Sherman's Food Adventures: Flo Tea Room

Flo Tea Room

*Now Closed*

It was such a downer last Monday, our softball game was canceled because the other team didn't have enough players. That meant... *GASP* No eating! Talking it over with Boss Woman, Miss Y, Bear, Judes, Hot Chocolate and Milhouse, we all agreed to still go out and eat next time regardless of game or not. Now that's what I'm talking about! Today we were playing at Shannon Field near Granville and 61st. Miss Y originally asked me where and how to get to Shannon. I had mistaken Shannon for Winona Park and gave her incorrect directions. She questioned my directions and upon closer inspection, I realized the directions were wrong. She indicated that I was confusing her with my incorrect directions. However, I told her that she doesn't need any help in the confusion department in regards to getting lost. LOL... The funniest thing happened during the game, Bear hit a grounder and they made a force at 2nd. However, he thought that was the 3rd out when it really was only the 2nd out. So he walked off the field rather than going to first. Suffice to say, the other team threw to first and he became the 3rd out. Bear is usually a very alert ballplayer; but a few innings back, he complained about being hungry. I think he understands why I have brain cramps when I get hungry!

After the game, we decided to go to Flo which was only 3 blocks away. Flo is a hybrid Hong Kong-style cafe, bubble tea joint and Taiwanese food. In fact, it's right beside 2 other bubble tea places, I wonder how all of them survive? The first thing that struck me was the reasonable prices of all their food. I guess anything would look reasonable after I paid $14.00 for a sandwich at Havana. Judes had the Honey Garlic Chicken set meal which included rice and 2 sides of pickled veggies. She indicated that the chicken was moist and not over seasoned; however, the rice was a bit hard. Hot Chocolate settled for the Curry Sliced Beef because they had no lamb. She was quite disappointed by that fact; however, she did like the curry regardless. There was a underlying heat to the curry which was not overbearing. The beef was tender as well; but I suspect baking soda was the reason why.

Much to the chagrin of the people sitting around me, I choose the Spicy Flank and Organ Hotpot. They always cringe at my food selection; but really, the organs are the best part! But, to my utter dismay, the hot pot only consisted of pork's blood and brisket. I thought they gave me the wrong order, but the receipt indicated that this was the right dish. The hot pot was okay, but it was generally bland and not spicy. But, it was quite large; I was so full after finishing it. Naturally, being a bubble tea joint as well, I added a Lychee Slush, which I proceeded to spill on my camera. Luckily it wasn't too bad; but horror reigned in my expression when it happened. The reason for the spillage was not only due to my clumsiness; rather, they really fill the cup to the brim. If you do not drink some right away, the slush will melt and spill over. Boss Woman had the House Special Chow Mein and again, the dish was really large. Resting on top of the fried noodles were a plethora of baby bak choy, bbq pork, scallops, chicken and shrimp. Moreover, the noodles were crisp and combined with the sauce, it was al dente.

Miss Y was having a hard time deciding on what to order. She was bouncing around some ideas and I have no idea how she ended up with Eggplant & Seafood Fried Udon in X.O. Sauce. No matter, it was a good choice because it was packed with ingredients and in her words, "they didn't put too much filler such as the bean sprouts". I think she mentioned that 5 times during dinner. Boy, I give Miss Y such a hard time, one day she's gonna just lose it on me! Oh and she said it tasted good too since it wasn't salty. Milhouse ordered Roasted Thai-Style Chicken Fried Rice. He indicated that the rice was perfectly al dente whereas each grain was discernable. Flavour-wise, the rice was just right, being not too salty. Bear got his ol' standby - Baked Pork Chop on Rice. Boss Woman shared her dish with Bear and she commented that the rice was pretty standard, not much to write home about. For me, I really didn't like the colour, it was quite pale. Without tasting it myself, I won't say whether it was good or not; but it really didn't look that good.

Lionel Hutz had picked something that I would normally order - Twin Steaks & Mexican Spiced Prawns. The meats consisted of one chicken steak (de-boned leg) and one pork chop. The plate of food definitely looked impressive and Lionel gave a grunt of approval in between chewing. The picture for his dish is a bit blurry because I was rushing to take it. He's not blogger-friendly when it comes to making him wait to eat while I snap a picture. I was supremely stuffed after my meal at Flo, the portion size was very generous for the price. In terms of the food itself, it was decent; if not a bit bland. I've definitely had better. The bubble teas were very large and decent; yet no threat to places like Dragonball. In the end, I was just glad we got to eat since it appears we all look forward to it on Monday's. Especially after today, it looks like I'm not the only one who was thinking about food throughout the softball game.

The Good:
- Generous portions
- Reasonably priced
- Comfortable seating arrangements

The Bad:
- When you try to be a jack of all trades in terms of food, there will be some misses
- Bubble tea was not bad, but some dedicated bubble tea joints are better

Flo Tea Room on Urbanspoon

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