Luda
2683 E Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC
Long time readers can remember that, some time ago, I made reference to the area near Hastings and Slocan (east of Nanaimo, a couple of blocks from the PNE). Specifically, I used to go to a nearby game shop to play Magic the Gathering; however, I haven’t been there in a long while. Reason? Aside from the cost of the game (which has become ridiculously expensive nowadays), I have moved on to other things. One day, I chose to drop by and, while I didn’t play, at least it was good to see people I used to play this game with. On my way out, I noticed that Louis Garden closed and replaced by a Chinese restaurant. Given that I seldom go to Chinese restaurants mainly because going by yourself is sort of pointless, I made a mental note and check with that one person who I am certain will drop by that area without much hesitation and, at times, short notice: Sherman. So we did on a Tuesday, just to find out it is closed on Tuesdays! If you need an example of epic fail this would have been it! So, we mulled it for another day and, dropping by the area again on a Friday, I checked again with Sherman and, bam!, he was good. Even better? Since two can only order that much, he brought reinforcements in the form of “Rich Guy”!
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Tagged as:
Chinese,
Pork,
Seafood,
Vancouver
Xiang Yuan Qiao Bridge Rice Noodle
2128 – 4500 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC
It is commonly agreed that Crystal Mall is one of the best places for Chinese cheap, quick eats, with some of them delivering dishes that are about par (probably giving them a bit too much credit here, though) with some sit down restaurants. Of course, given the price point at the food court, I am more willing to return there than the sit down ones! While I have written about a couple of places in Crystal Mall (like Delicious BBQ and Wang’s Shanghai), you have to admit that, for some gems to shine, you have to have something to compare against. In other words, in a sea where everything is “good”, there has to be one that sucks; otherwise, means that everything is average.
As for Crystal Mall, I have purposely avoided some of the stands probably because of some pre-conception or simply because I am not that enticed to try them. Which ones? If you see something on the lines of “2 or 3 items plus rice or noodles” or sushi, chances are I will see what’s in the next stand. (For the former, I would rather go to Kent’s Kitchen; for the later, too many in Metro Vancouver). One of the places I thought was below average in Crystal Mall was Beijing Restaurant, which I blogged previously here), and I wasn’t the only who thought was subpar. So, in a survival of the fittest type environment, it eventually closed down and now has been replaced by Xiang Yuan Qiao Bridge Rice Noodle. I was tempted to check the other stands first but after seeing such a long queue of people, I thought, what the hell, let’s give it a try…
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Tagged as:
Burnaby,
Chinese,
Noodles,
Soup
Chinese Skewer King
900 W Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC
After been back in town, it was time to tackle the remaining food carts in Vancouver. After all, given my experience in Re-Up BBQ, it was quite possible that my initial thoughts of food carts in Vancouver was mistaken and, actually, there was some glimmer of hope. That brings us to today’s post of another food cart in the Downtown Vancouver area: Chinese Skewer King, which, as the name suggests, has skewers. Can you go wrong with some meat-on-a-stick?
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Tagged as:
Chinese,
Downtown,
Food Cart,
Pork,
Vancouver,
Vegetarian
Old Szechuan Restaurant
10703 – 103 Street
Edmonton, AB
During my initial post of my BC Day/Heritage Day long weekend in Edmonton, I made a remark about The Lingnan, whose claim to include being part of a show called The Family Restaurant: The Quons. In that post, I wrote “I know, I know, this isn’t authentic Chinese…” Now, here is a key detail, based on ingredient availability and taste, it is almost a guarantee dishes will change (in fact, I am looking forward for a book to be published later this year on this topic. Check details about it here). So, on my last night in Edmonton, after a visit to the Devonian Botanical Gardens, a friend of Trinh (whom I am going to refer as “K”) called, which, in turn, checked with me. While initially I didn’t have any expectations as to what to eat or where to eat, this time, I made a selfish request: Can we try a Chinese restaurant? Given K’s background, it seems like a good idea: to find something Chinese but not Chinese Canadian. (Sorry, Trinh, I knew you wanted to try something “Western”!).
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Tagged as:
Chinese,
Edmonton,
Pork
City Temple of Shanghai
3755 Main Street
Vancouver, BC
“Anybody interested in some XLB?” That was what Sherman wrote in an email. I am not sure but, there are times where I wonder if that question should be asked anymore… Well, actually, this was, as I was in “maybe” mode. Why? Me, don’t want to tag along for food? Well, it just happens the day Sherman suggested we went for xiao long bao was the day I went with TNG to Squamish! In the end, we chose to come back to Vancouver and, for TNG to meet fellow food bloggers in action, in this case, in addition to Sherman, there were also Elaine, Matt and Degan. The place for XLB? A small mom-n-pop, hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Main Street called City Temple of Shanghai.
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Tagged as:
Chinese,
Dumplings,
Vancouver
In the last couple of weeks, I have been visiting places that sell Chinese BBQ pork – for the most part, in the form of a meal served with rice. It is simple, it is satisfying, it is Chinese… For a twist, I decided this time to go for lechón, the Spanish variant of this dish; however, since I am not aware of any Spanish restaurant in Vancouver that does this, I went then for the next best alternative: the Filipino version. After all, there is a Filipino community here and there is that catering to their own community, right? That place was Joyce BBQ/Manila Lechon, located near Joyce Skytrain Station.
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Tagged as:
Burnaby,
Chinese,
Food Court,
Pork,
Vancouver
Great Two Supermarket
2760 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC
So far, except with minor exceptions, all my posts have been restaurants related. However, when readers suggest a place, I am more than willing to give that place a try, even if that place is NOT a restaurant. This is what happened a couple of weeks ago when I wrote about Delicious BBQ in Crystal Mall’s food court. Holly, whom I have met personally, suggested I give Great Two Supermarket a try, a suggestion partially supported by LotusRapper, another reader. Now, it is not that the place is great; rather, it is an alternative to going all the way down to HK BBQ Master in Richmond. OK, that is enough convincing for me to give this place a try!
Not necessarily the fanciest of places…
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Tagged as:
Chinese,
Pork,
Vancouver
