add $2.50 make it into a meal, in which you'll get a drink and miso soup or dessert.

ahi tuna carpaccio bowl with enoki portobello mushroom miso soup and green tea $12 + $2.50

I found that the ahi tuna was a little bland. Again, this "meal" was fairly small, and it seemed more like an appetizer to me.

ahi tuna carpaccio

Besides the presentation of the food, another aspect I really liked of this place is the wooden utensils and cutleries that they used. On the wall, they also have a projector that plays anime. As winter is creeping around the corner, I'd advise you to wear more if you are planning to visit this place! They had their doors wide open to show that they are indeed, open. However, I got chilly sitting there so I asked if they could close the doors. They told me they'd turn on the heat higher because they wanted to keep the door opened, but I didn't feel a difference. 

I'd definitely be come back to Shishinori to try other dishes or to even have the wild salmon paradise bowl again. Though portions are small and I wouldn't really say prices are cheap, but they are affordable and a much healthier choice. 

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Soho Tea Room: Salmon Wellington & Fire on Ice

A few years ago, I'd always go to Richmond for bubble tea and Chinese food, but it seems like there are more and more bubble tea cafes here in Vancouver now. Soho Tea Room opened not too long, and they're owned by the same owners as Flo Tea Room (which ironically closed their former Vancouver location on Granville).

Upon entering the restaurant, the environment and atmosphere seemed more modern than typical bubble tea cafes.

Salmon Wellington

Salmon wellington with prawns & spinach cream in puff pastry $19: I don't know about you, but when I first hear the word, wellington, I think of Gordon Ramsay. Then when I take a bit of this, I could hear Gordon Ramsay say "what a shame". Where's the layer of spinach and prawns? It looks completely different than their picture in the menu which had a thick reddish piece of salmon and then a layer of spinach and prawns. Some parts of the pastry was soggy and the salmon was a bit dried. I didn't expect much though, as this is like a western dish and most of the time western dishes aren't perfected in an Asian restaurant.

Thankfully, the set came with soup of the day and a choice of fries, salad, or spaghetti.

fries

Pan fried thick noodles with pork cheek

Braised pork cheek with black bean sauce pan fried thick noodles $9: I knew I wanted this the second I finished reading its name. Pork cheeks are my favourite parts because it's not fatty and is chewy, yet tender. Thick noodles are also my favourite type of noodles. This dish was not disappointing at all and exactly what I expected. I thought they would give a very small amount of pork cheeks, but I was wrong. I also thought the portion was large, so it's great for sharing.

Fire on Ice

The look of this drink corresponds with its name - fire on ice. On the menu, it says "approx. 30 minutes" and when we asked the waitress, she said this drink takes 30 minutes to serve if they're busy. Really? I don't know why a drink would take that long to make. I think it took just about 10 minutes this time even though the restaurant was neither full nor empty. I don't know why they would write that beside the drink, which will probably in turn make customers unwanting to order it. This slushy consisted of lychee, peach, mango and strawberry - fruity, sweet, with a twist of tanginess. 

There are actually other quite a handful of other bubble tea cafes close by such as Corner 23, Copa Cafe, and Gloucester Cafe. I think their wide variety of drinks (and the names for them) and their extensive menu are things that make Soho Tea Room stand out. 

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Corner 23 萬巒豬腳: Pig Feet and Pork Hocks

Corner 23 is located, as the name implies, right at the corner of 23rd Ave. and Cambie Street. It's a Taiwanese bubble tea place and can be super packed at night, as it is conveniently across from the King Edward Canada Line station. No worries if they're full, guess who's beside them? Hong Kong style cafe - Copa Cafe!

So what's the Chinese name for Corner 23? It actually has nothing to do with a corner or the number 23. The Chinese name directly translates to "Wan Luan pig feet" - Wan Luan is a rural place in Taiwan. Apparently, there are "Corner 23's" in Taiwan too, featuring their signature dish, Wan Luan pork hock. Though I've been to Corner 23 many times, but I've never gotten their signature dish as the thought of eating pork hock or pig feet did not seem very appealing to me. But after seeing people from other tables eating it, I decided to give it a try. You can order just pork hock, or with noodles/rice set. 

Wan Luan Pork Hock rice set

The sauce is the magic in this dish. So, I'd recommend getting the rice set so you can thoroughly enjoy the sauce (since you can really mix sauce in noodle soup).  I've never been a fan of eating skin - I don't eat fish skin, chicken skin, and definitely not a great fan of pig feet skin. However, the meat was tender, but tasteless without the sauce, so remember to dip it into the sauce.

On another visit, I got the seafood milk hot pot set. When I think of hot pot, I think about all the raw fatty beef that people gather around a pot to cook in a tasty soup base. However, this is not that at all. It's only for one person and everything in the pot is cooked, even though there is fire beneath keeping it warm. This was very tasty but the milk seemed water down and not the fresh smell of warm milk. Though still lots of yummy variety of seafood in the pot.

Seafood milk hotpot

My friend got the five-spice chicken set which came with a bowl of rice, and some veggies. The chicken definitely had a lot of flavour and was cooked nicely. However, I don't think everyone will like unique flavour that it creates with the 5 spices.

And of course, what is going to a bubble tea place without having some bubble tea? Their bubble tea is OK, neither the best nor the worst. Ok, their bubbles are good and have a consistent chewiness. However, it is their addition of powder flavour that I dislike. So, I'd suggest sticking with tea or milk tea and not to get any exotic fruit flavours - the mango one is an exception - very good.

Mango Milk Tea Bubble Tea - to go!

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Moii Cafe Cambie: An artsy Japanese x French cafe

I re-docorated my home!

Just kidding! This is actually the interior of Moii Cafe, a spacious coffee/snack cafe located on Cambie & Broadway. At first, I thought it was weird that it's "Moii" with two i's and how it translates to "me cafe". It is actually quite interesting and here is their explanation: "Moii is a combination word from French "moi" (I) and Japanese "なつでもいい" (It is ok/whatever) forms an idea and spirit of "it's ok to be myself; this is who i am." How creative! 

The entire place is very nicely decorated. Relatively, it is large and spacious, yet it gives a cozy and homey feeling once you step inside. Turns out that the owner is a graduate from Emily Carr University and wanted a place for artists to showcase their work for others to enjoy. What a great idea that I'd totally support. Already liking this place. Now on to the food. 

This is the tuna and cheese crepe and a cup of green tea. Now I think I prefer sweet crepes over savoury crepes. Nonetheless, I always find myself ordering savoury ones - probably so that I don't feel like I'm having dessert. The crepe was pretty good but I cannot say it's the best I've had. Though I do love the fact that it's freshly made.  So, once in a while, the shop would be overflowed with a very nice smell that'll suck you into ordering a crepe. 

Tuna and cheese crepe

They also have a variety of drinks. I got the matcha green tea - I love matcha. This was very good - creamy and not too sweet. The only thing I'd change is to add less milk. 

matcha green tea latte

 School has been back for almost a month now and I'm sure coffee shops have gotten busier as well. When I was a student, I did not really like studying in coffee shops because I get distracted easily. However, I'd be up for catch up with a friend or for "people watching" anytime at a coffee shop! I think this is a perfect place for those who enjoy studying in cafes. Look at the space and they even have a study room for group meetings/projects. 

Study room/ group meeting

Thirsty? They have complimentary lemon water! Have I mentioned that it's perfect for studying? Homey feel, crepes to order, study room, spacious... it's the whole package.

If I knew about this place earlier, I'd probably love studying here. I wouldn't be too surprised if this place gets busy during exam periods. 

Moii Cafe Menu

Moii Cafe menu

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Copa Cafe 高柏餐廳

The "other side" 

I met up with my two music friends (we're music nerds when we're together) for lunch at Copa cafe right at noon on a Saturday. They were packed and we were waiting for about 10 minutes until they finally decided to open the other side, which has 8 tables. (I didn't know they had another side and I don't know why they didn't open it earlier).

When seated, they served us the typical tea you find at HK style cafes.

We ordered from the mini lunch menu (which isn't really that mini) and comes with a complimentary drink. Ever since I first ate baked seafood rice a few years ago, I have grown to like cheesy baked rice. This time, I got the baked chicken steak on rice in Portuguese style and chose Horlicks for my drink.

Baked chicken steak on rice in Portuguese style 芝士葡汁焗焼鸡饭  $6.95

Baked chicken steak on rice in Portuguese style 芝士葡汁焗焼鸡饭

My friend seemed to have enjoyed her order of bacon, lettuce, and tomato with toasted white bread. The ingredients were fresh and the salad was creamy and had fruits.

BLT sandwich with salad $5.95

The scrambled egg and shrimp with fried rice noodle took the longest time to arrive. I wonder if the menu actually meant flat instead of fried, because that looks like non-fried rice noodles to me. The flat rice noodles would have been better if they were separated a bit instead of being stuck together in chunks. Hence, it made it difficult to get the creamy sauce in every bite and as a result, was plain. I don't believe this met my friend's expectations as there's some discrepancy between the actual dish and the menu. Due the the wait to be seated and for the dish to come, my poor assumption that we could be done with 1.5 hours was wrong. I apologize for that as she had to pack most of it.

Scrambled egg and shrimp with fried rice noodle 滑蛋蝦仁炒河 $8.95

Horlicks 好立克

Almond 杏仁双

Hot chocolate with whipped cream

As with HK style cafes, you can choose the your drink from a list including Horlicks, Ovaltine, almond, HK style lemon tea, HK style milk tea, etc. Like Ovaltine, Horlicks is a name of a company and typically used to refer to the powder malt drink. I have a thing for malt so I got that.

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